Sendai 1 February 1989

 

I had several choices of recordings to listen to from the Lovesexy tour. The most famous, and widely available would is the show from Dortmund Germany. I have decided not to listen to that one today, instead, I am listening to Sendai, Japan. It’s almost as well known and is an excellent soundboard recording. I like this one, especially as the setlist is a little different from the Dortmund gig. Lovesexy shows were an experience in themselves. Prince presented his new material, in a way that let you know that it was very important to him personally. At the same time his old material was played, but it was tweaked in such a way that it could contribute to the overall arc he was performing at the show. The shows started with Prince running quickly through his back catalog. It’s a medley, yet he plays just enough of each song that I never feel cheated. It’s a clever way to get the weight of history off his back so he can concentrate his, and the audience, attention on the new material. I am looking forward to this one, so let’s take a listen.

1 February 1989, Sendai Japan

“Snare drum pound on two and four, all the party people get on the floor – bass!” A simple but effective intro to “Housequake.” The drums sound great, right from the start I know I am going to love this one. “Housequake” sounds a little thin on record, but here it’s nice and round, and the drums and horns have me bobbing my head right from the start. The song is genius and as I listen I try to break it down. I have no idea how he could even conceive it and put it together, but listening here, and can see it’s all built around the drums and horns. The other great thing about the live version is the bass is much stronger- which is always a great thing for me! “Housequake” is the longest song played in the first half of the show, and it gives the band a good five minutes to get into it. The song sounds like it is going to end with a brief drum roll, but then after a few words from Prince, we are back to one final chorus.

 

When the song does end, Prince slips easily into the smooth “Slow Love.” I loved this on the Sign O The Times tour, but like everything for the next 40 minutes, it is cut down early, just as I was getting in the mood for love too!

Adore seems like a natural progression, following straight on. Prince’s voice is spot on here, and it showcases just how strong his vocals are. After some brief vocal gymnastics, Boni intercedes and there is some interplay between the two of them.

A sudden shout and a blast and things speed up considerable with a break-neck “Delirious.” The song has always been up-tempo, but here seems even quicker, and the 30 seconds it gets seem to go by in a flash.

In a similar vein, “Jack U Off” follows, but it gets a longer outing. Prince seems to have got his setlist very well constructed here, the songs are grouped in a way where they all seem well suited to what comes before and what follows. The three songs in this group are Delirious, Jack U Off, and Sister, and they seem like a natural family together. Jack U Off is quite sprightly and the horns add a nice element in contrast to the guitar-heavy version from earlier tours. There is even time for an organ solo before the guitar takes a short solo.

The song rolls into “Sister,” and unbelievably it’s even faster. However it only gets a verse and a chorus, but that is enough. Some nice solo guitar work ends it, one can only assume it's Prince. The band jumps back into the fray and the guitar work goes up another level again. A quick dash to the finish line, and then a lovely and surprising segue into “Do Me, Baby.”

 

“Do Me, Baby” slows things down nicely, not only is it a slow song, but here it is played longer than most songs in the first half, so we all have a chance to catch our collective breaths. The beauty of this recording is that I can hear Prince so well, and his vocals are magnificent. A couple of excellent squeals and then in his deeper voice some very cool seduction talk. He’s done it thousands of times, but it always sounds so good. The song ends with a couple of lines from “Adore.”

The energy levels are restored with the intro of “I Wanna Be Your Lover.” Before I get too excited about hearing it, things turn nasty with “Head.” It sounds good, but I think it's missing the visual element, I need to see it as well as hear it. One of my keystone songs, it’s the dark dirty early recordings of it I prefer, this one is a little too clean and sharp for my liking. However, Fink is still here to play his solo and that is always a plus.

‘On the one” brings us to “Girls and Boys.” I adore this song on Parade era recordings, however here it’s a pale imitation of itself. It only gets a minute and seems a little too sterile.

However “A Love Bizarre” seems to come out great, the bass and drum seem thicker and the horns a little stronger. Having Shelia E. on tour is a bonus, and it’s great to have her vocals on it. The song takes a very funky turn when Miko plays a break and the band and Prince chant “Who’s house, Mikos house!” I only wish that it went for longer.

 

“When You Were Mine” sounds almost the same as the day it was recorded. Prince’s guitar sounds the same, and the only difference is the band when they sing along. Again, this song gains a lot on this soundboard recording. It gets more exciting when Prince encourages the crowd to sing “Hey, hey!” and even I feel myself getting more excited. The horns playing at the end is an excellent touch, and it’s a nice update of something from his back catalog.

The pounding start of “Controversy” brings a big smile to my face, but sadly after a minute, it switches to the mournful keyboard intro of “Little Red Corvette.” But it's no bad thing, it’s a well-needed change of pace, and I can’t stop thinking what a great setlist this is. As he did for many years, the song ends abruptly after the guitar solo, and we go straight into “U Got The Look.”

I have mixed feelings about “U Got the Look,” I love the funky rhythm guitar underneath, but hate the loud rock guitar over the top. I am at war with myself over it. Luckily I don’t have too long to overthink it, as it ends soon enough.

“Superfunkycalifragisexy” is a favorite of mine from the Black Album. Here it is very enjoyable to listen to and sounds just as fresh as it does on record. I was very surprised to see Black Album songs in the setlist, but at the same time very grateful. These were creative little songs that deserved to be heard by a wider audience.

The song ends back where we started with a “Controversy” and then things get interesting.

“Bob George” is a strange choice for the Lovesexy tour, and yet it makes perfect sense. It’s dark and funky, and the antagonist of the song is at his lowest point. It makes sense in the wider context of the setlist, and the rebirth and redemption that follows. I wouldn’t want Prince to write too many songs like “Bob George,” but I do like it very much and I love the creativity he shows with it. It ends with the Lord’s Prayer here, and a bang, literally.

After a few seconds of silence and dark noise, the show resumes with Prince on the piano, playing “Anna Stesia.” The first time I ever heard the Lovesexy album this was the song that grabbed me. This was the song I was most intrigued by and the song that seemed to speak to me. Even today as I listen to it, I find I am asking myself questions and listening to it on many levels. “Anna Stesia” marks the end of the first half of the show, with no more medleys and shortened versions, from here on it's all Lovesexy, positivity, and full-length versions. “Anna Stesia” sounds great, I can’t tell you enough what a great soundboard this is. The song ends with Prince singing “God is love, love is God” and that tells you pretty much where we are heading for the rest of the show.

There are then a few minutes of intermission, and “Cross The Line.” It sounds a little corny now, but in the context of the whole show, it definitely belongs and has its place. There are all sorts of samples and noises, and I think if I had been there it would have kept me guessing about what was coming next.

 

I have to admit I was lying on the couch with my eyes closed, trying to digest all the parts of the intermission, when Prince’s voice burst out of the speakers and scared the life out of me! An “Ewww” and Prince strongly begins “Eye Know.” This is another one of those songs from Lovesexy that I never get tired of listening to. I like this one, I can hear Prince very well, and the song isn’t as ‘busy’ as it sounds on the record. Prince tells Miko he likes the guitar, it sounds funky, and he is so right. All the different parts of the song work, and I find I am trying to listen to them all individually and pick out what they are playing. It all works together and I finally decide that only a mad genius could have written this song.

The opening beat to “Lovesexy” grabs my attention, it’s so loud and full. All the Lovesexy songs sound strong live, and I am pleasantly surprised. I remember when I first heard the album I could never imagine how they would work in a live situation, but work they certainly do. The rhythm section in this song is outstanding. Again, it’s another song with plenty of layers, so there is always something new to listen to or pick out.

“Glam Slam” seems like a logical choice to follow with. It's fresh sounding and my only problem with it is that it finishes after 2 minutes.

“The Cross” is a natural fit in this portion of the show. It’s sounding better here than it did on The Sign O Times tour, a little less reverent, and a little more uplifting. I don’t know how the music changes to reflect that, maybe it’s the songs surrounding it than give me that feeling. Again, a testament to Prince’s great setlist. As you might expect, Prince’s guitar playing is a highlight, an absolute joy to listen to. The tone of the whole song is uplifted and it’s hard not to smile as I listen to it.

I find the beat of “I Wish U Heaven” very soothing, and the moment it starts I feel better. Shelia E is all over this one, and she is in fine form. The quality of Prince’s bands has always been the best of the best, and Shelia E is just another example. A star in her own right, she contributes so much to this show, and this song. Miko is another favorite of mine and his guitar playing at the end of this is nice and crisp.

Prince begins the next with “Sendai, come here and give me a Kiss”. If you have read any of my other blogs you will know my feelings about Kiss. This one, in particular, I am not so fond of. The guitar is buried and there is too much horn. Prince says “I like it” but unfortunately I can’t agree. No fault of his, or the band, they play well, the problem is all mine.

“Dance On” is another personal favorite from the album, I was hoping for a full version, but instead I get an intro then Shelia E brings out the “Transmississippi Rap.” It then becomes a Shelia E drum solo. I love Shelia, but I have never been one for drum solos (perhaps bitterness over my own lack of rhythm?), nor have I ever enjoyed the “Transmississippi Rap.” It’s unfortunate and combined with “Kiss,” this portion of the show loses me. It is no big thing, I can’t be a fan of everything, it’s just a shame, I had such high hopes when I saw “Dance On” on the tracklisting.

 

The keyboard swell, so familiar from the 1988/1989 era, begins “Let’s Go Crazy.” Prince delivers an abridged version of the intro before the crunching guitar cuts in. There isn’t anything new or different played here, but Prince does get a good chance to show off his guitar skills, and as usual, he delivers. He forgoes further guitar heroics in the latter part of the song to instead encourage the crowd to sing “go go go”. I am sure it was great if you were there, sitting on my comfy bean bag listening to the recording it didn’t move me. You can’t beat being at a live gig, that’s for sure.

This is obviously the purple part of the show as the classic riff of “When Doves Cry” follows. Plenty of horns on the intro, to my ears, it sounds a little funkier. The shortened variation that gets played doesn’t do the song justice, but I did enjoy all the additions, the bass, the horns, and the samples on top.

There is a very short guitar intro to “Purple Rain.” It feels fleeting compared to some of the long-drawn-out versions we have had over the years. As I guess, Prince sings on the first verses, and chorus before he launches into his trademark solo. Is there anything else to say about “Purple Rain?” It’s played at almost every gig, I have hundreds of recordings of it. This one is no better or worse than any other I have heard.

“1999,” does it sound better with horns or not? The jury is still out, I can’t decide. There is still a nice strong keyboard presence on this recording, so I get the best of both worlds. Prince skips over the bulk of the song and heads straight for the fade-out where he can engage the audience. Even then, by the three-minute mark, it’s all over with a rumble and Prince thanking the crowd, and assuring them that God will take care of them.

There is a feeling that the show may be over, but after a minute Prince is back, and for a final encore we get “Alphabet St.” Every show has a highlight for me, in this show, it would have to be this, along with “Anna Stesia.” Prince sounds very playful as he sings, and the band weaves in and out around him. Things get more interesting after Cats rap, and although it’s played tight, I get the feeling the band could have happily jammed on this one. It’s interesting to me that this show is so rehearsed, choreographed, and note-perfect, and yet this is the same band we hear at after-shows, where they spread their wings and fly. They always sound tight and well-reined in here.

 

The show ends with the sound of water running, and I guess it’s the noise of baptism and purity.

A show from yet another interesting period of Prince’s career, I overall enjoyed it very much. You may think from some of my negative comments above that I didn’t rate this very highly. And looking at it on paper, highly choreographed, rehearsed, and tight, I don’t think I was going to enjoy it too much. But the show is so well played, and Prince believes absolutely in what he is playing, that I can’t help but enjoy it. I will always feel it when someone believes in what they are playing. And I can’t forget, the strength of the songs themselves shines through, and there are some of my favorite songs here. This wouldn’t be the first CD I would grab out, but I always enjoy it when I hear it. Overall rating: Solid.