Paris 15 June 1987

 

Today’s gig is the Le New Morning aftershow from 1987. It is quite popular among fans, but I have never really got into it until recently. Even today when I was listening to it, it took me a few songs before I started to feel it. The first couple of songs left me feeling cold, but as it progressed I enjoyed it much more. I think I would best describe it as a slow burner. Anyway, I have sketched out a few thoughts about it below.

 

June 15th, 1987, Le New Morning, Paris.

The gig begins very quietly with just Prince playing guitar. The song seems to swing along just nicely, then the band joins in, and then Prince stays playing some very hot blues guitar. Some very nice piano can be heard playing under his guitar. The drums have a cool swing beat. Prince starts singing – “Red House.” He sings a verse, and then a very long guitar howl introduces the first of the inevitable solos. The song is played a little faster than the Jimi Hendrix version I am used to. There is a brief horn solo, then Prince tells Eric “Eric take over’. Eric plays a nice little solo, but I feel it’s not up to his usual standard. The song is typical of an opening song at one of his after shows, a quick solo from everyone, and a warm-up. However, this one is usually short, only just six minutes.

Between songs, Prince asks the crowd to teach him some French and they come back with “Encore”. A useful word to know at this stage of his career.

 

The next song is listed as “Charlie Parker,” but I don’t think it’s an official title. It starts fairly bass-heavy, and there is some fabulous funk guitar played. I mean, it’s just the thing I love. There are horns in the mix, but they are down low. Prince himself sings down low, I really can’t make out what he is singing. As I said before, it’s the guitar that I am listening to here. Prince calls for just the drums, then Levi comes back in, and some more of that funk guitar. The piano plays a nice mid-pace solo. The bass groove kicks in and Eric runs a great sax solo over it. The organ swell that we heard so much from this period can also be heard in the mix. There’s a deep guitar run, which is nice in that it doesn’t go for the shrill and whine that we often hear. The tempo suddenly increases and Prince goes into his classic band leader mode. He calls “give me one”, “give me three”, and the band stops in an instant. Then he commands “groove” and they pick right up. There are several lines from “Hollyrock” sung over it, but it never goes further than that. Again Prince is the band leader, we have several stop-start moments, and “Groove”. He moves back to playing some very crisp clean guitar, just softly. This jam goes for 15 minutes, but it’s very easy to listen to. Eric plays some more sax before it ends. It seems to go on and on, but it’s always pleasant on the ear.

 

“Just My Imagination” is recognizable right from the start, I don’t know how many times I have listened to this song over the years, it’s a firm favorite, and I know it is for many other fans too. The soft opening here is very easy to listen to, it features some lovely playing by Prince, followed by his whispered “Two, three” and the song begins proper with the keyboards coming in. There is recognition from the crowd and Prince responds with a mock humble “Thank you” To me, the guitar sounds like a waterfall. I don’t know how else to describe it, but it always sounds to me like water falling. The singing is excellent, but to be honest I can’t understand him. But to be fair, I think I am pretty deaf from years of going to gigs and live music. The guitar sounds like a harp, it’s a great effect, and I feel it fits the song perfectly. There is no scorching guitar solo as heard on the Small Club gig, instead, Prince leads the crowd through a beautiful sing-along of “oohhh, oohhh, ohhhh”. Very nice indeed, and a refreshing change from the Small Club gig I have heard a thousand times.

 

There is some confusion about the title of the next song. I am going to go with “Was It My Face,” although I have seen it listed as “Wasn’t My Faith.” The correct title is neither here nor there, as the song itself is outstanding, I would have to say that this is my favorite song on the album. I practically enjoy the lyrics. I can’t list them here or explain them, but trust me, they are really good. The bass is hypnotic to me; it has a nice circular motion to it. (Can I describe music like this?) Of course, the sax solo played by Eric Leeds is excellent as you might expect. I find my head bobbing along with this song; I will be playing it a few more times when I have finished writing this. Prince calls Levi out and the bass starts popping. “Mr. Levi Seacer” becomes a chant for him, and he certainly deserves it. I can’t even begin to describe the sound Prince gets out of his guitar for this one. I don’t remember him getting a sound like this before. It’s not his playing, more the way it's set up. It’s got a fantastic tone to it. His solo is very crisp- as is all his playing on this recording. The song itself feels very tight and restricted. It feels tense like it might burst out at any moment but everyone is holding it in.

“Mutiny” bursts out of the speakers as it always does. The whole pace of the gig picks up. This to me is one of my energy boost songs, it’s a real pick me up, and this recording is no different. It’s not played any differently from any other version you might have heard, the chorus and horns are where it’s at. I have always enjoyed Eric’s playing on this song, and here again, he is to the fore.

 

The song fades with just the beat and Prince starts a “Get on Up” chant. There’s no mistaking what’s coming next – “Sex Machine.” It consists mostly of Prince calling “Get on Up” “I’m a sex machine” for a couple of minutes before an Eric solo. Boy, he is getting a lot of play tonight, and that’s just fine by me. There is a fast and furious keyboard solo, my ears aren’t good enough to say who it is, but I like to think it's Prince. The bass and drums lock in very nicely, the bass picks up lots, and the horns start playing all over it. Get on up indeed! The horn stabs intensify and we get a great guitar solo. It’s feeling loose by now and sounds much better for it.

The song morphs as Prince calls ‘Oohh way ooh’, and again the funk guitar we heard earlier returns. In case you don’t know, I have a big smile on my face now. And it gets bigger when Prince sings “Ain’t no-one can fuck with us”

The band never stops as Prince introduces “Housequake” with “people people, I got a brand new dance”. To be honest it’s just a continuation of the groove from the previous song. The first minute is Prince playing some very nice funk rhythm guitar, before a brief horn interlude. I am very happy as the guitar returns, and Prince sings more “people people I got a brand new dance” The rest of the song continues like this alternating between funky guitar and horn. Prince ends it suddenly and sharply with a “Thank you”

It’s not very often I listen to this gig, but when I do I always find it very enjoyable. It is a short recording, just about an hour, and it seems to go by very fast- I’m sure that’s a sign that it’s good and I am enjoying it. Although by no means essential, this gig is still worth checking out.