Berlin 15 May 1987

 

OK, I admit it, I didn’t do my homework this week. Things have been kinda busy of late and I never found the time to have a quiet moment and think about what recording I would like to listen to and write about. So twenty minutes ago I found myself looking at a blank screen wondering where on earth I should start. Without a particular bootleg in mind, I considered what sort of show I would like to listen to and what songs I would like to hear, which brought me nicely to this week's recording – an aftershow from Berlin 1987 featuring “Housquake” and “Just My Imagination.” The recording itself is short, less than 40 minutes, and to be honest it is rough to listen to. By rough, I mean plenty of tape hiss and a muddy sound, but I have recently come to the realization that I am a hardcore fan and will listen to anything with a beat, so with that in mind read on…..

15th May 1987(am) Quasimodo, Berlin

The first part of the show is missing from the recording, there is no Madhouse or the opening two songs from Prince, and instead, as it begins we catch the tail end of “Redhouse.” The guitar is sweet enough, but it isn’t setting the world aflame, this is the sound of it slowly winding down in the last minute of the song. The following words by Prince are completely lost in distortion before things pick up with the horn refrain that becomes Bodyheat. Now we’re talking, despite the recording, it sounds like a great show as the band locks into a riff that will cement the funk of “Bodyheat.” The horn riff is good, the solo that it plays even better as the recording briefly clears and the show begins to cook. Through the limitations of the recording I can hear something special as the band play the living daylights out of “Bodyheat,” there is no doubt that it would have been a monster to hear live. Did I say solo? I mean solos, as Eric Leeds plays freely over the top a couple of times, each time upping the ante as far as intensity and pure musicianship go. The keyboard heard near the end comes from another place entirely, and is the icing on top as the song finishes with some of the horns as heard in “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night.”

Led by a piano sound, “Just My Imagination” is different in this incarnation, and all the more soulful for it. With Eric Leeds giving it some extra life with his horn any other memories of the song are washed away as this version is heard in a completely different context. The spell is broken with Prince’s distorted vocals (it’s all the recording, not him) and although I can mentally fill it in and make it work, to be honest, it’s a tough listen at this point. A shame as I can hear a fantastic gig unfolding before me, I just can’t hear it in a listenable quality.

“Housequake” is much more agreeable to the ears, although compared to other recordings it is still rough. Prince’s vocals for the most part sound better, and the song is easily recognizable as Housequake. Eric adds his shine, but for most of the song it is the rhythm section that sounds the best -that is until his second solo, where I am forced to eat my words.

 

The final “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” is yet another chance to enjoy the funk of Prince and the awe-inspiring playing of Eric Leeds. Things improve sonically too, as the recording does become better midsong and the song can be heard in all its glory.  The moment right before Shelia E’s rap has me all in, as for a few moments the guitar sings out brightly in the darkness, so tight in its funk. The song becomes jam, and one of the better ones I’ve heard as it maintains its kinetic energy for the entire ten minutes. By the time the finishes I find I have forgotten and forgiven the recording limitations and I am enjoying purely the show.

Wow, that was shorter than I thought. It was also far better than I anticipated. There is no denying the recording was less than stellar, but the show itself was pure fire. Like everyone I trawl the internet looking for shows, and there seem to be the same shows circulating again and again among trading communities, leaving very poor recordings like this forgotten. I know that this type of recording appeals to a very small portion of the fan community, it is not an easy show to listen to. But part of the fun for me is listening to shows like this, with a faint hope in my heart that one day a better recording will surface of a show such as this. Final verdict:  Recording 3, Show  9.