- 1984 Jan 84
01-01-1984 : We Can Fuck (2) – Prev. Sunset Sound 31-12-83
02-01-1984 : Moral Majority (2) (w/ Roy Bennett) – Prev. Home Studio sum 82
Further work was done on the track on 1 and 2 January, 1984 at Sunset Sound, (during the same session as We Can Fuck (later
renamed We Can Funk), which was also labeled Moral Majority on the working order, as the track's title was not considered
suitable), creating a version by Apollonia 6.
04-01-1984 : The Bird (2) (6:24)
Prince and Morris Day did record a studio version of The Bird song also, however, three months after the live recording, on 4
January, 1984, but the decision was made to release the live version on the album instead, closing the album in a similar way to
Purple Rain, perhaps because of the inclusion of the song in the movie Purple Rain.
05-01-1984 : The Belle Of St Mark (1) – intended for Apollonia 6
Oliver’s House (1) – intended for Apollonia 6
The Belle Of St Mark and Oliver’s House (Jill Jones - background vocals (as "J.J."), David Coleman – cello) were originally
intended for Apollonia 6 until Prince began to work with Sheila E. in February.
The Belle Of St Mark
The Belle of St. Mark was a frail but a passionate creature
Ebony hair and eyes a deep blue-green
The Belle of St Mark wore clothes that belonged 2 his father
Even though he was only 17
CHORUS :
I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with the Belle of St. Mark
It tears me apart whenever I hear him cry
I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with the Belle of St. Mark
And if he doesn't love me I think I'll probably die
U can tell from expressions that he makes public
That he suffers from a badly broken heart
He smiles as he feeds the afternoon pigeons
But he cries as he walks the night streets of St. Mark
CHORUS
The Belle of St. Mark, he don't talk 2 strangers,
he's so mysterious
His erotic persuasion provokes me like no other man
The fire I have 4 him is undoubtedly serious
I need 2 make him see that he needs love 2 forget
And if anyone can help him, I can
I can help, I can help U
His Paris hair, it blows in the warm Parisian air
That blows whenever his Paris hair is there
The woman that hurt him surely must have trouble sleeping
Cuz the Belle of St. Mark is a beauty extraordinaire
Oh, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love
with the Belle of St. Mark
It tears me apart whenever I hear him cry
I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with the Belle of St. Mark
And if he doesn't love me I think I'll probably die
Ooh, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love
with the Belle of St. Mark
It tears me apart whenever I hear him cry
Ooh, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love
with the Belle of St. Mark
And if he doesn't love me I think I'll probably die
And if he doesn't love me I think I'll probably die
And if he don't... I'll die
Oliver’s House
I heard this afternoon from the neighborhood [slut, Deborah]
She said Oliver is leaving soon so he can make a scene
CHORUS :
We're gonna have fun, Oliver's house
Make a lot of white noise
Fun, Oliver's house
Play with the white boys
Last June, Oliver threw a party 4 his girl, Louise
She got drunk and called me a bitch just cuz I kissed him
CHORUS
Fun, Oliver's house {x2}
Oliver's got a swimming pool, a piano in his bathroom
We took turns throwing down, we took turns throwing up
Gonna have fun, Oliver's house
Make a lot of white noise
Fun, Oliver's house
Play with the white boys
Fun, Oliver's house
Make a lot of white noise
Fun, Oliver's house
Play with the white boys
U should see his mother's room,
she's got so many fine clothes
Oliver, he dressed me up and then he undressed me slowly
Oliver is so weird but he knows how 2 play guitar
I'm a sucker 4 a major chord, a ride in an open car
We're gonna have fun, Oliver's house
Fun, Oliver's house {x3}
We're gonna have fun
Fun {x27}
08-01-1984 : 17 Days (2) * - When Doves Cry B-side
17 Days was re-recorded on 8 January, 1984 at Sunset Sound with Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman providing some background
vocals.
09-01-1984 : Shortberry Strawcake (1) – intended for Apollonia 6
01-1984 : Sunset Sound – Ice Cream Castle mixing sessions
Chili Sauce (2) * - Prev. Sunset Sound 14-04-83 – Ice Cream Castle
If The Kid Can’t Make You Come (2) * - Prev. Sunset Sound 16-04-83 – Ice Cream Castle
Jungle Love (2) * - Jesse Johnson overdubs – Prev. Sunset Sound 26-03-83 – Ice Cream Castle
Purple Rain shooting (LA)
Bloom remembers : ‘I got a call from Bob Cavallo, and Bob said, “You’ve got to be out here by eleven o’clock tomorrow morning.
We’ve been in the editing room, we’ve done everything we could to turn it into a film, and it’s not a film. We’re screening it for
Warner Brothers tomorrow, and you have to be there.”’ Bloom got on a plane immediately, and his experience in the screening
room was very different. ‘This music pounded me in the fucking gut, and this film was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve
ever had in my life. From the time I was a kid what I’ve been seeking from art is something that would do something to you
utterly beyond your ability to articulate. And one of the reasons it hit at gut level was because the plot came through the music.’
In the conference room after the screening, Bloom says ‘it felt like we were at a funeral. The people in the room had faces that
telegraphed exactly how they felt about this film – it was a failure – and they were wondering how to tell that to Bob Cavallo. It
was not something they were going to bet their careers on. They were going to roll the film out at six theatres in Arizona. The
minute you hear that expression you know you’ve been buried alive. Then came my turn to speak, and I got up and told them, if
you do anything to kill this film, you will be killing a part of history. This is going to do for film what The Beatles did for popular
music in 1964, and they would sin in every conceivable way if they failed to recognize that .’ Bloom concedes this wasn’t the only
thing that saved Purple Rain and that Bob Cavallo also did an enormous amount to get the movie to a mass audience, but from this
meeting onwards there was a change in perception. ‘Instead of rolling out in six theatres we rolled out with a hundred theatres;
instead of doing a naked roll-out we did a roll-out in conjunction with MTV, which was as hot as anything. For MTV to do
something with a black artist was crossing a boundary, but they did it and it worked.’
??-?? : N°1
Princess for ten days
It’s not every day that a girl gets to meet a Prince, but on the eve of 1984 Direct Drive singer Ashe found his Royal Badness standing
bang in front of her in a trendy Beverly Hills night club. Thankfully nobody turned into a pumpkin and for the next ten days the two
were together. Now, over a glass of perrier, Ashe gives Paul ‘Scoop’ Simper the thrilling inside story...
When I met Prince I was wearing this really wild outfit that was lots of pieces of leather tied together. Because it was New Year’s Eve
I thought everyone would be really outrageous but they weren’t. But Prince stuck out as well. He was wearing a big gold box jacket.
When I saw him I tried not to look at him. I thought he was bound to notice me the way I was dressed cos he’s got a reputation for
liking really wild things. Then he came and stood in front of me like he was pretending to look for somebody else. I thought that I
was silly so I said hello and we went and sat down. People kept dragging him off for a chat but he was very polite, I didn’t ever see
him be rude to anyone. One think I noticed was that that evening and
most of the time I was with him he always wore gloves. I don’t know
whether he does that because he shakes hands so much but he’s got very
little hands. His hands are like a whole fingertip smaller than mine. He’s
weeny. After that he asked me to a party with him but I said no and went
home. I said I’d call him at the hotel he was living at then called Le Parc.
The next day he sent a silver limousine over for me with his friend Wally
– the black guy who was with him at the Music Awards. I went down to
the studio with him where he was recording a couple of tracks at the
time. One of them is on Sheila E’s LP called Oliver’s House (ah-ha !) and
the other was called Sex, which I don’t think has come out yet. Sheila E
gets all the credit for the words of Oliver’s House but she didn’t do the
words. But Prince is like that, I think he gets so much credit himself he
can afford to give credit to others. In fact there’s a line in Oliver’s House
that goes “Oliver likes to drive round in open-top convertibles” and
that’s me – I wrote that line. A couple of days later Prince asked me what
payment I wanted for that line and I said an ice-cream so he bought me
one. The shop was closed but they saw who it was so the people opened
up. That second night we went out for dinner then Prince went to do the
vocals for Sex. He asked me to leave then because he said he’d get really
embarrassed. I could see why when he played me the song. It was really
rude. A couple of days later Prince rang up and asked if I wanted to go
and see Terms Of Endearment in the afternoon. That was really weird
because he wouldn’t come to where I was. He’s always send a chauffeur
to come and get me then we’d get him. For the film Chick Huntsberry
came with us. He sat about six seats away in the same row. He was quite
nice. He was with Prince all the time and he was at Sunset Sound – the
studio he often records at. Chick just sits around watching old movies
like Return Of The Magnificent Seven. Prince whore baggy cream
trousers to the pictures and his little high-heeled boots. His trousers are
so baggy that the boots tuck in underneath them. And he had a long cream coloured coat on. That’s the sort of thing he wears all the
time. I wasn’t sure whether to wear high shoes or flat shoes to the pictures because I’m about two inches taller than him (which
makes him about five three). In the end I decided to wear high shoes. I thought he’d probably be used to girls being taller. We both
enjoyed the film and he nearly cried at the end. I did ! Prince isn’t aware of anything that’s going on around him. He told me he
hasn’t got many friends and I said “I’m not surprised – you’re in this blooming studio all the time !” He kind of cuts himself off.
He’s a real studio-monkey. I know a couple of musicians who you can never ever get at home ‘cos they’re always in the studio
fiddling around and he’s like that. He is quite a perfectionist. He will go over and over and over something. He improvises quite lot
in the studio which is a good thing unless you’re not taping it. Sometimes he’d forget what he’d just played. Because he spends so
much time in the studio he likes to feed off other people for inspiration and ideas. He used to just sit there listening to me. There’s
nothing really outside of his stage act that is ostentatious except his appearance. He’s really quiet, keeps himself to himself. One day
in the LA Times there was this story by Jesse Jackson (sic), who used to be in The Time, saying that he and Prince tied a girl to the
ceiling with electrical tape. Really bizarre things. I rang Prince up and asked him about it and he said “Look, this guy used to be in
my band, we fell out and he had to leave so he’s just saying these things.” Prince is quite athletic. He plays a lot of basketball in the
court of the studio. There’s a net there and a little courtyard. He’s very good at that . I didn’t see him do any weight-lifting or
anything. On my last night we went to a place called Magic castle. By the castle there’s a little Chinese garden and we went for a
walk in it while Chick stood on the hill watching over us. Prince showed me some ice-cream of mine that’s gone on his jacket. “If
you come back for your birthday in March it’ll still be here,” he said. But I never went back. It was awful. I didn’t go because I
thought he wouldn’t remember. It’s always nice to meet people like Prince. But it’s knowing how to treat them. They’re not there to
be a spectacle or to be taken advantage of. Maybe one day we’ll work together...
11-01-1984 : Sunset Sound - Ice Cream Castle sessions
My Drawers * - Ice Cream Castle
My Drawers was written by Prince under the pseudonym Jamie Starr, but was
credited on the album to Morris Day. It was co-produced by Morris Day and Prince
under the name The Starr Company.
When it came to record The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle, Prince's control
was less firm than on previous albums with the group. This time, group members
actually played on the record, and Morris Day and Jesse Johnson had a part in
writing several songs. However, there were dissensions in the studio, and guitarist
Jesse Johnson, who was strongly involved in the project, was disappointed in
Prince's strong control over the group, ”He only let me write and produce on the last
Time album because he knew I was quitting, and when I quit anyway he took my
production credit off. I wrote, played and produced stuff like “Jungle Love.”” In April
of 1984, after the album was completed, Morris Day left Minneapolis to settle down
in Santa Monica, California. This was the beginning of the end for The Time. Jesse
Johnson had already decided to leave the group and Morris was more interested in
pursuing a solo career. Their departures weren't announced officially until after the
premiere of Purple Rain.
My Drawers
Baby, when we go out, I got clout
Cuz I'm your number one body rocker
Fellas ? (Yeah ?) She'll make U scream, your insides shout
But let me tell U what it's all about
CHORUS:
She's mine, all mine
I'm her number one body rocker all of the time
She's mine, all mine
U better find a brand new bag cuz these is my drawers
Slap me !
My drawers
Baby, mmm
Baby, I'm so ashamed cuz I'm all aflame
I mean U've got my body hot
Fellas ? (Yeah ?) She's so fast, U'd never last
U couldn't deal with the funk she's got
CHORUS
Oh baby, this is your number one
Yes, I know U're young
But we could have so much fun
Jesse, if U could play guitar
I'll warm up the car
And me and this girl can see the sun rise
Hey, hey, hey, hey! Whose drawers? (Your drawers) {x2}
U're mine, all mine
I'm your number one body rocker all of the time
Whose drawers ? (Your drawers) {x4}
(Whose drawers ?) My drawers, huh
Whose drawers ? (Your drawers)
She's mine, all mine
I'm her number one body rocker all of the time
Whose drawers? (Your drawers)
She's mine (she's mine), all mine (all mine)
U better find a brand new bag cuz these is my drawers
Take it home
Hey, hey, hey, hey !
13-01-1984 : Ice Cream Castles *- Ice Cream Castle
The song's title is a phrase used in Joni Mitchell's song Both Sides, Now (from Clouds, 1969, and also released as a single,
although the song was first released by Judy Collins in 1968). While reflecting about the song's history on Facebook in 2014, Jesse
Johnson stated, "Morris & I recorded a song named "Old & Ignorant" [sic] in Mpls. The next day M & I fly out to meet P. In LA, at
Sunset Sound he dug it and the track was rerecorded, rewritten, and became "Ice Cream Castles" ! ... (Prince kept telling me "It's
so cool how you played the bass on the AND instead of the 1" great compliment even though at that time I didn't know what he was
talking about...yeah of course I do now !)"
Ice Cream Castles
We are young, we are free
On earth together
Let’s fall in love.
U are fine, u are white
I am of color
Let’s fall in love
Ice cream castles
In the summertime
Ice cream castles
In the summer.
I want u, u want me
We want each other
Is that so wrong ?
It’s raining. Mad sisters
Why can’t they realize
That it won’t be long.
We’re all ice cream castles
In the summertime
Ice cream castles
In the summer.
We are young, we are free
Let’s come together
Before the end.
I am blue, u are too
What could be better
Let’s make friends.
We’re all ice cream castles
In the summertime
Ice cream castles
In the summertime.
We’re all ice cream castles
In the summer
Ice cream castles
In the fall
Ice cream castles
In the summertime
Summertime
Summertime
Summertime.
Is that what ya need ?
White girls
Black girls
Ornamentals.
Ice cream castles
In the summertime.
We’re all ice cream castles
In the summer
Ice cream castles
In the fall
Ice cream castles
In the summertime
Summertime
We are young, we are free
Let’s come together.
Let’s do somethin’
Let’s do somethin’ soon.
Let’s do somethin’
Let’s do somethin’ soon.
??-??-?? : Chocolate (2) (5:39) – Prev. Sunset Sound 17-04-83 - Pandemonium
19-01-1984 : Some Kind Of Lover * - Apollonia 6
Some Kind Of Lover was written by Prince and Brenda Bennett, but credited only to Brenda Bennett.
Some Kind Of Lover
Baby, I need U so bad
Best damn love I've ever had
U are the sunshine that lights up my day
In the night time, U're the only way
U're some kind of lover and U're mine, all mine
U're some (kind of lover)
Ooh, oh baby, U're some (kind of lover)
Ooh, honey, U're some (kind of lover)
More bottle of some (kind of lover)
Lover
When I say I love U
Just can't believe that it's true
Ain't no denying what I'm tryin' 2 say
Oh, U're oh so good in every way
U're some kind of lover and U're mine, all mine
U're some (kind of lover)
Oh baby, U're some (kind of lover)
Baby, don't let go, I don't wanna be free
Come on baby, come with me
Boy, U got me hooked and I'm willingly tied
I wanna make it so satisfying
U're some kind of lover and U're mine, all mine
U're some (kind of lover)
Ooh, oh baby, U're some (kind of lover)
Oh yeah, oh honey, U're some (kind of lover)
Oh baby, U're some (kind of lover)
Lover
Oh yeah (kind of lover)
Ooh, oh yeah (kind of lover)
Oh honey, U're some (kind of lover)
Oh baby, U're some (kind of lover)
Lover
(Kind of lover) {repeat in BG}
Remember that time on the beach
Oh, I'll never forget it
It was the first time
What do U say ? U wanna go again ?
Oh, come on honey
Oooh, oh, mmm, yeah
Faster, faster, faster, faster, oh faster, faster, ahh !
I'm embarrassed
20-01-1984 : A Million Miles (I Love U) (1) (2:06, Inc)
A Million Miles (I Love U) (2) * - Apollonia 6 overdubs – Apollonia 6
Recorded live by Prince with Sheila E, Wendy & Lisa
Where's the dawn ?
Darkness is death
Don't die, live 4ever
Say U love him
How could I demonstrate the way U make me feel ?
If I walked through fire, would U say my love was real ?
U got me crazy, I'd do most anything
If U got in trouble, I'd sell my diamond ring
That's how much I love U, baby, a million miles
CHORUS {x2}
(Somebody, somebody clap your hands) {x4}
Somebody, somebody
A million miles
A million miles
A Million Miles (I Love U)
How could I illustrate my love 4 U ?
What would U do if U were in my shoes ?
Would U climb the highest mountain ?
Would U sail across the sea ?
If I were a million miles away, would U visit me ?
How could I illustrate how much I really care ?
How could U do if U were here, my dear, and I was there ?
Would U eat a poison apple ?
Would U be burned at the stake ?
If I were a million miles away, would U visit me ?
CHORUS :
I love U a million miles, I love U
I love U a million miles, I love U
If U love me, would U eat a poison apple ?
How much would U take ?
And would U be burned at the stake ?
22-01-1983 : Sugar Walls (2) * - Sheena Easton overdubs
- Prev. Sunset Sound 09-83 - No Sound But A Heart:
An 1996 interview with Sheena Easton suggests her vocals were recorded on Super Bowl Sunday, which would place it as 22
January, 1984, but this is unconfirmed. In a 2012 interview, Sheena Easton explained how the collaboration occurred. Both Prince
and Easton were working with the same engineer, David Leonard at the time. Leonard told her : "'Prince sent over a track for you.
We saw you on The Tonight Show the night before and Prince said 'Ya, I gotta write something for that girl.' And so he sent over
Sugar Walls, and it was one of those things where it was like, 'Here it is. If you want to do it, here's my number." Sheena Easton
adds : "Then when we worked in the studio, we got along really well. We cracked each other up, we made each other laugh."
The track will later be remixed by Greg Mathieson and Rusty Garner (David Leonard - remix engineer) for the single release.
Sugar Walls (Dance Mix) * (7:01) – Sugar Walls single
Sugar Walls (Red Mix) * (5:26) – Sugar Walls single
Alongside the projects he’s self-generated – the models, wannabe actresses or
make-up girls pushed into the spotlight – Prince has always kept a keen eye on
British (almost exclusively female) talent. The list of British women he has
either spent time with in the UK or invited to his studios includes everyone from
Lisa Stansfield to Spice Girl Mel B, Beverley Knight to the late Amy Winehouse.
Now, no mooted collaboration would raise eyebrows, but in 1984 his work with
Scottish starlet Sheena Easton startled some. Before Michael Hutchence boasted
of corrupting Kylie, or the alumni of The Mickey Mouse Club (Britney / Justin /
Christina) grew up and started taking an interest in adult pleasures, Prince set
the template for the squeaky-clean-to-sex-machine transformation. Maybe
driven by a sense of deliberate pop provocation, or perhaps merely wanting to
see how far she would go, he wrote Easton – whose interest in and admiration
for Prince had been relayed to him via an engineer who’d worked with both – a
song (‘Sugar Walls’) so dirty it charted at number two on the Parental Music
Resource Center’s Filthy Fifteen.
24-01-1984 : Schlager (D)
27-01-1984 : Take Me With U (1) (4:51) – Apollonia 6 #1
The track was initially intended to be credited to Apollonia 6 and it was included as the first track on a 29 February, 1984
configuration of the Apollonia 6 album, before being added to the final configuration of Purple Rain, compiled on 14 April, 1984 (its
inclusion made it necessary for Let's Go Crazy and Computer Blue to be shortened). The recording used on both albums was the
same (although edited for time restrictions on Purple Rain), and was always intended as a duet between Prince and Apollonia.
Prince’s duet with Apollonia, "Take Me With U,” was planned as the album’s lead-off single, and with "Manic Monday” and "Sex
Shooter” as two other strong pop tunes and potential hits, the album was shaping up to become one of Prince’s most commercial,
pop-oriented side projects thus far. A month later, however, Prince changed his mind and reclaimed "Take Me With U” to use it on
his Purple Rain album instead. It was the last track added to Purple Rain, and "Computer Blue,” which had already been shortened
a number of times, had to be edited one last time to accommodate for the song. Towards the end of the Sunset Sound sessions,
Prince recorded "Blue Limousine” for Apollonia 6 as a replacement for "Take Me With U.” To make room for the song on the album,
the original long version of "Computer Blue" was edited down to four minutes. Thus, the final configuration of the album differed
from the test pressing made in November 1983 in that "Wednesday," "Father’s Song" and some eight minutes of "Computer Blue"
had been dropped in favour of "When Doves Cry" and “Take Me With U."
Take Me With U
I can't disguise the pounding of my heart
It beats so strong
It's in your eyes what can I say
They turn me on
I don't care where we go
I don't care what we do
I don't care pretty baby
Just take me with u
Come on and touch the place in me
That's calling out your name
We want each other oh so much
Why must we play this game?
Don't care where we go
I don't care what we do
I don't care pretty baby
Just take me with u
I don't care if we spend the night at your mansion
I don't care if we spend the night on the town
All I want is 2 spend the night together
All I want is 2 spend the night in your arms
To be around u is so-oh right
You're sheer perfection (thank u)
Drive me crazy, drive me all night
Just don't break up the connection
I don't care where we go
I don't care what we do
I don't care pretty baby
Just take me with u
I don't care where we go
I don't care what we do
I don't care pretty baby
Just take me with u
Just take me with u
Oh won't u take me with u
Honey take me with u
??-01-1984 : Rock & Soul
Prince has found a co-star for his 86 million movie, Purple Rain. At presstime, her name was going to be Apollonia, a fair-skinned
beauty that some say rivals Vanity’s good looks. There are rumors that Prince and his new leading lady are – ahem – more than
friends off the set as well. But hold onto your hearts, this is the big scoop – Prince and Apollonia have shot a sex scene ! Will the
film get an R or X rating ? Prince and Morris Day play themselves in the film, although their persona have been exaggerated. While
Prince plays a very serious character, Morris true to life plays the leader of the hottest band in Minneapolis, The Time, and the man
who virtually owns the town. Morris refers to all women as bitches, and it seems every woman who crosses his path swoons for him.
Here’s where the real life mystery begins. Apollonia plays the leader of a girl group, and the other girls are Brenda and Susan of
Vanity 6. And where is Vanity ? We don’t know. She’s not in the movie, and as far as we know, she’s no longer closely tied with
Prince. Their management would not arrange an interview for us with Vanity 6. We don’t need a private eye to tell us this could
mean the breakup or re-make-up of Vanity 6. Meanwhile, Prince steadfastly refuses to talk to the press. The music press is already
accustomed to this, but we wonder how the film press will accept this. Artists who don’t support their film endeavors with
interviews are usually the ones who dissociate themselves with the project, like when Tim Curry wouldn’t promote Times Square. If
Prince doesn’t change his attitude toward the press, the film industry may ignore his film in favor of other films where the stars do
go out and publicize their work to the media. We will notify our reads of any progress in the next issue of Rock & Soul !
Feb 84
01-02-1984 : Tricky * - Ice Cream Castles single
The bass and drum parts were largely taken (possibly re-recorded) from Cloreen Baconskin, which was recorded in 1983 but
released in 1998. This song is believed to have been written about George Clinton, with whom Prince would work starting in 1988.
Tricky
1234
Why U big, tossed-salad, hairdo-havin'
Long, tall, snaggly gold-toothed
Funkin' habit-formed, leather-wearin'
Beanpole-lookin', black...
Shit ! Oh !
Somebody bring me a piece of chicken, oh !
What... what Tricky say ?
What Tricky say ? Yakety-yak ?
Yakety-yak, my ass, motherfucker..., uh !
Oh, gimme some horns, uh !
U can't fuck with that, look out !
We ain't gonna put no more instruments on this
We ain't got time
We don't have ti.. what time is it ?
It's time 4 U 2.. it's time 4 U 2 retire, U're old
But wait, wait, wait !
Why U, and U, U
U old, Michelin Man, fat, black... uh !
Break now... yes !
When I look in the mirror
And I see your ugly face
I just wanna run...
In front of...
Wait, gimme some horns !
Now U go... U, U... wait, wait, wait
Let me... wait... U, U, U're just old
That's all I know, U're just old and U're fat
U know it 2, don't U ?
U know it, U're just fat and old
Hit me !
Uh ! Yes ! Yes !
That's right, yes !
Johnny, Johnny ! {"Tonight Show" theme}
Don't U wish U could get on TV ?
On the 1 !
My man say "Johnny, Johnny !" Oh !
02-02-1984 : Rolling Stone
Prince Wraps His First Film
Prince's feature film, Purple Rain, has finished shooting in Minneapolis, and director Al Magnoli is currently readying it for a
springtime release. While Prince has sought to keep things under wraps, we can tell you that the film's plot revolves around a love
triangle, with Prince and Morris Day of The Time vying for the affections of one Apollonia, played by nineteen-year-old Patty
Kotero. Kotero, who officially changed her name to Apollonia, is a replacement for the luscious Vanity, who left the production
before filming began and is said to be under consideration for the part of Mary Magdalene in Martin Scorsese's The Last
Temptation of Christ. Other news from the set is that Prince's stand-in, Byron Hechter, was sacked after he told a local weekly that
Kotero "can't act to save her life." And some who've seen the dailies say that while Prince acquits himself well, Day and his valetsidekick Jerome Johnson (sic) yank the movie out from under the pint-size potentate.
04-02-1984 : Manic Monday (1) (2:52) – Apollonia 6 #1
Manic Monday
6 o'clock already, I was just in the middle of a dream
I was kissing Valentino by a crystal blue Italian stream
But I can't be late cuz then I guess I just won't get paid
These are the days when U wish your bed was already made
CHORUS:
It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
Cuz that's my fun day
My "I don't have 2 run" day
It's just another manic Monday
Have 2 catch an early train, got 2 be 2 work by 9
If I had an airplane, I still couldn't make it on time
Cuz it takes me so long just 2 figure out what I'm gonna wear
Blame it on the train, but the boss is already there
CHORUS
All of the nights, why did my lover have 2 pick last night
2 get down ?
(Last night we got down)
Doesn't it matter that I have 2 feed the both of us?
Employment's down
But when he tells me in his bedroom voice
"Come on, honey, let's go make some noise," what he says
Time, it goes so fast (when U're having fun)
It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
Cuz that's my fun day
It's just another manic Monday
05-02-1984 : Ooh She She Wa Wa * - Apollonia 6
Ooh She She Wa Wa
I got a shape like a bottle of co-co-coca-cola
I got a built-in attitude like U've never seen
I dance with the beat of the clock
Come on baby, let's rock
CHORUS:
Ooo she she wa wa
I'm the one that U... oooh, I'm the one that U... oooh
I'm the one that I U want
Meow
I get a fever when U touch my lingerie in public
Take my temperature 2 your place while I'm still hot
I gotta be home by 10
But I'll be your bestest friend
CHORUS
I'm the one that I U want
Hear me now... oooh
Dance with the beat of the clock
Everybody, let's rock
CHORUS
I'm the one that I U want
Slower
My name is Susan (Yeah)
And I'm Aquarius (Yeah)
I'll make U happy (Yeah)
If U give me candy
It ain't funny (No)
I'm sweet as honey (Yeah)
And I'm guaranteed, guaranteed 2 please
My name is Susan (Yeah)
And I'm a-oozin' (Yeah)
With desire, desire 4 U
Just come and take me (Yeah)
I'm all yours (Yeah)
If U're a gentleman, we'll make out
It's alright (Yeah)
It's alright (Yeah)
I said it's alright (Yeah) (Yeah)
It's alright (Yeah)
My name is Susan
It's alright
07-02-1984 : God (Love Theme From Purple Rain) * - Purple Rain maxi-single B-side
Early 1984 : ♫ Unknown Soundcheck
(0:39)
(A : White Girls Jam – 10/10)
White Girls (Incl. Ice Cream Castles / Erotic City
Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey) / Purple Rain
This particular rehearsal, known as the "White Girls Jam", has been in circulation for
a long time, but never in this complete version, and once again it is a wonderful
soundboard recording. Although an exact date of this recording is not known, it is
placed sometime in early 1984. The recording starts in on a loose funk jam that
carries on for just over 27 minutes. Prince shouts "White Girls !" at numerous spots
throughout, hence the name it has been given amongst collectors. The jam is loosely
based on what would become the song "Ice Cream Castles" that was given to The
Time, and Prince sings a few lines from that song during the rehearsal as well. A few
phrases from "Erotic City" are also thrown in at times. The most interesting part of
the "White Girls" jam comes just after the eight minute mark when Prince starts a
guitar solo and goes into Sly And The Family Stone's "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey"
for awhile. The guitar work is the key here, it's always great to hear Prince go off on an
extended guitar jam. The session hits its funkiest mark in the final seven minutes. It is
not the most exciting rehearsal to have seen the light of day. There is not much vocal
interaction between Prince and the band and it does tend to get repetitive. But these
rehearsal tapes are always fascinating to listen to, just to get a peak behind the
creative process, especially when it comes to a genius like Prince. The second track on
the disc is entitled "Learning Purple Rain". It's a near 12 minute look at Prince
teaching The Revolution the future classic. Sadly, a good portion of this recording involves Prince talking to band members off mic,
so it is very hard to hear what is being said. The song picks up at the five minute mark as they are working on the instrumental
section of the song right after Prince's soon to be legendary guitar solo. Prince cuts this off after a few minutes though to go over
more with the band, so there truly is not a lot of music on this recording. The instruction and conversation present on a lot of these
rehearsals is often as entertaining as the music, but there is not a lot of juicy stuff here. Whereas other tapes capture Prince bitching
out a band member, or revealing a sense of humor too often not shown publicly, about the best bit here is when he takes a little shot
at former bassist, and childhood friend, Andre Cymone. He says to the band, "When in doubt, don't play, that's safer than playing !
Some reason, that don't bother me. If you're just playing by yourself, it reminds me of Andre." Basically instructing them, don't
improvise if you're not sure of your part. Rehearsal tapes are rarely something I will listen to more than once, but that first listen is
always fascinating to me. Whether jamming or teaching a new song, it does provide a glimpse we weren't supposed to have into the
history of favorite musicians and bands. There are an overwhelming amount of rehearsal tapes from Prince's career as he tended to
record everything. We're lucky that so much of this is now out there in pristine soundboard quality as it is insight the heavily
produced studio albums just can't give you into the creation of our favorite music. Essential for the diehard fan and collector of
Prince.
13-02-1984 : Noon Rendez-Vous (1) – Intended for Apollonia 6
Noon Rendez-Vous
I've been wondering what 2 wear
I love our noon rendezvous
I know U tell me U missed me
And I want 2 make love 2 U
Your words, they intoxicate me
I shiver each time that U speak
How much more can I endure, my love ?
The sound of your voice makes me weak
If my bodily functions operate
This way when U just call my name
I'd hate 2 see when we are finally
Playing that nasty love game
Your words, they intoxicate me
I shiver each time that U speak
How much more can I endure, my love ?
The sound of your voice makes me weak
The words are all over your face, my love
What shall U or shall I do ?
U could show me some new tricks, my love
I'd love 2 be taught by U
I've been wondering what 2 wear
I love our noon rendezvous
18-02-1984 : Another Lonely Christmas * - I Would Die 4 U maxi-single B-side
Another non-album song turned up as the B-side, "Another Lonely Christmas," which also was recorded shortly before the tour
start, most likely with some members of The Revolution or the whole group. However, compared to outstanding and original Bsides such as "Erotic City" or "17 Days," the song is lacklustre and of little interest musically, less focused than most of the Purple
Rain material, it is spoilt by too much echo on Prince's vocals and cluttered instrumental backing. It simply sounds undisciplined,
giving the impression of being hastily recorded without any post-production work done. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the
fairly conventional song is that it starts with the chorus, instead of the verses as is common. With its relatively slow pace and echo
on Prince's vocals, the song has a nostalgic feel to it. Prince talks to his girlfriend, and he builds the story by telling us in the third
and fourth verses that they are no longer together, but it is not until verse five that we learn that she died on the 25th of December.
Among the more touching images is when Prince mentions to his lover how he saw her younger sister skating by the lake, and that
she has grown so much in the years since his lover's death. The most tender image is how Prince reminds her that she had
promised to never leave him, a promise broken by her death. Interestingly, the theme of the song, about someone dying in the
prime of life, presaged Prince’s second movie, Under The Cherry Moon, possibly indicating that Prince had begun to formulate
ideas for the film.
Another Lonely Christmas
Last night I spent another lonely Christmas
Darling, darling, U should've been there
Cuz all the ones I dream about
U are the one that makes my love shout
U see, U are the only one I care 4
Remember the time we swam naked in your father's pool
Boy, he was upset that night
But boy, was that ever cool
Remember that night we played poker 4 money
And U robbed me blind
Remember how U used 2 scream so loud cuz U...
U hated that number 9
Hey, I saw your sister skatin’ on the lake this afternoon
Good heaven, how she's grown
She swoons the boy skaters cuz she's so tall
But of all your father's children
All your father's children, baby
U know U are the finest of them all
U are brighter than the northern star and I...
Last night I spent another lonely Christmas
Darling, darling, U, U should've been there
Cuz U see, of all the ones I dream about
U are the one that makes my love shout
U see, U are the only one I care 4, listen
Do U still like banana daiquiris ?
Boy, we used 2 get so tight
Ooh, U used 2 get so horny
U made me leave the lights on
I’d pay money just 2 see your laughin’ dancin’ silhouette
upon the pier
Sometimes I think I hear U smiling
Sometimes I think U’re here
I find myself holdin’ every pillow in the bed
U and I used 2 share
19-02-1984 : Pop Life (1) – Around The World In A Day
The recording session lasted until around 6:15 am the following
morning, 20 February, 1984. (drums : Sheila E) The lyrics of “Pop
Life” refer to cocaine abuse and Prince wrote the song after seeing
some of his friends, including Morris Day and Vanity, fall victim to
the drug.
Pop Life
What's the matter with your life
Is the poverty bringing U down ?
Is the mailman jerking U 'round ?
Did he put your million dollar check
In someone else's box ?
Tell me, what's the matter with your world
Was it a boy when U wanted a girl ? (Boy when u wanted a girl)
Don't U know straight hair ain't got no curl (No curl)
Life it ain't real funky
Unless it's got that pop
Dig it
Pop life
Everybody needs a thrill
Pop life
We all got a space 2 fill
Pop life
Everybody can't be on top
But life it ain't real funky
Unless it's got that pop
Dig it
Tell me, what's that underneath your hair ?
Is there anybody living there ? (Anybody living there)
U can't get over, if U say U just don't care (Don't care)
Show me a boy who stays in school
And I'll show U a boy aware !
Dig it
Pop life
Everybody needs a thrill
Pop life
Last night I spent another lonely Christmas
Darling, U should be, U should be there
Cuz U see, last night I spent another lonely Christmas
Darling, darling, U, U should've been there
Cuz U see, of all the ones I dream about
U are the one that makes my love shout
U see, U are the only one I care 4, yeah
My mama used 2 say always trust your lover
But now I guess that only applies 2 her
Cuz baby, U promised me
Baby, U promised me U'd never leave
Then U died on the 25th day of December
Oh baby, last night, oh, I spent another lonely, lonely
Christmas
Darling, baby, U, U should've been there
Cuz all the ones I dream about
U are the one that makes my love shout
U see, U are the only one I care 4, yeah
Your father said it was pneumonia
Your mother said it was stress
But the doctor said U were dead and I...
I say it’s senseless
Every Christmas night 4 7 years now
I drink banana daiquiris till I'm blind
As long as I can hear U smiling, baby
U won't hear my tears
Another lonely Christmas is mine, yeah, mine, yeah
Another lonely Christmas is mine
Last night, yeah, I spent another lonely, lonely Christmas
Darling, darling, U should've been there, yeah
Cuz all the ones I dream about
U are the one that make my love shout
U see, U are the only one I care 4
Another lonely...
We all got a space 2 fill
Pop life
Everybody can't be on top
But life it ain't real funky
Unless it's got that pop Dig it
What U putting in your nose ?
Is that where all your money goes
The river of addiction flows
U think it's hot, but there won't be no water
When the fire blows
Dig it
Pop life
Everybody needs a thrill
Pop life
We all got a space 2 fill
Pop life
Everybody wants to be on top
But life it ain't real funky
Unless it's got that pop
Dig it
Pop life
Everybody needs a thrill
Pop life
We all got a space 2 fill
Pop life
Everybody can't be on top
But life it ain't real funky
Unless it's got that pop
Dig it
20-02-1984 : Pop Life (2) – Band overdubs – Around The World In A Day
Band overdubs were added later the same day.
‘Pop Life’ pulled away from the possibility of peace and love. It’s a song that’s continued to rub people up the wrong way – the
music writer Garry Mulholland wrote recently that the track ‘essentially tells the listener to shut up about not being as rich as the
singer, and stop whingeing, and put up with your essentially shitty life’ – and is one that also marks out Around The World In A
Day as a disguised version of the post-super-success album that often follows when an artist reaches the top and looks back down.
27-02-1984 : Love And Sex
Traffic Jam (4:25)
Love And Sex is a fast number with percussive drum machine beat & almost shouted vocal. Engineer Peggy McCreary noted that
Prince wanted a DX-7 Yamaha synth for the song (an already-outdated instrument), which she had to buy for use in the song; he
used the DX-7 for many later recordings. It is unknown if this song was intended for any project at the time. Traffic Jam's ascending
synth-string ending is almost identical to that of When Doves Cry, recorded only three days later.
29-02-1984 : Apollonia 6 1st configuration
A) Take Me With U (4:56)*
Sex Shooter (7:00)
Manic Monday (2:52)*
B) A Million Miles (I Love You) (5:50) (Lisa Coleman)
Ooo She She Wa Wa (4:13)
Some Kind Of Lover (4:46) (Brenda Bennett)
In A Spanish Villa (2:22)
By this time, in late February 1984, Prince had decided to withhold some of the songs he had initially intended for the group,
instead planning them for an album with Sheila E. He also decided to keep "17 Days” for a single B-side ("When Doves Cry”). "The
Glamorous Life” was written by Prince about Apollonia. "He used to make all these stupid jokes, ‘You’re the kind of chick who
would wear a mink coat in the summertime’ To this day I don’t have my own mink coat ! When Sheila came into the scene, Prince
took away the song from us and gave it to her. At that point it was like, ‘Man, this is just not fair.’ Since I was a newcomer, I kinda
bit my tongue, but Susan and Brenda really let him have it.”
Rock & Soul
Prince : "I was a lonely kid"
The kid who turned to music and x-rated novels
By Mayra Febles
"There's no reason why I have to let people find out everything about me,"
Prince announces firmly. "Talking about myself to strangers makes me
uncomfortable." The media is often puzzled by Prince's refusal to do interviews.
While a strong hunch has it that Prince is trying to prevent "media overkill"
where a popular artist becomes so visible that the public gets bored. It could
very well be that the 21-year-old superstar simply wants to be left alone. "I'm
really shy when I meet someone for the first time," he says. "Just because I'm in
the show business doesn't mean I have to be outgoing, I don't like to do a lot of
talking. I like to listen. People are interesting, I like to find out about them as
much as I can." The few people who are close to the Minneapolis-born
entertainer say he's sincere, intense and gentle. They say the main thing in his
life is music : he'd rather be writing, performing or working in the studio than
anything. Prince says he inherited his musical prowess from his father, a jazz
band leader. His father, ironically, was also the main reason Prince devoted so
much time to music : it was a way to combat loneliness after his dad left home.
Prince was seven years old at the time. Prince was pushed from family member
to family member. "I didn't like that," he confesses. "I was bitter for a while."
Prince kept to himself. When other kids were spending time with their friends,
Prince was spending time playing and learning more about music. "In those days, music was my best friends," he says. "Music was
even more important than people." Prince put all that accumulated knowledge to work when he began recording. His albums, For
You, Prince, Dirty Mind and Controversy show his music from start to finish, with virtually all the instruments and production
handled by him alone. While the musicianship and production he turned in was top grade, the outrageous and shocking subject
matter of his highly controversial songs stole all the attention, Prince claims the X-rated novels he read as a teenager were source of
inspiration. Most of the themes were too explicit for radio. This has led many of his fans to wonder exactly what Prince's sexual
inclinations are in real life. Rumors are flying and some are unbelievable. The truth is that no one knows anything definite about
Prince's sex life. One thing's for sure. You'll never get the lowdown from Prince himself. He's not talking.
The Time - clocking in hits
Making "cool" a way of life
By Ashiki Taylor
Though the music business is often a do or die industry, a new group called The Time have managed to keep their "cool" with a selftitled debut album that has established them as a musical force to be reckoned with. Not only is Cool a successful follow-up single to
the hit Get It Up, but the term is a way of life for the six-member band, who hail from Minneapolis. "It's all about self-respect and
being able to respect yourself enough to take pride in who you are, the way you dress and groom, and the way you walk and
talk," says lead singer and founder, Morris Day, who along with guitarist Jesse Johnson, drummer Jellybean Johnson, keyboardists
Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir and bassist Terry Lewis makè up The Time. The self-respect Day speaks of is evident in the way he and
the band carry themselves. Day himself looks like a cross between Elvis Presley and Little Richard, and the slender 5'9" man with
bedroom eyes and pencil moustache is soft-spoken, yet very confident. That aura is transmitted on vinyl as well as on stage, and
many times while touring, admiring fans get out of hand. During a Detroit performance, Day was almost pulled off stage by young
girls caught up in his spell. Another time, during a radio interview, the station was surrounded by female fans and Day had to be
helped to his car by protective station personnel. Through it all, Day has remained aloof, barely acknowledging that he perpetrates
such erratic behavior. "I've never even thought about being sexy," he laughs, confirming that the image is only part of the funkplus-attitude formula that has made the group stand out since its formation years ago in Minneapolis. While Day was playing in
high school bands, he developed the concept of "cool" as a basic attitude that could be transferred through music to listeners
looking for a little self-pride. When he joined up with the present band members, they rehearsed and started playing at a local youth
club, building a reputation strong enough to draw fellow Minneapolis native Prince to the club. Prince introduced them to his
manager and the rest is funky vinyl history. "My main goal is to be rich; that's a life-long thing with me," Day says. "If the hits keep
on coming that goal will definitely be accomplished." And the hits do keep coming : With The Time's latest single, The Stick,
garnering success, the band is back in the studio working on their next Warner Brother album. If The Time's track record is any
indication, things will be cool for them forever.
Ellen Zoe Golden interview (re-run)
Shocking truths
By Edwin Simon
"I wanna clean up a few rumors," renegade performer Prince said with a challenging stance. Kicking his long leg over the side of a
rented West Hollywood couch, he paused dramatically, then plunged forward into just the kind of chit chat that has kept him the
engaging enigma he has become. "Lotsa people assume I'm gay. I'm not. Sex is something we can all understand, so I go for it in
my songs whenever I can. Sometimes I dress in a bikini on stage and shout all kinds of sexual taboos, but that's my thing. I like
controversy, that's why I wrote that song. For a while I didn't mind people wondering what my sexual preference was. I still
don't, but just for the record..." His voice trails off, his mind wanders - usually he prefers to respond to questions with two- or threeword answers. The shocking non-stop charisma Prince demonstrates on stage is not what most people encounter behind the scenes.
"There are other things I want cleared up," he resumes without warning. "My real name is Prince ! It's not something I made up.
My dad's stage name was Prince Rogers and he gave that to me Prince Rogers Nelson." There's a noticeable change on Prince
Nelson's face when he mentions his father. It's hard to read : a little pain, a little pride. We probe : he hesitates, then slowly reveals
some of the strongest motivating forces in his life. "My dad was in a jazz band. I was five years old the first time I saw him. I was
supposed to stay in the car, but I snuck out and went into the bar he was playing. There he was. I looked around and saw all these
people watching him, tapping their feet, smiling, I remember thinking these people think my dad is great ! I wanted to be a part
of that ! I don't actually see much of him these days. I don't think he understands what I'm doing musically. It confuses him - the
things I say in my songs." Typical generation gap ? His gaze wanders again. “I brought him a copy of my Dirty Mind album and all
he said was, 'You're swearing on the record ! Why do you have to do that ?' I tried to tell him that's who I am, that's what I do. My
whole thing is to excite and provoke on every level. But we got into that whole big thing about what you can and can't do on a
record. I think you can do anything you want on a record, and you should ! He doesn't agree. See, most music today is too easy.
People just do the same old things over and over. All they care about is getting paid so they try to do what the audience wants him
to do. I'd rather give people what they need than just what they want... People have got to be true to themselves !" he says angrily.
"That's what's missing from pop music today. There's no excitement, no mystery. I don't feel like I'm so much better than
everyone else, but I'm really trying to be true to me. I just don't feel like there are a lot of people out there telling the truth in their
music."
Rock Magazine
Growing up hot
The bizarre boyhood and sex life of Prince and Andre Cymone
By Jeffrey Jolson-Colburn
Andre Cymone and Prince Nelson have been friends since they were four years old. Their fathers played together in a band during
the '50s. The two boys shared a room at the Cymone home, went to school together and formed the nucleus of hottest band in
Minneapolis, the city they were later to dub "Wavetown." They laughed, loved, got into trouble and became men together. In
adolescence, they even traded girls from bed to bed. "He's my brother, and we do everything together," they told their belles. "If
you want to do anything with me, you have to do it with him, too." Today, Prince Nelson is known to millions as just plain Prince,
the sex-and-funk star who performs in bikini briefs and has scored with such controversial scorchers as Little Red Corvette, 1999
and Delirious. Prince's lyrics deal with such formerly-taboo subjects as incest, masturbation, homosexuality and oral sex. Andre
Cymone has left Prince's band and started his own solo career. He has a lucrative CBS/Columbia contract, and has produced
records for Evelyn "Champagne" King and other artists. His solo LP, Surviving In The Eighties, is a promising effort with a
futuristic-funk sound. As boys, Andre was Huck Finn to Prince's Tom Sawyer, Oscar to his Felix. Andre came from a poor family. He
had a passion for adventure and romance, and damn the consequences. He stole cars for a thrill, found exotic new places to make
love to his girlfriends - and displayed musical gifts that few could match. Prince was straight, shy - even meek. He didn't swear,
drink or smoke. Drugs were out of the question for this honor student. If his driving passion had been physics instead of music, he
would have been the class nerd, the one with the plastic pencil-holder in his shirt pocket. Today, Andre sums up their respective
personalities by describing the room they shared as kids. "When we were little, about 13," he says, "we had this room with really
small beds. We were really separate people, and wanted to divide the room to prove it. So I took a piece of tape and put it in the
center of the floor and up the walls. My side was packed with junk; clothes, T-shirts, trumpets, saxophones, guitars, you name it.
Prince's side was immaculate. His clothes were always hung up or folded. He even made his bed every day !" These two should
have become life-long friends. Perhaps they will be friends again someday. But not now. Now, they rarely speak. And one of them
has become very famous. Prince doesn't give interviews. He absolutely forbids any member of his band or entourage to speak to the
press. Most of what we know about him comes from rehashed interviews given early in his career. These pages constitute the first
time Andre Cymone has spoken publicly about his years with Prince, about their shared childhood, about their musical partnership
and his contribution to Prince's music. Andre Cymone has just transferred to middle-class Lincoln Jr. High from a rough
neighborhood in the Minneapolis projects. He was from the wrong side of the tracks, and he looked it. The new school made him
feel like a pair of brown shoes in a world full of tuxedos. On his first day of school, the gym coach told Andre to go stand against a
wall. Some other boys were already lined up there. "I saw this little guy who looked pretty harmless," Cymone recalls, "so I went
and stood by him. We became best friends. After that, we went together every day." The little guy was Prince Rogers Nelson
(named after his father's stage name). One day, while visiting his friend at home, Andre noticed a picture on the piano. The picture
contained a familiar face. "That looks like my dad !" Andre exclaimed, pointing to a bass-player standing next to a pianist. When
Prince's father came home, he told the boys that he and Andre's father had indeed played together in the Prince Rogers band. In
fact, he said, Prince and Andre had been playmates when they were toddlers ! They didn't know it when they "met" in gym, but they
were just picking up where they'd left off. Today, Prince's records often carry a label warning consumers that some of their lyrics
may be offensive. Radio programmers screen each song carefully, and sometimes edit out a "fuck" or two before adding the tunes to
their playlists. No one who knew him as a boy would have expected Prince to become famous for his verbal candor. "When I first
met him, he didn't even cuss," Andre says with a deep chuckle. "Prince's parents did not want me around him. They would ground
him just so he would stay away from me. I would pull up to his house in a Cadillac or something, and I was only 15." Where did
the Cadillac come from ? "I stole it," Andre admits matter-of-factly. Then he laughs. "Actually, I found it running with the keys in
it. I guess I was pretty bed, though, in a way, it was good for us. I'm sure that deep-down, Prince is really thankful, because he's
doing quite well." The honors student and the young car thief made an odd pair. As Cymone's publicist puts it, "Andre led the life
that Prince writes about." At the ripe old age of 13, Prince decided he'd had enough of his parents' restrictive world. He ran away
from home, and ended up at Andre's house. There he could exercise a little independence, mess around with this friends and play
rock'n'roll. Andre's mother believed in the boys' creativity. Their music didn't sound like the music she listened to, but they could
play all those instruments, and the other teenagers liked it... So she left them alone. "Mom was pretty open," Andre remembers
fondly, "in that she wouldn't try and stop us from doing things, once she saw we were going to do them anyway, even if we had to
sneak. She told us, 'As long as you don't come up with any children or anything like that, you're okay.'" "It was a turning point for
me," Prince has said, "because I could do whatever I wanted. Andre's mom had to take care of seven of us, but she let me do
whatever I wanted. I was doing well at school and writing a ton of songs. My brain was free of everything. That's when I learned
that music could express what you're feeling, and it started coming out in my songs - loneliness, poverty and sex." Prince and
Andre, musical sons of musical fathers, formed a band. By the time they were 15, it was a hot group - at least, in their own little slice
of Minneapolis. The girls at Lincoln High, given the choice of hanging out with boring jocks or the two handsome young future rock
stars, wasted no time demonstrating their preference. The boys wasted no time, either. One night they decided to see how many
girls they could handle. Prince took on two girls, Andre three. To the boys, it was innocent experimentation. To Mrs Cymone, who
came up early that night, it was a felony. When she walked in the door, five girls ran out wearing nothing but panties, their skirts
and bras clutched to their breasts. Prince and Andre were grounded for that one. Prince soon moved to the Cymone's cellar, where
he began formulating his philosophy of free thought and an openly sexual America. A later escapade prompted Mrs Cymone to kick
Andre out of the house. Andre got as far as the family's garage, where the Cymones stored an old trailer. He set up housekeeping in
the trailer, out of his mother's sight. Prince, still living in the cellar, sneaked meals out to his friend. For Andre, it was a break from
the routine of the cellar and the girls and the hangers-on. He and Prince had shared the basement's single record player, and they'd
argue over what to play. "I would want Seals and Croft," Andre says. "He would want Sly Stone. I just couldn't get to sleep with Sly
Stone." Cymone's garage idyll seemed to be working just fine. There was an old TV set out there, and the boys even managed to run
a telephone extension out from the house without being noticed. Andre's only worry was being caught by his mom, and he figured
he had that one licked. Mrs Cymone was deathly afraid of spiders, and the garage was full of wicked-looking black ones. "She wasn't
going anywhere near that garage," Andre laughs, "so I was safe until she caught me - safe in the domain of the spiders." He was
safe for three days. On the third day, the phone rang. Andre picked up his secret extension as his mother answered the house phone.
"I got it, mom," he blurted out. "Where are you ?" his mother screamed, pulling on the phone cord that led out the kitchen window
to the garage. Andre was soon back together with Prince in the cellar. Drugs were never a big part of the boys' scene there. Of
course, being late '70s teens, they fooled around a bit. Prince tried a few illegal substances, and Andre tried them all. But even
alcohol and pot weren't frequent indulgences. "We were at a club one night," Andre remembers, "I offered to buy Prince a drink,
and he really surprised me by accepting. When we were growing up, and all the time we were in the group together, he never
touched the stuff. His mother and father had a big bar, and he got into it when he was very young. I think he got real sick." Music
and sex were the boys' drugs of choice - not always in that order. Between the ages of 14 and 18 they told girls they were brothers.
"Prince's crazy thing was passing girls around," his "brother" says, grinning. The pair shared "maybe 20, maybe more - not all
that many. It didn't really matter who went first. It was, 'He's my brother, and we do everything together.'" One jealous girl even
tried to stab Andre with a knife, because she was tired of sharing him. Asked which "brother" was most popular, Andre says, "I
won't really say anyone was most popular. There was a slight difference between us. If I say 'inches,' everyone will think that's
what I'm talking about." (Could he mean height ?) By the boys' late adolescence, the womanhood of Minneapolis was at their feet.
Some of the manhood, too. But they resisted the latter, even in group scenes, opting for kinkier heterosexual activities. They got into
a little lightweight bondage-and-domination, Andre remembers that they'd wrap girls up in silver duct tape and blindfold them.
They even hung one up from the ceiling. The pair were also into Polaroids during those days. "We didn't like to be bored," Andre
remembers. "I can't be content with just another regularly day. Like I said, I used to 'borrow' other people's cars. That was all
part of keeping from being bored... a challenge. It was a challenge to break out of the mold with Prince. It was a challenge for us
to get these girls to participate in some lewd activity. Regular sex can be boring. So you have to try something different ! The
kinkiest thing I ever did was not so kinky as it was dangerous. I was making love on my mother's roof, and I rolled off !" Andre
laughs heartily. He landed in a neighbor's yard. The neighbor's dog took offense at Andre's nudity, and chased him down the street.
Next issue : Conflict and drama as Prince talks about his early years, including his abortive stab at stardom in New York. Andre
Cymone tells the real truth about how the first two Prince albums were made. And, amidst charges and counter-charges, Prince and
Andre have their final falling-out.
Stardom and conflict
When Prince was five years old, a few months before he first met Andre Cymone, he went with his black/Italian father to Austin,
Minn. Where his dad was playing a matinee dance hall gig. Little Prince was supposed to wait in the car. Instead, he sneaked into
the hall to watch his pop at work. “It was great !” he remembered later. “I couldn’t believe it. People were screaming !” A pretty
dance hall girl named Kit spotted the toddler and took him back to the safety of the car, but it was too late. Prince had decided what
he wanted to do for a living. Prince’s father, feeling that a piano wasn’t a toy, wouldn’t let his son play the family instrument. So
when Prince was seven, he began playing when his dad wasn’t at home. At first, he learned to play what was most familiar : The
Man From UNCLE and Batman themes. Soon, he was improvising his own songs. Around that time, Prince found some porn
magazines under his mother’s stack of Better Homes and Gardens. By age eight, he was writing dirty stories on his own. The link
between sex and music was forever etched into his brain. His family split up and his mother remarried; Prince didn’t get along with
his new stepfather. The two quarrelled often, but Prince later recalled, “I didn’t start writing songs about loneliness and depression
until later. When you’re younger, you just want to forget.” At 12, Prince ran away to his father’s house. “From my dad’s, I ran to
my aunt’s. Then back to my dad’s then to a (foster) home. When I was living with my aunt, my dad bought me an electric guitar,
because my aunt didn’t have a piano. The guitar was bigger than I was.” Prince’s guitar rhythms were just loud noise to his aunt,
and she kicked him out. It was then that he moved in with Andre Cymone’s family. The two boys formed their first band,
Champagne – a 12-piece combo in which eight members only pretended to play their instruments. Prince crooned the girl’s lyrics;
deeper-voiced Andre sang the men’s parts. Champagne performed mostly Top 40 material, with a few originals slipped in when no
one was looking. “I wrote the very vulgar stuff,” prince said of those early years. “Andre was writing the really popular songs that
had the beat. They had all the sexual lyrics. Sex is always the most interesting thing to write about,” says Prince. “It’s the one
subject people can’t talk about without losing their cool.” When Prince graduated from high school at 17, he realized that he’d have
to earn a living or go to college, and neither prospect interested him. So he withdrew some of the money he’d made playing parties
and clubs, and bought a plane ticket to New York. Once there, he headed for the apartment of his older sister, Sharon. She answered
her bell to see her younger brother standing there, suitcase in hand. Prince moved in. He spent his time in New York peddling some
demo tapes he’d cooked up back in Minneapolis. Among them were Machine, Aces and Soft And Wet, later to become the single of
his first LP. A small production company and a French record exec, Danielle Mauroy, offered him deals. They both wanted to
produce his debut effort, but Prince, wanting to handle his own production, turned them down. Atlantic Records suggested that he
stick around New York to get a feel for what was popular outside Minnesota. Sharon started to manage her brother, but quickly
found that there were few business decisions they could agree on. She soon joined the swelling ranks of those who’d kicked Prince
out of their homes. Prince flew back to Minneapolis, tail between his legs, and resumed residence in Andre Cymone’s cellar. “I could
deal with the centipedes and poverty better,” he said, “because I knew I could make it.” Andre, unaware that he had been living in
poverty in his middle-class home, passionately plugged away at his music. When Prince met Owen Husney, they found a real
manager. It was now time to make some serious music. Prince wrote most of the songs, with Cymone lending ideas whenever it was
appropriate. Prince recalled, “I was influenced more by the music of the other guys in the band and the competition between us
than by national groups. If I walked up to Andre and played a lick that was already on someone’s record, he’d say so, and that
would hurt.” The operative word in the above quote is “competition.” Prince and Andre always competed to see who could be more
outrageous, both with music and with girls. Husney, who still manages Cymone, got Prince a recording contract with Warner Bros.
Part of the deal was that Prince could create and produce his own albums. Cymone’s band had released an album that didn’t do
much outside of Minneapolis, and Prince kept asking him to join his band. One day, Cymone quarrelled with his own group. Prince
made his offer again, and Andre accepted this time. The two struck a pact to work together – for a time. “Look,” Cymone remembers
saying, “I’ll play with you until you get your thing established to where you want it. But then I’m going to split and go back to
what I was doing before.” According to Cymone, he and Prince then flew to San Francisco to record Prince’s first LP. After the first
Warner’s album was completed, Prince’s group, included Andre, toured with Rick James in January 1980. Prince and he, says
Cymone, then flew to Los Angeles to work on Prince’s second LP. Cymone claims that he played and sang on both albums and that
pre-studio work on the albums was done in Cymone’s Minneapolis home. Prince’s management refutes this, saying that Cymone
did not participate in any way on either of Prince’s first two albums and that both albums were recorded in Los Angeles. “In the
early days, we both wrote and sang, and that’s the way it was,” Cymone recalls with a sharp nod. “When he asked me to be a part
of his new group, I didn’t want to do it, because I was still writing on my own.” The pair had always had healthy arguments over
creative differences. But after the second LP, the arguments became more frequent and less healthy. When Prince appeared on
American Bandstand, Cymone wore a pair of bikini briefs on camera. After the performance, he was told (not by Prince) not to do
that again. Soon, Prince was wearing the skimpy undies – and Andre was pondering his future. The next falling-out happened over
a song. “During the time that Prince was going through his changes,” Cymone remembers, “I would come in (to the studio)
everyday and work on this little line on the keyboards. The rest of the band would come in and do a groove behind it. One day
Prince came in and said, ‘I’ve got this great new song,’ and played it for us. All the time, the band was watching my face. I’m
pretty modest, and I’ll often just brush stuff off. That’s just what I did. But I knew where that song came from. When the song was
over,” says Cymone, “the band looked at me and they looked at Prince, and they said, ‘That’s Andre’s song !’ Prince got really mad
and said, ‘Well, guess who’s gonna get the money for it !’ That is when I knew this was not the right situation for me,” he says.
Andre claims he neither asked for nor received royalties from his work on Prince’s records. That’s not surprising, considering
Prince’s claims that they were one-man shows. “I didn’t care at the time,” Cymone declares, “and now I can make my own records.
Dez (Dickerson, guitarist) would come and do a little singing, Bobby came in, and I think he did some drums. But basically, it was
just him (Prince) and me.” The way it had always been. The final break between the two boyhood chums occurred when the two
collaborated on Prince’s The Time album. “I put the whole thing together,” Cymone says with a sigh. “I got him involved, I was
going to write some of the songs. All of a sudden, Prince decided he wanted everything his way. All the songs would go to his
publishing company, and he wanted this and that. I was just sick of doing everything that way. He didn’t want my name to be
mentioned, he wanted me to use a fictitious name. I wanted to get credit for what I was doing. I’d had enough ideas going into the
thing, that either I was going to get something out of it, or it would be best for me to split and start making a name for myself. I
woke up and said, ‘Wait a minute, what are you doing ?’ I quit that very day,” says Cymone. Prince asked Cymone to stay with the
band, and offered him a couple thousand dollars a month. “I couldn’t take it,” says Andre. “I was fed up. Besides, this would have
alienated me from the group, who were only earning a few hundred. Most of all, we were moving in different directions. I don’t
mind talking about Prince because I respect and admire him as a musician, and I don’t mind telling the truth. If he did give
interviews, there would be very little he could say without including me.” Cymone pauses for a moment, thinking. “Everyone else
aside,” he says slowly, “I still love Prince like a brother – and nothing will ever change that. Not all that long ago we were talking
about maybe getting together and doing something, maybe producing. I don’t think I could do it for a few more years, when I’ve
got myself more established.” And then... who knows ? Tom Sawyer, after all, had all of his greatest adventures when Huck was
around. And what would Felix have been without Oscar ?
Mar 84
01-03-1984 : When Doves Cry * - Purple Rain
Although the soundtrack had already been completed, Prince cut a track, "When Doves Cry," at Sunset Sound studios. Summing
up all of the Kid's pain, anger and confusion, Prince was adamant that the song be included in the film. The problem was solved by
setting the song to scenes that had been shot of the Kid riding around aimlessly on his motorcycle and a collage of scenes. “When
Doves Cry” was inspired by Susan Moonsie, who remained one of Prince’s closest friends. “He wanted her around, but he was kind
of losing touch with her,” according to a friend of Susan’s. “He had seen a lot of people, but Susan was always kind of his number
one. She was always around. Prince and Susan had a big argument, a falling-out, and she cried, and it was very, very sad. That’s
when they sort of officially decided to break up. I mean, they had been broken up really for a long time, but that’s when they
officially looked at each other and said : “Who are we trying to kid ? We know we’re not going to make it as a couple.” Immediately
afterwards he wrote the song.”
Sunset Sound staff engineer Peggy McCreary, who has worked with Prince since Controversy, commented on Prince's working
methods : “He'll go into the studio with a song in his mind, record it, overdub it, sing it and mix it all in one shot - start to finish. The
song never gets off the board. That's the way "When Doves Cry" was done. A lot of times he doesn't leave until it‘s done - even if it
takes a couple of days.” “He started the song the way he always did, with a drum machine… Then he added bass and synths, then
this and that.” The rough track completed, McCreary and Prince convened in the control room to mix the song. “Something was
bothering him about it, but he couldn’t put his finger on it at first. Finally, he reached over and punched out the bass track. That’s
when we knew we had something special. He said something like : “Nobody would have the balls to do this. You just wait, they’ll be
freaking.” He knew exactly what he was doing… and just knew he had a hit. It was just the two of us in the studio. It was a really
quiet time, a very personal time in the studio, and I think it was at times like that that he made his best music.” Lisa attributes the
pseudo-classical keyboard part that concludes “When Doves Cry” to her and Wendy’s musical influence on Prince. She claims :
“Prince was thinking : “How can I kick their ass ?” He was engaged in a healthy competition with us.”
The album’s second-most memorable song (and first single) was recorded alone. Alan Leeds was present at the rehearsal when
Prince first brought in a cassette of it to play to the band : ‘Everyone was teasing him about the fact that there was no bass on the
record, saying, “How are you going to have a hit record without a bass ?” And he was boasting about how only he could do it. But
all I remembered was that simple little piano hook, and I knew it was going to be a hit.’ Though it had the support of his
management, it wasn’t the first choice for a single from some at his label. Howard Bloom remembers Bob Cavallo flying out to New
York to play it to him. ‘He played me a song that Russ Thyret [from Warner Brothers] wanted to put out as the first single. It was
a piece of funk dreck. And then he played me “When Doves Cry”, and I could feel the entire film in three and a half minutes. Bob
was pushing for support to have “When Doves Cry” come out as the single.’
When Doves Cry
Dig if u will the picture
Of u and I engaged in a kiss
The sweat of your body covers me
Can u my darling
Can u picture this ?
Dream if u can a courtyard
An ocean of violets in bloom
Animals strike curious poses
They feel the heat
The heat between me and u
How can u just leave me standing ?
Alone in a world that's so cold ? (So cold)
Maybe I'm just 2 demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father 2 bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied (She's never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry
Touch if u will my stomach
Feel how it trembles inside
You've got the butterflies all tied up
Don't make me chase u
Even doves have pride
How can u just leave me standing ?
Alone in a world so cold ? (World so cold)
Maybe I'm just 2 demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father 2 bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied (She's never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry
How can u just leave me standing ?
Alone in a world that's so cold ? (A world that's so cold)
Maybe I'm just 2 demanding
(Maybe, maybe I'm like my father)
Maybe I'm just like my father 2 bold (Ya know he's 2 bold)
Maybe you're just like my mother
(Maybe you're just like my mother)
She's never satisfied (She's never, never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other (Why do we scream, why)
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry
When doves cry (Doves cry, doves cry)
When doves cry (Doves cry, doves cry)
Don't Cry (Don't Cry)
When doves cry
When doves cry
When doves cry
When Doves cry (Doves cry, doves cry, doves cry )
Don't cry
Darling don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry
Don't don't cry
08-03-1984 : Apollonia 6 photo shoot
Larry
Williams
photographs
Apollonia 6 for the LP cover. He
took over as Prince’s photographer
after Allen Beaulieu, Minneapolis,
who had worked with Prince since
1980. Williams was responsible for
the photography on the 1984
albums by the Time, Sheila E, as
well as Purple Rain. He also shot
the promotion video for "When
Doves Cry."
09-03-1984 : Paisley Park * - Around The World In A Day
”Paisley Park“ was a summary of what he intended to say,” says Susan Rogers. “It summed
up his philosophy. It was going to be his new statement, in other words : “no longer purple,
we’ve got a new look now, we’ve got a new vision.” He was getting away from the purple and glitter, into something new.”
Paisley Park
1, 2, 1, 2, 3
There is a park that is known
4 the face it attracts
colorful people whose hair
On 1 side is swept back
The smile on their faces
It speaks of profound inner peace
Ask where they're going
They'll tell U nowhere
They've taken a lifetime lease
On Paisley Park
chorus :
The girl on the seesaw is laughing
4 love is the color
This place imparts (Paisley Park)
Admission is easy, just say U
Believe and come 2 this
Place in your heart
Paisley Park is in your heart
There is a woman who sits
All alone by the pier
Her husband was naughty
And caused his wife so many tears
He died without knowing forgiveness
And now she is sad, so sad
Maybe she'll come 2 the park
And forgive him
And life won't be so bad
In Paisley Park
chorus
See the man cry as the city
Condemns where he lives
Memories die but taxes
He'll still have 2 give
(who)
Whoever said that elephants were stronger than mules ?
Come 2 the park
And play with us
There aren't any rules
In Paisley Park
chorus repeated 2 times
your heart, your heart
Paisley Park
your heart, your heart, your heart (sing, sing it)
Paisley Park
Paisley Park
Paisley Park
It’s important to note that while some members of The Revolution were facilitating Prince’s creative growth, the three songs that he
started with for the record – ‘Paisley Park’, ‘Pop Life’ and ‘Temptation’ – follow on naturally from the songs on Purple Rain. Lisa
Coleman told me : ‘Around The World In A Day wasn’t the title until that song came along, and that was really far into the
project. He was thinking of it as “Paisley Park”.’ As an album title, ‘Paisley Park’ sounds like a logical sequel to Purple Rain,
encapsulating the sense of hard rock giving way to something more in tune with the Summer of Love (even if Prince would never
quite get over his disdain for certain hippie indulgences). The sleeve notes claim that several of the songs were recorded at Paisley
Park itself, but this was Prince bringing a fantasy to life as the actual Paisley Park complex wouldn’t be completed until 1988.
‘Paisley Park’ is one of several Prince songs about locations that offer liberation (‘Uptown’, ‘Roadhouse Garden’, ‘Graffiti Bridge’,
‘3121’, ‘77 Beverly Park’). In this instance, the destination was not necessarily a location but rather a state of enlightenment every
listener could realise.
17-03-1984 : Possessed (Instrumental) (7:42) – Purple Rain soundtrack
Prince recorded a new, instrumental version of Possessed on 17 March, 1984 at Sunset Sound, for use in Purple Rain. A short
instrumental portion plays in the movie in the background of a scene in which Morris Day tries to seduce Apollonia.
??-03-1984 : Capitol Studios
Temptation (1) – Around The World In A Day
David Leonard, who had worked with Prince at Sunset Sound, lured him over for a session at the Capitol Studios where he was
now working. Prince booked one day with David and taped “Temptation” as a solo performance. However, Prince didn’t like the
studio very much, preferring instead to continue working at Sunset Sound.
Temptation
Sex – Temptation – Lust - Pop go mama
Everybody on this earth has got a vice
And mine, little darlin', mine is the opposite of ice
Mine is the running hot water of the daughter of morality
In other words, this little prince thinks a lot about U, see?
Baby, baby, baby
I'm guilty in the first degree
Temptation
Working my body with a hot flash of animal lust
Temptation
All my fingers in the pool go splash we must
Everybody in this room
Everybody in this room has got an urge
What's yours, baby ?
Mine is temptation, it reigns at a party where lovers splurge
Pop go mama when daddy gets a little 2 much
You know what I'm talkin' 'bout?
Purplelectricity whenever our bodies touch
Ooh baby, I love it when our bodies touch
Temptation
Working my body with a hot flash of animal lust
Temptation
All my fingers in the pool go splash we must
Temptation, temptation, temptation
Wait a minute now
Temptation
Working my body with a hot flash of animal lust
Temptation
All my fingers in the pool go splash we must
Temptation
Working my body, working my body, working my body
Temptation
I'm not talkin' about just ordinary temptation, people.
I'm talking about the kind of temptation
that'll make U do things.
Oh, oh, temptation.
Oh, darling, I can almost taste the wetness between your...
temptation, temptation
I'm not talking about any ol' kind of temptation, people,
I'm talkin' about, I'm talkin' about... sexual temptation.
A lover
I need a lover, a lover, I need a...right now.
U, I want U. I want U in the worst way. I want U.
"Oh, silly man, that's not how it works.
You have 2 want her 4 the right reasons."
I do !
"U don't, now die !"
No ! No !
Let me go, let me go.
I'm sorry. I'll be good. This time I promise,
Love is more important than sex.
Now I understand. I have 2 go now.
I don't know when I'll return.
Good-bye
??-??-1984 : Sunset Sound
Temptation (2) - Eddie M. overdubs
Saxophone part by Eddie Minnifield.
23-03-1984 : Purple Rain 2nd configuration
A new configuration of Purple Rain is compiled. Still no "Take
Me With U", but a long version of "Computer Blue".
A) Let’s Go Crazy (7:37)
The Beautiful Ones (5:15)
Computer Blue (7:23)*
Darling Nikki (4:15)
B) When Doves Cry (5:52)
I Would Die 4 U (2:51)
Baby I’m A Star (4:20)
Purple Rain (8:45)
Apr 84
01 to 04-04-1984 : The Glamorous Life sessions
The Glamorous Life (2) * - Prev. Sunset Sound 27-12-83 – The Glamorous Life
The Belle Of St Mark (2) * - Prev. Sunset Sound 05-01-84 – The Glamorous Life
Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Of Your Collar (2) * - Prev. Sunset Sound 28-12-83 – The Glamorous Life
Oliver’s House (2) * - Prev. Sunset Sound 05-01-84 – The Glamorous Life
Noon Rendezvous (2) * - Prev. Sunset Sound 13-02-84 – The Glamorous Life
Shortberry Strawcake (2) * - Prev. Sunset Sound 09-01-84 – The Glamorous Life
A few days after recording “Erotic City,” Sheila went into the studio and recorded percussion parts and replaced Prince's scratch
vocals on the five songs and one instrumental they had chosen for her album. Her vocal sessions took five days, and the album
was completed by early April. Prince took the album to his management company, Cavallo, Ruffalo and Fargnoli, who introduced
Sheila to Warner Bros. Within a few weeks, all was signed and sealed. The Glamorous Life is notable for featuring the first use of
saxophone on a Prince-related track, played by Larry Williams. The track also features the first released appearance of David
Coleman (Lisa Coleman's brother) on a Prince-related track, playing cello. Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar is notable
for featuring the first use of violin (by Novi Novog) and accordion (by Nick DeCaro) on a Prince-related track. Some distorted and
backmasked vocals by Prince can be heard in the background of Shortberry Strawcake, marking the earliest Prince-related release
to feature backmasked lyrics (released three weeks before Purple Rain, which also contained some).
04-1984 : Purple Rain sessions
Take Me With U (2) * - edit of version 1 – Prev. Sunset Sound 27-01-84 – Purple Rain
The Beautiful Ones (2) * - edit of version 2 – Prev. Sunset Sound 20-09-83 – Purple Rain
Computer Blue (6) * - edit of version 1 – Prev. Sunset Sound 10-83 – Purple Rain
??-??-?? : Computer Blue (Remix ?) (0:34 – Inc.)
14-04-1984 : Purple Rain Final Configuration
Towards the end of this period of Sunset Sound sessions, Prince decided to add yet another song to the album, “Take Me With U,”
which he had taped in January 1984 for Apollonia 6’s album. “That song was going to be the hit for Apollonia 6, to make sure that
their album would sell well,” says Bobby Z. “But the song was too strong that it had to be on Purple Rain… I wasn’t surprised that
he kept adding tracks to the album, because there really weren’t that many. He was trying to come up with songs that fit the movie
script, so I knew there would be some adjustments.” “Take Me With U” was worked into the film by synching it to footage of
Apollonia riding with the Kid on his bike. “Computer Blue” had to be shortened one last time to make room for “Take Me With U” on
the album. An instrumental break in “Darling Nikki” and a portion of “Let’s Go Crazy” were also removed, before work on the album
was eventually completed in mid-April 1984.
04-1984 : Sheila E live band
As soon as The Glamorous Life was recorded, Sheila
began assembling a band for live work. The sax
player on “The Glamorous Life,” Larry Williams, was
replaced by Eddie Minnifield, who became known as
Eddie M. Sheila's brother Juan joined to play
percussion, while Karl Perazzo became the group's
drummer. Ken Grey and Susie Davis played
keyboards. Benny Rietveld was recruited to play
bass, while Miko Weaver and Stephen Birnbaum
became the group's guitarists. Sheila explained what
she was looking for: “I wanted people who hadn't had
a chance to reach the top before. It was hard for me
to ask ten different things of everybody who came to
the audition, but the first question was always, ‘Do
you smoke, drink or take drugs?’ If they did and they
wanted the job, they had to quit. Then they had to
look good, know how to play two different
instruments, be able to sing and dance and do it all at
once !”
The Time breakup
Morris Day leaves Minneapolis to settle down in Santa Monica, California. This was the beginning of the end for The Time. Jesse
Johnson had already decided to leave the group and Morris was more interested in pursuing a solo career. Their departure wasn’t
announced officially until after the premiere of Purple Rain.
Pepe Willie also told me that the movie led to a falling out between Prince and Morris Day. ‘They had an argument. I don’t know
what it was about. Prince was yelling at Morris “You owe me”, and I’m sitting down, going, “Oh no, here we go.” And then Morris
starts yelling, “I owe you. If anybody owes anybody anything, you owe Pepe.” And I’m going, “Oh no, why did he bring my name
into it ?” So Morris left the group at that time. He went to Los Angeles, and a week later he calls me up and says, “Pepe, you got to
help me.” So I said, “Don’t sign anything, I’ll be on the next plane.” So I flew out to LA and started getting his affairs in order. His
mother was living out there and I had to build his team, and I had to say, “OK, Morris, we got to get you management, an
accountant, and I gotta talk to the record label.” And that’s what I did. I went up to Warner Brothers and I talked with Mo Ostin
on Morris’s behalf and I helped get him management.’
15-04-1984 : Blue Limousine * - Apollonia 6
“Blue Limousine” was recorded at Sunset Sound to replace “Take Me With U” on Apollonia 6 album.
Blue Limousine
7:30 - he said that he'd be here by 6
It's lookin' dirty, I guess he's up 2 his old tricks
He likes 'em pretty, he likes 'em in their lingerie
It's such a pity, I bought a camisole 2 day ... boo hoo, boo hoo
7:30 and there's still no sign of my baby's blue limousine
7:31 - I planned 4 him 2 spend the night
We could've had some fun, pretty men,
they never treat U right
They talk so dirty, they get U all worked up inside
It's your car, but everybody else always gets 2 drive
7:31 and there's still no sign of my baby's blue limousine
He's got a white one, he's got a yellow one
He's got a black one with a body obscene
Still no sign of my baby's blue limousine {x2}
7:32 - where can my baby be ?
I must be a fool 2 let somebody do this 2 me
I can't stop him, wherever he parks his car is alright
But he'll be parkin' with a dent in the side
if he stands me up 2 night
7:32 and there's still no U, my baby blue limousine
Baby blue limousine {x4}
He's got a white one, he's got a yellow one
He's got a black one with a body obscene
Still no sign of my baby's blue limousine
He treats U special like U're the only one
Then your girlfriend tells U that he's havin' big fun
Still no sign of my baby's blue limousine
He's so pretty, he's so nice
He'll make U feel like U're in a paradise
Still no sign of my baby's blue limousine {x2}
He like 'em pretty, he like big titties
He likes 'em in their lingerie
Still no sign of my baby's blue limousine
He's all black, he's all white
Everybody's gotta jam 2 night
Limousine {x2}
Still no sign of my baby's blue limousine {x2}
Mid 04-1984 : Pop Life (3) – Prev. Sunset Sound 20-02-84 – Around The World In A Day
Prince worked on the track further in mid-April 1984, most likely also at Sunset Sound. Rumors have suggested that the booing
crowd sampled in the song is from Prince's infamous opening act for the Rolling Stones, from October, 1981, but the samples in
fact come from a sound library set by the company Sound Ideas.
Ice Cream Castles promo video shooting (LA)
n Ice Cream Castles
(0:04)
With the Purple Rain movie complete, Morris Day moved from Minneapolis to LA. He
wanted a solo deal with Warner and a career in movies. Prince was beside himself. They
needed Morris to help promote the new film, and The Time’s latest album Ice Cream
Castle. Bandmates reached out and persuaded Day to join them in a video for their lead
single, Ice Cream Castles. And during this shoot, everyone was relieved to hear Day say
he’d soon return for rehearsals. But back in Santa Monica, Day called Pepe Willie to claim
Prince’s actions were adversely affecting his plans for a solo career. Pepe flew out west
for a visit.
Paul Peterson recalls : “Before the movie was completed, The Time flew to LA to film the
video for the first single, "Ice Cream Castles." It was 125 degrees, and we were in a castle
with 100% wool suits on with no air conditioning !”
30-04-1984 : Apollonia 6 2nd configuration
A) Sex Shooter (6:46)
Blue Limousine (6:23)
Manic Monday (2:53)*
B) A Million Miles (I Love You) (5:50) (Lisa Coleman)
Ooh She She Wa Wa (4:13)
Some Kind Of Lover (4:46) (Brenda Bennett)
In A Spanish Villa (2:22)
May 84
02-05-1984 : SHEILA E - THE GLAMOROUS LIFE US Single Release
Single : The Glamorous Life (3:41) / Part II (3:12)
Maxi-single : The Glamorous Life (Club Edit) (6:33) – Pt II (3:12)
The Glamorous Life was the first single to be released from Sheila E.'s first album The
Glamorous Life, marking the first release of any kind to be credited to Sheila E. It was released
four weeks prior to the album. The a-side was an edit of the track, with the b-side, The
Glamorous Life Part II a continuation. The Glamorous Life featured Prince as a writer, producer
and performer, although his input was uncredited. It became one of the favorite songs of
nightclubs.The single reached number 7 on the US Billboard Pop Chart (marking her highest
ever position on this chart), and number 9 on the Billboard Black Chart. It remained 2 weeks at
position 1 in the Billboard Dance/Disco Top 80 chart, becoming the second associated artist
single to top this chart, after Nasty Girl single in September 1982.
05-1984 : Eden Prairie
Prince returns to Minneapolis, having completed work on the Purple Rain film and album in Los Angeles. After abandoning the St.
Louis Park warehouse in late 1983, a new building was found in Eden Prairie, on Flying Cloud Drive, for band rehearsals and
recordings. Prince initially rented the building, but later decided to purchase it, reportedly for $450,000 in cash, for the purpose of
erecting a studio complex, which was to be Paisley Park. However, there were some complications in getting the surrounding
property to make the lot big enough for Prince's planned studio building. Meanwhile, Prince's real estate representatives discovered
a piece of property in Chanhassen, near his home, and after a meeting with the City of Chanhassen, they made it clear that they
were willing to compete with the Eden Prairie property. They offered all kinds of tax incentives to lure Prince’s business to
Chanhassen, making him an offer he couldn't refuse. At that point the idea for a studio complex in Eden Prairie was scrapped but
Prince used the Flying Cloud Drive warehouse extensively for recordings and rehearsals until the Purple Rain tour in November. By
now, Prince and Susannah Melvoin were a couple. Susannah had started getting session work in Los Angeles, including singing
backing vocals for Donna Summer and Jeffrey Osborne. Prince’s and Susannah’s relationship broke up later in 1984, at the start of
the Purple Rain tour, but they got back together again in the summer of 1985.
??-??-1984 :  Purple Rain Workprint
(1:46)
City Pages (?)
Prince on the movie set
A behind–the-scenes look at the shooting of Purple Rain
By Phil Davies
Friday night, downtown Minneapolis. The production crew of Purple Rain
has been standing in a drafty alley for about four hours. Roadies,
technicians, stand-ins, cops and hangers-on drink coffee, shiver and shield
their eyes from the glaring lights overhead as the cinematographer fiddles
with his camera, mounted beside a large, yellow, gleaming car. Prince sits
in a canvas chair up front, his tiny body swaddled in a gray overcoat with a
fur collar. Nobody bothers him. His bodyguard, Chick, a grey-bearded hulk
with a 56” neck, surveys the crowd balefully. “OK, we’re gonna take a
shoot,” an assistant director shouts. “Everybody move back behind the
sound car and keep quiet.” All eyes lock onto two figures standing 25 yards
up the alley, outlined against the lighted facade of a store on the far side of
Fourth Street. It’s Time front man Morris Day, playing his natty, supercool
self, and Apollonia, aka Patty, a New York model cast as the head vixen of
Vanity 6. Morris is resplendent in a gray silk jacket, white woollen overcoat and two-tone Stacy Adams shoes. Apollonia, a svelte
beauty, braves the cold in a black fur coat, left unbuttoned to reveal her raven lace bra, panties and garter belt. “Action !” director
Albert Magnoli yells. Morris and Apollonia, apparently returning home from a bar, stagger toward their car, arms draped around
each other’s shoulder for support. The cameraman rides forward on his dolly for a close-up. “Ain’t nobody b-a-a-a-ad like m-e-e-ee-e,” Morris wails, tipping a chrome hip flask to his mouth. He passes the flask to Apollonia. Her curly mane quivers under the
lights as she gulps. “Where’s Jerome ?” asks Apollonia. She hiccups as Morris unsteadily opens the passenger door of the car. “In his
skin,” Morris answers with a giggle, backing away and wiggling his hips at her. “Cut,” Magnoli says. Prince grins at Morris. Later,
His Badness gets to perch on his purple motorcycle and glare triumphantly into a camera after a stunt man in a purple jacket and
ringleted wig rides onto the set and kicks Morris’ double into a pile of garbage. So it went on the set of Purple Rain, the 86 million
musical starring Prince, The Time, Vanity 6 and Dez Dickerson that was filmed in the Twin Cities. Day after day, roadies disgorged
four semitrailer trucks’ cargo of cameras, sound gear and lighting equipment onto the sidewalk. Production manager Mike
Frankovitch, in a hurry to finish the outdoor shooting before snow fell, worked his predominantly California-based crew 13 hours a
day or night. Movie making is a laborious business; two hours to get the set – a street, a garden, an alley – just so; another 90
minutes to walk through the scene with stand-ins; another hour of shooting to capture the take Magnoli wants. Purple Rain people,
like the film’s reclusive star, didn’t tolerate snoopers. Four cops patrolled the location to discourage gawkers and shoo away
anybody with a notebook or camera. One Friday night, hostile eyes turned on a photographer snapping pictures of the semi-nude
Apollonia from a warehouse window. “Hey you, put that camera away !” Chick bellowed. A cop ran up the stairs in an unsuccessful
attempt to catch the photographer. An aura of mystery surrounded this big budget, flashy movie that could propel Prince and the
bands he spawned to megastardom. The Big People – the film’s Hollywood producers, Frankovitch, Magnoli, the actors – were and
at press time continued to be inaccessible, shielded by an uncommunicative publicity staff. The little people – technicians,
costumers, extras – were told only as much as they needed to know and ordered to keep their mouth shut. “We just received a
memo yesterday that we’re not supposed to talk to anybody without clearing it through the production manager first,” one
worker said nervously one afternoon. “If we do, we’re at risk of losing our jobs.” “I have dreams of Prince firing me himself,”
another quailed. Copies of Magnoli’s script – copied on purple paper, of course – were jealously guarded, and the few people who’ve
read it refused to reveal the specifics of the plot. One source who has worked closely with Prince’s organization for years said Sir
Highness himself had sworn his subjects to silence. Still, secrets will get out. In the Hollywood version of the Prince legend, the
monarch of techno-funk is an upstart who comes from behind to outshine the spectacularly successful Time and replace Morris as
Vanity’s number one guy. He’s a talented portrait painter as well as a brilliant musician. He commands Apollonia to jump in Lake
Minnetonka to prove her love and seduces her in a barn in the movie’s climatic scene. Prince and Morris face off in a verbal duel,
calling each other “pencil pricks.” Not all Purple Rain people have taken a vow of silence. Byron Hechter, 29, a freelance
photographer, spoke openly of his role as Prince’s stand-in. Hechter, with his swarthy complexion and slight build is the spitting
image of Prince at 50 paces. “When they got ready to set up a shoot, they called me in,” he said. “I’m Prince’s height (5’2”) and with
the wig on I look a lot like him.” Hechter, unlike his alter ego, didn’t have a Winnebago to nap in between takes, he was required to
stand around the set for six hours at a stretch, in case he was needed for a lighting check. Friday night, the script called for a pair of
lovers in silhouette behind Morris and Apollonia, so Hechter and a female truck driver spent most of the evening in a parked station
wagon. Hechter reportedly said Apollonia, brought in to play Vanity when the real “Nasty Girl” withdrew from the movie, can’t act
to save her life, and that former Flamingo Road star Morgan Fairchild had been seen on the set. There had been wild rumors that
Fairchild stars in the movie, but they’re unfounded, he said. She’s just friendly with one of the cameramen. As for Prince, “he just
came in and did his things,” Hechter said. The International Lover sashayed onto the set silently on tiptoe to see what was going on.
Nobody acknowledged his presence. “Actually, no one talked to Prince really, except for the directors
and makeup people,” Hechter said. “I saw a few people go up to him that weren’t supposed to, and
Chick told them to go away.” Mazie Johnson, a local actress who has acted in Minneapolis’ Theatre in
the Round and Penumbra Theatre, plays a streetwalker in a scene outside the Brass Rail Bar on
Hennepin Avenue. Originally, she was cast as Prince’s mother, but the management replaced her with a
Greek actress named Olga. “I heard she had some problems with the lines they’d given her to say
because they were Americanized lines, and she felt silly saying them with a stilted accent,” Johnson
said. In the Brass Rail scene, Olga, Johnson and two other street hustlers stroll down the sidewalk after a
night of debauchery. Prince rides by on his motorcycle, sees the foursome and entreats his mom to come
home. “You’re kinda young, ain’t ya ?” Johnson sneers. “Get away from here and leave her alone.”
“Come on honey, we’re going inside,” another woman says. Prince is left standing forlornly on the
sidewalk. At the start of this year, Magnoli did some shooting inside the First Avenue dance club, the
Union Bar in Old St. Anthony and in a studio somewhere in the western suburbs. The producers of
Purple Rain reportedly paid the management of Prince’s favourite venue between $25.000 and $40.000
to offset the club’s losses while the First Avenue club remained closed to the public. Concert scenes
featuring Prince, The Time, Vanity 6 and Dez Dickerson’s band lip-synching to hords of extras were shot
on a giant soundstage designed to recreate the First Avenue ambience as accurately as possible. Club
manager Stephen McClellan, far from glorying in the national attention Purple Rain will focus on the
danceteria, grumbled that the movie gives the impression that Prince and his cohorts are the only bands
keeping First Avenue in business. “The club’s reputation was there before Purple Rain,” McClellan said. “We’ve done Prince four
times in four years. What about the other 364 days of the year ?” Purple Rain is now in the can and Prince has again retired to his
lakeside mansion where he is putting the finishing touches on the soundtrack album to be released in conjunction with the film
sometime in the not too distant future. But before the lines begin forming at the theatres, the Prince publicity machine will be put in
big gear. His oh-so-bad face will be plastered on billboards everywhere and the Dylanesque title song of his movie will blare out of
every car radio and cassette player on Hennepin Avenue. Princemania will be running wild.
16-05-1984 : WHEN DOVES CRY US Single Release
When Doves Cry (3:49) / 17 Days (3:54)
"When Doves Cry” was issued as a single preview of Purple Rain on May 16th 1984
after heated discussions with Warner Bros. They didn't want to release the
drastically different song as the first single from such a "high risk” project as Purple
Rain, reasoning that there were huge money at stake if it misfired. However,
listeners instantly took hold of the song and didn't let go. The single became a
massive hit and ended up being the most sold single of 1984. It was number one for
five weeks straight, locking out Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing In The Dark," which
peaked at number two. Incorporating footage from the movie, the video of the song
functioned as a highly effective trailer for the film. The B-side of “When Doves Cry"
was "17 Days (The Rain Will Come Down, Then U Will Have 2 Choose. If U Believe,
Look 2 The Dawn And U Shall Never Loose)," a mesmerizing song that ranks with
the finest music on Purple Rain. Indeed, the images used in the song would have
made it fit perfectly in the movie. The song deals with the familiar theme of the
unfaithful woman. Prince/the Kid has called his woman on the telephone, but she did
not answer, leading him to suspect that she was with another man, holding him tight.
The song certainly sums up the Kid's suspicious nature and his jealousy, because
he sits alone and dejected on the basis of nothing more than an unanswered phone
call and his unfounded assumptions. He wants to talk to her and beg her to come
back to him, but since he assumes that she will not listen to him, he does nothing.
Speaking his thoughts out loud he tells the woman that she is the one who is lonely
(in spite of her being with others, or so he believes), while he is the one who is
always alone (because she is not, according to him faithful to him). The Kid calls on the rain to come down, as if it will wash away
his problems, purifying the world in its wake. The music reflects the lyrics to "17 Days," conveying a depressive, almost hypnotic
mood. The song is based on two alternating guitar chords, a rhythmically strict drum machine beat, and a rubbery-sounding bass
that repeats a monotone figure throughout. This is overlayed with a synth hookline that lodges itself in the listener's mind and a
haunting melody. The single became Prince's first US number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. It also reached number 1 on
the Billboard Black Singles Chart and on the Dance Disco Top 80 Chart. Billboard also ranked it as the #1 single of 1984. When
Doves Cry was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, indicated two-million units shipping in the
United States. It was the last single released by a solo artist to receive such certification before the certification requirements were
lowered in 1989. While the When Doves Cry single was credited only to Prince, 17 Days
was credited to Prince and the Revolution, marking it the earliest release of a track
containing this credit.
n When Doves Cry
(0:06)
Simon Fields : I produced most of Prince’s video between 1980 and 1990. He
hardly talked to me for the first year; he was very shy. Then he grew to trust
me. Which sometimes meant having to fire directors before they’d even
started. We’d fly in a director and Prince would whisper in my ear, “Get rid of
him.” So I would, and Prince would direct the video himself. I hired Larry
Williams to direct “When Doves Cry.” Before the first shot, Prince said to me,
“He doesn’t have to be here.” So I gave Larry some magazines and he sat
outside and did some reading.
Sharon Oreck : Prince was cuckoo paranoid. When I produced “When Doves
Cry,” I didn’t know what the concept was until the day of the shoot. The
director, Larry Williams, had worked with Prince on some still photographs.
I’m like, “Well, what do you want me to do as the producer ?” He said, “Just
get a stage, a crew, a bunch of cameras, a bunch of smoke, and some doves.”
A crapload of smoke, and a crapload of doves. The day before we’re going to
shoot, I was told, “Paint a room purple and get a bathtub and some candles.”
And the bathtub wrangler had to get three bathtubs, so Prince could choose.
We were finally told that Prince would be in the bathtub naked, then crawl
around on the floor. The day of shooting, he got there six hours late. He’d tell
Steve Fargnoli to put this here and that there, then Steve would tell Simon
Fields, then Simon would tell me, then I would tell someone else. At one point
Prince told Steve, “Tell Simon to get me a pair of woolen underpants.” So we
got him this teeny-weeny size of long underwear. He had the wardrobe person
snip them down into a tiny little banana hammock for him, and then dye it
purple. And that’s what he wore when he was in the bathtub. There was a
story told at Limelight about an early Prince video. Supposedly, there was a
shot where Prince wanted doves released into the air, but the production
manager decided not to work with an animal trainer because it was too
expensive, so he bought some doves from a local pet store. When it came time
to throw the doves into the air, he literally threw them from the stage, and they were immediately sucked into a giant fan, chopped
up, and then sprayed around the room and all over the band. That was one of the first rock video legends.
Lisa Coleman : Prince basically directed all of his videos. He’d get help from people on the technical side, but he didn’t let anyone
else have creative control. It was part of his megalomania. He didn’t trust other people to translate his vision. “When Doves Cry”
was the first time the band had to perform choreographed dance steps. Prince tortured us in rehearsal. He said, “Everybody come
to the front of the stage. Let me see you walk.” And of course, he started making fun of us. “That’s not sexy. You don’t have a sexy
walk.” I said, “Let me see you walk.” And then he walked like George Jefferson. Total swagger.
Randy Skinner : I was editing a Prince video with Albert Magnoli, who directed the Purple Rain film. All of a sudden, Albert says,
“Prince is coming.” The rule was, Don’t look at Prince, don’t talk to Prince. So I huddled in a corner thinking, Oh God, what do I do
? He came in, walked right up to me, said “Hello,” and put out his hand. I was thinking, Oh shit ! Do I look at him, do I shake the
hand, do I not shake the hand ? So I shook the hand. And he was lovely, actually.
Howard Woffinden, producer : I was dispatched from Limelight to Minneapolis, where Prince was rehearsing for a tour, to meet
with him about a video concept. I sat in the arena watching rehearsals for three days before somebody came and told me, “You
should go home now.”
21-05-1984 : Minnesota Music Awards
* Duration : 0:20
17 Days / When Doves Cry / Baby I’m A Star
Prince
was
back
in
Minneapolis in May, having
completed work on the
Purple Rain film and album
He
appeared
at
the
Minnesota Music Awards at
the Carlton Celebrity Room
in Bloomington on May 21st.
Dez
Dickerson
was
scheduled to perform but his
band was called on tour with
Billy Idol. Prince filled in with
no advancement to the
crowd. Unveiling a new "Sgt.
Peppers" look, with satin
paisley and ruffled shirts,
Prince played a 20-minute
set which included the live
debut of "When Doves Cry."
After the brief set, Prince didn't bother to come out to accept any of the three awards he
was given Best Songwriter, Best Producer, and one of three performers chosen as
members of the newly established Minnesota Music Hall of Fame.
Jun 84
Sneak-previews of Purple Rain across the USA. Even before its official release, the film gave every indication of becoming a box
office smash. It was reported that 50 per cent of the sneak-preview cards were marked "excellent" and another 28 per cent "very
good."
??-06-1984 : ♫ h Roadhouse Garden Rehearsal (1:11)
(A : Purple Rush Vol III – 9/10 * V : Roadhouse Rehearsal – 7/10)
17 Days / Our Destiny (Is 2 Fall In Love) / 17 Days (repeat) / Our Destiny (repeat)
All Day, All Night / Free / Something In The Water / Erotic City / Irresistible Bitch
When Doves Cry / Possessed
A : The rehearsal featured on Disc 2 is
as close to the actual birthday
performance we have, and judging by
the performance it surely must have
taken place days before the show itself.
A video recording of this rehearsal is
circulating with the best version so far
being Habibi's 'Roadhouse Rehearsal'.
The rehearsal features various takes on
the (as yet) unreleased 'Our Destiny /
Roadhouse Garden' which makes this a
little more special with their inclusion.
The remainder of the rehearsal is
performed as if it were in front of a crowd and features Prince calling
out various shouts "Thank you for making this number 1 for 69 weeks", etc, etc. Unfortunately as with the
rehearsal on Disc 1 the quality leaves a little to be desired. It is certainly not the clearest or cleanest recording in
circulation and is also very thin. I can only presume this has been sourced from the circulating video recording due
to the unimpressive quality.
V : Habibi's release of the rehearsal in preparation for the First Avenue June 7th 1984
birthday concert. Professionally filmed by a single camera on a tripod, this is a fascinating
insight into the band's rehearsal. This video recording has been circulating for many years,
however the picture quality has always been far below par, and is frustratingly poor on
many releases. It is my pleasure to say that this Habibi release is perhaps the best I have
seen of the many, many versions I have had the misfortune to sit through. The picture is
far clearer, much sharper and more defined. And with the improved picture quality comes
a major improvement with the sound too. One of my major bitches about previous
releases of this footage have been that the sound was very muddy, and practically
impossible to enjoy - thankfully it is clear and (almost) problem free on here. All that said,
this release is not without its problems. There are some minor occasional glitches
throughout, and the worst of these occur during 'Something In The Water' where the
picture drops out for a few seconds. Overall though, the problems only make up a tiny
fraction of the footage, and the remainder is superb. The menu's are very basic, and
normally I would have complained at how amateur they are - however because the quality
of the footage is so good, the menu's are unimportant.
Sunset Sound - David Coleman
Around The World In A Day (1) – Around The World In A Day
The original demo recorded by David Coleman featured him on drums, bass and 12 string guitar. David Coleman thought
Susannah Melvoin might have played keyboards. Background vocals were : David Coleman, Colynda Coleman, Susannah
Melvoin, Jonathan Melvoin and possibly Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. The lyrics are reported as very different.
Prince started recording songs for Around The World In A Day before Purple Rain was even completed. He began to plan a new
album during the prolific Sunset Sound sessions early in 1984. The initial songs, “Paisley Park,” “Pop Life,” “Temptation,” and
“Around The World In A Day,” gave him a sense of direction, so he knew where he wanted to go with the new album well before the
Purple Rain hysteia broke loose. The song that became the title track of the album was demoed in June by Lisa’s brother, David
Coleman. “Prince gave David three days of studio time for a birthday present,” says Bill Jackson, who engineered some sessions
with Prince at this time. “David went in and tracked “Around The World In A Day.” We finished it at another studio, which wa also
owned by Sunset Sound but had a cheaper rate. Jonathan Melvoin and Wendy and Lisa came by and played on the song.” Prince
was very excited when he heard the song and wanted to use it on his album. “Very little was changed,” according to Jackson. “I
was surprised when Prince’s record came out and went : “Oh, it’s on here !” I listened to it, and it was the same kind of
arrangements and everything. Prince just made a little better, maybe. There were more embellishments and weird things going on.”
The Sun (UK)
Prince ripped me off rages Rick
Rock’s latest sensation, Prince, has been blasted as “a mentally disturbed young man” who is “very dangerous” by fellow American
funk star Rick James. In a sizzling attack, Rick, who hit the British charts with Superfreak and Give It To Me Baby, claims Prince
stole his ideas after he gave him a support spot on a sell-out American tour. “The thing that really has annoyed me is that he stole
my Mary Jane Girls concept and turned it into Vanity 6,” says Rick, referring to his girl backing group who have had hits on their
own. “You can’t take his music seriously. He is a mentally disturbed young man – he sings songs about incest with his sister, and
that’s too blatant. What is most worrying is that this ridiculous little man is very dangerous because so many people relate to him
as a true representative of Black America and he is so far out of touch with what is really happening.” Rick, who is poised to hit
the charts with his latest single, 17, adds : “Prince is the most contrived, pretentious artist I have ever witnessed.” A spokesman for
Prince says : “He never gives interviews and never replies to any accusations or allegations.”
04-06-1984 : SHEILA E - THE GLAMOROUS LIFE Release
(32:50)
The Belle Of St Mark (5:12) / Shortberry Strawcake (4:46) / Noon Rendez Vous (3:55)
Oliver’s House (6:20) / Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar (3:52) / The Glamorous Life (9:03)
The Glamorous Life, the debut album by Sheila E., previously known as Sheila Escovedo,
was released on June 4th 1984. Although Prince's name doesn't appear anywhere on the
record, he wrote, played and produced most of it, and his involvement quickly became
known. Despite Sheila’s claims that the album was done without Prince's participation, his
involvement was fairly obvious, and Sheila's father, Pete Escovedo, even admitted to
Rolling Stone that “they didn't want people to know she was backed up by Prince,
because it would look like she wasn't making it on her own merits. That's why he stayed
out of the credits. But everyone knows - when you hear the album, you can tell it's him.."
Prince can actually be heard on the record (he gives it away with a little shout just prior to
the instrumental coda of "The Glamorous Life" and sings background sexually explicit
lyrics on "Shortberry Strawcake"). Sheila was credited as the sole writer of four of the six
tracks on the album while “Shortberry Strawcake" was listed as a collaboration with Jesse
Johnson, and "Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar" with Apollonia 6's Brenda
Bennett. However, at the ASCAP copyright office, Prince (as Jamie Starr) is registered as
the writer of all of the songs, barring "Noon Rendez-vous" which was co-written with
Sheila E. Coming off the road in February 1984 from a tour with Lionel Richie, Sheila's
album was recorded in only five days at the Sunset Sound. Prince introduced Sheila to his
management team and they in turn hooked her up with Warner Brothers. The Glamorous
Life exhibits most of the highly distinct trademarks of the 1984 model Prince / Starr Company sound, including predominating
synthesizers and the use throughout of drum machines. Critics often labelled Prince's brand of music for "dance rock” because of
its bouncy, funky beat and emphasis on the rhythm tracks with drums (usually a drum machine) to the fore and all kinds of
percussive and drum sound effects. The album bears more of an individual stamp than most of Prince's side projects. The fiery
Latin rhythms and impressive timbale work on some tracks distinguish the album, and the material is very strong and varied. Two
fine ballads, "Noon Rendezvous" and "Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar," are mixed with a jazz-rock fusion style
instrumental, “Shortberry Strawcake," and three catchy dance rock numbers, "Oliver's House," “The Belle Of St. Mark” and "The
Glamorous Life." With its accented snare drum attack, the Linn Drum machine gives the songs terrific punch and energy. Apart
from Sheila’s percussion parts, Prince plays more or less everything on the album. Lisa Coleman’s brother David plays cello on
“Oliver’s House” and ”The Glamorous Life,” and Jill Jones sings background on “The Belle Of St Mark” and add vocals to “Oliver’s
House.” “The Glamorous Life” showcases Larry Williams (an experienced session musician) on sax, while “Next Time Wipe The
LipstickOff Your Collar” features Novi Novog on violin and Nick DeCaro on accordion. Frozen, as if caught in the act of flight, the
black and white cover shot captures Sheila as a glamorous film star. Elegant and luxurious, she is dressed in lace, fur, high heels
and jewellery. The full album title also spoofs the conventions of ‘40’s
movie promotion, Sheila E In The Glamorous Life. In keeping with the
cinematic theme, the album was “directed” by Sheila E. and The Starr
Company. The overall production is tight and focused, and the album has
a clean, uncluttered sound. The songs are pretty straightforward and
direct, and do not have the complexity of songs Prince reserves for
himself. However, at the same time, most songs lack the adolescent feel
of songs given to Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6. Indeed, they have a maturity
and musical complexity befitting Sheila’s talents. The Glamorous Life has
stood the test of time and still ranks as one of Prince’s finest side
projects.The excellent title song, the story of a career girl who forsakes
love for money, was originally planned for Apollonia 6’s LP, and Apollonia
Kotero later revealed : “One thing I was never allowed to discuss then
was that "The Glamorous Life" was written by Prince as a joke about me.
When Sheila came onto the scene, Prince rook away the song from
Apollonia 6 and gave it to her, because he thought it was too
instrumental, musically.” The album received mostly good reviews.
Sacred gold record, it reached the seventh place in the Black chart and
28th in the Pop Chart.
Almost two years would pass between the second Time album and
Prince’s next full-length project with a protégée, Sheila E’s The
Glamorous Life. In the meantime, Prince worked on tracks for the third album by The Time, Ice Cream Castle, released a month
after Sheila E’s record; reconfigured the line-up of both his backing band The Revolution and The Time, axeing Terry Lewis and
Jimmy Jam; recorded (and abandoned) half a second Vanity 6 record; completed the Purple Rain movie and soundtrack, alongside
several songs that wouldn’t make it onto the released version of the album; recorded two songs for Around The World In A Day;
recorded a number of B-sides as good as anything on his albums, including ‘Erotic City’, his first collaboration with Sheila E;
recorded an early version of an album for a new girl band called Apollonia 6; and perhaps most significantly, had his biggest success
to date with ‘When Doves Cry’, the first single from Purple Rain. As with previous protégés, Prince presented Sheila E with songs
that he’d already recorded, allowing her to replace his scratch vocal and then building up most songs around her percussion. ‘The
Belle of St. Mark’ is another unrequited-lust song, describing Sheila’s love for a teenage Parisian. ‘Shortberry Strawcake’ is an
instrumental, with Prince’s back-masked lyrics buried deep in the mix. ‘Noon Rendezvous’ has Sheila looking forward to a
lunchtime assignation with a possibly older (or at least more experienced) lover. The crepuscular pace seems inappropriate for a
song about a daytime sex session, and the lyrics are awkwardly phrased, but the biggest problem is that this is a ‘Purple Rain’-style
epic condensed into four minutes. Prince’s own live version of the song, which took place at a rehearsal for his 1984 First Avenue
birthday show, ran to fifteen minutes and transformed the track into one of his most awesomely desolate performances. Alongside
Prince’s version of ‘Noon Rendezvous’, the only track on the album that seems worth considering as an important part of Prince’s
(as opposed to Sheila E’s) oeuvre is the nine-minute title track, ‘The Glamorous Life’, which gives the album its overall concept and
helped fix Sheila E’s pop personality (as well as giving her a showcase for her percussion skills, particularly when played live). The
album’s conceit was that it was an aural movie rather than a mere record, and along with ‘Oliver’s House’, this is the album’s most
obvious story-song. It has some interesting lyrical parallels with Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’, released the following year, which takes
the opposite perspective from Sheila’s insistence that money only pays the rent and it’s love which is for ever.
n The Glamorous Life
(0:04)
The music video for “The Glamorous Life” shows Sheila E. performing with her band
in the studio, along with footage of her wearing a fur coat in a limousine. At one point,
she steps out of the car to buy flowers from a less glamorous version of herself. A
man in a tuxedo attempts to seduce her, and eventually leads her into a building with
flames flickering through the windows in the door. Upon watching it again, I was taken
back by how primitive it now seems, especially the flames. Still, it captures the flavor
of Sheila E.‘s percussion and live performance in the studio shots.
Sharon Oreck : The first video I was hired to work on was Sheila E.’s “The Glamorous
Life.” I was immediately drafted to go to a meeting with Prince on the Warners lot in
West Hollywood, to discuss important things about the video. Mary Lambert was
introduced and told everyone what she had in mind. She said, “We’ll shoot
performance footage, and she’ll be bathed in colors and light, and she’ll look
stunning, and we’ll also do a little narrative and Sheila will explore her sexuality and
life and love...” It was mostly horseshit - that’s what you did, you said this kind of stuff. When she was done, everyone was like, “It
sounds great.” And then, quietly, almost in a whisper, Prince said something that sounded like “Sheila should have drumsticks on
her.” But no one could hear him. The table went silent. Steve Fargnoli, Prince’s manager, who’s this super-handsome Italian guy,
huddled with Prince and said, “Prince says Sheila should have drumsticks on her pants.” And they got up and left. Prince was there
for ten minutes. After he left, I was like, “Do they mean real drumsticks taped on her pants ?” We figured out that he meant fabric
drumsticks sewn into the pants. And of course, Jeff Ayeroff from Warner Bros. said, “Mary, she better not be wearing fucking
drumsticks on those pants.” We’re like, You tell him ! That’s how things worked around Prince. No one ever said no to him. And she
ended up with drumsticks on her pants, I’ll tell you that. They were the silliest pants I’ve ever seen. When we cast “Glamorous Life,”
we hired a really handsome black guy to play Sheila E.’s love interest. A short while later, we heard back from Simon Fields that
Prince’s camp didn’t like him, and we couldn’t hire him. Mary Lambert said, “Why don’t they like him ? Is he too tall ? Too short ?”
And finally Simon said, “They don’t want a black guy.” We were like, “What are you talking about ? She’s black !” We were told
they wanted the record to cross over, so there needed to be a white boyfriend. Mary and I were appalled.
Mary Lambert : I met Prince when I was hired to do Sheila E.’s “The Glamorous Life.” He had two stylists named Louis and Vaughn.
When I was introduced to them, it looked like they’d made their entire wardrobe out of chenille bathroom rugs and toilet-seat
coverings. They were the most bizarre clothes I’d ever seen. The weirdest thing, though, was that they designed a wardrobe for
Sheila E. that could barely fit a Barbie doll. They were itty-bitty-teeny-weeny. She’s small and thin, but these clothes weren’t going
to fit anybody. On the day of the shoot, she tried them on and couldn’t even get her legs in them. They had to put extenders in the
pants. We never did zip them up.
05 & 06-1984 : ♫ Rehearsals #1 (for 07-06)
(1:10)
(A : Purple Rush Vol I (2008) – 9/10)
Free / Erotic City / Something In The Water / When Doves Cry
Irresistible Bitch / Gotta Shake This Feeling (Early Purple Rain)
Noon Rendez-Vous
Disc 2 contains the May / June 1984 rehearsal in
preparation for Prince's 7th June 1984 First Avenue concert
which was release by Free Boot Generation on their 'Noon
Rendezvous' 2008 release. Sabotage's version lasts around
1 minute longer than the FBG release, and the running
order once again differs from the FBG release as Sabotage
remain faithful to their previous version and the running
order of the rehearsal listed in The Vault. This isn't simply
a copy of the FBG release as Sabotage appear to have
used their own version previously released on the original
Purple Rush 1 release and borrowed a few portions from
the FBG release to present a longer, more complete
version of the rehearsal which works extremely well, and is
certainly the definitive version of this rehearsal currently
circulating in terms of running length and overall audio
quality.
As I mentioned above, there is a couple of variations of this
rehearsal circulating, the major difference being the sequence of
tracks. I am listening to the FBG release, which opens with I’ve
Gotta Shake This Feeling Baby (Purple Rain), and I have to say that right from the start it grabs me and any reservations I have
about listening to a rehearsal are immediately laid to rest. Over the familiar beat of Purple Rain, Prince lays down some very raw,
yet beautiful guitar work. There is very little in the way of lyrics, just Prince singing “I’ve gotta shake this feeling baby” over the top
of the Purple Rain music we know so well. He does ask for a longer echo at the start, but I can’t hear where it is applied. The rest of
the band are a solid base on which Prince lays his guitar work. Some of the phrases and melodies he plays are familiar, and some
are new to me. The best parts are for me when he reins in the guitar and plays it tightly in the song. The quality of the recording is
very good, and all the other instruments can be heard clearly, especially the piano, which I enjoy. I can’t stress enough how much I
enjoy this, and what a complete surprise it is to me. I was planning to sit down one evening to write this blog post, but truth be told
I played this several days in a row, dumb struck, jaw on the floor, before I finally was able to find the words. It’s a great listen,
imagine the second half of the Purple Rain song doubled in length, and that pretty much what we have here. The treats keep coming
as without pause the band play an electrifying version of Noon Rendezvous. Although the music does have a gentle sound to it, what
is attention grabbing is once again the raw guitar sound of Prince in the mix. The lead guitar isn’t over powering, but it does give it a
rock edge. The guitar does pull out and Princes singing is light and ethereal, and blends in well with the overall feeling of the song.
It is an intoxicating song, and before I know it Princes guitar sound is back in the mix as we get a brilliant lead break. For the
longest time I couldn’t understand the fuss over this song, but in recent years it has really grown on me. I always loved the version
on the 1984 birthday show, but I can’t quite decide if that one or this is my favorite. On any given day it may well be the one I am
listening to here. As the song continues on and Prince is “sitting in this cafe, waiting for my baby” I am in heaven. And even better,
this goes on and on, there is no audience, no time constraints and it feels the band is playing on and just enjoying the gentle groove.
It’s just brilliant, and oh, did I mention it goes for almost 20 minutes ?! There is then what I more associate with rehearsals,
checking to get the sound right, some tinkling and crashing of instruments and the like, before a steady beat is taken up, the piano
plays and then we settle into Free. Free consists of just a drum beat, a piano, and Prince and the girls singing. I find the drum a little
plodding, but I do like Prince’s vocal performance on this one. He sings around the melody, and plays with it. And the girls sound
excellent, and once again it only highlights how great Prince, Wendy
and Lisa sounded together. The song doesn’t get played on as much
as the previous two songs, and it remains reasonably faithful to
what is on record, sans the big finish. Things take a serious turn
next as we hear the strong drum pattern of Erotic City, and some
equally erotic sounding guitar from Prince. I wonder what kind of
heavy arrangement he is going to play, the vocals begin and it
reverts to it familiar sound. I rate this song just as highly as the first
two songs on the recording, it’s fantastic. After sticking with the
song for the first couple of verses, Prince then unleashes his guitar,
as well as a line from All The Critic Love U. The guitar has a howling
whining tone at this point, and it gives the song a harder, darker
edge. The guitar becomes more intense as the song progresses, and
Prince is really working it in the latter part of the song. As brilliant
as it is, it’s almost relief when it finishes, it was so intense. Yet
another highlight in a recording full of highlights. I am used to
hearing guitar heavy arrangements of Something In The Water of
late, but this one offers another dimension. Sure, it’s full of guitar as
he has recently played it, but here he is backed by the Revolution,
and they give it a cold remote feeling behind Princes guitar playing.
Prince’s voice is in fine form, and although he doesn’t scream, he
does at one point give a nice long howl. As the song gets to the
refrain of ‘must be something in the water you drink’ the guitar again comes to the fore. I know Prince is a good guitarist, but even
after being a fan for 30 years I still find myself shaking my head as I listen to some of these recordings. He plays some much, it’s
everywhere, and he plays on and on. Even today I still think of him as a song and dance man and listening to his guitar playing is
always a headbuster. I didn’t think this rehearsal could get any better but as the song moves past the 12 minute mark I realize that I
underestimated this recording by a long way. When Doves Cry begins very faithfully to what we know so well. After the main hook is
played a couple of times, Prince is straight into singing the verses and chorus. Even though it is played as per record, it does have a
harder sound to it. Obviously it’s not as polished, but I do love the sound of it here, it is a much stronger band sound. Later in the
song we do hear Wendy’s rhythm guitar, which I always enjoy immensely. And my smile becomes even broader as Wendy launches
into her guitar solo, it’s impossible not to enjoy her and her playing. After Dr Fink plays his equally cool solo, and Prince gives a
fairly impassioned scream, he’s not holding anything back for this rehearsal. The rest of the song is pure groove, and for a few
minutes I forget to write as I sit enraptured by the music. A couple of James Brown-esque grunts and ‘huh’ and the band play the
equally James inspired Irresistible Bitch. For the first time on the recording I find it lacking the intensity of earlier. This is a great
song live, but here it’s missing that sharpness and quickness. There is a Dr Fink solo, which has all the qualities you would expect
from such a thing, and it’s at this point that I find my interest in the song reinvigorated somewhat. I am very impressed at how well
drilled the band are, and how well they respond to Prince’s call. But I’m not really surprised as I know how much Prince rehearses
his bands, and the Revolution are one of the greatest bands he has put together. I thought that this song would have been ripe for
the long jam, but it’s played very straight, and Prince ends it sharply after a few stops and starts with the band. As far as rehearsals
go, this one has forced me to reassess my feelings about listening to them. This is far from a rock rehearsal, yet there is plenty of
Prince’s guitar on all the tracks. If anything, it only served to highlight what a well-balanced and versatile band The Revolution
were. They have plenty of funk, but rock when they have to. As I said in the beginning, I am rare to listen to rehearsals, but if I was
going to take a listen this would be one of my first choices.
♫ Rehearsals #2
(1:17)
(A : Purple Rush Vol III – 9/10)
17 Days / When We’re Dancing Close And Slow / Free / Erotic City (X2)
Irresistible Bitch (X2) / When Doves Cry / Possessed (X2) / All Day All Night
Something In The Water
The rehearsal on Disc 1 suffers terribly from hissing in places, and it is
extremely audible during both 'Irresistible Bitch' (where it's at it's worst)
and 'When We're Dancing Close And Slow'. A number of the tracks
during the mid-section of the rehearsal also have a very annoying
clicking/whirring sound. The opening '17 Days' has a number of edits
throughout where the tape was incomplete and Sabotage have done a
decent job of making it run as smoothly as possible. The running order of
the songs must also be called in to question as most other releases of
this rehearsal have the tracks performed in a different order - just
because The Vault states this as the running order doesn't necessarily
make it true - something Sabotage are guilty of constantly. The
rehearsal itself, whilst being very enjoyable, really holds little of interest
in terms of the
performance.
More or less this is a straight run-through with a fair
amount of work done on teaching the band the intro to
'Possessed'. As always a "live" performance of 'Something
In The Water' is a personal highlight, however this
particular one fades out prematurely. A good rehearsal, but
the quality of the recording is very frustrating at times.
07-06-1984 : Eden Prairie - The Family / Around The World In A Day sessions
♫ MPLS 1st Avenue (Birthday Party)
(1:17)
* Advert. Start : 8:00PM / Duration : 1:25 / Tick. Price : $9.00
(A : From The Soundboard : 1984 Birthday Show – 10/10)
Shortberry Strawcake (PA) / Drums check / 17 Days / Our Destiny
Roadhouse Garden / All Day, All Night / Free / Noon Rendez-Vous
Erotic City (Incl. Something In The Water) / Something On The Water
When Doves Cry / Happy Birthday / Irresistible Bitch / Possessed
Sheila E. was one of many guests celebrating
Prince's 26th birthday, June 7th 1984, at a First
Avenue concert. Most of the show was devoted to
new material : "17 Days," "Our Destiny," "All Day, All
Night," and "Possessed." Sheila and Prince’s
management came from the west coast for the
occasion. The show is a also a real treat with many
tracks being played live for the one and only time many never to be repeated performances here.
These include the extraordinary “Roadhouse Garden
/ Our Destiny”, “All Day, All Night” and “Noon
Rendezvous” which Prince dedicates to Sheila E
who is in attendance. At times the audience are
evidently not living up to Prince's expectation and he
has to coax them to participate a little more, but on
the whole they are vocal and enthusiastic. Prince
sings “Free” alone at the piano, only accompanied with
Bobby Z’s drum. A rearranged version of “Something In
The Water (Does Not Compute)” is also played. A lengthy
“When Doves Cry” follows, with audience’s chants of
“happy birthday”. The show ends with “Irresistible Bitch”
and “Possessed”.
The recording starts with the PA sound, and it serves as a nice soft opening. It gives a
better feel for what it would have been like to be there, and we don’t have a hard jump
straight into a song. There is a classic spoken intro of an announcer saying ‘Ladies and
Gentlemen, Prince, and the Revolution’, and then we are off into it. 17 Days sounds just as
good here as I have ever heard it. The recording is so sharp, to my ears it sounds even
better than it did on vinyl. The first thing that
strikes me is the bass. It’s got an elastic feel to
it, and it’s a beautiful big groove that comes
out of the speakers at me. It’s almost like
riding a wave, it’s so full and washing over
me. The second thing that I really notice is
Prince’s vocals. His singing is so clean
sounding, it’s hard to believe it’s in a live
setting. Generally I try not to gush about what
I am listening to, but in this case it’s very hard
not just to sit back and listen to it and be a
fan. It’s oh so good. Brown Mark just grooves
along underneath, and there is some nice
moments when I hear Wendy playing with
him on the groove. By the time the song
finishes I am wondering how they could have relegated something so good to a B side.
Our Destiny starts slowly. I am not immediately won over as Prince starts singing, but
when that chorus hits me I am fully converted. The keyboards are the hero of this
particular song, whether it be the twinkling sound under the verses, or the muscular stabs driving the choruses. Prince’s vocals are a
little more casual for this one, and some of his character shines through. Also worth mentioning is
the drums in this song. Not the obvious beat of the bass drum, but instead the rather glorious
sounds played on the cymbals. They seem to add just the right feel at just the right moment, and
serve nicely as punctuation to Princes vocals. The band are obviously very well-rehearsed as they
move easily into Roadhouse Garden. Like the previous song it is an unreleased classic. There is an
excellent crisp guitar picking away, and it gives a sharp sound while Prince and the girls sing some
nice full vocals. Listening to it now I realize there isn’t really too much to the song, the keyboards
are barely heard at all, there is a solid bass line, but most of the interest is coming from the guitar
sound and the girls singing. Prince tells the audience “you going to have to excuse us, we just
jamming” and it does very much sound like one of the jams that the band plays endlessly at
rehearsal. It does have a good feel to it, and at no point does one member of the band get the
spotlight, it’s very much a band thing. Prince takes time to chat to the audience next, and I like it
when he takes a moment to tell them “you’ll came in here expecting to drive Prince’s red corvette,
that’s not going to work. We just going to play a few numbers, some of them you’ll gonna know,
most of them you won’t” Then follows one of my favorite moments of the show, Prince says “Wendy
wants to live forever. Maybe she will” and the band rip into a storming version of All Day, All
Night. The bass line is heavy and right in my face, and the whole band ride on it and it’s got a feeling
as if they are playing as one, as a single entity. Every aspect is so tight and interwoven, it is an
absolute joy to listen to. I could quite happily just listen to an instrumental of this, I feel like getting
up and dancing as the introduction plays on. Prince comes with the first verse, and he is sounding
excellent, as he is throughout the show. I love the way the groove lets up just a little at the end of
the chorus so the guitar and music can take a few little steps up. Bobby Z gets a moment, and plays
some hard electronic sounding drum rolls, which add to the overall pulsating feel of the song. If
fact the whole song feels like it galloping a long, and when it suddenly ends it’s like a sharp intake
of breathe. Things slow down next as Prince plays a gentler sounding Free. After the dense
sounding All Day, All Night, it’s very sparse sound, and it serves the song well. Prince’s vocals are
back to being the main focus, and he delivers beautifully. I thought the Free sounded light on the
1999 album, but here it is much stronger sounding. A lot of the corniness is stripped away, and it
no longer has the over the top finish as heard on 1999. All in all I much prefer this arrangement,
and I am glad we get to hear it. Prince ups the ante with his singing near the end, before the song
closes with the solo piano again. This is not the best song on the recording, but it is a very pleasant
surprise. The drums take a few bars to find a steady beat for the next song as a funky sounding
rhythm guitar begins to play. As good as it sounds, it is a little misleading as the song takes a
sudden turn. Prince dedicates it to Sheila E, and the music takes on the smooth sound of Noon
Rendezvous. Again, this is another song never released by Prince, and that’s a shame as it does
have a very alluring sound to it. The guitar is playing just enough to draw me in, and the rest of the
band create a smooth velvet sound. There is a guitar solo, but it’s in no way disruptive to the gentle
groove, and it’s well tucked up inside the song. The second lead guitar break is slightly louder, and
Prince is playing more of what I might expect from this time. The girls enter with the soft refrain of “sitting in this cafe, waiting for
my baby”, but it’s not as drawn out as we hear in rehearsals, and the song ends soon after. Things are much heavier almost right
away, as a hard drum beat begins, and some rock lead guitar. It’s quite loose sounding, but after half a minute the band come on
board and things immediately tighten up as they play Erotic City. Although not as bass driven as it sounds on record, it is still very
strong sounding. Some of the sparseness of the record is sacrificed, but what we get instead is a lot more guitar, and a lot stronger
vocals from Prince. It also sounds faster to my ears, and doesn’t sound as dirty and funky. It’s a fair trade-off, but only just. With the
intonation of “all the critics love me” we get plenty more guitar of Prince, and I can hear Wendy step up the funky guitar she is
playing. The band is heavily in the groove by this point and Prince becomes a lot wilder sounding on the guitar, but always returning
to the All The Critics Love U riff. The keyboards also get stronger as the song progresses, and as time goes on it becomes denser and
louder. It increases in intensity until it eventually comes to an end at the eight minute mark. Something In The Water (Does Not
Compute) has a great dark beginning. The cold keyboard initially starts before a brooding guitar riff from Prince. He asks the crowd
“alright if I just play for a minute” as he then proceeds to do just that. It’s atmospheric in sound, and suitably slow and mournful.
When Prince begins to sing he captures the lonely feel of the song perfectly, especially with his “does not compute, does not
compute” There is even a moment when he sings “what’s the hang-up, bitch” which adds a hint of desperation and feeling to the
song. The song is without the drum machine rhythm heard on record, but that barely matters as Prince is sounding so emotional,
yet the music is cold and detached, much like the woman the protagonist in the song is singing to. Later in the song Prince lets his
guitar do his talking. It’s not right in front in the mix, but it does sound very good, and worth listening carefully to. This song is
played right out and every minute of it is worth listening to. When Doves Cry is the standout track on this recording for me. Right
from the first moment it has a clean sound, and the drum line is so familiar. Dr Fink plays the lead line a couple of times, before
Prince comes to the microphone. At first he blows the first line, he mumbles “how can you…” before he catches himself and quickly
covers with “come on, have you heard this before ?” It’s very fast and smooth, and a great recovery. He then asks the crowd to get
on board, before calling for Dr Fink to play the lead line gain. He then implores the crowd further to “get down” before calling for
the lead line once more before singing the first chorus. The longer intro actually works well, and I like hearing him talk to the crowd
like this. Once the song starts, I notice that Wendy and Lisa are very strong on the vocals, they are much more prominent than
heard on record. It’s not bad, just different. Wendy gets her moment to shine on guitar, and its good sounding, but perhaps not as
clean sounding as everything else. The best is yet to come, as the band play on, Dr Fink plays a cool solo, and then there comes a
great scratch guitar. I’m not sure if its Prince or Wendy, but it’s my favorite part of the song. It plays on and on, and I never tire of it.
The band sing “Don’t cry” over and over as that beautiful guitar line just loops again and again. I don’t know how long it goes for,
but it feels like forever, and it encapsulates the Prince sound I first knew and loved. And just on a side note, my girlfriend told me
she thought this part was boring and repetitive - looks like I might be single again soon ! This last half is a song unto itself and the
recording is excellent just based on this alone. Of course there is the obligatory Happy Birthday sung by the audience, before the
band turn up the funk levels with Irresistible Bitch. It’s not as dark as I have heard elsewhere, but it’s still a nice version. The band
are playing incredibly tightly, and it’s the guitar that mostly holds my attention. It’s so crisp sounding, and the song revolves around
the guitar riff. There is a keyboard solo that sounds good to my ears, but it’s a little low in the mix, I would have of liked to hear it
much more. Near the end Prince stops and starts the band several times, and as always they are right on the button. Possessed is
equally funky, but with a dash of pop thrown in the mix. After a Vegas sounding opening the band open up a rapid groove, again the
rhythm is king here, the only melody coming from a simple
keyboard line. Prince’s vocals aren’t quite as clear as they had been
earlier in the show, he is a little more in the mix, but that’s not a
negative at all, and the second verse I can understand his lyrics
much better, so it maybe my problem more than his. There some
further interesting keyboard jamming later, again it’s a too quiet for
my taste and I have to listen carefully to appreciate all of it. Prince
does a scat about ‘big ole soul sisters’ and it’s very tightly in the
rhythm, so I give him a pass despite the corniness. I think that the
band are going to play this one as a long funky jam, so I am very
surprised when it stops suddenly and Prince tells the crowd that
they got to go. There has been a lot of talk about this soundboard
recording since it first surfaced, and I can fully understand why.
This show is mindbogglingly good, and deserves all the praise
heaped upon it. If someone was to tell me that this was the best
recording, I would have very little argument with them. This one is
excellent in every way, and a must listen for any sort of fan.
Our Destiny (1) – live recording – Roadhouse Garden
Roadhouse Garden (1) – live recording – Roadhouse Garden
All Day, All Night (1) – live recording – Roadhouse Garden
Our Destiny (partial lyrics)
..... I’d love to turn you on.
... .. come to play.
Our Love its written in the sky above..
Our destiny is to fall in love.
Don’t fight it cause its stronger than us...
Our destiny is to fall in love.....I'll Be
When I saw you back...I had to talk to you.
Didn’t know what to say..
I now need your love any way.
Our Love it’s written in the sky above..
Our destiny is to fall in love.
Don’t fight it cause its stronger than us...
Our destiny is to fall in love...I'll be
Look , I’m not sayin’ get married or nuthin’..
I ain’t ready to settle down baby..
I don’t wanna have no kids.
All I’m tryin to say to ya is that a..
You gotta be the finest specimen of woman I’ve ever seen.
Our destiny is to fall in love....I'll Be
...yeah.. I'll be..yeah.. I'll be.
... kiss not just yet.
.... treat me like this.
pleasures ....let’s find a room
Do you want me, baby ?
...I want you , I want you
I want you too, baby.
I want you ...I want you
Roadhouse Garden
Ughg
Somebody clap your hands
This is the road that leads to where I live
See a house, open the door
It's alright
It's alright
This is the house where we used to play
W²e opened nights, we opened days
It's alright, yea
It's alright
This is the garden where emotion grows
24 feelings all in a row
It's alright, yea
It's alright, yea
Talkin' 'bout the
Road (road) House (house) Garden
Our Road (road) House (house) Garden, yeah
This is the road that leads to where I live
See the door, come inside
It's alright, ahh
It's alright
This is the house where we used to play
We owned the nights we owned the days
It's alright
Yea, it's alright
This is the garden where emotions grows
24 feelings all in a row
It's alright
Lordy, Lordy, it's alright
Talkin 'bout the
Road (road) House (house) Garden
Yeah
Road (road) House (house) Garden
Lord, sing it one more time, Wooo !!
I'm talkin 'bout the
Road (road) House (house) Garden
Road (road) House (house) Garden
Road House Garden
Road House Garden
Everybody, stop on the one
GO !
You all have to excuse us, we just jammin’
Everybody
Love on a train
Make love on a train
Help me out, clap your hands
Come on, Woo !
Everybody, clap you hands, get down, come on
Everybody, come on, uh
All Day All Night
Oh, what a beautiful morning
Oh, what a beautiful ass
Darling, that’s my final plea 4 love.
Take me now or witness the slow
and horrible death of your white fox.
My time is running out
I can’t wait no longer.
I watch as u make love 2 others...
Disgusting as it seems, it intoxicates me.
U might say that I’m amused 2 the point where my blood
increases.
My heartbeat accelerates and my mouth waters
uncontrollably.
4 I know that no woman will ever love u like your white fox.
No woman will ever kiss u in this life time
or the next the way u and I kiss tonight.
Take me now as I am
4 I am becoming confused what I stand 4 and desire.
Tell me darling who I am. Who I am. What I am.
What am I ?
What am I ?
Oh, are these my lips ?
or are they petals from some crazy flower ?
Oh, are these my hips ?
if they are then they’re some kind of powerful.
All day, all night
U can be my baby, I’ll make u feel all right.
All day, all night
U can be my baby, I’ll make u feel all right.
Oh, is this your mouth ?
or am I swirling in some wet tornado ?
Oh, u make me wanna shout
when I’m in your arms I feel like play dough.
All day, all night
U can be my baby, I’ll make u feel all right.
All day, all night
U can be my baby, I’ll make u feel all right.
Oh, is this your house ?
Am I in an ocean of desire ?
Oh, u make me wanna shout
when I’m in your love I feel on fire.
All day, all night
U can be my baby, I’ll make u feel all right.
All day, all night
U can be my baby, I’ll make u feel all right.
What I am, what am I, what ?
Am I who. Am I who, darling, me too.
Desire and 4 stand I what confused becoming
am I 4 I am as now me take tonight kiss I and u.
That way the next the or lifetime this
in u kiss ever will woman no.
Start don’t stop, make love ev’ry night, and all day.
U can be my baby, I’ll make u feel all right.
All day, all night
U can be my baby, I’ll make u feel all right
MPLS Afterparty
After the concert, the festivities continued with a birthday party at a sculptor’s studio in the warehouse district of Minneapolis.
Prince's mother and stepfather turned out along with 300 friends from school, the old
neighbourhoods (including Andre Cymone and his mother, Bernadette Anderson), and the music
business. The colour of the party was purple : purple napkins, plates and stars on the tables. A
huge wedding cake was decorated with purple music notes, piano keys and a seven inch single of
"When Doves Cry” instead of a bride and groom.
Meets Taja Sevelle
Despite her extra in the Purple Rain movie, Taja Sevelle , whose real name is Nancy Richardson,
really first met Prince in 1984 at First Avenue. She sang in various bands during her university
studies before forming Nobody, band "of visually creative pop, jazz and R&B" (as she’ll later
describe it.) She also worked in local radio, KMOJ to animate various programs. Decided to stay in
MPLS, she had to wait three years to finally get her album released. By signing with Paisley Park
Records, in fact, she worked directly with WB and the involvement of Prince in her album is
minimal.
Star Tribune
By Jon Bream
Bobby Z, with his girlfriend Vicki in tow, is cruising through the crowd at First Avenue, looking for his dad. It’s after 10 P.M. and
Bobby, drummer for Prince’s Revolution, is supposed to be onstage already. But it’s Prince’s party, and he’ll do what he wants to.
Prince is cruising through the crowd himself. Alan Leeds, logistics expert, is clearing the path; Chick Huntsberry, the ultimate
bodyguard, is bringing up the rear. Prince is sandwiched in between, hanging onto a hand of each of his attendants. He stops to chat
with Allen Beaulieu, the Minneapolis photographer who has shot some of his album covers. Oh, there’s an old friend, and there’s
someone who helped with the movie. Prince is making the rounds. It’s a hand-picked crowd—invitations only and “Members First,”
an exclusive group of friends of the people who work at First Avenue, the hip danceteria where Prince hangs out and filmed most of
the concert sequences for Purple Rain. The Members had to shell out $20 per ticket. Actually, Prince wanted to charge $25 when he
realized how high his expenses were, what with the Record Plant’s mobile recording facility being brought in from New York at a
cost of at least $25,000. But the tickets had already been printed and were scheduled to go on sale. And First Avenue refused to
make a change. “He’s not God,” said one staffer. No, but this is his birthday party. And his twenty-sixth year is going to be the
biggest year of his life. His movie, Purple Rain, will be released in a few weeks. The soundtrack album is due any day, and the single
“When Doves Cry” has soared to the top of the charts. He’ll soon be the hottest figure in the music business, more talked about than
the Jacksons and more in demand than Bruce Springsteen. Tonight is his first full-fledged concert appearance since a benefit
performance at First Avenue ten months ago. From an artistic standpoint, Purple Rain is history, and the prolific Prince has new
material and a new look to share with his friends. Purple is the color, of course. The purple lamé trench coat is no surprise, but the
purple scarf with the black fringe draped over one eye is. And so, too, the pink and purple brocade outfit. There’s no doubt that
Prince is entering his Sgt. Pepper’s phase with a bit of a Louis XIV touch for the ‘80s. Musically, some changes will be evident
tonight. “If you’re expecting to drive my little red Corvette,” he tells his favored few after he takes the stage an hour later than
scheduled, “you won’t. We’ve got some stuff you will recognize and some you won’t.” “Irresistible Bitch,” the B-side from “Let’s
Pretend We’re Married,” and “Doves” and its flipside, “17 Days,” are the only familiar tunes. The rest of the night is devoted to new
material that’s a lot funkier and more soulful than the rock-oriented sounds of Purple Rain. He looks a year older than when he was
onstage here last summer. There’s more character, more age, more emotion in his face. The energy is still there. He’s mastered
those James Brown moves he’s been studying and practicing - high-heeled spins that give way into splits. The gospel- influenced
vocal screams are more abundant than in the past. One thing is certain tonight: Prince has got a brand new bag. “This song is
dedicated to that little girl over there,” he says, pointing to a woman at the sound board. “That’s Sheila E.” She smiles and stares at
him for the whole song; he gazes back at her. The ballad is dreamy, the chemistry is obvious. Next comes the X-rated “Erotic City,”
which will end up as a B-side on another new single. The Revolution is cooking tonight. For a group that hasn’t played publicly in
nearly a year, it couldn’t be hotter and tighter. The lead man is loose and smiling. But the audience is strangely blasé. These trend
mongers don’t know what to make of new tunes like “Possessed,” “Our Destiny,” “Something,” and “All Day/All Night.” They want
to party to the Prince they know and love. But the night isn’t over. It’s off to a sculptor’s studio about a mile away in the warehouse
district, Minneapolis’s answer to New York’s Soho. Security is tight - no invitation, no admittance. Five muscle bound guards in
black T-shirts, white suspenders, and jeans are there to make sure. It’s a party in purple - purple napkins, purple plates, purple stars
on the tables. There’s a five-tier wedding cake decorated with purple music notes, piano keys, and a 45 of “When Doves Cry” instead
of a bride and groom. The song isn’t on the sound system, but just about every other hot dance record of the past few years is,
courtesy of First Avenue’s disc jockeys. Even favorite oldies by Earth, Wind & Fire and the Spinners are mixed in with the latest by
The Time and Apollonia 6. Sheila E., dressed in a long coat, has flown in from the West Coast along with Prince’s managers : Bob
Cavallo, Joe Ruffalo, and Steve Fargnoli. Andre Cymone, once Prince’s bosom buddy and now a less- than-amiable rival, is here
along with his mother, Bernadette Anderson, who took Prince into her home during his high school years. Prince’s mother and
stepfather have turned out, too, along with three hundred or so friends from school, the old neighborhoods, and the music world.
It’s home folks, and that means Prince has parked his bodyguard at the front door and left his standoffish Prince persona at First
Avenue. The birthday boy takes to the crowded dance floor in his white ruffled blouse and black Vegas-style pants and vest. It’s
party time. No star moves here - there isn’t room. He’s not partial about partners ; every lady gets a turn. His energy is staggering.
He may step outside for a breath of fresh air on this rainy summer night or stop at the bar for some fruit juice. But he’ll outlast all
his guests. It’s 5:05 A.M. The private concert ended more than four hours ago. The sun is coming up over downtown Minneapolis.
Most of the party guests have gone home. The bar has long been closed, and Prince’s stepfather, Hayward Baker, is hunched over in
his chair next to the bar, catching a few z’s. “Controversy” is blasting on the sound system in the next room. Prince comes flying
through the doorway. He glances at Baker in the corner and floats back to his dance partner without missing a beat. It looks as if
he’s going to party until 1999.
08-06-1984 : SHEILA E - THE GLAMOROUS LIFE Dutch Single Release
THE TIME - ICE CREAM CASTLES Single Release
Single : Ice Cream Castles (Edit) (3:37) / Tricky (3:12)
Maxi-Single : Ice Cream Castle (Full Length Version) (7:33) / Get It Up (9:05) / Tricky (3:12)
Ice Cream Castles was the first single to be released from The Time's third album Ice Cream Castle. It
was released four weeks prior to the album. The b-side, Tricky, was not available on any album. The
song is addressed to an artist who is clearly asked to retire. In fact, the artist concerned would be
George Clinton, one of Prince’s favorite artist.
The single reached number 11 on the Billboard Black Chart, and failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100
chart. It didn't fared much better in the Billboard Dance/Disco Top 80 chart, reaching position 70 only.
Being released prior to The Time's exposure in the movie Purple Rain, and the song not being featured
in the movie, the single didn't benefit the same publicity and crossed-promotion as further singles
released from the same album.
! St
Paul Prom Center (Joins The Time @ Black Music Awards)
* Duration : 0:10
Jungle Love
Prince strolled out in black shawl and big round glasses, at the close of the Black Music
Awards at the Prom Center, St. Paul, to join The Time, led by Jesse Johnson, in a version of
“Jungle Love." Morris Day wasn't around and Jesse Johnson had already sung "The Bird."
Day's conspicuous absence immediately sparked rumours that The Time was breaking up.
Prince won the award for Most Valuable Performer in the R&B category.
Meets Mazarati
Mazarati was a seven-piece group from Minneapolis that had been discovered by Prince’s bass player, Brown Mark. They were
contracted to Prince’s Paisley Park Records in 1984. Playing a blend of funk and harder-edged rock, Mazarati was formed in 1982.
Sir Casey Terry (Mazarati’s singer) : “When Brown Mark and I were in school at Central High, we had a pact when we were
sophomores : if one person makes it, he’ll help the others out. We had shaken hands on it. Brown Mark and Romeo Daine and
Kevin Patricks and I. It’s the kind of thing you promise when you’re growing up. I didn’t know he would really do it. After high school,
I played in a band called Wired, and Mark had gone on to play with Prince. One day, Mark left a note on my mother’s doorstep,
saying “Sir Casey Terry, give me a call, I’m gonna make you a star.” I thought it was a joke, so two weeks later I finally called.”
Terry and Brown Mark put the band together. Two of the members were Terry’s schoolmates, bass player Romeo (who lost his
surname) and drummer Kevin Patricks
(“Blondie”). Another friend, Aaron Paul Keith
(“Ace”), joined as the group’s lead guitarist.
Keyboard player Marr Starr and rhythm guitarist
Tony Christian came to Minneapolis from
Milwaukee. Terry : “We ran into them at First
Avenue and asked them to audition. And then
we met another keyboard player, Aaron Paul
Keith. We wanted a name for the group that
really represented our music. We liked Mazarati
because it suggests energy, speed, power,
precision, and balance.” The group was
supervised by Mark, who would often play with
them live. After getting Prince involved, Mark
would sometimes bring the band over to
rehearse at the warehouse where Prince could
check the band out and jam with them. Tony
Christian believes Prince’s interest in the band
was due to his realisation that The Time was
not going to be around much longer. Christian :
“Mark used to wear a mask to the gigs so he
wouldn’t be recognised. Mark was going under
the name “The Shadow.” He was playing with
us without Prince knowing it. I remember taking
a ride with Mark in his Corvette. He was worried
that Prince would find out. I said : “Just tell him !
He’s gonna find out anyway. The worst thing
that he can do is want a piece of it or tell you to
stop.” Prince would come to see us play live a
lot, and he would jam with us. That’s just his
way to see if we could keep up with him. Prince
needed more acts. He needed someone to take
the place of The Time.
??-??-1984 : Paisley Park Records
13-06-1984 : WHEN DOVES CRY Maxi-Single Release
When Doves Cry (Full Length) (5:54) / 17 Days (3:54)
21-06-1984 : Rolling Stone
Prince Film Due Out in July
Never one to shrink from a challenge, Prince will
defy industry wisdom by releasing his $7 million
film, the autobiographical Purple Rain, in late
July - right when the Olympics are in full swing.
Those who've seen the nearly completed movie are primarily raving about its concert sequences, which would seem to indicate that
the general audience originally envisioned for the film may not materialize. Nevertheless, Purple Rain is only the centerpiece of
what promises to be a Prince-laden summer. Though the film features music by Prince, his band (now called the Revolution), The
Time, and Apollonia 6 (formerly Vanity 6), there will be no single soundtrack album per se. Instead, each group plans to release a
complete album of its own. Tracks on the Prince record will include "I Would Die for You," "Darling Nikki," "Baby I'm a Star" and
"The Beautiful Ones." It's undecided whether Prince will tour before the year is out, but Morris Day and the Time will be out
promoting their LP, Ice Cream Castles, and guitarist Dez Dickersen has been auditioning new band members. Prince is also said to
be involved with a new vocalist, Sheila E., whose record will come out this summer as well. And Vanity, the lingerie-clad modelvocalist, has got a solo deal with Motown.
22-06-1984 : WHEN DOVES CRY UK Single Release
UK release of "When Doves Cry" / "17 Days." The single reached number four and became Prince’s first UK Top 10 hit.
25-06-1984 : PURPLE RAIN Release
(43:54)
Let’s Go Crazy (4:39) / Take Me With U (3:53) / The Beautiful Ones (5:14) / Computer Blue (3:59)
Darling Nikki (4:14) / When Doves Cry (5:54) / I Would Die 4 U (2:49) / Baby I’m A Star (4:24) / Purple Rain (8:41)
Dig if u will the picture - of u and I engaged in a kiss. The sweat of your body
covers me. Can u picture this, my darling ? An ocean of violets engulf our
persons. A bird screams. At 1st, I think it's u and u thought it was me. Oh, if
only violets could talk. Insecurities. Do u know who u are ? Then it doesn't
matter who screamed 1st. Did it matter who ate of the apple 1 st ? The end result
was negative. Can u pass me the pepper ? Why, because u told me salt was
bad 4 me. I thought u liked eggs. I thought u liked me. Well, eggs are the only
thing I can make besides a baby. Why do u look at me like that ? What are u
thinking ? I know u better than u think I do. There's this purple suspicion that
lurks in the anals of my mind that u and I are alike in more ways than 6. Can u
relate ? oh yeah ? Then what's the difference between a beautiful man and an
ugly man with money ? Nothing - as far as you're concerned. Do u still want 2
spend the night ? Good. Come on. U said u would wash my hair. Shall we go
swimming 1st ? U can't swim. Wonderful. "I'll teach u 2 swim, I'll teach u 2 try, I'll
teach u 2 laugh, but not 2 cry. I'll teach u 2 trust me when u think I lie, I'll teach
u 2 love me until we die." It's from a song I wrote. Do u believe that ? U do ?
Well, I lied. I just made it up. Pretty good, huh. It's not nice 2 lie. I think we're on
the right track. Shall I wash u 1st or shall u wash me ?
Fuelled by the success of “When Doves Cry,” the June 25th release of the
Purple Rain album was eagerly anticipated. The Purple Rain album is much
more than simply a soundtrack and it was Prince’s most consistent work to
date. The album was irremediably hailed as a masterpiece and got rave
reviews. Most critics noted that Prince’s lyrics were less explicit than before and that his music had become much more accessible,
and many predicted quite rightly that the album would be Prince’s huge commercial breakthrough. Warner Bros. Announced firstday sales of 1.3 million copies, eventually selling 10 million copies there and over 14 million worldwide. The LP stayed in the
number one spot in the States for over six months, something only a handful of artists have ever achieved. It topped charts all over
the world. If 1999 had established Prince as a huge star in America, it was Purple Rain that made him an international superstar.
Commenting on the album, Susan Rogers, one of the engineers who worked on the LP, said : “He took more time and care, and
slowed down a little bit in getting some of the songs on tape. He began to realise that he was going to be a big star and sell a lot of
records and that they were going to be judged against other people’s records. He always used to make fun of ‘those engineers out
in L.A.’ who would go over their recordings with ‘a fine-toothed comb.’ He always disdained that. He loved to just grab the EQ
knobs and add some excitement here and there. He never worried about what he was doing. That was the case all the way up to
1999. But now he was reaching a point in his life where he was beginning to realise his potential to sell a lot of records. Prince
knew this was going to be it ! He was ecstatic when he finished it.” The Purple Rain album begins, as does the film, with "Let’s Go
Crazy." "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life," Prince intones over the opening organ
chords, making it sound as if it was a sermon. In combining both earthly and spiritual concerns, the song sets forth the tensions
which propel the action of the movie. In one breath we are told that life "means forever," while in the very next we are informed that
"there is something else, the afterworld.” This conflict is at the heart of the transformation which the Kid undergoes, from an
emotionless, alienated loner who trusts no one into a fully realized individual who is capable of showing emotion and
communicating with others. The lyrics "In this life you're on your own" sum up the Kid's loner attitude. He sees life in terms of an
impersonal, negative force, a “de elevator," which tries to take you down when you wart to go up. The Kid's uncertainty about life is
reflected in the line "We're all excited but we don't know why. Maybe it's because we're all gonna die." He wonders what everything
means when we are all going to die anyway, and like in the song "1999" he urges us to live for now, before death comes to claim
us. By the end of the song, he is cheering for the second coming, before ending with a rapturous scream, "Take me away !"
Musically, the opening "Let's Go Crazy" is a fast, dense high energy rocker centred around a highly charged guitar riff. Frantic
synths add to the delirium, but it is Prince's fiery guitar work that stands out. The construction of the song is similar to many of his
earlier compositions, with the verses containing a quick lead-in for a brief chorus sung over the main theme of the song. Towards
the end, Prince inserts a blistering guitar solo as the song goes into a slower, bluesy 12/8 bar segment which closes the song.
Ending up in a maelstrom of shrieking guitars and synths, the song tumbles into “Take Me With U." The version of "Let's Go Crazy"
in the film was released on a 12" single. It is several minutes longer than on the album containing an additional instrumental part
with a funky guitar lick and a synth figure that recalls "Possessed," a song from 1982. In all likelihood, the 12" version of the song is
the original full-length recording of the song which was edited down for inclusion on the album. A late entry to the album, “Take Me
With U," a duet between Prince and Apollonia, is a melodic and poppy rock tune with an instrumentation that emphasizes acoustic
guitar, finger cymbals, and an attractive string arrangement. The live drumming has Prince's familiar fingerprints. The construction
of the song is simple enough, with the end of the verses modulated to a higher key to set up for a quick chorus. A sudden bri dge
section halfway through the song raises the tension. The song's easy-going and relaxed character fit in perfectly with the mutual
declaration of love that the song is. As long as the lovers are with each other, nothing else matters. Minor concerns such as wealth
or living in the fast lane are rejected by the two infatuated souls, who want nothing more than to spend the night in each others
arms. In terms of the film, this song represents the initial, idyllic phase of the Kid's and Apollonia’s relationship, before it becomes
complicated by the Kid's mistrust and jealousy. Except for "When Doves Cry," “Take Me With U" is the only song on the album that
is not presented as part of a stage performance. Presenting the idyllic phase of the Kid's and Apollonia’s relationship, so limiting the
song to just the two of them made perfect sense. Additionally, the song is a duet between Prince and Apollonia, so concert footage
would have required Apollonia on
stage which would have conflicted
with the Kid's refusal to help her get
ahead in the music business. The
mood changes abruptly for "The
Beautiful Ones," which deals with
much more complex issues. The Kid
pours out his emotions about his
desire for his lover and his own
uncertainties about their relationship.
The song continues Prince's wellknown use of the theme of his lover
having another man. Blaming her for
his confusion, he bluntly asks her to
choose between him and the other
guy. He openly wonders if she enjoys
his kisses, it is as if he is wondering if
he is good enough for her to desire
him in return. The Kid has painted in
his mind a perfect picture of what a
love relationship should be like.
Unfortunately, reality cannot match up
to the dream and the idealized but all
too human lover ends up hurting the
Kid by failing to live up to his
unrealistic
expectations,
thereby
smashing the picture he has created.
The notion of the two getting married
seems like a desperate attempt to
make the illusion concrete, to keep the dream alive a little longer. "The Beautiful Ones” is a gorgeous, evocative slow-paced song
featuring a passionate vocal delivery by Prince, vividly capturing the Kid's inner turmoil. His delicate falsetto grows increasingly
agitated as he lays his soul bare before his lover. The instrumental backing is just as compelling, as Prince builds the song from a
sparse beginning with a drum machine and organ (synth) to an intense, forceful climax. Discordant synth lines towards the end add
to the feeling of confusion and desperation. It is a truly breathtaking performance. In 1993 it was voted the most popular Prince
song by Prince's then official fan club, Controversy. According to Susan Rogers, ”The Beautiful Ones" was Prince's favourite. “That
song meant a lot to him It was written for Susannah Melvoin (Wendy’s twin sister). A lot of songs were written about her, but that
was the first one." "Computer Blue" takes the impersonal, mechanical outlook of life in general as expressed in "Let’s Go Crazy”
and applies that concept to the Kid's personal life. The song starts out with a monotone, lifeless conversation between Lisa and
Wendy, concerning whether the water is warm enough for them to begin. In spite of his reputation for explicit lyrics, Prince knows
when less is more, and this ambiguous tete-a-tete conjures up a variety of images, not the least of which include an ill-defined and
lethargic sexual situation. Their voices have a tired, bored and almost mechanical quality which makes this encounter seem utterly
impersonal, without any sharing of emotion between the two. The song is written around a riff that Dr. Fink came up with during
rehearsals. "Prince said, ‘I like that. Let's try and work with it.’ Then he built the song around it," commented Dr. Fink. Lisa and
Wendy also contributed to the writing of the song, while Prince's father is credited for the "Father's Song" part. He was even
brought in to play piano on this section of the song. The Kid laments his love life and wonders if something is wrong with "the
machinery." The song coveys the frustration of a person who is aware that something is a miss in his relationships with others, but
who at the same time cannot face the problem head on. Throughout the film, the Kid cannot bring himself to trust others, to get
close to them. Thus, being both unfeeling towards others and personally unhappy at the same time, he is quite literally a "Computer
Blue." Just as “The Beautiful Ones” dealt with the Kid's unrealistic search for the perfect lover, "Computer Blue" also sets up a
situation where the Kid is searching for his ideal woman, the "Righteous One," and how his inability to find her keeps him
dissatisfied. This notion is confirmed in Wendy’s "The Righteous One" speech about the "poor lonely computer," which is included
in the lyrics printed on the album sleeve (and which was included in a longer version of the song), but which is not found on the
album version. The Kid is the "poor lonely computer" who needs to be programmed to learn that love and lust are different feelings.
Because of his emotional detachment and mistrust of others, the Kid does not know what love really is. The music is suitably cold
and mechanical. A drum machine provides a steady rock beat throughout the mainly instrumental piece, which fuses three different
sections. A simple synth phrase is the main ingredient of the first segment, which is made up of a single verse, followed by a quick
chorus repeated twice. The synth is the predominant instrument, but the focus shifts to the guitar in the second section when Prince
launches into a succession of guitar scales. This part functions as a segue to the calmer, more harmonic third segment which is
based on "Father's Song," although it is played much faster than the piano version of the song and with an emphasis on the guitar
rather than the piano. At the end the song returns to the theme of the first section, before finishing with a rousing guitar finale. The
main synth phrase and somewhat rigid, machine-like feel of the music, as well as the computer theme, recall 1999 tunes such as
"Automatic" and "Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)." "Computer Blue" was originally much longer and had to be edited
down because of time constraints. At least three different versions of the song were recorded (or constructed after mixing and
editing). The guitar ending and the first section of the song are similar on all three versions. The differences appear in the middle
section of the song. The first, longest version (almost 13 minutes) contains "The Righteous One" speech and the so-called "hallway
speech." A part with charts of "na-na-na-nah..." appears twice in this version, and has Prince encouraging audience response,
“Wave your hands in the air !" Another version lacks all the spoken and sang parts in the mid-section of the song, being the most
instrumental version of the three. A funky guitar lick is added halfway through the song. The third version is close to the "hallway
speech" version but all the spoken and sung parts, except for one "na-na-na-na..." chart, are omitted. The "hallway speech" tells of
a man who did not like living alone. The house where he lived had many hallways, and it was a long walk to his bedroom. Prince
relates that each hallway represented a different emotion, and that one day when the man was with his girlfriend, he decided to
name each one. The first hallway was named "lust." They went through the second corridor, which he named "fear." The woman's
grip on the man's thigh loosened. Then, as he wrote the words "insecurity," her hands dropped to her sides. The man looked in the
woman's eyes and smiled, before walking on to the next hallway, corridor after corridor, he named almost all, when suddenly he
stopped. He painted the word ‘hate.’ The girlfriend now gone, he painted the last one "fear." After an instrumental portion, this
version of the song continues with lyrics about being "on the verge of a breakdown." There is a shriek, and we hear Prince say
"Father, Father, the sun is gone. The Dawn, the Dawn. Father, Father, where is the Dawn ?" After some "na-na-na-nahs," the lyrics
continue "Shall I go to church on Sunday ? Shall I stay home and pray ? Shall I try to make her happy ? Shall I try to make her stay
?" Then Wendy can be heard saying "It's time you learned women aren't butterflies. We're computers too, just like you, computer
blue." She says that he loves “too fast and hate too soon, and, take for granted that the feeling’s mutual." This entire segment is
very unusual and nightmarish. It may have been intended as an analogy to the Kid's needs to come to grips with his emotions, with
Apollonia by his side. The lyrics reflect the Kid's emotional blindness in that the man loses sight of the dawn and cries to the Father.
This segment of the song is very reminiscent of Jesus calling to God the Father while on the cross, and the darkness which spread
over the land after He was crucified. The religious feeling continues with the questions about going to church or staying home to
pray. Wendy’s last speech sums up the Kid's faults in his willingness to fall in love with Apollonia, but then just as quickly permitting
his jealousy to sour the relationship. By saying that women are computers too, the message is that the Kid is wrong to think of
women as perfect beings (“butterflies"), and that they can have as many quirks and personal problems as he does. However, as
theatrical and intriguing as the "hallway speech" version of the song is, it also packs a few too many ideas into one song. The
naming of the hallways might parallel the Kid's coming to terms with his emotions, but the image is too human, thereby drifting
away and detracting from the computer theme of the song. That might explain why only the more appropriate "poor lonely
computer" speech was included in live performances of the song while the rest was discarded. The cold, spiritless atmosphere of
"Computer Blue" carries over into "Darling Nikki," which has the Kid striking out with his music against Apollonia for her supposed
unfaithfulness to him. Prince later described "Darling Nikki" as "the coldest song ever written." It is a tight and punchy strippeddown, moderately slow number. Prince sings the concise melody of the verses more or less a capella, accompanied only by a
heavily accented drum machine and sparing guitar. A loud, forceful synth and guitar riff at the end of the verses replaces a sung
refrain or chorus. Interestingly, the melody blends together elements from both The Addams Family and The Munsters television
theme tunes. Prince sings of a sex obsessed woman who wants to use him to grind, and then dump him when she is done. While
the Kid clearly uses the song as an analogy of his relationship with Apollonia, it is just as clear that Apollonia is not unfaithful to the
Kid. The tragedy of the Kid is his inability to recognize that it is his own jealousy that is the real cause of the problems between the
two. The attack on Apollonia is quite relentless. The Kid describes her castle as being full of sexual devices. In a cold and legalistic
manner, she has her suit or sign some sort of waiver or consent form, and then without any emotion, she starts to grind. As if she
was some kind of enchantress, the Kid says that she does something which gets his head spinning, leaving his body a wreck.
Then, he tells how she slips away during the night, leaving a note telling him to call her next time he is looking for a grin d. Because
he is under her spell, the song ends with the Kid completely mesmerized, uttering a desperate scream for her to return. Instead of
desiring a true relationship, he is now willing to settle merely to grind with her once again. "Darling Nikki" also seems to have been
edited down for inclusion on Purple Rain. A slightly longer version contains an instrumental break (after Prince screams "come
back, Nikki" at the end), before returning to the album version. The first side of the original LP format of the album ends with a
backwards a capella recording by Prince not too far removed from "For You." Played forward, it says, "Hello, how are you ? I’m fine
because I know that the Lord is coming soon, coming soon." "When Doves Cry" begins with Prince painting imaginary pictures for
his lover. Locked in a kiss, covered in each others sweat, the image of the two is so perfect that even the animals are frozen in
contemplation of the scene. However, it soon becomes clear that there is trouble in this violet-bedecked paradise. Instead of a
lasting idyll, like the one described in “Take Me With U," in this song the Kid is abandoned by his lover, condemned to face the cold
world by himself. This is yet another incidence of the all too common Prince theme of the uncaring faithless woman, but there are
also indications that the Kid is gaining an awareness of the role his own faults are playing in the deterioration of the relationship.
Instead of sinking into the bitterness of "Darling Nikki," where all the blame is unjustly laid on the doorstep of his lover, here the Kid
at least admits that perhaps he is too demanding, and like his father, too bold. Instead of merely hurling insults, as in "Darling
Nikki," now the Kid tries to understand the motivation behind Apollonia’s actions. He makes an analogy of her situation to that of his
mother, and wonders whether she is just dissatisfied with her life. He questions why the two of them scream at each other,
comparing their screams to the sound of doves crying. The dove is, of course, a symbol of peace as well as a symbol of the spirit of
God. The image is one of something beautiful in pain, something which is such a symbol of everything good and peaceful that i ts
pain is especially tragic. “When Doves Cry" has an amazing, hypnotic power, and is a totally original and unforgettable piece of
music that remains one of Prince's greatest achievements ever. Carried by a drum machine, programmed with considerable
ingenuity, and spare keyboard parts, the song is perhaps most notable for its breathtakingly innovative sound, but it is virtually
inexhaustible in its intricasies. The song opens with a quick sizzling guitar intro, before pulling back into a vocal drum machine
framework. Prince carefully builds the song, first adding an incessant synth figure and then sustained synth chords before
launching into a soaring guitar solo. The song has a haunting melody sung with great passion by Prince. His vocals grow
increasingly desperate before the song ends with a climbing accordion-like synth melody. Firmly set in a minor key, a cyclical fourchord structure forms the basis of the verses, while a simple staccato synth phrase replaces a conventional sang chorus. Prince
had originally recorded a bass line and added a string section along the way, but they were discarded. Dr. Fink recalls, "Bobby Z.
and I were in L.A and Prince took us for a ride to hear this new song. We had thought the album was finished. My first reaction; I
didn't really care for it. I remember saying to him, ‘There's no bass.’ He said ‘That's right.’ So of course I had to ask how come ? All
he said was, ‘I tried it, it just didn't work. I just didn't like it.’ Needless to say, the song grew on me." The song occurs at the crisis
point in the film, at the time of the Kid's deepest confusion and hurt, and when he is isolated from everything and everyone
including his family, his band and his girlfriend. At the start of the song, the film shows disjointed and unsettling images of such
things as a red stop light, the disembodied feet of a crowd of people walking down a street and distorted reflections from the
windows of buildings and cars. Those disconcerting images reflect the Kid's anxious state of mind, and are contrasted with various
scenes from the Kid's recent past with Apollonia. The juxtaposition of these images conveys his confusion, his sense of loss and
uncertainty as how to rectify the situation. As this is the most introspective song on the album, its use as the Kid's silent cry for help
simply could not have been achieved with him on stage with his band, entertaining an audience. Less accomplished is "I Would Die
4 U," the album's weakest link with few memorable musical or melodic ideas. With its electronic synth texture and slightly
mechanical stop start beat, the song is closer in character to 1999 than anything else on Purple Rain. The melody line of the verses
is confined to a single note. The chorus is reminiscent of that of “Take Me With U," with Prince singing in beats. "I Would Die 4 U" is
filled with other wordly imagery of mythic import. The Kid has gone beyond the earthly paradise described in "Take Me With U," and
has entered a transcendent realm where he is neither woman nor man. The Kid variously describes himself as his lover's messiah,
her fire, her happiness, a non-human, a dove, her conscious and love. The suggestion seems to be that the Kid has, through the
power of love, gone beyond such temporal distinctions as male female, and is as one with his lover. This sort of transformation
recalls the Biblical statement that "they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). Having so transcended the duality of everyday life, evil can
be forgiven, as concepts such as good and evil, saint and sinner will be left behind as well. Just as the movie began with th e
uptempo "Let's Go Crazy," it ends with the only other song with a party feel to it, "Baby, I’m A Star." Communicating a joyous
feeling of vigour and great enthusiasm, the song is a proclamation by the Kid that he has arrived, both as a musician and as a
person. The song has a bright and bouncy beat, and is closer to disco than rock. The song is built on a synth and piano theme that
repeats throughout. An eight bar bridge gives the song a fresh contour. The fast pulse of the song and its overall construction is
similar to "Dirty Mind." In spite of the blatant narcissism of the song, the line "We are all a star" suggests that others, such as
Apollonia and the members of The Revolution, have made it as stars along with him. Thus, the Kid is no longer the mistrusting
loner he once was. Now, instead of being obsessively jealous, the Kid is able to tell his lover "If I don't turn you on, just say the
word and I’m gone. But I know there ain't nothing wrong with your ear," suggesting that he is willing to accede to his lover's wishes
and not bother her, if that is what she decides. Prince's workaholic outlook is summed up by the lyrics, "Everybody say nothing
comes too easy, but when you got it baby, nothing comes too hard."He is saying here that anything worth having will require hard
work, but once success is obtained, the price you pay becomes worth it. However, while the Kid was fortunate enough to overcome
his faults, one has to question whether the price would be worth it if he had obtained stardom but remained the untrusting loner he
was. Unlike the movie, the album saves the stirring, anthem-like title track as its final crowning glory. "Purple Rain" is a powerful,
majestic rock ballad, and is perhaps somewhat more conventional in sound and instrumentation than the other songs on the album.
The song is very simply constructed in broad terms. The verses take shape around a four chord progression. An extra chord is
inserted to finish off the verse. The chorus uses the same chords but in a different sequence. The song gradually builds to
emotional fever pitch as the guitar and Prince's vocals grow more and more agitated, before he launches into a charged guitar solo,
climbing way up in the guitar's register. The song coalesces into an elegiac singalong phrase which is repeated over and over
again, finally giving way to an instrumental string section coda. Tailor-made for arenas, "Purple Rain" has gone on to be one of
Prince's most enduring songs and a live classic. In "Purple Rain," the Kid takes on the persona of a benevolent guide, leading his
lover to the enlightenment to be bestowed upon her after baptism under the purple rain. The song seems to suggest that the
benefits or blessings available after bathing in the purple rain are available to the Kid's lover only if she is ready and wi lling to
accept them if she should turn away from him and reject his guidance, there is nothing he can do but reluctantly accept her
decision. The question remains as to the significance of this baptism in the purple rain. While neither the song itself nor the movie
offers any concrete answers to this question, it seems reasonable to suggest that the answer might be found in Prince’s use of
androgynous themes and the concept of two lovers becoming one through the power of their love. Thus, the man/woman is
representative of one who has come to this enlightened state and knows that his or her soul is not complete until he or she finds
union with his or her counterpart. Therefore, if we consider that purple is the union if the colours red (female) and blue (male),
purple could be understood as the colour of androgyny, the colour representative of this transcendent state of mind. To bathe in the
purple rain is to allow oneself to become awash with this realization. "Purple Rain" originally had some additional lyrics that were
edited out for its inclusion on the album The discarded lyrics have the Kid telling his lover that he does not want her money, and
that he does not think that he warts her love. He then goes on to say that if he wanted either one, he would take some money and
buy it. It is almost unconceivable that Prince could have seriously considered including such an insensitive and ignorant comment
in this song. These lyrics suggest that it is possible to buy another person's love if you have enough cold cash. In addition to the
tracks on the Purple Rain album and songs with The Time, Apollonia 6, and Modemaires, the movie also contains three
instrumentals, "Father's Song” (composed by Prince's father, John L. Nelson), "God (Love Theme From Purple Rain)," and
"Possessed." Prince reused the main theme of the instrumental version of "God" for the later vocal version, but otherwise the two
songs bear little musical relationship. With its subtitle, "Love Theme From Purple Rain," perhaps this is another way for Prince to
say that "God is Love." This version of the song was only released on the UK 12" single of "Purple Rain." ‘Possessed’ is an
instrumental re-working of a 1982 song.
Purple Rain marked another major transition as Prince for the firs time openly shared credit with his band; the sleeve notes read
“produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince and The Revolution.” “I knew we were The Revolution in the film script,
but I didn’t know if it was going to be fictitious or remain,” recalls Bobby Z. “It was a very short period of time before I realised that
the story in the movie was going to be ‘reality’ and the band was going to be The Revolution. The first time it really occurred to me
was when I saw the chroma key [test print] for the Purple Rain album cover. That’s when I really had the chills about it.”
n Purple Rain
(0:07)
n Let’s Go Crazy (edit)
n Let’s Go Crazy (0:04)
(0:03)
Expectedly, Purple Rain was lauded by the critics. Praising Prince as the most influential black pop artist, Record’s Crispin Sartwell
expounded on the impact he felt the LP was going to have : “Purple Rain is Prince’s most definitive and vigorous record to date,
and, for that reason, it may well define and invigorate black pop for years to come. The album is better than Prince's others
because it’s more carefully conceived and more fully focused. Purple Rain includes elements of traditional styles, elements drawn
from his own previous records and elements seemingly pulled from thin air. It would have been easy for Prince to grow
complacent; instead, he’s grown up.” Realizing the cross-over potential of the LP, Mark Peel wrote in Stereo Review (oct 84) : “The
relative absence of lascivious material here focuses your attention on the almost diabolical energy of Prince's music. In fact, this
record may actually cross over into markets Prince hasn't been able to reach; certainly anyone who liked the Jimi Hendrix classic
"Purple Haze" is a candidate for the guitar hysterics of "Purple Rain."”Robert Hilburn, Los Angeles Times, also saw the attraction
of the album : “Aware that he has to reach beyond his hard-core following if the film is to succeed, Prince has toned down the
extreme aspects of his pop game-plan. Instead of the X-rated lyrics and sexual bravado that have been at the heart of his
maverick persona, he leans toward more conventional language. Prince’s music, too, has shed some of its quirky, experimental
edges. Rather than play all the instruments himself, Prince records with a band for the first time, gaining added rock punch. He
also has moved confidently into richer pop orchestrations. Rather than cheapen his vision, Prince has simply made it possible for
more people to share it. This is a work of enormous pop imagination and appeal.” Tony Mitchell, Sounds, raved about the album :
“Prince possesses that rare quality of instant, individual, total rapport with listener and watcher alike - a quality I can only
ascribe to his instinct for tapping straight into the most potent and primal source of human creative energy, namely s-e-x. His
visions are vivid, cutting and often dangerously beautiful; he offers an audacious alternative reality in place of the usual
vicarious thrills of the genre. Purple Rain is another triumph which should help get him the kind of British following he's long
deserved.” Many critics singled out "When Doves Cry” as the outstanding track on the LP. The opinions about the title track were
more mixed. While Gavin Martin, New Musical Express (04-08), felt it was spoilt by over-indulgence, Creem writer Jeff Nesin
thought it was the highpoint of the LP : “Most wonderful of all is the eight-minute title track, a Hendrix / Winwood-styly rock
ballad with a touch of cello and a hypnotic coda.” Los Angeles Herald Examiner reviews the Purple Rain film under the headline,
"Prince delivers the best rock concert film ever made." Having attended a sneak preview in San Diego, the paper’s critic Mikal
Gilmore noted : “The audience response was the kind of uncalculated sexual hysteria I haven’t heard since the Beatles tore across
the opening frames of A Hard Day's Night 20 years ago this month.”
27-07-1984 : Detroit Free Press
Prince pours on the works in his first-rate 'Purple Rain'
Put away the umbrellas and get soaked in this first-rate modern music excursion. Prince Rogers Nelson throws everything into the
fray on "Purple Rain," his follow-up to "1999" and the soundtrack of his biographical film, blistering through his rock 'n' roll and
soul roots with enough heat to melt the purple-colored vinyl that's inside the jacket. New guitarist Wendy gets a workout right away,
cranking out the opening riffs on "Let's Go Crazy" and burning through "I Would Die For You" and "Baby, I'm a Star." Fans of the
sparse side of Prince -- a la "Little Red Corvette" -- will be hooked in by "Take Me With You," "The Beautiful Ones" and the charttopping single, "When Doves Cry." The lovable dirty mind is still intact, evidenced by ultra-hedonistic "Darling Nikki," though this
is certainly as close as Prince has come, and probably will come, to being puritanical on record. Who knows how good an actor he'll
prove to be when the "Purple Rain" film opens July 27, but the musical end is so together
that it almost doesn't matter.
Gary Graff
??-??-1984 : Miami Herald
Prince Packs A Punch
By Linda R. Thornton
While his previous albums established Prince's musical creativity, driving sense of
syncopation and passion for sexual lyrics, Purple Rain serves as an affirmation of his
versatility and substance as a performer and composer. This finely produced album, which
doubles as a soundtrack for the film Purple Rain, pulses with rhythm and sizzles with steamy
sensuousness. From the hot licks and throbbing rhythms of the erotic When Doves Cry and
the compelling rockers Let's Go Crazy and I Would Die 4 U, to the heartrending beauty of the
dreamy, soulful The Beautiful Ones and the title cut Purple Rain, this album delves beneath
Prince's flashy sex-symbol image and shows us the heart and soul underneath. Purple Rain is
much more than just a dance album or a soundtrack, though it does possess the best of both
styles. There's no fluffy filler here; every song stands strongly on its own as another majestic
offering from the Prince. PICK
End 06-1984 : Morris Day quits The Time - The Family
Morris had taken part in the album sessions and was persuaded to appear in a video for "Ice
Cream Castles," but months before the album hit the shops he had already made his mind
up about leaving the group. The formation of The Family in June 1984 was Prince‘s
spontaneous reaction to the disintegration of The Time. After completing the sessions for
The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle in the spring of 1984, Morris Day had moved to
Los Angeles and severed ties with Prince's camp and his management team. With Morris in
Los Angeles, it was basically the group's guitarist, Jesse Johnson, who ran The Time.
"Morris was living in L.A. and promised to come back to re-join rehearsals at any time. but
he never did," Alan Leeds says. "Prince lost patience. It became apparent that Jesse also
was tired of having the entire burden of trying to hold together something that didn't seem
destined to work. And I suppose it was around that time that Jesse was beginning to
formulate his own ideas of a solo career as an option." Initially, Prince wanted to continue
The Time by installing Paul Peterson as singer and front person. “There was no way Jesse
was gonna hang around if that happened,” says Jellybean Johnson, The Time's drummer.
“Jesse simply was not gonna let that happen after three years in the
band. So Prince's and Jesse's relationship deteriorated right away
when Prince even suggested that. They had a big blow-up about it."
Clearly, Jesse was not interested in continuing as The Time with a
new singer, and after failed attempts to convince Morris to return to
Minneapolis, Prince reached the conclusion that The Time was over.
Very quickly, he developed the idea for The Family. According to
Alan Leeds. “Prince was at a rehearsal one afternoon and he went
for a ride in his car with Jesse. After spending several hours with
Jesse, Prince returned to the rehearsal warehouse. Jesse packed his
bags and left peacefully. There was no anger, just frustration. It was
evident that they had reached the conclusion that this just wasn't
going to work.“ Time members Jerry Hubbard and Mark Cardenas
chose to continue working with Jesse. Prince invited Alan Leeds and
the remaining Time sidemen, Jerome Benton, Paul Peterson, and
Jellybean Johnson, to a meeting at his house. “We sat down and
Prince spontaneously developed an idea for a new band," recalls
Leeds. “He ad-Iibbed the concept for the group that became The
Family. It was a case of being impulsively motivated by a set of
circumstances." Prince wanted Paul to front the group and be their
lead singer, which came as something of a surprise to Paul. “Prince
looked at us all, and said he wanted to start a new band. ‘I have a concept, and I want to base it around you.' Then he spun around
in his chair and landed at me. I was totally off guard." Prince had become aware of Paul's singing abilities during the filming of
Purple Rain when they had adjoining dressing rooms. "Morris Day and I would sit around trading licks to see who could sing the
most. One day, Prince said. 'Was that you singing ?‘ I was afraid I'd been too loud. Apparently, he'd been listening to my voice.“
The three ex-Time members were joined by Susannah Melvoin on vocals. The Time's following had mostly been limited to the R&B
market, but having two white singers fronting the new band was undoubtedly going to increase the chances of achieving pop
success. "He wanted white people, Susannah and Paul, to be great R&B singers." says David Rivkin. "Prince was ambitious. He
wanted something different. If people see a black person fronting the band, they think one thing. If they see a white person, some of
those barriers are broken. Unfortunately, that's the way it is. Prince wanted a white guy so that people would listen. And he said,
'We’ve got to go after some of that Duran Duran money.'" Whereas The Time's music was firmly rooted in R&B, Prince wanted the
new group to be more versatile musically. "It was going to be something different from The Time,“ Jellybean Johnson says. "The
Time was very street/urban, but he wanted The Family to be more like a classy, jazzy type of band that would show more different
sides. He wanted to do jazzy instrumentals, and feature great pop and funk tunes with Paul.”
While some fans rate the Sheila E or The Time or Jill Jones’s albums as the best records by a Prince protégé, nothing compares to
The Family, the first band to put out a debut on Paisley Park. The Family features some of the most talented musicians Prince has
worked with on any side project, but as Eric Leeds – who plays sax on the album, the beginning of a creative relationship with
Prince that initially lasted from 1986 to 1999, and which would be reignited between 2002 and 2003, when the focus of Prince’s
music shifted from funk to jazz – told me, ‘The music of The Family was primarily Prince, and we were assigned roles.’ Lead roles
went to Paul Peterson, a keyboardist with The Time who had featured with the band in Purple Rain (and who, like many Prince
associates, took on a new name, St Paul, a play on the Minnesota state), and Susannah Melvoin. The two other members of The
Family were also exiles from The Time : Jellybean Johnson and Jerome Benton.
fDeluxe's St. Paul Peterson talks about the Minneapolis Sound, working with Prince, and the rebirth of The Family
By Andrea Swensson Wed., Sep. 14 2011
Shortly after Purple Rain put Minneapolis on the map of the music world, Prince formed a little short-lived band called the Family.
They would only record one album and play one sold-out show at First Avenue before disbanding, but their impact is still felt to this
day. The Family was formed by Prince and shuffled together members of The Time (whose leader, Morris Day, had just left the
group) and Prince's then-fiancee Susannah Melvoin, the twin sister of Revolution guitarist Wendy. They only released one album as
a group, simply titled The Family, before lead singer St. Paul Peterson left the group to pursue a solo recording career with Warner
Bros. and Melvoin joined the Revolution, but their record spawned a gigantic hit ("Nothing Compares 2 U" went mainstream when
Sinead O'Connor covered it in 1990) and is still regarded as highly influential by musicians like the Roots' ?uestlove. To learn more
about how the Family was formed and what was happening in Minneapolis in the mid-'80s, we caught up with St. Paul Peterson,
who filled us on some details over the phone from his home in Edina, Minnesota as fDeluxe were getting ready for this week's show.
Gimme Noise : How did you get the nickname St. Paul Peterson ?
St. Paul Peterson : It's a total Prince nickname, he's the one that started calling me that. Right after the record we did in '84 with
the Time - I was in the Time for one record, and after the Time broke up he put us all together in a room and pointed at me and
said, 'You're going to be the lead singer for this new band.' At that point, he basically renamed me, or nicknamed me St. Paul.
It really happened just like that, he pulled you into a room and the band was formed ?
It's true. Morris Day left the Time. We had just completed Purple Rain, and I had a double-platinum record on my wall at 18
years old, talk about lucky, so we didn't know what was going to go on. He decided. Prince was brilliant at pooling people
together, and basically writing a book, so to speak, and we would play his characters. And this book, the Family, that he wrote,
was one of his finest records, and the cast of characters that he put together have been my lifelong friends. I don't think he
expected that to happen - nor did any of us. It just worked out that way. I've known and played with Eric Leeds and Jellybean for
25 years, and known Susannah and her musical family for that long as well. It was pretty darn cool the way it all worked out. We
like each other, we're friends.
Tell me how you got into that situation in the first place. How did you meet Prince ?
I had just graduated in June from Holy Angels, and I was hanging out with my best friend Brett Ward up in Breezy Point, and I
got a phone call from my brother-in-law that says, "Get down here, you have an audition with the Time." I'm like, "Huh ? Leave
my vacation ?" [laughs] So I did exactly that. My brother-in-law's first cousin is Bobby Z. I was playing out six nights a week in
bars at that point, all throughout high school from 10th grade on, and I'm the youngest of the Peterson family, so we had some
notoriety around town. In fact, my brother Ricky turned Prince down to be in the Revolution, even before the Revolution, many,
many years ago. So I think he had knowledge of who I was. I came home from vacation, I had to learn - the rehearsal tape didn't
come in time - so I had to learn 10 songs or thereabouts, to play 'em, sing 'em, memorize 'em, and dance at the same time. You
know, this little green kid from Richfield, Minnesota going into this unbelievable African American band - talk about
intimidating. Prince wasn't there. Passed that audition, moved onto a second audition and he was there, and the rest is history, as
they say. Evidently, I passed the test. It was fun.
There is so much lore surrounding that era of Minneapolis music. Can you shed some light on that time period, for those of us who
didn't get to experience it first hand ?
The '80s in Minnesota was pretty darn incredible. You had a lot of bands that were coming out of here. Obviously he was the
main guy that was rocking it at that time, but the Minneapolis Sound really started to be a thing. Kind of like the Motown Sound,
or the Memphis Sound, or anything like that. So to be ingrained in the middle of that - I mean, from the time I joined the band,
two months later I was in Purple Rain and had a double-platinum record on my wall. So that's how fast things were moving at
that point in town. And that was all because of him. He was on fire. I caught him at the peak of the peak of his notoriety. He kind
of had it goin' on back then. [laughs] So there's no doubt that everything he touched turned to gold, and people were clamoring to
just see and be a part of that in any shape or form, whether it would be as a fan or be lucky enough to be in one of his bands. I
mean, the guy's brilliant, and it was an incredible time to be a part of that. It's actually music history now, you know. My nephew
has to remind me who's in my band. He says, "Uncle, do you realize that you were in Purple Rain ?" It seems like so long ago...
But yeah, it's an honor to be able to say that I've done that, that movie's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I played a very small
part of it, but I'm still there, and it's something that I can be proud of and tell my kids about. It was a magical time, it really was.
Minnesota was just buzzing with excitement, and everyone wanted to come here to get famous, which was very cool. They
weren't clamoring to go to the coasts, to L.A. and New York to get famous, they were coming here to be a part of the Minneapolis
Sound.
Did it feel, at the time, like history was being made ?
When you're in the middle of it, you're trying to do your best to hang on because things are moving so quickly. And I was right in
the middle of it, so it meant rehearsal six days a week, 10 hours a day - especially during that time, he was meticulous and
wanted things perfect and right, and the people that he had hired underneath him - Jesse Johnson being the person for that time he cracked the whip hard on us. Basically, I was all set to go to the University of Minnesota, and I just changed colleges and went
to the Minneapolis Sound College of Prince and Jesse Johnson instead. It was the smartest decision of my life. It was an incredible
time.
Eden Prairie
Happy Birthday Mr Christian * - Apollonia 6
Back in Minneapolis after this nearly four-month long stay in Los Angeles, Prince cut "Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian" at the Eden
Prairie (Flying Cloud Drive) warehouse he was using for rehearsals and recording sessions up until the Purple Rain tour. "Manic
Monday” was still included on a Warner Bros. pre-release cassette tape of the Apollonia 6 album, but Prince pulled the song at last
minute, replacing it with "Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian." He later gave "Manic Monday” to The Bangles, who scored a huge
international hit with their own version of the song in 1986.
Happy Birthday Mr Christian
Late in my early teenage, I was considered fast
While some of the girls were failing, I passed in every class
Our principal's name was Christian
and I played upon his fears
In exchange 4 my diploma, I loved him through the years
CHORUS:
Happy birthday Mr. Christian, what are we gonna do ?
U want a teenage past-time, I want a love that's true
A man in your position, U oughta be ashamed
Happy birthday Mr. Christian,
why can't U live up 2 your name ?
It was only the first semester but my body developed quick
Compared 2 the size of my chest then,
all the other girls looked sick
Mr. Christian stared at me always, desire turned 2 pain
I suggested we go 2 his office
and that's when the lunch bell rang
CHORUS
Oh Mr. Christian, U're a bad boy
Why that's not a pencil ... shame
Oh Mr. Christian, U're a bad boy
Why can't U live up 2 your name ?
We had our love down to an art form
Each act was like scenes from a play (Every act ...)
With every lesson I gave him
Mr. Christian gave me an A
I graduated with honors
A riddle 2 everyone
Everyone except Christian
Mr. Christian and I, and our son
(Mr. Christian, me and our son)
CHORUS {repeat twice in BG}
What are we gonna do ?
I want a love that's true
U oughta be ashamed
Why can't U live up 2 your name ?
What are we gonna do ?
No tengo tiempo para jugar {I have no time 2 play games}
Necesito un hombre verdadero, no metido
{I need a real man, not a liar}
Always a man
Tú sí que no te enteras, chaval, OK ?
{U don't understand, boy, OK ?}
Qué hacemos ? {What are we gonna do ?}
Habla fuerte que no te oigo !
{Speak louder cuz I can't hear U !}
Christian ! Christian ! Christian !
Oh Mr. Christian, U're a bad boy
Christian
Give me some horns, oh
I like it
Christian ! {x4}
Happy birthday 2 U, happy birthday 2 U
Happy birthday Mr. Christian, happy birthday 2 U
Happy birthday, Mr. Christian
The Family sessions
Hi Fashion (1) – The Family
Mutiny (1) – The Family
Desire (1) – The Family
River Run Dry * (Bobby Z) – The Family
Mazarati (aka Susannah’s Pajamas) (1) – Intended for Mazarati – The Family
100 MPH (1) (3:16) - Mazarati
With Susan Rogers engineering the sessions, work on the album began in late June 1984 at the Flying Cloud Drive warehouse in
Eden Prairie. Prince very quickly tailored and recorded a number of songs for the project. "He was excited and wrote the basic
tracks very, very fast," recalls Rogers. “Susannah was in town from Los Angeles and we were working like crazy. He was
rehearsing with his band during the day and then occasionally stopping, and then we would work on The Family. He was coming up
with a look for them. He was looking through all these film and glamour magazines. He liked the Veronica Lake [American leading
lady of many Hollywood movies in the forties] hair-do idea for Susannah. At the time, she wore her hair very curly, but he wanted to
try something new. He was going to have Paul be this very dash Rudolph Valentino [the great romantic film idol of the twenties] sort
of character. l remember when he was giving Paul pep-talks. He would say, ‘Paul. 20.000 women ! That's how many women
Valentino had at his funeral. 20.000 women !” Working by himself, Prince started off with “High Fashion” and “Mutiny,” recorded in
sequence. Followed by "Desire" and "River Run Dry." “Once he had “High Fashion” and “Mutiny,” the rest of the album just flowed,"
says Rogers. “They were the cornerstone songs of the album." "River Run Dry" was a song Bobby Z. had written, but Prince
recorded his own version of the song. “He knew about the song,” says Bobby. “It was written at the end of ’83. He always liked it
and really thought it was a great song. And he asked if he could use it for The Family project. I was really happy with it.” Originally
intended for Mazarati, an instrumental simply titled “Mazarati” was also recorded during the initial sessions for The Family album.
Prince decided that the piece would fit The Family better and changed the title to “Susannah’s Pajamas.” Having used saxophone
on a couple of tracks recorded earlier in the year, Prince wanted to try to incorporate the instrument into The Family project. He had
heard a tape which Alan Leeds’ saxophone-playing brother Eric had recorded as an audition for the band Sheila E. had put
together in the spring part of 1984. According to Eric, “Sheila was looking for a saxophone player. So Alan sent me a copy of “The
Glamorous Life” single, and I took the record and just played it in the background and overdubbed a sax solo right over it, playing
where the other sax solo already was. I made sure they could hear me very loudly. I sent it up to Alan, who gave it to Prince. In the
meantime, Sheila had already hired Eddie Minnifield, so the tape just sat for awhile. It was a few months later that Prince came up
with the concept for The Family, having decided also that he wanted a saxophone player in the group. Prince basically told Allan, ‘If
your brother wants a gig, he’s got it.’ I don’t know if that was Alan’s hyperbole or whatever, but a few weeks later I found myself in
Minneapolis, recording with Prince.”
Desire was written by Prince, but credited to St. Paul Peterson. Mazarati (released as Susannah’s Pajamas) was originally intended
for Mazarati's album Mazarati, but when it was used instead for The Family, Prince changed the title. A track titled BMW appears
on an undated early work-in-progress configuration of the album, and this is believed to be the same track renamed after a different
make of car. It was then renamed after Susannah Melvoin. Rough (from may 80) was considered for The Family, but no new
recording was done on the track at the time, as it seemed inappropriate for the group's style.
High Fashion
I know a sexy little girl
She's never in the low class world
This woman is all the way vogue
High Fashion is where her money goes
She dines at Le Dome up on the strip
Cheap liquor never touches her lips
Her brandy's imported every week
No problem, 7,000 easy
High Fashion is where her money goes
High Fashion - This girl is all the way vogue
She's never in the low class world
High Fashion - Stuck up little rich girl
High Fashion
High Fashion, yeah
I met her dancin' at Le Dome
I offered dinner at my home
She said no, all of her friends laughed
Funny how the laughin' stopped
when I flashed all the cash I had
(I'm talkin') $1900 is 2 much cash 2 hold
One of my boys had 2 carry half,
now honey U know that's bold
Wait a minute
She had the nerve 2 ask what kinda car I had
"Honey, I'm ridin' in back of a Rolls Royce limo
custom-painted plaid !"
High Fashion is where my money goes
High Fashion - Honey, I'm all the way vogue
I'm never in the low class world
High Fashion - And I just love little rich girls
(High Fashion) High Fashion (High Fashion)
Hot Station - I took the child 2 my crib
Donation - Do U take or do U give ?
She took one look at the swimmin' pool
I said "I'll donate" - We were 2 swimmin' fools
High Fashion is where our money goes
High Fashion - All the way vogue
We're never in the low class world
High Fashion - Don't be a little stuck up rich girl
All the way vogue {x2}
I'm all the way vogue
Yeah, yeah
(High Fashion) {repeats in BG}
Dinner at Le Dome
Little girl
Money man
I'm the money man
Money man {x2}
High Fashion {x4} - Ohhhhh
(High Fashion) {x2}
Mutiny
Get off !
Baby, when U went away
U stayed away 2 long
Baby, what can I say ?
No one does me wrong (And gets away with it)
Mutiny !
I said I'm takin' over
U gotta give up the ship
U gotta take a little trip
I'm talkin' mutiny !
I said I'm takin' over
U gotta give up the ship
U should've been a little more hip
Now baby, when U talk 2 me
U don't have much 2 say
Baby, why can't we be
Lost in love like yesterday ?
I'm talkin' mutiny !
I said I'm takin' over
U gotta give up the ship
U gotta take a little trip
I'm talkin' mutiny !
I said I'm takin' over
U gotta give up the ship
U should've been a little more ...
Darlin', darlin' with unity
Huh, no one, but no one could make us fall
Darlin', now there's mutiny
Huh, maybe U should have called
Get off ! {x2}
Mutiny !
I said I'm takin' over, huh
U gotta give up the ship
U gotta take a little trip
I'm talkin' mutiny !
I said I'm takin' over
U gotta give up the ship
U should've been a little more ...
Get off! {x2}
Baby, U treated me
Like some unwanted child
Baby, it's all over now
I loved U all the while
I'm talkin' mutiny !
I said I'm takin' over
U gotta give up the ship
U gotta take a little trip
I'm talkin' mutiny !
I'm takin' over
U gotta give up the ship
U should've been a little more ...
Get off ! {x4}
Vogue
All the way vogue {repeat 2 fade}
(Say it y'all)
([U know I'm bullshittin', I'll keep it all])
(Morris, did U give ?)
([Miko], did U give ?)
(Lord)
Desire
So long have we known each other
(So long have we known each other)
So little do we know
(Little do we know)
Sometimes I feel like strangers
(Sometimes I feel like strangers)
The real us we seldom do show
(Seldom do show)
CHORUS:
Desire, it covers our faces
It happens in curious places
Your body, it covers my tower
Ecstasy is ours
I dream of a physical evening
(Dream of a physical evening {x3})
I long 4 a night within U
U're saving your love 4 some soldier
(Some soldier {x3})
Who'd much rather die than stay by your side
If U only knew
CHORUS
A ghost from your past
Prevents us from knowing the pleasures of love
What must I do 2 convince U
Isn't the expression on my complexion enough ?
(Ecstasy)
Don't tell me we have conflicting emotions
It's written all over your face
Come my love, cover my tower
Ecstasy is ours
So long have we known each other
(So long have we known each other)
So little do we know
Let me show U
For what seems to have been intended as a pop record, The Family is often driven by dark emotions. ‘High Fashion’ is one of many
songs in Prince’s oeuvre (see, for example, his two songs about models, ‘Cindy C’ on The Black Album and ‘Chelsea Rodgers’ on
Planet Earth) in which he’s caught between admiration and disdain for a woman with expensive tastes. Prince’s demo version of
‘Mutiny’ is one of his angriest songs, a hint of the later darkness he’d pursue on parts of The Black Album. The metaphor he uses
plays on the idea of a relation-‘ship’, with St Paul wanting to wrest control from his lover, but knowing that in doing so he’ll destroy
their love for ever. Towards the end, Prince has a hidden message, low in the mix, to the members of The Time who abandoned him.
If you turn the stereo up loud enough you can hear what sounds like a pair of scissors and Prince asking, ‘Morris, did you give ?
Miko, did you give ?’ The title of ‘Susannah’s Pyjamas’ – the second, softer, instrumental – hints at the intimacy between Prince and
The Family’s singer, Susannah Melvoin, with whom he had a long, creatively inspiring relationship. On the record’s final track,
‘Desire’, everything comes together: this is a poetic, mysterious song in which St Paul sings of unrequited love for a woman who’s
saving herself for a soldier who’d rather die than be with her.
29-06-1984 : Bruce Springsteen @ MPLS
Prince attends the premiere of Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The USA tour at the St Paul Civic Center.
30-06-1984 : Ann Arbor News
Prince, Purple Rain
By Bill Brown
When Doves Cry, the first single and video clip from this album, is really excellent. Backed with the non-LP B-Side 17 Days, the
single sold over 40.000 copies in its first week. But this song is an exception. There aren’t many happy silver linings, or even angry
purple linings, inside of Purple Rain’s storm clouds. Mostly there’s lukewarm grey vapors so banal they’d bore anyone to tears. It’s
easily Prince’s worst record since 1979’s Prince. Granted, my opinion might change after I’ve seen the film, which I haven’t. Yet.
Soundtrack albums don’t claim to stand on their own. Like the soundtrack to Footloose, Purple Rain is a mixed bag of intended hits
with no apparent relationship to each other. The lyrics and their references to particular characters and situations in the movie
don’t help. Furthermore, the music itself was made to sound bigger than life, suitable for the Silver Screen, which means that it risks
sounding overwrought, empty and pretentious. The best songs on the record, the ones that stand on their own (When Doves Cry,
the guitar-driven Let’s Go Crazy, a New Wave stomp called The Beautiful Ones, the synthesizer ballad Darling Nikki) feature Prince
singing and playing all the instruments. Conversely, the worst songs, the ones that topple over (I Would Die 4 U, Baby I’m A Star,
Take Me With U and the eight-minute-long title track, which is currently an AOR hit) – are the ones that feature Prince’s touring
band, the Revolution. It seems they were written and recorded in a great hurry, well in advance of the shooting of the film (?) and
fixed up as best as possible in the final mix-down. At this stage in his career, Prince can afford to release a crudely arranged, albeit
thunderous-sounding album, I suppose. He’s a star, baby, a hit-maker. But when that dries up ? I don’t know.