Zurich 30 August 1993 (am)

 

“A funny thing happened to me on the way here today” begins the old joke, only in my case, those words do ring true. A funny thing DID happen to me on the way to writing today’s blog, and the show I will be listening to is not the one I originally intended. I have been meaning for some time to take a listen to the Paris Club Rex show from 1993, but I never quite get around to it. I thought that this week the time had come, and I was looking online for more information about the show when I stumbled across a forum where someone recommended this show from Zurich in the same year. Although this show is equally well known, it too remains waiting for me to write about, and since it was closer to hand than the Club Rex show it will be the one I will listen to now.  I am fooling myself that I am living life spontaneously, but it’s just more effort to find the Club Rex show in the archives.

30th August 1993, Kaufleuten Zurich

This recording has been circulating for years now, in many guises. I am running with the 4DF release, mostly because it has been cleaned up somewhat to move the audience noise back to its rightful place -the background. On first impressions I immediately like the setlist, I see “Blue Light” listed (many don’t care for it, I do), plenty of funk jams, and then what looks like a rock fuelled ending.

The recording lives up to my expectations from the opening moments, with a rising horn riff and the crowd on board from the opening seconds. They introduce themselves as The New Power Generation, and that is borne out by the following performance, it is a complete band performance with Prince being very much band orientated for the bulk of the show. “Deuce And A Quarter” is right in line with this thought, Tony M does the speaking, while it is up to Kathy J to provide the early initiative on the horns. She is of course ably assisted by Michael Nelson and his trombone solo. With the band swinging, Tony M does his best to hype the crowd, and I am most surprised to hear it’s working for him. The party is already starting in style.

 

“Deuce And A Quarter” may have started the party, but it’s the following “Black M.F. In The House” where things take off. The band plays as the first song, only more so. The horns are brighter, the band funkier, and Prince sings his lines with great relish. It’s hard not to like it, and I find I am singing loudly here at home, at least until my wife comes in to see what the heck I’m singing about. As the crowd gives a rousing cheer it feels more like a house party than a concert, the audience and the band are already connecting.

Prince keeps in theme with “Race” following naturally enough after. The recording does give a wobble at this point, but it’s no real problem, and Prince and the band are still chewing it up on stage. “Race” isn’t as intense and full-on as I sometimes hear, it’s more relaxed and flows easier. The band is playing brilliantly and keeping it in the pocket without ever pushing the song, I think I prefer it this way, and I am thankful the recording is sounding as good as it does.

 

I haven’t used the word ‘intense’ yet, but that is about to change with the introduction of “The Undertaker.” With its creeping bassline and misty horns swirling there is a feeling of impending seriousness. Prince delivers that seriousness in his lyrics and with the backing singers, it does lose that party vibe as it slips into darker territory. There is the much-admired guitar break, but what demands listening from my point of view is the Tommy Barbarella keyboard break that pulls us deep into the swampy sound. It is thick and all-enveloping, a juicy warm sound that you can lose yourself in, and that’s exactly what I do for the next ten minutes. The final coda sees some funk enter the picture, and we are left on an upbeat groove that contrasts all that has come before.

Some guitar and keyboard interplay, and before I know they are playing “Six.” What a great song to be able to pull out at a moment like this, and with the horn section on board it gets a workout in the full sound it deserves. It’s the keyboard and guitar that leads us into it but come to the chorus the horns make themselves heard, and they are the key component for the rest of the song. I can’t stress enough how good this all sounds, the song, and the band are a perfect match, and this is certainly one of the standout songs of the night.

 

The horn section stays at the front of our minds, and the sound mix, as they next tackle “Intermission.” It’s lively and sharp, something I enjoy, but at only a couple of minutes, it’s much shorter than anything else heard at the show.

I was surprised to see “Delirious” clocking in at over seven minutes, but all is explained as I listen, it’s played as a swing-time jam, with plenty of horns bouncing back and forth, and a long guitar break by Prince that keeps in this theme, and a joyful sing-along by the crowd. The mood and tempo are kept up the whole time, and it adds a lot of lightness and fun to the evening.  Prince does very little singing and instead it’s the band that gets all the shine as they play.

Typical, I was looking forward to hearing “Blue Light” then when it starts I don’t immediately recognize it. After the beat and a few seconds of lead guitar it settles into the groove I recognize, especially as the horns begin to play. It has an easy way about it and flows easily in and out as Prince and the crowd sings together. The horns give it the sunshine feel, and with the crowd singing along it seems to work much better than it does on the album.

 

“Come” gets things moving again, with its smooth sound much more driving than the previous “Blue Light.” There is a slippery guitar underneath which I always listen for, and the crowd claps and chants their way through the song. They aren’t intrusive at all, and the overall effect is one of unity between the band themselves and the crowd. All in all, it’s a very smooth and clean performance, something I could easily listen to again.

A pounding drum, a scream, and the opening riff of “Endorphin Machine” open the next part of the show in style. The guitar isn’t right to the front as perhaps most would like, but that hardly matters as Prince sings the lyrics, his guitar sawing back and forth underneath. It’s bold and energetic, and as Prince launches into the guitar break I am sold on it. He sings with a hint of venom as he spits the lines before his guitar flies, it’s captivating even on an audience recording listening here at home.

“Peach” starts slowly, before Prince turns everything up to eleven to give us a rendition to remember. His vocals are full-throated and only matched by the full-blooded guitar sound he gets out of his axe. There is some interaction with the audience, but we are all here for the guitar pyrotechnics, and Prince delivers on that front bringing out the best of his playing. I’m not always a big fan of Peach, this one has me all in.

 

“What Is Hip?” is intriguing from the start, with plenty of horn work (obviously) and a very funky guitar, it is constantly moving and evolving. Morris Haynes playing a swirling organ solo is a bonus, and without Prince singing again it highlights how much of a total band performance this show has been.

Prince is back on the microphone for a final stomp through “House In Order.” With a call of “everyone go to church y’all” there is a church vibe as the crowd claps and the band swings. The first few minutes are great, but it’s the scat and funky guitar that appears midsong that floors me, they slip between gospel-infused singing to funk in a heartbeat. Prince keeps the crowd just as involved as the band, and as you might imagine there is plenty of chanting, singing, and clapping in the final few minutes, Prince always leaves the crowd finishing the show as if they are very much a part of it.

And just like that, it’s over. I wasn’t 100% confident about this recording, but the show is yet another good representation of the aftershow experience. The real surprise was how little Tony M was heard on the microphone, and how much the audience noise had been toned down. This recording has been around for a long time now, and I’m glad I gave it another listen with fresh ears. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.