Toledo 26 February 1983

 Holy Toledo Batman, another soundboard recording of the 1999 tour!

As I have written before, the 1999 tour is the unloved stepchild of my bootleg collection. Although I feel passionate about the 1999 album, that undying love has never quite transferred to the live tour. I always enjoy the concerts, but not to the same extent as I love the Controversy tour or Purple Rain tour that sit either sit of it in my collection. This new recording is unlikely to change that long-entrenched feeling, but I do celebrate its release, and a chance to indulge in one of Prince’s breakthrough tours is not one to miss. The set is short and sharp, perhaps a little too short, but one has to remember that The Time and Vanity 6 were also on the bill, making for an evening entirely of Prince music in one guise or another. 

26 February 1983, Toledo Sports Arena, Toledo 

The spoken intro of 1999 is a red herring, and the quickly-paced introduction of “Controversy” is the first indication that we are about to be taken on a funky ride. With the soundboard recording, it would be easy enough to pull the song apart and critique each instrument, but this song and band deserve much more, and in this case, it's best to sit back, turn it up, and tune out. The sleekness of the song is neatly undone as Prince’s guitar reeks of funk and the possibility that the song could easily slip into deeper and darker waters. 

 

It is a resolute keyboard that stands at the center of “Lets Work,” carrying the song and the rest of the band as it flows both under the rhythm and over the rhythm. Against this unrelenting sound, the band stays restrained, choosing to purr away in the background while Prince and his keyboard warriors lead the battle in winning over the dancing feet of the audience. The final cheer from the crowd suggests that this battle was won, and certainly here at home, it sits on the right side of victory. 

From the other end of the spectrum comes the milky flow of “Do Me, Baby,” a ballad that becomes all the more seductive, surrounded as it is by funk tunes and pop moments. The lushness of the music is only matched by the aching vocals of Prince, and the song, as it so often does, becomes an emotional counterpoint to the cold electronic funk of the opening barrage. 

The bootleg picks up pace with the introduction of “D.M.S.R” and normal service is resumed on the dance floor. The vocals in this case sound restrained, Prince has character to his voice but still holds something back for reserve. The normally piercing scream from Lisa is equally retrained, the show thus far has been excellent and this is the first song that doesn’t come alive in performance. 

 

I become far more invested in the concert in the next few minutes as the air becomes full of keyboard with a brief interlude provided by Lisa Coleman that segues into an entirely ethereal rendition of “With You.” Both are pure ear candy and provide a cerebral experience as much as an aural experience. The fact that none of this sounds out of place at what is essentially a pop concert, is a credit to the band and the carefully crafted set-list. 

“How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” keeps the concert firmly outside the box. The muse guides Prince for the next few minutes and the music dips and dives beneath his fingertips, and it is all captured superbly on the soundboard recording. The song is still youthful at this stage, and the yearning Prince places at the heart of it speaks to us all in one way or another. 

 

It is a pleasure to see “Lady Cab Drive” on the setlist, especially after listening to a string of abridged versions from the Parade era concerts. However, it’s still not quite the tour de force that appears on record, the inflamed guitar captures some of the frustrations Prince sings of, but it also brings the song to a close. There is no extended funk jam here, Prince gives us the essence of the song and then moves quickly on. 

As a genuine pop hit, one would expect “Little Red Corvette” to be treated with reverence, here it is not.  Prince doesn’t linger over the introduction, nor does he draw out the ending. Instead, he presents a highly efficient version that ticks all the sonic boxes but never once touches on the soul of the song. It is pleasant enough for those in the audience that want to hear a hit but becomes a cold moment in what has mostly been a warm concert. 

It is instead “Dirty Mind” that gets lavished with attention and all the appendages that one associates with Prince and the band in full flight. There are desperately unhinged guitar breaks, wild chanting, unrelenting groove, and a song that sounds as if Prince is ripping it straight from his guts. It is a throwback to the wild days of the Controversy tour (a mere 18 months previous), and one can feel the carefree abandonment leaping out of the speakers at this stage. 

 

Equilibrium is restored with the seductive (and let’s be honest, slightly silly) presentation of “International Lover.” The lyrics are over the top, there is no denying it, but they certainly hit the right spot, and even I, a fully grown man, find myself slowly slipping under the hypnotic trance that Prince fills the track with. It brings further balance to the show after the previous “Dirty Mind” and Prince appears genius-like in his ability to play such contrasting songs back to back. “International Lover” brings a swirl of lace and dry ice to the recording, and the music heard conjures up a powerful visual image, even if we don’t see what is unfolding on stage. 

The concert feels as if it is building towards some sort of orgasmic release, but sadly the tension remains unresolved as “1999,” although sounding as sleek and shiny as an 80’s hairdo, doesn’t have the sense of urgency or danger about it that I was hoping for. It is a triumphant climax, without the climax and with very little triumph. As a listening experience, it is pleasant enough, although light on the experience side of things. The concert ends with another seamless and smooth presentation, and as much as I enjoy it, I find it lacks the bite I crave. 

I may not have been exactly glowing in my praise of every song on this recording, but overall it is another great sounding soundboard, and for that alone it should be heralded. This recording shows off the electronic funk of Prince and the Revolution, but the thought always remains in the back of my mind that this is only part of a much wider spectacle, and when we factor in the unrecorded sets of Vanity 6 and The Time, Prince’s genre-spanning music is much better represented. This is a recording that sees Prince placing another block in place in the empire he will create in the mid-80s, and for that alone it is a must-listen. 

Providence 10 February 1983

 I love early recordings of Prince. Although the setlists aren’t as varied, he more than makes up for it with the ferocity and passion when he plays. The performances aren’t as polished, and there is a rawness that connects with me. Today I am listening to a gig from the 1999 era, an era that I don’t have many recordings from. He is just playing to a larger audience, but still has that excitement of his early days. 

 

10 February 1983, Providence 

The show opens with the slowed-down voice from the intro of 1999. “Don’t worry I won’t hurt you, I only want you to have some fun” I fully expected to hear the band launch into “1999,” but instead a fast bass drum begins, and very soon the funky guitar of Controversy starts. As I say every time, this is the sound that I adore. Already I love this recording. It sounds big and bold, and when the keyboards and rest of the band jump in it sounds very strong. The keyboards are very loud, and then Prince hits us with his first “Awwww!” I can’t hear Prince singing, he seems very quiet, the keyboard and guitar drown him out, but you can hear him just fine when he sings the chorus and when he talks directly to the crowd “all together now!” He sounds very rock n roll, especially when he says “Welcome to 1999, I believe in Love” before singing the “I wish we all were nude” section 

 

“Let’s Work” follows, as seems to be very common during Controversy and 1999 tours. These songs are often paired together. Prince announces the song by asking the crowd “Is everybody ready to work, is everybody ready to work?” This song didn’t use to be a favorite for me back in the 1980s, but now it is one that I like. The performance here is excellent. It has some great keyboard lines. Dez plays a strong guitar solo, and this is followed by a quirky little keyboard run. It’s really fun, and like I say, very enjoyable to listen to. Princes’ singing seems irrelevant here, it’s all in the music. 

 

There is a pause to catch my breath after this, and then the lovely saturated keyboard sound of “Do Me, Baby” begins. The keyboards pull back, and there is some beautiful little guitar played. It sounds great and is obviously going over well with the crowd judging by the screams. The intro is long, but I could have listened to it for much more. I have always loved the piano in this song, and this recording is no different, it’s a nice sharpness against the lushness of the synth. For a long time this was in my top 10 ballads, but only just. Now it’s right up there in the top 5. This was the first time that Prince totally nailed the seduction ballad, and I still listen to it to this day. The bass has a deep rubber band sound that I enjoy, and it just sounds classic in every way. Prince unleashes some shrieks that sound just as good as they do on the album, and there is a bang just after the last one which I guess is a mic drop; I can almost picture it in my head now. I must check out some concert videos from this period, I don’t give them nearly as much love as they deserve. 

The last notes of it fade and the bass and distinctive keyboard of “DMSR” begin. There is quite a cheer from the crowd, it’s a fan favorite. I am enjoying this setlist. I am a huge fan of 1999 and Controversy and this gig is chock full of many of my all-time classics. The guitar and bass interplay here is fantastic. The song is played faster than on the album, and it sounds better. I certainly would have been up and dancing if I had been there. The best part of the song for me is when Jill Jones screams “Arrrghhhhh, somebody call the police!!” I wish I could see what’s happening at this stage, it sounds awesome! I find myself laughing when Prince sings “all the white people clap your hands on the 2 and 4 now”, always a favorite line of mine. 

 

There is then a shimmery keyboard interlude which I assume is played by Lisa. It’s not too long but is a nice transition into the next part of the show. Nowadays I am a little worn out by Prince’s keyboard sequences and medleys, but at this stage of his career it was still new and interesting and his keyboard section shows off his talent but isn’t boring, nor too over the top. There is a brief intro as he warms up on the keyboard, and I then expect him to play “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore,” but instead he serves up a blinding version of “Still Waiting.” I very rarely listen to this song, which is a shame, because his performance of it here is excellent. I am not prepared to say it’s the highlight, but it’s a peak in the show. Then he plays “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” as you would expect, and it’s not a short version as he is playing nowadays, but the full version which we love. The midsection has some great screams with plenty of echo effects on them, and the crowd responds with plenty of screams themselves. The rest of the band quietly enters as Prince begins his spoken piece about how she won’t call him. “Have you another man, is he fine, does he have an ass like mine”. I have heard it all before but it is still good fun. This is the Prince I want to see more of when he’s playing with a sense of humor. “I have another woman, she’s a nurse” I actually laughed when he said this. Of course, he ends it with “Don’t you want my tootsie roll”   

“Lady Cab Driver” begins with street noise and Prince saying he’s outta here – Taxi! Jill Jones sings a lot in this song, in fact at the beginning I can’t hear Prince much at all. I have got a lot of love for Jill Jones, some of my best Prince moments are songs she is involved with. “Lady Cab Driver” is my favorite song from the 1999 album, so this is easily my best song of the night. There is a guitar solo, with a great tone. I am not sure who plays it, built it’s a definite highlight for me. Unfortunately, the song is not played out long as we hear on the album, it ends much too soon as the band segues into “Little Red Corvette.” 

 

I like the versions of “Little Red Corvette” where there is a minute of keyboard swells before the song begins. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those versions, the band launched into it almost straight away. It is a hit at the time, so I expected that Prince would milk it for all its worth, but the version here is very truncated, it ends just one chorus after the guitar solo and is only two minutes. It’s very surprising indeed. 

 

I have said many times before that “Dirty Mind” is a firm favorite, and here once again it is a knockout. It begins with Prince saying slowly and with an effect on his voice “I….don’t……want….to……hurt you baby, I only want to lay you down”. From then on it’s all on as the band attacks it at full throttle. And that’s just how I like it! It’s very fast, and it all go go go. It is one of those songs that seem to have energy from within that bursts out. There is no let-up or break in it at all. Only a 5-second pause mid-song but apart from that, it’s ragged and frantic. Prince sings “All, alright” but it’s not a sing-along, things are hammering along too fast for that. The song climaxes in an all-in crescendo and I can finally breathe again. There is then a break, the show is very short, and we await the encore. The crowd chants “We want Prince!” After a minute we hear a woman’s voice “Fasten your seat belts, prepare for take-off”. I think I know what’s coming now. “International Lover” is quite a title to live up to, but Prince has made a fair effort at it all his career. The song on the album sounds a little flat to me, but here it seems to have much more life to it. Prince himself sounds impassioned as he sings, and the band gives it some strength in the live setting. I was wondering how the long seduction scene with the aircraft analogy would work, but it sounds alright. I can only imagine what he is doing during the long keyboard break, luckily there is just enough to keep me interested. 

 

After the final words “welcome to satisfaction” the band immediately start playing “1999.” Being the hit, and the title of the album, I thought the crowd would have acknowledged it more, but they are fairly subdued. Or maybe I am reading too much into the recording, after all, it is a recording of the band, not the crowd. 1999 is played standard; again it doesn’t stray from the script. There is some good funky guitar near the end, but asides from that nothing about it grabs me. That’s not a bad thing, I liked it, but there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Actually, after singing ‘Mommy, why does everybody have a bomb” there is some nice guitar work and a long keyboard and guitar build-up to a final explosion that ends the gig. 

 

My overall feelings about this gig are mixed. I enjoyed it very much, and listen to it a lot. Some parts of it may seem a little dowdy or uninteresting, but I can’t fault the performance or the recording. As a fan of this era, I was always going to be a big supporter of this recording. It’s an excellent record of the time as Prince was just crossing over to a larger audience. All in all, excellent. The next post will be something from the nineties; I have been wallowing in early 1980s nostalgia too much. 

Lakeland 1 February 1983

 This week I am rolling back the clock to 1983 for another 1999 show. Although the shows are all very similar, I still love listening to and watching young Prince in action. What the shows lack in variety, they make up in energy, showmanship, and pure enjoyment. I have written of other shows from the 1999 tour, and this one doesn’t differ much from those, so this will be a shorter entry. I haven’t heard this one for a while, so I can’t wait to hear a few old favorites. 

 

1st February 1983, Lakeland Civic Centre, Florida 

It's classic Prince as the spoken intro of “1999” intones before a thunder roll opens the show. The sense of anticipation builds as the drum beat of Controversy plays before the sound of the guitar and Prince appears in silhouette, astride the action on his high perch. He plays the whole song like this, just silhouetted and singing, and I find it suits the song and the mood of the song – Prince the mysterious figure appearing in the mist to lay his funk upon us. The song has an air of causal professionalism, the band sound laid back in places, and it’s Prince’s guitar as well as some clunky piano that adds the tension to the song. I appreciate that Prince calls out Bobby Z, and I love that there is a nice little guitar moment just as the song comes to a close. 

 

  

“Let’s Work” has Prince back in the spotlight literally, while Brown Mark takes the spotlight musically. I think when most people think of Prince, this is the image that comes to mind, him resplendent in his purple trench coat and finely coiffured hair piled high upon his head. The band all gets moments on this song, and I enjoy hearing them all individually. I am surprised that Dez gets a solo too, in the 1999 shows his role is diminished, and the sight of him and Prince playing shoulder to shoulder in the Controversy tour is now just a memory. He still plays well, and his performance is fun, but that close-knit look of previous tours is gone. 

 

Dez shines early on in “Do Me, Baby,” his guitar line off setting some of the lushness, and for me, it greatly enhances the performance.   As always, Prince plays the showman on this one, and his performance is visual just as much as it is vocal. The highlight for me is Prince standing atop a little side platform and unleashing a couple of howls, it’s something the teenage me enjoyed, and I still get a kick out of it today. Somehow it’s not as down and dirty as it looked on the Controversy tour, Prince has toned down his performance somewhat, nevertheless still very enjoyable. 

“D.M.S.R” almost has me on my feet, but I am just a little too repressed to leap straight up and dance to it. The start of the song is great, with Prince, Brown Mark, and Dez all playing together and pulling a couple of moves. Again it feels like a band performance, rather than Prince backed by a band. This is heightened mid-song when the three of them again play together and slide easily back and forth in unison. The song finishes and I realize that I have just been watching in awe, it’s a great performance. 

 

Lisa’s shimmering solo is always a pleasure to listen to, and although different in tone from what we have been listening to, it never feels like it has been shoehorned into the show. The crowd however is here for Prince, and there are plenty of shouts and screams as he appears and begins to play at the piano. 

A brief introduction of “With You” before he grooves easily into “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore.” I wonder what he can do with it this time, and after a couple of minutes of playing, he begins his shtick. Prancing across the stage, lying on the piano, and a couple of good screams is par for the course here, and he delivers it all with aplomb. It gets better as he goes, and it peaks as he tells the crowd that as he was making love to another girl he screamed out your name. Obviously the crowd laps it up, and it’s all done with a nod and a wink that gives it a fun tone. The tootsie roll line has been done to death, but the intro of “Lady Cab Driver” comes right on top of it and doesn’t give me a chance to dwell on the moment. 

“Lady Cab Driver” sounds effortless smooth, and seeing Prince singing and playing his guitar on this song is a definite highlight for me. The song is very smooth sounding except for Dez’s scorching guitar solo. Shirtless and throwing shapes as he plays, there is no mistaking he is the rock in Prince's sound, both figuratively and literally. The song somewhat disappointingly ends here, leaving me hungry for more. 

 

I am surprised at how quickly “I Wanna To Be Your Lover” starts. The beat doesn’t stop, it just segues straight into it. I Wanna Be Your Lover is kept very short, with a verse and chorus before “Head” gets even less, with a single line and a riff.  It is nice to get even that, and it’s a nod to those in the audience that has stuck with Prince, from his dirty days through to now as he is on the cusp of pop stardom. 

Again the music doesn’t let up as “Little Red Corvette” follows straight on the heels of the previous two songs. There is nothing in the ways of build-up, Prince starts singing right from the start. What I like about it though is the bass is nice and fat sounding, and it’s much more to the fore. As always Dez’s solo is great, and yet it’s the bass that I keep coming back to, especially as his solo finishes. It’s as heard on the 12-inch version, and as the bass loops over Dez comes back with another solo. I would say this part of the show is essential, Dez’s solo is fierce before the band drops out leaving the bass line playing and Prince encouraging the crowd to clap. The song continues with the full band and that fantastic bass for another couple of minutes, and I could dine on this all day long. 

 

Chants of “We want Prince” bring our Casanova back to the stage for the overworked “International Lover.” Prince plays his part so well, opening the song shrouded in smoke, before turning on the seduction as the song progresses. This song highlights how much a Prince concert has become a “show”. It’s not longer Prince and the band playing their songs in a furious assault, now the performance matters much more, and certain songs are tightly choreographed and done for show. This is the most staged of the songs, with Prince climbing high on his stage to the infamous hydraulic bed. There are plenty of screams as he performs a striptease before lowering himself to the bed. As he sinks from view I can’t help but think “what a great way to end a show!” 

There isn’t too much time to consider this as the familiar opening riff of “1999” begins. Prince reappears, looking every inch a pop star in his shiny purple coat. This song sounded great on the radio, and it sounds just as good live. It’s a lot of fun seeing Bobby Z standing behind his drum kit, playing to the drum track, while Jill Jones and Lisa share a microphone and vocals. It does have a triumphant sound to it, and it’s the right song to end the concert with at this stage.  There is no better sight and sound than seeing Prince and the band dancing and playing some great rhythm towards the end of the show. As smoke engulfs the stage the guitars begin to howl and with one last pose Prince ends the show. 

These older shows are always great, the freshness of the music, and the extra spring in the step of both Prince and Revolution. Even though the shows don’t vary much, I always enjoy listening to them, especially with The Time playing as well. It was about this time that I first became a Prince fan, so there is always a heavy dose of nostalgia when I listen to these shows- they may not be essential, but they are a lot of fun. 

Detroit 2 December 1982

 There is no doubt that Detroit has a lot of love for Prince, and Prince reciprocated this love over the years with many great concerts, and subsequent bootlegs to match. The most well-known of these is the 1986 birthday show, but I can point to any number of concerts where the energy levels of the Detroit crowds, and rabid fandom, lifted Prince and the band to new heights. So for the next few weeks, I will be listening to a string of bootlegs from across Prince's career all taken from his performances in Detroit. The earliest Detroit gig we have a recording of is the concert of November 30th, 1982  as the 1999 tour steamed across the country. I have covered that concert previously here, and it is an outstanding soundboard from the six concerts he played in Detroit early in the tour. Much less talked about is the bootleg from the concert a couple of days later released by African Shark. It is not a soundboard recording, but it is still a notable release as it includes both the Times set and Vanity 6. The Detroit crowd is lively, to say the least, and this recording captures the excitement and energy of a Prince live concert just as well, if not better than the clean sterile sound of a soundboard. The setlist of a 1999 show offers very little (read no) surprises, but it matters not, as the passion and love of the music burns through, and even the most familiar of material takes on a life of its own in this setting. To be honest, I have had a terrible day at work today, and I look forward to losing myself in the music for the next 60 minutes, and I can’t think of a better way to do it than with this recording. 

2nd December 1982, Masonic Temple Auditorium, Detroit. 

The recording drops us right into the midst of the action, thirty seconds into “Controversy” with the crowd at full noise, and the band already accelerating them into a funky frenzy. The sound of the recording is uneven, but the groove and heart of the song are firmly intact, the screams of the audience merely decoration upon the tower of funk the band is building. Some may fear the rawness of this audience recording, but I urge you to embrace it and let yourself become one with the inflamed Detroit crowd. 

 

“Let’s Work” takes the energy of “Controversy” and ratchets it up further with the band coming more to the fore than the previous song. The rolling waves of the synths crush all before them, while the crowd noise surfs across the front of the tidal assault. The bass gives the song further depth than the previous dry “Controversy” and the song becomes a moment to dance and celebrate rather than analyze. This may be the 1999 tour, but it is these two songs off the Controversy album that set the standard that the rest of the concert must live up to. 

The crowd noise threatens to overwhelm the opening heart-beat of “Little Red Corvette” but Prince and The Revolution punch their way out the corner with a rendition that is less emotional and far more insistent than one might expect. It comes on strong, a souped-up pop song that finds an extra edge and muscle in Detroit. I often write of the feel of this song, but in this case, it is a gut punch rather than a gentle caress, an excellent version that is worth checking out. 

 

The delicate lacework of Prince’s opening guitar of “Do Me, Baby” is well and truly lost to the crowd, they aren’t about to sit back and soak up his baroque musings, this is the Beatlesque moment when the lusty sexual cries of the female audience members smother the recording. Prince raises his performance again, he matches the strength of the audience with a steely performance that is more masculine than we have come to expect. Again, it is far from perfect sound, but I would happily take this over any number of other recordings I have heard, based purely on the wonderful way it captures the most spirited moments of a live concert. 

There is no let-up in the energy of the crowd as “D.M.S.R.” makes its appearance in the setlist. The real joy lies not in the lyrics of the song, but rather in the driving guitar lines that arrive in the middle of the song. However I feel cheated by its mere four-minute run time, there will be far more epic versions of “D.M.S.R.” in future Detroit shows, this is just a taster for what is to come. 

“Lisa’s Solo” shimmers and sparkles in a different light from these funk tunes, it carries its own inner grace and the song draws inward rather than an outward display of power. It is perfectly paced and placed, a chance to draw our breath before the Prince takes a turn at the piano. 

 

There is some piano noodling by Prince at the beginning of “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore,” and the crowd remains relativity quiet before they erupt into orgasmic pleasure at the first strains of the song itself. This audience isn’t one to hide their feelings, and they immediately embrace the man and the music with their vocal appreciation. It serves as an important moment in the show, and the bond between performer and audience is never stronger than right here. 

The jam appended to the end of “Lady Cab Driver” excites me no end, it is a thrilling way to end a song I thought I knew so well. The main song offers no surprises, but all bets are off for the final three minutes as Prince ad-libs lyrics and the band adds a lighter touch to the groove, except Dez who dirties up the music with a bold and striking guitar solo. There is the briefest of keyboard solos that match him for sound, and along with the unstoppable groove, this becomes my favorite part of the whole recording. 

 

You could never call “International Lover” a letdown, but it certainly is a comedown after some of the previous unhinged moments of the concert. Prince gives a lengthy speech mid-song, one of the longer ones I have heard, and it is here where he demonstrates just what a naughty boy he can be. We don’t have the visuals, but the response from the crowd suggests he is being just as salacious on stage as he is being on the microphone. 

“1999” is the song of the moment, and in this case, it gets Prince’s full attention with an extended nine-minute rendition. The Detroit crowd let me down at this point, they are less vocal for this song than anything else heard on the bootleg. The music lacks the intensity heard earlier in the show, and overall this feels like a flat spot on the recording. There is a lively few moments with the guitar, but it’s not enough to jump-start the performance and it remains flat. 

The crowd is back on board for the band introductions, before Prince and the band flies through a wild sounding “Delirious” It’s fast and furious and is a fitting swansong to the evening. It has more body to it than I expect and the momentum of the bass line is what holds it all together. The keyboards are normally distracting, but in this case, they are subverted by both the bass and the lead guitar. The “1999” outro comes all too soon, and before I know it I am again sitting in silence. 

Detroit will see bigger, and better, concerts from Prince in years to come, but this is a fine place to start. The soundboard recordings from the 1999 tour garner all the praise, but this concert has its own aura and energy that isn’t always heard on those more pristine recordings. This may not be one to play loudly on your top-end hi-fi system, but it works well as a concert experience, and it will certainly be one that I will revisit. I might even go so far as to say that this is my favorite of the 1999 recordings currently circulating. A brave statement, but for me it contains all the key elements of a Prince concert, and has a feeling that is unmatched throughout the tour. 

Next week I will return to another Detroit show from the tail end of the 1999 tour. Five months later, it has a different setlist and hopefully is just as compelling as this week’s recording. 

Detroit 30 November 1982

 It has been two years since I listened to a recording from the 1999 tour. I know this because I wrote a blog post last time I listened to a concert from that tour. So, with that in mind, it is well overdue for me to revisit the tour. I have written disparagingly of the tour, and subsequent bootlegs, previously. Not that the shows themselves are bad, but when compared to the wider selection of bootlegs available they lack some of the sparkle of other eras. The 1999 tour doesn’t have the naked intensity of the previous Controversy tour where Prince and the band are playing with the blazing fury of underdogs. Neither do the shows have the unpredictability and rotating setlists that Prince will rely on later in his career. What we have instead is a neatly packaged show that runs just over an hour, with Prince choosing to present the 1999 album in the most efficient form, rather surprising given that it is a sprawling double album. There are no extended guitar solos, no songs thrown into the setlist, and no chance for something spontaneous to happen. Yet, the shows do have their charm, and when I first started to collect bootlegs I listened to them often. The concert I have chosen to listen to today comes from early in the tour and is slightly more interesting for the unusual appearance of “Head” and “Uptown”. It is also one of the longer shows of the tour, so while not entirely representative of the 1999 tour, it does present a unique listen. It has been a while since I dipped this far back, and I am looking forward to listening with fresh ears and reliving my youth. 

 

30th November 1982. Masonic Temple Auditorium, Detroit 

From the very moment that the spoken intro of “1999” begins I  am swept up by the quality of the recording. The introduction is merely used for the beginning of “Controversy” and for me, the most thrilling aspect is its wonderfully crisp and clean scratchy guitar of Prince. The quality of the recording is astounding, after listening to so many audience recordings recently this is bliss. The song is powered along by the rhythm guitar and the solid platform provided by the drums and bass, they are rock solid. The lightness comes with the vocals of Prince and the women singing, it is a song of layered contrasts that simply works. It’s a great start to what promises to be an outstanding bootleg. 

Things stay on the dance floor with “Let’s Work”. It isn’t as insistent as “Controversy”, but there is no denying the groove that it has and like the previous song it keeps the show moving briskly along. The synth squiggles provided by Dr. Fink give it a lift and with the rest of the keyboards, it floats much easier than “Controversy”. The brief guitar break by Prince reeks of his purple touch and paired with another keyboard solo it lifts the song far beyond what is heard on the album. 

The hit of the moment comes with the synth rise and fall ushering in “Little Red Corvette”. I do enjoy this version, but to be honest, it is played straight down the line and the difference between this live version and the studio arrangement is barely perceivable. Sometimes a good song is a good song, and it doesn’t need anything extra to make it work in the live setting. That is exactly what we have here, and although there isn’t anything new it is still every bit as good as anything else in the concert. 

“Do Me, Baby” has an innate richness to it, and that richness is emphasized with the long chocolaty introduction that Prince lavishes upon it. One can almost hear the sweat dripping off him as the opening music hangs, stretches, and draws out, teasing the listener with the promises it holds. We talk of music being timeless, or classic, and never has it been truer than in this case. It has a smoothness and soulfulness to it that could have come from any time, one can almost picture Sam Cooke or Marvin Gaye singing the same song. The rest of the song lives up to all that it promised and the following minutes are some of the finest seduction balladry that Prince has ever performed. 

From seduction, we need to move on to something much nastier – “Head”. It isn’t quite the barn burner I expect, Prince underplays the song and although the required funk is there it doesn’t get the time it needs to properly marinade into something substantial. Four minutes of “Head” is good, ten or eleven minutes would be better. It does, however, finish on a high with yet another outstanding solo from Dr. Fink. 

 

The second surprise comes with a rousing rendition of “Uptown”. This lifts the energy levels of the recording immensely and takes us back to the previous Controversy tour when Prince and the band were playing as if they had something to prove. It is short and vibrant, but it does herald in the second part of the show where the following five songs are played over an hour – giving you some idea of how much more of a jam the latter part of the show will be. 

Things start slowly with a relaxed rendition of “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?”. It has an easy sashay and is in complete contrast to the previous “Uptown”. Prince’s piano playing is the center of attention, but even better is how much the song spotlights his vocals. Naked out on their own, one can hear not just the range of the vocals, but also the inflections and character he sings with. He can channel plenty of personality into his vocals and this carries the story just as much as the words he is singing. 

The coolest song of the set is “Lady Cab Driver”. It is one of the key songs that attracted me to Prince, and this performance lives up to all my expectations. There is a driving groove that is sharpened by the rhythm guitar that brings it into sharp focus. Prince’s vocals sit in the background, it is the funk of the song that is important, and nothing gets in the way of that. Dez may provide one of his trademark rock solos, but the song is pure groove and continues in its way all the while he is playing. The second half of the song is sensational with Brown Mark coming to the fore with his bass warm and full, while the guitar continues with a chug – upping the intensity from the smooth first half into something that is forceful and demands attention. It is a firm pointer to the longer jams that Prince and the band will play in the future, and couldn’t be further from the neatly packaged songs played earlier in the concert. I can’t emphasize enough, this is the strongest song of the set and I would happily pluck it out for any mixtape I was putting together. 

 

“International Lover” is good, but I have an urge to return to “Lady Cab Driver” a few more times. It is played to the hilt as the seduction piece it is, although Prince does tend to go overboard with the cheese in this case. I like the music, and the overall sound, but I can’t get past the nutty things Prince is saying. Tune out the words and it’s a masterpiece, with the words it is a giant piece of cringe-worthy cheese. That would be fine if it was only a few minutes, but what we have here is ten minutes of Prince laying it on thick, almost (but not quite) ruining the moment. 

The opening fanfare of “1999” washes away a lot of this and as soon as the vocals begin all is forgiven. After listening to so many abridged versions of late it is refreshing to hear a full unadulterated version, Prince playing it as it was meant to be heard. The synths have more time to fill out the sound with a dense curtain and there are plenty of vocals to be heard all over the track. They are easy to hear on the soundboard recording, and one can admire that every member contributes to the band and the highest standard.  In the final minutes the song descends into a guitarfest that has my inner rocker all a flutter and by the final flurry and howl, I am completely in my element. 

It is “D.M.S.R.” that finishes the show, and what a way to finish. There has plenty of dance and funk on display already in the show and once again Prince and the band delivers a platter of funky treats. The bass that moves the feet, the rhythm guitar cutting through, synth stabs that punctuate and accent the beat, and lyrics that you can’t help but sing along with (rather loudly in my case, I’m afraid). It is the synths and guitar that take control of the song and they drive it strongly through the final minutes as the music spiral ever upwards. This brings us to the end of the concert and it ends as it began – with the spoken “I don’t want to hurt you, I only want to have some fun”, before the sound of an explosion puts an exclamation mark on it all. 

 

I find my feelings about these types of shows are often the same. I say that the show doesn’t really appeal to me and is rather staid, then once I start listening I find the thrill and excitement sweep through me and I am just as enamored by it all as I have always been. This bootleg can’t be, and shouldn’t be, compared to the long freewheeling shows of the 90s and beyond. It doesn’t come close to the quiet intensity of an after-show, yet this concert was just as enjoyable as anything else I have heard recently. This is the Prince that I first fell in love with all those years ago, and these concerts reassert those feelings. A short and sweet concert that barrels quickly through the essential songs of the time, this is always going to be a bootleg we can return to again and again. 

First Avenue 8 March 1982 (Soundboard)

 Recently Mace2theO commented that this bootleg from 1982 was the equivalent of his first girlfriend. We all have a similar first girlfriend experience – she may have had braces and carried some puppy fat, but she will always be special by the fact she was the first and painted in nostalgic hues forever more because of this. It was our first proper relationship and doomed to a crushing teenage ending, but always conjures up warm memories that do not fade as time passes. 

I’m sorry Mace2theO, but in this case, your first girlfriend got around a bit. Not only was she your first girlfriend, but she was also my first girlfriend too. Mace2theO acquired this concert on cassette (and all the nostalgic currency that carries), while for me I found this bootleg on CD hidden away at the back of the record store. It was far from perfect in sound quality but I can assure you that when I took a listen it shook me to my core, and the fact that 35 years on I am blogging about Prince bootlegs demonstrates how much of an influence it had over the rest of my life. Like that first girlfriend, it was a formative experience. I didn’t quite know what I was doing and I have had better relationships since but retains a special place in my heart. 

A couple of weeks ago the soundboard recording of this show became widely available. It’s not always comfortable when we meet ex-girlfriends later in life, with a messy divorce behind them, a couple of kids under their arms, and the first signs of a drinking problem hiding behind their forced smile, but in this case, my first girlfriend has grown up into somebody I want to spend a lot of time with. The roughness of the audience recording is gone, replaced with a shiny soundboard, all slender legs, short skirts, and long luxurious hair. Oh yes, my first girlfriend is now the hottest chick on the block. She has grown up in every way while retaining all the charms that I first fell in love with all those years ago. I may have talked about this first girlfriend before, but now she is in full bloom and stirring up those old feelings in me. It’s not very often that I spend time with ex-girlfriends, but in this case I am going to roll back the clock and wine and dine this girl one more time. 

So with my first bootleg love rekindled, let us douse ourselves in cheap cologne, grease up the hair, and head straight to the heart of 1982. 

8th March 1982, First Avenue, Minneapolis 

There is a heat between the thighs from the opening minute, a few quick words by Prince, and then a rage of guitar pulled down by Dez. With a punk rock assault, Prince and the band hang it all out in these first minutes with both power and panache. In a frenzy of guitar scuzz “Bambi” storms into the room. It’s a wild-eyed performance that bounces off the walls in a maelstrom of fuzzed-up guitar and shrieked lyrics, capturing the listener's attention from the start. It is much cleaner than the previous audience recording, and the soundboard brings the musicianship to the fore while retaining the fierce sound of the more familiar recording. That first girlfriend has cleaned up her defiant punk-rock hairstyle but still has a fiery intent in her eyes that hints at underlying violence that could bubble over at any second. 

“All The Critics Love U In New York” is the most Princely sui genius song of the evening, and maps out the territory that he will roam in the next few years. It wears its uniqueness proudly, face-melting guitar work grafted to the undeniable beat that appeals to both my gut and my feet. I am never quite sure if I should be dancing or punching the air, the music insisting that I move my body in any way possible as Prince gives us perhaps the greatest performance of this song ever recorded. The keyboard solo gains on this pristine recording, Fink’s solo standing out among the more forceful blazing guitar and holding his calm center at the eye of the storm. For a minute we are in another world before the hurricane of guitar solos returns and swallow up all the sound. 

 

There is a glimpse of the first girlfriend I used to know in the opening of “When You Were Mine,” both the title and the sound taking me back to youthful summers that were equally long and lost. It is easy to project these feelings back on a song that has been with us so long, but even at this show, it has a nostalgic feel – although it was only recorded just two years previous. This is the most comfortable song of the concert and captures the exact feelings that I first had when I heard it all those years ago. 

There is a world of difference between the audience recording and this soundboard recording when it comes to “Sexy Dancer.” A far more nuanced performance emerges on this recording, and whereas before it was strident and bold, here it becomes much more of a sassy walk rather than a march into battle. Both the bass and the keyboard via for attention, each adding to a show that I am already eminently familiar with. While the bass remains holding the song together, Dr. Fink spins off into an intergalactic sound with his keyboards, making me draw a sharp breath in the thrill of it all. It is Dez who gets to put an end to these flights of fancy, his solo serving as an exclamation mark on all that has come before. 

 

Things slow, sex and lust are temporarily forgotten as Prince dips into a song of love and yearning with “Still Waiting.” Prince is on lead vocals, but it is Sue Ann Carwell who is the star attraction with her contribution. At almost ten minutes long there is plenty of time for the candles of love to flicker and flame, and musically one can hear the lights being turned down as the song slows to a velvety and warm breakdown. In this circumstance, it is grating to hear Prince saying “I got cause to celebrate because my girlfriend died” but as Brown Marks bass rises from this crushed velvet sea all is forgiven, and I am again transported away on the winds of Sue Ann Carwell’s voice. 

 

The recording slaps me in the face and snaps me out of this reverie with a furious “Head.” On the previous recording, it was nasty and slutty, on this recording, it is far more sexy and erotic. While the audience recording sounded like a blowjob in the Walmart carpark, this one speaks in the language of fellatio and sex on the hood of a Porsche at a Beverly Hills party. The outcome is still the same, but it doesn’t threaten to be as dangerous, and despite some superlative bass work, I am comfortable that when it is all over I won’t be visiting the clinic in the morning. 

If there is a moment that demonstrates how much better this new recording is, it is the final minute of the “Head” when we can hear Prince preparing the band for “Sexuality.” We have heard him yell into the microphone before, but this time we can hear him say it a couple of times earlier to the audience. It’s not a big thing, but it does show just how good the sound is. “Sexuality” is relatively short, most of the song is given over to the audience sing-a-long that dominates. It does lose some of its impact on this soundboard recording, the audience recording does a far better job of capturing this moment with the audience. This is crying out for someone to combine the two recordings in a matrix mix that would better give us that electrifying live sound that makes this recording so vital. 

 

Prince’s brief speech introducing The Time has been often discussed, and for good reason. His easy banter with Morris is refreshing, and it's hilarious to hear him and Morris go back and forth, trading lines and barbs that belie the darker waters that swirl just under the surface. “Dance To The Beat” maintains this veneer of lightheartedness and provides a pop twist to a show that has been thus far guitar-heavy and drenched in intensity. There is a lift in the atmosphere and the recording shines bright for these minutes. 

Prince continues to fire broadsides at the band between songs, this time with the comment “I didn’t like that, play something you know how to play.” The response from The Time is a taunt version of “The Stick” that would satisfy the most demanding of audiences. As much as I like The Time and this song, it does feel as if they have gate-crashed the date, and there is an awkward third-wheel experience to hearing them on the bootleg. The real drawcard though isn’t the music itself, but rather their dynamic tension with Prince, a tension that fuels his music and will provide some of his most dramatic work in the following years. 

 

“Partyup” fuses these two elements in a climactic finish that delivers all it promises. The opening talk between Prince and Morris sets the scene, the back and forth continues between them continues as Morris takes his place at the drum kit for this final stomp. Prince and his guitar lead from the front, but most fans will be focused on Morris and his drumming. He lives up to expectations, and the foreplay of the opening talk is forgotten as the song becomes further arousing. Morris’s drum solo almost brings us to orgasm, but Prince pulls him back just in time with some great bass work from Brown Mark. The final climax comes with an inflamed guitar solo from Prince, but as with the audience recording, there is coitus interruptus as the tape fades out, the rest of the solo never realized and leaving us to only wonder what might have been. 

I have loved this concert for as long as I can remember. I have grown older, but it has remained forever young, even with the imperfections of the long-circulating audience recording. With this soundboard recording, we have a chance to revisit our youth, and a chance to reconnect with that elusive first girlfriend. I have mixed feelings as I know that the first girlfriend is forever gone and never again will I listen to the audience recording. This new recording has created new memories and sparked a new love. It is time to move on and file the audience recording in my box of faded photos, yellowed love letters, and yesterday's glories. I am firmly looking forward as with this soundboard recording I feel reinvigorated, my love burning with a new intensity. I have made up my mind, this is the recording that I want to spend the rest of my life with. 

-Hamish 

Bonus material: 

Mace2theO messaged me this quickfire review when I told him I was covering this bootleg. It’s not written with public consumption in mind, but he has agreed that I could share it with you. I am in full agreement with everything he has written here, and he is far more succinct than me! 

Re 82 – reasons the show is important to me, rediscovered with the SBDs 

The First Ave show came the night after the main show at the Met Centre so going back to a small club, it has the feel of an aftershow. It is the first Revolution in all its glory, with Dez as a proper Keith Richards lead as the Black Rolling Stones, all pre-Purple Rain. Starting with a raw punk version of Bambi, it then goes into a monster version of All the Critics. While “Let ’em out of his cage” is great, my favorite is before Doc’s solo when Prince and Dez start soloing and Prince yells “Wait a minute, Dez” before ripping off a monster solo. 

Sometimes audiences make the boot and I had been living with the crowd singing at the end of Sexuality for so many years, it took me a minute to adjust to the soundboard. Same with All The Critics – without that kickdrum in your face, the SBD didn’t feel the power of the earlier version…although it sounds much better. 

Most important – this is really the closest we will ever get the inspiration for the Purple Rain battle. Before all the controlling issues that came along in 83-84, you can feel the real affection between Morris and Prince (“We used to be friends”) – as trivia, it has the only time in bootleg history where someone gives Prince shit “You wanna borrow my comb?” Also history, as only time live Prince with Morris on drums. 

I have fallen in love with my first girlfriend all over again – not looking forward to telling the wife 

First Avenue 8 March 1982 (audience)

 It blows my mind that this gig was recorded just five weeks after the Passaic gig that I listened to the other week. It’s got a completely different feel to it, showcases new material, resurrects some old material, but as always features some outstanding musicianship. Such is life in the world of Prince, things change pretty fast. This gig was recorded at First Avenue, between Controversy and 1999 tours, and yet it doesn’t sound like either one of those tours. Most of the material played here does not appear on either tour, and the band has a chance to play out and jam on some songs. As I seem to say every week, this is one of my favorites, and I can’t wait to write about it. 

8th March 1982, First Avenue, Minneapolis 

I have listened to this gig so many times that I can recite the opening lines from the top of my head. After a brief prelude Prince opens the gig by telling the crowd that “This is not a concert, this is a dance, if you can dance to stuff, you’re a better man to me. The only reason we’re here is that there is no place else to go”. “Bambi” starts and it’s heavy right from the go. I know “Bambi” is always a heavy guitar-driven song, but here it is even more so. The guitars’ don’t let up at all, even during the verses, and Prince's vocals struggle to get out above the din. You can hear him fine, but the guitar noise and band are very rowdy and wild. There is a great heavy guitar chugging underneath and some wild guitars over the top. It has a garage band feel to it, but a very talented garage band! Dez’s playing is excellent, as is Prince's solos over the top. I have heard plenty of great versions of Bambi, but this one tops them all. It’s a fantastic way to start the gig, and already I feel breathless by the end of the first song. Prince does some guitar noodling after the bulk of the song before the band enters for a final onslaught to finish. 

 

A steady beat, then the now-familiar keyboard run of “All The Critics Love You In New York” begins. Prince intones “This is a new song, probably won’t be out for another year or six” The steady beat goes on for a very long time before Prince begins to sing, and in that time there are some grinding guitar flashes. The sound is, obviously, much heavier than on record, and it has a darker feel to it. The guitar is much dirtier sounding and much louder. Prince is not as restrained as he sounds on the record, especially as he sings “look out all you hippies, you aren’t as sharp as me” But mostly the song isn’t about the vocals, it’s very much a guitar song, with plenty of guitar played over the beat. It sounds great, and I can only wish that I could have been there. The guitars pull back for a moment, and Prince asks Dr. Fink if he wants to solo. He duly obliges while Dez calls for a drink. The keyboard solo is fast, yet delicate. Sounds very good and clean. Prince then asks Dez, “Did you get your drink?” Dez responds yes and Prince asks does he want to play, then with a yell “Let him outta his cage!” Dez plays a fantastic solo. Completely different from what Prince would come up with, it has a heavy rock sound about it. It is short but very rock-orientated. The guitars stay low for a bit, and the song sounds much more like what it does on the album. The song only lasts another minute or two after this before it ends with a synth howl. 

Keeping in tune with the evening so far, the next song is a guitar-heavy “When You Were Mine.” There is more lead guitar on this than we normally hear, and it’s an interesting arrangement. The rhythm guitar sound that normally drives it is absent, and instead some long mournful notes on the lead guitar replace it. It’s still as upbeat as ever, but it does have a more rock sound to it. Dr. Finks's solo is more familiar territory, and after this the more familiar rhythm guitar we are used to returns. There is a break, with just Prince on his guitar and the crowd clapping, and he stretches it out for a couple of minutes like this. I like it here, when he sings a few lines, then knocks out the rhythm for a bit while the crowd claps along. The band all jumps in back in for the final verse before it all races to the finish. 

 

After thanking the crowd “Give yourself a hand, that was some mean clapping” Prince and the band get funky with “Sexy Dancer.” It’s a welcome break from the guitar noise of the first few songs. I love guitar, but I also enjoy the variation that Prince gives us. Sexy dancer is full sounding, propelled along by the bass and drum, but there is plenty of playing over the top. Again Dr. Fink plays a great solo, and it’s stretched out, he plays for a couple of minutes on it. It’s very enjoyable, and as I so often do, I find myself in admiration of the skills of the good Doctor. Dez follows up with a restrained but loud solo. It’s in complete contrast to the solo that Dr. Fink plays and yet complements the song well. The song ends with a Dez solo, and there is a pause in the action. 

Prince tells the crowd he wants to play a slow song if they want to go get a drink. He calls for Sue Ann and then plays “Still Waiting.” The recording still has a garage band sound to it, which doesn’t suit this song. However, Prince's vocals sound very good, especially harmonizing with Sue Ann on the chorus. It’s in the quieter more delicate moments of the gig that the limitations of recordings like this are exposed. The song itself is very good, as we have come to expect from Prince, but I would want to hear a better recording of it. There is some very nice vocal work from Prince here, and some great interplay between him and the backing singers, especially in the breakdown. There is one weird vocal ad-lib from Prince when he tells the crowd ‘I got cause to celebrate because my girlfriend died” I didn’t notice it for years, but I can’t help but hear it this time. Sue Ann gets a moment to sing solo, and she is remarkably good. She’s not the most distinctive singer I have ever heard, but she is nice and strong. Prince responds with some of his shriekings and screaming before the song comes to an end. 

 

There is a pause, and then the band plays a heavy and slightly quicker version of “Head.” It’s not as dirty or nasty as I have heard elsewhere, but the guitars are nice and strong, and I do enjoy the grittiness of this recording. Prince lets the crowd sing a lot of it, choosing to sing every other line himself. The recording doesn’t pick up the crowd singing very well, but if I had been there you would have heard me! After the first verse there isn’t much singing, mostly a lot of keyboards, solos, and grooves. It’s not a bad thing at all, and I like it very much in this way. Prince picks up the mic for some more singing, but again he only sings every other line, letting the crowd fill in the spaces. Dr. Finks's solo is excellent as always before the music pulls back for a breakdown. There is some very enthusiastic singing of head from the crowd, as always, and then some nice funk guitar from the band. It then descends into the usual guitar solo and keyboard sounds that we have heard so many times before. 

A couple of beats and Prince calls “Read my lips, Sexuality”. Things take off here, the beat jumps up, and after several screams from the man himself the bass and scratch guitar jump in. It’s played fast, and the drums and bass provide great energy. This song is a favorite of mine, and it’s a shame there are not more live recordings of it out there. As with the other songs, the sound is very full, and all the instruments are battling to be heard. The six band members sure do make a big noise! The bulk of the song is over before I know it, it was fast and furious throughout. The band all pulls out, except Bobby Z, and Prince sings “Sexuality” as the crowd claps along. The crowd then takes up the singing of sexuality, while Prince takes a break. This section goes for as long as the main song itself, and it sounds as if the crowd is having a great time. Prince finishes by singing “Never let it be said, white folk ain’t got no soul”. 

 

Prince tells the crowd that they are going to take a break, and then the Time plays a couple of songs. The recording covers the bands changing over, and it takes some minutes, with plenty of banter while it happens. Especially funny to me is when Prince tells the crowd “We share the same management, and they say they gotta play too” 

The first song they play is “Dance to The Beat.” It’s up-tempo and fun, but it comes and goes before I can properly register it. It does sound like it would have been good to be there, but on the recording it doesn’t do much for me. 

Much better is “The Stick.” The bass and the keyboards have a deep groove and the overall sound is something I enjoy. This is The Time that I like the most. Jimmy Jam and Jesse both solo, before Morris calls for a mirror. The classic Time that we all know and love is in full effect. 

The song ends, and Prince asks Morris if he can still play the drums. Once again there is plenty of banter, as Morris moves to the drums and Prince is running things again. They then play an enthusiastic version of “Partyup.” The band sounds nice and loose, as does Prince’s singing. Again, it’s a sense of fun that I get when I listen to this recording. Prince calls for a breakdown and the band finds a nice groove while the crowd begins to clap along. Prince tells the crowd “Give the drummer some” and then Morris plays a drum break. It’s not overly cohesive, but it does fit with the fun of the gig. Brownmark brings things back with some nice bass playing, and then Lisa puts some nice rhythmic keyboard work over top. There is then some fantastic-sounding guitar solo played over the top but to my great disappointment the recording fades out here and ends. 

 

This was one of the first recordings I ever brought, and I have listened to it many times over the years. In more recent years better releases of the same gig have appeared, and this has greatly added to my enjoyment of it. As I said earlier, I love the garage band sound of this, and the loose feel of the band. All The Critics Love You In New York is a standout for me, as is Sexuality. I was one very happy man at the end of listening to this.