Paris 17 June 1987

 This week's blog has taken much longer than usual to write. Not because I couldn’t find anything to say about this show, but rather that this show is just so good I listened to it several times before I could sit down and write a single word. I have listened to it four times in the last two days, each time playing air guitar along with it, and drumming on my desk as it played. The music is so lively and infectious, it’s been a struggle to get myself to sit still and listen, this is music that you feel as much as you hear and I have spent several good hours dancing around the room as it plays. The show itself is one of the most well-known and much-loved bootlegs in circulation, a magnificent soundboard recording from Paris during the Sign O The Times Tour. For many years I haven’t felt the need to listen to shows from this tour, after wearing out the VHS of the Sign O The Times movie when I was younger. Aftershows from this era I gave plenty of attention to without ever dipping deeper into the main shows themselves. This is generally hailed as one of his greatest tours, and listening now I can see why, everything about this show is fantastic, the music, the performance, costumes, and the songs themselves. There is not a single weak point in the whole show. And this bootleg is the best bootleg of the tour, ranking it as one of the best of the best.

17th June 1987, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris

There is no better sound in the world than the throaty, guttural sound of Prince’s guitar opening to “Sign O The Times.” It completely changes the sound of the song from the record. Sure, the cold electronic beat is there, as is Prince’s headlining lyrics, but the guitar adds a new dynamic, giving a passionate response to those cold soundbites. It howls in anger, weeps with sadness, and gives a human reply to the chilling news Prince recites. Whatever I feel about those lyrics, Prince manages to capture with his guitar playing, and I spend most of the song playing air guitar before I add some air drumming to the mix as the band drums themselves in at the end of the song.

 

The band is all on-board and to the front, as we next hear “Play In The Sunshine.” The recording is beautiful, and it sounds as if the band is right here in the room with me. It’s a beautiful wall of sound, and my head spins listening to it all. Things are still coming thick and fast as Prince plays his guitar break, and listening to it thirty years on I am amazed at how tight this band is, and how well this recording has aged. There is some sax in the left speaker that is so crystal clear, that I could swear Eric Leeds is right in my ear.

We slow and I come back into the moment with “Little Red Corvette.” The band and vocals sound good, but it’s the piano sound that is unique this time, and that is what I cling to as it plays. It’s an early carrot for those that have come to hear the hits, but Prince pulls the curtain on it with a sharp “Shut up already, damn!”

“Housequake” has been heard in many forms over the years, they are all good but nothing comes close to the original arrangement such as we have here. The song is great, the band is on fire, and the recording does it all justice. I want to sit and listen, I just can’t – the song is too good, and it’s all I can do to resist the urge to get up and dance again. Eric Leeds has never sounded so good, and again the sound in the left speaker is fantastic- this time a guitar is coming in crystal clear.

Eric Leeds is all over “Girls and Boys.” After the foreplay of a couple of verses and chorus, he gets his big moment and as a funky guitar plays, Eric plays a delightful solo that has me smiling every time I think about it. One of my favorite Prince songs, and in this live setting and with Eric on top of his game it’s a thing of beauty.

 

After Eric, it’s Atlanta’s turn as his trumpet croons us into “Slow Love.” Prince may be the center of attention, but it’s the little things and the rest of the band that make this song what it is, be it Atlanta Bliss and his trumpet, the drums of Shelia that seem to accent every point, or the divine vocal of the girls in the band that provide fullness to Prince's vocal performance. It all comes together in a way that feels so natural and as if everything has its place and is as it should be. Prince’s vocals alone are worth the price of admission and feel as warm and inviting as a soft pillow.

“I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” is so familiar, and yet I do still get that thrill of excitement when we hear the longer intro as played on the Sign O The Times tour. That talk, a twinkling of the piano, the horns all building to that moment when Shelia drives us forward into the song, and the band is unleashed.  I am sure most people have like me seen this hundreds of times on the Sign O The Times movie, and it’s hard not to sing along with it as it plays. It’s story-telling in a song at its best, and the drama of the song unfolds with the music as well as the lyrics, culminating at that moment when words can no longer express and Prince resorts to some of his most inspired and uplifting guitar playing. He swoops, he soars, and he turns the solo into a celebration. Am I playing air guitar right now? Yes, I am. The music pulls back and Prince plays some mournful guitar that has me furrowing my brow trying to listen to it and not miss a single note. As the band comes back and drives us to the finish it feels like the song was barely a couple of minutes long, when in fact it was closer to ten.

 

I do so love the organ at the beginning of “Hot Thing.” And it just gets better from there, with firstly Levi and Prince doing their spoken interplay which sounds fun without being distracting. I must admit that having played the movie to death, it is great to hear a different variation of this chat. The mix on the song is also very good, the guitar is more forward, and I love the robotic funk of it. The song becomes fuller late in the piece when again the horn lines lift it beyond this cold, electronic sound and takes it to another level altogether.

The band comes into their own with “Now’s The Time.” At this stage, we can see this band is its own animal, and what they are capable of it. Every band member contributes something, and all of them hold down their corner well. I couldn’t say if one is better than the other, although I will say I enjoyed Levi immensely in the brief bass solo he gives us. We close out the song with several minutes of Shelia playing a solo. It gathers momentum, much as any drum solo should, and at the end, I give up my air-drumming along with it and cheer just as much as anyone else on the recording.

I should be tired of “Let’s Go Crazy,” the keyboard swell that signals the opening to it gives it a new feel, and the rest of the performance is equally uplifting and it never once feels stale. The guitar sound is neutered, with this band and this show it doesn’t matter at all, this is a different band with their own sound and they make “Let’s Go Crazy” fit with their unique personality. I could take or leave the outro with Prince and the crowd exchanging “let's go, go, go” but that’s a minor quibble that fades into memory as Prince’s last searing guitar notes are heard.

 

I have mixed emotions about “When Doves Cry.” I am glad to hear it, and I do like the arrangement. My only issue it is only a couple of minutes, and the song doesn’t have a chance to breathe and be itself. The lead line still gets my heart jump-started, and I do love the way Prince intones the lyrics, and then it's gone, just as I was beginning to feel it.

“Purple Rain” seems to be early in the setlist, and it highlights that this isn’t the full show, we are missing several songs, and the recording itself only just runs over an hour. Prince doesn’t play around with it, he heads straight for the solo after a verse and chorus. The solo is lively and energetic without ever offering up anything new. I still like it of course, and it’s the cue for me to engage in more air-guitar.

It’s always a surprise to hear “1999” after “Purple Rain,” just as I am coming down it raises me back up. Like everything at this show, it’s more horn-infused and much more colorful sounding. There is a lot more sound crammed into the song, and I can hear most of the band having some input. True to form it ends this part of the show on a high, and signals the first break before the encore.

And what an encore we get, with “The Cross” taking the concert and recording to yet another high. The comparisons between “The Cross” and Lou Reeds ‘Heroin’ are valid, but by the time “The Cross” reaches its zenith all comparisons are moot. I don’t know which is stronger, Prince’s vocals or his feverish guitar playing. He may be singing about god, but he plays guitar like a demon, and the final couple of minutes are electrifying. The way the guitar quiver and shakes and sounds in a frenzy against the more measured sound of the horns and the band, it doesn’t get any better than this.

 

With a simple call of “Encore”, we fly into “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night.” This show just gets better and better, and the band chews up “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night.” I listened to this with headphones, and then without, and the recording is sublime. There are some fantastic noises and sounds that I pick up that I had never noticed before. The wondrous thing about Prince, in his live shows and his recordings, is he gives you so much that even after all these years I am still hearing new things hidden away in the songs. Prince name-checks Jill Jones with “The Jill Jones crawl” which I find pretty cool, asides that it’s the music itself that I immerse myself in, it is funky, thick with sound, and has me dancing where I am, I cannot help myself. The song is in full bloom, as the show is finishing at an all-time high that even I couldn’t have predicted. There is even a chant of “I can’t get enough, of that funky stuff” and I couldn’t agree more. I am going to go out on a limb and say this is the best version of “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” that I have ever heard, and I’ve heard a lot.

What a way to finish the show, I am breathless as it finishes, and I find it takes me a couple of minutes to cool off after, I was right into it. This recording is much revered in the Prince community, and I can well see why. Although incomplete, it still delivers a knockout, the performance is unbelievable, the recording is sublime, and it is truly one of the great bootlegs and worthy of all the love and praise that it gets. I know I am preaching to the converted, but this is one that every Prince fan has to have, it’s magnificent.

Phew, I am going for a lie down

Paris 15 June 1987

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Vienna 29 May 1987 (am)

 

I have been meaning to listen to a Sign O The Times main show for a long time now, and this week was going to be the week. Unfortunately, I got sidetracked by today’s recording and never quite made it to a main show. This week I am listening to a real oddity from 1987. This recording comes from a charity show played by Madhouse, with a Prince set following. What draws me to it is the songs performed – The Ball and Adore in particular have me intrigued. The set is only short, clocking in just over an hour, and it is an audience recording, asides from that I think it looks good and worthy of a closer listen

29th May (am) 1987, U4 Vienna Austria

Things start very well, and the landscape for the recording is set. A loud boisterous crowd, a scratchy recording, and then some fantastic music. The venue sounds small, on the recording at least, and we have plenty of audience talk quite clearly and frustratingly on the recording. “Housequake” starts us off, with just the drumbeat for the first minute or so. It heightens the sense of anticipation, and I do like just hearing the beat run for some time. Prince teases the start a couple of times, but we never jump right into the song, instead, it’s a slow-burning groove. It’s played as a jam, rather than what we are accustomed to on record, and that works well for me, especially with the horns adding their weight to it. Later in the song is a highlight with the horns all sorts of interesting lines, and it’s probably a blessing that I can’t understand the audience chat so I can listen past it to the music.

 

  

The most interesting part of the show comes next as the band tackles the unreleased “The Ball.” It is such a delight to have a live recording of a rarity like this, and what makes it even better is the band jam it out for a good long while. For the first few minutes, we have a nice steady groove before Prince sings and engages the audience- primarily having them chant “ball”. Asides from the beautiful groove, the other thing I must mention is the horns which again are the heroes in the song. Prince's vocals sound strong, although slightly variable on the recording. The insistent beat carries us through to Shelia E rapping out “Holly Rock,” which sounds cool even as the tape fades in and out. The crowd feeds off the performance and the chat dies down with lots of singing and clapping.

At first, I hardly notice we had segued into something else until I recognize the bassline of “Girls And Boys.” This is pretty much all that remains of that song, as the band uses the bassline as a step-off point to go all sorts of places. Horns come and go, bass drops, guitars spring up, and it keeps evolving in weird and wonderful ways. It stays groovy and funk-filled the whole while, and I have to say I am captivated by it. The last few minutes almost have me in a trance, and by this stage, I have forgiven it for being an audience recording and I’m just so happy we get to hear it.

 

“Adore” is led by a heavy organ sound before the horns lighten the tone and usher in the song I know so well. The tape hiss is very noticeable at this stage, and that’s a shame as the song itself sounds gorgeous. It’s not as smooth as the record, and I like the fact that at one point you can hear Prince call the chord change. I am less happy about the audience chatter that reappears, but some wonderful delicate guitar work on stage makes up for it. Some soulful vocals from Boni Boyer seal the deal, and the song ends at an all-time high.

“I Got My Mind Made Up” is new to me, and I take an instant liking to it, especially the keyboard solo that plays for the first few minutes. Dr. Fink is doing his thing, and he’s doing it well. It’s got another one of those steady grooves that this band seems to specialize in, and this gives a solid foundation for everyone to play off. The bass is the next to come out at us, and it adds some bottom to a show that has so far been dominated by horns and keyboard.

If a song is called “Guitar Rock Jam,” I would expect it to be a guitar rock jam. The first minute is misleading and the band grooves on sans guitar, but then it does appear and Prince plays a snake charmer-sounding solo. It picks up from here, and as the band quickens so does the guitar and the flurry of notes. It’s heating up, and Prince's fingers are ablaze by midsong. The following few minutes are Prince at his very best on guitar, I forget the rest of the band even exists and listen purely to the guitar. To say it is stellar is an understatement – interstellar would be closer to the mark.

 

It’s a comedown to have the gentle start of “Purple Rain” follow on from this, but I soon warm to its charms. It feels out of place after the loose jams that have come before, but Prince still gives his all to it, and his vocals are delivered in full effect. I can’t shake the feeling of the songs that have come before, and the structure of it feels heavy after listening to them. The guitar solo starts well and is shaping up to be more interesting, which makes the fact that the recording ends just as the guitar solo is reaching its heights all the more frustrating.

This recording deserves more coverage than perhaps it already gets. It is flawed in many ways, it’s the quality of the material and the performance that carries the day. The band is loose and stretches out across some very interesting song selections, and this is what marks it as a great one for me. I am prepared to overlook the audience recording when what I can hear from Prince is at this level. You can safely add this one to the list marked “shows I want to hear in soundboard”. As for a main show from 1987, that’ll have to wait for another time.

Munich 21 May 1987

 It's days like this that make me the Prince fan that I am. Just when I think I have heard all that is good and great, a surprise recording surfaces that leaves me shaking my head at both the brilliance of Prince and the quality of the recording. The Park Cafe aftershow has been in high rotation at my place since it surfaced, and I am amazed that such a recording exists. After 28 years, for it to appear is like finding a lost treasure. The quality of the recording is high, and there is a couple of special things for us to enjoy and appreciate. Firstly it’s a Prince aftershow tacked onto the end of a Madhouse performance. That sound and style permeate through the show, and Prince gives us some of his more experimental and jazzy sounds. Also, his father makes an appearance, playing piano on one of the tracks. Although I am not blown away by his performance, I do acknowledge that to have a recording of Prince and his father playing together live is pretty cool. The recording starts with a few songs from the  Madhouse set. Normally I would skip over them when writing to concentrate on the Prince songs, but I will take the time to write about them today, as I think they are an important part of the recording.

21 May 1987, Park Cafe, Munich

The first thing we hear on the recording is a crisp drum roll, before the piano and sax start on a nice circular motif, and we get an excellent sounding “Two.” I am immediately struck by the clarity of the recording, maybe I have been listening to too many audience recordings of late. It does sound good indeed, and I especially notice that I can hear the vibration and buzz of the cymbals in particular. After the initial circular loop early in the song, Eric Leeds becomes more expressive. As much as I enjoy his playing in Prince's shows, here I find even more to enjoy in his playing. He feels a little lighter and doesn’t seem to push as hard as he does on the Prince songs. There is a nice break midsong, where it is just him alone, and the crowd is noticeably appreciative. He does play well here, and after the band comes back in behind Dr. Fink plays an equally impressive and electric-sounding keyboard solo. It’s a nice contrast to the piano we hear throughout the song, and I liked the synthy solo better than any other keyboard work I hear in the song. The song ends soon after to soft applause from the audience.

 

“Three” follows as you might have guessed. It has a much more traditional sound to it and is again led by Eric Leeds playing some smoky-sounding sax. The rest of the band doesn’t do too much behind him, they just lay a platform for his more relaxed noodlings. It very much has a summer’s day feel to it, and I am transported away. But in the larger scheme of things, it is just a touch too traditional sounding for my tastes, and I do find myself drifting away by the end.

“In A Sentimental Mood” is very well named indeed, it is accurately described in the title. It’s all Eric Leeds, and the sound of his horn does sound suitably sentimental. I am impressed at his ability to convey sentimentality in his playing, even if I am not feeling that way inclined myself. It’s only a couple of minutes, but well worth the listen.

“Sixteen” is probably my favorite Madhouse song played on the night. I love the saxophone refrain, it conjures up all sorts of images of adventures past. There is something fun in the sound of it, and as much as I love Eric’s playing on it, I feel Dr. Fink just edges him with another cool synth solo. The organic sound of the horn plays off great against the electric futuristic sound of Dr. Finks's keyboard.  The main refrain returns before Eric plays some crazy buzzing lines that make me hot. Not to be outdone Dr. Fink also plays some wild-sounding passages, and the effect is dizzying. I am disappointed when like all good things it comes to an end.

“A Conversation” is the title of the next song, and at this point, I am in heaven. The song begins with a soft drum roll, and then the drummer plays a light cymbal run. The sound is very familiar to me, it very much has the sound of the drum opening on the Small Club gig a year later. The drum sound on this recording has that classic familiar sound from these years. I become further interested when I hear the sound of a guitar. I presume now that it is Prince playing. His playing is very slight, just a few notes here and there. It’s Eric Leeds who starts it properly, with a couple of minutes of him playing alone over the sparse music. It has a very cool atmosphere to it, you can hear the music slowly build, a chord now and then from the keyboard, slowly adding more and more layers. The bass has a simple yet alluring loop going underneath, and it gives Eric and the other players a good platform to play over. Most of Eric’s playing is sharp and steady, but occasionally he lets forth a blast that keeps me guessing. At the seven-minute mark, the much stronger guitar sound of Prince enters. His playing has an electric quality to it, and the closest thing I can compare it to would be the opening song of the Small Club gig. His guitar has the same tone and sharpness to it, but is more relaxed and held in check here. He doesn’t get too extravagant with his playing, and it heightens the tight feel of the song. Prince finishes his playing and some more synth sounds are played. As with the guitar, it’s not fast or furious, it’s quick and tight. The song moves up a notch from here, the drum takes on a more urgent pounding beat as the horn and piano start a groove before the guitar again comes to the fore. This time the guitar is stronger and more insistent- the playing is quicker, louder, and cold. After a time the guitar eases up as the sax hits a nice refrain, which sounds more like a hook you would expect to hear in a more traditional song. Prince’s voice is heard for the first time at this stage, as he calls for a sax solo. The music is intense at this stage, but after the sax solo the sound pulls back and Princes introduces Atlanta Bliss for a trumpet solo. The jam has already taken several twists and turns but there is more to come as I hear the sound of a heavy funk guitar. It doesn’t last long, and I think it has been put on the back burner, but soon after I hear it again, and it continues for much longer as the song winds downs. The song ends with a steady beat on the drums and a minute of funky guitar with more horns. The song finally stops and I want to walk outside, raise my arms and say “Oh GOD YES!!”  The 20 minutes of this song had everything I love, lots of changes in direction, a little experimental, a little jazzy. If this was all we got I would be a happy man, but there is so much more to come.

 

It takes me a second to register where I have heard the horn riff from, as the next song starts. There is a dog bark sample that we know well, but it distracts me for a minute. Prince plays some Stevie Wonder-sounding keyboards and I click that it is “Strange Relationship.” I thought the last song was great, but this one, although different in style, is equal. The keyboards have an innate funky sound to them and bounce. The horns and guitar are very well placed in the mix and add color without ever being out front. “Strange Relationship” is brilliant on record, but live it’s a monster. Prince curses as he says “I bet you wish this was a fuckin movie” and after so long of listening to the modern clean Prince it sounds like strong profanity indeed, The song becomes a jam as it reaches the “yeah, yeah” section, and there is a cool moment when Prince manages to drop the word ‘Leviticus” into the song. Now that is genius! A few moments after there is a very brief drum break, with a few quick rolls, before we go into more “yeah, yeahs” as the funky keys continue with Prince saying all kinds of crazy talk. He calls Levi for half a minute before he puts a snare on it, and some subtle funky guitar lines are playing. It’s very much a typical Prince jam, with a few turnarounds, a false ending or two, and a long groove. The song continues with Prince and the band singing faster and faster until we speed into the next song.

Another long jam, this is also suitably called “Groove In F (an argument).” There is some tight bass and guitar work in the introduction before a horn loop begins. This beat is humming along quite quickly, it's up-tempo all the way. The horn is replaced by the keyboard. It’s not overplaying, just some long notes. I have already said that several things at this show were very typical Prince, and this falls into that territory. It sounds like many of the rehearsal jams I have heard Prince and his band play. A nice quick beat and a horn refrain, with the keys filling out the other spaces. It’s different from the jams he plays live, where every player plays a solo, like I said it’s much more like the rehearsal jams we hear. There is a cool choppy sound I hear, but I can’t decide if it’s the bass or a keyboard, I need to hear it a few more times to decide- but that’s not going to be too taxing for me. There is a rhythm guitar running underneath, but the main sound of the song is the horns and the keyboard. The end catches me off guard, as it just suddenly stops and there are plenty of cheers from the crowd.

 

There is then a longish break, with lots of calls for more, before the hand-clapping settles into a steady rhythm. There is the sound of a drum playing along quietly, but I can’t decide if it’s onstage very quietly, or if someone in the crowd is banging something. Eventually, the crowd becomes more vocal, and it’s obvious we are about to get more. Prince is on the microphone, he apologizes to the crowd “Sorry I had to leave, it was too funky in here” There is some gentle patter, then the downbeat keyboard of “Dorothy Parker” takes us into the next part of the show. Prince's singing is up-sounding here, and quite bright against the darker music. It works well for me, I do like it a lot. The horns also sound bright in the song, there is a very quick piano solo, which gets drawn out into a second section. It’s all very sharp, but short. Even with the sound of extra pieces thrown in, it still finishes at four minutes.

I fail to recognize “Just My Imagination” when it starts. It’s heavy on synth and piano and has a great sound to it. The synth plays strongly, while a piano improvises over the top. It’s not what I expected when I first saw the song listed, but it exceeds my expectations. I love it as the band play on and on in this way. It’s almost disappointing when Prince begins to sing, as he sings it’s still the piano I am listening for. His singing is fine and delicate, but almost too delicate for the heavier keyboard and piano, and I tend to drift away from listening to his melody too much. The recording is very good, I notice here as his voice interacts with the backing vocals, I can pick them out from each other well. There is a fantastic horn solo right after Prince finishes the verses. As the music swells underneath it adds a nice sharp counterpoint to it. Eric Leeds is a great foil to Prince, and he is on top of his game at this show. The song fades out with another chorus refrain before a heavy guitar comes to the front.

Prince calls “Blues In G,” and that is exactly what he delivers. It’s a sharper guitar than we normally get when he plays the blues. It’s playing a much higher and stronger sound, yet I can still hear the piano banging away underneath. Things take an interesting turn when Prince calls “ehhh! substitution” and a very different piano sound is heard. It’s his father playing, and his style is sharply different from anything else we have heard this evening. While the bass walks along nicely, he keeps the piano banging and sings several verses. He does call for Little Steven, and we get a guitar solo. There is some interplay between the guitar and piano, but it doesn’t greatly excite me. The song goes on for another minute, but it never really connects with me. I rate this song very high for novelty value- featuring both John L Nelson and Little Steven, but musically it didn’t do anything for me. I hate to say it, but this is the weakest part of the recording.

 

“What we gonna do now Prince?” Levi asks Prince.  “Whatever it is, it got to be funky” is the reply, as the familiar intro of Housequake begins. The horns are somewhat subdued in the song, and it is played straight. It does have a fun feel to it, but there isn’t anything new in it for me to listen to. I do enjoy the band interaction, the sound of the interplay between Prince and his singers is joyful to listen to. I don’t know what more I could want for it, it is a classic song, no doubt, but I always want a little more from it when I hear it live. After some of the jams we had earlier in the show, it’s surprising that this is so short, and Prince doesn’t play with it at all. It comes to an abrupt end with Prince closing the show with a simple “Thank you, bye-bye”

I can’t write about this show objectively. I have been playing it a lot, I love the fact that it’s a new leak, that it’s got novelty value, that it’s got some great jams and of course, I love the fact that it is a soundboard. It will be some time before I can look back and see how it fits in the wider Prince canon, until then it’s going to be constantly on my stereo. Is it one of the greats? -take a listen and decide for yourself.

The last couple of weeks have been very good to us fans, so much to listen to recently. I feel reinvigorated, and have plenty more to write about

Berlin 15 May 1987

 

OK, I admit it, I didn’t do my homework this week. Things have been kinda busy of late and I never found the time to have a quiet moment and think about what recording I would like to listen to and write about. So twenty minutes ago I found myself looking at a blank screen wondering where on earth I should start. Without a particular bootleg in mind, I considered what sort of show I would like to listen to and what songs I would like to hear, which brought me nicely to this week's recording – an aftershow from Berlin 1987 featuring “Housquake” and “Just My Imagination.” The recording itself is short, less than 40 minutes, and to be honest it is rough to listen to. By rough, I mean plenty of tape hiss and a muddy sound, but I have recently come to the realization that I am a hardcore fan and will listen to anything with a beat, so with that in mind read on…..

15th May 1987(am) Quasimodo, Berlin

The first part of the show is missing from the recording, there is no Madhouse or the opening two songs from Prince, and instead, as it begins we catch the tail end of “Redhouse.” The guitar is sweet enough, but it isn’t setting the world aflame, this is the sound of it slowly winding down in the last minute of the song. The following words by Prince are completely lost in distortion before things pick up with the horn refrain that becomes Bodyheat. Now we’re talking, despite the recording, it sounds like a great show as the band locks into a riff that will cement the funk of “Bodyheat.” The horn riff is good, the solo that it plays even better as the recording briefly clears and the show begins to cook. Through the limitations of the recording I can hear something special as the band play the living daylights out of “Bodyheat,” there is no doubt that it would have been a monster to hear live. Did I say solo? I mean solos, as Eric Leeds plays freely over the top a couple of times, each time upping the ante as far as intensity and pure musicianship go. The keyboard heard near the end comes from another place entirely, and is the icing on top as the song finishes with some of the horns as heard in “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night.”

Led by a piano sound, “Just My Imagination” is different in this incarnation, and all the more soulful for it. With Eric Leeds giving it some extra life with his horn any other memories of the song are washed away as this version is heard in a completely different context. The spell is broken with Prince’s distorted vocals (it’s all the recording, not him) and although I can mentally fill it in and make it work, to be honest, it’s a tough listen at this point. A shame as I can hear a fantastic gig unfolding before me, I just can’t hear it in a listenable quality.

“Housequake” is much more agreeable to the ears, although compared to other recordings it is still rough. Prince’s vocals for the most part sound better, and the song is easily recognizable as Housequake. Eric adds his shine, but for most of the song it is the rhythm section that sounds the best -that is until his second solo, where I am forced to eat my words.

 

The final “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” is yet another chance to enjoy the funk of Prince and the awe-inspiring playing of Eric Leeds. Things improve sonically too, as the recording does become better midsong and the song can be heard in all its glory.  The moment right before Shelia E’s rap has me all in, as for a few moments the guitar sings out brightly in the darkness, so tight in its funk. The song becomes jam, and one of the better ones I’ve heard as it maintains its kinetic energy for the entire ten minutes. By the time the finishes I find I have forgotten and forgiven the recording limitations and I am enjoying purely the show.

Wow, that was shorter than I thought. It was also far better than I anticipated. There is no denying the recording was less than stellar, but the show itself was pure fire. Like everyone I trawl the internet looking for shows, and there seem to be the same shows circulating again and again among trading communities, leaving very poor recordings like this forgotten. I know that this type of recording appeals to a very small portion of the fan community, it is not an easy show to listen to. But part of the fun for me is listening to shows like this, with a faint hope in my heart that one day a better recording will surface of a show such as this. Final verdict:  Recording 3, Show  9.

  

Stockholm 8 May 1987

 

I have recently been enjoying the latest release from Eye records that covers a couple of well-known concerts of 1987 that have been circulating for some time. It did, however, make me think that I, like many others, only listen to a small selection of shows from the Sign O The Times era. Everyone listens to “For Those of U On Valium,” the Paris concert from June of that year, and a handful of aftershow concerts. I rarely hear of anyone talking about other concerts of this tour, perhaps because with several quality soundboard recordings circulating there is little need to dig further. This week I will plunge deeper (but not too deep) and take a listen to an audience recording from the first night of the tour. It promises little, and indeed delivers little, but as a diversion from the more well-known concerts, I welcome the change.

 

May 8th 1987, Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden

The setlist is standard as heard through the Sign O The Times tour, and the only surprise in the opening “Sign O The Times,” is the jaunty pace it comes at. It undoes the serious tone somewhat, but on this average recording there is no real depth anyway, and one doubts that even at a different pace it would sound any different on this tape. The burning fury of Prince’s guitar work also suffers from this lack of depth, the recording is just not good enough to catch the intensity of the flames that Prince is playing. As is the case of so many of these recordings, it is up to the listener to mentally fill the sound out from the memory of other concerts.

“Play In The Sunshine” also comes at a fast rate, leaving me to assume that the tape is running at the wrong speed. As a performance it is fun and colorful, as a bootleg it is average, touching on less than average as some extra sound bleeds through the right speaker. On the positive side, there is no distortion, the bane of my existence on so many of these recordings, and one can discern the music and nuances, even if it does sound two-dimensional.

 

I do like the cameo role that “Little Red Corvette” plays at these concerts, and here is no different as the concert is briefly bathed in a nostalgic glow while Prince nods to his back catalog, the song from only five years ago suddenly sounding alien among Prince’s more eclectic work. Prince pitches it just right, not dwelling on the moment, and quickly bring us to the present with a heady rush through “Housequake.”

This is one song on the recording that could do with added the depth, the distinctive beat, in this case, is flattened against the other music, everything is present as it should be, but crushed together there is little room for the song to properly breathe on the tape and again I mentally remix it in my mind as it plays.

The fanboy in me temporarily lets go of any thoughts on the quality of the recording as I wallow in, and indeed sing lustily along with, “Girls And Boys.” My singing is much louder than the recording, unfortunately, but it is a reminder of how much the listener is invested in the performance. It may be Prince singing on a thirty-year recording, but it draws from my well of inner youth, and as it plays the years fall away, and suddenly the recording sounds better on the back of my nostalgic recollections.

 

I am sure we could point to any number of recordings of “Slow Love” from this tour that sounds better than what is heard here, but it has a warmth throughout this track that I can’t help but fall for. I didn’t think I was in a romantic mood, but by the time this song finishes I certainly am, and I guess for a slow jam there is no higher recommendation. Next time I will have to make sure I listen to a better quality version.

When I first heard ” I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man,” on Sign O The Times, I took it as a light pop/rock song. In these live performances, Prince turns it into a whole lot more, injecting it with the sense of drama and pathos that the lyrics allude to. Bestowing it with a drawn-out introduction heightens the sense of anticipation and gives the feeling that what will follow will mean something more than we would otherwise expect. When the song is finally unfurled in all its glory Prince takes the lyrics and turns them into an onstage melodrama that the bootleg has no chance of ever truly capturing. One can hear it however in Prince’s pleading lyrics as he plays out both parts, both the object of affection and the spurned lover dismissed with the line “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man.” This all boils over in the final volcanic eruption of a guitar solo that unleashes all the frustrations, the sense of hope and despair, in a minute that rips the song in half. The breakdown and subsequent dark cries of Prince’s instrument hint at a Hendrix sound that Prince is so often lumbered with, and here he wallows in the sound, the stripped-back band leaving Prince alone out front of the recording in a moment where we can reflect on this one man's brilliance. Immensely enjoyable, it only fuels my desire to dig out a soundboard of this tour and truly wallow in its sound.

 

Pleasingly “Hot Thing” maintains this intensity, albeit in a more funky form. Prince’s vocals sit under the music due to the quality of the recording, but for me the highlight of the song is the final few minutes as the lyrics disappear, giving way to a flurry of saxophone and horns. Futuristic yet drawing from the past, this song sees Prince tying together several strands of his musical repertoire into a four-minute funk song, no mean feat.

 

The horns remain at the forefront of my mind, and the recording, as they spin out the opening of “Now’s The Time.” I am pleasantly surprised by the recording at this stage, it sounds better here than perhaps at any other moment of the concert, and Sheila E. gets plenty of shine for her rattle around the drum kit. It is a satisfying portion of the concert, without being too demanding, and the recording reflects this nicely.

Sad to say “If I Was Your Girlfriend” sounds nowhere near as good on this recording. It is distant and hollow sounding, the song never once given the chance to breathe as the recording suffocates it in its solid block sound. There is little more to say apart from the bitter disappointment of almost having to skip one of my favorite songs.

The punch of “Let’s Go Crazy” fares better, but not a lot. Its saving grace is the crackle and fizz of the guitar which stands starker against the blandness of the recording, giving the bootleg a sliver of light with the grey. Turning it up loudly helped, and no doubt my neighbors appreciated the gesture.

“When Doves Cry” is heavily truncated, but the minute of “La, La, La, He, He, Hee” tacked on the end is a rare treat on an otherwise basic show. Not everyone would enjoy hearing it in this quality, but it does give the bootleg an added point of interest and makes it worth listening to up to this point.

Before I know it, “Purple Rain” has come and gone, with little fanfare. There is a scant introduction to the song, the verses are heavily pruned back, and the final guitar break is kept tightly in the pocket. The fact it only runs for three minutes tells you everything you need to know, Prince isn’t interested in revisiting his most purple of eras, and he glosses over the moment as the concert continues to rumble on.

 

There is far more love for “1999” from Prince than the preceding song, and one can hear the crowd indulging in plenty of fun and chanting as they blitz through one of his earlier bona fide classics. It’s a romp, but not a great one, again the recording renders even the best moments average at best.

What follows is a great version of “Forever In My Life,” the simplicity of the song matching the shortcomings of the recording. Prince’s acoustic guitar work is mesmerizing as he delivers a sack full of rhythm from his six strings. Boni Boyer is in fine fettle, and although she doesn’t bring the house down as she does on other recordings, she does add a lot of soul to what could easily be a light moment of the show. The final minute is stolen by the crowd and as they sing the song briefly becomes theirs before Prince serves up a fast-paced “Kiss”

This is how “Kiss” should sound, fast, light, and funky. The band doesn’t overwork it, they throw it out there and let the natural funk of the song do its thing. You can sing to it, you can dance to it, what more do you want? Nobody is ever going to dig out this bootleg to hear “Kiss,” but it is on here and it sparkles while it plays, and I temporarily forget where I am.

There is a deceiving start to “The Cross,” but soon enough it settles into its familiar sound. It builds to its predictable climax, and a swirl of guitar punctuated by the pound of Sheila E. cutting through the sonic storm with her heavy rhythm. On another recording it would be magnificent, on this recording, it is stripped of its sonic power by the quality and limitations of the taper. It doesn’t matter to me, I am more than happy to let the sound of Prince and his guitar wash over me, but for the more discerning listener, it may all be a little two-dimensional.

 

It is a furious “Its Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” that closes out the recording, the band well and truly warmed up and on top of their game for this final knockout punch. There is energy abound, and the music comes at a gallop, never once letting up or giving the listener a chance to draw a breath. Sheila’s rap is indistinctive from the chaos and cacophony of sound on stage, but she is undeniable there as the music briefly swirls around her. “Six” raises its head from the music, bringing a brief smile to my face before it is steamrollered by the rest of the music and becomes little more than a footnote. I can think of no more fitting way to end these Sign O The Times concerts than with the sprawling wonder of “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” and although this bootleg isn’t one of the greats, there is no denying the quality of the music and performance.

A recording I shan’t be returning to, nevertheless, I did enjoy the energy and sheer fun generated by Prince and the band. Far from perfect, this recording does ignite an interest in other concerts circulating of the era and again demonstrates the power and beauty that this band can conjure. 1987 was a stellar year for Prince, and I find any recording from the year worthwhile in its own right. I could never recommend this recording to anyone, but it is another piece of the tapestry of 1987, and will firmly remain part of my collection.