Minneapolis 21 March 1987

 

For Those Of You On Valium is surprisingly short. I always thought it was longer, but today when I was listening to it, it seemed to fly past pretty fast. Every warm-up gig that Prince plays at First Ave is special. The music is fresh, the crowds are always up for it, and Prince is always happy and at ease. This recording has Prince introducing a new band after the demise of The Revolution, and a raft of new material from the Sign O The Times album. It’s a classic Prince recording and is often quoted by Prince fans. For today’s post, I listened to the CD and then decided to also watch the DVD. It was well worth the effort.

21 March 1987 Minneapolis

Who doesn’t love the start of this show! Prince’s intro is just great and the way he keeps the crowd waiting only adds to the excitement. He’s in no hurry at all and is completely at ease as the gig begins. The gig starts with Prince and the band coming on stage, and Prince introducing the new band. He briefly explains that this is still just a rehearsal, then after a pause “These are my new friends” and quickly runs through the band members before coming to “That’s an old friend, Dr. Fink, this is a new friend, polka dot suit” then the rest of the extended band. His look is one of my favorites, with his hair slightly longer, his polka dot suit, and his glasses. He finishes his introductions with one of his most famous lines “and for those of you on valium, my name is Prince”. I knew of this recording for a long time before I finally heard it. I always thought that it was a great title “For Those of You on Valium” and I was intrigued by what it could mean. I had a grin from ear to ear when I heard Prince utter those lines and all was revealed.

 

“Shut up already, damn!” What a way to kick-start the music. “Housequake” is a great song for a gig like this. Who am I kidding; Housequake is a great song for any gig! The band is immediately behind him and tight as ever. They are well-rehearsed, as it goes without saying for all of his bands. Within 30 seconds of the music starting the glasses and suit jacket are gone. Prince is working the stage very well, moving from side to side and dancing. I am not a great fan of Prince's dancing, I would rather see him play some sort of instrument, but here he is right in step with the rest of the band, and I can’t help but be impressed by how well drilled they are. This song was made for playing live, the beat is captivating, and the horn lines are everything you could ever want from Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss. They are crucial to his sound at this point. I should also mention, that Prince's facial expressions throughout this are priceless. He is always so expressive on his face.

Prince encourages the crowd to clap their hands as Shelia E drums in the intro to “Girls and Boys.” “This is my jam” is not a phrase you would normally hear me say, but in this case “Girls and boys is my jam!” That guitar is hypnotic to me, and I enjoy Eric’s playing on it. At any gig, this is the song that stands out for me, and the version played here is a lot of fun. Again Prince is very busy with his gesturing and facial expressions. Oh, and there is plenty of ass-wiggling for the ladies. The coolest guy in the band and perhaps on the planet is Eric Leeds. When he steps forward to solo, he is the epitome of cool, with his sunglasses and classy suit. With Cat on his shoulder, feeling it, it’s a great moment in the song. Prince himself is having a lot of fun in this song; he is very active off the mic and is all smiles. I do have one complaint, and that is that the song ends much too soon.

 

Three songs in, and we have a ballad. “Slow Love” on any other album would be a stand-out. On Sign of the Times, it sounds a little average surrounded by the other classics on that album. The performance here has Prince in full seduction ballad mood, and it comes across very well. It doesn’t deviate from the recorded version, but it does feel nice and strong. Prince’s voice is more forward, and the horns are much stronger. After listening to it here, I think it’s something I should probably play more often. This is a must for my slow jams playlist.

Prince introduced the show by saying that it was a rehearsal, and it seems most like that during “Hot Thing.” “Hot Thing” is excellent, and played very well, but it seems like the band and Prince are trying very hard to get their dance moves right, and working on the stage routines. As a result, it feels too tight, and a complete contrast to “Girls and Boys” which was loose and joyful. Things kick up a gear after Eric plays a solo, and Prince quickly bangs away at the keyboard, but unfortunately, it ends just after this.

 

I have never properly understood the purpose of “Now Is The Hour,” aside from an obvious costume change by Prince. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy it very much, but it does seem a waste to be at a Prince concert and he’s not on stage. The band is great here, every member shows off their obvious credentials. I particularly enjoyed Atlanta Bliss and Miko. Everyone was very good, but these two in particular I don’t hear enough off. It’s hard for me to get excited about Shelia E’s drum solo. I have never been a fan of drum solos, by anyone, anytime. But it is a suitably exciting way to close out the song.

The next song, “Strange Relationship,” is the absolute highlight of the gig for me. This version always makes my best of playlists, I rate it very highly. It starts with the beat and some great keyboard that puts me in mind of Stevie Wonder. It’s nice and drawn out, just the way I like it. Prince encourages the crowd with his now trademarked “ooh wayy ohh” The main lead line plays and my head is bobbing. As much as I love the singing, the beat, the horns, it’s the keyboard that I love on this. The song and band are very loose here, with Prince jamming on the keyboard a lot throughout. But the very best is after the main song finishes and it does move to a jam. Shelia plays a great percussion solo, as Prince calls for “just the drums” while he plays the keys for a minute or two. Boni brings her unmistakable sound, while Prince calls over and over “Is he good to ya?” A couple more changes and we are left with a stripped-down beat, and Eric playing a nice little riff underneath. Prince then gets on the mic and mentions “we have some new shit for you, squirrel meat.” Yes, it doesn’t make any sense, and sounds mad, but as we all know it's absolute genius. Miko gets a brief moment to play, and then a little flourish by Prince. He does sing a few lines from Superfunkycalifragisexy but I don’t think any of us know what he was singing about at that time. It all looks and sounds effortless, and as I said, it's the highlight of the gig.

 

The show has been getting better and better and after “Strange Relationship” is another classic as he plays “Forever in My Life.” For a song so slight on record, it certainly packs a punch live. There is no extended intro here; he goes straight into singing over the beat. It gets interesting right after the singing when he picks up the guitar and plays. I remember the first time I heard this, I had never heard anyone play an acoustic guitar like this, and even today I am struck by just how great it sounds. He gets so much soul and funk out of it. Every time I hear it I find myself moved. The song then moves into the sing-a-long that it always is. It’s no bad thing, and again Prince is looking like he is having plenty of fun, with lots of smiles and facial expressions. And watching this I am again reminded that Prince is as much a visual experience as an aural one. I love listening to his music, but when you can see him at the same time it adds a whole new level to it, and being there live is even more intense. Nothing can capture the live experience like being there.

 

“Kiss” is a great song, but I have never heard a live version I like. This one probably comes closest. The first part of it here is played nice and strong and sounds pretty good. There is some very nice dancing between Prince and Cat. It’s all short and sweet, but excellent. The song then fades out to just the sound of Miko on the guitar. I haven’t too much about it, as it is the shortest song all night, but it is my favorite live version of Kiss.

Prince thanks the crowd for coming at the end of “Kiss,” but there is one more song to come. The energy level goes right up with “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night.” I am a big fan of this song, and I enjoyed this performance a lot. As you might imagine, the version here is the same as seen in the Sign O Times movie, with every dance step, move, and Prince on the drums. Again it feels very rehearsed, and yet it is completely believable and fun. There is one moment when Prince is talking about a brand new dance, and for a moment I worry he is going to break out the wooden leg again, but thankful he doesn’t. We get a variety of dance moves, but no wooden leg. “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” is one of those songs with plenty in it to keep you interested, so no matter how many times I hear this, I never get bored or tired of it. There is one more horn flourish and Prince ends the song and the gig with a “Thank you, good night”

 

There are many great Prince recordings out there, and I am reluctant to use the word ‘essential’. However, this one certainly is essential to any fan. Showcasing new material and band to a small audience, this one is outstanding. The fact that there is a pro-shot video of it circulating makes it even better. This should be in any true fan's collection.

1986 - A year in the life

 

Late last year the beautifully curated 1986 box set appeared online and it has had pride of place at my house ever since. The 20 disc set covers 1986 in all forms, including live recordings, studio recordings, outtakes, and released songs. Some people collect live bootlegs, other unreleased studio tracks, and most people have a happy mixture of both. Personally, I love live recordings (hence the blog) but this set has proved irresistible to me, the discs are never far from the stereo, and I am compelled to write about it. As passionate as I am, even for me, 20 discs of material are too much for me to discuss in detail, so this week I will be presenting an overview of 1986 in general and how well this set covers this extraordinary year.

  

 

  

The 1986 Box Set ‘A Year in the Life’

In 1987 I was 15 years old. Everywhere I went I carried Sign O The Times under my arm, not the cassette tape or the CD, but the full vinyl album. It was a statement about who I was and what I was about. Obviously, I couldn’t play it when I had it with me but I used to love the feeling of it in my hands and I would spend hours poring over the artwork and lyrics. I had never seen such a beautiful piece of complete art in my life. It’s only 30 years on that I fully realize that although Sign O The Times was released in 1987, it is actually a product of 1986’s extraordinary body of work. I may have listened to Sign O The Times all through 1987 but it sprung from the fertile ground of 1986.

It was not alone- a great many other creative ghost albums from 1986 have slowly revealed themselves over the years- The Flesh, Dream Factory, Camille, Crystal Ball as well as the genesis of The Black Album. The breadth and scope of 1986 are phenomenal, Prince touches on many different genres and seems to be at the peak of his powers in all fields- performance, songwriting, command of the studio, creativity, as well as productivity. The 1986 Box Set brings together all these different strands and presents them in a way that I get a better feel for what was happening. I can see clearly how it all ties together, the moves and motivations in what I am listening to. When I see it all laid out I can see that at the heart of it all is a lot of humanity and for me, this is the key thing to remember as I listen to all this music.

Several things immediately spring to mind when I think of 1986. Firstly is the feeling of joyful camaraderie and humor. It’s well that Prince filmed Under The Cherry Moon in France, for its two French words that are at the front of my mind as I first begin to listen to this set, joie de vivre and esprit de corps. There is joy and playfulness in the music and the band’s performances. It won’t last all year, but certainly, early on they look like they are having a great time together. Have a look at Wendy’s face as she plays at the Shelia E show, she is strutting and having a great time, definitely one funky lady, as Prince was fond of telling people at the time. You can see that smile fixed upon her face, and the rest of the band is following suit. Again in the Cobo set you can see it, I too feel uplifted as I watch them all play together as a tight unit, especially when standing in line playing “Mutiny”- the music is flowing easily, and they seem to be close to family. It’s the same all through the first half of 1986, the band is smiling and laughing, and you can hear that in the live recordings in this set. In Prince’s singing it’s there, and you can see it in the live clips. They are a close-knit unit, and it seems that Prince has reached the point where he trusts the band, and they have a lot of freedom under his direction. He certainly calls all the shots during the tour, but the band has the freedom to jam and play their own thing, Eric Leeds in particular seems to propel the music in new  directions, and who doesn’t love that moment in the shows where he gets to play solo before being cut off by Prince “Eric, shut the fuck up!” My mother used to hate it as I stomped around saying this- I sure was a strange kid when I was younger. Even scripted ‘impromptu’ moments like this as he talks with the band, or the audience, reveal his feelings towards the band and raise the curtain on a performer that previously seemed a little cold and clinical.

This new humane aspect to Prince’s music for me makes it much more accessible, and long-lasting. The thing that first attracts me is the humor, it runs throughout 1986, firstly with The Revolution-both live and in the studio, and then later in the year when he goes it alone. Listening to “Data Bank” for example, we can hear the good times in the studio, and whether it is scripted or not, there is no denying that it is done in a very light mood. Who doesn’t find it funny as the band plays on ignoring Prince's instructions- something which I imagine would never happen in real life. Later in the year, after The Revolution has crumbled and the dark clouds have gathered, Prince still retains his humor and expresses it in his lyrics. Whatever is going on in his personal life, there are still moments to make you smile. A lot of these songs are on the unreleased CD from the second half of the year, as well as the Black Album, and of course Sign O The Times still has plenty to make me smile.

 

The music is infused with new humanity as well as emotion – both positive and, later in the year, negative. Knowing what we about Prince's life at the time, we can see that he is pouring a lot of his personal life into these songs. The final sessions of Parade hint at this, and it becomes much more apparent as the year progresses. Listening to the warm-up show at First Ave we can hear a mixture of all these feelings, Prince’s love songs, a big splash of humor, as well as a dig at former colleagues with Mutiny and of course his symbolic chopping down of the Oaktree and turning it into a wooden leg. He is much more human than the funk machine we know from earlier years, and the smutty imp is replaced by someone I can relate to and warm to. The music has the full gamut of emotions, and no matter what my mood, when I listen to this I can find something I relate to.

In 1986 his love songs become more meaningful, personal, and as a consequence deeper. He is obviously a happy man in love, at least before April of that year. The songs early in the year speak to this love, and later in the year after his world is transformed, he still writes plenty of great songs based on love lost. When I connect Prince's personal life to his musical life it’s hard not to look at a song like Strange Relationship and connect it to what is happening in his world. Likewise, the song “Mutiny” which I have spoken of previously is heavily connected to what is happening with his other personal and professional relationships. He taps these emotions to great effect, and some of his most powerful music is drawn from this well.

There is a darker undercurrent running beneath all this emotion, humor, and music. There is a dynamic tension in 1986, it propels everything in the year and it’s extremely fertile. The shiny pop vehicle that he rides in on in early 1986 is not the same as the one he leaves in. You only have to look at his personal appearance to see the change. Looking crisp and clean at the start of the year in his black and whites and short-cropped hair, by the beginning of 1987 he has taken on a more rough and tumble look, his hair grown out, and a more adult look. He has moved away from the timeless Peter Pan and closer to the sort of person I could expect to meet down the street. The contrast in looks is matched in the contrast of styles he produces throughout the year. Everywhere I look I see tensions between different sounds and movements. We have the conflicts in The Revolution, both personally and musically, then the tension between his Funk work and his Jazz work. There is discord between his private life and his professional life. All of it gives tightness and drive. He is moving in several different directions at once, and tension in the band and his music can be heard. Wendy and Lisa may have railed against being “Just another funk band”, yet they still played on some of the funkiest songs he has put out to date. After the band split it gets darker and funkier as Prince regroups and is free to go where ever he pleases musically. You can hear the darkness descend in songs like Big Tall Wall, it is balanced by lighter moments, but it’s definitely there. Prince is so prolific that the ideas are bouncing off each other and the connections between his personal life and musical life are blurred. He is a driven man, and everything is thrown into the music. The Black Album bookends this set with Parade, and although dark by name and sound, the lyrics create further tension, demonstrating a healthy sense of humor against the darker music. It’s a conflicted year, with the joy of The Revolution early on and a flowering of the music, before Prince brings it to a crashing end in Yokohama smashing his guitar on stage and signaling the end of the Revolution but not his creative spirit as he continues to deliver some fantastic music later in the year. When I listen to the studio recordings, and I mean really sit down and listen to them carefully, I can hear this tension, the light against the darkness, the deep against the shallow, the band against the individual, the funk against the full spectrum of music. This conflict is what makes this year so interesting, and best of all Prince had the tapes rolling the whole time.

 

If humanity and feeling is the most important thing I take from 1986, the second would be productivity, work ethic and the sheer quantity of music Prince recorded and performed in the year. This box set is 20 CDs, plus extras. Full credit to get it down to that, it could easily have been much more. If it was me it would have stretched out to 40, it all feels essential. But these 20 CDs capture the key moments perfectly, if anyone was looking for the essential must listens, this is it. I would love to take any non-believing music fan and sit them down to listen to this, it’s all here. The glorious highs of The Revolution live shows, the unreleased songs that any other artist would kill to release, the released albums, the unreleased albums, an amazing after-show full of rarities, and a couple of CDs of Princes Jazz leanings, all of it essential and all of it of the highest standard. I have been listening to this music for 30 years, and I am still shaking my head that all of this could have been produced in one year. Prince may have sung “You don’t have to watch Dynasty” but he obviously didn’t spend much time watching TV himself, and I am surprised he even found time to sleep. If I could have heard all of this in 1986, it would have blown my tiny teenage mind, it’s probably just as well that a lot of this music has leaked out slowly over the years.

Live bootlegs are the thing for me, and the ones presented here are among the very best from Prince's career. Sure, there are better-recorded bootlegs from other interesting periods of his career, but most people would agree that the ones in this set are among the most essential. The show from the 3rd March I have written about before, may not be the best, but it most certainly is my favorite. The old Prince is fused with the new, and he delivers a show that touches on everything I love about him, his showmanship, his ability to play a mixture of instruments well, his great vocals, and most of all his songwriting skills, it all starts and ends in the songs themselves. Then there is the beloved Cobo show, I don’t think I have ever met a Prince fan who didn’t own a copy of this and cherished it. It is indeed ‘untouchable’. The next live shows each capture a moment of the evolution of the band and Prince, the Stockholm show shows them at their peak, the Le New Morning show captures what we would consider the start of Prince’s after shows (despite its dubious recording quality) and then a beautiful soundboard of the Paris concert where It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night was recorded live for “Sign O The Times.” Each one of these shows is worthy of its inclusion, and I rate them all very highly. Don’t be put off by the sound of the Le New Morning after show, the amazing setlist more than makes up for it – what I wouldn’t give for a setlist like that nowadays. Finally, to top it all off we have the final show of The Revolution. An interesting historical document, the fact it is their final show makes its inclusion a must. Prince smashing his guitar brings the end to an era and the live shows in this set.

The unreleased music and albums in this set throw up a great mix of style and flavors. Prince is experimenting here and pushing himself. The things I first gravitate to are the jazzy flavored CDs, The Flesh shows Prince dipping his toe in the water before immersing himself more fully with Madhouse later in the year. I rate both highly and for me “Junk Music” is the must-listen track, if you haven’t heard it I suggest you skip straight to it now. The two CDs of unreleased tracks throw up all sorts of interesting tracks and are a real grab bag of sounds and styles. It’s a lolly scramble with many flavors and colors to try, and again I have to remind myself that this is all coming from one guy in one year. These are trumped for me by the unreleased albums presented here- The Dream Factory, Crystal Ball, Camille, and The Black album (later released). Each of them has a distinct flavor and sound. The Dream Factory to my ears is the most cohesive as well as sounding the most like a band effort. It’s the album I listen to most of the four and in some ways, it’s a disappointment that it didn’t get released at the time. I can understand why the record company was reluctant to release it in this flood of material, just as I can understand Prince's frustration in producing all this great material and being unable to release it. Crystal Ball has an unsettled sound to it, and I feel it reflects well the state of play in late 1986. It has an unease about it and a darkness. Camille is a somewhat artificial creation, more a fan-made creation than an actual album, it nevertheless is a lot of fun, and I give it a lot of play in my car. The Black Album is the dark funk album of the four, but as I mentioned earlier, Prince’s tongue is firmly planted in his cheek with his lyrical content. Who knows what the world would have made of it in 1986, by the time it was released times had moved on, but it’s still a great party album.

The box set opens with the final Parade sessions, and at the other end, we have Sign O The Times which is a nice exclamation mark at the end of it all. It’s self a hotchpotch of everything that has come before, it encapsulates everything that has happened in 1986 and neatly sums up the year in its four sides. Love songs, live tracks, sex songs, spiritual songs, psychedelic songs, funk songs as well as some good old-fashioned rock, Prince picks something of everything he has done through the year and throws it in. No need to tell you I have heard it thousands of times, yet it’s still an essential addition to this boxset.

 

The final thing that marks 1986 as an outstanding year, is not just the quantity of the music, but the quality. Sure there are a lot of songs there, and honestly, every one of them is worthy of its place. Prince was untouchable, and everything he tried in 1986 came off for him. He experimented with a range of styles and mixed them into his own sound, producing something unique. In 1986 he did this over and over, I could pick any song from this year and hold it up as an example. His jazz moments get a lot of praise, and then again we can’t forget he also produced the funky Black album to boot. Listening to all these albums and songs now, any one of them would hold its place on a released album. Prince did a lot in these 52 weeks, and he did it oh so well. The band's influence can be heard early on, and later in the year, he is still taking on other influences as he works alone. In 1986 I knew Prince was good, I just didn’t realize how good until a few years later as these songs came to light.

Prince plays many different styles throughout the box set, and for me, the two that are of the highest standard and both worth mentioning are the Jazz stylings and the hard funk. Again, they feed back into the dynamic tension that drives 1986, and the unsettling nature of hearing one man produce both at such high quality in a small period of time. Parade may have had hints of Jazz, but it’s The Flesh where Prince first begins to flesh it out (excuse the pun). The Parade sessions end in January and then in the same month Prince records this collection of Jazz flavored songs. You could argue that it’s not a jazz album, but the intent is there, as is the sound, helped notably by Eric Leeds. I have to constantly remind myself that these are essentially the same group of people that recorded “Anotherloverholeinyohead” just a few weeks previous. Prince gets a chance to do it all again later, with his Madhouse configuration later in the year. Here he strips it back to just him and Eric Leeds, and this time it’s no studio experiment, he is recording for release. Looking at it now it seems a mad idea, but when you look at the body of work from 1986 it makes perfect sense. Of course, he wants to record a jazz album and put it out, this is Prince we’re talking about. I am not a fan of everything on the album, but I am full of admiration for the fact it is done, and it does stand on its own as an album.

This being 1986 there is an opposite to this, and that would be The Black Album. It’s easy to point at similarities too, the Black Album is conceived as an album that focuses on one style and aspect of Prince’s music, and of course, it does feature 2 Nigs United 4 West Compton which works as a jazz fusion funk jam. Elsewhere though, the colors are drained out and this is a lean mean funk album. The lyrics as noted earlier are fun and light, even if the music is hard-edged. Again, I am not a fan of everything on the album, but it does hold true to his vision, and like everything else in the year it’s done to a high standard.

There is no doubt in my mind that 1986 is the peak of Prince's productivity and creativity, and as such the 1986 boxset is essential. If I was to introduce a newbie to Prince, this would be the place to start. It reveals him not as a pop star or performer, but as a true artist. True, he is playing the game in his live shows, but it’s in the studio where he is pushing boundaries and himself. When I listen to this set, I don’t hear pop songs, I hear art, art that will last long after Prince’s star has faded. There will be those in the future who won’t have grown with his music as I have, nor seen him live, and its box sets like this that will remain as a testament to his genius and vision. There is more to it than this however, for me the music here is not just about Prince, it is deeply personal to me, and I carry a variety of associations with it. It represents not just a milestone in Prince’s life, but also a series of milestones from my own as it has soundtracked my life for the last 30 years. 1986- A Year In The Life has lasted me a lifetime. Good times and bad, I have had this music with me through my journey, providing comfort and uplifting moments when I needed it. I may have carried Sign O The Times with me all through 1987, but this collection of music from 1986 I have carried with me all my life.

-Hamish

For more on this extraordinary collection visit: 1986boxset.blogspot.com

 

Dream Factory 1986

 

It’s early winter morning here. The sun has yet to rise, and outside my window, I can see the sparkle of frost on the lawn by moonlight. All is quiet as I sit here with my cup of tea, except for the sound of the Dream Factory album playing. Nothing moves and all is still as I sit here listening to it alone. Prince made a variety of great music over his career, some were for partying and sharing with others, and some were for private reflective moments. Then there was the music that he didn’t want us to hear at all, the unreleased tracks, the lost albums. It’s entirely appropriate that I sit here now listening to Dream Factory alone, as that is how I have heard it all my life. It wasn’t bumped at the clubs, or all over the radio, we didn’t talk about it at High School, and for most of us, we didn’t hear it until much later. It is however one of Prince's most important albums, one of his most creative albums, and one of my favorite albums. No, on second thought, it IS my favorite album.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Dream Factory, and July 18th marks the anniversary of my personal favorite configuration of the album. There are plenty of versions floating around, with June 3rd, 1986 being one of the most popular. My preference for the July 18th configuration comes from the fact that the Pimpsandwich edition has some beautiful covers that complement it wonderfully, and I feel that this tracklisting flows better than the one from June 3rd.

 

  

Of course, Dream Factory was never released, instead, it was pulled apart and used for Crystal Ball, before that project too was shelved and out of the ruins we got Sign O The Times. Many of the tracks on Dream Factory do appear on Sign O The Times, but it would be a mistake to think of Sign O The Times as being an upgrade of Dream Factory. Dream Factory works much better than Sign O The Times overall, it has a much more cohesive sound and overall consistent vibe to it. A large part of this could be put down to The Revolution who contribute heavily to Dream Factory, as well as the tracklisting itself.

Sign O The Times opens with the title song itself, which adds seriousness and weight to what follows. Dream Factory opens with the much lighter sounding “Visions,” and it immediately changes the feel of the album. The Dream Factory is more colorful, more layered, and having Lisa playing the opening solo piano track announces that this is a much more collaborative effort. Lisa plays as only Lisa can, layered chords as the other hand plays a light floating melody, it has an intimate sound, almost as if one has walked in unannounced on her practicing piano. This feeling of a band effort is reinforced by the following “Dream Factory” title song, it is bright and has twists and turns that hold your attention, and there is no mistaking the outside influences other band members have brought to the table. The downbeat verses are upstaged by a great chorus where all the band contributes their different sounds. It works, and it rattles around in my head long after it’s finished. “Train” continues with this sonic assault and cleverness, the music mimicking a train, something that sounds cool rather than corny. Again, the band is the thing, and this time the horns add another element to the mix.

There is a jump in sound and style from Parade to Sign O The Times. In Dream Factory we have the stepping stone between the two, Parade has its fingerprints over several songs, such as “Dream Factory” and “In All My Dreams,” while “Sign O The Times” looms on the horizon with the tracks from that album featured here. We get both sides of the same coin, and the album looks both backward and forwards in its sound and songwriting.

 

Even songs that we are familiar with from Sign O The Times get a new life in this context and surrounded by these Revolution contributions they sound more together and belonging. Side One and side four are where Dream Factory differs the most from Sign O The Times, but the songs that fill sides two and three still have a sense of belonging and place. “Dorothy Parker” and It both seem to shine a little brighter, and with “Sign O The Times” buried deeper in the album it loses some of its weight. Strange Relationship gains a fantastic sitar-sounding introduction (courtesy of a Fairlight CMI) which elevates it to another level and you can again hear the band influence on Prince adding layers to it, rather than the funk work out that it is at its heart.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the album is the run of “Sign O The Times,” “A Place In Heaven,” and “Crystal Ball.” On paper, they look like a desperate mix, but together on the album they are a showcase for the breadth and scope of Princes, and the band’s, vision. We have light and dark in equal measure, and each song acts as a counterbalance to the other. “Crystal Ball” is the most ambitious of the trio, it has Prince at his most creative stretching things to the limit, it doesn’t always work but today in the early morning it sounds pretty close to perfect. It is songs like this that show Prince was more than a song and dance man, he was also an artist and a visionary.

Although side 4 opens with “The Cross,” it could in some quarters be considered the weakest side of the album.  It’s at this stage that the comparisons to Sign O The Times don’t serve Dream Factory well. Whereas side four of Sign O The Times featured “The Cross,” “Its Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” and closes with the divine “Adore,” Dream Factory closes with “The Cross,” “Last Heart,” “Witness 4 The Prosecution,” “Movie Star” and “All My Dreams.”  “The Cross” is rightly hailed as a classic, and “All My Dreams” is a fantastic song that deserves more listens. The intervening songs are all good in their own right, but in such esteemed company, they sound thin. They do have their charms, “Last Heart” with its late-night pop sound, “Witness 4 The Prosecution” ticks all the rock boxes and sounds like something Prince could play in his sleep, and “Movie Star” is Prince playing with a knowing wink to us all, the lyrics themselves almost too clever for their own good. “All My Dreams” comes from a different place altogether and is in a league of its own. The vocal arrangements are beautifully textured, and Prince’s lead vocal sounds black and white against the music. It at times sounds like the theme song for a TV show, but it takes on a different tone mid-song with some weirdness that adds interest without detracting from the song. It is fitting that the word ‘Dream’ should be in the title as it does have a dream-like quality to it, and it summarizes the album nicely with the band contributing, and a piano solo that runs through the middle of the song that bookends the opening song on the album. By the time Prince croons “Don’t ever lose your dreams” a final time, it does feel as if we are coming to the end of a journey with him and in the case of The Revolution that is certainly true.

 

Dream Factory is a natural extension of Parade, you can hear where it follows on from where Parade left off. Much more than that, it is an extension of The Revolution, and not only are they confident and strong with their contributions, but Prince is also much more accepting and willing to use what they bring to the mix. The Revolution broke up a couple of weeks after this configuration, but this is a fitting memorial to their greatness and how much a part they were of the Prince legend.  1986 is the greatest year of Prince’s career, we have plenty of evidence of that, and the Dream Factory is the key thread that pulls it all together. To properly understand the relationship between Prince and The Revolution, and the creativity they had together, you only have to listen to this album. This is the greatest thing they ever did together, and the pinnacle of their partnership. One of Prince’s greatest albums, this would not exist without The Revolution.

“The Revolution will be heard!”

Yokohama 9 September 1986

 This week I am listening to one of the most important Prince bootlegs in circulation, the final show of the Parade tour that serves as the final performance of Prince and The Revolution. For historical significance alone it is a stand-out, and the moment is well served with a performance and recording to match. People often deride audience recordings, but when done well they are a joy to listen to as in this case. The recording is surprisingly good for an audience recording, and the concert, although at Yokohama Stadium, has a small and warm sound – perfect for a moment like this. The recording has plenty to recommend it, and when we factor in the historical context, well then it becomes essential.

9th September 1986, Yokohama Japan

A couple of minutes of audience noise beforehand is a nice touch in my book, it adds to that sense of anticipation and expectation. There is some chat, a couple of cheers and if you close your eyes you can just about picture yourself there. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s difficult not to read too much into what is happening, and when the announcer introduces the band I hear some melancholy in his voice, or like I say I am projecting my sense of history onto the moment. Once again “Around The World In A Day” is a great introduction for the band, with the horns making themselves heard early on, along with the fantastic Brown Mark bumping and buzzing along the bottom. He has a beautiful fat sound to his playing and I am very happy to say it comes over well on the recording.

 

I can hear Prince and the band well as “Christopher Tracey’s Parade” begins, although at first the girls’ voices aren’t heard well, they do however come further forward as the song goes, and it’s one of those “moments” when you can hear them singing with Prince. Prince does call “Tokyo!”, which has me scratching my head- I am prepared to give him a pass though, Yokohama is closer to Tokyo than Narita airport, and is only 40 minutes from Tokyo center. And it is the end of the tour, so we can forgive technicalities.

“New Position” sounds unbelievably smooth and easy, and is a testament to how tight the band was at this stage, there are a lot of new sounds and instruments in the mix, and somehow they weld it all together and make it work. The horns are what you hear most, but for me, there is just enough rhythm guitar in there to get my blood flowing.

There is a particularly psychedelic and alluring sound to “I Wonder U,” the flute giving it a floating quality that is offset by Wendy’s guitar. The band knit it together wonderfully, and as I said at the Paris show a few weeks ago it doesn’t matter that Prince isn’t there, this band and this music are strong enough to stand on its own without his powerful stage presence.

The next few songs come in a flurry of sound and excitement. “Raspberry Beret” is first out of the gate, as always it’s a crowd-pleasing singalong, although to be fair on this occasion the crowd is fairly muted. On a more positive note, I find Brown Marks bass again firmly in my ears and that is never a bad thing. The energy levels are kept high as it only runs for a couple of minutes before an equally quick run through “Delirious,” complete with a 1,2,3 count off in Japanese. It comes and goes in a blink of an eye before we get a quick snippet of the “oww wee oww” that segues into “Controversy.”

 

“Controversy” is just fine, my only complaint being the briefness of it, but that is amply compensated when the count of “A, B, A, B, C” comes and Prince is joined on stage by Shelia E.

This is the first of those magical concert moments that I look for, and as Prince and Shelia's vocals playfully dance around each other I am in fanboy heaven. Shelia sounds cool, Wendy and Brown Mark sound even better, and for a long time I just sit back and listen to them respectively. The breakdown with the vocals is sublime, and the recording is good enough that I can pick out each person’s voice and identify them. Eric Leeds sprinkles his magic dust over the performance with a solo that lives up to the high standards he sets show after show. The funk just gets stronger from here on in, firstly in Wendy’s playing, then in Prince and the band's scat and a capella performance. When the music comes back it’s with all the intensity you might expect and wave after wave of horn blasts and calls of “Ice Cream!” carry me to unexpected heights.

Even though I am in funk heaven at this stage, I am more than happy as the sultry sound of “Do Me, Baby” begins. The bass has a great pop to it as the horns add a touch of sass to the intro. All this becomes irrelevant however as Prince sings and I find listening to the lyrics and his delivery becomes an experience in itself. As the music rocks back and forth Prince croons and emotes as he has never emoted and crooned before, and I am sold on it. Maybe I feel like this for every live performance of this song, but tonight it smacks me right between the eyes and I am dangerously close to switching off the computer, going into the other room, and sweeping my girl off her feet. And at the end of the day, there is no higher recommendation of a slow jam song than that, it’s sublime through and through.

 

Next up is the trifecta of “How Much Is That Doggie In The Window,” “Automatic” and “D.M.S.R.” I would have liked to hear more of them, asides from How Much Is That Doggie, and it’s a giant tease from Prince to have two killer tracks from 1999 to be relegated to a two-minute medley like this. As you know I like to look on the positive side of things, so I give thanks that they are on the setlist at all.

The ship rights itself as “When Doves Cry” plays, and the opening keyboard riff still gives me chills even after all these years. It has a clinical delivery as it should, and over the cool electronic music, Prince sings dispassionately which only heightens the sense of loneliness I feel when I listen to this song. It’s a cold world indeed, and it’s only in the Prince's singing of the chorus do we feel the humanity and hurt. I have covered a few different shows from 1986 now, and I always speak highly of Wendy’s solo during this song. Today is no different, and even though the recording neuters her sound a little I still get a thrill from her playing.

 

“Little Red Corvette” has Prince alone at the piano, and is an emotional highlight. I want to write that it tugs at the heartstrings, but I know the following few songs are going to top it in the emotional stakes, so I enjoy it for what it is, a nice soft rendition of one of his classic songs.

The band joins in for “Do U Lie,” and it has a swing and sway to it, it’s got a lovely lilt and sounds like it has come from a completely different concert. I don’t have too long to wallow in it as Prince moves on, but it is another cool moment.

“The Ladder” is one of the songs I have been waiting to hear, and Prince doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. “The Ladder” has the obligatory piano, but also a lot more. One of the things that strike me most is the backing singers and the way that the horns lift the song to the heavens. For a stadium show, it is wonderful how Prince makes it feel like he’s singing in the living room, there’s a lively intimacy in the recording and a classy touch by Prince at the end thanking the audience in Japanese.

Prince is alone again for “Condition Of The Heart,” and at this point, it becomes very difficult for me to write objectively as this song has a special place in my heart. Prince delivers a performance that does the song credit and although short it gives me everything I could ever want.

 

“Under The Cherry Moon” is breath-taking, and has some wonderful flourishes on the piano that gives it that little bit extra. As much as I like Prince’s vocals, I find I tune out as I instead concentrate on the music. The music has a magical quality that is rarely heard, and as Prince plays piano I sit mesmerized here at home, this is a show for the ages.

The band and the funk return with “Anotherloverholenyohead.” This show has been phenomenal thus far, and “Anotherloverholenyohead” maintains this high standard. It returns us to the heavier sound of the band, and the darker sound as Prince starts his “Another lover” talk midsong. The piano and the horns via for my attention, and for me it’s the piano that nails it, I don’t write about Lisa enough in this blog, but she is a treasure. She sounds magnificent as she plays her piece, and it is distinctly- and uniquely her. And even better, she gets a good few minutes to play so there is plenty of time for me to lean back and swim in the music flowing from her fingers.

“♥ Or $,” now I didn’t expect that. Eric puts his mark on this one, but it’s again a complete band performance and I can’t single anyone out for praise, they all sound great singly and as a group.  From here on in the show becomes much more intense and focused, all medleys are dispensed with and we get some proper, heavy funk. Keeping with this direction the band funks up “♥ Or $” before turning their sights on “Head.”

I have always liked the slippery guitar sound in “Head,” in this case, it has a sharper sound but nonetheless is still funky as all hell. There is some fun as Prince toys with the crowd, but the whole time it’s that guitar I am listening to, at least until Matt Fink sets things on fire with his synth solo. “Electric Man” gets an outing, with Prince surprisingly throwing some lyrics from “Hot Thing,” recorded barely a month previous. As Prince squeals and squirms I wish I could be there to see a performance that sounds electrifying. The guitar sounds ominous as the music rises near the end, and I find myself enjoying this just as much as Prince's vocal performance.

 

“Pop Life” banishes the darkness of “Head” in the opening moments as, after a twinkling opening, it bursts out of the speakers at me. For all the melody of it, I find it's Brown Mark I listen to most, his bass adds an infectious bounce to the proceedings. Again Eric Leeds's flute lends a different sound to the concert and with some beautiful backing vocals, the song stands up to repeated listens.

Prince sings “Do you want to dance with me” as “Girls And Boys” begins, much to the delight of the audience. Eric has traded his flute for the sax and adds the deep honk that I adore so much. Prince seems to get a second burst of energy around this point and I swear you can hear him singing and performing harder. He gives way to Eric and his solo and it’s about now that I sit up and take notice of Wendy and Lisa’s singing- soft yet beautiful.

The first minute of “Life Can Be So Nice” seems to come fast, and it’s at the chorus that I catch up and begin to get into it. It’s a game as Prince and the band plays the crowded versus before pulling back for the chorus. Bobby Z does his thing, and he sounds great against the rhythm guitar. There seems to be a lot going on in my ears, and I have to listen closely to make sure I don’t miss a thing. The final fade-out is my favorite part, not because of its ending, but the way the band peels out and I can hear each of them.

 

I am feeling jaded as “1999” plays, the song sounds fine, but is already dated against the colorful parade of music that Prince has played this evening. I do hear the crowd enjoying it, and there is some singing, so the song certainly has its place in the setlist despite my own personal tastes. It goes out with a bang as the horns and the rest of the band tear through the last minute, and the main show ends on a high.

There is an underwater sound as “America” starts, and I am my expectations are sky-high in anticipation as there is the dual guitar attack of Wendy and Miko getting all funky for the first few minutes. Prince joins the fray with his vocals and there is a fire to the performance that I feel the recording doesn’t quite capture. Eric is great, and Atlanta is even better as his trumpet scorches through the song as he plays. A lead guitar appears and the song is smoking hot by this stage. It’s almost unfair that Prince has Wendy, Miko, and Eric on his team funking up the stage, as the solid bass of Brown Mark keeps us firmly on the dance floor. I was hoping for 20 minutes of this, but realistically the seven minutes we do get is amble, as I am sure those in the building had danced themselves into a frenzy in that time.

“Kiss” is nicely balanced, and I like that it has a stripped-back sound with Prince and Wendy’s guitar taking the lead roles, nothing else bolted on or tampered with.  The lyrics sound a shade downbeat, I kind of like it that way, and the crowd comes to the party with their boisterous “Kiss!” The ending is nice, with Prince thanking the crowd and a bare guitar playing for the last few moments that wraps it up in a bow before the next encore.

What comes next is, for me, the emotional and musical highlight of the show, a gut-wrenching rendition of “Sometimes It Snows In April.” The opening with Wendy and Lisa playing is simply stunning, the delicate guitar sound and piano dancing a beautiful dance together, this is a special moment worth listening to again and again. As Prince sings things become even more emotional and his voice has a melancholy tone to it, and I think it is real rather than the performance. The three voices come together for the final lines and it’s hard to not think about the times these three had together. Prince ends the song thanking Wendy and Lisa, and thirty years on it sounds like a full stop.

 

“Purple Rain” rises and falls as does the lump in my throat as I listen to it. Its plays as it does every time I hear it, a beautiful song that sounds so big and threatens to overwhelm all that has come before it. The guitars are warm, the piano clean, and Prince's vocals heavy with emotion. The guitar solo starts with a quiver and a shake before it becomes the howl we know so well. Having seen the video, I know how hard Prince was playing, and you can feel that on the recordings, he is pouring everything into the guitar with a long sustained howl that ends with him throwing it to the floor before strapping on another guitar and giving us more of the same before that too is thrown to the floor. As the crowd sings their part we do have half a minute of Prince playing the organ, and that is a real treat, it’s not high in the mix, but you can clearly hear it and it gives the song a final push before Prince thanks the crowd and leaves the stage, leaving the keyboards to play us out for the final minute.

As I have said throughout, it is impossible to divorce this recording from the context surrounding it, as great as the show and recording are, the historical significance of the moment looms large over it. I have heard people say that they cry listening to this, and I thought I was too far removed to have such feelings, but I must admit the last 15 minutes of listening tonight I did have a tear in my eye. Having heard a fair number of fantastic recordings of The Revolution over the last few years I found myself 30 years on listening to this thinking “why?”, they were beyond compare and seemed to still have more to give.
Many words spring to mind when considering this recording – essential, historical, and emotional are at the front of the list. There are no two ways about it, this recording demands you listen to it. A fitting send-off for The Revolution, this bootleg delivers on all counts and is an essential keystone of any collection.

Thanks for reading, I urge you to dig this one out and take a listen, celebrate The Revolution 30 years on, they were every bit as good as you remember.