- 1986 Jan 86
Early 1986 : ! 7th St Entry (Sheila E + Prince Jam)
Teacher, Teacher (2) (3:05) – Prev. Home Studio Sum 82 – Dream Factory #1
In early 1986, Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman worked on the track further, at either Prince's Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA, or the Washington Avenue Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN, USA, adding vocals and sitar. It was included as
the eighth track on the late April, 1986, configuration of the Prince and the Revolution album Dream Factory. It was included as the
seventh track on the first disc of the 3 June, 1986 configuration, but was not included on the 18 July, 1986 configuration. It was later
sent to Three O'Clock for consideration along with Neon Telephone, Girl O' My Dreams, We Can Funk and Can't Stop This Feeling
I Got, but the band decided to use only Neon Telephone.
02-01-1986 : THE BANGLES - DIFFERENT LIGHT Release
Manic Monday (3:03)
In January 1986, the album Different Light from the Bangles is released, with "Manic Monday",
princely composition which becomes a real hit. Indeed, the single reached the 2nd place and marks
the breakthrough of the group in Billboard. In fact, the song is written under the pseudonym
Christopher, recorded at Sunset Sound in February 1984, initially intended for Appolonia 6. Prince
also submits "Jealous Girl" to the Bangles, originally written for Vanity 6, but it was rejected by the
Californian group. "Manic Monday" is a classic attractive pop tune. One can notice that the melody of
the verse is almost identical to "1999". With compassion, Prince tells the chronicles and tribulations of
a modern times working girl. She gets impatient of the weekend idleness because it's "a relaxing day
without running," before she suffer the agony of "Manic Monday". The version of the Bangles is very
close to Appolonia 6’s one, keeping the music basis.
05-01-1986 : Sunset Sound - The Flesh sessions – Everybody’s Jam
Groove In C Minor (8:00) - funky groove
Slow Groove In G Major (9:53)
Groove In G Flat Minor (13:00) - really fast groove
Junk Music (1) (45 Mn)
Up From Below (4:48)
Ya’ll Want Some More ? (1:32)
On January 5th 1986, Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin and her brother Jonathan, joined the “Flesh quarter” of Prince, Eric, Sheila
and Levi in the studio (Sunset Sound) for an exhausting seven-hour jam, the so-called “Everybody’s Jam.” Six of the pieces that
were recorded were given titles : “Groove In C Minor,” “Slow Groove In G Major,” “Groove In G Flat Minor,” Junk Music,” Up From
Below,” and “Y’all Want Some More ?” During this session, Prince played primarily drums, while Sheila and Jonathan Melvoin
played percussions, Lisa piano, and Wendy guitar and bass.
??-??-1986 : e The Bangles @ Unknown TV – Manic Monday (0:03)
08-01-1986 : Rough (aka Too Rough) (3) - Prev. Late 80 – Jill Jones #1
A song from 1980, “Rough,” which had also been considered for The Family’s album,
was updated with new vocals by Jill, as well as with a saxophone part by Eric Leeds. It
was rejected from the album, however, and Prince later offered it to Joyce Kennedy of
the band Mother's Finest, who turned the song down without recording a version.
??-??-1986 : Jill Jones sessions
For Love (2) (edited at about 28 mn) – Prev Sunset Sound 30-05-85 – Jill Jones
G-Spot (2) – vocal and orchestra overdubs – Prev. Home Studio Sum 83 – Jill Jones
With You (1) – Jill Jones
Orchestral overdubs for G-Spot : Bob Minzer - saxophone / Chris Hunter - saxophone / Roger Rosenberg - saxophone / Jim Pugh trombone / Jon Faddis - trumpet / Randy Brecker – trumpet. In 1986, Jill Jones re-recorded With You for inclusion on her 1987
eponymous album Jill Jones. This is essentially a cover version of the track, without musical input by Prince, (Steve Gadd - drums /
Hugh McCracken - guitar / Steve Stevens - guitar / Mike Chase - keyboards / Rob Mounsey – piano)
10-01-1986 : PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION : LIVE UK VHS Release
??-??-1986 : Fresh !
Prince : The purple pied piper
"To me," says Prince, "the ultimate responsibility is the hardest - the
responsibility to be true to myself." Not only has his Purple Majesty been true
to himself on his ascent to the top, but he's also taken a bevy of fabulous
females with him, leading them along in true Pied Piper fashion !
Sue Ann
Singer Sue Ann Carwell was one of Prince's earliest court subjects, having
encountered The Purple One in their mutual hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. With an
image as sexy as her voice, Sue Ann was signed to a Warner Brothers contract and released her
debut album in 1981. And though her success wasn't quite on the par of the "princesses" who
would follow her in rapid succession, Sue Ann had the distinction of being the first to fall under
Prince's magical spell.
Vanity
The self-professed "Nasty Girl" next joined Prince's purple parade, and under his watchful eye,
Vanity, fronting Vanity 6, gave a new meaning to "bedroom music" (complete with onstage
skimpy lingerie !). But, citing the need to "grow up with my own music," Vanity found the inner
strength to strike out on her quest for a solo career, leaving Prince, her mentor, behind. "It's
kind of like leaving your parents and branching out into the new world by yourself," she
states. "I have confidence in myself and a lot of great people working with me who tell me I
can do it."
Apollonia
When Vanity rather unceremoniously told Prince to stick Purple Rain, she left the door wide
open for 25-year-old Patty Kotero, a Santa Monica, California-native discovered by Prince after
a nation-wide search to fill Vanity's spiked heels. "We picked up a vibration immediately," said
Apollonia of her first meeting with Prince, cementing her position as the reigning princess of the
land. "He gives to the people around him, without expecting to get it back," she beams. "But everything he touches turn to gold !"
Sheila E
"Prince" Midas has yet another devoted disciple in percussionist extraordinaire Sheila Escovedo, and the chemistry they've whipped
up between them onstage is an unbreakable bond. And as with all of his proteges, Prince's princesses rarely speak out of turn (at
least not while they're in the bosom of his "family"). Sheila E is no exception. Have they been involved romantically ? "Well, I don't
think it's anybody's business what I do in my personal life," she notes, adding quickly, "not that I'm saying he and I are involved
in an intimate relationship." Come again ? "He's a very caring and giving person and treats those around him like family. I'm
grateful to him, and I trust him with my life."
Meli'sa Morgan
It takes a heap of talent to be able to record a Prince composition - a song he, himself, recorded - and have the critics gushing that
it's even hotter and sexier than the original. That's where New York-born Meli'sa comes in, and that's just what she did with Do Me
Baby. "I hope Prince likes it," she giggled after its release. "It's important to me that he likes it." Apparently he did. In fact, he even
requested a copy of Meli'sa's version while he was in France filming Under
The Cherry Moon. As for future collaborations, that's still in the future, but
for the present, the 22-year-old rising star is proud to join the ranks of the
sexy sirens who march in Prince's Pied Piper Parade !
12-01-1986 : Last Heart * - Dream Factory #1
Conversation Piece – saxophone : Eric Leeds
The Crystal Ball liner notes state that the song is a demo, and that Prince
had always intended on re-recording this track, "but never got around 2 it".
Although this track was not included on a late April, 1986 configuration of
the aborted album Dream Factory, it was included as the fifteenth track on
the 3 June, 1986 configuration and again as the fifteenth track on the 18
July, 1986 configuration.
Last Heart
Oh, baby {x2}
How many times have U called my number
Wishing I was someone else ?
How many times did my heart tumble
Feeling sorry 4 myself ?
How many times have I kissed U
And smelled another man's perfume ?
How many lonely nights I missed U
Wishing 4 ya body in my lonely room ? (lonely room)
Baby, if U break my heart one more time
It'll be the last heart U'll ever break
I've taken all I can take
Baby, this heart wasn't made 2 break
How many times can U hurt me (hurt me)
Before your conscience makes U stop ? (stop, stop, oh)
U made it all, why now desert me ?
Baby, U know U can never cop (never cop), never cop
A body that'll do U like I do
U got 2 get your thing 2gether sister
I'm tired of being your fool
If U break my heart one more time
It'll be the last heart U'll ever break
Baby, I've taken all I can take
Baby, my heart wasn't made 2 break
Baby, don't U break my heart
No, no, don't do it!
If U break my heart one more time
It'll be the last heart U'll ever break
Darlin', I've taken all I can take
Baby, this heart wasn't made 2 break
(When U fix your mouth 2 tell that lie)
When U fix your mouth 2 tell a brand new lie
(Never before told, by and by)
Never ignore the truth, by and by
(False words should never be spoken)
False words should never be, never be spoken
(My heart should never be broken)
And baby, my heart should never be, never be broken
If U break my heart one more time
It'll be the last heart U'll ever break
Prince again contradicts the suggested configuration of Dream Factory with his sleeve note to accompany ‘Last Heart’, another dark
and aggressive love song that Per Nilsen suggests was on the second and third version of this record. Prince claims here that the
song was ‘intended as a demo, which is unusually unheard of in Prince’s mind’. For a demo, it’s remarkably polished. The song
features Susannah on backing vocals and Eric Leeds on saxophone, and works an incredible sleight-of-hand, making a lyric about a
man threatening to murder a cheating lover seem almost AOR.
12-01-1986 : Ciao 2001 (ITA)
13-01-1986 : Jet
When rock superstar Prince was asked to join a list of recording celebs to
make a record, King Holiday, that will celebrate the first national holiday
observance of the birthday of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., Prince sent
word that his film schedule had him tied up but that he would be happy
to help finance the recording project. He donated $30.000 to film the
video which accompanies the disc tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize
winner.
14 to 16-01-1986 : Sunset Sound
Kiss extended sessions
Kiss (Extended) * - Kiss Maxi-Single
Kiss (Extended) (2)
♥ Or $ (2) * -Prev. New Eden Prairie 09-07-85 - Kiss Maxi-Single
The extended 12-inch version of "Kiss," recorded at Sunset Sound in
January 1986, contains some additional music and lyrics. In keeping with
the playful mood of the song, most of the new lyrics consist of
lighthearted non-sensical exclamations such as “Mazarati ! Oh shit, y'all";
“Woman overboard, everybody on the ground, to toes goin' up, to toes
goin‘ down"; “Got the gun pointin' at ya"; "Never gonna cut our hair"; and,
“Oh pretty mama, l wanna ride." Prince's sense of humour is also evident
in the two-part conversation between an elderly-sounding couple, Sol
(Prince) and Sophie (Jill Jones), who bicker with each other as they
watch the television. She wants him to change the channel, and while it
is difficult to understand what is being said because both of them are
speaking at once, it seems as if she wants to change the channel
because the person on the programme “looks like a pervert." However, later on she says, “Oh, my God, isn't that Prince on
television. Sol ? ls he the strangest-looking thing you’ve seen or what !? Sol, don't you touch that channel. Do you value your life ?
Sit down, Sol !” ♥ Or $ is the earliest occurrence of Prince using a non-alphanumerical symbol in the title of a song, something now
commonplace.
01-1986 : Kiss promo vid shooting (LA)
In January, Prince shot a video for ”Kiss” in Los Angeles, directed by
Rebecca Blake. Only him and Wendy Melvoin appear in this video
along with a deutch model, Monique Mannen, who’s veiled in it. Kiss is
the twenty-first Prince video to have been released for broadcast.
Rebecca Blake, director : When Prince’s manager called and asked if I
would direct “Kiss,” the first thing out of my mouth was “I’d like to
speak to Prince first, and I’m not doing it unless I can bring in my own
hair, makeup, models, and choreographer.” A few minutes later, Prince
called me. He was charming. The conversation was brief and there was
a lot of giggling on his end. I was on a heavy vampire kick - I was into
Anne Rice very early - so that’s where the black veil on the dancer’s
head comes from. Prince was brilliant in terms of dance and
choreography. You could show him something and three seconds later
he could do it perfectly. He’s also funnier than people know. I’d put
n Kiss
(0:04)
him next to a six-foot-tall model and he would give me an expression like, “Are you kidding ? Where’s my apple box ?” He was the
one who decided at the last minute to use Wendy in “Kiss.” They had great chemistry, and they were funny together. Her facial
expressions in that video were perfect.
Lisa Coleman : At the last minute, Prince asked Wendy Melvoin to be in “Kiss.” Wendy and I were living together, and he called her
: “I’m shooting the video today. Why don’t you come down and play guitar ?” As it turns out, the stuff with Wendy playing guitar
stole the show. She ended up being more of the focus than the hot female dancer with the see-through scarves. When Prince dances
up to Wendy and sings “You got to not talk dirty, baby / If you wanna impress me,” and Wendy smiles and shrugs ? There was
something special about that. But I admit, when I saw that video, I felt a little left out and jealous.
Jeff Ayeroff : Rebecca Blake was an outlandish, powerful woman. Both she and Prince were over the top. It was a fusion of over-thetop-ness. She directed “Kiss,” which was the most elegant Prince video.
Paisley Park construction begins
The construction of the Paisley Park Studios complex begins. The studio was designed by architect Brett Thoeny of Boto Design
from Venice, California (a studio design specialist). Bossardt-Chrinstenson, a local agency, is in charge of the construction.
Construction continues on what was to become the Paisley Park studio, in rural Chanhassen, about 20 miles southwest of
Minneapolis. The Warehouse in Eden Prairie (not far from Chanhassen), which Prince had used since 1983, proved to have too
many problems, including its metal walls which made for acoustic problems. The Eden Prairie site was abandoned, and instead
Paisley Park found a home in the middle of a corn field, on Highway 5, just west of Chanhassen.
??-01-1986 : Sunset Sound – The Flesh / Roadhouse Garden sessions
Evolsidog (2) – Prev. Sunset Sound 23-04-85
Go (2) (4:47) – Prev. New Eden Prairie 08-85 – Roadhouse Garden
Roadhouse Garden (2) – Prev. Live recording 07-06-84 – Roadhouse Garden
Wonderful Ass (2/3) (9:49 / 6:17) – Prev. Home Studio Early 83 – Roadhouse Garden
Junk Music (2) (edited) (19:41) – Prev. Sunset Sound 05-01-86 – The Flesh
U Gotta Shake Something (2) (15:22) – Prev. Sunset Sound 30-12-85 – The Flesh
Engineer Susan Rogers noted that Prince put a lot of time and effort into Go, and must have been seriously considering it for
release, although it was not included on any known configuration of Parade or any other project. It is likely that the song was
considered for the announced Prince and the Revolution album Roadhouse Garden in 1998/1999, but this is speculative. The track
remains unreleased. Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin worked on Wonderful Ass further in early 1986, most likely at Sunset
Sound, adding vocals and other instrumentation. Again, it is not known if this song was intended for any project at the time of
additional recording. The track was later planned for inclusion on the Prince and the Revolution album Roadhouse Garden album
worked on in 1998-9, but the album remains unreleased.
There is an obvious companion song to ‘Empty Room’ called ‘Go’, which Prince, Wendy and Lisa worked on both in the studio and
later recorded on tape during a rehearsal at the Théâtre de Verdure in Nice. This must have represented a strange recording
experience for all concerned. As brilliant and as broad-minded as the Melvoins undoubtedly are, it can’t have been easy for Wendy
to sing the chorus on a song powered by the frustrations of Prince’s relationship with her twin sister, and it’s a mark of Susannah’s
sophistication that her response upon hearing the song was merely to note its brilliance. Of the many songs she inspired him to
write, it is (along with ‘If I Was Your Girlfriend’) one of her very favourites, ‘where he was digging deep and really coming up with
the great turning of phrases, and the clarity of thought and subtext and subject. If you were to dissect those lyrics, and the
songwriting [itself], he was working it, they came to him at that time.’ If the ‘Go’ session was hard for Wendy, it no doubt paled in
comparison to the time Prince, Wendy and Lisa spent working on a new version of ‘Wonderful Ass’. The anatomy of the female body
is a recurring theme of Prince’s. Even if one doesn’t accept the suggestion that the title of ‘Little Red Corvette’ is a sly reference to
female genitalia, New Power Generation member Tommy Barbarella mentions Prince writing a song called ‘Good Pussy’ in 1998,
and there’s also the more famous Gold Experience song, ‘Pussy Control’. But Prince usually gets away with it because it is done
either with humour or, as in this case, with a sense of the singer being overwhelmed by the pulchritudinous nature of the body
before which he submits himself. It’s tempting to dismiss this song as a simplistic sketch in comparison to the more sophisticated
discussion of sexual politics on much of Sign o’ the Times , but two of that album’s most emotionally compelling songs, ‘Strange
Relationship’ and ‘I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man’, were also rescued from early-1980s tapes. As with those two songs,
the cold and somewhat cruel sexual bite of the lyrics works in elegant contrast to the accessibility of the music, a prime example of
1980s rock-pop. It’s a song about a woman who’s jealous of Prince’s female friends because she thinks they’re his bed mates, whom
he tolerates because of his admiration for her butt. But there’s a difference between Prince amusing himself about this idea alone
and forming a chorus with Wendy and Lisa: their versions stretch out beyond all control. The song’s intricate mix and musical
depth explain why Prince considered it for official release, but the presence of Wendy and Lisa alongside Prince singing in a
taunting fashion about the physical qualities of a third woman may not quite fit with Prince’s latest reinvention of himself. Given
what would happen to The Revolution soon afterwards, ‘Wonderful Ass’ also works as a fascinating dramatisation of the conflict
that followed. In both versions, Wendy and Lisa insist ‘The Revolution will be heard’. Not for much longer.
Can I Play With U ? sent to Miles Davis
The track was sent to Miles Davis (in both instrumental and vocal versions) in January, 1986, following a request from Warner Bros.
for Prince to contribute to Davis' first Warner Bros. album (called The Perfect Way at the time, before being renamed Tutu). It was
accompanied by a note from Prince, reading : "Miles, even though we have never met, I can tell just from listening to your music
that you and I are so exactly alike that I know whatever you play would be what I'd do. So if this tape is of any use to you, please go
ahead and play whatever you feel over it. Because I trust what you hear and play."
20-01-1986 : SHEILA E - A LOVE BIZARRE UK Single Release
Promo Maxi-Single : Special Medley (6:58) / A Love Bizarre Pt 1 and 2 (7:14)
22-01-1986 : The Flesh Compilation
Junk Music (19:41) / Up From Below (4:48)
Y’All Want Some More ? (1:32) / A Couple Of Miles (4:29)
The tapes were mixed and edited, and an album was compiled in late January 1986,
containing material mostly from the “Everybody’s Jam” January 5th session. Twenty minutes of
the forty-five minute “Junk Music” jam (featuring Prince on drums) was going to be the
centrepiece of The Flesh album, making up side one of the LP, while “Up From Below,” “Ya’ll
Want Some More ?,” and “A Couple Of Miles” were planned for the second side of the LP. No
test pressing of The Flesh LP was ever made and the album was shelved when other activities
dernanded Prince's full attention. lt is difficult to know how serious Prince was about the project
or if an album really was planned from the outset of the sessions. Quite possibly, the project
started simply as a spontaneous jam session before Prince and the rnusicians he was working
with realized that the music they were creating was exciting and worthy of release. Regardless,
the sessions provided a rnusical challenge for Prince as he worked with some highly versatile musicians. Indeed, Eric Leeds,
Sheila E., and Levi Seacer Jr. would all become important members of Prince's bands in the years to come. Featuring largely
improvisational music, the sessions allowed Prince to stretch out musically and develop his musical vocabulary. The Flesh project
can be seen as a forerunner to Madhouse in more ways than one. Much
like Madhouse, the musical focus of The Flesh was on instrumental
music, basically funk jams with a distinct jazz flavour added by Eric
Leeds, who was given an opportunity to contribute more actively to
Prince's music. And much like Madhouse, the plan was to release The
Flesh album "anonyrnously," with few details about the participants and
certainly no mention of Prince's involvement. None of the Flesh
instrumentals has been officially released even though “U Gotta Shake
Something" has made its way to collectors' circles in recent years. Part
of the melody for "Madrid" was later re-used by Eric Leeds for "Andorra"
on his Times Squared album. However, if you check Under The Cherry
Moon closely enough, you will be able to hear some thirty seconds of
"Junk Music" played as background music in the scene where Tricky and
Christopher are arguing over what kind of man Mary prefers.
‘It was a lot of spontaneous, very improvisational, Madhouse-ish kinda stuff that included Sheila E and Levi Seacer, Jr. It was
more of a quartet,’ Alan Leeds remembers. When I asked Eric Leeds about these sessions, he explained that in spite of the
mythology that has grown up around this record – it has been suggested that a potential
album was assembled which would include on side one a twenty-minute version of ‘Junk
Music’, an instrumental track that can be heard playing (for thirty seconds) on the
soundtrack to Under the Cherry Moon – the project was nothing more than studio jams.
‘Those sessions were in LA. Prince was finishing up the Parade album, working on
tracks that would end up on Sign o’ the Times and working on the incidental music for
Under the Cherry Moon. Prince was happy with some of the stuff we produced, and
there was a sense that something might come out of it that was worthy of release. But it
was a very loose idea ; there wasn’t a plan there. Prince called out a key and we started
playing.’ Leeds also warns not to read too much significance into the fact that this project
had a name. ‘I suspect the name came up when we were sitting in the studio laughing
and joking, and then it took on a life of its own. But the idea formed and then it
disappeared for ever.’ Well, almost disappeared. We do still have the snippet of ‘Junk
Music’ and the full ‘U Gotta Shake Something’, a fifteen-minute, very repetitive track
which features the reappearance of what sounds suspiciously like Jamie Starr asking
questions like ‘You ever seen a black man play guitar with no clothes on ?’ and a retaliation to the Parental Music Resource Center
when Prince sings, ‘Washington wives, you can’t fuck with us.’
27-01-1986 :  American Music Awards (w/ Sheila E & Sheena Easton)
(0:06)
A new-look Prince, with very short hair, presents the award in the pop-rock
category for Favourite Single to Huey Lewis for his "Power Of Love" at the
American Music Awards in Los Angeles.
THE BANGLES
– MANIC MONDAY UK Single
Release
n The Bangles – Manic Monday
(0:03)
Jet
Prince talks
about his
success, small
town, show biz idol, belief in God and
future plans
Editor’s note : During his meteoric
rise to stardom as a recording artist
whose album Purple Rain was
parlayed into the hit movie, Purple
Rain, musician/songwriter Prince
avoided the press. Recently, he
decided to talk and his views are given on these pages.
For the first time ever, rock star Prince has begun to lift the veil of secrecy and mystery that has shrouded his life and music. In a
recent interview, the multi-talented music maker revealed a new dimension of himself as he discussed success, small-town living,
his show business idol, belief in God and plans for the future. Prince, whose phenomenal success with the film and album Purple
Rain made him the envy of the music world, has not allowed success to go to his head and maintains that he controls it rather than
it controlling him. The musical genius said, “...I really don’t consider myself a superstar.” In spite of the fact the music for his semiautobiographic movie earned him an Oscar last year for best original score, sold 15 million LPs and raked in $75 million at the
boxoffice, he remains level-headed and considers himself just an ordinary person. “...I don’t live in a prison... I haven’t built any
walls around myself. And I am just like anyone else,” he said. The Minneapolis native has been able to keep his perspective by
having a home in Chanhassen, Minn., far away from the fast lanes of Hollywood. The only extravagance of the multi-million dollar
ranch style home is that it is painted purple. Situated in an out-of-the-way, rural area, this home affords Prince the luxury of just
being another private citizen. “I live in a small town and I always will because I can walk around and be me,” he offered. “And
that’s all I want to be, that’s all I ever wanted to be...” In spite of that, top selling albums like Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain and
his latest – Around The World In A Day – have led to his becoming one of the nation’s hottest music idols. Aside from his sexy
falsetto, the entertainer’s slick moves on stage have also enhanced his appeal. He credits his mesmerizing stage presence to his show
business idol, James Brown, dubbed “the hardest working man in show business,” admitting, “James Brown played a big influence
in my style.” The performer recalled, “When I was about 10 years old my stepdad put me on stage with (James Brown) and I
danced a little bit until the bodyguard took me off.” Recalling an incident that would have a lasting impact on him, the 27-year-old
Prince continued, “The reason I liked James Brown so much is that on my way back stage, on my way out, I saw some of the
finest girls I’d ever seen in my life. And I think, in that respect, he influenced me by his control over his group.” Though the purple
passion behind his on-stage antics and X-rated lyrics have earned him countless devotees, he has made others see red. When he
returned to his hometown on the Purple Rain tour, protestors picketed the concert site and held rallies at the state capitol, charging
much of his music promoted promiscuity, incest, masturbation and violence, and contained satanic messages. Prince however,
maintains he is a man of strong religious convictions. “I believe in God. There is only one God,” he noted. “And I believe in an
afterworld. Hopefully, we’ll all see it,” he added. He continued, “I have been accused of a lot of things contrary to this and I just
want people to know that I’m very sincere in my beliefs and I pray every night and I don’t ask for much. I just say ‘Thank you’ all
the time.” Not one to let detractors influence his music, Prince remains on music’s cutting edge. As far as the future is concerned,
Prince, who cut short his Purple Rain tour and announced he didn’t know when he would return to the music circuit, said “I don’t
plan on touring for a while. There are so many other things to do.” Prince fans can take heart in knowing that one of the things
he’s working on is his second movie, Under The Cherry Moon. Though he directed the videos for the hit singles America and
Raspberry Beret from his current album, Prince will make his directorial debut on the silver screen in the black and white, fantasy
flick shot in the south of France. Starring in the movie with Prince will be Jerome Benton, popular sidekick who appeared in Purple
Rain and is a member of Prince-inspired group, The Family. The movie will also bring
well known European actresses such as Kristin Scott Thomas, Francesca Annis and
Alexandra Stewart to American audiences when the production premieres in June.
28-01-1986 : Sunset Sound – Jill Jones sessions
Mia Bocca (3) – Jill Jones overdubs – Prev. Monterey Sound 08-85 – Jill Jones
All Day, All Night (3) – Prev. Sunset Sound 05-85 – Jill Jones
Baby You’re A Trip (4) * - Prev. Monterey Sound Late 85 – Jill Jones
With You (2) * - Prev. Early 86 – Jill Jones
New sessions at Sunset Sound in January for the Jill Jones album. Likewise, Jill
replaced Prince’s vocal on “All Day, All Night,” which was recorded live with The
Revolution during Prince’s 1984 birthday concert at the First Avenue. Before leaving
Los Angeles in late January, Prince recorded two songs for Dream Factory, "Last
Heart" and "It's A Wonderful Day." The first song will appear later on the independent
release of the triple-Lp Crystal Ball.
Jill Jones had to earn her solo album, working with Prince for a long time in a low-key
and semisecret capacity. He started working with her when she was very young, having
first met her when she was providing backing vocals for Teena Marie. She’s the J.J. who
has a small role singing on ‘1999’, ‘Automatic’ and ‘Free’, and who plays the Lady Cab
Driver on the song of the same name. She provided backing vocals for both Vanity 6 and
Prince on the Triple Threat tour, and has a perfectly judged cameo as a snotty but
ultimately helpful waitress in Purple Rain. The album took a long time to come
together, pieced together from sessions between 1982 and 1986 and including two of the best non-Family tracks from that era, ‘GSpot’ and ‘All Day, All Night’. Maybe the reason why Jones is considered a more mature artist is that the album’s first single, ‘Mia
Bocca’, is sung from the perspective of a monogamous woman who’s only had one lover since she was twelve. Prince uses this to
intensify his favourite dramatic situation when writing from a female perspective: a woman who is devoted to her lover and yet
tempted by another. But as good as ‘G-Spot’ undoubtedly is, particularly in its extended remix, I’m not entirely convinced it works
when sung by a female vocalist. The original demo, recorded by Prince in 1983, feels slower and more insistent than the poppy
released version, and the whole point of the song is that it’s being sung by a frustrated lover failing to satisfy his girlfriend because
he can’t find her erogenous zone. The song’s successful because it’s Prince in lazy lover mode: he may not be able to locate his
partner’s G-spot yet, but he’s going to keep going until he does. He’s detached and icy: that man-machine again. When Jill Jones
does the track, she has to sing from the perspective of a frustrated woman, either in the middle of making love or masturbating, but
because she mirrors Prince’s laid-back vocal approach, the song lacks erotic charge. Somehow the demo’s sleaziness has ebbed
away. Although regular gig-attenders had long since known about Prince’s propensity for revisiting (and reinterpreting) past songs,
the appearance of ‘With You’ on this album (bearing in mind Prince’s huge stockpile of unreleased material) surprised. Given the
stand-out tracks on Prince that Jones could have covered (‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’, ‘Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad ?’, even
‘Bambi’), it’s hard to understand why Prince decided to exhume this slight song, especially as his lyrical powers had developed so
considerably since then. Maybe it’s precisely because it was a forgotten song that he decided it needed a second chance. If so, it
gains little from being revisited (although Jones’s version is less queasy than the original), and has the unusual distinction of being
the weakest track on two self-titled albums. ‘All Day, All Night’ is the other keeper. Built up from a live performance by The
Revolution at First Avenue on Prince’s twenty-sixth birthday, it features Jones singing of how excited she is by watching her lover
having sex with other men. ‘Baby, You’re a Trip’ is a female take on ‘Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)’, even including
similar lines. But while in the 1999 song Prince is constantly justifying himself and pointing out how other women can’t understand
why his lover treats him so bad, in this song Jones is resigned to the fact that her lover is so special that she should be grateful for
whatever she can get from him.
30-01-1986 : It’s A Wonderful Day (3:41) – Dream Factory #1
Mia Bocca (4) * - mixing session – Jill Jones
G-Spot (3) * - mixing session – Jill Jones
"It's A Wonderful Day" is a fairly nondescript uptempo number. “It was something he didn’t spend much time on and may have
intended to replace later on with another upbeat song,” according to Susan Rogers. Recorded in January, 1986, the song is a
positive and upbeat number and features prominent vocals from Lisa and Wendy. Although discarded, some of the song may have
been inspiration for Camille track, "Good Love". It was replaced by Train on the 18 July, 1986 configuration. Engineer Susan
Rogers has stated that Prince may have always planned on replacing the track before release, and used it as a placeholder to find
a track with a similar feel. An instrumental portion of the track was included as background music in the Under The Cherry Moon
movie, in a scene where Tricky and Christopher Tracy are arguing. Prince mixed the Jill Jones version of Mia Bocca further on 30
January, 1986.
(Wonderful day, wonderful)
It's a wonderful day, baby (Wonderful day)
Why can't U see, why can't U see ?
Oh, it's a wonderful day, baby (Wonderful day)
T-t-t-t-t-t-2night, 2night'll be a wonderful night (Uh uh)
(Wonderful day, uh uh) (Wonderful night)
Everybody get up on the one (Uh uh)
I wanna have fun, get down (Wonderful day, uh uh)
(Wonderful night, U know it's gonna be all right)
Wonderful day
Nevertheless, it's a wonderful day, baby, Lord
2night'll be a wonderful night, sing it
Hey, it's a wonderful day, baby
2night, 2night, I promise it'll be all right
Everybody get up on the one. Papa wanna have some fun
Everybody get down on the 3
Party, baby, U and me
Everybody get up on the one
2night we're gonna have some fun
Everybody get down on the 3
Party, mama, U and me, uh
It's a wonderful day, baby
Party, mama, U and me
Everybody {fade out}
‘It’s a Wonderful Day’ sounds like a development or variation on ‘Wonderful Ass’, Prince, Wendy and Lisa once again singing in
harmony, but this time without the sexual charge. Prince’s voice is not quite at the pitch he would use when disguising himself as
Camille, but it’s much lighter than it is on the songs he was recording alone at the time, and if the track is dated by a drum machine
set to generic pop settings he would rarely use when recording alone, it’s still worthy of release. And while lyrically ‘Teacher,
Teacher’ – an old cast-off that Prince gave to Wendy and Lisa to transform – returns to overfamiliar territory for Prince (whenever
Prince sings about education, it’s almost always of a sexual kind), it is more sophisticated than any of his other treatments of this
theme. The song has a harpsichord-style keyboard sound that (as with much of Wendy and Lisa’s work) gives it a pleasingly retro
1960s sound and elevates it above protégé territory.
It’s A Wonderful Day
Oh, sometimes I can't make up my mind
I don't know which yellow brick road 2 take
Everybody makes suggestions but the words don't rhyme
Decisions they don't have 2 live by are easy ones 2 make
Why can't they love me 4 what I am
Instead of what they want me 2 be ?
Oh, it's a wonderful day, baby
2night'll be a wonderful night
It's nobody's fault but your own
If U don't do what U want
I ain't claiming no group solution
That'll work 4 everyone
Just a simple little pop psychology that says
If [God] gets in the way (Sha sha, ooh)
Gets a kiss on the cheek, that'll, uh (Sha sha, ooh, wonderful)
That'll make it all right (Wonderful)
Make it make it make it all right, yeah, yeah (Oh)
Darlin', I know what U're like [What ?]
And baby, I know what U're worth
Insecurities never make no money
Animosity kills boys and girls, oh
31-01-1986 : SHEILA E-THE GLAMOROUS LIFE Dutch Single Re-release
??-??-1986 : Superstars
A Prince Among Men
Despite His Sometime Negative Publicity, Prince Remains One Heck Of A Nice Guy !
Celebrity images are tricky things indeed ! Sometimes the look and sound that have
made your successful reputation can also work against you in other ways. We all know
how different performers can be from their onstage personalities and actions. Prince
knows the truth of this only too we1l - especially these days ! The trouble-plsgued
filming of his latest movie, Under The Cherry Moon, just recently completed lensing in
France. Shot in black-and-white (to capture the flavor of old-fashioned romance films)
this love story contains many interesting plot turns. Prince plays a free-spirited
American pianist smitten with a spoiled heiress, portrayed by aetress Kristin Scott
Thomas. Perhaps some of Prince's difficulties in malking this movie can be traced back
to the role of the heiress itself, since it was rumoured that Prince originally hoped to
get Madonna to co-star with him. (Kristin, however, does a great job and we bet Prince
feels pleased with her !) When the Under The Cherry Moon crew first arrived in France,
there were major traffic jams and crowds surrounding them as fans went wild. This
didn't do much to set Prince at ease - but the actual filming that followed proved to be
even more of a problem ! Reports said director Mary Lambert and Prince didn't seem
to be agreeing on the course the movie should be taking. Then it was announced that
Ms. Lambert had been replaced by Prince, who took over the directing chores in
addition to his starring role. Prince excelled as a director and even shot many scenes in
one take, thus bringing the film in ahead of schedule despite its previous delays !
Problem solved… Well - almost. Seems that Prince didn‘t realize he'd end up being
severely criticized for his decision. The Directors Guild of America has a “Paul Newman
Rule" since 1970 that says stars of films can‘t replace the directors in mid-shooting. But
then it was also disclosed that Ms. Lambert didn't belong to the Directors Guild of
America, so things quieted down. Quiet, in fact, is the way Prince likes to perform most
of his non-publicized good deeds. This modest superstar didn't want publicity when he
let fans appear with him in his “America” video, giving them the thrill of their lives. Or
when he entertained fellow guests at the hotel he was staying at in France by playing
the piano for them, just to make them happy. Or - most impressive of all - when he
donated a whopping 885.000 to make possible the completion of a video honoring the
birthday of Martin Luther King. Jr. Yes. Prince really is “a prince among men" - so we
hope Under The Cherry Moon has as much success as it had hardships !
Feb 86
01-02-1986 : ! Joins Mazarati @ St Paul
Back to MPLS, Prince,
Andre
Cymone
and
Brownmark get onstage
with Mazarati at the Winter
Carnival’s Fun Fair à St
Paul. They played a brief
15-minute set consisting of “America” and “The Dance Electric.”
Billboard
The Rhythm & The Blues
by Nelson George
There were plenty of messages waiting last Friday. Most were from the
unusual suspects. But two stuck out. Both had 612 area codes, the cue
for Minneapolis, Minn. The name of a man who works for Prince was
attached to each. Hmmm. He picked up. We chatted a bit. Then he said.
“Prince wants your home number." "What for ?" "I don’t know."
Having nothing to lose, I gave it to him. The next day at 1 p.m., with
"Dirty Mind" on the stereo, the phone rings. It is a woman who
identifies herself as Jill Jones. “Prince couldn’t make it, but he wants
you to hear his new album." An hour later in the lobby of a huge condo
the doorman calls up to Ms. Jones. “What floor ?" I ask. “The
penthouse." What else ? The elevator door opens and a fluffy little white
dog named Cookie is yapping outside. The living room resembles a
music video set. No, the walls and sofa aren't purple. They are lavender.
So are many of the pillows that surround the fireplace and the low
Oriental-style dining table. Right next to the balcony and right under a
circular sunroof is a white Steinway piano surrounded by a leopardskin rug. There are candles everywhere, quite a few of them burning.
There are two equipment touring cases in the living room. One
supports a VCR and a wide-screen television, the other a stereo system
and a drum machine. Next to the piano is a painting in progress which
shows several faces, including Prince’s. All the visages are suspended in
space and have wheels hovering over them. The artist of that work is
my hostess, Jill Jones, a tall blonde in a black dress, white high-heeled
shoes and an adorable smile. Fans of “Purple Rain" will recognize her
as the First City waitress who cries after Prince plays the title song. We chat a bit. This Lebanon, Ohio, native was introduced to
Prince by her "mother" and subsequently would appear in the "1999" video as a keyboard player in a black leather outfit. She says
Prince has cut an album on her due for release this spring. As she pours some Italian wine and brings out bread and cheese, Jill tells
me she's half black and hall Italian (the racial mix purported by Prince in his early interviews), that she sculpts and paints, and is a
Christian ("l pray before everything I do"). Jill says she's lived in this condo since July, but there is something exquisitely staged
about the room's look. Finally, l listen to Prince’s "Parade" twice and find that Prince is, for the time being, moving away from the
rock audience that loved "Purple Rain" and back toward his black influences. There is nary a guitar solo to be heard. No "Let's Go
Crazy." No "Purple Rain." Instead the album's most commercial cuts, "Girls And Boys," "Kiss," and “U Need Another Lover," are
dead in an early '70s r&b pocket. "Another Lover" has a killer vocal hook, female backing voices and acoustic piano by Prince. "Girls
and Boys" has a baritone sax riff right out of the soul era and a great rhythm guitar part. All three are sung in a falsetto reminiscent
of "l Wanna Be Your Lover." The rest of the album is in the quirky style of "Around The World In A Day," and sounds more like
material for the soundtrack of his upcoming film "Under A Cherry Moon." With (pardon) Beatles-esque sonic collages, curiously
captivating melodies and rampant psychedelia - the songs "New Positions," “Do U Lie ?," "Under A Cherry Moon," the mid-tempo
"Mountains," and especially “Christopher Tracy's Parade" sound quite cinematic. There is one beautiful instrumental, "Venus De
Milo," which has a combination of strings and piano that would make Henry Mancini proud. "Sometinies It Snows In April" was
Prince's reply many months ago to the question what he‘d do to follow up “Purple Rain." It is also the closing song for "Parade“- a
piano ballad with another haunting melody. The lyric mentions that Christopher Tracy is going to heaven and, since Tracy is the
character Prince plays in "Under A Cherry Moon," perhaps we can assume Prince dies in the film. According to sources close in him,
Prince is hoping to have a new single out in February and the film released by Easter. As for my adventure, it just suggests once
again that Prince loves a bit of mystery.
03-02-1986 : ♫ Parade Tour Rehearsal (Eden Prairie) (0:28)
(A : The Parade Era Rehearsals – 9/10)
Around The World In A Day / Christopher Tracy’s Parade / New Position
I Wonder U / Anotherloverholenyohead (2 takes)
Back in Minneapolis, Prince sets about rehearsing the expanded 11-member Revolution. Retaining Bobby Z, Wendy and Lisa, Matt
Fink, and Brown Mark, Prince added guitarist Miko Weaver, sax player Eric Leeds and trumpet player Matt Blistan ("Atlanta Bliss"),
as well as three dancers and back-up singers, Jerome Benton, Greg Brooks, and Wally Safford. Matt Blistan was a friend of Eric
Leeds from Atlanta, while Brooks and Safford both combined their on-stage duties with working as minders for Prince.
This rehearsal is an early Parade Tour rehearsal, and is a basic run through with extra attention played on the
horns.
05-02-1986 : KISS Single Release
Kiss (Single Version) (3:45) / ♥ Or $ (3:57)
“Kiss" was released on February 5th
1986 as the first single from Parade
despite some objections from Warner
Bros. Much like the case with “When
Doves Cry," which also had caused
protests from the record label, "Kiss"
proved to be a huge success. It
became Prince's third number one pop
hit (after “When Doves Cry" and "Let's
Go Crazy") and went gold. “Kiss” is a
breathtaking funk classic, sung by
Prince in his falsetto. An incredibly
funky groove is created by an acoustic
guitar playing a rhythmic pattern
(through the help of the gating
technique) accompanied by a deadsounding drum machine. A keyboard part is added in the second verse and a
scratching rhythm guitar in the third. The song lacks a distinct chorus. Despite its
radical arrangement and sound, however, "Kiss" is actually one of Prince's most
derivative compositions. lt is based on a traditional three-chord blues sequence and relies on a blues scale, but Prince has
enlarged upon the standard eight or 12-bar blues form by making each verse 28 bars. Some of James Brown's earliest funk
numbers in the mid-sixties were based on similar blues harmonies and
progressions. Perhaps as a nod to the inventor of funk, Prince inserts a
“turnaround" guitar chord borrowed from James Brown's "Papa's Got A Brand
New Bag" at the opening of "Kiss" and at the end of every verse. Addressed to an
unnamed lover, the song has no deep message to it. Prince explains that she
does not need to be beautiful, experienced, wealthy, cool, or even any particular
sign of the zodiac in order for her to be his girl. Although the song seems at first to
be boastful on Prince's part, as if all his lover has to do is let him have her body
“from dusk till dawn," the point is that she so turns him on just by being with him
that everything will just happen naturally. Instead of treating his lover as a mere
object, he lets her know that they could be each other’s fantasy. Prince makes it
clear that he is not interested in dirty talk or game playing, because it is “women,
not girls" who rule his world. If there is any weak part in the song, it is the
reference to the mid-eighties prime-time television soap opera Dynasty, which
does date the track a little. The track includes an additional ending not included
on the album version (which cuts directly into Anotherloverholenyohead).The B-side of "Kiss" was "♥ Or $,“ a mildly interesting onechord funk strut propelled by a pumping bass. Lisa and Wendy repeat the title phrase from start to finish, while Eric Leeds adds
some saxophone accents. The song was originally recorded with a funky rhythm guitar part as one of the main ingredients, but it
was removed in the mixing. Prince's voice is slightly speeded up (it sounds normal if the forty-five rpm single is played at thirtythree rpm). He wonders whether his woman wants him for his love or his money. In this respect, the song continues in a long line of
songs by Prince in which he wonders whether or not his lover is true. ln order to convince her that he "ain't no silly man,“ he
declares "showtime“ as he shakes his hips to the east and west. And says that he will shake them until she decides that his "hips
are the best." The song continues by Prince taking her "by the hand" in his attempt to convince her of his worthiness, but ultimately,
the song ends with him asking her. After the minor disappointments of the Around The World In A Day singles, "Kiss" became
Prince's third US number one single (after “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy”) and went gold. It stayed number one for 2
weeks on the pop chart, and 4 weeks on the black chart. The B-side is a funk workout, containing little more than a guitar riff and a
chant of "love or money."
SHEILA E – ROMANCE 1600 Tour
♫ h Sheila E @ Vina Del Mar
(0:36)
(A : Unknown Boot – 10/10 * V : Chile TV Broadcast – 10/10)
Intro / Holly Rock / Sister Fate / Oliver’s House / The Belle Of St Mark
Bedtime Stories / Yellow / Erotic City
07-02-1986 : Unknown newspaper
A royal treat
“I told you if you were good, we’d have a treat for you,” Sir Casey Terry, lead singer of Mazarati, said to the audience at the St Paul
Winter Carnival’s Fun Fair Saturday night before his band was ready to launch into its second encore. “Here’s Prince and Andre
Cymone.” Actually, it was Prince and Andre Cymone, the former bassist in Prince’s band, plus Mark Brown, Prince’s current bassist
and the producer of Mazarati. Backed by
Mazarati, the trio offered a funky version of
Prince’s recent single, America, with Cymone
injecting a chorus of his own Dance Electric at
Prince’s urging, even though Mazarati didn’t
seem to know the music. Prince and his cohorts
jammed for 15 minutes with Jerome Benton, costar of the film Purple Rain and the forthcoming
Under The Cherry Moon, dancing along. Prince
danced plenty, too. “Minneapolis is the funkiest
state on the map,” he told enthusiastic fans. “Los
Angeles ain’t got this.” Meanwhile, Prince and
Cymone will be heard on record again soon on
Minneapolis Genius – 94 East, a session from
their distant past. The soon-to-be-released
album features the duo with Pepe Willie
recorded circa 1977, before Prince signed his contract with Warner Bros. Records.
08-02-1986 : SHEILA E - A LOVE BIZARRE Maxi-Single Release
A Love Bizarre (Part I & II) (7:13) / Save The People
09-02-1986 : Sunset Sound – session with John L. Nelson
Duet With Dad
"Duet with Dad" is an unreleased song with no known title, recorded on 9 February, 1986, during a one-day session between
Prince and his father John L. Nelson at Sunset Sound. It is unknown if the recording session was intended to produce material for
release, or simply a personal family time. It is also unclear if only one song was recorded, or more than one, but no track names are
known. It's possible that John L. Nelson's co-writing credit on Scandalous stems from a melodic idea from this recording session,
but this is speculative.
The meeting with Davis also inspired Prince to spend a day recording with his father, although it would be nearly a year before he
began work on the Madhouse project.
12-02-1986 : 94 EAST – MINNEAPOLIS GENIUS Release (35:54)
Just Another Sucker (5:17) / Games (3:34) / If You Feel Like Dancin’ (Instr.) (7:09) / Love, Love, Love (3:52)
If You See Me (Instr.) (5:41) / One Man Jam (Instr.) (6:16) / You Can Be My Teacher (4:05)
Minneapolis Genius is the first collection of studio recordings by 94 East, the band name given to
a number of tracks recorded by Pepé Willie and Prince with occasional other musicians (it is
misleading to consider it an "album", as the tracks have been rearranged many times for reissues
under different titles). The collection contained one song with writing input by Prince, Just Another
Sucker, and Prince appeared as a musician on all tracks, stemming from recording sessions
between 1975 and 1979 (the cover's subtitle incorrectly labels the sessions as "the historic 1977
recordings"). Prince had no input into the final release, however, and was upset at its release,
leading to a heated discussion between Prince and Pepé Willie in First Avenue in Minneapolis
upon its release. This collection has been re-released several times under different titles, often
with additional tracks. Pepe was accused of making money on Prince’s popularity with the album,
but for him he deserved the recognition for his investment at the beginning of the career of Prince.
He was concerned because he thought he had a "deal" with Prince, and Prince was expected to
mention his name now that he was famous.
Pepe released the Minneapolis Genius album, consisting of songs he had recorded between 1975
and 1978. All six tracks featured Prince as a studio musician. At the request of the Hot Pink label,
many of the original parts were re-recorded and updated with the exceptions of those done by Prince and Andre. "Just Another
Sucker" gained some favorable R&B radio play despite never officially being released as a single. The first "real" single, "If You Feel
Like Dancin’" never really materialized and the album seemed to exist in obscurity. “I thought it was time to do it. The vibe just
took me into that mould. Everything was starting to fall into place. I was ready to start releasing it because I was mad at Prince
because he wasn't coming back and helping us. I said, “Look, I've got this stuff here. I gotta do something.” To me it was my first
rebellious act against Prince - I'm sure that's how he would consider it. The main thing was that I wanted to get the album out,
and I guess I mainly wanted to be heard. I wanted people to know that I was involved in a phenomenon. That I was part of that
phenomenon - a very important part of that phenomenon, and I wanted people to know. There was no one out there telling
anyone about me. Everybody else was getting props, and I wasn’t getting any. It just happened that I wanted to get it out there so
bad that I wasn’t thinking about leaving it as original. I was thinking about finishing it, because a lot of those tracks were
unfinished. When I thought about finishing it with all of the updated studio equipment of that time, it was trying to capture a
Prince-feel and trying to make it contemporary. The people who was backing us up wanted to play it in the discos and on
mainstream radio. They brought in other mixers to try and come in and mix certain songs. And I didn't want it. I fought against
as much as I could. I didn't win, obviously. When I was planning the Minneapolis Genius album, I called Bob Cavallo in
California and told him that I wanted Prince's support. I wanted to get hold of him so I could tell him what I was doing. Bob
didn't think it was a good idea that Prince should know about it at that time. It was no big thing to me because I was going to
release it anyway since it was mostly my songs. I did get some friction from Prince and we had heated discussion at First Avenue
one night. I told him how I helped him from day one when I came into this town. I was waiting for Prince to say my name. We
had a deal : I said, “Prince, when you make it to the pop market, just mention my name.” That's all I wanted him to do. I felt that
he had no right to be angry with me over my album. He wasn't doing anything to help me, so I decided to put the album out. That
was the only bit of friction I got from him, but that's all water under the bridge now. Since the mid-80's, I have been writing
songs, consulting artists, listening to other artists’ material. I also got involved later on with the reunion of Little Anthony and
The Imperials. I recorded and co-produced three or four songs with Little Anthony at Metro Studios here in Minneapolis. I have
worked a lot with local artists.“
94 EAST – JUST ANOTHER SUCKER Single Release
Just Another Sucker (Urban/Club Version) (5:30) / Album Version (4:20)
Just Another Sucker was the first single to be released from the first collection of 94 East tracks,
Minneapolis Genius. It was released around the same time as the album on 12" vinyl only, and
contains two exclusive versions of the song. The song Just Another Sucker was co-written by Prince
and Pepé Willie, and features Prince on guitar, synthesizer, keyboards and drums. The single was
not promoted, and did not enter the charts.
14-02-1986 : e Sheila E @ Tonight Show
(0:07)
A Love Bizarre / Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer
??-02-1986 : N°1 (UK)
Prince’s showgirl
The most intriguing video of the moment must be Prince’s delicious Kiss. Who is that girl with the crooked smile strumming that
funky guitar ?
Wendy Melvoin joined Prince’s band The Revolution in 1983, replacing Dez
Dickerson, but she was a Prince protégée long before that. Dez told N°1 : “She was so
desperate to be a rock star. Even before she joined the band she would just stand out
on the stage before a gig to get the feel of it.” No one outside Prince’s immediate circle
really knows who plays what on his records – certainly he played everything till
shortly before Wendy joined, and quite possibly still does. But onstage Wendy can
rattle off the solo on Little Red Corvette as easily as Prince does. Although Wendy
sings in the Kiss video, the record features Minneapolis funksters Mazarati on backing
vocals. The video dancer is Monique Mannen. Twenty-two-year-old Wendy’s identical
twin sister Susannah used to be Prince’s girlfriend. Susannah used to play keyboards
with Minneapolis funk band The Family, who recently split up. Prince gave Wendy the
Oscar that he won for the Purple Rain soundtrack. Prince’s next movie, Under The
Cherry Moon, will be out in America in July so book your hols now. And finally – what
does Prince himself thinks of her ? “She makes me seem alright in the eyes of people
watching. She keeps a smile on her face. When I sneer she smiles. It’s not premeditated – she just
does it !”
16-02-1986 : LA Times
Pop Eye : Dredging Up the Purple Prince's Past
By Patrick Goldstein
There's a new Prince record in your local record store this week called "Minneapolis Genius : 94
East." At least, it looks like a Prince album. After all, the record jacket is bright purple. But is it
really, as the label copy reads, "The Historic 1977 Recordings" featuring Prince's first appearance
in a recording studio ? Technically, the answer is yes. In the mid-'70s, Prince - then the leader of a
bar band called Grand Central Station - went into a Minneapolis studio to do some session work
with Pepe Willie, a mainstay on the local music circuit who led a band called 94 East. Now, nearly
a decade later, Hot Pink Records has released an album with six songs from those sessions.
Prince's contributions are strictly musical. He plays most of the instruments on the album but
does not sing on any of the tracks and only co-wrote one of the six songs. So the big question
remains : Isn't it a wee bit misleading to use all this Prince imagery as a come-on for Prince fans to
buy the record ? Not so, insisted Willie, who said he was an "adviser" to Prince early in his career, "showed him the ropes" and has
remained "friends" with him ever since. "People can say what they want," Willie explained, "but if I'm cashing in, I'm cashing in
on me. I got all this stuff started. I don't mean this in any ego trip way, but the whole Minneapolis scene wouldn't have happened
without me." According to Willie, he first met Prince at a ski-party and later helped shape the sound of his early groups, which also
included Andre Cymone (who's on the new record) and Morris Day, whose mother originally booked the band. "There was no
question that they knew how to play," Willie said. "But there wasn't any construction. They'd do a song for three minutes, then
jam for 10 minutes, and one person would sing something different from what the other person was singing." As for the tag, "The
Historic 1977 Sessions," Willie said : "Hey, this was the beginning, the first time this 16-year-old kid was in the studio. To me,
that's historic." Willie added that he hasn't heard anything directly from the Prince camp, just rumors. "But I'm pretty sure he's
happy about it." Though Prince's name is being used to attract record buyers, he won't be seeing much in the way of profits from
the album. According to Andrew Frances, an executive vice president at Hot Pink Records, the Purple One was paid a fee to perform
session work on the record and will receive royalties from the one track he co-wrote. As for the timing behind the record's release coming just as Prince is issuing a new album on Warners - Frances says it's strictly coincidental. "We had no idea that Prince was
going to drop a single onto the world the week our record came out," he said. "He hasn't exactly been talking to us every day
about his plans." Prince's management had no comment. A spokesman for his record label, Warner Bros. Records, said : "This
predates our involvement with Prince. Actually, when we saw the title, 'Minneapolis Genius,' we thought maybe they were talking
about Harmon Killebrew."
17-02 to 01-03-1986 : Rehearsals
17-02-1986 : Euphoria Highway (2:04)
A two-week period of sessions at Sunset Sound followed in February 1986. Prince and Jill taped one new track, “Euphoria
Highway.” Other than Jill Jones singing the title phrase during the song's introduction, it is an instrumental piece. They recorded
overdubs and did more work on the tracks they had chosen for the album. At this stage, the project was turned over to David Rivkin
as Prince realised he was not going to have enough time to complete it on his own. He felt Rivkin could spend more time and care
with the record.
??-??-1986 : My Man (2) *
It is likely that additional recording was done on My Man by David Z. at a later date, perhaps at the same time that Jill Jones added
vocals (likely 1986-7, although this is unconfirmed).
After these two songs in which Jones boasts of her sexual liberation, ‘My Man’ comes as suddenly conservative. It’s a musically and
lyrically basic song about a woman who’s annoyed with a cheating lover. There’s a danger, once again, in reading this album as a
narrative rather than a simple collection of unconnected songs. It’s not a concept album, so there’s no reason to look for themes or
to see ‘Jill Jones’ as a created persona, but Prince always gives great thought to sequencing: maybe ‘My Man’ is there to
counterbalance the licentious feel of so much of the record ; to distinguish Jones from Apollonia and Vanity.
23-02-1986 : Sheila E @ Oakland
Late 02-1986 : Jill Jones 1st configuration / Last Jill Jones Sessions
The first configuration of the album was compiled in late February, 1986, before the recording of Violet Blue, but the tracklist of this
configuration is unknown. The first configuration of Jill’s album was compiled in late February 1986, but it would take another year
before the record was completed. “Prince decided it needed more work or songs,” says Rivkin. “We didn’t go ‘what?’ We went ‘yes,
OK.’ That’s why it took so long.” Apart from tracks that eventually ended up on Jill’s album, the early version of her record included
“Euphoria Highway” and “Too Rough.” Being a slow-paced, predominantly synth-based instrumental piece (apart from Jill’s wailed
intro of the title phrase), “Euphoria Highway” is very different from the rest of the material that was worked on for Jill’s album. “Too
Rough,” meanwhile, is an uptempo pop effort about a woman who carries her money in her garter belt with a pistol. The men all
want to take her out, but her only aim is to take their money, pride, and personality. The song was later offered to Joyce Kennedy,
formerly of Mother's Finest. She turned it down, commenting, “I don't think it’s some of his best work. The hook and the vocal lead
are good, but the rest of the song... It’s real strange.”
Mar 86
01-03-1986 : Capitol Studio (LA)
Can I Play With U (3) – Miles Davis overdubs – Prev. Sunset Sound 27-12-85 – Perfect Way
Miles Davis added trumpet to the song on 1 March, 1986 at Capitol Recording Studio, Los Angeles.
NME (UK)
Prince And The Revolution – Kiss
By Andy Gill
OK, I submit this is brilliant. After the momentary aberration of Around The World In A Day, Kiss is back to roots, and not just
Prince’s roots, but the roots of those roots. The song calls all the way back to Sly Stone’s deconstructions, a sparse, stinging and –
yes ! – sly funk workout in which the spaces say as much as the paces.
02-03-1986 : Philadelphia Inquirer
By Ken Tucker, Inquirer Popular-Music Critic
What a thrill it is to hear the new Prince single, "Kiss" (Warner Bros.). The song is spectacular - twice as good as anything on Purple
Rain, five times better than anything on Around the World in a Day, and a hundred times as appealing as Prince's new sleazyRomeo haircut. "Kiss" extends the groundbreaking work performed by Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix in the late '60s and early '70s,
when rhythm-and-blues confronted the electronic age with renewed vigor and inventiveness. Prince's use of both electric guitar and
synthesizers to create tiny, precise bursts of rhythm is exciting; his witty falsetto vocal reaches back to Frankie Lymon to achieve a
sexy yet sincere emotionalism. It's unlike anything else on the radio. It is heartening that Prince has chosen to release this generous,
funny single just now. Over the last year, in the wake of the enormous success of both the film and album Purple Rain, as well as the
self-absorbed psychedelia of Around the World in a Day, Prince has presented himself to the media and his fans as a churlish
recluse. "Kiss" suggests that he is opening up, that he still has a good sense of humor - how else to interpret the song's chorus, which
culminates in the lines, "You don't have to be cool to rule my world / I just want your extra time and your... (loud sounds of lips
smooching) kiss." This song is the first single from the yet-unreleased sound track to Prince's recently completed film Under the
Cherry Moon, and if its funky playfulness is indicative of the movie's mood, we might be in for a treat. If only he'd lose that haircut.
03-03-1986 : Parade Tour
Wendy / Miko Weaver / Brownmark / Matt Fink / Lisa / Eric Leeds / Matt Blistan / Bobby Z / Jerome Benton
Greg Brooks / Wally Safford + Susannah Melvoin
Prince's Parade show was considered by many to be his best yet. Eschewing the
elaborate theatrics of the Purple Rain tour and earlier shows, the Parade show focused
more on music and stagecraft than anything else. The addition of Miko Weaver on
guitar freed Prince to concentrate on the dancing and singing, closer to a James Brown
soul-style revue. He proved to be a masterful showman with a stunning repertoire of
dance moves and routines, often with the three dancers and hacking singers following
him. The choreography and interplay between Prince and the trio were obviously tightly
rehearsed, but spontaneity was never suffocated : everyone bristled with energy and
enthusiasm. The show was much more playful and had more personality than Prince's
earlier shows. Indeed, many considered the show to he his most mature and
professional yet. The addition of Miko Weaver on guitar freed Prince to concentrate on
the dancing and singing, and more than anything else, the concerts showed Prince to
be a masterful showman with few to match him in terms of stagecraft. He had a
stunning repertoire of stage moves and dance routines, often with the dance trio
following his moves. The incredibly deft choreography and interplay between Prince
and the dancers were obviously tightly rehearsed, but spontaneity was never
suffocated; Prince and his band bristled with energy and enthusiasm. Musically, the
show was just as absorbing and exhausting as it was visually. The musical pace was
very fast and many of the songs were shortened and rearranged. Instead of playing one
song after another, many songs were played in long medleys. The horns of Atlanta
Bliss and Eric Leeds took over many musical lines previously played by synths, and
their embellishments added a strong clement of jazz to the music. At the smallest
wink from Prince, the band switched effortlessly from sparse funk numbers to jazzy
big hand arrangements. Prince performed in at number of outfits, ranging from
colourful baggy suits and ties to more revealing skin-tight spandex trousers and
tops. His wardrobe also included a pearl-studded leather jacket, a trenchcoat, and a
polo sweater. The show opened with “Around The World In Day," played behind a
curtain until the very end of the song, Prince's shout of "parade” was the cue for
"Christopher Tracy’s Parade." "New Position" and "I Wonder U" followed without
interruption, much like on Parade. The latter was sung by Wendy, allowing Prince to
disappear off-stage to change clothes. He returned to the stage for a sing-along
version of “Raspberry Beret," which was followed by the considerable less known
instrumental B-side. "Alexa De Paris.“ The next portion of the show focused on funk,
with “Controversy” segued into "Mutiny.” The latter incorporated parts from "Dream
Factory" : a phrase of “this is what it's like in the dream factory” was usually added and the hacking singers lambasted Paul
Peterson with the repeated chant of “St. Paul, punk of the month !" A chorus from “How Much Is That Doggie ln The Window ?”
preceded a truncated medley of three 1999 tunes, “Lady Cab Driver,” “Automatic” and “D.M.S.R.” “The Dance Electric” featured few
lyrics, instead developing into a lengthy instrumental jam with Prince soloing on the guitar. The mood changed as Prince sat down
at a grand piano to play “Under The Cherry Moon.” Lisa took over at the piano for “Anotherloverholenyohead” and she played a
solo while Prince left the stage for another change of clothes. Reaching back to his first three albums, the next songs were “Soft
And Wet,” “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” and “Head.” The latter was an obvious audience favourite, sometimes culminating with Prince
seducing and making love to the microphone stand. “Pop Life,” “Girls And Boys,” and “Life Can Be So Nice” closed the main
section of the concert. Prince strapped on his guitar for “Purple Rain,” which launched a lengthy encore section. The encores
changed from show to show, but Prince often played a frantic version of the Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 classic “Whole Lotta Shakin’
Goin’ On,” “A Love Bizarre,” “Mountains,” and “America,” before the show climaxed with a rousing “Kiss.” Prince and The
Revolution had rehearsed a vast number of songs and the set was changed from show to show. A fairly typical US “Hit & Run”
show had the following set list : “Around The World In Day”/ “Christopher Tracy’s Parade”/ “New Position” / “I Wonder U” /
“Raspberry Beret” / “Alexa De Paris” / “Controversy” / “Mutiny” / “Dream Factory” / “How Much ls That Doggie In The Window ?” /
“Lady Cab Driver” / “Automatic” / “D.M.S.R.” / “The Dance Electric” / “Under The Cherry Moon” / “Anotherloverholenyohead” / “Soft
And Wet” / “I Wanna Be Your Lover” / “Head” / “Pop Life” / “Girls And Boys” / “Life Can Be So Nice.” Encore section: “Purple Rain” /
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” / “Mountains” / “A Love Bizarre” / “America” / “Kiss.” The encore segment did not always include
“Mountains” and “America.” The extended “Electric Man” portion of “Head” was added for the first time (on tape anyway) in Detroit,
June 7th, while “♥ Or $” made at least one appearance in the set, San Francisco, May 23rd. “Paisley Park” was dropped after the
First Avenue concert. Chants from “Holly Rock” were occasionally added to “Controversy,” “Mutiny,” “A Love Bizarre,” and
“America.” Apart from the early performnces of “Raspberry Beret,” which featured a full-length version, the song was shortened to
include only a verse and the chorus. When Prince and The Revolution played in New York, August 2nd and 3rd, the show had
undergone several changes. “Delirious” was added in place of “Alexa De Paris,” while “When Doves Cry” replaced “The Dance
Electric.” “Do Me, Baby” was inserted as a breather between “Mutiny” and the 1999 medley, and “Sometimes It Snows In April” was
added as an encore. In addition, the “Dream Factory” portion of “Mutiny” was dropped. Instead, “Mutiny” included lines from “Ice
Cream Castles” and the “roof is on fire” chant from George Clinton’s “Mix-Master Suite,” from his then-newly released album R&B
Skeletons In The Closet. For the European tour, Prince dropped “Soft And Wet,” replacing it with “17 Days” or “♥ Or $” (played less
often than “17 Days”). “I Wanna Be Your Lover” was only played during the first concert in Europe, London, August 12th, before
being omitted for the rest of the tour, while “Mutiny” was replaced with “A Love
Bizarre” after making two appearances in Europe (London, August 12th and 13th).
Introduced in the set in Europe was “1999,” which ended the main portion of the
show. “Purple Rain” was used as the closing number. The Rolling Stones’ “Miss
You” (London, August 14th), “Manic Monday” (Rotterdam, August 18th), and the
new “lt’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” (Paris, August 25th) made one appearance
each on the European tour. Prince sometimes added a song or two to the segment
of the show with him seated at the piano, “Condition Of The Heart,” “Little Red
Corvette,” “Paisley Park,” “Do U Lie?,” and “The Ladder.” Prince would sometimes
add a line from “Hey Good Lookin’,” another track on Clinton’s R&B Skeletons In
The Closet, to “Head.” Few set changes were made for the subsequent japanese
tour, although “♥ Or $” was played more often than “17 Days” and the piano sitdown portion was extended. The band... Prince (Whatever), Wendy (guitar), Lisa
(keyboards), Brown Mark (bass), Bobby Z. (drums), Dr. Fink (keyboards), Miko
Weaver (guitar), Atlanta Bliss (trumpet), Eric Leeds (saxophone), Greg Brooks
(backing vocals), Wally Safford (backing vocals), Jerome Benton (backing vocals).
This was a first-rate production and perfectly captures the mood and style of the
Parade era. It contains full-page portraits of Prince and the individual members of
the expanded Revolution with excellent photography by Jeff Katz. Other than a
discography, there isn’t much more to the book. The edition sold at the European
and Japanese shows was the same, but the Japanese one included a Sheila E.
poster inserted in the book.
♫ MPLS 1st Avenue Soundcheck
(0:20)
(A : Stroke – 8/10)
Instrumental / Controversy / Mutiny
The pre-show soundcheck included work on “Controversy” and “Mutiny,” as well
as Mazarati's “Stroke," written by Brown Mark.
Part of this soundcheck has been circulating for years and has
appeared on various pressed releases in the past - 'Cherry' and 'Veni,
Vidi, Vici' - being the obvious two. Those however lasted around 17:30
which means this fan release is almost twice the length and contains
an entire 15:30 version of 'Stroke' which has never appeared until
now. Those are the positives, however the downside is the quality of
the recording is really rather woeful and anyone looking for a
pleasurable listening experience would be better looking elsewhere.
It's not the worst I've heard, however a constant droning hum and
background hiss throughout, matched with tape flaws, glitches and
wavering all make this something for the hardcore. The hiss lasts for
the entire recording, but is at its peak during the (until now)
uncirculating 'Stroke' and the volume level rivals the soundcheck
content itself. That said, this is a one-of-a-kind soundcheck, so I find it pretty easy to zone out the problems and
focus on the merits of the soundcheck - of which there are many. The opening 5 minutes consist of nothing more
than a mess of drums, guitar licks and synth effects whilst the band tune their instruments. This gives way to a
jam centered around 'Stroke' which is mainly instrumental with Prince adding a few lines. A basic run-through of
'Controversy' is followed by a lengthy jam on 'Mutiny' which extends into a groove with Prince picking up his guitar
towards the end. The recording then ends with another blast of band tuning/instrument checks before the
recording ends abruptly. The musical content may be secondary to the majority due to the quality of the
recording, but the 'Stroke' jam really is worth at least one listen, if you can stomach it.
♫ h MPLS 1st Avenue
(2:11)
(A : First Avenue ‘86 – 10/10 * V : First Avenue Warm-Up – 8/10)
Around The World In A Day / Christopher Tracy’s Parade / New Position / I Wonder U / Paisley Park
Alexa De Paris (aborted) / Raspberry Beret / Alexa De Paris
Controversy (Incl. What Have You Done For Me Lately) / Mutiny (Incl. Dream Factory) / Soft & Wet
I Wanna Be Your Lover / Head / Under The Cherry Moon / Pop Life (Incl. Frere Jacques)
Girls & Boys(Incl. Holly Rock) / Life Can Be So Nice / Purple Rain / Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
Anotherloverholenyohead / Mountains (Incl. Disco To Go) / A Love Bizarre
America (Incl. Spanish Key – Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) – Holly Rock – The Oak Tree –
Living In America – Free World – Color Of Success) / Kiss
The revamped Revolution made
their debut at First Avenue with an
announcement on Minneapolis radio
station KMOJ as the only advance
notice. Prince's family members
watched from the balcony and four
video cameras recorded the event.
Prince and his group, in a relaxed
and congenial mood, thrashed the stage for two and a half hours of rock
and funk. Prince changed from purple pajamas with a long white coat
into a bare midriff paisley outfit, ending in a leather greaser-era look. He
even wandered into the amazed audience several times during the
show. Prince reminded the audience from the outset that it was just a
rehearsal. "We've only been rehearsing for about a week. So we're a
little rusty. But here it goes," he said before kicking off with “Around The
World ln A Day.” “That was Wendy," he said after "l Wonder U." “We're
gonna try to play everything that we know. Some of us are kind of rusty.
Like I said, we've only been rehearsing a week. If we come back and
play next week, it will be alright." Prince launched into a guitar solo
before starting to sing “Paisley Park" unaccompanied. The song worked great and it is a shame that it was dropped from the set
after only one performance. Towards the end of “Raspberry Beret,” Prince addressed Jerome, "l gotta talk to you about this girl,
man.” He described the “raspberry beret” girl's figure and said, “You know what ? She don't wanna make love to me." “That's a lie,"
Prince remarked after singing the line “ain't got no money“ in “l Wanna Be Your Lover.“ "Head" was a highlight of the set, featuring
a lot of encouragements by Prince to get the audience to take part. “Say it, one word ! Head !“ He instructed. “When I say, 'Whose
house ?,' l want y'all to say ‘Prince's house !"' Jerome showed Prince how to dance the “Oak Tree" during "Head," causing Prince to
say, “Oak tree ? Is that it ? We've got to chop that down tonight and make a wooden leg out of it." “Purple Rain" started unusually,
with a long sax improvisation by Eric Leeds before Prince joined the band, playing some jazzy guitar phrases, before starting to
sing. Played as an encore, “Anotherloverholenyohead" did not feature Lisa Coleman's piano solo. “A Love Bizarre" was fairly short,
emphasizing Eric Leeds' saxophone playing. More inspired, “America" lasted around 15 minutes and featured lyric quotes from
"Holly Rock," Jesse Johnson's "Free World,” Morris Day's “The Oak Tree" and "Colour Of Success," and James Brown's 1985 hit
“Living In America." Prince had the backing singers repeat his lines in a call-and-response manner. Prince also played a drum solo
during "America.” “Whose house ?,” he asked one more time before kicking off "Kiss," which closed the show.
Prince opened what became known as the Hit N Run tour with a surprise home-town show at First Avenue, a month before the
release of Parade. As he did when playing there in 1982, and would again when premiering the Sign o’ the Times show in 1987, he
was eager to establish that this was a rehearsal. In the time between the last Purple Rain show at the Orange Bowl in Miami nearly a
year earlier and this performance, Prince had played only three shows, and this was the first chance for a paying audience to witness
the major changes he had undergone since the bombast of the Purple Rain tour. Just as Parade represented a change in his sound
from the rock-orientated previous two albums, so the Hit N Run tour revealed a more playful Prince than the angst-ridden kid last
seen onstage. At the First Avenue show, Prince announced that they’d only been rehearsing a week – in reality, they’d been working
on the show for a month – but he clearly felt they needed more work as he took the band back into rehearsal after the show and
appeared anxious about how the show might be received, offering up further apologies throughout the performance. ‘Paisley Park’
sounded particularly ragged that evening, as Prince struggled and strained to make it fit, and it’s a song that he performed only a
handful of times on the tour, as it didn’t really work in a show more focused on the Parade material. He turned on his bandmates
too. When someone began the intro for a song not due until later in the set, he snapped : ‘Man, that’s what I said : you let
somebody new in the band, they always want to solo.’ The mention of new people joining the band was an acknowledgement of a
recent sore point. After the break-up of The Time, Prince had absorbed several new members into the band, including Jerome
Benton, his right-hand man from Under the Cherry Moon, and would now interrupt ‘Raspberry Beret’ to banter with him about
breast sizes, giving an early indication as to why some members of The Revolution would soon become frustrated with the new
direction. Prince would use Jerome as a foil throughout the tour, seemingly in an attempt to absorb The Time into The Revolution,
the childish interplay between the two of them an odd contrast to the sophisticated music Prince and his band were playing. About
the change, Matt Fink says : ‘I wasn’t completely crazy about it, but I warmed up to it. It was a result of what happened with The
Family. Paul Peterson couldn’t come to an agreement for his terms of contract. Prince wanted to tie him down for seven years, or
at least three years with an option, but he just wanted one year with an option. So he walked away, and Prince felt bad so he
offered places in The Revolution to members of The Family.’ But Fink accepts that it wasn’t just kindness or guilt behind the
restructuring. ‘There was some creative element. The music started to need people playing horns and stuff like that.’ Other
additions to the band included Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, and more contentiously, as dancers and on backing vocals, Wally Safford,
Greg Brooks and Wendy’s sister Susannah Melvoin. The conflict that would soon emerge shouldn’t, however, overshadow the
brilliance of this tour, particularly the American leg. Among the hard core, there are three candidates for Prince’s greatest tour : the
Hit N Run/Parade tour of 1986, the Lovesexy tour, and to a lesser extent, the One Nite Alone … tour. But to a certain breed of fan,
the Hit N Run/Parade tour easily ranks highest, largely because Prince was debuting an extraordinary amount of high-quality new
material (the same would be true of the Sign o’ the Times and The Ultimate Live Experience tours, of course, but those shows were
without The Revolution). These were Prince’s densest, most complicated shows. While still introducing a lot of Parade to an
audience who would just be getting familiar with the new record, there were even more unexpected highlights to the evening: the
band performing without him on the instrumental ‘Alexa de Paris ’; an ever-growing ‘Mutiny’; and a compelling new version of the
song he’d given to André Cymone the year before, ‘The Dance Electric’, which, performed with The Revolution and with Atlanta
Bliss on Miles-like trumpet and Prince on guitar, sounded every bit as strong as any Parade song and in its confident demonstration
of Prince’s burgeoning interest in jazzfunk provided the show’s highlight.
A : An excellent insight into what would later evolve as the Parade Tour. The songs performed (most notably
'Around The World In A Day' & 'Raspberry Beret') are performed far more completely than the versions played on
the tour itself. The concert has a rehearsal feel to it, with Prince himself commenting that "We've only been
rehearsing for a week" - and he is constantly interacting with the band, and laughing and joking with the
audience. 'Mutiny' contains some crowd chants aimed at Paul Peterson (Punk Of The Month), along with parts of
'Dream Factory'. The sound quality, while being an excellent recording is a little less polished than some others,
and has some drop-outs and a fairly vocal audience. Overall for interest and rarity value this is a great release.
V : This is a major improvement over the previously circulating 1dvdr version of
this show. Professionally filmed by a single camera it gives an excellent overview
of the stage. There are a number of tight close-ups, however the majority of the
footage is shot without zoom, which captures the whole stage. The picture quality
and sharpness of colour is much better on this version, however the footage still
suffers the same problems as all others do (as they originate from the same
source). The picture has a nasty habit of disappearing, which leaves you with
audio only. It happens fairly infrequently, however the whole of 'Purple Rain'
suffers this fate, as do some other small parts. Camille has decided to replace the
blank screen with a Parade picture, and during the audio-only 'Purple Rain' we are
treated to a slideshow of great 86 live pictures - an interesting, novel idea. Overall
this 2DVD set is far superior in every way to the previous releases. Great menu's,
improved quality footage, fantastic attention to detail and nice bonus material.
Jon Bream, Minneapolis Star And Tribune, described the concert : "Prince has put together a
revue that, in time, could rival James Brown’s and George Clinton’s for colourfulness, chaos
and coolness. With the exception of three costume changes, it was the closest Prince has come
to putting on a no-frills, no-props show that lacked his usual self-indulgences. The concert
was unquestionably one of the most fun, free-spirited and free-wheeling performances he has
given in the Twin Cities.“ Michael Welch reported for City Pages : “I thought it was a great show, full of sound and fury. Prince
and the new Revolution milled all the time and joked among themselves. It was super fun.”'
“We only been rehearsing about a week, so we a little rusty” Prince informs the crowd as the show starts “But here goes”.
Immediately the sound of Around the World In a Day can be heard, and Prince starts the gig with an “Aawwwhhh” as he does so
many times. Around the World In a Day is one of those songs that have seemed to fallen through the cracks. It’s an interesting song,
but never seems to quite fit with anything else he has done before or since. The first half of the song is delicate, but the second half
the lights come up and Prince and the band run through some fairly solid dance moves. Its bit of a novelty song for me, so I enjoy
the performance here. A shout, and the band switch to Christopher Tracy’s Parade. A fun song, the audience and I start to relax
more. The mood is pretty light throughout, and Prince ad-libs a nice little line in the middle with “Jimmy Jam, I don’t to hear this
on your record” ! The extended Revolution shows off the new members, especially the horns are much more prominent. The song
ends with Prince moving to the keyboards and jamming for half a minute. Oh, if only it was longer. There is no rest as they
immediately segue into New Position. My thoughts are already how well these three songs all work together. It’s a nice energy to all
three of them, and they all demonstrate his nice clean sound at this stage. For a band that has supposedly only been rehearsing for a
week, they all sound tight to me. One can only guess that the week involved some very long days. I Wonder U slows us all down, and
takes us somewhere different again. What a great mix of styles he had at the time. They play slight faster than I normally hear on
record, and it takes a couple of lines perform Wendy’s voice warms up and gets stronger. Another nice moment is between songs
when Prince says “oh, I like you guys already”. Again he explains they have only been rehearsing a week, and may be rusty. No fear
of that, I assure you, it’s all sounding great so far. Next up is the first of many highlights for me, when Prince pulls out his guitar and
delivers up a rarely heard live version of Paisley Park. A favorite of mine on record, live it’s something better again. I can’t explain
what it is about this version that I enjoy, maybe the rawness of his voice, and the guitar. There is a lyric ad-lib as well, which only
adds to the loose live feel of it. Prince is playing with a big smile, I am sure this comes across in the audio recording. Price plays a
nice guitar break near the end, buts it’s the sound of all the instruments working together that I really enjoy. And in a very nice
moment Prince plays the finger cymbals as the song has its long fade out. The fade out goes for quite a while, and Prince gets up
close and personal with some of the audience. I really do love gigs like this when he is totally relaxed. Alexa de Paris is next, but
sadly it’s just a mistake, with only Wendy playing. Obviously she has misread the set list. Prince covers with an “oh man, you let
someone new in the band and they wanna solo”, which seems like a strange comment considering Wendy had been in the band for
almost 3 years by this stage. A little bit of pop music next as they play Raspberry beret. Usually a crowd sing-along song this version
is refreshing in that Prince himself sings most of it rather than leaving the crowd to sing it. Energy levels are high, with some
choreographed dancing by Prince, as well as just some joyful jumping around. There is some excellent face pulling by Prince at the
crowd, then some humorous banter between Prince and Jerome - mostly about wiener size. (Seriously !) There is a final flourish by
the band, the finally Wendy gets her moment with Alexa De Paris. It’s worth the wait, she takes centre stage and plays a great
version. Although her body language doesn’t show it, she speaks through her music and it sounds quite impassioned. Again, another
gem that should be heard more often. She stalks back and forth across the stage, and I must admit I watch pretty enrapt as she
plays. The Revolution certainly was a great band. The pounding beginning of Controversy never fails to excite me, especially when
that killer guitar enters, this time backed by the horn section. The balance is just right here, with the funk of the original still intact
and the horns not overwhelming it. Prince himself doesn’t play guitar on it here, content with dancing and singing, and the energy
seems to pore out of him during this performance. “Get up !”, oh yes, this is my moment as Mutiny begins. I have said it before and
I will say it again, this is my favorite part of any Parade show. Prince dances across the stage back by the dancers, and then hits us
for a few lines. There are many elements to this that I love - his dancing, Eric Leeds playing, the funky guitar line, the driving beat,
and the lyrics. There is a breakdown mid song, I think it sounds good, but somebody has missed a cue - Prince calls “breakdown,
then I told you we were rusty.” Eric Leeds sax solo is a absolute joy, especially while Prince and the back up singers have fun with
chanting “Paul, punk of the month” Prince teases me even further by singing ‘this is what its like in the dream factory”. This
performance is stellar, so much happening in it, and it’s all played with passion and fire. Prince clearly enjoys this song a lot at this
stage, and it gets played to maximum impact. I am very surprised to hear Soft and Wet next, although given the variety and quantity
of music Prince has recorded anything could be heard at any time. This one isn’t so choreographed as some of the other songs, and
at stages Prince looks like his younger self, just playing his music and moving how he feels to it. Fink plays a nice solo, and it feels
straight out of 78 again. It’s a real contrast to the previous 40 minutes of music. There is further nostalgia when he follows up by
playing I Wanna Be Your Lover. It feels so simple after some of the more complex music he had been working on at the time, but
doesn’t lessen the enjoyment level in the slightest. It’s always going to be one of his catchiest songs, and an essential part to his
legend. The song segues in to its funky second half and Prince tell the crowd “We gonna play everything we know tonight” There is
a party atmosphere, and I find myself typing faster and faster as I listen to it. The crowd is clapping and singing and I find it hard to
not get caught up in it all myself. Wendy gets a couple of guitar breaks, and the tone of her guitar sounds nice and sharp. Of course
it moves easily into Head, very seamless. I would say that this sound of Prince is the sound that made me a fan, and probably
introduced me into the world of funk. I should mention Brown Mark at this stage, his playing here is what I am listening to most
throughout this song. The horns here really strengthen and fill out the sound. The keyboards are very much still the basis of the
song, and this is highlighted by the solo that Dr Fink plays. Never boring, he delivers every time I hear this song. Prince says “don’t
play no keyboard unless you do that” and I know exactly what he means. Dr Fink puts everything into it, and it’s a lot of fun to
watch him bobbing and jerking behind the keyboard. Things take a dark turn after this as it slides into a long dark groove. There is
plenty of Prince interplay with the dancers, as he moves through some of his more corny dance moves (Oak tree or wooden leg
anyone ?) It’s hard to dislike any of it, as the music is so strong and carries it. There is some very funny interplay from Prince and
the band between songs, difficult to transcribe here, but actually very insightful to the band dynamics. A keyboard is placed centre
stage and Prince plays a nice rendition of Under The Cherry Moon. I am shaking my head at this stage, difficult to believe that just a
minute ago we were getting funked up to Head. Prince plays the song, but there seems to be a lot of audience talk throughout on the
recording, so I am wondering how well it’s going across with the crowd. However, 30 years later I think it’s great. Pop Life, not only
one of my favorites on record, but also a live favorite, here it gets a full treatment. A very well titled song, it’s just oozes pop, with
just a touch funk underneath it all to satisfy most fans. Not many songs have a flute solo, but this one does, and somehow Eric Leeds
still manages to look cool as ever as he plays it. The bass playing on this is excellent, I just wish there was more of it. The song has a
long breakdown, with the male dancers singing “Pop Life” over and over while Prince breaks into some dancing. Doesn’t sound
wonderful, but it is enjoyable. Especially when Prince tells the audience “we got plenty of time” Eric Leeds gets further praise from
me, as the next song is Girls and Boys. The band is well and truly in the groove now, and the audience is right behind them. This
version is tight, my only quibble is the guitar isn’t in the mix as much as other recordings I have heard. On the plus side, Prince’s
singing is very strong here, and he does encourage the crowd to party throughout. The latter part of the song finds me with a big
smile on my face. The band is definitely heating up, and the song starts to take off as it goes along. Again Prince prowls back and
forth across the stage, plenty of audience interaction, and ad-libs, everyone has their hands in the air by now, and you know he
owns them. Normally I dislike it when Prince tells me how funky he is, but here he is definitely preaching to the converted, this song
is funky as hell. Just when I think it can’t get any better Prince whips off his top, engages in some dancing, then moves to the organ
and begins to jam. By now my greatest wish is that one day he will go back, pull a clean copy of this video from his vault and release
it. The song lasts for a good nine minutes, never repeats itself, showcases all his styles and talents, and I am breathless by the time it
finishes. There is no let up as we get Life Can Be So Nice right on top of it. I don’t know where Prince gets his energy from, I feel
tired just listening to it. Not just the energy of the song itself, but also all the stage antics and performance. If anyone ever doubts
he’s the greatest ever, just show them this. The show to this point has been truly sublime. The song ends with the band leaving stage
one by one, leaving just Bobby Z and Eric Leeds playing. It lasts like this for a minute, until even those two leave. The show to this
point has been outstanding, but it’s about to get even better. The next song is undoubtedly the most over played of Princes career.
When I look at my Prince recordings I have 100’s of versions of Purple Rain. No matter how good the song is, the fact is I have
heard it too many times, and I will quite happily skip it on most recordings. The version here is the exception to that. The
arrangement played at this gig is unlike any other I have heard, and it is my favorite recording of Prince’s most famous song. Purple
Rain begins with the simple guitar signature that we are all so familiar with, and the steady beat. But where it really takes off for me
is when Eric Leeds starts playing saxophone all over the intro. Some people may feel that it shouldn’t be messed with, but for me it
adds a whole new element, and in no way at all detracts from the song. It’s another layer to it, and it’s a very welcome for me. His
playing gets more passionate and feeling as it goes, and it adds another emotional layer to the song. I don’t know how many times it
was played like this, but I would love to hear more recordings of this arrangement. Princes asks “Can I play just a little bit” and he
himself adds a beautiful little run on the guitar. Although only 30 seconds, I find myself moved by it, there is a lot of feeling hanging
on those few notes. By the time he begins singing at the five minute mark I have already had my money’s worth, and already this is
my favorite performance at this gig. Prince sings the verses the same as we have heard so many times, that’s not to say they are bad,
but after the first five minutes I am already floored, nothing else can elevate this song more. The Prince solo is just as good as any
other I have heard, and it deviates just enough to keep me interested. Actually, it gets better and better and by the end of it I find
myself just sitting there nodding, much like Billy in the Purple Rain movie. This is MY Purple Rain. It’s bit of a let down when they
follow up with Whole Lotta Shakin. But to its credit, it is short, and energetic. Both the piano and horns get moments to shine, and
it does lift the audience after Purple Rain. Hard to imagine anything to follow that, so this seems like not a bad choice ! Another
personal favorite next when the long deep sounds of Eric Leeds sax introduces Anotherloverholenyohead. Prince immediately starts
to gee up the crowd, but if they are anything like me, there is really no need. Again it’s hard to believe that this is a new song for the
band. They seem to have it down pretty good, and it’s another high point in a gig full of high points. Wendy and Susannah share a
mic for the backing vocals, and Eric and Atlanta deliver up a couple of nice little runs. The song quickly turns to a jam with the band
playing on while the singers sing “You need another lover, like you need a hole in yo head” It’s songs like this that I enjoy most, the
horns playing over the top of a long groove. Prince seems in a playful mood, bouncing around the stage and just moving to the
music. The songs keep on coming, next we have Mountains. Again it’s lively, with Prince doing plenty of dancing. Early in his career
he wasn’t much of a dancer, but by this stage he has got it done, and he is excellent in this song, and indeed in every song. The horns
sound nice and sharp in this one, and there is a brief moment for Wendy and Miko to play. Wendy is upfront and prominent for
most of the gig, while Miko is fairly anonymous at the back in the shadows. It’s a shame, because his funk playing is excellent. There
is a nice long fade out, and I can hear his playing a little better. Prince ends the song with finger cymbals, I can’t help but smile
when I see him play them. Another favorite of mine from this era follows, with a shout of “A, B, A, B, C, D !!” A Love Bizarre almost
has me leaping from my seat. It’s astonishing how much great music he was writing at this stage, not only for himself but for
everyone. Love Bizarre is a classic, and the performance here is brilliant, not just the audio, but also the onstage show. Prince again
is all over the stage, dancing and singing. The band doesn’t miss a single note, and the club is partying. Eric solo begins with Prince
exclaiming “Eric Leeds, look at his suit !” The whole band is bouncing as Eric plays, and it sends my pulse racing. But the best is yet
to come, as Prince plays some mean guitar next. He plays a nice minute on Love Bizarre, but then continues playing as they move to
the main riff of America. It’s a shame there isn’t more performances of this song out there. I love the video performance of America
recorded in Paris (sic), and the America played at this gig is also outstanding. The Revolution play the hell out of it, and Prince
demonstrates that he hasn’t forgotten how to play guitar. This song is so sharp and tight, the band very cohesive and play furiously.
Listening to it, I wish he still played it today, but to be honest, I really think its The Revolution that elevates this song. Every
member gets a moment, and the pace of it is just relentless. Prince puts down the guitar and dances hard as the band march on. It’s
about now that it turns into the jam as you knew it would. With Prince leading the dancing he also demonstrates his band leader
skills, and leads the band through several changes. Prince sings bits and pieces of several songs, but never for a moment does the
groove let up. Prince further demonstrates his many talents by taking a turn at the drums later in the song. I am doing it an injustice
here, this is one of those ones you have to hear, or see. It’s really something. There is a brief interlude, where Prince promises that
he will come back and build a club house and they can do this everyday. It’s a nice thought, and I am reminded of his song uptown.
With a call of “whose house - Prince house” the band begin the final song of the night, Kiss. It feels light, after some of the songs we
have heard previously, but it’s very enjoyable. I especially enjoy the last portion, after the verses have finished and it just moves to
funky guitar and a beat. There is some more of Prince dancing with his ‘Wooden Leg’ (That didn’t really catch on, did it ?) while the
band and audience stick with him. There is a final chorus and the show ends. I have many thoughts about this one. It contains many
of my favorite songs, and favorite performances, yet it’s not often played by me. After listening to it the last few days, this would be
number one on my wish list for a better soundboard recording to suddenly appear from the vault, or a crystal clear video. In my list
of top twenty shows, this deserves to be somewhere near the top. A lot of new music here, and excellent performance, and some
stellar reworkings of familiar songs, I can’t praise this show enough. The show is 10/10, even if the recording is not.
Sheila E @ Tuscon
03-1986 : e The Bangles @ Tube - Manic Monday + Interview (0:04)
MAZARATI – PLAYER’S BALL Single Release
Single : Player’s Ball (4:34) / I Guess It’s All Over (3:30)
Maxi-Single : Player’s Ball (Extended) (8:10) / I Guess It’s All Over (LP Version) (4:56)
Player's Ball was the first single to be released from Mazarati’s first album Mazarati. It was released
shortly before the album. The single contained an edit of the track I Guess It's All Over, co-written by
Prince, and not available elsewhere (the full version was included on the album also).
n Player’s Ball
(0:04)
04-03-1986 : MAZARATI Release
(40:44)
Player’s Ball (4:34) / Lonely Girl On Bourbon St (4:36) / 100 MPH (7:23) / She’s Just That Kind Of Lady (3:41)
Stroke (4:28) / Suzy (4:22) / Strawberry Lover (5:21) / I Guess It’s All Over (4:51)
Mazarati’s self-titled debut LP is released on Paisley Park Records. Formed in 1984,
the seven-piece group from Minneapolis was discovered by Mark Brown. He wrote all
of the songs except one, and arranged and co-produced the LP with David Z (Rivkin).
Prince contributed one track, "100 MPH." He also re-wrote Brown Mark's lyrics for two
other songs, Strawberry Lover and I Guess It's All Over. The album only reached
number 133 on Bilboard’s pop chart, and number 49 on black chart. Mark Brown, who
oversaw the band, was frustrated by the lack of commercial success of the group and
accused Paisley Park Records and Prince for not having sufficient support for the
album. Their contract with the label was broken when Mark left the band in late 1986.
He managed to sign with Motown Records for Mazarati’s second album, Mazarati 2.
Sheila E @ Phoenix
05-03-1986 : KISS UK Single / Maxi-Single Release
Kiss (Extended) (7:17) / Love Or $ (Extended) (6:51)
UK release of "Kiss" / "♥ Or $." It reached number six.
Sheila E @ Las Vegas
06-03-1986 : ! LA Universal Amphitheater (Joins Sheila E)
* Advert. Start : 8:15PM / Duration : 0:25
A Love Bizarre / Head (Incl. What Have You Done For Me Lately – Dream Factory – Holly Rock) / Kiss
Unexpectedly, Prince appeared on stage at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los
Angeles to perform "A Love Bizarre" with Sheila E., before continuing with
“America” and “Kiss." By the end of the 30-minute encore. Sheila's band had been
relegated to the wings as Prince and The Revolution took over the stage.
Meets George Clinton & Vanessa Williams
After the concert, Prince received George Clinton backstage along with the former Miss America Vanessa Williams, who were
working on a common project. Clinton had contacted Prince’s management and asked him if he was interested to collaborate on
tracks on the album. Prince offered them "Eternity" (recorded at Sunset Sound in December 1985) and "Euphoria Highway"
(recorded with Jill Jones at Sunset Sound in February 1986). The Clinton project with Vanessa Williams never saw the day and
"Euphoria Highway" is still unreleased. "Eternity" was later submitted to Sheena Easton, who released it in her 1987 No Sound But
A Heart.
07-03-1986 : Sheila E @ LA
08-03-1986 : h Sheila E @ San Francisco Warfield Theater
(0:57)
(A : Meet My Heroes – 10/10 * V : Live Romance 1600 – 10/10)
Sister Fate / Erotic City / Toy Box / S Car Go / Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer
Holly Rock / The Glamorous Life / A Love Bizarre
Prince showed up to do another duet with Sheila, this time at her show at
the Warfield Theatre, San Francisco. Prince and The Revolution joined
Sheila on “A Love Bizarre" and “Kiss.” The show was filmed and later
released as a home video. Prince would return to the Warfield Theatre in
May.
♫ San Francisco Warfield Theater (Joins Sheila E) (0:17)
A Love Bizarre / Kiss
LA Times
Pop Music Reviews : Sheila E. Rescued By A Charming Prince
By Connie Johnson
Sheila E., who got her big break as the opening act for his highness Prince, inadvertently ended up in that role again Thursday night
at the Universal Amphitheatre. Though she was the headliner, her often sluggish and self-indulgent performance didn't really give
the near-capacity crowd much to shout about. While the singer-percussionist's two
albums contain a fair share of party-inducing tunes, Ms. E. concentrated on her
weakest material, from the neo-beatnik hipster groove of "Yellow" to a belabored acting
out of "Toy Box" and "Bedtime Story" (complete with the star decked out in flannel
jammies and cuddling a stuffed bunny). It's not that the evening lacked variety. Sheila
E. tried on more fur coats than Liberace and did a drum solo so long that it would have
even tired Gene Krupa. It's just that it was all so flat. The show really began around 11
p.m. when Prince came on stage for an unannounced appearance with his new,
expanded Revolution band. He took command of Sheila's recent hit, "Love Bizarre,"
exciting the crowd with a series of electrifying dance steps and a warm manner - he
shook hands with dozens of fans pressed against the stage. By the midpoint in the
nearly 30-minute encore, Sheila E.'s band had been relegated to the wings as Prince
and crew skipped through his "America" and his latest James Brown-flavored single,
"Kiss." Even the folks seen dozing off earlier perked up for the night's true star. Local
band the Untouchables opened the bill with a ska-oriented set that didn't really go
anywhere until it lit into the anthem-like "Free Yourself," a tune with a lot of the energy
(and sound) of "Land of 1,000 Dances."
09-03-1986 : Sheila E @ San Francisco
11-03-1986 : Sunset Sound
Funny Love (1)
Twosday
Funny Love is an unreleased track recorded on 11 March, 1986 at Sunset Sound, (on
the same day as Twosday). The name Fun Love was used to refer to the track inhouse, but mastertape boxes list the track as Funny Love.
Sheila E @ San Francisco
Without any advance notice, Prince and the Revolution throw in their own set after
Sheila E’s concert at the 6,200-seater Universal Amphitheatre.
12-03-1986 : Smash Hits
The Prince story
A Tom Hibbert “blockbuster”
Does Prince really...
Live all alone in a fortified mansion with only his life-size murals of Marylin Monroe for company ?
Believe that he arrived on earth in a spaceship from another planet when he was a baby ?
Employ a permanent food taster and a special bodyguard for testing his weekly vitamin shots because he’s convinced someone is
trying to poison him ?
Make the members of his band and entourage fill out an appointment request form – in triplicate – if they want to speak to him
about anything ?
Own a herd of rare buffalo in Wyoming all of which are dyed bright purple ?
No he doesn’t.
But these are just a few of the many extravagantly ludicrous rumours about Prince that have abounded ever since Purple Rain made
him a huge star. Poor Prince – gross exaggerations and total lies all over the place : there can be few celebrities who have been
painted so batty by press and public alike. Just because he refuses to talk to the press, pops up in public only very rarely
(surrounded by brute-like minders and looking very sulky), maintains a strict privacy and wouldn’t even join in on USA For Africa
or Live Aid – he has earned a reputation for being a reclusive madcap and an egomaniac i.e. a bloke who’s completely off his trolley.
But only the other day – ping ! – there was Prince talking on The Tube – entirely normal and rather charming. Not a swaggering
buffoon with an enormous head but a timide cove with a weeny speaking voice. So who is he, really, this small, strange person, the
pouting figure in the lofty boots ? The following fib-free life story may yield some clues concerning the man they all call... Skipper
!??? Well, that’s what his parents used to call him when he was a boy. He was born in Minneapolis on June 7 1958 and his real
name, the one on his birth certificate, is Prince Rogers Nelson. Why did they chose that ? Well, you see... his father John Nelson (a
black Italian who worked for an electronics company) played a piano by night in a jazz combo called the Prince Rogers Trio who
worked in seedy dives backing strippers and who once had a female singer called Mattie. She ended up marrying John Nelson and
had a little joke nickname for him which was Prince Rogers (after the group) and so she thought it would be nice to name her son
that too. So she did. But Prince Rogers didn’t really suit him because he wasn’t very Prince-like – he was more like a sort of...
Skipper. Voila ! Skipper was sent to the John Hay elementary school in Minneapolis along with his nine (approx.) brothers, sisters,
half-brothers and half-sisters, where the only thing he was very good at was doing impressions of famous professional wrestlers like
Mad Dog Vachon and The Crusher in the school yard and bunking off for nosh-ups at McDonalds. Or, rather, not nosh-ups because,
Prince says ; “I didn’t have any money so I’d just stand there outside and smell stuff.” When he was ten, his parents split up and his
father remarried and things turned sour : Prince and his step-father detested one another and the boy got sick of being yelled at for
tinkling about on the piano that his Dad had left behind. So, when he was 13, he went to live with an aunt but she got sick of him
tinkling about on the electric guitar his dad had bought him and she threw him out. So he went to live with one of his sisters but she
threw him out too. Finally, he was taken in by Bernadette Anderson, the mother of his friend Andre (who later changed his surname
to Cymone and became one of Prince’s musician). Andre remembers the teenage Prince as an extremely polite little chap who
“didn’t even cuss”, unlike himself who was always hicking hub caps off motor cars and taking neighbourhood girls down into his
Mum’s basement for a snog-up. Soon, however, Prince was joining in these mooning sessions with great gusto and the basement
was put to further use when Prince and Andre formed an instrumental rock band. They rehearsed down there – Prince on guitar,
Andre on bass, Andre’s sister Linda on keyboards and a local friend Morris Day (later with Prince protégé band The Time) on
drums – and they also designed their “stage” gear down there : suede suits with their respective astrological signs drawn on the
back (the Gemini twins for Prince). They called themselves Grand Central, changed that to Champagne, and, Bernadette Anderson
recalls, they “just sounded like a lot of noise.” By 1974 Champagne were minor league local celebrities, playing cover versions of hits
in black clubs, and Prince had done his first ever interview – for the Minnesota Daily – in which he revealed that he wanted to
perform choreographed dance routines on stage but only ones without spins – “I get nauseated,” he confessed. Ten years later his
stage antics would be littered with spins – but he still seemed to find them a problem : on the very first date of the Purple Rain tour,
he fell over whilst attempting a foxy pirouette, and at the Grammy Awards the following year – whoops ! – there he went again,
almost knocking his teeth out with the microphone in the process. The group used to hang out at a nearby recording studio in the
hope of free recording time and the studio’s owner, Chris Moon, remembers Prince as “looking pretty tame. He always used to
show up at the studio with a chocolate milk shake in his hand, sipping out of a straw.” But Chris Moon was impressed by Prince’s
ability to play any instrument he picked up; and so Moon started teaching Prince studio technology and Prince began to record
“demos” of his songs. When they were finished, Prince whisked them off to Los Angeles (man) to get signed up by a great big
recording company. Which didn’t take very long at all because Warner Brothers Records thought he seemed like a pretty groovy
prospect. They gave him quite a lot of money and they agreed to let him play all the instruments on his first LP and produce it
himself – even though he was a mere teenager with scant experience. The first Prince LP, For You, was released in 1978; it
contained songs called things like Soft And Wet – it was quite saucy. It was dedicated to “God” and it sold 100.000 copies. The next
LP, Prince was very saucy – “Sex-related fantasy is all my mind can see” crooned Prince through one number - and it sold a
million. Next came Dirty Mind – saucier still – very, very saucy INDEED – and from now on it was sauce aHOY as Prince took to
leering about the stage in scantly black lace underwear and disgusting suspenders, blabbering on provocatively about his fabulous
body, “boogieing on down” on silky beds and getting matey with his brazen trio of girls singers, Vanity 6, whose clothes were forever
falling off, and making fiery “lurve” to his geetar and... Well, even his band were sometimes shocked : guitarist Dez Dickerson could
never bring himself to join in on the vocals of one song, Sister (about the “joys” of incest), like he was supposed to : “That song goes
too far,” he fumed... All this spice and steaminess was making Prince preposterously famous in America – and the first signs of the
tetchiness, for which he’s now become renowned, were beginning to show. In 1982, while being interviewed to promote his
(dazzling) double LP 1999, he stormed from the room and announced that he would never talk to the press again. Ever. Or be
photographed – because having his picture taken made him “physically ill”. This was a most peculiar statement to make considering
that he was about to go in front of the cameras as the star of a full-length feature film... With Purple Rain (a film containing some
burrilliant music, some not-very-burrilliant acting and a useless script which called on Prince to do lots of heavy spooning with his
co-star Patty “Apollonia” Kotero, chuck her into a dustbin, mumble “Let’s go, bitch” about a thousand times, trundle about on his
purple motorcycle, and not a great deal else), Prince became a major, major star. As an actor, he seemed just mildly “average” – but
as a performer he was piping hot, and the club scenes, with Prince on stage doing Purple Rain and blubbering away, guaranteed
success. The film grossed over $100 million, the LP went platinum, and then there was the tour – 100 dates from Detroit to Miami.
After all that Prince was $20 million richer and an inch taller (his “official” height had risen mysteriously from 5’2” to 5’3”). Perhaps
this was how he managed to have about one million girlfriends all at the same time. According to gossip columns, he was courting
Rande (his cook) or Wendy Melvoin (his guitarist) or Madonna or Apollonia or hundred of assorted Hollywood starlets no-one had
ever heard of and a lot more “eligible” ladies besides. Every time he wrote or produced a song for one of his protégées (he’s worked
with Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, Sheila E, Chaka Khan, Sheena Easton, The Bangles, The Family plus a few blokes), there would be
“reliable” reports in the papers of wedding bells in the air. When Smash Hits, as a jaunty little April Fool’s joke, said that Prince and
Madonna were getting spliced and Billy Idol was going to be the best man, this highly unconvincing “fact” was reprinted as news –
in a newspaper !! And now we hear that Prince really has got married to Susannah Melvoin, twin-sister of Wendy. Well, that does at
least sound plausible... Throughout everything Prince maintained a dignified silence about his personal smoochin’ n’ a-moochin’
activities, and about everything else for the matter. In fact, in the whole of 1985 he only spoke once (to the world at large, that is)
and that was to announce that he would never tour again because he was going to “look for the ladder.” What was that supposed to
mean ? No-one knew – and when this unusual statement was followed by a new LP, Around The World In A Day, which contained
some highly dotty lyrics, some highly hippie-ish effects, and which came in a sleeve that hinted at some mysterious “symbolism”
...too awful to contemplate... Actually, it was a rather wonderful LP, given half a chance, but there were more than a few pop
“pundits” who saw it as the end of Prince : he had flipped his cork absolutely this time and would never be heard of again. However,
the pop “pundits”were wrong, as per usual. Prince has just bounded back with a new single, Kiss; he has a new LP, Parade, in the
works, an eagerly awaited new film, Under The Cherry Moon, somewhere up his sleeve, and he’s looking pretty chipper. Kiss is as
perky as anything – but what of the film ? Under The Cherry Moon is being shot in the south of France and its director Mary
Lambert (who made Madonna’s Material Girl video) describes it as “a fairy tale about a couple of boys (the other one’s played by
another Prince protégé, Jerome Benton from The Family) who go the Riviera to strike it rich. It’s hopelessly romantic.” Sounds
hopelessly dull so far – but wait, what is this ? Not only is it being filmed in old-fashioned black and white but it’s not even a pop
music film ! Prince’s only musical contribution is when he’s seen playing piano in a casino. Well, that’s Prince for you – he’s crispy
round the edges, he’s of a slightly grumpy persuasion, and he keeps a two-foot statuette of a yellow gnome in his spare bedroom –
and what, pray, is wrong with that, eh ? Hurray – yore a bit of a toff, Skipper...
15-03-1986 : New Home Studio - Dream Factory Sessions
The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (1) * - Dream Factory
On March 15, sessions for the Dream Factory project begin in Prince’s home studio in his house. Much money was invested in the
need of the studio, which was designed by Westlake Studio. The studio is large enough for Prince to record the whole band at
home, which has never been done before. While Prince personally attended the recordings, as usual, the Dream Factory project
involves largely Wendy Melvoin, Susannah and Lisa Coleman. ”It was going to be marketed as a group record, not a Prince
record,” remembers Alan Leeds. “Whatever Dream Factory meant to him, it was inspired by the camaraderie of that group of
people during that period of time.” The first title recorded in his studio is "The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker." Between mid March and
late April, he recorded several tracks, "Power Fantastic", "And How", "A Place In Heaven", "Movie Star" and "Witness For The
Prosecution", most will be part of various configurations of the Dream Factory album. "Power Fantastic" will be included on The Hits
/ The B-sides in 1993, while "Movie Star" surfaced on the triple Crystal Ball in 1998. "And How" was reworked and released in 1991
by Jevetta Steele on Here It Is (First Edition). Prince continues occasional recording sessions at the Washington Avenue
warehouse. Because now he has the equipment at both locations, he can record with his band during or after rehearsals and then
bring the tapes home to add overdub and keep working on them. A funky instrumental intended for Dream Factory was recorded
with the band at the warehouse and is entitled "And That Says What".
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, the first song recorded in his home studio, got its mid-range-dominated sound as the result of a
technical glitch. While Prince and engineer Susan Rogers were working, a snowstorm caused a power outage. When the lights
came back on and work resumed, the playbacks seemed to Rogers dull and murky; Prince, in a creative trance, did not notice, and
Rogers was hesitant to interrupt the session. But when she checked the equipment after he went to bed, Rogers found that, as a
result of the blackout, the soundboard had been running on half its recommended wattage, robbing "Dorothy Parker" of its high end
and giving the song a distant and subdued feel. Learning of the problem the next day, Prince treated it as serendipity, deciding that
the offbeat sound added character.
The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
Dorothy was a waitress on the promenade
She worked the night shift
Dishwater blonde, tall and fine
She got a lot of tips
Well, earlier I'd been talkin' stuff
In a violent room
Fighting with lovers past
I needed someone with a quicker wit than mine
Dorothy was fast
Well, I ordered - "Yeah, let me get a fruit cocktail, I ain't 2
hungry"
Dorothy laughed
She said "Sounds like a real man 2 me"
Kinda cute, U wanna take a bath ?
(do you wanna, do you wanna, bath)
I said "Cool, but I'm leaving my pants on" (she say)
"Cuz I'm kind of going with someone"
She said "Sounds like a real man 2 me"
"Mind if I turn on the radio ?"
"Oh, my favorite song" she said
And it was Joni singing "Help me I think I'm falling"
(Ring)
The phone rang and she said
"Whoever's calling can't be as cute as U"
Right then I knew I was through
(Dorothy Parker was cool)
My pants where wet, they came off
But she didn't see the movie
Cuz she hadn't read the book first
Instead she pretended she was blind
An affliction brought on by a witch's curse
Dorothy made me laugh (ha ha)
I felt much better so I went back
2 the violent room (tell us what U did)
Let me tell U what I did...
I took another bubble bath with my pants on
All the fighting stopped
Next time I'll do it sooner
This is the ballad of Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker
Well
Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker
Well
The whole song sounds somewhat dull and murky because of a technical problem. The console for the newly built home studio
arrived from Los Angeles as a skeleton, with the wires hanging out and all the parts in boxes. Everything was hooked up, but there
was never any music ran through the console, before recording commenced. While installing there was a loss of power in the house.
The console had one power supply for the positive side and another for the negative side, and unbeknown to technician Susan
Rogers one of the power supplies didn’t come back up. Rogers noticed the music sounding flat, but didn’t want to ask Prince to stop
recording so thing could be checked out. Not until after the day long recording session Rogers found out what the problem was.
However Prince professed to like the recording. The song's title seemingly refers to Dorothy Parker, an American writer and poet,
born 1893, "best known for her wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles", but this was unintentional. Prince
wrote the song following a dream he had. He must have heard the name somewhere, but allegedly when asked at the time, it
appeared he did not know about the writer Dorothy Parker. The song also references Joni Mitchell's Help Me ("Help me, I think
I'm falling in love again") from her 1974 album Court And Spark (also released as a single in 1974).
The lyric of ‘The Ballad of Dorothy Parker’ is similarly beguiling. Prince’s Dorothy Parker (a blonde waitress) has no relation to the
great Algonquin Round Table wit (although it’s certainly fun to imagine her in a bathtub with Prince), and the lines in the song
about Dorothy being quick-witted and the fact that the real Dorothy Parker died on the day Prince was born are merely fodder for
the conspiracy theorists. The song was inspired (once again) by an argument with Susannah, or a dream Prince had, or a
combination of both. Although the Parker reference seems accidental, that Dorothy’s favourite song is Joni Mitchell’s ‘Help Me’
seems more than just a shout-out to one of his biggest influences, as the song mentioned is a female inversion of the situation in
which Prince has placed her.
! Sheila
E @ Bay Area Music Awards (San Francisco)
(9th Annual Bay Area Music Awards (simulcast on KFOG 104.5 FM)
Sheila E. won two trophies, but the joke going around was, ``How do you get a Bammie ? Buy one from Huey (Lewis).`` Sheila E.
gave it a whirl. It’s unknown if she performed or not.
16-03-1986 : Unknown newspaper
Once and for all, clarify what happened with Prince and his nonparticipation in the recording of We Are The World.
Ken Kragen : Prince got a bad rap. Steve Fargnoli and Bob Cavallo (Prince’s co-managers) had always said that Prince was not going
to be there. Prince was very consistent in saying “no” from Day One. And he was far from the only major star who declined. Our
problem was that because he and Lionel (Richie) were friends and because Sheila E (Prince’s protégé) was doing it, we kept
convincing ourselves that he was going to make a dramatic appearance. So we put him on the music (for a vocal part) and we put a
place for him on the floor (in the recording studio). We were being extremely optimistic, and we did him a disservice in that regard.
Now, did he make a mistake in not appearing ? Sure he did, but some people didn’t realize what it was going to be. He also made a
serious error in going to a party that night and having all those problems with his bodyguards. (They roughed up two
photographers, which grabbed headlines, and they were eventually fined by a judge for their action.) The good news is that Prince
was the first one there with a track for the (We Are The World) album. He called that night and offered to Quincy (Jones, who
produced the recording) to do a guitar track, but by that time it was too late. So you have to credit him with compassion. There was
a slight error in judgment early and he has done everything ever since to correct it. He initiated the buy-a-mile program for Hands
Across America. We didn’t have one until he came to us and asked to buy a mile, and he did it at a moment when we were seeking
credibility. I have nothing but positive feelings about him.
17-03-1986 : Jet
Prince completes ‘Moon’; June release scheduled
Rock star Prince has just successfully completed his directorial debut in the upcoming movie Under The Cherry Moon. Prince
finished filming the movie ahead of schedule and under budget. The film is slated to be released at movie theatres across the nation
in June.
19-03-1986 : Home Studio
And How (1)
Power Fantastic Intro (aka Paris) (1:28) – Dream Factory #2
Power Fantastic * – Dream Factory #2
Power Fantastic was based on a piano piece, called Carousel by Wendy & Lisa. (bass : Wendy, piano : Lisa, drums : Bobby Z, flute
: Eric Leeds, trumpet : Matt Blistan) “Power Fantastic” was included on The Hits / The B-Sides collection in 1993, conspicuously
lacking the Wendy and Lisa songwriting credit. “The song was mistakenly attributed to Prince,” says Eric. “Prince wrote the lyrics for
the song, but Wendy and Lisa basically did the music and arrangement.” The song was not included on the late April configuration
of the album, but was included on a configuration made on 3 June, 1986, before being removed again for the July configuration.
Power Fantastic
Late at night when the world is sleeping
U are frightened 'cause the power's creeping
In your room is something u're afraid of
Life or doom is what this feeling's made of
Power fantastic is in your life at last
U're a little apprehensive
'Cause what it is, is what u want and need
Minor G is the chord of pleasure
It will be played 11 measures
U will see fire but you're cool as ice
U're a liar (huh), if u say this isn't nice
Power fantastic is in your life at last
u're a little apprehensive
What it is, is what u want and need
Power
Power - ooh
Power fantastic is in your life at last
u're a wee bit apprehensive
'Cause what it is, is what u want and need
Power, Power, Power fantastic
But while all these tracks are appealing and worthwhile, they pale next to the remaining Wendy and Lisa/Prince collaborations,
which represent a career high point for all concerned, though only one, ‘Power Fantastic’, has been released in its original form,
hidden away at the end of a bonus disc of B-sides. Lisa Coleman remembers writing the music for ‘Power Fantastic’ when Prince
gave her and Wendy studio time (it was originally for a song of theirs called ‘Carousel’). She told me that, as with ‘Visions’, the song
was born out of instrument testing and experimentation : ‘A lot of the songs were test studies, to hear how something sounds.’
Having written the music, they recorded the song at Prince’s house with The Revolution, with Lisa on the new piano upstairs and
the rest of the band in the downstairs studio. Unlike ‘Visions’, which has an improvisational feel, this is one of Prince’s most
sophisticated out-takes, Atlanta Bliss’s trumpet-playing of such quality that for many years those who heard it mistook it for a
collaboration between Prince and Miles Davis.
20-03-1986 : New Eden Prairie
And That Says What ? (Live) - Funky Instrumental – Dream Factory #1
22-03-1986 : Billboard
Prince ignores industry marketing wisdom
Parade : third album in less than two years
By Fred Goodman
Prince, who has confounded attempts to categorize his work with hits on the pop, black, and dance charts, is also bucking the
industry’s prevailing marketing philosophy that superstar artists should carefully space their releases to avoid consumer burnout.
Parade, Prince’s third album in just 21 months, is scheduled to hit record stores in early April. His previous album, Around The
World In A Day, was released last May, just 10 months after Purple Rain. While acknowledging that the nearly three million units
sold domestically on Around The World In A Day was less than one-third the tally racked up by Purple Rain, Lou Dennis, vice
president of sales for Warner Bros., Prince’s label, says there is “no concern from me about burnout.” “Every record is judged on
its own,” he says. “Following up a big, big record is always a problem. Who knows how long the proper amount of time to wait
between superstar releases is ? In some cases, I think these artists take too long. I’d love to have a Madonna album right now.”
Kiss, the first single from Parade, vaults five notches to N°10 on this week’s Hot 100. Alan Leeds, a Prince management
representative, eschews the notion that artists must follow a set schedule for releasing material. “You can’t make blanket rules,” he
says. “I think you have to approach an artist as an artist, examining their way of operating, audience demographic, music, and
goals. What works for Michael Jackson doesn’t work for Prince and vice versa. Prince isn’t the kind of artist who looks at the
calendar and says ‘it’s time to write.’ He’s a free-form artist and a free-form businessman. He doesn’t go in the studio with
preconceived notions about making hit singles, but with the idea of making music. Later he figures out how he wants to market it.
He has never done anything by the rules in any area of the business.” Before Purple Rain, Prince’s albums were released at oneyear intervals in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. They were For You in ’78, Prince in ’79, Dirty Mind in ’80, Controversy in ’81 and 1999
in ’82. The latter album, which was Prince’s first to crack the top 10 or generate a top 10 single, was issued in November 1982. There
was a 10 months interval before the release of Purple Rain, the longest gap to date between any two of Prince’s albums. Purple Rain
became Prince’s first N°1 album and yielded a pair of N°1 singles, When Doves Cry and Let’s Go Crazy. The followup album, Around
The World In A Day, hit N°1 and generated two top 10 singles : Raspberry Beret and Pop Life.
Prince and his coterie have begun defending their spot on the dance floor, judging from the rhythm attack of Kiss, A Love Bizarre,
and now Mazarati’s Player’s Ball, another monotonous but monstrous groove. Clones beware : they’ll have to bite something else if
this circle chooses dance over psychedelia this year.
22 to 26-03-1986 : Sunset Sound - Sheila E sessions
23-03-1986 : Boy’s Club (1) – Sheila E
Boy’s Club
Hi Suzie, this is Sheila
What U gonna do 2night ?
Stay home and watch "The Honeymooners" ?
Ah girl, later 4 U
I'm gonna go 2 the Boy's Club
Let me tell U 'bout this club I know
They got all the men, all the dough
They really can't dance and they ain't 2 bright
But the girls don't mind if the money's right
Some are cute and some are not
But that don't matter cuz the music's hot
Can't help dancin' when U feel the beat
U can't help watchin' cuz U feel the heat
A girl with 4 legs, that's the best
U better look twice, there's someone under her dress
CHORUS :
Boy's Club
Meet me later at the Boy's Club
Boy's Club
Meet me later at the Boy's Club
Yeah, U're kinda cute
But it's about the perfume
Confusion in your bathroom
Oh yeah, he just asked me 4 a match
And I said - "Yeah, U're face and my shoes"
He said, "U just ruined my night"
And I said - "Yeah, just think
U could be at home watchin' "The Honeymooners"
Wanna dance ?"
Light skinned boys think they're so bad
They drink Evian, listen 2 jazz
At home they like symphonies
But when they're at the club, it's Sheila E. (Sheila E.)
CHORUS
(Please) {x2}
Can't help dancin' when U feel the beat (CHORUS)
Can't help watchin' cuz U feel the heat
A girl with 4 legs, that's the best
U better look twice, there's someone under her dress
Boy's Club
CHORUS
(Please)
Light skinned boys think they're so bad
They drink Evian, listen 2 jazz
At home they like symphonies
When they're at the club, they like me
(Please)
Boy's Club
Meet me later at the Boy's Club
Boy's Club
Can't help dancin' when U feel the beat
U can't help watchin' when U feel the heat
A girl with 4 legs, that's the best
U better look twice, there's someone under my dress
(Hey) Hey, get outta here
(Hey boy, get outta there)
25-03-1986 : Love And Sex - Sheila E #1
The song was intended for Sheila E.'s third album Sheila E, but was not included on the final release. Prince had previously used
the title for an otherwise-unrelated 1984 recording
03-1986 : Soul Salsa * - Sheila E
Hon E Man * - Sheila E
Wednesday Like A River * - Sheila E
Grease - Sheila E #1
Hon E Man
Hon E man (Hon E man) {x2}
I've got 2 be the victim of your weekend vows {fade out}
Hon E man (Hon E man)
I've got 2 be the victim of your weekend vows
Only 2 discover loneliness aroused
Shades of your past begin 2 stir the heat
Roll over, baby, and get off my satin sheets
Dig up !
Hon E man {x4}
Baby, never in my life in the time I've been with U
Has anyone had the ability 2 make me feel so blue
If U lost my number, that's a story 2 be told
The candle burn at both ends, baby, when niggaz get 2 bold
I might take things 2 serious or maybe not at all
It's just that I'm so curious when love bounces from wall 2
wall
(I'm so curious)
Little girls who sleep at night are better left 2 dream
I've just seen 2 many movies, baby, if U know what I mean
Dig up !
Hon E man {x4}
I've got 2 be the victim of your weekend vows
Only 2 discover loneliness aroused
Shades of your past begin 2 stir the heat
Roll over, baby, get off my satin sheets
Dig up !
He's gonna be missin' the small details
Like the way he moves in his glove
One finger at a time
Hon E man {x2}
Dig up ! {fade out}
Come on, sugar, uh !
Uh, play your horn
Good God, dig up !
Wednesday Like A River
Tuesday I surrendered beneath the willow tree
When I gave 2 U the key 2 my virginity
Wednesday I remembered your physical poetry
The passionate pretender, I'm a part of your history (Sing)
CHORUS:
Oh, oh, oh - Wednesday like a river (Sing)
Oh, oh, oh - Wednesday like a river
Wednesday's like a river, Thursday rivers are lakes
Friday finds me in the ocean, sometimes love is hard 2 take
Emotional evidence sometimes hard 2 face
The double-edged sword can be like arsenic and fine lace
CHORUS {x2}
(Everybody)
Bathing in the beauty, romantic interlude
Wondering 4 long, never did I play a lover or a fool
Wednesday like a river, Thursday rivers are lakes
Friday finds me in the ocean, sometimes love is hard 2 take
CHORUS {x2}
(Sing)
Oh, oh, oh - Wednesday like a river
Wednesday like a river (Wednesday, yeah)
Unknown Newspaper (UK)
Is Prince planning a British tour ? And is it true that he is dating Susannah Melvoin from the group The Family ?
Prince may be doing a British tour. There’s no official word yet but there’s a “rumour” that he’ll play seven nights at Wembley in
May and charge £30 a ticket. Even that may come as a surprise to anyone who believed him when he went a bit “queer” last year
and said he was never going to perform live again. He’s already changed his mind about that : the other week he popped up onstage
with Sheila E at the Los Angeles Amphitheatre and enjoyed it so much that the day after he played his own show with The
Revolution, now including a horn section. As for Susannah Melvoin... who knows ? Some reports say that he and Susannah – she’s
the sister of The Revolution’s guitarist Wendy and she’s also the guitarist on the stool in the Kiss video – are already married
whereas others say that they, um, aren’t. And there’s another “rumour” that he’s “friendly” with Susannah Hoffs of The Bangles !?
Maybe we shall never know... why don’t you ask us about the Industrial Revolution (haw !) instead ?
27-03-1986 : Witness 4 The Prosecution (1) (3:57) – Dream Factory #2
While the track was not included on a late April, 1986 configuration of the Dream Factory album, it was included as the 17th track
on the 3 June, 1986 configuration, and as the 16th track on the 18 July, 1986 configuration.
Witness 4 The Prosecution
I am a witness 4 the prosecution of a hate in this love affair
I who am guilty of nothing but always wantin' 2 be there
Mama, I swear I love U, I always have
In school I once traded chairs
If I couldn't be near U, I wanted what was yours
Now I just want U 2 care
I am a witness (Witness)
I am a witness 4 the prosecution of a hate in this love affair
Witness 4 the prosecution)
Aah yeah
Whatever it is U think that I did
U're wrong, I wouldn't even dare
Cuz U know
I am a witness 4 the prosecution of a hate in this love affair
(Witness 4 the prosecution)
Yes I am
Don't U know I am ...
I am a witness, witness (Witness 4 the prosecution)
Witness 4 the prosecution {x2}
I am a witness 4 the prosecution of a hate in this love affair,
yeah
I who am guilty of nothing
but always wantin' 2 be there, be there
Oh, I swear by heaven I love U, I always have
In school I once traded chairs
If I couldn't be near U, I wanted what was yours
Now I just want U 2 care
I am a witness 4 the prosecution of a hate in this love affair
(Witness 4 the prosecution) Yes I am
Let me tell U, whatever it is U think that I did
U're wrong, I wouldn't even dare
No, no, no (Witness 4 the prosecution)
(Witness 4 the prosecution)
(Witness 4 the prosecution)
Witness, witness
Witness, witness
Witness, ooh, witness
Witness 4 the prosecution of a hate in this love affair
Witness, witness
Witness 4 the prosecution {x2}
Guilty, 7 years hard labor, take him away !
With both ‘Witness 4 the Prosecution’ and ‘A Place in Heaven’, Prince handed over a degree of control to Wendy and Lisa (and his
engineer Susan Rogers), although with the former, he reclaimed the song as his own by recording a new version six months later.
The difference between the two versions is fascinating, a similar transformation to the one Prince made to ‘Strange Relationship’
between recording it with Wendy and Lisa and redoing it for Sign o’ the Times . Prince also revisited the idea of a relationship being
tried in a courtroom, which gives this song its shape, in the much later Gold Experience song ‘Eye Hate U’, which has a similar,
albeit even darker, feel. It’s an extremely erotic idea, combining a sanctioned sadomasochism with the wish-fulfilment fantasy of
sexual arguments being resolved in public. On the first version of ‘Witness’ the three women were also joined by Eric Leeds on
saxophone and Susannah Melvoin, who Susan Rogers has suggested was, once again, the subject of the song,8 although if so, this is
heavily disguised, as the vocal describes the relationship beginning in school. But even if the song wasn’t about her, it is an
indication of the uniqueness of Prince’s set-up at the time that he could present these four women with a lyric in which he defends
his obsessive behavior and ask them to finish it off for him while he went to France. The second version makes explicit the
suggestion that it is a song about childhood love, with a spoken intro from Prince stating that it is a story of two childhood
sweethearts, and even implying that he is taking on a character’s perspective in the track. With Prince singing of wanting to be given
the ‘electric chair’ for his sins, the track also pre-echoes the later Batman song of this title.
Late 03-1986 : Mountains (Extended) * - Mountains Maxi single
The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (2) – Eric Leeds sax overdubs
Eric Leeds added a saxophone part to the song which was discarded. The song was also sent to Clare Fischer for his input and an
elaborate horn arrangement was recorded, but Prince ended up not using it.
Late 03-Early 04-1986 : Home Studio
A Place In Heaven (1) (2:51) – Dream Factory #2
Moviestar (1) (4:10) – Dream Factory #2
Although Moviestar was not included on a late April, 1986 configuration of the Dream Factory album, it was included as the
seventeenth track on the 3 June, 1986 configuration (segueing directly into A Place In Heaven, which includes the final line of
dialogue from Moviestar in its opening bars) and as the seventeenth track on the 18 July, 1986 configuration (with a complete
ending). The Crystal Ball liner notes state that the song was written for The Time, although the band was no longer together at the
time Prince recorded the track, and it is unknown if the song was considered for the band when Prince and Morris Day began work
on the Corporate World album in 1989.
A Place In Heaven
She wants a place in heaven.
She cannot face the truth.
She lives on a rope of self pity,
that only requires a noose.
Why is everyone so afraid 2 live ?
Much more afraid 2 die.
It’s as easy 2 imagine laughing,
u really hear a cry.
And they sound the same
(and they sound the same).
U want a place in heaven,
baby, u’re already there.
Life’s what u make it, stop whining baby.
Love comes 2 those who care.
There must be children in heaven.
Ones who know loving from hate.
Three-year olds live of all colors.
I’d feel safer with them in control, control,
control, control.
Three-year olds in control.
We all want a place in heaven.
Suites of a lover of u.
Let’s not be lazy, there’s no room service,
it’s all up 2 u and me.
Let’s not be lazy, there’s no room service,
it’s all up 2 u and me.
Moviestar
Let's see, body oil - check
Incense - check
Environmental records - double check!
I'ma get some serious drawers 2night, think I ain't ?
Let's see, if I tell Gilbert and 'Rome 2 meet me 11
then I creep at 10
That'll give me an hour of free reign
Mo' drawers (Mo' drawers)
9:30 - gettin' dressed
I had a couple sips of wine
Boo! - I swear 2 God
My suit was hangin' fine
Everybody at the club freaked
When I stepped from the limousine
They said - "Ooh, it's good 2 see ya"
I said - "Oh, it's good 2 be seen
U know what I mean ?"
Tell U what's good
It's a good thing we live
close cuz I almost suffocated in that car
Next time I won't wear so much Paco Rabinni
or whatever that stuff...
I wonder if they got potato chips up in this...
Man, this ain't like them house parties we used 2 go 2
That's alright, I'm clean
2night, hey, I'm a movie star
I see myself on a silver screen, huh
2night, it don't matter who U are
I'm the only star on the scene
U know what I mean ?
Man, I hate makin' movies
But I like that money, think I don't ? Hmph
Check me out
I just walk in, don't even find a seat
Just threw my coat right on the floor
Grab somebody 4 a quick dance
Boy or girl - it don't matter no more, I'm hot !
Ha, ha, ha – shit
Mix was right
Bold, Lord
Ouch ! Ha, ha
Baby, do U wanna, do U wanna get off ?
2night, I'm a movie star
I see myself up on the silver screen
2night, it don't matter
I'm the star on the scene
Ouch !
Mix was right
On the 1 the kick drum hit the triple beat
Baby, I was poppin'
Did one spin, did a second, did the splits
Came up, looked around, the joint was hoppin'
Hoppin' ! The joint was hoppin' !
Somebody say "Movie Star !"
So check it out, U wanna dance ?
Are U wearing that Paco Rabbit or whatever U call it ?
Oh wow, that's dog
What ? Speak up, I can't hear over that suit
Maybe U can hear this ?
Am I supposed 2 be impressed ?
That's right, Rolls Royce
Check it out, baby
U wanna dance now ?
Maybe next song
Yeah right, dance floor is not big enough, fat cow
Ooh, the mix, it's about the mix
Ooh baby, I like that, but the kid gonna show U a few tricks
Can I play with U ?
Baby, let's creep, I had enough of this action
Bartender, on the house
Give everybody in here somethin'
Man, I don't care
I got money 2 spare, U're cute and your music's thumpin'
Yo baby, get the check
"Yo baby" my behind, I need my money
Say Brother Carothers, can I get some credit ?
No ? Much money I done spent in this nasty joint ?
U need 2 be slapped !
Darlin', shall we leave now ?
Go 2 Hades, boy !
So U like my crib ?
It's not mine, it's rented
Say, how much did U have 2 drink ?
What's the biggest lake U've ever been in ?
So, do U like environmental records ?
Crickets chirpin', water rushin'
Supposed 2 make U horny
It just make me wanna go 2 the bathroom
Actually this one's not bad, check it out
So like, what's your name ?
Oh wow, that's dog !
29-03-1986 : Billboard
Mazarati
Debut for funk/rock septet written, arranged and produced by Revolution member Brown Mark. Band’s more famous mentors tend
to overshadow its identity, hardly helped by the Prince-ly vocal stylings or the set’s longest and best track, 100 MPH, written by
you-know-who.
30-03-1986 : Detroit Free Press
Prince takes a cue from his past and gets back to the dance floor
By Gary Graff / Donna Oldendorf
Parade - Prince (Paisley Park/Warner Bros.) : Prince takes stock of the various directions he has explored during his eight-year
recording career and integrates them into an intriguing and, ultimately, entertaining work. He brings his music back to the dance
floor of "Dirty Mind" and "1999" without getting trapped by the same old steps. He also retains the pseudo-psychedelic edge - and
makes better use of it - than he did on last year's album, "Around the World in a Day." And he checks any pretensions by managing
to keep his sense of humor and fun throughout the record. The only thing missing is the hard rock guitar pyrotechnics of his
breakthrough record, "Purple Rain," but they wouldn't really fit here, anyway. The gems on "Parade" - due in stores on Monday are unquestionably the foot-movers, stuff like the quirky first single, "Kiss," "New Position," "Girls & Boys," "Mountains" and
"Anotherloverholenyohead." But Prince is equally effective when he about-faces on "Venus De Milo," a soft piano-saxophone duet,
and "Sometimes It Snows in April," a moody acoustic piece full of religious metaphors. The lulls come when Prince dips too far into
psychedelia on the imitative "Wonder U," "Christopher Tracy's Parade" and "Under a Cherry Moon," songs written more as
accompaniment for the visuals of Prince's upcoming film, "Under The Cherry Moon," than as listening pieces. Still, the bulk of
"Parade" is listenable and enjoyable, a confirmation of Prince's place as a superior melodist, arranger and player as well as a
celebration of his creativity.
LA Times
The Purple One's Flower Power
By Richard Cromelin
"PARADE. MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE 'UNDER THE CHERRY MOON.' "
Color the Purple One paisley. Apparently Prince didn't get all the flower power out of his system with last year's mind-bender
"Around the World in a Day," because his new one kicks off with a march of the toy soldiers featuring sawing strings, twittering
flutes, fanfaring horns and images of "strawberry lemonade." You can almost taste the colors, man. Later, the vaguely ominous
arrangement of "I Wonder U" raises the ghost of the Beatles' "Walrus," and the incidental instrumental "Venus De Milo" emits a
melancholy sweetness that recalls Brian Wilson's "Pet Sounds" orchestrations. "Parade" isn't exactly a lazy album -Prince offers
some new sonic slants, and one track is strikingly touching. But his return to the gimmicky psychedelia and the presence of several
throwaway cuts keep it far below the level of his best records. The songs might work fine in the context of the movie they were
written for, but unlike the "Purple Rain" sound track, "Parade" doesn't stand very well on its own as an album. It's more of a holding
action - good enough in its strongest moments to keep your faith alive, but too dull and aimless elsewhere to raise much passion. It
certainly lacks the clarity, reach and ambition of Prince's ground-breaking records - from "Dirty Mind" through "1999" to "Purple
Rain" - and it's possible that he's finally hit a plateau after that dizzying ascent. Those who feared that the libidinous Prince was
about to corrupt Western Civilization can relax : He's toned down the lasciviousness, and he's also lightened his religio-sexualapocalyptic load. While that leaves him less subject to repetition and self-parody, it also makes him less provocative. This music just
isn't about very much. Well, it's still mostly about sex. But "Parade" is no more sexually explicit than the music of most of the acts
hip-thrusting their way onto the charts these days. What most of these others don't have is the musical imagination that Prince still
commands. His most effective move is paring down his sound to a sort of minimalist funk. "New Position," a sprightly plea for
variety, rides on a clang that sounds like a steel drum coming up from under six feet of water. In "Girls and Boys" he locks into a
funny, slinky sax-drums riff that embodies the circling courtship dance that he's singing about. And the hit single "Kiss" is as barebones as you can get: mainly scratching guitar and drum beats accompanied by a whoosh like wind raised by a punch. "Kiss" also is
marked by Prince's impossibly high singing - downright thrilling until he tears into a shriek and starts sounding like Donald Duck
on helium. Elsewhere, though, Prince spends his time constructing and shifting big slabs of sound, without much impact, and
offering conventional, Stevie Wonder-ish soul-pop, without much inspiration. But on the closing cut he turns it all around and
comes through with the most heartfelt and vulnerable song he's ever recorded. "Sometimes It Snows in April" is a tender requiem,
and Prince's straightforward, natural delivery conveys the ache as he struggles to absorb a loved one's death. It concludes the album
with an emotional kick that eclipses much of the record.
31-03-1986 : PARADE Release (40:59)
Christopher Tracy’s Parade (2:11) / New Position (2:20) / I Wonder U (1:40) / Under The Cherry Moon (2:57)
Girls & Boys (5:25) / Life Can Be So Nice (3:13) / Venus De Milo (1:55) / Mountains (3:57) / Do U Lie ? (2:44)
Kiss (3:37) / Anotherloverholenyohead (4:00) / Sometimes It Snows In April (6:49)
Released on March 31st 1986, Parade was the soundtrack to Prince's second
motion picture, Under The Cherry Moon. The album fared much better
commercially and critically than the film, which was a huge disappointment after
the promising Purple Rain. Still, the US sales of Parade, 1.8 million, showed a
steady decline from the ten million copies of Purple Rain and nearly three million
for Around The World In A Day. The album got to number three on the chart. It
was notable, however. that while Prince's US sales were shrinking, he was
beginning to sell more in Europe. Exceeding the sales of Around The World In A
Day, the record sold 1.4 million copies in Europe and other markets. Parade was
further proof that Prince was more concerned with musical growth than
repeating past successes. It is an ambitious record of startling variety,
showcasing a wide range of musical styles and sounds. The album finds him
moving away from the more immediate pop and rock music of his 1983-84
period. Indeed, Parade is a musically demanding, if somewhat inconsistent,
record that takes work to fully appreciate. In many ways, the album represents a
quantum leap from the uniform "Minneapolis sound" of his previous records. The
LP was a return to form after the slightly disappointing Around The World In A
Day. With its mixture of heavily orchestrated pieces and highly effective
rock/R&B material, the LP was Prince’s most original and unorthodox album.
However, Prince himself has since denounced the importance of most of the LP
: “Parade was a disaster. Apart from "Kiss" there’s nothing on it I‘m particularly
proud of. The temptation is to go right back into the studio and make a killer
album, but I think half the problem with Parade was that I recorded it too soon
after Around The World, and I just didn't have enough good material ready. I’m not gonna make that mistake again.” An essential
musical ingredient on Parade is Clare Fischer's evocative orchestral arrangements and for the first time horns played a large part in
Prince's music. Eric Leeds played saxophone on “Girls And Boys“ and "Mountains," the latter also featuring Eric's‘ friend, Matt
"Atlanta Bliss" Blistan, on trumpet. Another significant new element in Prince's music on Parade is the Fairlight, a sampling
keyboard, which opened up a whole new world of sounds. Prince was actually a late-starter in using a sampling keyboard. Peter
Gabriel and Kate Bush having featured the instrument on early eighties albums. The album also introduces the Roland guitar synth
on "Girls And Boys" and “Anotherloverholenyohead," and a Caribbean steel drum on "New Position.“ Even though Parade was the
third album attributed to Prince and The Revolution, only "Mountains" showcased the entire group : Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman,
Brown Mark, Bobby Z. Rivkin, Matt Fink, Eric Leeds, Matt Blistan, and Miko Weaver. However, the album involved Lisa and Wendy
to an even greater extent than on Around The World In A Day or Purple Rain. They worked closely with Prince on most of the
album and sang backing vocals on many tracks. They came up with the music for "Mountains" (the lyrics were by Prince) and
Wendy sang the lead vocal on “I Wonder U." Additionally, they accompanied Prince on "Sometimes It Snows In April,“ Wendy
playing acoustic guitar and Lisa piano. “Venus De Milo" and “Under The Cherry Moon" were credited as being co-written by Prince
with his father, but his actual contributions, if any, are uncertain. Several people guested on individual tracks. Prince kept Mazarati's
backing vocals on "Kiss," which first had been recorded by Mazarati after Prince had given David Z. Rivkin, their producer (with
Brown Mark), a demo of the song. Sheila E. played cowbells on “Life Can Be So Nice," drums on “Venus De Milo," and sang
backing vocals on "Girls And Boys." Susannah Melvoin also sang backup on “Girls And Boys" as well as on
“AnotherloverhoIenyohead.“ Susannah's and Wendy's brother, Jonathan Melvoin, played drums on “Do U Lie ?" The head of
Prince's wardrobe department, Marie France, was called on to speak a monologue in French on "Girls And Boys," while Sandra
Francisco, who took part in the shooting of Under The Cherry Moon, provided a brief spoken intro to "Do U Lie ?," also in French. In
contrast to the preceding albums, which had been compiled of tracks recorded over longer periods of time, the majority of Parade
was recorded during a concentrated three-week period of Sunset Sound sessions in April and early May 1985, shortly after the
completion of the Purple Rain tour. Further songs were recorded in Minneapolis in the Washington Avenue warehouse that Prince
used as a rehearsal and recording space from July 1985 until the Paisley Park studio complex began operations in 1987. The
album was completed after the shooting of Under The Cherry Moon in France when Prince recorded “Mountains" with the
expanded Revolution line-up in late November before cutting the final track, "Anotherloverholenyohead," at Sunset Sound in midDecember 1985 when the album was edited and sequenced. Clare Fischer added orchestrations to all the songs barring "Kiss," but
Prince did not end up using all his work on the album (more of it can actually be heard in Under The Cherry Moon). Parade displays
more of Prince’s melodic flair than any previous records and it largely lacks the guitar attack and rock energy of Purple Rain and
Around The World In A Day. Compositions such as “Sometimes It Snows In April, “Venus De Milo,” “Under The Cherry Moon,” and
“Do U Lie ?” all rely on attractive, expressive melodies. “Anotherloverholenyohead,” meanwhile, is a prime example of Prince’s
potent brand of highly rhythmic rock and “Girls And Boys” and “Kiss” are two of his funkiest efforts since 1999. Although the album
contains a few heavily orchestrated songs, the majority of the tracks are fairly sparse and adhere to Prince’s “less is more”
approach to arranging. Indeed, “Kiss” and “New Position” are two of his most bare-boned songs ever. Other tracks such as
“Mountains” and “Anotherloverholenyohead” have a fuller sound than Prince’s previous albums. The dizzying range of
arrangements, sounds, and musical styles nonwithstanding, the twelve tracks of Parade hang together with a remarkable fluency.
Most of the songs on Parade can be understood outside the context of Under The Cherry Moon. Unlike the Purple Rain soundtrack,
few of the tracks on Parade supports the storyline of the film. In fact, only three songs directly refer to the film or its characters,
“Christopher Tracy’s Parade,” “Under The Cherry Moon,” and “Sometimes It Snows In April.” However, most songs touch on the
same theme as the film : true love goes beyond all physical limitations and conquers everything, even death, if one perseveres and
has faith in the power of love. The lyrics of Parade evidence a more mature outlook on life and relationships. Whereas sex was
once an essential ingredient in Prince’s writing, now sex is only one part of a close love relationship. His early work rarely
concerned deeper emotions or intimacy, concentrating instead more on physical attraction, lust and sex. Some of the tracks on
Purple Rain and Around The World In A Day dealt with the struggle of recognizing the difference between love and lust, thus
indicating a growing awareness of the spiritual aspects of love, yet the Parade / Under The Cherry Moon project was the first time
that Prince communicated the belief that love, not sex, is the essence of life, or, as Christopher puts it in the film, “If you really love
someone, it will go deeper than the flesh, it’d be heavier than sex.”
The first side of the original LP release of Parade was titled
“Intro” and the second side “The End.” The album begins,
inauspiciously enough, with Christopher Tracy’s Parade.
With its poorly written feel-good lyrics and cheerful singsong melody, set to a stomping march beat, the song is an
unfortunate choice for what is more or less the title track of
the album. Clare Fisher’s orchestra, with flutes, trumpets,
and strings to the fore, dominates the busy arrangement.
However, the reverb-drenched production results in a fairly
messy, confused sound. Incidentally, the construction of the
song resembles Around The World In A Day, with the
insertion halfway through of a musically contrasting bridge
of wordless vocalisations (by Wendy, Lisa, and Susannah).
And as with Around The World In A Day, there is a feeling of
being welcomed aboard a journey. Although it specifically
refers to Prince’s character Christopher Tracy from the
movie, the song can still be understood outside the context of
the film as having a message about the importance of having
a positive outlook on life. Urging everyone to “behold
Christopher Tracy’s parade,” Prince seems to be suggesting
that people should enjoy life. He tries to make the point that
bad luck might always wash away one's celebration of life,
but he does so with a pointless reference to a rain of “strawberry lemonade.” That image seems dictated not by any importance to
the song or the story of the movie, but rather through the need to have a phrase rhyme with the words “Christopher Tracy's Parade."
The problem with his reference to a rain of "strawberry lemonade" is that, in his zeal to keep the song a light-hearted effort, he uses
a fairly benign and superficial image to represent the concept of tragedy. What this does is to minimize the impact of life's potential
harshness. In keeping with the upbeat theme Prince is struggling to create in this song, he then urges us to give all that we can in
order to find our reward in life. He mentions how the devil cannot tolerate the music made by Christopher Tracy's piano, forcing
him to run to his “evil car.“ It seems that he wants to establish that the chords struck by Christopher Tracy express some inner
goodness that repels the negative in life, but the use of the "evil car" motif (complete with sound effects) was yet another
uncharacteristically poorly crafted image. "Christopher Tracy's Parade” was originally recorded as “Wendy's Parade" before Prince
replaced the references to “little girl Wendy" with Christopher Tracy to tie the song with the film. Prince sings that "everyone should
come and dig little girl Wendy's guitar." Interestingly, that line rhymes better with the lyrics that follow (“The chord strikes, the
devil no like, so he runs to his evil car") than does the phrase “Christopher Tracy's piano" found in the final version. The album
improves with “New Position," a minimalist funk outing featuring prominent backing vocals by Lisa and Wendy. Lacking guitar and
keyboards, the whole song is created around a fast, moving bassline. A Caribbean steel drum adds flavour to the bare-boned
arrangement of bass and drums. In this song, the man complains to his lover that they have been together for too long a time,
apparently stuck in the same old routine. Prince's cure is to "try a new position" in order to make things better before it is too late
and he suggests that they renew their relationship by “fishin' in the river of life.“ As if his lover needs to put aside her
preconceptions about life and love, he tells her to forget her past and to try his “new funk," which is his way of suggesting an
alternative to things as they usually are. Prince brags that he will "do" her "like a good man should." Ironically, the song then slows
down to a gradual stop. Although this is described in the sheet music as being "like a wound-down music box," it sounds more as if
the song just runs out of steam. "New Position" leads without pause into the brief, enchanting "l Wonder U,“ which is sung by
Wendy. Clare Fischer's orchestra is central to the to the arrangement and the overall texture is close to “Christopher Tracy's
Parade." The entire melody of the brief track (less than two minutes) is confined to just three notes and with only a few lyrics
repeated several times. Prince does not have time to develop any ideas to complete fruition. The song is nonetheless effective in
creating at hypnotic sense of wonder at the miracle found in the mere presence of one's lover, like at mantra invoked over and over.
Wendy states, “I, how you say, l wonder you." Continuing on from "l Wonder U," "Under The Cherry Moon" speaks to a sense of
ennui and dissatisfaction with life. Prince sings the part of a man who is restless and longs to “fly away" and find his destiny. Given
the identification of the song with the movie, the man is undoubtedly Prince's character, Christopher Tracy. His frustration is such
that, if things do not change soon, he feels as if he is going to die, romantically enough, in the arms of his lover. The same sense of
despondency is reflected in the second verse, where Prince sings of how he wants “to live life to the ultimate high," yet at the same
time he ponders dying young "like heroes die." In searching for a release for his feeling of listlessness, he looks to his lover,
wondering if the answer is in some "wild special" kiss he needs to give to her. He recognizes that unless someone "kills" or "thrills"
him, his fate is to die in the arms of his lover "under the cherry moon." Prince says that lovers like him and his woman are “born to
die." That death is probably better understood as being more spiritual than physical, their love-making being the release he needs to
free himself from the cares and concerns of the world. With its melodic skips upward and downward, "Under The Cherry Moon" has
a dramatic quality that is reminiscent of theatre music. Prince weaves a fluid synth line around the beautiful melancholy melody.
which he plays on piano. He frames the verses with a falling melodic phrase, suggesting a sense of tragedy. Lacking a chorus or
bridge, the song consists of only one melodic theme that repeats with each successive verse. The next track, “Girls And Boys," shows
Prince at his effortless funky and playful best. The song has an infectious seesaw melody that takes shape directly out of a rhythmic
keyboard figure. Deep-diving baritone saxophone accents by Eric Leeds add excitement and Prince spices the arrangement with
some squeaking guitar synthesizer phrases. Backing vocals by Sheila E., Wendy, Susannah, and Lisa give the chorus added punch.
Marie France recites some lyrics in French which further intensifies the seductive aspect of the situation. Prince also speaks some
lyrics and even includes a brief rap. The song tells a fairly straightforward story of an attractive couple who were made for each
other. lt does not contain any complex ideas or detailed narrative, but it does mirror some of the elements found in Under The
Cherry Moon. The man and woman in the song are recent acquaintances, not unlike the lead male and female roles in the movie,
and the setting is France. The woman is revealed to be “promised to another man,” again as in the film. And just as the two
characters in the movie had to deal with their conflicting emotions, the song mentions how the man tries "hard not to go insane“
over the fact that the woman is supposed to marry another. Prince interjects some spiritual concerns into the song by stating that
they could meet “in another world, space and joy." He also says that they could meet “somewhere after dawn." In each of the three
verses of the song, Prince uses an image of birds flying away from a storm as an indication of the trouble facing the star-crossed
lovers. In the first verse, even though the lovers are described as kissing on the steps of Versailles, the problems ahead are
symbolized by the statement that it looked like rain, with the birds flying away. In this verse there is merely the appearance that the
storm is on the horizon, but this is enough for the birds to begin to take flight. In the second verse, after Prince states how the man
is trying to cope with his lover being promised to another, the birds are described as actually flying, just as the rain does. This image
seems to suggest that the two are in the midst of their troubles. In the third verse, after mentioning how the man had to leave on
account of his pride, the birds are described as having already left
because of the rain. This bird image suggests the tragedy of the lovers
having lost each other in spite of their love for one another. “Life Can
Be So Nice” is the album's least accessible track. It is a dense, frantic,
and somewhat dissonant song celebrating the good feeling one gets
from being in love. A monotonous flute motif, repeated from
beginning to end, provides the focus for the track. Much like
"Christopher Tracy's Parade“ and “l Wonder U," the production is
overloaded with too much echo. The song starts out with lyrics of a
man who feels joyous in the morning because he is so sure of his love
for his woman. Continuing with the morning theme, Prince says that
a breakfast of scrambled eggs is boring in comparison. Unfortunately,
Prince apparently failed to consider that scrambled eggs are boring
compared to almost everything. He continues with references to
kisses delivered with milk from his lover's lips, and morning glories
that never lie. Even the chorus, which is the title of the song, "Life
Can Be So Nice," is a rather bland expression of the joys love can
bring to a person. A complete contrast to the preceding track, “Venus
De Milo" is a serene instrumental with a string arrangement by Clare
Fischer that beautifully complements Prince's piano-playing. The
composition has a timeless, languid feel, summoning up both a sense
of romance and drama. At not quite two minutes, it is much too short.
"The End" side of Parade starts with "Mountains," a song which sees
the re-emergence of Prince's falsetto voice, rarely heard on record
since Dirty Mind. The song is a parable of sorts about the power of
love overcoming fear and despair. Much like "The Ladder” on Around
The World In A Day, it starts out with the phrase “once upon a time."
Prince tells of a person living “in a land called Fantasy," who is
encircled by seventeen mountains, which in turn are surrounded by
the sea. The isolation and despair of the person to whom Prince is
speaking is made evident when he relates how the devil told that
person that another mountain would appear every time that person's heart was broken. Prince continues by telling how the devil
also said that the sea would overflow with the person's tears, and that “love will always leave you lonely." Prince's response to this
is to reassure the one to whom he is talking that the mountains and the sea are just that and nothing more : they certainly are not
the harbingers of isolation and doom as the other has been duped into believing. The song suggests that the source of our fears and
anxieties is often within us, and not the outside forces we imagine to be aligned against us. As he explains it, if one has faith, love
will conquer those seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The second verse continues with the “once upon a time" theme. Prince
makes an allusion to the idea of finding happiness amidst despair is as difficult to find a needle in a haystack. He continues by
listing such societal ills as political and social unrest and airplane hijacking, all of which are described as being enough to drive a
person crazy. But again, his answer is that love has the power to vanquish those problems as well. What Prince has done with this
song is to first raise a totally fictional situation where love can conquer those problems, and to then go on to say that even the actual
hardships that people must face in the world are just as illusory when you trust in the power of love. "Mountains" is vibrant funk
offering, driven by a propulsive Linn LM-1 drum machine beat. The song boasts a peppy Earth, Wind & Fire-flavoured horn riff.
However, staying on one basic chord, with a sitar-like drone permeating the whole track, there is little harmonic or rhythmic variety
throughout. Towards the end, the song turns into at confusing polyrhythmic experiment as Prince adds at second drum pattern on
top of the main beat. Starting with a few spoken words in French by Sandra Francisco, "Do U Lie ?" reveals a great deal of insecurity
about Prince’s relationship with his woman. The song begins with Prince admitting that he thinks of his lover when he is alone in
his bedroom. He creates an interesting bit of word play with the contrast between his lying down alone and his pondering whether
his lover is lying when she says she thinks of him. His loneliness leads him to cry for his lover, and to wonder whether she cries for
him in return. Totally immersed in doubt, he wonders whether the tears she cries are real or just another form of lie. As is typical for
Prince's "'do-wrong woman" songs, he repeatedly establishes the depth and sincerity of his love for his woman. However, the light,
bouncy music of "Do U Lie ?" contradicts the sentiment of the lyrics and the song fails to convey any real emotion due to this
mismatch. Prince's voice swoops and dives, and his affected, melodramatic delivery further reduces the emotional impact of the
song. With its accordion sound and jazzy swing rhythm, the song shows a certain influence from the French chanson tradition, yet it
ends up sounding more like a lighthearted parody than a serious piece of songwriting, somewhat in the manner of Paul McCartney's
Beatles pastiches, "When l'm 64" and “Honey Pie." Prince's falsetto voice returns for the breathtaking funk classic, "Kiss," which
features one of his sparsest arrangements ever. An incredibly funky groove is created by an acoustic guitar playing a rhythmic
pattern (through the help of a studio technique called gating) accompanied by at dead-sounding drum machine. A keyboard part is
added in the second verse and a scratching rhythm guitar in the third. The song lacks a distinct chorus. Despite its radical
arrangement and sound, "Kiss" is actually one of Prince's most derivative compositions. It is based on a traditional three-chord
blues sequence and relies on a blues scale, but Prince has enlarged upon the standard eight or twelve-bar blues form by making
each verse twenty-eight bars. Some of James Brown’s earliest funk numbers in the mid-sixties were based on similar blues
harmonies and progressions. Perhaps as a nod to the inventor of funk, Prince inserts a guitar “turnaround” chord borrowed from
James brown’s Papa Got A Brand New Bag at the opening of Kiss and at the end of every verse. Addressed to an unnamed lover,
Kiss has no deep message to it. Prince explains that she does not need to be beautiful, experienced, wealthy, cool, or even any
particular sign of the zodiac in order for her to be his girl. Although the song seems at first to seem boastful on Prince’s part, as if all
his lover has to do is let him have her body “from dusk till dawn,” the point is that she so turns him on just by being with him that
everything will just happen naturally. Instead of treating his lover as a mere object, he lets her know that they could be each other’s
fantasy. Prince expresses this more mature outlook at his relationship with women when he makes it clear that he is not interested
in dirty talk or game playing, because it is “women, not girls” who rule his world. If there is any weak part in the song, it is the
reference to the mid-eighties prime-time television soap opera Dynasty, which does date the track a little. The unusually titled
Anotherloverholenyohead is a song about a man who is trying to reclaim a lover who is intent on leaving him for another. Prince
explains how he gave his love, life, body, mind and time to his woman. In spite of their prior inseparability, however, she is now
acting as if she was unaware of what had transpired. This leads Prince to ask why she cannot learn to play the game of love the way
it should be played. In response to her desire to make another her lifetime companion, Prince tells her that she needs “another
lover like you need a hole in your head.” Combining the urgency and energy of rock with the rhythmic power of funk,
Anotherloverholenyohead is one of the highlights on the album. In contrast to Do U Lie ?, here the music amplifies the impact of the
words. The minor tonality of the song and the buildup up of feeling in the verses, reflected in the rising melody contribute to
conveying the desperation of a man attempting to convince his lover to stay with him. The song is written around a piano chord
sequence, although the arrangement emphasizes an upfront guitar synthesizer and a Linn LM-1 drum machine. Clare Fisher’s
strings are brought in during an instrumental break as Prince calls out for a “solo.” The closing Sometimes It Snows In April is an
understated and mellow song which reveals more of Prince’s introspective, reflective side than any of the other tracks on the album.
Lisa’s delicate piano and Wendy’s sparing acoustic guitar accompaniment create an intimate atmosphere for Prince’s moving elegy
for Christopher Tracy. His straightforward, natural vocal delivery conveys convincingly the ache as he struggles to absorb the death
of a loved one. In the first verse, Prince informs us that his friends has died and describes the sense of loss he felt. Stressing his
belief in the afterlife, the first verse ends with an admonition that “sometimes life ain’t always the way.” The chorus contains the
title phrase, which is an indication that even in the best of times misfortune can befall us. In his sorrow, he wishes that life could go
on forever, but still with the realization that “all good things never last.” In the second verse, Prince tells of how he used to
associate springtime with lovers, but now he can only think of his friend Tracy’s tears. Yet, Tracy’s tears were not tears of woe.
Instead, Tracy, who was unafraid to die, held the view that one should cry only for love, and not for pain. The man in the song,
himself “hypnotized” by the death that did not faze Tracy, learning from his friend’s outlook, eventually realized that nobody could
cry, and hence love, the way Tracy did. The man undergoes a final acceptance of his friend’s fate in the final verse, knowing that he
is in heaven and that he has made other friends there. Prince ponders whether death might have even brought Tracy the answer to
the question of why sorrow has to exist, and he muses that perhaps one day he will see his friend once again, in the afterlife. He
expands on the notion that good things do not last by saying that love is not love until after it has ended. What Prince seems to be
saying is that it is the sense of loss from a love that is over which truly brings a fullness of bittersweet emotion that sums up all the
feelings that love can provide.
Many critics saw the LP as a continuation of the "psychedelica" of the predecessor. Said Richard Cromelin in Los Angeles Times :
“Apparently, Prince did not get all the flower power out of his system with last year's mind-bender LP, because this new one kick
of with a march of toy soldiers featuring sawing strings, twittering flutes, fanfaring horns and images of "strawberry lemonade."
You can almost taste the colours, man. Later, the vaguely ominous arrangement of "I Wonder U" raises the ghost of the Beatles’ "I
Am The Walrus," and the incidental instrumental "Venus De Milo" emits a melancholy sweetness that recalls Brian Wilson’s "Pet
Sounds" orchestrations. It is more of a holding action; good enough in its strongest moments to keep your faith alive, but too dull
and aimless elsewhere to raise much passion.” Davitt Sigerson, Rolling Stone, praised the music of Parade : “Prince has made it his
task to shock us; his work sounds so inevitable we can no longer identify what it was that first surprised us. What really shocks,
of course, is the aural landscape of records like "When Doves Cry" and "Kiss." We all may have dirty minds, but few of us are
visionaries. In the arrangements on Parade, it is Prince's vision that is paraded : a simple Weillian waltz like "Under The Cherry
Moon" proves an excuse for all manner of orchestral invention; when Prince says on "New Position,” "You've got to try my new
funk," believe him ! Far from the junk of Dirty Mind, this style springs from an understanding of orchestration, rather than the
innate ability to jam on rhythm instruments. On Parade, all sounds - snippets of guitar, horn, percussion, voice – are treated
equally, erasing the line between "basic track" and "sweetening." Prince has achieved the effect of a full groove using only the
elements essential to the listener - and so has devised a funk completed only by the listener's response.” Less enthusiastic, Richard
Harrington wrote in Washington Post : “It’s at best a mixed bag, with only a few truly memorable moments. The 12 cuts here seem
not simply diverse but curiously unrelated, as if they were more the proof of Prince's continually expanding palette than of his
singular vision.” Jim Farber, Creem, said : “Despite the atrocities, there's actually more great stuff here than on the last two
albums. I guess that's how it's always gonna be for this Prince guy - the path of the erratic nut.” It was obvious that Parade’s
somewhat artsy, continental theatricality appealed more to the European critics. Tony Mitchell, Sounds’ long-time Prince follower,
gave the LP a top rating : “It's a relief to find Prince returning to some of his earlier values with this LP. The values referred to are
those of Dirty Mind and 1999 - directness, combined with arrangements which are often deceptively uncluttered and yet reveal
all the complexities of a frighteningly sophisticated musical intellect after but a couple of plays, and a healthy helping of implicit
sleaze.” Steve Sutherland, Melody Maker, likened the diverse LP to the breadth of imagination of Beatles records. He concluded
that : “Parade eclipses everything else you've heard this year.”
Only two songs on the album seem to have any continuity with Around the World in
a Day : ‘Mountains’ and ‘Anotherloverholenyohead’. As with ‘America’, the similar
full-band rock performance from the previous album, ‘Mountains’ was also released
in an extended alternative, though this long-form version is far less essential than
‘America’. The Revolution play this song over the end credits of Under the Cherry
Moon, and the video for the song was a colour version of the same sequence. It
shares the same symbolic, faux-fairy-tale language as ‘Paisley Park’, Prince filling out
his imagined fantasy world. ‘Anotherloverholenyohead’ is lyrically an extension of
‘New Position’, but musically a clear return to the broader palette of Around the
World in a Day, and it stands out even more on this record, where it’s surrounded by
songs that seem like little more than fragments. Prince commentators often pick up
on the difference between the reception this album received in his home country and
everywhere else, Michaelangelo Matos stating : ‘Parade will always mean more in
Europe than in America … in Europe … Parade announced Prince as a man of the
world, getting his quirks across more fully, and with more nuance, than any of his
previous albums.’ And it’s true that the European critics were more welcoming of
the record, with Steve Sutherland in Melody Maker claiming : ‘Parade eclipses
anything else you’ll hear this year.’ But there were significant exceptions, such as
Prince biographer Barney Hoskyns, who in an NME review entitled ‘Sometimes It
Pisses Down in April’ observed : ‘I find this album laboured and trite and selfsatisfied and won’t be listening to it again.’ The inconsequential nature of Prince’s
lyrics is undoubtedly part of Parade’s charm, but notwithstanding the fact that it’s many
Prince fans’ favourite album, the record has a high content of essentially pretty filler. ‘Under
the Cherry Moon’ really feels like a sketch (and Prince would cannibalise it for ‘The Question
of U’); ‘Life Can Be So Nice’ is so busy that it takes several listens to realise how little it truly
contains, especially compared to all the far richer unreleased material Prince was recording
at the time; and ‘Do U Lie ?’, while musically charming, is an inconsequential nursery
rhyme. But the album does feature one of Prince’s finest achievements. The phrase
‘Sometimes it snows in April’ was something he had been using for a while, offering it as an
explanation for why he wasn’t going to tour any more after concluding the Purple Rain run
(a threat he soon rescinded) and giving it as dialogue to Tricky in the first draft of Under the
Cherry Moon.
Apr 86
01-04-1986 : Washington Post
Prince Of All Trades ; Craft and Clutter on His 'Parade'
By Richard Harrington
The pretty good news : "Parade," the new album by Prince and the Revolution, hit the stores
yesterday. The not-quite-bad news : It's at best a mixed bag, with only a few truly memorable
moments. After the badly received neo-psychedelic expansions of last year's "Around the
World in a Day," many old-line Prince fans must have been hoping that his hot new single,
"Kiss," presaged a return to the funky dance floor esthetic of albums like "Dirty Mind" and
"1999." So must his label, which sold only 3 million copies of "World" after moving more
than 10 million copies of the sound track to "Purple Rain." Both fans and label will
undoubtedly get some satisfaction from the Minneapolis wunderkind's new effort (Warner
Bros. 1-25395). But, despite the rekindling of Prince's seductive falsetto on a number of
tunes, the album is neither the all-out return to R&B roots that some were predicting nor a
steaming rock and funk express like "Purple Rain." There's nary a guitar solo to be heard on
"Parade," but there is much to delve into. Slowly. The album is the sound track to Prince's
new film, the self-directed "Under the Cherry Moon" (due in July), so there's a good chance
these songs will start making sense once we have an explication de texte. But where the
material on "Purple Rain" stood quite effectively alone (though several songs gained
immensely in affective power with context), the 12 cuts here seem not simply diverse but
curiously unrelated, as if they were more the proof of Prince's continually expanding palette
than of his singular vision. There are '70s funk, '60s psychedelic collage, '50s cinema music,
confessional ballads and maudlin cabaret tunes appropriate to the film's French setting. But
outside of "Kiss," there's nothing on "Parade" that instantly grabs the listener's attention.
There are a number of unsettling moments, mostly musical moods. Lyrically, there is none
of the tension between spiritual and sexual compulsions that has marked so much of Prince's previous work. There is some minor
erotica, some pulsating sensuality, but it's as if Prince is following up the idea that closed his last album : "Love is more important
than sex." The new album kicks off with "Christopher Tracy's Parade" (named after the character Prince plays in the film, it is one of
two songs cowritten with his father John L. Nelson). A Beatlesque collage that falls between the brilliance of "Sgt. Pepper" and the
indulgence of "Magical Mystery Tour, " it's one of several cuts that are just too busy, too cluttered musically. Over the course of
eight albums, Prince has restlessly explored any and all musics ; his is very much a multifaceted musical sensibility. But his
assimilations and expansions used to be clearer; increasingly, on record at least, they seem muddled. It's as if George Martin, Gil
Evans and Phil Spector all had a shot at producing parts of "Parade," and no one gave anybody else the last word. A similar clutter
affects "I Wonder U" ; its disquieting muffled bass lines, muted trumpets, flute accents and edgy melody don't seem to lead
anywhere. In terms of lyrics, there seems to be no middle ground on the album between the cryptic ("Christopher Tracy's Parade")
and the explicit ("New Position"). The latter song is an obvious sex ditty that builds on 30 years of rock innuendo yet still seems
curiously tame compared with ye olde Prince repertoire. In terms of craft and production, "Kiss" is the most compelling cut on
"Parade." Like "When Doves Cry," it is sparse, stripped down to basics with nothing but sharp percussion and brittle guitar behind
Prince's celebration of his own raging libido. At least when divorced from its fairly lewd video, "Kiss" is exciting and funny ("Act
your age, not your shoe size"), a sexy, sly funk workout that dares you to resist it. There are several other cuts with falsetto vocals
and dance floor appeal. "Anotherloverholenyohead" is sassy and clever in a Stevie Wonder manner, with a killer hook and
irresistible rhythms. But despite their steady grooves, "Life Can Be So Nice" and "Mountains" are plodding, rhythmically busy
throwaways that suffer from Prince's major weakness, a tendency to resort to naive, cliche'd lyrics ("love will conquer if you just
believe"). On the other hand, "Girls and Boys" is sly and supple in the manner of "I Wanna Be Your Lover," a song with a wink, a
honking baritone sax and a hilarious "French seduction" passage that will remind no one of Jane Birkin's "Je t'Aime (Moi Non
Plus)." There are other continental flavors on "Parade." The languid "Under the Cherry Moon" suggests Jacques Brel melancholy
and Brecht/Weill irony in a decadent cabaret setting, with Prince actually crooning, melodramatically, "If nobody kills me or thrills
me soon/I'll die in your arms under the cherry moon." And with its accordion washes and relatively clever lyrics, "Do U Lie ?" is
part chanson, part vaudeville, positing Prince as the new Maurice Chevalier. Can't wait to see the video. "Venus de Milo" is pretty
(and pretty slight), half New Age, half neo-romantic incidental music. It anticipates the most intriguing song on "Parade," the
elegiac, introspective "Sometimes It Snows in April." This song, which closes the album, is a remembrance of Christopher Tracy
with mystic/religious implications that may or may not be explained by the movie. Unlike in the rest of the album, Prince's voice
here is mixed right on top of very simple acoustic piano and guitar. That yearning voice is immensely vulnerable, the melody
haunting and the lyrics bittersweet ; one suspects that "April" is the kind of ballad Prince is only now beginning to master. "How
can I stand to stay where I am," he sings on "Under the Cherry Moon." It's a line that applies to much of this album.
02-04-1986 : San Diego Union-Tribune
Intriguing New Album May Not Boost Prince's Career
By Davina Infusino
Prince is a musical genius. Even his detractors admit that. But every hero must fall, it seems. The question is : What will it take to
get Prince on his feet again ? The musical ingeniousness of his new album "Parade" may not be enough. Not enough for the
Minneapolis loner who defied music-business conventions and set up an outpost musical empire away from the industry centers of
Los Angeles and New York.... For the black man who ventured into white rock territory, shuffling gender roles along the way,
mixing musical styles, and ignoring the boundaries between black and white social mores, sex and spiritualism, artistic risk and
commercial appeal. For the singer who reached dizzying popularity with his 1984 album and film, "Purple Rain," then froze in fright
at the height, becoming paranoid and withdrawn. For the star whose overzealous bodyguards beaned photographers on the same
night that he didn't show up for the "We Are The World" recording sessions. Never mind that Prince performed a string of
unpublicized concerts for handicapped kids or donated $500,000 to an inner-city teacher-training program in Chicago. Prince was
branded as a cold-hearted, egomaniac misogynist, (despite being an artistic mentor to Sheila E.). In 1985, he released the LP
"Around the World in a Day," a sometimes self-indulgent, psychedelic pastiche tracing a loss of innocence, repentance and
redemption. The clash between his arrogant image and fanciful album rubbed the public the wrong way. Then came word about his
film in France, "Under the Cherry Moon," where he fired the director and took over the production. Now the music from the film
arrives on "Parade." Beatles-esque psychedelia once again plays a part in the music here, particularly on the opening Sgt. Pepperlike montage of "Christopher Tracy's Parade" and in the Indian intonations that dot several cuts. But the album's greatest source of
inspiration is jazz — from contrapunctal melody lines to contrasting instrumental textures, to interspersed jazz chord progressions.
Prince always has dabbled with jazz-related techniques in a pop context, even on his big pop hit, "Little Red Corvette." But this time,
perhaps due to the influence of his father, John L. Nelson, a jazz performer who collaborated with his son on parts of the album, the
jazz influence is overt. Songs like "Sometimes it Snows in April" and "I Wonder U" have the loose floating melodies of jazz rather
than tight structures of his pop and funk material. The album contains plenty of the latter, however, like the hip-swinging "Girls and
Boys." It also has what might best be described as movie music like "Do U Lie," complete with French dialogue, violins and an oldfashioned, fanciful Broadway musical sound that Prince twists with odd harmonies and instrumental surprises. The album also
boasts the wonderful homage to the power of musical minimalism, that catchy, compelling single "Kiss." Except for "New Position,"
the lyrics, by the way, have few of the sexual references that got Prince in so much trouble with the Washington-based censors last
summer (unless there's some untranslated suggestiveness in the French dialogue). Even if "Parade" makes more sense after the
film's release July 2, the album alone at least is unlikely to redeem him completely in the public's eyes. It lacks the mass appeal of
"Purple Rain," and no doubt some of the music will fly above portions of his teen audience. Others may mistake the
experimentation for artistic narcissism. But "Parade" is one of the most intriguing albums in a long time, revealing new subtleties
with every listening and still new dimensions of this pop enigma named Prince.
04-1986 : ♫ Parade Tour Rehearsal (Boston 03-04 ?)
(1:24)
(A : The Parade Era Rehearsal Sessions – 7/10)
Around The World In A Day / Christopher Tracy’s Parade / New Position / I Wonder U / Raspberry Beret / Alexa De Paris / Controversy
Mutiny / Dream Factory / Anotherloverholenyohead / How Much Is That Doggy In The Window / Automatic / DMSR / The Dance Electric
Under The Cherry Moon / Pop Life / Girls & Boys / Life Can Be So Nice / Purple Rain / A Love Bizarre / Kiss / Mountains
THE BANGLES – IF SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WANTS Maxi-Single Release
Manic Monday (Extended California) (4:59)
The Australian 12” vinyl release contains a remix extended version of
Manic Monday, dubbed Extended California version.
Unknown newspaper
Sue’s a surefire hit with Prince !
Sultry singer Susanna Hoffs is the new pop princess in the life of rock king
Prince. She is one of The Bangles, the four-girl group he has taken to the
top by writing their hit Manic Monday, now Number Three in the charts.
Prince is trailing behind them in the hit parade – he is at six with Kiss –
and he has been trailing backstage after Bangles concerts, to take Susanna
out on the town.
03-04-1986 : ♫ Boston Metro
(2:13)
* Attendance : 1.250 / Sold Out / Tick. Price : $12.50
(A : Boston People Know How To Rock – 7/10)
Around The World In A Day / Christopher Tracy’s Parade
New Position / I Wonder U / Raspberry Beret / Alexa De Paris
Controversy / Mutiny (Incl. Dream Factory)
How Much Is That Doggie In The Window ? / Lady Cab Driver
Automatic / DMSR / The Dance Electric / Under The Cherry Moon
Anotherloverholenyohead / Soft & Wet / I Wanna Be Your Lover / Head
Pop Life / Girls & Boys / Life Can Be So Nice / Purple Rain
Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On / A Love Bizarre (Incl. Holly Rock)
America / Kiss (Extended) / Love Or $ (Incl. Ain’t It Funky Now)
Local radio station WBCN announced the Metro concert at 11 a.m. on
the day of the show, and the 1.200 tickets were sold out 20 minutes
later. Outside the club, people were offered $300 or more for their tickets. Plans for the show
were set in motion when Boston concert promoter Don Law received a call from Steve Fargnoli asking if Prince could play the
Metro two days later. The venue was chosen because of Prince's fondness for the club, having played there in 1981 (when it was
called The Channel). The Metro show was pretty tame compared to Minneapolis and the later San Francisco show. Containing less
improvisation and joking around, it was a tight, disciplined show. The concert saw the debut of the "Lady Cab Driver" / "Automatic" /
"D.M.S.R” medley, (preceded by “How Much ls That Doggie In The Window ?”) while “Paisley Park" and "Mountains," played during
the First Avenue concert, were left out. Jim Sullivan, reporting for Rolling Stone felt the show “emphasizes music, not spectacle,”
while The Phoenix’s Milo Miles thought the show “recalled a propulsive revue much more than the psychedelic soundscape Prince
offered at the Worcester Centrum last year." Returning to the stage after "I Wonder U,“ Prince said, “That was Wendy. Do you like
Wendy ? Do you Iike me? I like you too. That's why we're gonna play everything we know tonight, all of it. I'm feeling awfully good.
You know why ? It's because of you. Here's a song you might know..." As usual, the audience took part in "Raspberry Beret.”
Towards the end of the song, Prince asked Jerome if he could tell her about "this girl I met. Can I talk to you ? Let me tell you some
good lies. She’s about this tall, about your complexion. She's a little heavy, though, a little heavy, but I like her. You know her
name, don't ya ? Your mama." "Can I just say something right here ?" Prince asked during the backing singers chant of "St. Paul,
punk of the month” during “Mutiny.” “Can I just say something ? Man I hate to brag, but we’re the funkiest hand of all time !“
"Mutiny" turned into an extended jam, with a repeated chant of "Ain't nobody fuck with us”. Prince changed the intro to "The Dance
Electric.“ “Good morning, Jerome, look out your window. The world is falling.“ The song contained few lyrics, turning into a lengthy
guitar solo instead. "I hate rock and roll," Prince said emphatically after “I Wanna Be Your Lover." He joked with Jerome during
"Head,” asking if he was from The Time. “No, I'm from The Family,” Jerome replied. Prince then asked if Morris was in the audience
“ls Morris out there ? No, that's a girl." He proceeded to teach Jerome how to make a wooden leg out of the oak tree. "Sometimes It
Snows In April, y'all," Prince said over the intro of “Purple Rain.” "I'm glad to back. This time I'm gonna stay.” A playful version of "A
Love Bizarre” left plenty of room for Eric Leeds' saxophone improvisations. A chant of "Boston people know how to holly rock" was
repealed during the song. “Alright, Boni, let's see how funky you are.” Prince said before leading the crowd in a chant of "Let's
dance, let's shout, getting funky is what it’s all about“ during "America."
Previously circulating on the fan release 'Boston', this
is the first Hit & Run show following on from the First
Avenue showcase of new "Parade" material the
previous month. The previous recording was woeful
and was plagued by sound problems, wavering and
drop-outs making it really rather unappealing. This is
the exact same audience recording, however it
appears to be a better generation copy and whilst
some of the previous problems also affect this
release, they are not as severe or detrimental. In
saying that, anyone looking for a clean, stellar quality recording should look elsewhere as this certainly is not that.
Whilst nowhere near as subdued, dull or heavy as the previous release, this is still a distinctly average recording
for 1986, but in its favour the show itself is vastly more audible and there are no problems with actually hearing
the show - again, a major problem previously. The drop-outs throughout the previous release also feature here
and are most noticeable on 'Head', 'Purple Rain' and 'America', however they are far smoother here. Perhaps one
too many problems for this release to appeal to the majority, however anyone with the previous release should
hear a noticeable improvement. The frustrations of the recording lie with the fact the show is so loose and fun.
The material is new to the crowd ("Parade" only being released a few days prior to this show), but they are
enthusiastic and appear to participate throughout. As the Hit & Run shows are still in their infancy, the show
contains many portions which were dropped as the shows moved along, and eventually morphed into the Parade
tour. The opening 'Around The World In A Day' is far lengthier, as is the version of 'Raspberry Beret', which is
almost full length. 'Alexa De Paris' and 'The Dance Electric' are still in the set-list, however guitar problems appear
to affect both performances, with Atlanta Bliss getting some extended solo-time on the latter. Prince makes a few
comments during the show regarding Sheila E being in attendance and dedicates 'A Love Bizarre' to her, which as
usual contains the additional chant of 'Holly Rock'. 'America' begins with a guitar solo reminiscent of 'Let's Go
Crazy', is a lengthy 13 minutes and includes a ferocious extended drum solo (Prince ?) towards the end, and is
followed by the extended 12" version of 'Kiss'. The show is brought to an
end with a very rare, although straightforward performance of 'Love Or $'. I
like this release because I like this show, however it's perfectly
understandable that it won't be to everyone's taste due to the sound issues
throughout. It is an improvement over a previously circulating release, and
even with the problems it suffers from, it's still much better than before.
There was much discussion between Prince and his managers about whether or not
they went on tour in the United States. His managers state that an extensive tour might
overexpose him due to the short time since the Purple Rain tour. On the other hand,
Prince wanted a simple tour, a sort of anti-tour, and he wanted to prove his credit in
funk and R&B with his new music and band.
03-04-1986 : Cashbox
05-04-1986 : Billboard
Chart beat
By Paul Grein
Prince & The Revolution are headed for another three-way N°1 hit, as Kiss jumps to
N°1 on the black chart and to N°3 on the pop and dance/disco club play charts. Prince
topped all three surveys with two 1984 smashes, When Doves Cry and Let’s Go Crazy. Kiss is Prince’s fourth N°1 black hit. The
single and his two triple-crown winners from Purple Rain were preceded by 1979’s I Wanna Be Your Lover. Kiss also moves up to
N°1 on the pop, black, and club play charts. As a writer, Prince has a second hit in the top 10 on this week’s pop chart. The Bangles’
Manic Monday, which he wrote under the pseudonym Christopher, jumps four notches to N°7.
07 to 16-04-1986 : Mountains promo shooting (Nice)
Prince heads back to Nice, France, to film a promo video for
"Mountains" (shot on April 13). A few transitional scenes for Under
The Cherry Moon were also filmed. The band flight back to MPLS on
April 12, but Prince stays for one more week.
08-04-1986 : Sheila E – Countdown shooting
(aired 03-05)
Bussum, The Netherlands – Concordia Studios [TV] Countdown :
“Holly Rock” & “A Love Bizarre” (TV air date : May 3 '86, Veronica,
Nederland 2)
09-04-1986 : ! Sheila E @ 1,2,3 Show (NL – KRO)
A Love Bizarre
??-??-1986 : Unknown newspaper
Purple panic
Chaos was created recently when Prince showed up to play an unannounced concert at the Metro Club in Boston. It seems a local
radio station heard about the impromptu show several hours before it was to begin and gave the info over the air. The club’s box
office was mobbed and the crowds went crazy. Some scalpers were even getting $300 for $12.50 tickets. When Prince did step onto
the stage before the wild audience, he was not only with the regular members of The Revolution but he also had six new musicians
with him. One of the new additions, Jerome Benton, was in Purple Rain and co-stars in Prince’s latest movie, Under The Cherry
Moon. The Revolution barrelled through a two-and-a-half hour set, with The Purple One jumping into the audience from time to
time. And who was sitting in the middle of all those fans ? Sheila E.
10-04-1986 : Scene
Sheila E – Wetten DaB shooting
(aired 12-04)
Saarbrücken, Germany – Saarlandhalle [TV] Wetten Daß..ZDF : “A
Love Bizarre" (TV air date : Apr. 12 '86)
11-04-1986 : Chicago Tribune
Prince Back In Groove, For the Most Part
By Daniel Brogan
Relax. "Around the World in a Day" was a fluke. Not that "Parade" is
on a par with "1999" or "Controversy." "Parade" opens with three
bombs and closes with the unbelievably lame "Sometimes It Snows in
April." But beginning with "Under the Cherry Moon," Prince kicks
into a lean, cool groove. "Kiss" will surely be every bit as big a
monster as "When Doves Cry," and tracks like "Girls and Boys" and
"Anotherloverholenyohead" will be party tape staples for years to
come. And judging from the unprecedented amount of credit he gives
to collaborators (especially band members Lisa Coleman and Wendy
Melvoin), Prince's ego may slowly be coming back to Earth. As on
1980's "Dirty Mind," though, the incessant falsetto gets real old real
fast.
12-04-1986 : NME
Sometimes it pisses down in April
I took 'Kiss' as a signal that we were being ushered back into the
compressed, airtight funkworld of 'Dirty Mind'. Didn't flip over the
song itself - slick metronome sexgospel - but what a relief to hear that
funky, flecked, flicking guitar again. It turns out we're not going back
to that springy, spunky sound after all - 'Kiss' is on its own as a
throwback to 'Head' and 'Party Up' and 'Do It All Night'. Not that
Prince doesn't still have a filthy little mind, of course, just that these
days he doesn't speak it quite so economically. It's all mixed he
doesn't really know how to express, and that's become a drag. A few things have changed since 'Around The World In A Day', it's
true. For starters, there are no printed lyrics, so i don't have to pretend to have given his twee and icky poems my most careful
consideration. Then for seconds there's no purple or paisley stuff on the
sleeve - just plain ol' black and white narcissism (another throwback to
'Dirty Mind'). Most important, Prince isn't being such a sourpuss
primadonna anymore. There I was thinking the little mulatto Amadeus
was on the edge of a breakdown and suddenly he's all happy and relaxed
and flirty in the 'Kiss' video. Trouble is, i actually think 'Around The
World In A Day' was the better record. For all its neo-psychedelic
silliness it had three great songs, which is about three more than 'Parade'
has - nothing here as witty as 'Pop Life', as mournful as 'America', or as
anguished as 'Condition Of The Heart'. The worst thing about Prince's
"maturity', if we can call it that, is that he has given up writing great
songs - songs like 'When You Were Mine' - as a matter of course. I mean,
if he can find time to bestow a morsel like 'Manic Monday' on four
desperate California chicks who will probably never have another hit
record in their lives, surely he could craft the odd decent tune for
himself. Prince, instead of writing simple, succinct, sexy songs, is always
trying to save the world, which means that he is never content with
anything but grandiose 'Sgt Pepper' albums where all the songs run into
each other and vast orchestras make a lot of superfluous noise. He is a
master architect of sound but he will show off and spoil it all. His
Rundgren-esque technosoup of Sly and Stevie Wonder is beginning to
get very predictable. The LP opens with 'Christopher Tracy's Parade', a
typical fanfare for his highness 'Disneyland soundscape and pretty much
a follow-through from the ambience of 'Paisley Park'. Who this Tracy
fellow is I don't know, though going by the closing elegy of 'Sometimes It
Snows In April', I would guess that he is a deceased pal of the
Minneapolitan midget's. 'New Position' follows with steel drums, a hard
pop-funk beat, and yet basic lewd double entendre. Guitarist Wendy
picks up for the strange, brief interlude of 'I Wonder U' (performances
seem more democratically delegated this time around: P. isn't being such
a spoilt-brat autocrat in his studio playpen) which slides swiftly into
'Under The Cherry Moon', title track of the unpromising-sounding flick
for which this LP purports to be a soundtrack. I have seen many moons
in my time, but never a cherry moon - how about you ? The song is a kind of Kurt Weill lullaby co-authored by (Prince Sr ?) John L.
Nelson. Next up, 'Girls And Boys' is an adolescent 'Lady Marmalade' replete with "sauce" French bits and set to the beat of 'Take Me
With U'. 'Life Can Be So Nice' bypasses me completely - a highspirited mess - before 'Venus De Milo' trails away at Side One's end as
a slight sliver of mood-muzak, grand piano plus sweeping strings and reeds. Flip the disc and we're straight back into Prince's
booming sytnh beat on 'Mountains', which is a pounding Stevie Wonder/ Earth Wind And Fire epic. The Jazzy, smoochy 'Do U Lie
?' is a pleasant and slinky respite from such pomp. 'Kiss' then takes its isolated place in the remorseless parade of overdone semiideas, followed by the melodically beguiling 'Anotherloverholenyohead' (yes, it is a stupid title, isn't it). Finally, the showpiece
ballad, 'Sometimes It Snows In April' (an even worse title) ends the record on a folksy acoustic note and mourns the aforesaid
departed Tracy. I feel that Prince is, on the whole, best at this most sentimental and foppishly despolate, but this is appalling kitsch
and doesn't work at all. I dunno. Is it possible, or even advisable, to take Prince seriously ? Do I have to watch Dynasty to have an
attitude ? I find this record laboured and trite and self-satisfied and won't be listening to it again.
Prince & The Revolution – Parade
By Steve Sutherland
They use to say the genius of Hendrix was that his guitar acted as an extension of his total being, that he agonised and fantasised
through that axe. Well, the same applies to Prince – everything he treats has a Midas touch, a litmus feel for the most effective
groove, an intuitive trust at the erogenous zones where the physical and spiritual collide in orgasm. I believe Prince is currently
pop’s greatest operator, a wizard, a true star. He’s calculating and innocent – one eye tearful, coy, expressing hurt, the other cocked,
laughing, coquettish, showing off. And, of course, sex is his sacred plaything. He’s Freudian beyond fault and fabrication and there’s
a shocking intelligence working us up into a lather inside these songs. They’re amoral in that lust and love, pleasure and pain, are
indistinguishable, immoral in that he’s aware of the dandy outrage of it all, and boldly hedonistic in that Prince advocates all
experience enriches life. So Parade is a soft-porn paradise, a sensual sacrament, supposedly the soundtrack to our doe-eyed hero’s
next exhibition of narcissism on film. The first side’s well weird, nursery rhyme songs subjected to sensory overload, Prince
luxuriates in submitting himself to his senses. Side two, if anything, is more illicit, more abandoned to delight. Mayfield, Marc
Bolan and Jane Mansfield licking off their fingers after something good and dirty. Mountains is delightfully daft cosmic vaudeville.
And then there’s the finale, this LP’s Purple Rain, Sometimes It Snows In April, an acrobatic ballad that employs the simple
sentimentality of country music to express deep loss so poetically, so personally – it’s indecent when his vocal spirals into luscious
grief, celebrating the sadness to the very last sols. I’ve heard tell that, while I’ve been under this spell, lesser mortals have been
saying dull things about revivalism and Beatles fetish. But when all’s said and done you’ll realise Parade eclipses everything else
you’ve heard this year. Seriously, Godlike.
Billboard
Chart beat
By Paul Grein
Kiss by Prince & The Revolution jumps to N°2 on this week’s Hot 100, while The Bangles’ Manic Monday, which Prince wrote under
the pseudonym Christopher, leaps to N°3. That makes Prince the first songwriter to be able to claim authorship of two of the top
three pop singles since, well, since Prince scored in November 1984 with Purple Rain at N°2 and Chaka Khan’s I Feel For You at
N°3. Kiss also jumps to N°1 on this week’s dance/disco club play chart, a week after hitting N°1 on the black chart. It’s Prince’s fifth
N°1 dance hit, following Controversy, 1999, When Doves Cry, and Let’s Go Crazy. And that doesn’t count several other N°1 dance
hits that Prince wrote but didn’t perform, including I Feel For You, Sheena Easton’s Sugar Walls and Sheila E’s A Love Bizarre.
Dance trax
By Brian Chin
Prince’s Parade album (Paisley Park/Warner Bros.) isn’t so much a return to roots as a return to form. Better edited and less
indulgent than Around The World In A Day, even its left-fielders are far easier to take because they are less determined to be grand
narrative statements or mood-setters, and therefore are more worthwhile as songs, cut from cut. We know from the last album that
Prince will go to any length to remix tracks, so we’re confident in recommending even the shortest cuts for examination : New
Position, Girls And Boys, and Mountains are all club possibilities, while Christopher Tracy’s Parade should satisfy those who want
more of the psychedelic Around The World. But our personal fave is the segue of the chart-topping
Kiss into Anotherloverholenyohead, which to us seems an even better full-length jam than the
extended version of Kiss itself.
Prince & The Revolution
Parade
Amalgam of tracks recorded for the motion picture Under The Cherry Moon, as well as several other
compositions not slated for the film. Like the preceding album, Around The World In A Day, Parade
confounds by Prince’s refusal to hitch his star to a predictable formula, preferring to offer rewards
via the album’s experimental spirit. Highly orchestrated and craftily arranged, the album succeeds
best with tracks like Anotherloverholenyohead, Mountains, Boys And Girls (sic) and the first single,
Kiss.
! Sheila
E @ Wetten DaB (D – ZDF) – A Love Bizarre (Taped 10-04)
13-04-1986 : n Making Of Mountains
(1:14)
Mountains is the twenty-second Prince video to have
been released for broadcast. Of note this is the first
appearance of Miko Weaver, Wally Safford, Greg
Brooks, Jerome Benton, Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss
in a Prince video.
n Mountains
(0:04)
15-04-1986 : Return to MPLS
April 15, Prince returns prematurely to MPLS after having learned of the
United States air attacks on Libya the night before. The attack was justified
by Ronald Reagan as an act of peremptory self-defense against Libyan
terrorism after discovering that Libyan personalities had played an important role in an attack on a nightclub in
West Berlin earlier in April. Terrorism becomes a critical issue for the U.S. government, when the diplomats,
soldiers and people outside the United States become targets of terrorists. Many American artists cancel their
visit to Europe and differ their tour for fear of Libyan reprisals.
Home Studio - Dream Factory sessions
Witness 4 The Prosecution (2) (3:57) – Prev. Sunset Sound 27-03-86 – Roadhouse Garden
Moviestar (2) (4:25) – Prev. Home Studio 04-86 – Dream Factory #2
A Place In Heaven (2) (2:43) – Lisa version – Prev. Home Studio 04-86 – Dream Factory #2
Visions (2:11) – Dream Factory
Prince began “Witness 4 The Prosecution” on his own, but the track was finished by Wendy, Lisa, Susannah and Eric Leeds
without him. While the track was not included on a late April, 1986 configuration of the Dream Factory album, it was included as the
17th track (15th song) on the 3 June, 1986 configuration, and as the 16th track on the 18 July, 1986 configuration. Further
recording was done by Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Susannah Melvoin and Eric Leeds on 15 April, 1986 at Prince's Galpin Blvd
Home Studio while Prince was en route returning from France shooting additional scenes for Under The Cherry Moon. In late 1998
/ 1999, the track was intended for inclusion on the Roadhouse Garden album of Prince and the Revolution-era tracks (indicating
that it would have been the 15 April, 1986 version of the song) In keeping with the collective approach of the project, “A Place In
Heaven” was written for Lisa to sing. “She is a good background singer, but she was just not comfortable with singing lead,”
observes Rogers. “Prince went away, just took his car and went off for a day. Lisa came down and just she and I worked on it. It
came out beautiful and he was very happy with it.” Lisa also
recorded a two-minute instrumental piano piece entitled “Visions”,
which Prince intended as the opening of Dream Factory. “It’s one of
my favourite pieces of music that I’ve ever heard,” says Rogers.
“Prince said he needed a short piece of piano music from Lisa.
Wendy and I were downstairs in the control room and Lisa was
upstairs at the purple piano. Prince wasn’t around. She spent a few
minutes fiddling around. And she played this piece of music and
Wendy and I just had tears. It was just so incredibly beautiful.”
Even if the ‘assemblies’ were put together without as much thought
as some fans would like to believe, there’s no question about the
quality of the songs themselves, and the period also saw Prince
playing with different overarching concepts – like disguising
himself as the hermaphrodite Camille. ‘There are loads of those
[songs] sitting around, including “Go”, “Teacher, Teacher”, all
those songs,’ Wendy told me. ‘That was the busiest time for the
three of us, pounding away in the south of France. When Sign o’
the Times was almost done, that’s when he fired everybody. I don’t
have any specifics other than this was a really busy time when we
were constantly recording.’ Matt Fink agrees. ‘There were a few
things that were worked on.’ Fink doesn’t remember all the stuff
they recorded during this period, but he does say that it was
another rumoured album, Roadhouse Garden, that they ‘were
three-quarters of the way through. We were doing session work in
the studios in his house. Paisley Park wasn’t built yet.’ And it was
Roadhouse Garden – rather than Dream Factory – that Prince used
as a title for a proposed box set of unreleased Revolution songs
considered at the end of the 1990s but which ultimately never saw
the light of day. This box set was eagerly anticipated by fans who wanted an official record of this period and who were eager to hear
the songs in greater fidelity, but it abruptly disappeared from the schedule. Prince said anyone wanting to know what happened to
the project should ask Wendy and Lisa. So I did, and they told me : ‘Because we’re gay. The Lord thinks we’re evil, and we’re
damning The Revolution to hell.’ Fink also says that as much as he’d love for people to hear that stuff, Prince never discussed this
planned later release with him. H. M. Buff, who worked on this later Roadhouse Garden project, says he’s glad it was never
completed. ‘I’m glad it didn’t work out, to be honest with you. I was very excited about it, but he thought he could improve on
things, so I would transfer the mix of what was there and he would add those keyboards he liked so much at the time. But we
didn’t work on many songs. I remember “Splash” was worked on, “Roadhouse Garden” and “Wonderful Ass” once again came out
of the Vault. Maybe there were a couple more that I don’t remember.’ Although there are no proposed track listings for the first
version of Roadhouse Garden in circulation, there are a sizeable number of Revolution-connected songs that haven’t been linked to
Dream Factory or any other immediately subsequent projects. If the album did indeed exist as a possible project, it has intriguing
links with the Purple Rain era, and it seems it might have represented a deliberate step backwards to safer commercial-rock
territory after the more experimental (and less popular) Around the World in a Day and Parade, working as a rock-orientated
sequel to his biggest-selling album. Prince played
‘Roadhouse Garden’ at the live show at First Avenue on his
twenty-sixth birthday, and twice in rehearsal for that
performance. With its use of a mysterious location as the
focus for its drama, it resembles ‘Paisley Park’, only with a
harder and more cinematic focus than the latter song’s
Haight-Ashbury fantasy. Prince would go on to write many
songs about houses, real and imagined, and the parties
within, but with its sense of lost pleasure, this is his most
beguiling. Both during rehearsal and onstage, ‘Roadhouse
Garden’ was linked with another song, ‘Our Destiny’. The
show was only Wendy Melvoin’s second full performance
with the band, and the song was her initiation : a duet about
a couple unable to resist each other, featuring a spokenword passage from Prince in which he offers a lighter
variation on the erotic threat that he usually would make
more blatant when recording songs alone. Given the
apparent flirtation in this song, I asked Wendy if Prince
knew about her sexuality. ‘He knew I was gay. I’m not a
butch, but I’m not a super-femmy. I’m more androgynous.’
Wendy and Lisa later worked on both of these songs – it
was for ‘Our Destiny’ that they originally wrote the string
section that opens ‘The Ladder’ – but these revised versions
are not in circulation. Even if Fink is right and Roadhouse
Garden was nearly finished, we can only guess what else
might have been on the album, although the proposed track
listing for the 1998 box set included several Revolution
tracks usually associated with Dream Factory (‘Witness 4
the Prosecution’, ‘All My Dreams’, ‘In a Large Room with
No Light’), as well as two other well-known out-takes from
this era (‘Wonderful Ass’ and ‘Splash’), and perhaps most
enticingly, the original version of ‘Empty Room’. ‘A Place in
Heaven’ also exists in two versions. Both feature piano and
the harpsichord-sounding keyboard also evident on ‘Teacher, Teacher’. The ‘place in heaven’ is described as a suite with no room
service, which feints towards the ‘it is easier to pass through an eye of a needle’ of the Synoptic Gospels, and Prince gives an
example of a self-pitying woman frustrated by this, but then the song ends up suggesting instead that given the trickiness of finding
comfort (or luxury) in heaven, we should concentrate on life on Earth.
Philadelphia Daily News
An album of reasons to rain on Prince’s Parade
By Jonathan Takiff
Prince's career has been built on provocation - on challenging the values and expectations of the pop-music-buying public. So it
shouldn't be any surprise that his new album, "Parade," finds the Minneapolis maverick on the move again - with an eccentric brew
that is at turns minimalist and exotically lush, familiar and otherworldly, sometimes sublime and at other times pretty stupid.
"Parade" is the soundtrack for Prince's next film, "Under the Cherry Moon," in which he not only stars but makes his directorial
debut. But even with it's suggestive come-on - a half-naked cover photo of the androgynous poster boy - and at least one certified hit
single in "Kiss," the score is not the sort that will send millions marching to their record counters or movie theaters, as the
enormously popular "Purple Rain" soundtrack accomplished for His Royal Badness. That 10-million-selling LP represented Prince
at his most commercial, churning out gallons of wham-bam thank-you-ma'am hyperkinetic funk rock. And, miracle upon miracles,
the confessional, autobiographical thrust of the ''Purple Rain" score perfectly matched the "troubled child/troubled musician" film
plot built around Prince's own life. So the "Purple Rain" lyrics functioned effectively as that film's script, carrying the tissue-paperthin story along. But the introductory "Parade" now marching through for "Under the Cherry Moon" (not due to hit movie theaters
until July, and sure to be featured in Prince's next stage show this summer) is a different, vague and ultimately unsatisfying work,
that doesn't stand nearly so well by itself. Unconventionally conventional by current rock movie production standards, the "Parade"
music is almost traditional movie scoring. It is largely background music that sets the scene, heightening the sense of atmosphere
without intruding much. Especially color-coordinated is the French cafe sound of wheezing accordions, tinkling piano and drunken
horns, placing Prince's film character in context. In "Under the Cherry Moon" he's playing a down-on-his-heels piano player on the
French Riviera who crashes a party and puts the make on a French heiress. Oooh, la-la ! "It's a boy-meets-girl love story, a kind of
Pygmalion in reverse. Instead of making a high-society dame out of a tramp, it's about a man trying to loosen up a high-society
dame," explains Prince's backup singer Lisa in a Rolling Stone interview. The movie's theme song, co-authored by Prince and his
father John L. Nelson, sounds like something out of a Marlene Dietrich picture from the 1930s or '40s. Very Euro. Very retro. Even
more old fashioned is the vaudeville shuffle "Do U Lie," done up with wah-wah horns and Prince mouthing through an oldfashioned megaphone. It's so kitschy cute you could just frow up. Let's just pray the music serves a sarcastic point in the pic. The
father-and-son Nelson team are likewise responsible (and to blame, I'm afraid) for the vapid introductory "Christopher Tracy's
Parade," which sets up the picture as a poorer man's "Magical Mystery Tour." The overblown production on this track arranged by
Clare Fisher in pseudo-George Martin fashion tries to make a mountain out of this molehill with watery strings and horns,
discordant notes and backward tape loops, but the fussy effort backfires, badly. Other songs, by contrast, appear so minimally
arranged that one might suspect they are rough rhythm tracks someone simply forgot to finish. On "New Position," Prince's voice is
surrounded with nothing but female backup singers and percussion - a drum machine and tropical steel drums. "I Wonder U"
threatens to go further with its African polyrhythms, bits of flute and plunkety guitar, but disintegrates too quickly, seeming only a
song fragment. Things pick up when Prince falls into his more familiar (and still controversial) role of sexual provocateur, heating
up his sound with the same old kick/jump hustle that's kept America dancing vertically and horizontally through the 1980s. "Girls
and Boys" is a simple pickup bar scenario, modified here by Prince's use of Indian finger cymbals and hand claps as the sole rhythm
section, and some hot spoken verbiage in French. "Kiss," the set's 600,000-selling hit single, kicks up a dust cloud with its odd lot of
thwumps and squeaks, allusions to TV shows, rusty old comic put-downs, exotic Turkish and jazz allusions and especially Prince's
squeally, ecstatic, little-girl's falsetto voice. But as hits go, "Kiss" is the only sure shot on this list. There's no lyric sheet with the
"Parade" album, and I suspect it's because Prince is ashamed of most of the words. The lyrics seem even more of a rush job than the
music, which is saying a lot. And meaning "a little." Consider these pearls from the Princely pen: "Life can be so nice, wonderful
world, paradise. Kiss me once, kiss me twice." Pulitzer Prize material, this is not, but at least the ditty's got a good beat. And if we're
lucky, somebody will be talking over it in the movie.
17-04-1986 : Home Studio
Crystal Ball (1) (9:51) – Dream Factory
“Crystal Ball” was recorded just after Prince’s return from France following the Libya air attack and the song expresses some of his
fears of an impending war. One of the more obscure lines in the song referred to a mural of two full-sized naked nymphs, complete
with nipples and pubic hair, that Susannah had drawn in a room that was adjacent to Prince’s studio. “Prince never expressed any
appreciation or liking of the painting,” according to Rogers. “It offended him because [surprisingly] he was somewhat a prude. He
had no frame of reference to a nude boy other than sexual. He was not tapped into the art community and he didn’t visit museums;
he didn’t have time for that.” Although this track was not included on a late April, 1986 configuration of the aborted album Dream
Factory, a full length version without Clare Fischer's contribution was included, on the 3 June, 1986 configuration and again on the
18 July, 1986 configuration, now omitting a minute and a half of the intro that was obsolete as in this incarnation without
orchestration it was only a beat of the left channel.
Crystal Ball
Expert lover, my baby
U ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Expert lover, my baby
U ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Ooh, expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Expert lover, my baby
U ever had a Crystal Ball ?
As bombs explode around us and hate advances on the right
The only thing that matters, baby,
is the love that we make 2night
As little babies in make-up terrorize the western world
The only thing that matters, baby,
is love between a boy and girl
Oh, expert lover, my baby
U ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Undercover, no maybe
All 4 fun and fun 4 all
I can't remember my baby's voice
cuz she ain't talkin' no more
Only the sound of love and prayer echo
from the yellow floor,
yellow floor
Huh, she's sayin' – "Dear Jesus, save us from temptation
Dear Jesus, save us from hell
Save us from the madness that threatens us all
Can U hear us ? It's hard 2 tell
In your name we pray"
Expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Undercover, no maybe
All 4 fun, fun 4 all
As soldiers draw swords of sorrow
My baby draws pictures of sex (Yes, she does)
All over the walls in graphic detail - sex!
Everybody say it now
Expert lover, huh, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Under… undercover, ha, no maybe
All 4 fun and fun 4 all
Rip it, ouch ! Uh
Expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Uh, expert lover, my baby (My baby)
Ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Crystal Ball
Expert
My baby, my baby, my baby, my baby
Kiss me, lick me, trick me, whoa !
Oh yeah, yeah
Come on, come on, come on, won't U come on ?
Expert lover, huh, my baby
Have U ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Don't U wanna ?
What my drummer wanna say ? {x2}
Yeah ! Drummer
Tell me what the bass said
Yeah
Oh, ow !
Listen 2 my, uh, listen 2 my bass man play
(Alright) (Expert lover, my baby is alright)
(Alright) (Undercover, my baby is alright)
Listen 2 the guitar play
Hey ! Wait a minute now
It's groovy
Ouch ! Guitar, guitar
Come on now
Oh yeah ! My baby licked me fast
Her mama watch her gas
Come on, baby, do me fast
Come on, come on
Your mathematical gas
Uh ! Ooh wee !
Darlin, darlin, U know U want a Cry…Crystal Ball
Crystal Ball
I don't know, I have 2 ask my mommy first
As bombs explode around U and hate advances on your right
The only thing U can be sure of is the love we make 2night
Expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Take off your clothes, baby
Come on, get the Crystal Ball
Oh, expert lover, my baby
U ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Come on, take off your clothes, baby
Come on, get the Crystal Ball
Come on ! Expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball ?
Oh, my baby, my baby, my baby
Come on, get the, get the, get the Crystal Ball
Oh, U ever had a Crystal Ball ?
As well as the version released on the 1998 disc, which was heavily edited by engineer H. M. Buff, there were three alternative takes
of ‘Crystal Ball’. These feature Wendy and Lisa on vocals, as well as Susannah (the released version is just Prince and Susannah). On
the Wendy and Lisa versions, the intensity is increased by a spoken-word section panned across the speakers that addresses ‘sisters
and brothers of the purple underground’ and associates danger with blackness, a concept Prince would continue to pursue. This
direct address recalls early band member Dez Dickerson’s claim that Prince was always looking for more than just a band, wanting
to shape his fans into a movement, something that would become of even greater importance to him during the 1990s and early
twentyfirst century before he would abruptly lose interest in the possibility of shaping mass opinion.
20-04-1986 : Starfish And Coffee (1) (2:46) – Dream Factory
The track was initially included as the ninth track on the late April configuration of the Dream Factory album. It was kept for
inclusion as the eighth track on the first disc on the 3 June, 1986 configuration and the seventh track on the 18 July, 1986
configuration.
Starfish And Coffee
It was 7:45 we were all in line
2 greet the teacher Miss Cathleen
First was Kevin, then came Lucy, third in line was me
All of us where ordinary compared to Cynthia Rose
She always stood at the back of the line
A smile beneath her nose
Her favorite number was 20 and every single day
If U asked her what she had 4 breakfast
This is what she'd say
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine
And a side order of ham
If U set your mind free, baby
Maybe you'd understand
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Cynthia wore the prettiest dress
With different color socks
Sometimes I wondered if the mates where in her lunchbox
Me and Lucy opened it when Cynthia wasn't around
Lucy cried, I almost died, U know what we found ?
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine
And a side order of ham
If U set your mind free, honey
Maybe you'd understand
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Starfish and coffee
Cynthia had a happy face, just like the one she'd draw
On every wall in every school
But it's all right, it's 4 a worthy cause
Go on, Cynthia, keep singin'
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine
And a side order of ham
If U set your mind free, baby
Maybe you'd understand
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
(starfish in your coffee, you will love it, told ya so)
(starfish in your coffee, you will love it, told ya so)
“Starfish And Coffee” was inspired by Susannah’s recollection of her schooldays and a retarded girl named Cynthia Rose whom she
went to school with. Prince recorded an LM-1 drum machine track to the song and then flipped the tape upside down and played it
through, thus reversing the drum track from beginning to end. “It was all part of the song being about opening your mind to other
possibilities,” Rogers notes. I’d often wondered whether the character of Cynthia Rose in ‘Starfish and Coffee’ was a secret homage
to Cynthia Robinson and Rose Stone of Sly and the Family Stone. But Susannah Melvoin told me the song portrayed a girl they
knew. ‘We knew somebody named Cynthia Rose and [the song has] beautiful imagery, and we were at the house and he went
downstairs and came upstairs a few hours later and there it was, “Starfish and Coffee”. I said, “It’s fantastic, it’s so sweet.
Cynthia, if she really knew, she would love this.”’
23-04-1986 : Washington Post
Pop Tours Cancelled. Prince, Others Fear Terrorism Abroad
Prince and Manhattan Transfer will not tour Europe this summer for fear of terrorist reprisals in the wake of the United States'
bombing of Libya. In addition, several other acts - including Lionel Richie and the Bangles -acknowledge concern about their safety
in Europe and the Middle East. Prince's manager, Steve Fargnoli, said today they had been exploring summer European dates for
the pop-rock star but that any further negotiations have been shelved because of "the recent Libyan conflict." Manhattan Transfer
publicist Alan Eichler said the vocal quartet's cancellation of a 21-date European tour was the direct result of "tension arising from
the current world situation." "They were just afraid to go, it's as simple as that," he said. "It was the group themselves that
decided not to tour Europe, and we had to respect their wishes." Eichler added that the group, winner of three Grammys in
February, is sacrificing about $500,000 in potential concert revenues by the cancellation. The tour was to have included stops in
Rome, Vienna, Stockholm and the jazz festivals in Copenhagen and in Montreux, Switzerland. The group will instead concentrate
on U.S. concert dates this summer. No U.S. dates have been added yet, he said. The Bangles will proceed with its European tour,
which begins in June in West Germany, but the Los Angeles-based rock group has scrapped plans to shoot a promotional video in
Cairo during the tour. "Even though I can't honestly say the Libyan-European situation hasn't been an issue for us, it hasn't
caused us or the group to seriously consider canceling the tour, " said Mike Gormley of L.A. Personal Direction, the Bangles'
management company. "We're concerned about their safety, but it's an issue of exposure versus risk, and we think the risk in the
places they're playing England, the Netherlands and West Germany is less than it might be elsewhere." Gormley said that Wall of
Voodoo, another of the rock groups handled by his company, has been touring in Europe for two months and has experienced "no
trouble of any kind." "And we're still going ahead with plans for Oingo Boingo to tour Europe later this summer," Gormley added.
Popdom's general mood regarding European appearances this year is one of caution. Vicki Rose, a publicist with the Howard
Bloom Agency in New York, said Lionel Richie, who was considering a European tour later this year, had postponed such
considerations indefinitely. "The whole Libyan thing has made Richie very nervous; he'll probably wait until things have cooled
down a bit over there," Rose added. "I mean, Cambodia seems safer than southern Europe right now.”
24-04-1986 : Rolling Stone
Prince strips down
By Davitt Sigerson
Who but Prince fills us today with the kind of anticipation we
once reserved for new work by Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the
Rolling Stones ? Happily, following the commercial and
creative letdown of Around the World in a Day (cleverly
presented as his Personal Statement record), Parade: Music
from 'Under the Cherry Moon' bears the weight of intense
hope and scrutiny as lightly as its maker wears the satin capes
he favors. Prince has made it his task to shock us: his work
sounds so inevitable we can no longer identify what it was that
first surprised us. He did this on "When Doves Cry." Was it
simply the omission of bass guitar or the retention of a single
line of melody for verse and chorus? The answer lies in the
way it was assembled; the result is that most of us can
remember where we were and what we were doing the first
time we heard it. "When Doves Cry" and Purple Rain, the
blockbuster it introduced, weren't even Prince's best work.
That had been achieved one record before - on 1999. A febrile
double album of extended dance pieces, it featured his best
song, "Little Red Corvette," and an example of his musical wit,
"1999." A lover of sixties pop, he built "1999" around the
central riff of the Mamas and the Papas' "Monday, Monday."
To complete this tribute-by-triangulation, Prince has now
written for the Bangles "Manic Monday," which bears a
melody almost identical to "1999" but omits the founding riff
that would link it to its original source. This is the degree of
energy and intelligence we have come to expect from Prince.
This is the promise he has once again kept - on Parade. Like
Purple Rain, the new album is a soundtrack (for the
forthcoming Under the Cherry Moon) and is preceded by the
stunning "Kiss." The single has been mistaken as a return to the music of his Dirty Mind period. In fact, it is made with a sparseness
and - most surprising to the ear - an absence of reverb that bespeak years of learning. Rhythmically, "Kiss" is funk; harmonically, it
is rhythm & blues; lyrically, it proves Prince is crossing yet another frontier, into emotional maturity. The petulant baby - first
trumpeting a purported sexuality and then expecting us to care about a so-called spiritual rejuvenation - is no more. Not that Prince
wasn't intelligent enough to say interesting things all along, between the nonsense. Usually, though, sex was his code word for a
kind of achievement in which the gratification of voyeur and audience defined success. This explains the curious the curious lack of
love, or even motivation, in Prince's sex songs. Dirty Mind's "Sister," for example, isn't a song about making love to one's sister; it's
a song about making love in which the female seducer is cast as the protagonist's sister, much as a pornographer might create a
fantasy to titillate his audience. "Sister" is not about what it claims to be about, and neither incites nor shocks. What really shocks,
of course, is the aural landscape of records like "When Doves Cry" and "Kiss." We all may have dirty minds, but few of us are
visionaries. In the arrangements on Parade, it is Prince's vision to that is paraded: a simple Weillen waltz like "Under the Cherry
Moon" proves an excuse for all manner of orchestral invention ; when Prince says on "New Position," "You've got to try my new
funk," believe him. In "New Position," on "Kiss" and above all in the sensational "Girls & Boys," Prince conceives a clean, diamondhard style that could spawn years of imitations. Far from the funk of Dirty Mind, this style springs from an understanding f
orchestration, rather than the innate ability to jam on rhythm instruments. On Parade, all sounds - snippets of guitar, horn,
percussion, voice - are treated equally, erasing the line between "basic track" and "sweetening." Prince has achieved the effect of a
full groove using only the elements essential to a listener's understanding - and so has devised a funk completed only by the
listener's response. Thanks to Under the Cherry Moon, we get the title song, "Sometimes It Snows in April" and "Christopher
Tracy's Parade"; thanks to shooting in France, we get the French touches in "Girls & Boys" and "Do U Lie ?" But the growth in
Prince's lyrics isn't because maturity is written into the film script. On Parade, sex and love sound real, and perhaps for the first
time, they sound related. He's made the adult discovery - or is it an admission ? - that the people you care about can be the people
who turn you on the most. "Kiss" even offers something of a manifesto : in lines like "Women not girls rule my world," "U don't
have 2 watch Dynasty 2 have an attitude" and "U can't be 2 flirty mama I know how 2 undress me," Prince smiles at his old ways.
On another track, he serves notice that he's "got 2 try a new position." If Parade harks back to Dirty Mind, it is less in the surface
similarities of the falsetto funk style than in its freedom from thematic pretensions. Prince has given us three successive concept
albums - first the unintended masterpiece 1999; next the Cinerama extravaganza Purple Rain, where his exertions occasionally
drowned out his intentions; and finally the con job Around the World in a Day, when he summoned craft and packaging to bridge
the creative chasm he faced. Having gathered enough laurels on which to rest comfortably forevermore, Prince wants to have some
fun with music, or as he puts it, to "go fishing in the river, the river of life." What better time for a new baptism ?
Though few working the greenroom seem to know it, Prince is standing in a hallway not five feet away. After Sheila’s final encore, he
and the Revolution — now twelve members strong — are scheduled to sign in for a still undetermined number of songs. Prince, you
remember, said last year that he might never again play live, that he was going to “look for the ladder.” There haven’t been many
miracles in Los Angeles lately, and his surprise performance will be hailed by the committed as a return from the Other Side. For
the rest of the audience, the evening promises to provide a damn nice show. Most of Hollywood still seems to be sipping lunch at
Musso & Frank’s, but Wendy checks her watch and realizes it’s time for the sound check. The bill is paid, and everyone clambers
back into Wendy’s rented BMW for the trip to the Universal Amphitheatre. Clean-cut, dressed in a resplendent black suit and a
white ruffled shirt, Prince faces the band and orders up a tune. The Revolution begins hammering. “Okay,” says Prince, “Sheila
comes in here.” Cut. “Is Sheila here yet ?” he asks. Momentarily, Sheila E. strides in, stage left, in sunglasses and a trench coat. She
and Prince huddle for a second, then the meastro barks, "'Controversy' ! Ready !" The band is pounding again. “Come on, stay in
beat,” says Prince. “I’m listening.” Perfection is found in a few measures, and the band carries on with the song. Prince then
announces, “End of ‘A Love Bizarre.’ Check it out.” He jumps offstage and runs up an aisle, both listening to the sound and
practicing an audience run he will perform that night. “Can we lose that low range somehow ?” he asks. “Let me hear the bass out.”
Perfection again, then into the Revolution’s new single, “Kiss.” Prince pauses. “I think finger cymbals would be better. Now when
we film videos tomorrow, we’re going to drag it out so everybody will get their chance to be in it.” With that, he heads offstage.
Wendy unstraps herself from the guitar, Lisa unplugs from the keyboard, and they head back upstairs for dinner. Like Tom Landry
checking out field conditions ten minutes before the season’s opening game, a quietly wired Prince roams the grounds backstage.
Walking down the corridor, he pays as little attention to the greenroom dollies as Landry does to the Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleaders.
Prince disappears through the wings and heads anonymously into the audience to watch Sheila pound out her tunes. The walls are
shaking out there; the crowd is swaying, its eyes centered on Sheila and her neon drumsticks. No one pays heed to the clean-cut guy
in the nice black suit who has melted into their midst. While Prince cases the joint from the bleachers, the Revolution is upstairs
getting made up in its two dressing rooms. Sheila is finishing up onstage now, whipping the crowd out of its seats as she beats a first
encore. The entire Revolution meets for a moment, agrees on the key for the first song, “A Love Bizarre,” then hustles downstairs,
just offstage. Huddled in the darkness like a high-school basketball team about to take the court, the musicians fidget and limber
up. One encore for Sheila. Another. One more. The curtain comes down again, and the crowd sees the shadow of scurrying feet.
Something is happening. The curtain goes up, the Revolution is in place, and the disbelieving screams start. Prince smiles, Wendy
smiles next to him, and in her apartment, Lisa cocks her head, finally relents and smiles, too. The first chord is an A, and the
unceasing screams leave no doubt that the real king, his queens and the purple court have finally returned.
Ladies In Waiting
Wendy, Lisa and Prince : a musical love affair
by Neal Karlen
Minutes from now, Sheila E. will begin pounding her magical drumsticks for
6200 howling fans inside the Universal Amphitheatre. Though showtime is
imminent, the backstage greenroom at this Universal City concert hall
remains packed elbow to elbow with assorted kings, queens and court jesters
of the Los Angeles music kingdom. Rock& roll Annies, pressed between the
walls and their escorts, nurse their complimentary drinks and grind out
Gitanes at their painted competition’s feet. Funkified Barbie, Ken and Mr. T
dolls fight for air space and each other, while a quickly panicking backstage
guard shields the door with her body and announces, “No more, no room, no
air, nobody else !” Though few working the greenroom seem to know it,
Prince is standing in a hallway not five feet away. After Sheila’s final encore,
he and the Revolution — now twelve members strong — are scheduled to sign
in for a still undetermined number of songs. Prince, you remember, said last
year that he might never again play live, that he was going to “look for the
ladder.” There haven’t been many miracles in Los Angeles lately, and his
surprise performance will be hailed by the committed as a return from the
Other Side. For the rest of the audience, the evening promises to provide a
damn nice show. Upstairs from the stage, Revolution keyboard player Lisa
Coleman and guitarist Wendy Melvoin are waiting in their dressing room.
Both are Los Angeles natives and the only members of the Revolution who commute to Minneapolis. They are also the Revolution’s
only women and the only faces in the band that carry brand-name recognition. But they aren’t feminine adornments, tambourinebanging mannequins brought in to leaven Prince’s macho onstage swaggering. Above all else, Lisa and Wendy are wicked
musicians, the only ones to whom Prince gives carte blanche in the private music-making regions of his head. No, they both assert,
Prince isn’t their boss; he’s their best friend and collaborator. “We don’t want to leave and start our own thing,” says Lisa softly,
“because this is our own thing — I don’t feel like we’re just hired musicians taking orders. He’s always asking for our ideas.” And
more. The group’s latest album, Parade : Music from 'Under the Cherry Moon,’ contains two songs — “Sometimes It Snows in April”
and “Mountains” — co-written by Lisa and Wendy. They have also begun writing songs for Prince’s third movie. They’re not sure
what it’s about, but Prince has let it be known he’ll shape his film to suit their songs. Together, says Wendy, the triad makes music
no one can beat “I’m sorry,” she says with conviction, “but no one can come close to what the three of us have together when we’re
playing in the studio. Nobody !”
Wendy makes me seem all right in the eyes of people watching. She keeps a smile on her face. When I sneer, she smiles. It’s not
premeditated, she just does it. It’s a goad contrast. Lisa is like my sister. She’ll play what the average person won’t. She’ll press
two notes with one finger so the chord is a lot larger, things like that. She’s more abstract. She’s into Joni Mitchell too.
— PRINCE
A lot has happened to the purple clan in the months that have
preceded the Resolution’s surprise Los Angeles appearance. For
lunch on the day of the show, Lisa and Wendy pick the Musso &
Frank Grill as an appropriate Hollywood spot to talk. While wouldbe and real movie agents and producers drink their lunch at nearby
tables, the two order salads and mull over the recent events. The
Family, a band Prince godfathered through its first album, has just
fallen apart in the wake of singer Paul Peterson’s walkout. Among
those left stranded is Susannah Melvoin, the Family’s other exsinger,
Prince’s current beloved (though, contrary to rumor, not his fiancée)
and Wendy’s forever identical twin sister. Then there’s Parade, the
Revolution’s new record, and Under the Cherry Moon, Prince’s new
movie, which he directed and which will be out in a few months.
According to Lisa, the film is a “boy-meets-girl love story, a kind of
a Pygmalion in reverse. Instead of making a high-society dame out
of a tramp, it’s about a man trying to loosen up a high-society
dame.” Right around the time the movie opens, Prince and the
Revolution are planning to take off on a nine-month world tour, their
longest ever. So now it’s time to start getting the live kinks out :
except for a three-hour performance earlier this week at
Minneapolis's First Avenue club, neither Prince nor his band has
played a note in public in a year."I'm not ,” says Wendy, ‘and I don’t
even want to guess what’s going to happen. All I know is that this
band is going to be together a long, long time.” Lisa nods in
agreement. Superficially, the two women’s offstage personalities
seem very similar to their onstage auras. Wendy, in front and
extroverted, embellishing whatever’s been said with a cracking
verbal riff or some funny dialect. Lisa, hanging back, talking slowly,
adding grace notes of reflection or perfectly timed tiny gibes to keep
the two different story lines in electric rhythm. That they talk the way
they jam, says Wendy, makes perfect psychological rock-band sense. “There are actually different attitudes for different positions
in a band," she explains. “Keyboard players know when they join a band that they’re going to be in the second line. And guitarists
know they’re going to be in front. So they get that guitarist’s attitude of being in front. When you’re up there, you know you can’t
just stare down at your instrument and pretend you’re not there.” Long pause. Lisa reflects, takes a drag on her cigarette, adds her
chord: “I like it in the second line. I feel comfortable there. I call it my apartment.” Half-beat pause, Wendy adds a hearty riff via a
deepthroated laugh. “She calls it her apartment !” Lisa says she doesn’t mind that “Lisa and Wendy” are a single entity in the rock
public’s eye. She laughs shyly — her most frequent kind of laugh — as she remembers a solo shopping trip she took this week. “I was
at the market," she says, “and these two little girls, all decked out, walk by. They went past me, turned around, and yelled, ‘It’s
Lisa and Wendy ! It’s Lisa and Wendy !’ I had to stop and count how many of myself there were. Let’s see. One.” Wendy has more
trouble with the commingling of their public personas. “It’s hard,” she says thoughtfully. “It’s weird.” The two then engage each
other in a dialogue that is one part Abbott and Costello to two parts longtime best friends busting each other’s chops. LISA : It’s
fine. I couldn’t think of a better person to be linked with. Wendy : (Laughing) I could. LISA : (Laughing) Yeah, Me. Like Prince,
Wendy and Lisa grew up in families headed by fathers who were professional musicians and who eventually were divorced from
their wives. Jazz keyboardist Mike Melvoin and percussionist Gary Coleman are seasoned studio musicians and best friends. Their
credits include Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen” and Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life”: they appeared together on the Beach Boys’ “Good
Vibrations” and on several early Jackson 5 albums; and they were the ones who played the instruments for half of the Partridge
Family. “Our parents were total beatniks, then hippies, and we turned into twelve-year-old hippies ourselves,” says Wendy, who’s
now twenty-two. ‘They used to joke that to rebel we’d have to turn into staunch Republicans,” adds Lisa. who’s twenty-five. “But we
just rook their lives and went a step further.” In 1971, all six Melvoin and Coleman kids joined together to cut a kiddie-hippiebubblegum album. “But we weren’t the Partridge Family,” chortles Lisa, “we all actually played our instruments.” The name of
the album ? “I forget,” feigns Wendy. “I think it was... Geek City.” “Yes, I’m sure that was it,’ says Lisa, mock soberly. Both
earnestly agree that their birthright as spectators into rock-business reality has helped them keep that ever - diminishing industry
resource - perspective. “Growing up the way we did,” says Wendy, “really gave us an edge on people who were just starting in
music. We know how to get around all the games.” She pauses. “There’s so much ego in the music business, especially when you
first get started. The people who grew up around the business are more relaxed with it.” And fantastic success, Wendy says, hasn’t
changed her a bit. “I never think about it. I have a few friends and a few things I like to do. I never go clubbing. I’d rather just go
home and play my guitar. Sometimes I can’t believe how boring I must seem to my friends.” “A lot of people have this real
glamorous vision of what it means to be a musician,” adds Lisa. “Sometimes it’s true, but what I learned as a kid is that there’s got
to be a whole lot of work behind it. You have to practice, you have to have your chops, you have to know your music perfectly.”
Sometimes it hits her that she’s Lisa - but never in public. Alone, at home, she occasionally thinks about it. Then she usually goes to
bed. Lisa began studying classical piano at an early age. Three years older than Wendy and Susannah Melvoin, she remembers the
twins when they looked like “plucked chickens in diapers.” Wendy got her first guitar for her sixth birthday; Susannah received toe
shoes. Surrounded by musical relations, Lisa and Wendy kept practicing. In private. Even after their bubblegum record, they
refused to play in front of their classmates. Says Wendy, “People who went to junior high school with me at Cal Prep in Encino still
come up and say, ‘I didn’t even know you knew how to play the guitar.’ The instrument was still so personal to me that I didn’t
want to share it with anyone.” In Hollywood, Lisa suffered similar junior-high phobias. Once, the drama department at her school
needed a pianist to accompany a dance routine. Lisa was called out of class, placed on a piano bench and ordered to play “Mr.
Bojangles.” Lisa shudders as she recalls the experience : “I don’t know what happened, but I sat down at the piano and couldn’t
play. I mean I could play, but I pretended that I couldn’t. I was really depressed all day, then went home and sat back down at my
piano. You know, that night I played the shit out of ‘Mr. Bojangles.’” She got through Hollywood High through the good graces of
an English teacher named Judy Coleman, who gave Lisa ample independent-study credits for her music and Joni Mitchell-style
lyrics. “I basically just stayed home from school and wrote songs," she says. “Every once in a while I’d call up Judy and say, ‘Come
on over and give me some credits.’” After graduation, she enrolled at Los Angeles Community College as an English major, pulled
down a 4.0 average, “read everything from Vonnegut to Hayakawa” and dropped out. Lisa then started work as a grunt on the
shipping dock of a documentary-film company in Los Angeles. In 1979, a friend working for Prince’s L.A. management company
heard that His Royal Badness - who was still a couple of years away from his big commercial breakthrough — was looking for a
keyboard player. Lisa made a tape, sent it in and was quickly summoned to Minneapolis for a private audition. “When I got to
Prince’s house,” Lisa remembers, “he sent me downstairs and said he was going to change clothes. There was a piano down there,
and I just started playing, trying to relax. I got the feeling he was eavesdropping at the top of the stairs, so I whipped out my best
Mozart. He finally came back downstairs, picked up his guitar, and we started jamming. From the first chord, we hit it off.” Hired
on the spot, she moved to Minneapolis. Wendy, meanwhile, was gritting her way through high school in North Conway, New
Hampshire, her divorced mother’s new home. She liked the country but felt marooned. “No one understood what I liked,” she says,
“and no one knew I played the guitar.” Foiled romance finally gave her the gumption to get through. “I was sixteen and madly in
love with a senior named David Merrill. I finally went up to him and said, ‘I can’t stand it anymore, I just have to let you know
that I’m attracted to you.’ He just looked at me and said, ‘There’s a whole bunch of other guys in the school.’ After that, I said,
‘Forget it, I just want to get out of here.’” Wendy graduated, then headed back to L.A. to waitress and play secretary while she
figured out which music college to attend. In 1983, she went to visit Lisa in New York. The band was on the 1999 tour, and Wendy
holed up for a few days in her friend’s hotel room. Down the hall, Prince heard someone playing a guitar. He knocked on Lisa’s door
and found Wendy practicing. He asked her to play more, liked what he heard and later asked her to fill in at a sound check that
guitarist Dez Dickerson had missed. Soon after, Dickerson quit to form his own band, and Wendy was in. How does it feel being the
only women in a twelve-member band ? “It’s a little weird,” says Lisa, “but not really. When I first joined the band, I got solace
from the fact that here were some other people so different that they only fit in there. That’s the thing — they’re all nice guys, and
we all fit together.” What about the explicitly sexual content of Prince’s lyrics ? “Like ‘Head’ ?” Wend says, laughing. “People do it. It
exists." "It's all in the name of good music," adds Lisa. And what about romance ? “I like to keep my personal life personal,” says
Lisa with an air of distaste. “I love Bugs Bunny," says Wendy, ever in front with a lick. “I’d marry him if he were alive. He’s just so
Hollywood.” Most of Hollywood still seems to be sipping lunch at Musso & Frank’s, but Wendy checks her watch and realizes it’s
time for the sound check. The bill is paid, and everyone clambers back into Wendy’s rented BMW for the trip to the Universal
Amphitheatre.
As they wait for the afternoon call to the stage, Wendy and Lisa relax
in their dressing room. On the couch lies a paperback of hard-to-do
crossword puzzles and a copy of The Twilight Zone magazine. Wendy
is musing over a piece of plastic that looks just like an American
Express platinum card. Shaking her head, she points out the words
HARD ROCK CAFE where the American Express legend should be.
The embossment on the bottom left of the card says WENDY, just
WENDY. “This was just sent to me, unsolicited, in the mail,” she
says. “This card allows me to butt in front of anybody in line at the
Hard Rock Cafe. Can you imagine the kind of person who would use
this ?” Wendy drops the card and lights some incense to chase out
the room’s sweat-sock smell. Lisa lights a Merit. On a table sits an
uneaten basket of strangely colored and oddly shaped cookies baked
by a fan who spied them shopping for books the day before. “Give
some to Prince," pleads the note that accompanied the questionable
edibles backstage, “please.” An aide walks in and announces, “Prince
wants you onstage ASAP.” As Lisa walks down the stairs and
through the wings, she says, “I nicknamed Prince ‘Fearless: as in
‘Fearless Leader.’" As in Rocky and Bullwinkle. On the stage, Lisa
and Wendy strap and plug themselves into position — Lisa back in
her dark apartment with a little smile and her head cocked slightly;
Wendy in front with a wide grin, next to Prince in the fully lit, empty
auditorium. Gone are the days when Fearless Leader put his friends
through all-afternoon sound-check jams that could last as long as
that night’s concert. Clean-cut, dressed in a resplendent black suit
and a white ruffled shirt, Prince faces the band and orders up a tune.
The Revolution begins hammering. “Okay,” says Prince, “Sheila
comes in here.” Cut. “Is Sheila here yet ?” he asks. Momentarily,
Sheila E. strides in, stage left, in sunglasses and a trench coat. She
and Prince huddle for a second, then the meastro barks,
"'Controversy' ! Ready !" The band is pounding again. “Come on, stay in beat,” says Prince. “I’m listening.” Perfection is found in a
few measures, and the band carries on with the song. Prince then announces, “End of ‘A Love Bizarre.’ Check it out.” He jumps
offstage and runs up an aisle, both listening to the sound and practicing an audience run he will perform that night. “Can we lose
that low range somehow ?” he asks. “Let me hear the bass out.” Perfection again, then into the Revolution’s new single, “Kiss.”
Prince pauses. “I think finger cymbals would be better. Now when we film videos tomorrow, we’re going to drag it out so
everybody will get their chance to be in it.” With that, he heads offstage. Wendy unstraps herself from the guitar, Lisa unplugs from
the keyboard, and they head back upstairs for dinner.
Wendy is fighting for terms to describe her and Lisa’s relationship with Prince. They aren’t his toys or minions; he’s not their boss
or master. Together they form a musical ménage that has alchemized new multiracial forms of funk rock out of both talent and
(they say) deep-dish love. ‘We tell Prince we love him all the time,” says Wendy. “He always gets all embarrassed and doesn’t
know what to say. We tell him to tell us the same thing so he goes, ‘Uh, okay, yeah, I love you too.’ It’s silly, us all being so intense
about it and swooning over each other, but it’s meaningful. Not that the rest of the band doesn’t understand Prince — they do.
We’re just a bit more spiritual with him.” The three have a silent language, adds Lisa. “When Prince says something funny at
rehearsal," she explains, “he knows who will understand and where to look for the smile. And it’s always there. And we know
where to look for that smile too.” Like Tom Landry checking out field conditions ten minutes before the season’s opening game, a
quietly wired Prince roams the grounds backstage. Walking down the corridor, he pays as little attention to the greenroom dollies as
Landry does to the Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleaders. Prince disappears through the wings and heads anonymously into the audience to
watch Sheila pound out her tunes. The walls are shaking out there; the crowd is swaying, its eyes centered on Sheila and her neon
drumsticks. No one pays heed to the clean-cut guy in the nice black suit who has melted into their midst. While Prince cases the
joint trom the bleachers, the Revolution is upstairs getting made up in its two dressing rooms. The men’s quarters are crowded with
faces both familiar and new. In recent months, Prince has added six new members to the band : Eric Leeds on sax, Matt Bliss on
trumpet, Mico Weaver on guitar and three guys whose job it is to work to the side of Prince as a Pips-like dance line. They are Greg
Brooks, Wally Safford and Jerome Benton — Morris Day’s hilarious valet and mirror holder in Purple Rain and the only Revolution
member to appear in Under the Cherry Moon. “We’ve got a much bigger sound now," says Lisa. “And we’re a lot more funk
oriented, that’s for sure.” In one corner, Revolution drummer Bobby Z and keyboardist Matt Fink, tied for second in the race for
Most Famous Jewish Rock Star Ever to Come Out of Minnesota, are discussing whether the Yiddish word for “gizzard” is pipik or
pupik. In the shtetl the chicken gizzard was a delicacy saved for the head of the household on Friday night. In suburban St Louis
Park, Minnesota, however, the word now generally is spoken by parents wondering why their son has hair down to his pipik. Or is it
pupik ? Matt, in his green doctor’s scrub suit, thinks it’s the latter. Bobby Z finally agrees. While the guys get made up, dope smoke
wafts down the hallway. “You know how much trouble we’d get in if we did that ?” one new member of the honest-to-God drug-free
Revolution says, laughing. Across the hall, Wendy explains the band’s pharmaceutical habits. “There is absolutely no person in this
band involved with drugs," she says vehemently. “We’re real militant about that. Fortunately, it happens that everybody in the
band got together and felt the same way. There are a few people in the organization who are into the drugular lifestyle, but you
can’t help that.” “This band’s going to last a long time because we’re all going to live a long time," Lisa adds softly. “The headline
KEYBOARD PLAYER FOUND DEAD OF DRUG OVERDOSE sounds boring and pathetic to me.” Sheila is finishing up onstage
now, whipping the crowd out of its seats as she beats a first encore. The entire Revolution meets for a moment, agrees on the key for
the first song, “A Love Bizarre,” then hustles downstairs, just offstage. Huddled in the darkness like a high-school basketball team
about to take the court, the musicians fidget and limber up. One encore for Sheila. Another. One more. The curtain comes down
again, and the crowd sees the shadow of scurrying feet. Something is happening. The curtain goes up, the Revolution is in place, and
the disbelieving screams start. Prince smiles, Wendy smiles next to him, and in her apartment, Lisa cocks her head, finally relents
and smiles, too. The first chord is an A, and the unceasing screams leave no doubt that the real king, his queens and the purple
court have finally returned.
??-04-1986 : Big Tall Wall (1) (5:40) – Dream Factory #1
“Big Tall Wall” is a minimalist funk/rock song, with Prince's vocals accompanied only by a Linn LN-1 drum machine. The track was
recorded around the time when Prince's then-girlfriend Susannah Melvoin had moved out of Prince's house and the lyrics, including
"I'm gonna build a big tall wall, stone circle so you can’t get out”, are a direct reference to the round apartment building in Lake
Calhoun to which she moved. The song includes the line "I've got more holes than a golf course" which Prince later reused in the
party intro to The Ball (heard both in the intro to both Joy In Repetition and Eye No). The line "pretty little baby, you're so glam,
every time I see you I wanna slam" also inspired Glam Slam. While the lyrics in the initial version were focused on a negative,
possessive relationship, the revised version reframed the lyrics to depict a positive, loving relationship.
Big Tall Wall
Hey sugar
Come here
I got something 2 lay on your mind
I'm gonna build a big tall wall
Stone circle so U can't get out
Big tall wall
True love is what it's all about
If I see U in a restaurant
Ooh, baby, U're all I want
Your sexy body, your curly brown hair
Try 2 run if U want 2, I don't care!
I'm gonna build a big tall wall
Stone circle so U can't get out
Big tall wall (Sugar darling)
True love is what it's all about
If I see you walkin' down the street
(See you walkin' down the street)
You better go on, cause you're the one I wanna meet
(You're the one I wanna meet)
You dress so smart
(You try so smart)
You talk so neat
(Talk so neat)
You look so fine
(So fine)
It's hard not to eat 'cha baby
Big tall wall
Stone circle so you can't get out
(I'm gonna build a)
Big tall wall (Oh yea, ooh)
True love Is what it's all about
B-is for bold, girl that's how you make me feel
I-is for ignorant, this situation's real (so real)
G- is for my girlfriend, yah you know
(She is not my girlfriend)
I got another one
But that ain't gonna stop me and you
From having fun (Stop me, stop me)
Big tall wall
I see you in a restaurant
I don't want nothing else
You're all I want (You're all I want)
Big tall wall
Oh baby I'd kiss you for Uncle Sam
Pretty little baby you're so glam
Every time I see you I wanna slam
Big tall wall
Stone circle so you can't get out
(You can't get out)
Big tall wall
(yea, yes I am)
True love, true love is what it's all about
Big tall wall
B is for bold, that's how you make me feel
Oooh big tall, big tall wall
Don't leave me like this, that's so cold
Sexy body, your curly brown hair
Ooh pretty baby you really take me there
Beautiful goddess so glam
Every time I see you I wanna slam (ooow, uh !)
If I see you in a restaurant
(Don't want nothing else)
Ooh baby baby you're all I want
(You're all I want)
Sexy body, your curly brown hair
(girl girl girl girl)
Really take me there
(yeah)
I'm gonna build a big tall wall
Stone circle so U can't get out
(Build a big tall wall
(I'm gonna build a...)
(Ooh, I'm gonna build a...)
True love is what it's all about
I'm gonna build a big tall wall
(Tall wall, tall wall, tall, baby, sugar)
Stone circle so U can't get out (Get out)
Big tall wall (I'm gonna, I'm gonna, yeah)
True love is what it's all about (True)
Stone circle so U can't get out
True love is what it's all about
{lines are repeated in foreground and background}
(Big tall wall)
I'm gonna
I'm gonna build a big tall wall
Baby doll, U're so glam
Every time I see U I wanna slam
Can you ever walk on my street ?
Didn't anybody tell you that
My modus operandi left a lot to be desired
I got more holes than a golf course
Oh yeah
You're hot company
Take your time cause in the back room
I'm building a place to put your soul see
Every time I see you I wanna sc-sc-sc-sc-scream
Oh yeah your body's like that
You wanna rap ?
You dress so smart
You talk so neat
You're just my style girl (tall wall)
You wanna see my... (tall wall)
You wanna see my walls ? (tall wall)
(I see you walkin down my street)
(let me put you behind my big tall wall)
You wanna see my bridge ?
(I just wanna eat'cha, honey)
Well whatcha want, whatcha wanna see ?
(B is for bold, baby)
(let me put u behind my big tall wall)
(How you make me feel)
(I just wanna eat'cha, honey)
(I is 4 ignorant - this situation's real)
G is for my girlfriend, you know I got another one
(I'm gonna do ya)
But that ain't gonna stop
Me and you from having
Me and you from having fun
I felt embarrassed about bringing up ‘Big Tall Wall’ in front of Susannah Melvoin. It was as if I’d dug out an intimate love letter
Prince had written her, filled with private detail, and asked her what she’d done to inspire it. Talking to Wendy and Lisa previously,
I’d discovered that they’d heard outtakes, but didn’t necessarily have copies of them. And although I assumed that Susannah would
have wanted to hear every song Prince had allegedly written about her, I had no idea if he’d played them to her at the time, and if
not, whether she would have tracked them down. Susannah told me he hadn’t played her ‘Big Tall Wall’ at the time – and she hadn’t
heard it in many years – but it was clear from her reaction that she still remembered the impact the lyrics had made on her. It’s easy
to understand why, and also to appreciate why Prince has – to date – kept it from official release. Stylistically, it’s among his most
important out-takes – you can hear in it the seeds of many of the songs on Sign o’ the Times, The Black Album, Lovesexy and
Graffiti Bridge – but lyrically it’s unbelievably reactionary, a throwback
to the lock-her-up-in- a-trunk misogynist crap of Cliff Richard’s ‘Living
Doll’. The song is from the perspective of a possessive lover
overwhelmed by a girlfriend – with a sexy body and curly brown hair –
who decides to respond to her challenges by imprisoning her inside a
circular stone wall, while continuing, it seems, to see another girlfriend
on the side. This, the singer maintains, is true love. It would be a
mistake to take the song too seriously: it’s a definite exercise in black
humour, but by the end of the song he’s fully inhabited the persona of a
psychopath.
Rock & Soul
The Prince interview
Mr. Purple Discusses His Movies, His Music, His Musicians And More,
More, More.
By Michael Shore
Prince's next feature film, Under the Cherry Moon - and the muchanticipated followup to his smash debut, Purple Rain - should be out in
theaters in three or four months. It's even more eagerly awaited because
it's also Prince's feature-film directing debut. Originally, the film was to
be directed by Mary Lambert, a premier music-video director who has
overseen Madonna's "Borderline" and "Material Girl," Sheila E.'s "The
Glamorous Life," and the Go-Go's "Yes Or No." But in mid-September,
about a month or so into the movie's two-month shooting schedule,
Lambert abruptly walked off the set and handed the directing reins to
His Royal Badness. Lambert issued a statement which read, in part, "I'm
leaving under totally amicable circumstances. It's just become quite
apparent that Prince has such a strong vision of what this movie
should be, a vision that extends to so many areas of the film, that it
makes no sense for me to stand between him and the film anymore. So
I'm going off to work on my own feature and letting him finish his."
Lambert's was not the first departure from the set of Under the Cherry
Moon. Just days into filming, veteran British actor Terrance Stamp walked off the set, allegedly due to "scheduling conflicts," which
may or may not be public relations' diplomacy. In any case, Stamp was replaced in short order by Steven Berkoff, who played the
heavies in both Beverly Hills Cop and Rambo. He'll be seen as the father of Prince's love interest in the film. Under the Cherry Moon
is a love story, set in the 1940s and shot in black and white. Word from the set has it that the plot is more or less spelled out in the
lyrics to "Condition of the Heart" on Around the World in a Day, which appears to be about a musician falling in love with a woman
too rich and worldly for his own lifestyle. In Under the Cherry Moon, Prince's love interest is a rich girl named Mary Sharon who,
according to one cast member, "wears miniskirts and pigtails." Prince plays Christopher, a piano player in a casino-style lounge in
a place similar to the French Riviera, where the film was shot. One unconfirmed story was that Prince wanted to shoot some scenes
in Monte Carlo but Prince Rainier wouldn't grant permission. Guess he felt one prince on the premises was enough. While the plot
may come from a Prince song, don't expect much Prince music in Under the Cherry Moon. Another unidentified crew member says
the Revolution was on the set only to shoot the video for "America," that there's no band music in the film at all, and that the only
Prince music in the film is His Royal Badness at the acoustic piano. So there may or may not be soundtrack album. Another crew
member confirmed, though, that there is one actual "song," and it's called something like "Snowing in July." You'll recall that when
Prince announced he would stop touring late in the Purple Rain tour, one of his cryptic reasons was, "Sometimes it snows in July."
The rest of the cast includes little-known British actress Kristen Scott-Thomas as Mary Sharon; Jerome Benton, Morris Day's
former valet in the Time and now a member of the Family, as Prince's "partner"; veteran British actress Francesca Annis as an older
woman with whom Prince's character reportedly has an affair; and Victor Spinetti, whose career as a supporting player in rock
movies goes all the way back to the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night and Help ! So what'll the movie be like ? Your guess is as good as
ours or anyone else's at this point. But consider another hot report from one crew member. In order to complete the film on time
after he took over from Lambert, Prince shot the remaining scenes in one take. Maybe that's a good sign. After all, His Royal
Badness did all right making records by himself for a long time, and surprised a lot of supposed experts with the success of Purple
Rain. Somehow, it's hard to believe Prince is finished surprising us. Late in 1985, Prince broke his self-imposed silence and spoke to
the public for the first time in almost four years. First came an interview for Rolling Stone magazine. Later came an interview for
MTV. Prince's agreement to be interviewed took MTV so suddenly that the staff at the cable network were unable to arrange to
conduct the interview in person. Consequently, the Music News staff resorted to simply providing a list of questions to be read to
Prince by his manager and answered by Prince on videotape. MTV elected to broadcast only parts of the interview. The full
interview was then offered to other broadcasters. The videotaped interview was conducted in France, where Prince was shooting his
forthcoming motion picture, Under the Cherry Moon. He first took a break to film the video for America, the third single from the
Around the World in a Day LP, before 2,000 kids at the Theatre de la Verdure (translation : Greenery Theatre), which is a huge tent
on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Once the video shoot was completed, Prince & the Revolution treated the audience to a 90minute concert. Afterwards, Prince sat with a few of the young people in attendance and answered the questions prepared by the
MTV Music News staff. It marked the first time in his career that Prince had said more than two sentences on TV. Unfortunately, in
many cases, he didn't answer the questions posed, as you'll see. Although Prince is very good at many things, his inexperience with
interviews shows greatly.
Unknown newspaper
Prince has been pilloried and praised, called everything from genius to madman. But whatever your opinion, a Prince movie is a
Hollywood event. Under The Cherry Moon, his latest opus, is a pure Prince fantasy set in the Forties. His first movie, Purple Rain,
was a box-office smash ($80 million), and there’s no reason to expect anything less of his latest. This time, he not only stars, but
also directs and wrote the film’s title theme, several original songs and the score. Purple Rain drew on elements of Prince’s own life
and was shot in Minneapolis, where he grew up. Under The Cherry Moon was shot in luxurious oceanfront villas in glittering Nice,
France, with Prince attired in some of the most elegant clothing designers could drum up. The singer plays a slick American
musician who goes to the French Riviera to get rich quick. “I grew up adoring those romantic films of the Forties,” Prince, 26,
explains, “and that’s why I chose to set my new picture in that era.” Prince has a head start with this movie : The album, Parade :
Music from Under The Cherry Moon, was released in early April, and one of the singles, Kiss, zoomed to the top of the charts in six
weeks.
Late 04-1986 : Exit Susannah Melvoin
In late April, Susannah Melvoin and Prince split a few months after having lived in Prince’s house. Prince rented a condo in the
District of Lake Calhoun, MPLS and persuaded Susannah to live there. Prince did not mean to break the engagement, but he
clearly admitted the difficulty of living with him daily. Prince was dating other women, and it seemed so obvious that his relationship
with Susannah wouldn’t last. Without being overtly discreet, he flirts with young actresses Sherilyn Fenn and Troy Beyer, Jackie St
Clair’s model, and had a brief love affair with Carole Davis, a New York girl with musical ambitions. Cheerful and outgoing, Carole
Davis encouraged Prince to expand its horizons beyond a controlled environment.
While Prince has written plenty of songs inspired by the end of a relationship, he’s never written an out-and-out break-up album in
the manner of Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, Marvin Gaye’s Here, My Dear or Nick Cave’s The Boatman’s Call . Some fans
consider Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic the closest he came to this, but this relies largely on speculation. For me, it’s the songs he
wrote during his relationship with Susannah Melvoin that give the closest sense of what such a record might sound like. I got to talk
to Susannah Melvoin about these songs, and what they meant to her. Like her sister, Melvoin is an extremely intellectual and
artistic woman, although she is slightly less direct and has a more abstract way of expressing herself. It was intriguing to discover
that the subject of these songs felt the same way about them as the fans do. ‘Some people say I was his muse, and I don’t know if
that’s what it was, but I can say I did inspire a certain kind of writing. There was a part of him that wanted to express himself in
a deeper way, and I think our relationship was an opportunity for him to do that at the time. So if that’s what being a muse is,
that’s what it was. I think Wendy and Lisa had the same effect.’
Dream Factory 1st configuration
A) Visions (Instrumental) (2:11) - composed & performed by Lisa Coleman
Dream Factory (3:07)
It’s A Wonderful Day (3:40)**
The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (4:04)
Big Tall Wall (5:50)**
And That Says What? (Instrumental)**
B) Strange Relationship (4:14)*
Teacher Teacher (3:05)**
Starfish And Coffee (2:50)*
A Place In Heaven (2:43)**
Sexual Suicide (3:39)*
28-04-1986 : Jet
Prince plays surprise gig at Boston club
Prince gave an impromptu concert at a nightclub in Boston recently for 1.250 fans while hundreds
more clamoured outside, offering up to $300 for $12.50 tickets to get inside the club. He gave 48
hours notice that he was going to appear at the Metro Dance Club in Boston and gave those lucky
enough to get in all he had.
30-04-1986 : 94 EAST – IF YOU FEEL LIKE DANCIN’ Single Release
If You Feel Like Dancin’ (Dance Version) (6:29) / Radio Edit (2:50) / Dance Version (6:55)
If You Feel Like Dancin' was the second and final single to be released from the first collection of 94
East tracks, Minneapolis Genius. It was released two and a half months after the album on 12" vinyl
only, and contains three exclusive versions of the song. The song If You Feel Like Dancin' was
written by Pepé Willie, and features Prince on guitar and synthesizer. The single was not promoted,
and did not enter the charts.
May 86
03-05-1986 : Sunset Sound
e Sheila E @ Countdown (NL – Veronica) (Taped 08-04) (0:13)
Interview / The Glamorous Life / A Love Bizarre / Holly Rock
Get On Up (live) (4:32)
Get On Up is an unreleased cover version of the 1967 track by The Esquires (from
the 1967 album Get On Up And Get Away) recorded on 3 May, 1986 at Sunset
Sound. It is unknown if this song was intended for any project. Although no formal
artist credit has been given to this recording, it was recorded with the full Parade
Tour band. The song was largely reused (in a different recording) on Everybody
Get On Up by Carmen Electra.
04-05-1986 : In A Large Room With No Light (3:13) – Dream Factory #2
(Live recording - drums : Sheila E, bass : Levi, guitar : Wendy, keyboards : Lisa,
alto sax : Norbert Stachel, tenor sax : Eric Leeds, trumpet : Matt Blistan, backing
vocals : Susannah) Kicked off by an intricate rollercoaster saxophone line by Eric,
“In A Large Room With No Light” is a lively, animated rock number with a distinct
jazz flavour and a spontaneous feel. To some extent, the joyous music contradicts
the serious lyrics, which concern the harshness of life and feelings of being lost;
Prince compares life to “looking for a penny in a large room with no light.” Eric Leeds confirmed in an interview with The Last Miles
that the full title of the track was originally Life Is Like Looking For A Penny In A Large Room With No Light. The track was initially
included as the tenth track on the first disc of the 3 June, 1986 configuration of the Dream Factory album, but was removed for the
18 July, 1986 configuration.
In A Large Room With No Light
Lana drew a picture in school 2day
One that made her mother cry
A picture of a woman with a drink in her hand
Standing by a child with no eyes
Washington reaction based upon revenge
Babies blown 2 kingdom come
Damn the logic
Cartoon characters look better when they're on the run
Danny dropped the dime on his girlfriend
He said he didn't wanna go 2 jail alone
The seed lives in the same mind
With the thought that says we all should be stoned
And people lookin' 4 angels in the sky
Whenever they're broken-hearted
Love is grown, seeds are sown
A fire don't burn unless it's started
Did U ever feel that life was like lookin' 4 a penny
In a large room with no light ?
A sophisticated man reduced 2 company in no-win situations
That aren't right
Everytime U wake up there's a little motherfucker
Talkin' big stuff in your face (Are U happy ?)
U only get the kind of people that open their mouth
just 2 swap feet
Welcome 2 the rat race
Did U ever feel that life was like lookin' 4 a penny
In a large room with no light ?
A sophisticated man reduced 2 company in no-win situations
That aren't right
Oh, if U could just pass your history class
Maybe life would be alright
Until then U'll be lookin' 4 a penny
In a large room with no light
Yeah !
Life {repeat 2 fade}
Far more sophisticated is ‘In a Large Room with No Light’. The darkness of this song’s lyric seems less personal than political or
theological : it points backwards to ‘Annie Christian’ and ‘Ronnie, Talk to Russia’ and forwards to ‘Sign o’ the Times’ and Diamonds
and Pearls’ ‘Live 4 Love’. Prince always seems to be spooked by threats of war, and the song was inspired by the geopolitical
situation at the time. Of all Prince’s political songs, it’s the most nihilistic. It is less an exploration of theodicy than a statement of
the darkness of life, and for once the response is not to party but to despair. The bleakness of the lyric is balanced by an upbeat and
unusual jazz backing, which surprises as Prince usually does this sort of song alone with his synth and drum machines. I never
imagined I would get to see Prince perform this long-lost track, but he exhumed it in 2009 for the third of three shows in one night
in Los Angeles. Performed in the middle of a heavily jazz-influenced set, it was clear that the anguish that had originally driven the
song was long gone.
05-05-1986 : Get On Up (Extended) - Eric Leeds / Matt Blistan overdubs
Jet
Vanity talks about love, Prince and new career in records, films
By Robert E. Johnson
When she shared show biz spotlights on concert and theater stages across the country
with pop/rock star Prince in the early 1980’s, Vanity’s naughty lyrics caused her to be
labelled “The Singing Sexpot.” As leader of a titillating trio called Vanity 6 (Brenda,
Susan and Vanity), the brown-skinned beauty blazed her way into the recording
limelight with her first album, Vanity 6, whose single, Nasty Girl, raised the
temperature of males and the eyebrows of females who were not quite ready for such
explicit sexuality in songs. Vanity was sweet sixteen when she cut the umbilical cord
from her birthplace in Niagara Falls, Canada, because she said it was as boring as it
was beautiful. After leaving behind her family place, she also shed her family name,
Denise Matthews. But shortly after she met Prince, who was responsible for the
formation of the all-female trio, she was given the name Vanity by the
singer/songwriter. Vanity said Prince named her Vanity because she was a mirror in
which he saw his reflections. She elaborated upon this in a revealing interview with Jet.
The night that Vanity and Prince first laid eyes on each other proved to be memorable.
“That was many years ago (1979) at the American Music Awards. He wanted me to
take him to the bathroom,” she recalls. Sensing what she thought was disbelief by this
writer, Vanity said : “You’re just looking at me. Listen, this is a true story. He wanted
me to make him to the washroom. His manager came up to me and says this guy
(Prince) wants to know if you could take him to the bathroom. I said ‘Ain’t that a line
and a half.’ No, I will not. I said, ‘You can take that back to him.’ Then he followed
me,” she continued. “He took off his jacket and asked me if I would take off mine. I
asked ‘Why ?’ He said, ‘So I can try yours on and you can try on mine.’ So we tried
each other’s clothes (jacket). I thought that was wonderful.” It was only a matter of
time that she would have another opinion of the man that she thought was “a bit of a
strange person.” The next recollection of Prince was accompanied by a beautiful smile
– as if trying to recapture a rapture. “He’s the most romantic man that I’ve ever met in
my life !” Prince ? “Yeah,” she gushed. “He’s the most romantic man ever. There’s no
man that can touch him on romance. Nobody. He’s extremely romantic - you know what I mean.” Although their romance has
since faded, their friendship remains, she allows. Vanity says that she didn’t envy singer/actress Apollonia, who came into Prince’s
life and wound up as his film lover in Purple Rain, a role that she said had been offered to her. “I don’t think anybody really took
my place. I was only 25 then and somebody was already playing me,” she mused. “I got a lot of publicity, but that wasn’t the
point. I think that was her (Apollonia) fate.” Vanity said she handled the change with no difficulty. “I turned to Jesus Christ. I said,
‘Jesus, what shall I do.’ You know. And he led my feet this way – and somebody needed to be put in that place (Purple Rain
movie). She’s got a career now because of it and I’ve got one, too.”
??-??-1986 : Anotherloverholenyohead (Extended) * - Anotherloverholeyohead Maxi single
Put your foot on the rock
Let the girls see ya
Put your foot down on the 1
Shake your body, have some fun
U know there ain't no other
U need another lover like U need a hole in yo' head (Sing)
U know there ain't no other
U need another lover like U need a hole in yo' head
Put your foot on the rock
Let the girls see ya
Put your foot down on the 1
Shake your body, have some fun (Hey)
U need another lover like U need a hole in yo' head {x4}
Hole in yo' head
06-05-1986 : Under The Cherry Moon incidental music
07-05-1986 : MOUNTAINS US Single Release
Mountains (3:58) / Alexa De Paris (3:20)
The second single from Parade, "Mountains" /
“Alexa De Paris“ is released in the US. It will
reach number 23 on the pop chart and number
15 on the black chart. A small part of the B-side
song, a continental-tinged instrumental, can be
heard in Under The Cherry Moon film.
10-05-1986 : Sunset Sound
If I Could Get Your Attention (1) (2:08) – Jill Jones – Taja Sevelle
Frustration
Billboard
Mazarati – 100 MPH
Prince songs have been known to launch acts to stardom; this one has a Revolution-ary
arrangement that makes it almost indistinguishable from the Man Himself.
11-05-1986 : It * - Dream Factory
Boy You Bad
It was initially included as the fifth track on the first disc on the 3
June, 1986 and 18 July, 1986 configurations of Dream Factory. It
was kept for inclusion as the fifth track on the first disc as the album
developed into the triple-album Crystal Ball on the 30 November,
1986 configuration, which was eventually pared down and became
Sign O' The Times. The title Boy You Bad comes from a phrase
spoken by Jellybean Johnson when any of his friends did something
amazing. It is unknown if this track is an instrumental or contains
lyrics, or if it was intended for any project.
It
I think about IT baby all the time, all right
IT feels so good IT must be a crime, all right
I wanna do IT baby every day, all right
In a bed, on the stairs, anywhere, all right
I wanna do IT baby all the time, all right
Cuz when we do IT girl, IT's so divine, all right
I could be guilty 4 my honesty, all right
But I've got 2 tell U what U mean 2 me, all right (all right)
With U I swear, I'm a maniac, all right
U see IT ain't no joke, just a natural fact, all right
I wanna do IT baby all the time, all right
Cuz when we do IT girl, IT's so divine, all right
Doin' IT, doin' IT, doin' IT, doin' IT
(come on)
(come on)
I could be guilty 4 my honesty, all right
But I've got 2 tell U what U mean 2 me, all right
(yeah - I wanna)
I wanna do IT baby all the time, all right
Cuz when we do IT girl, IT's so divine, all right
I wanna do IT baby all the time, all right
Cuz when we do IT girl, IT's so divine, all right
I wanna do U baby all the time, all right
Cuz when we do IT girl, IT's so divine, all right
(U wanna) think about IT, (U wanna) think about IT
(baby, all the time)
Think about IT all the time (fuckin' on your mind)
Feels so good IT must be a crime
Doin' IT, doin' IT, doin' IT, doin' IT
(Come on, come on)
Not all the songs are lyrically ambiguous. Never performed live in full, and recorded by Prince alone, ‘It’ is a straightforward
statement of sexual obsession. Prince is back having sex on the stairs (he finally sounds like he’s a perfect match for Darling Nikki),
and the song is essentially a repeated insistence of how much he likes ‘it’. But it’s all about the delivery. In chorus with himself,
taunting himself, whispering, standing up close to the microphone and sounding so far away he can barely be heard, this is one of
his most complex performances.
??-05-1986 : Home Studio
Interlude (0:59) – Wendy – Dream Factory
Unknown studio
You’re My Love (3) – Clare Fisher overdubs – Prev. Sunset Sound 25-09-85 – They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To
14-05-1986 : ♫ Joins The Bangles @ San Francisco
(0:09)
Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On / Manic Monday
Towards the end of the BangIes' concert, Prince
bounced on stage to play guitar and sing along
with the band on "Manic Monday" and “Whole
Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." A few weeks earlier, the
Prince-penned "Manic Monday" (credited to
Christopher) peaked at number two ("Kiss" was
number one) and become a big breakthrough for
the group.
05-1986 : Spin (UK)
Prince & The Revolution – Parade
By Timothy White
From the voluptuous cascade of percussion,
braying brass, and falsetto vocal flights that is the
overture-like Christopher Tracy’s Parade to the
breathy, saturnine code of Sometimes It Snows In
April, Parade, the soundtrack for Prince’s
forthcoming Under The Cherry Moon, is proof
positive that Prince is the single most sagacious figure in all of modern R&B, funk, and soul, the worthy successor to the mantle
tailored by James Brown, Chuck Berry, Sly Stone, and Stevie Wonder. Not since Brown has there been an artistic vision possessed
of such a quirky, riveting mystique, the manchild turning out tracks one has to LEARN in order to fully hear. To Prince’s credit, he’s
stuck by his dream of a world redeemed by the theopatic power of the libidinous spirit, even as the puritan forces of the PMRC
gather at the gates. On New Position, with its Carribean soul of chiming steel pan and climbing bass giving the blissful female
backing vocals a pristine sheen, Prince sows his wild new oats in perfect funk abandon. With an audible fingersnap and the
purposeful tread ot tom-toms, the sensualisms intensify as the record slips (Parade has the best segues since Abbey Road) into I
Wonder U, a dark and broody reverie paced by a tensible flute and some heaving rhythm guitar. As with
the best of Prince, there is a sense of tingly exploration and innocence on the brink of overwhelming
surprise in Under The Cherry Moon, a singsong lullaby that could have been cowritten with Van Dyke
Parks for an erotic Disney feature. Girls & Boys, with its Take Me With U-styled tempo, explodes into
deep-diving sax accents. A remarkable evocation of the nervous sweetness of pubescent enticement,
Girls & Boys is one of the best dance tracks of the last 10 years and boasts a couplet that’s at the very
core of the rock ethos : “Happiness in its uncut form/Is the feeling I get in your warm warm.” Life Can
Be So Nice is another delirious jump-up ditty, but with an ominous undercurrent. When it abruptly
shifts to the ethereal strings and keyboards of the Venus De Milo instrumental, bringing side one to a
portentious close, the effect is that of a romantic cliff-hanger. Mountains is a lush, modulated funk turn
worthy of Smokey Robinson, but its lilling mood masks nightmarish images of the coming reckoning in
South Africa and the cultural decay that spawned international terrorism in the skies. As he does
throughout Parade, Prince makes deft use of a newly controlled falsetto which parries with superbly
peppy R&B horns. The early ‘70s juncture when the pop invention of the Beatles was eclipsed by the
techno-mystical soul stirrings of the mature Stevie Wonder permeates both Mountains and Do U Lie ?
which even weaves some McCartneyesque English music-hall ambiance around its taunting croon. The
baroque richness of the preceding peaks fall away with an intentionally startling thud when Kiss kicks
in, however, and we’re in a hyper-spare sphere of matting first surveyed by James Brown circa 1967’s I
Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me), but even Mr Dynamite never imagined a slow grind with
this degree of percussive bite. After teaching the Godfather a new trick, Prince does the same for Stevie
with Anotherloverholenyohead, a vibrant aural pastiche that knocks the high points of Fulfillingness’
First Finale into a cocked hat. With its exquisite melody, wonderfully tugging vocal, and brilliant
clipped synthesized discordances that heighten the overall wonder of the track, Anotherlover is classic
popcraft that will likely rank with anything to emerge in the ‘80s. In its self-absorbed sureness, its
ingenious and humble homage to its forebears, and its stunning resolution of an uncommon agenda,
Parade both ratifies and stands apart from all that Prince has attempted since he debuted in 1978 with
For You. As a movie soundtrack, it sounds like the male equivalent of Smooth Talk; as a musical rite of
passage, it’s as if the Rogers boy regained his rock ‘n’ roll virginity and then rationed his load like a
first-rate roué’s one endlessly resourceful night. Prince is no longer making records for a potential
audience or even for himself, he’s making them to express one genuinely inquisitive person’s
possibilities – and that’s the beginning of truly torrid inspiration.
17-05-1986 : Sounds (UK)
20-05-1986 : e Mazarati @ Minnesota Music Awards (0:13)
Player’s Ball / 100 MPH (Incl. Cool)
 Prince Receives Award
♫ Bloomington Aftershow
(0:05)
(0:35)
(A : Minnesota Music Awards 5-20-86 - 9/10)
Raspberry Beret / Girls & Boys / Life Can Be So Nice / Controversy (Incl. All Day All Night)
Mutiny (Incl. Holly Rock – Dream Factory) / Kiss / Love Or $
Prince picked up the awards for Best Video (“Raspberry Beret”), Best Film / Video
Score (Parade), and Best Cover Artwork (Around The World In A Day) at the sixth
annual Minnesota Music Awards at the Carlton Celebrity Room, Bloomington. He
closed the show with a 40-minute set comprising “Raspberry Beret," “Girls And
Boys," “Life Can Be So Nice," a funk medley of "Mutiny" and “Controversy” (with at
few lines from “Holly Rock" and “All Day, All Night" thrown in), "Kiss," and “♥ Or $."
Prince is constantly screaming at the audience for more participation and
for them to get on their feet,
and often makes reference to
how unfunky they are. The
performance and set list are
similar to an abbreviated Hit &
Run show, although there are
a
few
unusual
moments
including
a
rather
rare
performance of 'All Day, All
Night' (mainly instrumental)
and an extended version of 'Kiss'.
The show starts simply enough, with one of Princes trademarked “Awwwww !”
There is a cheer from the crowd then after a drum roll and pause everyone is left
waiting in anticipation, me included ! Another flurry of horns and guitars, then the
familiar refrain of Raspberry Beret. Such an upbeat song, it’s hard not to feel
uplifted. Nowadays Raspberry Beret is beginning to sound a little stale to my ears,
but here in 1986 it’s still fresh as a daisy, and the crowd gleefully sings a long. The
female vocals on this one are right out front and very strong. The song is abridged,
somewhat surprising for a song that is already so short. Prince is very playful with
the crowd, as he was throughout this era. He asks Jerome “can I tell you about this
little nasty girl ?” And Eric Leeds sax makes its first appearance as the groove of
Girls and Boys begins. Girls and Boys is my favorite song on the Parade album, and
this live version certainly delivers the goods. So much I enjoy
about this one, the guitar, the deep groove of the keys, Fink’s
quirky sound, and the deep honk of Eric Leeds. Prince exhorts
the crowd to get up, and I should think it would be pretty hard
to stay seated as the band really grooves on this one. Girls and
Boys always sounds so different live, but it never diminishes
the sound of the song to me, often live it feels much more
muscular to me, it really hit me like a punch. Prince calls Eric
to solo, and it crosses my mind that this would be a great jam
song if they decided to take it that way. But Prince keeps the
band on a tight leash, and hammers us with the funk in the
song. The song has a false ending, and then continues with
Prince calling for everyone to get up again. I would love to see
the visuals for this one, I am sure it looks as good as it sounds. I
smiled when after a few “Vous etes tres belle, mama, girls an’
boys” , Prince tells the crowd “that’s French, you understand”
There is no respite as the distinctive intro to Life Can Be So
Nice plays. The band and crowd sound like they are having lots
of fun, there is plenty of squeals and screams from the crowd. There is a deep refrain coming out the left speaker, I don’t know what
it is, but it drives the song along for a minute or two. There is a nice change of tempo and the song winds down, the Revolution
sounds as tight as ever, and even at the slower tempo it still sounds funky. The song continues in this vein, and then a steady beat
and some very funky guitar take us into the next song. With the pounding beat and funky beat, at first I think it’s going to be
Mutiny, but then Prince sings “all day, all night” and I think my heart is going to explode out of my chest. Unfortunately it’s just
another Prince tease and the band continues with some great funky rhythm guitar. This recording is not the greatest quality, but it’s
worth listening to just for these two minutes of funk guitar. I don’t mind admitting, that when I was writing this I listened to the
first three minutes of this song five or six times in a row. It felt so good. And all the while Prince is encouraging the crowd to make a
funk face. His humor is further displayed when he tells the band “Bring it way down fellas, and ladies, I’m sorry” I have listened to
enough Parade shows that I should of realized what was coming, and this funky intro slams in Controversy. “Come on band,
groove” and the band plays the horn infused intro that we are familiar with from the Parade shows. From the 1986 shows I have
heard and seen this is always one of the highlights for me, when he plays Controversy and into Mutiny. Controversy has a massive
groove to it, much more so than on album and energy levels are high, especially encouraged by Wally and his calls to the crowd.
Things slow as Prince does his whole smoking a cigarette charade. I know what is coming next and I can’t wait. With a shout of “Get
Up !’ the band storms into Mutiny. This one song that never got the release it deserved. I can’t help but move every time I hear it,
it’s an absolute monster, and here the band plays a rousing version. Something about the organ and the horns just really gets me. I
could listen to this all day long. Eric plays such a great role in this song, I love it when the band drop out and give him space to play
his solo, especially when Prince cuts him short with “Eric, shut the fuck up” and the band explode back into action. “On the one”
ends the song, but thankfully they enter back into the groove right where they left off for another couple of minutes. During this
long groove Prince sings lines from ‘Holly Rock’ which always seems to go over well with the crowd. Prince teases me further when
he has the girls singing the chorus of the Dream Factory. I wonder if those in the crowd knew what they were hearing. Some more
funk guitar ends it, and there is a pause for the crowd to catch their collective breath. It doesn’t last long, as the instantly
recognizable intro of Kiss is played. After the full on assault of Controversy/Mutiny it feels a little light. It is, never the less, still very
good. I cringe when I hear Prince say the words “Wooden Leg” during the bridge, glad I don’t have to watch THAT dance again. I
have always loved the guitar break in this song, and I was surprised when I saw Prince live how many other people really dig it too.
As usual, here it sounds very good. It’s strange to hear the original “you don’t have to watch Dynasty” line still in it, I have become
so used to the move recent versions with TV show of the moment inserted here. 1986, and the line is still fresh and humorous. There
is s a long play out, and Brown Mark is sounding very good, he often gets overlooked when I am writing these. The show ends with a
♥ Or $. It’s refreshing to hear it, and its another chance for the band to show how good they really are. Especially the horns and Eric
Leeds are very prominent throughout. I was surprised he finished with this one, but I did enjoy the horns on it. It very quickly
settles on repetition with the girls singing “love or Money” while the horns play all over it. It comes to a sudden halt where I am
expecting Prince to call them back in, but he never does. The recording itself goes for another minute, with Prince thanking the
crowd for his award. He thanks the usual people, The Revolution, The fans, before finishing by thanking God. This recording was
very short, and yet very enjoyable. It briefly presents the best of the Parade era tours. All the material played, with the exception of
Controversy, is new, yet the crowd responds to it well, and everything is well received. Like I said earlier, this is many more
recordings from this era I would grab before this one, but it would be a shame if this was overlooked.
21-05-1986 : MOUNTAINS US Maxi-Single Release
Mountains (9:51) / Alexa De Paris (4:54)
The second US Parade single was "Mountains." It reached number twenty-three. The
extended ten-minute twelve-inch version starts with Prince's heavily echoed voice,
yelling, “Hey you, get out on this dance floor !” Based around a repeated funky rhythm
guitar part, the new version includes a lengthy instrumental vamp with solos by Matt
Blistan and Eric Leeds, as well as some jazzy guitar riffs by Prince. Featured in Under
The Cherry Moon, "Alexa De Paris" was the B-side of "Mountains." It is an ambitious
medium-paced instrumental rock number that recalls the "symphonic rock" of Mike
Oldfield or such groups as Genesis and Yes. Prince improvises on guitar around a
basic theme which is played on synth. The music is calm and unhurried but intensity
increases as the instrumentation expands and builds to a thunderous climax, with Clare
Fischer's orchestra adding an element of danger. An arpeggiated synth and string part
leads into a second section of the song. The tempo increases as the bass becomes
more driving and the drumming more active. Prince rips into a guitar solo and Sheila E.
plays a brief drum solo before everything returns to the main theme again. “Alexa De
Paris“ is a complex and dramatic piece of music, quite unlike anything Prince had
attempted before.
23-05-1986 : ♫ San Francisco Warfield Theater
(2:15)
* Advert. Start : 8:00PM / Attendance : 2.175 / Sold Out / Duration : 2:30 / Tick. Price : $17.50
(A : San Francisco Live 1986 – 8/10 / Warfield Theatre, San Francisco – 8/10)
Around The World In A Day / Christopher Tracy’s Parade / New Positon / I Wonder U
Raspberry Beret / Alexa De Paris / Controversy (Incl. Holly Rock) / Mutny (aborted)
Controversy / Mutiny (Incl. Dream Factory) / How Much Is That Doggy In The Window ?
Lady Cab Driver / Automatic / DMSR / The Dance Electric (Andre Cymone)
Under The Cherry Moon / Anotherloverholenyohead / Soft And Wet
I Wanna Be Your Lover / Head / Pop Life / Girls & Boys / Life Can Be So Nice / Purple Rain
America (Incl. Holly Rock – Cold Sweat – Spanish Key)
Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On (Incl. Holly Rock) / A Love Bizarre / Kiss (extended)
Love Or $ (Incl. Ain’t It Funky Now)
Fans had only three hours’ notice via a local radio station to get tickets to the
concert at San Francisco's 2.200-seat Warfield Theatre, promoted by Bill Graham.
“Tickets flew over the counters," commented a representative for the ticket agency.
“But it went so fast, there was no time for any problems." Scalpers were asking from
$75 to $275 per ticket at showtime. Despite a somewhat apprehensive start, with a
subdued audience, the concert was extraordinary. Lasting two and a half hours, it
was one of the longest sets Prince had ever played. Prince talked to Jerome
towards the end of “Raspberry Beret,“ which had been abbreviated since the last
show, “Jerome, I wanna tell you about this girl. Well, she's kinda fine. Kinda funny
pants on. She's kinda fine, but I think she's with somebody. Shall we whoop it ?"
“Controversy” started with just the guitar and drums. "Frisco, tonight you're mine,"
Prince said. "If you want, we can play all night. But y'all gonna have to participate,
alright." He did some “Holly Rock" chants before launching into "Controversy." However, when the band switched over to “Mutiny,”
he suddenly stopped them. “On the one ! Miko, come here ! Miko's from here. When Prince got it, he's Uptown. Miko give them
‘Controversy' again, all alone." Miko started the funky rhythm guitar part while the backing singers urged the crowd to participate.
“Alright, Miko, shut the fuck up," Prince said before instructing Wendy to do her “thang." "Frisco, is it funky ? Now, look, we play all
night, but y'all gotta participate. When I say participate, I mean everybody." The second time around, "Mutiny" was played through
without interruptions, incorporating the usual “Dream Factory" excerpts. In total, the medley centred around “Controversy" and
"Mutiny" lasted nearly 10 minutes. Andre Cymone guested on “The Dance Electric" and Prince thanked him over the opening of
"Under The Cherry Moon." He introduced "Soft And Wet" as a “blast from the past" and extended the instrumental vamp of "I
Wanna Be Your Lover" longer than usual. “Head" was also stretched out, lasting 11 minutes. It included at demonstration of the
wooden leg dance by Prince, who kept referring to the audience as Uptown. "I wish Morris was here so he could see this shit.
Would he be mad or what ?" "Ain't nothing finer than y'all," Prince said over the closing sounds of "Purple Rain." By now the
audience was in a frenzy, shouting and screaming as a drum beat and Prince's loud guitar lead into "America," which evolved into a
playful jam. “Let's dance, let's shout, getting funky is what it's all about, " Prince and the backing singers repeated. Eric Leeds took
a sax solo, while Prince continued with more chants, “If you didn't come to party, take your dead ass home" and "don't stop the
groove," before it was time for his drum solo. “America" was followed by a fairly brief “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," after which
Prince asked, “Wendy, what's so funny ?" "That was good," she replied. Then Prince decided it was time to create a new song on
the spot. He got the backing singers to do a dog bark chant, before instructing, “Put at beat with that, Bob. We're gonna make up a
song in C. You got some lyrics ? Put some bass on that, Mark, in C." The rest of the band joined in, playing a funky number. After
doing some “Holly Rock" chants, Prince said, "Don't y'all laugh. We're just making this shit up as we go along. As a matter of fact,
we ran out of songs." The backing singers then chanted "the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire," lifted from George Clinton's “MixMaster Suite," before Prince took the lead for a chant of “ain't nobody fuck with us." “A Love Bizarre" was nothing special, but
before continuing with the next song, Prince wanted to tell the audience a story about Wendy. "Wait, I gotta tell y'all a story. I was in
France, right. I was doing a film, right. They gotta rehearse without me because I'm not there. I'm making a movie. So they sent me
a tape. The funkiest band of all time, funkiest groove coming, ‘Kiss' or something. Then all of a sudden you hear this voice [imitating
female voice], ‘Stop, stop, stop the groove. You guys sound like shit.' Go
back to your neighbourhoods, brothers. So then it was quiet for a little bit
and then you hear, ‘One, two, three, four,' a funky groove coming. Is this a
white girl ? I think not. I think not." After requesting Bobby to “put a kick
drum on that," Prince continued. “When I was growing up, going to school,
they always told me, ‘Only black people funk.' Only black people. There are
certain exceptions to the rule. You correct me if I'm wrong, I happen to
know different." After asking the crowd, “What d'ya wanna hear ?," Prince
started “Kiss.” He introduced the whole band before playing one final
number, “♥ Or $."
At the Warfield Theater in San Francisco, Prince made space for Eric Leeds to take control of ‘Mutiny’ as he
asked the girls in the audience for their phone numbers, before going into the unreleased ‘Dream Factory’.
André Cymone appeared to sing ‘The Dance Electric’, but the song didn’t have the power it had when he
wasn’t there, performed as a more straightforward rock song than it had been in Boston. The Revolution were
most evident on ‘Anotherloverholenyohead’, Lisa’s pretty piano solo working its way up through the
complicated arrangement. The show was one of the longest and loosest Prince had performed to date, the
tightness of the first half giving way to extended jams (including fifteen minutes of ‘America’) towards the
end.
This concert is available on a number of releases each with slight differences. All are sourced
from the exact same audience recording, but the Persic version is certainly the best of the 3.
The fan released 'The Dance Electric' contains the show however the quality is disappointing.
The Sabotage release 'San Francisco 1986' contains the show however they have substituted
parts of the show with a recording from the Hamburg 31st August 1986 show. This Persic
release contains the most complete version and the quality is certainly a match for the
Sabotage release. I'll discount the 'The Dance Electric' release straight away as the quality
(in comparison) is a let-down. I personally found the Sabotage release a little thin and
lacking any depth - never mind the fact they spliced in a recording from a completely
different show (a big no-no for me). This Persic release is true to the original recording, is
very impressive and enjoyable from start to finish. It can be a little bassy at times, but it
does provide the show with the kick which was missing from the Sabotage release. One
other minor complaint is there is a solitary dude who single-handedly ruins both 'Under The
Cherry Moon' (by yelling "Yeah" constantly) and 'Anotherloverholenyohead' (by whistling
from start to finish), however he makes up only a tiny fraction of the show. The concert
itself is a very loose Hit & Run show with Prince interacting with the band and audience like
it's an aftershow. Too many highlights to
mention, but the 15 minute jam on 'America'
which includes a drum solo by Prince, and the
12" extended version of 'Kiss' are worth
pointing out. Without doubt this is my
favourite release of this unusual, loose show
both in terms of being the most complete and the best quality.
Joel Selvin, writing for San Francisco Chronicle, felt that Prince had shifted
into a new, more mature stage persona. “He didn't exactly blow any startling
new ground or shatter any precedents. He simply has grown and changed,
with an increased eye toward subtlety and nuance greatly magnified by the
intimate vantage point afforded by the Warfield. Like all the best pop
musicians, Prince challenges his audience, never allows complacency, and
starkly juxtaposes his own striking attitudes against the supposed
conventional social order." Robert Hilburn, Los Angeles Times, also lauded
the new show and described Prince as “sometimes playful, sometimes sexy
and aggressive, but he was always trying to seduce," while David Armstrong,
San Francisco Examiner, used the words “pandemonium" and "delirium" to
describe the show, “Simply put, Prince tore it up."
At the time of Prince’s San Francisco appearances, it was reported that he
would undertake a worldwide stadium tour starting in September. But the
large-scale tour never materialized, and the American Parade tour was limited
to a number of one-off shows. It has never been explained why the world tour
was called off.
26 to 29-05-1986 : Sunset Sound
Pride And The Passion * - Sheila E
Pride And The Passion *
In a flash, he caught her eye
He was everything she was lookin' 4
He had big cash and a Brando smile
He was pretty easy 2 adore
She tried her luck, huh, I mean she played the man
She sho'nuff thought she could turn him on
But she got (stuck) stuck when he kissed her hand
And told her that he wanted 2 take her home
Pride and the passion
Laugh all night, cry all day
If true love is old-fashioned
Should we pass or should we play ?
In a flash, her life had changed (Life had changed)
Everything she feared was put on trial (Everything was put
on trial)
Priorities rearranged (Rearranged)
She said she had 2 have him 4 a little while
And if he's good, he can teach her things (He can teach her
things)
Things about herself that she never knew
And if he's the one, the shining armor knight
Think of all the dirty things they could do
CHORUS :
Pride and the passion
Laugh all night, cry all day
Cuz if true love is old-fashioned
Should we pass or should we play ?
What's it gonna be ?
The pride or the passion, passion, passion ?
In a flash, she took a chance
She let him take her 2 his crib
Music played, they started 2 dance
She said she really dug his ad-lib
What went down I don't wanna say (I don't wanna say)
Destiny is yours, don't let it fool ya
And if U're wrong, expect a massive drag
If U're right, more power 2 ya
CHORUS {x2}
Pride, pride and the passion
Pride and the passion, ooh
The pride and the passion
Oh, pride and the passion
28-05-1986 : ASCAP Awards (LA)
Prince appears at the ASCAP Awards ceremony held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Los
Angeles. He was cited for his compositions "I Feel For You," “Raspberry Beret," "Purple Rain,"
and "When Doves Cry."
30-05-1986 : ♫ LA Wiltern Theater
(1:45)
* Advert. Start : 8:00PM / Attendance : 2.300 / Sold Out / Duration : 1:45
Tick. Price : $20.00 / $17.50
(A : Caught In A Hit And Run – 6/10)
Around The World In A Day / Christopher Tracy’s Parade / New Position / I Wonder U
Raspberry Beret / Alexa De Paris / Controversy / Mutiny (Incl. Dream Factory)
How Much Is That Doggie In The Window ? / Lady Cab Driver / Automatic / DMSR
The Dance Electric / Under The Cherry Moon / Anotherloverholenyohead / Soft & Wet
I Wanna Be Your Lover / Head / Pop Life / Girls & Boys / Life Can Be So Nice
Purple Rain / Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On / Mountains
A Love Bizarre (Incl. Holly Rock) / Kiss
By now a pattern was beginning to set for what
Steve Fargnoli publicly called the “Hit & Run tour" :
a short notice over a local radio station and fans line
up to buy out the whole show in minutes. The
Wiltern Theatre concert was shorter and tighter than
the three previous “Hit & Run" shows, Minneapolis,
Boston, and San Francisco.
A week later, Prince brought the show to Los Angeles. Three of the best performances
from this night – ‘Automatic’, ‘D.M.S.R.’ and ‘The Dance Electric’ – were released in
soundboard quality by Prince’s NPG Music Club as part of the seventh Ahdio ( sic) show,
and it’s these recordings that should be sought out as one of two official documents of
the tour, the other being Prince’s birthday show in Detroit, which was recorded for a
concert film,
A phenomenally tight and focused Hit & Run show which surfaced in August
2008. Unknown to exist for the past 22 years, the recording may not be on a
par with today's standards (or the standards of many audience recordings
from 1986, for that matter) but the show itself is so enjoyable that the
quality can be overlooked. It's not a bad recording by any means, and whilst it has its share of problems, I've
heard far, far worse from the time period (New York 1st or 2nd August, anyone ?). Throughout the audience are
audible but only really overpower and detract from the recording in places - a prime example being the incessant
screaming during the "seduction routine" towards the end of 'Head' - other than those few minutes, they are of a
manageable level. The recording has a few small cuts/drop-outs, which again are rather minimal, but are obvious
during 'The Dance Electric', ‘Pop Life' and 'A Love Bizarre'. Audience intrusion and minor drop-outs aside, the
recording is still decent for its time, and it's perhaps due to the fact it wasn't known to exist until now that I am
being slightly kind to it - it certainly won't be to everyone's tastes, but such is life. As for the show, oy, the show.
It differs from the previous Hit & Run concerts due to the fact it's been condensed into a very tight, funky show,
yet it's obviously still on its way to becoming the more focused European / Japanese Parade tour. Without
dissecting it too much, stand-outs include a ferocious 'The Dance Electric', a welcome return for the 'Soft And Wet
/ I Wanna Be Your Lover' duo, and the closing extended 'Kiss'. As excellent as the previous weeks San Francisco
show is, I'd rate this Hit & Run show higher simply because it has everything one could possibly hope for from
Prince at this period in his career. One last point worth noting is that 15 minutes from this show was made
available by the NPGMC on Ahdio Show #7 (August 2001),and until this show
surfaced, it was unknown which venue they originated from, so it's great to clear
up that little mystery too. Excellent release, in spite of the distinctly aged
recording.
Jim Washburn complained about a lackluster audience response in his Orange County
Register review, “The lack of support took its toll
on stage. Prince was taking certain liberties with
the stage floor, failed to build when he requested
some audience participation, and he abruptly
told the band, “Fade it out. I'm done,” dropped the
microphone to the floor and walked off stage for
a costume change. During "Purple Rain." he
changed one verse to, "l’m only trying to reach
out for something new, and that means LA too."
Los Angeles Times’ Robert Hilburn compared the
show to the much longer San Francisco set.
“Prince has wisely cut a half-hour from the show.
Besides reducing the number of solos, he
eliminated most of the exaggerated horseplay
that seemed aimed at demonstrating he's a nice
guy. This was a far leaner and more effective concert."
Meets Troy Beyer
 LA reports (CBS 2 / Channel 4)
(0:06)
(Includes snippets of Raspberry Beret from the show)
Born in New York City to an African
American mother and a Jewish father,
Troy Beyer began her acting career with a
role on the children's program Sesame
Street when she was just four years old.
She studied acting and psychobiology at
City University of New York's School for
the Arts. After landing a bit part in Francis
Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club (1984),
Byer moved to Los Angeles, where she
became a regular on the ABC prime-time
soap opera Dynasty in 1986, playing
Jackie Deveraux, the daughter of
Diahann Carroll's character Dominique
Deveraux. Prince wrote Shockadelica about her in 1986 after or while he was
seeing her due to her "witch-like" vibe. She was rumored to be pregnant with
his child around the Diamonds and Pearls era and later appeared in the video
for Sexy MF.
SHEILA E - HOLLY ROCK Dutch Single Release
Single : Holly Rock (Edit) (3:58) / Toy Box (5:32)
Jap Single : Holly Rock (Edit) (3:58) / Touch Me (5:32)
Maxi Single : Holly Rock (Extended) (6:35) / Edit (3:58) / Toy Box (5:32)
Holly Rock was the fifth single to be released from Krush
Groove, the soundtrack album to the movie Krush Groove,
starring Sheila E. It was released nine months after the
album's release, and marked the first single release by
Sheila E. not to have been taken from any of her own
albums. The b-side, Toy Box, was taken from her second
album Romance 1600. The 12" version also included an
extended version of Holly Rock. Prince wrote and largely
performed both songs, although his input on both tracks
was uncredited. The single did not enter the charts.
31-05-1986 : Billboard
Surprise performance
Prince joins the Bangles on stage for a hot rendition of
Manic Monday during the group’s recent performance at Warfield Theater in San
Francisco. The Purple Wonder then watched from the sidelines, joining in again on the
encore. Prince has been popping up unannounced at clubs across the country to warm up
for his forthcoming tour.
Spring-Summer 1986 : You’re My Love (4) * - Prev. 05-86 – They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To
Kenny Rogers and his band re-recorded the song in Spring-Summer 1986 (at one of several studios - Garden Rakes, Sherman
Oaks; Conway, Hollywood; Can/Am, Tarzana; Oceanway, Hollywood; House Of Gold, Nashville or The Garage, Nashville), and the
released version contains no musical input by Prince. The released version contains background vocals by El DeBarge, who would
later record and release another track by Prince, Tip O' My Tongue. (Kenny Rogers - lead vocals / El DeBarge - background vocals
/ Carlos Vega - drums (credited for album) / Michael Baird - drums (credited for album) / Jay Graydon - drums, synthesizer, guitar
(credited for album) / Abraham Laboriel - bass guitar (credited for album) / Michael Landau - guitar)
Jun 86
Early 06-1986 : Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A (0:51) – Dream Factory
Dream Factory (2) (3:27) – Prev. Sunset Sound 12-85 – Dream Factory
Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A is an unreleased song (serving the purpose of a segue) created between April and early June, 1986 at Prince's
Galpin Blvd Home Studio and was included as the eleventh track on the 3 June, 1986 configuration of Dream Factory. The segue
was also included, this time as an uncredited segue, between the first and second tracks, Visions and Dream Factory, on the 18
July, 1986 configuration. It uses Lisa Coleman vocals for A Place In Heaven (Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A is the backwards spelling of A
Place In Heaven), recorded between late March and April, 1986 played backwards, as well as an accompanying organ, also
backwards, but missing from the mix that was made for A Place In Heaven. Furthermore it features a short dialog of Wendy and
Lisa being carded at a club. The segue ends in a sampled Witness ! (taken from Witness 4 The Prosecution. And goes on into a
spoken intro by Prince seemingly introducing Dream Factory. It is unclear whether this last spoken bit was part of the segue when it
was placed on the 3 June, 1986 configuration of Dream Factory, when it preceded Sexual Suicide.
02-06-1986 : MOUNTAINS UK Single Release
The single reaches number 45.
LA Times
Prince In Another Warm-up
By Robert Hilburn
Near the end of his "sneak" concert Friday night at the Wiltern Theatre, Prince assured the audience that this show was no
rehearsal. "I'm serious (tonight)," he said. And sure enough : This was a far leaner and more effective concert than the one Prince
and his expanded Revolution band put on a week earlier at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco. Both of the zesty, funk-oriented
shows were warm-ups for a summer tour and they offered roughly the same song selection – a few old numbers (including the
notorious "Head") but mostly deliciously energized treatments of tunes from his last two albums. The difference was that Prince
wisely cut a half-hour from the 2 1/2-hour San Francisco show. Besides
reducing the number of solos, he eliminated most of the exaggerated
horseplay that seemed aimed at demonstrating he's a nice guy. As up north,
Prince was part of a slick revue, but he was definitely the man in charge this
time. The show's party-time spirit - with its obvious homages to James Brown
(and Ricky Ricardo ?) - should satisfy his fans, even in a stadium setting
(there are rumors of a Coliseum show this summer), yet it still falls short of
the captivating spirit and challenge of his earliest dates here. Prince is such a
major talent that he humbles most of his rivals, but his past achievements
hang over this show like a ghost in the wings telling you that he can do more.
03-06-1986 : Dream Factory 2nd comfiguration
A) Visions (Instrumental) (2:11) - Lisa Coleman
Dream Factory (3:07)
It’s A Wonderful Day (3:40)**
The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (4:02)
It (5:08)
B) Strange Relationship (4:24)*
Teacher Teacher (3:05)**
Starfish And Coffee (2:46)*
Interlude (Instrumental) (0:59)** - Wendy Melvoin
In A Large Room With No Light (3:11)**
Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A (Segue)**
Sexual Suicide (3:39)
C) Crystal Ball (9:55)*
Power Fantastic Intro (1:24)*
Power Fantastic (4:45)
D) Last Heart (2:59)
Witness 4 The Prosecution (3:59)**
Movie Star (4:19)*
A Place In Heaven (2:49)**
All My Dreams (7:15)**
The track called "Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A" is a short sequence in reverse of "A Place In
Heaven", which spelled backwards gives "Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A". With a minute of
guitar played by Wendy, "Interlude" is a short interlude more than a composition. "All
My Dreams" is one of the unreleased titles from Parade. Although this configuration
of Dream Factory was mastered in early June, Prince has continued working on it
without making it the final version of the album.
Per Nilsen suggests that ‘All My Dreams’ – which at one time was considered for
Parade – was not on the first assembly of Dream Factory. If he was ever considering
putting out a single-album version of this record, it seems surprising that he would
have left the track out. It is the last song on the suggested second and third
assemblies – both double albums – a suitable place for such an epic track, among
the most ambitious never to receive release from the Vault. Wendy has said of the
song, ‘It reminded me of classic Kid Creole and the Coconuts,’ explaining how
Prince sang through a megaphone on one track and kept the other clean, before
mixing the two while she and Lisa did crazy background vocals. The instructions for
these vocals, Lisa has explained, was to ‘sing like you are Bette Davis’. Revealing
once again how important films are to Prince in shaping and driving his creative
development – and also demonstrating how Prince was going in one direction with
Wendy and Lisa and another more darker direction while alone – she explains they
were watching 1930s ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’-era films while working.10 The track is
also a favourite of Matt Fink’s, who considers it ‘a great piece of work’, while Brent Fischer, who also worked on the song, says it’s
his favourite unreleased track : ‘It’s a great, great tune and I hope it will be released one day, and it’s got a great orchestral
arrangement to it too, if I can pat my dad on the back.’ But unless Prince returns to his Roadhouse Garden project and pulls
together these Revolution-related tracks into some sort of coherent order – which seems unlikely – or writes more liner
autobiography about this period – and given the cryptic nature of his publications to date, it’s doubtful – it seems that this era will
remain the least understood but most talked about of Prince’s career, a time when he was producing material of incredible quality
yet failed to find a satisfactory way of putting it out.
04-06-1986 : Home Studio
Slow Love (1) – Dream Factory
Yah U Know (2) – Prev. Home Studio Summ 82
On June 4, Prince recorded "Slow Love." (guitar : Wendy, horns : Eric Leeds & Matt Blistan, backing vocals : Wendy & Lisa) The
title was composed during his romance with Carole Davis (credited as co-author of the song). She will later record her version of
the song on her debut album in 1989, Heart Of Gold. The track was initially included as the ninth track on the 18 July, 1986
configuration of the Dream Factory album. When the album developed into the triple-album
Crystal Ball, the song was included as the seventh track on the first disc on the 30
November, 1986 configuration, Eric Leeds recorded saxophone overdubs for Yah U Know.
It is thought to have been worked on for possible inclusion on Dream Factory, but it was not
included on any known configurations of the album.
A former Penthouse Pet, actress and author, Carole Davis' singing career was brief, but a
highlight was working with Prince, co-writing the Sign "O" The Times track "Slow Love" and
recording her own version. She was rumoured to be offered the lead in Purple Rain, but
turned it down. Carole Davis wrote the song and Prince wanted to buy it. His lawyers offered
her $25000. She refused. Then they offered 50% of the rights. This time she accepted.
Slow Love
Young is the night
It feels so right
Now that U're mine
Let's take our time
The man in the moon is smiling
4 he knows what I'm dreaming of
Tonight is the night 4 making slow love
The gentle breeze
It blows with ease
Let's make IT slow
Just like the wind blows
Let's make IT last forever
For a hundred times won't be enough
Tonight is the night 4 making slow love
Slow love
So much better when we take it easy
Slow love
So much better when we take our time
Love's in your eyes (in your eyes)
Eyes never lie
Don't rush the feelin'
You've got me reelin'
U can see through race car drivers
Let me show U what I'm made of
Tonight is the night 4 making slow love
[repeated to fade]
Slow love
So much better when we take it easy
Slow love
So much better when we take our time
Sheena Easton wasn’t the only woman Prince was having these kinds of creative conversations with : ‘Slow Love’ is co-credited to
actress, singer and writer Carole Davis. I called Davis and asked her how the collaboration had worked, wondering if it was a similar
situation to Prince’s work with Easton. But she said with her things were very different. ‘It wasn’t much of a collaboration. I wrote
the song and he wanted to buy it from me. He had his lawyers call me, and they offered me $25,000 to own the song outright,
and I refused, and they got back to me about a month later to give me 50 per cent of publishing and writers, which I accepted for
the opportunity to appear on a Prince record.’ Davis is an accomplished actress, which is how she first came into Prince’s orbit. ‘I
met him through auditioning for Purple Rain. They offered me the role, but at the time I’d just come off The Flamingo Kid and the
script was only ten pages long and had page after page of what looked like porn. In the movie business, Prince was completely
unknown.’ Davis wasn’t present when the song was recorded and found out about it through his attorneys. She knew it would
appear on Sign o’ the Times, and he had already recorded it before he had Davis’s agreement. ‘He’s an emperor, you know.’ You can
hear the additions Prince made to the song by playing it back-to-back with Davis’s own recording of the song, released on her 1989
album Heart of Gold. In Davis’s version, it’s the man on the moon rather than the man in the moon who’s smiling, and the race-car
driver bit is new.
06-06-1986 : Detroit Masonic Temple
* Attendance : 4.500 / Sold Out / Tick Price : $17.50
Prince wanted to celebrate his birthday, June 7 th, with another "Hit & Run" concert. Detroit concert promoter Quentin Perry received
a phone call from Steve Fargnoli, "He said, ‘Prince decided he wanted to play for his birthday. We asked where. He said, ‘He's
gonna come to you guys; he wants to play Detroit.' We thought he'd play someplace small, but Fargnoli said, ‘Nah. Detroit doesn't
do anything small. Let's play Cobo.' So that's what we delivered." Nearly 12.000 tickets for the Cobo Arena concert sold out in less
than half an hour. “It was the fastest single concert sale at the arena," Robert Cavalieri, Vice President of Olympia Arenas,
commented. Because of this, a second Detroit concert, at the Masonic Temple on June 6th, was set up at short notice. “He figured
as long as he was in town, why not give them another show," Quentin Perry commented. The 4.500-seat Masonic Temple was
selected because Cobo Arena and most other concert venues in Detroit were unavailable. Unfortunately, no tape recording is
circulating of the first Detroit concert.
♫ Wally Safford / Billy Sparks Interview (WHYT)
(0:05)
♫ Electrifying Mojo Phone Call (WHYT, Detroit)
(0:14)
Prince likes to celebrate his birthday in a big way, and this year was no different. He
took his entire entourage to Detroit, Michigan, for two incredible nights of music and a
big birthday bash. Detroit has been a special place for Prince all along. Motor City was
among the first cities to embrace him when he was first getting his music out. ln 1984,
Prince tried to pay back those fans by kicking off his coast-to-coast Purple Rain tour
there with a full week of gigs. This year, Prince celebrated his 28th birthday with special
shows at the 4,400-seat Masonic Temple and the 12,000-seat Cobo Hall. Prince‘s 1986
tour had not officially started, but these unannounced warm-up dates were quite the
event. Along with his 11-member group, the Revolution, Prince brought along his new
pet project, Mazarati, to open his concerts, and his playmates, Sheila E., Susannah
Melvoin and Andre Cymone, to join in the fun. Rock star Bob Seger and his manager
Punch Andrews even drove in on a jeep and watched one show from the soundboard.
The audience witnessed Prince and the Revolution perform an amazing two-hour
repertoire of old and new songs. The Taboo Club couldn't be arranged in time, so the birthday party after the Cobo Hall show was
held at the Joe Lewis Arena. Vans filled with musicians, crew and entourage drove right onto the arena's basketball court and
everyone headed for the posh Olympia Room. About 150 guests attended the affair, including Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles
Lakers and Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons. The party continued later on a smaller scale at the Omni International Hotel, where
everybody was staying. The most significant event of the weekend was Prince's entirely impromptu on-air conversation with the
Electrifying MoJo of WHYT-FM. MoJo was perhaps the first air personality in America to play lots of Prince music. After his party,
Prince simply decided to phone MoJo for a quick chat. They talked for about 15 minutes.
On the eve of his birthday in 1986, Prince gave a surprise interview to legendary Detroit
disc jockey the Electrifying Mojo. He had never offered a live radio interview before. Of
the experience, Mojo later said : "I had no idea he was going to call. I had no list of
questions or anything like that. First I talked to Billy Sparks and he said, 'Hey Mojo !
Prince wants to talk to you. You got a minute ?' I said, 'Do I have a minute ? Give me a
minute to make sure we have a tape on,' and Prince says, 'Hey Mojo ! What's happening
? This is Prince.' If I hadn't heard Billy Sparks' voice prior to that, I may have said, 'Yeah,
right.'"
MOJO : This is the one-man hit machine from Minnesota. Ladies and
Gentlemen...Prince.
PRINCE : Hello, Detroit.
MOJO : How are you ?
PRINCE : Alright, how are you ?
MOJO : Well, Prince... I heard nothing but magic flowin' down from the concert. How
was it ?
PRINCE : Mmm, a lot of fun. You should've been there.
MOJO : I was there in spirit. I wanted to be here for one reason...I wanted to be here, so
that the moment that the concert was over...I wanted to flood the airwaves with Prince.
PRINCE : Well, you know what? I was driving from the gig, wiping the sweat off my
brow, and I heard "Automatic." And we just got through playin' it...we don't normally
play that one. It went over pretty good, and I think it's 'cuz of you, and what you've
done for us and...my thang. It's a good feeling. I just wanna tell all my little motor
babies that I'm just happy to be here...and it's a fun way to spend my birthday, for
sure.
MOJO : Happy Birthday to you.
PRINCE : Thank you.
MOJO : Prince, you've been the entertainer
that has insisted on doing things one way...your way.
PRINCE : Well, you know, it's like...I worked a long time under a lot of different
people, and most of the time I was doing it their way. I mean, that was cool, but ya
know, I figured if I worked hard enough and kept my head straight, one day I'd get to
do this on my own...and that's what happened. So I feel like...if I don't try to hurt
nobody...and like I say...keep my head on straight...my way usually is the best way.
MOJO : Growin' up in Minne-wood, as it's been now called, simply because that is the
hot point on this planet right now.
PRINCE : Well, it's been called a lot of things, but it's always Uptown to me.
MOJO : Uptown ?
PRINCE : Yes.
MOJO : What was it like growin' up Uptown ?
PRINCE : Pretty different. Uh, kinda sad, to be exact. (laughs) I mean, the radio was
dead, the discos was dead, ladies was kinda dead, so I felt like, if we wanted to make
some noise, and I wanted to turn anything out....I was gonna have to get somethin'
together. Which is what we did. We put together a few bands and turned it into
Uptown. That consisted of a lot of bike riding nude, but ya know...it worked. We had
fun. That's why I wanted to come here on my birthday...'cuz I wanted to give them a
little taste of where we live and get a little taste of where you all live. To me, this is
like my second home. If I could spend the night at somebody's crib, I would...'cuz this
hotel.... They're real nice to us, but, this bed is hard !
MOJO : You've made fantastic albums, and you've made fantastic movies, and you're
making another movie right now.
PRINCE : Yeah.
MOJO : What's the difference between making a hot movie and making a hot
album ?
PRINCE : There is no difference. There have been people who have tried to tell me
contrary to that, but like you said before and like I said before, I strive for
perfection, and sometimes I'm a little bull-headed in my ways. Hopefully, people
understand that there's just a lot on my mind and I try to stay focused on one
particular thing. And I try not to hurt nobody in the process. A movie is a little bit
more complex, but to me it's just a larger version of an album. There are scenes
and there are songs, and they all go together to make this painting, and...I'm the
painter. Y'all is the paintees. (Mojo laughs.) Hopefully it's something that you can
get into. Jerome Benton stars in this new film with me and he's on his way to
becoming very, very big. I'm real proud of him. He takes direction well and he
gives direction well and I expect a lot of big things from him.
MOJO : Speaking of Jerome Benton, and other people who've flown under the
wings of Prince, and also speaking of Detroit's own Billy Sparks, a person that you
took from Detroit, put him in your first movie...
PRINCE : Yes.
MOJO : You've always maintained contact with people that you've always been in
contact with.
PRINCE : Oh yeah. Without a doubt, there's people who have flown the coop, so to
speak, and gone off to do their own thing, which is great and I stand behind them
and support them, whatever they do. But contrary to rumors, we're all real tight
still, and I have a strange feeling we're all going to be together again one day.
We'll have to see.
MOJO : Do you think that there is a possibility that after this movie has been released, that...I've just heard rumors through the
grapevine that there's a possibility that The Time is gonna record again... ?
PRINCE : Well, Mojo. anything's possible. God willing and hopefully everybody's head will be in the right place. I'd like to see all
that happen. They were, to be perfectly honest, the only band that I was afraid of. And, they were turning into like...Godzilla, and
certain things happened and different waves flowed, different winds blew and everybody fell apart. But, I still love all those
guys... and I hope they get back together 'cuz I want some competition, ya know ? (both laugh)
MOJO : Prince, speaking of the movie, Under the Cherry Moon...could you tell us a little bit about that ?
PRINCE : Um...God, I hate to blow the surprise though, you know ?
MOJO : Without blowin' it - we know it's gonna be in black and white...
PRINCE : Yeah, it's gonna be in black and white...
MOJO : ...and we know it's gonna be quote unquote "helluva."
PRINCE : Yeah, it's gonna be that. It's gonna be that. All I can tell you is that you'll have a good time. I'm hoping that everyone
understands where I was trying to go with it. It is like an album for me, and I put my heart and sould into it and I worked very
long and very hard. Jerome did the same, and there's a message behind it all and I hope people think about it when they leave.
That's the main thing. It's a lot of fun, but there's something to think about when it's over. You know, there's a reason for
everything.
MOJO : Let's talk about the album, Around The World In A Day... which I think was one of the greatest albums.
PRINCE : My favourite !
MOJO : It's absolutely my favorite, without question. Tunes like "Around The World In A Day," "Paisley Park." What type of mood
were you in when you recorded that album ?
PRINCE : Yeah, I sorta had an f-you attitude, meaning that I was making something for myself and my fans. And the people who
supported me through the years - I wanted to give them something and it was like my mental letter. And those people are the ones
who wrote me back, telling me that they felt what I was feeling. Record sales and things like that...it really doesn't matter, ya
know. It keeps a roof over your head, and keeps money in all these folks' pockets that I got hangin' around here ! (laughs) It
basically stems from the music, and I'm just hoping that people understand that
money is one thing but soul is another. That's all we're really trying to do, you
know ? I don't know. I wouldn't mind if I just went broke, you know, 'cuz as long
as I can play this type of thing and come here, ya know. There were a lot of people
there tonight and they turned the lights on and I looked up...it brings tears to your
eyes because it's just - you can feel the love in the room, ya know ? And that means
more than money. I could just go on for hours...I don't know, I just have fun, and
I'm thankful to be alive, ya know ?
MOJO : What's a day like, in the life of Prince ?
PRINCE : Work ! I work a lot. I'm trying to get a lot of things done very quickly, so
that I can stop working for a while. Everyone's afraid I'm gonna die. (laughs)
MOJO : You say, you are afraid ?
PRINCE : No, I'm not afraid ? Everyone else is afraid. They think I work too much.
I'm not afraid of anything.
MOJO : It's been said that when you're working - you work on the road, you carry
your studio around with you, you get up in the middle of the night, you get an idea
for a tune and you get up and go do it - there's just no such thing as Prince being off
from work. Some people have even called you the workaholic, ever-movin' one-man
storm. Is that true ?
PRINCE : The thing is that when you're called, you're called. I hear things in my
sleep; I walk around and go to the bathroom and try to brush my teeth and all of
the sudden the toothbrush starts vibrating ! That's a groove, you know.
MOJO : You know it !
PRINCE : You gotta go with that, and that means drop the toothbrush and get
down to the studio or get to a bass guitar, quick ! My best things have come out
like that. To me, making a song is like a new girl walking in the room...you never
know what's going to happen 'til all the things come together, and there she stands ! And she says, "Hi ! You want to take a bite of
this orange ?" And you bite it, and it's cool, and I send it to you. You know ?
MOJO : I know ! Look here - one question.
PRINCE : Yes.
MOJO : What's your favorite instrument ? You play them all....
PRINCE : Mmmm. Stewardesses ! (laughs)
MOJO : It's dirty...! it's dirty...!
PRINCE : No, listen...it depends on the song, it depends on the color. They all sound differently. It's very strange, I try to stay
original in my work and a lot of sounds have been used now, and I'm looking for new instruments and new sounds and new
rhythms. I got a lot of surprises...I don't want to give them all away.
MOJO : Look, you've done everything.
PRINCE : Not yet !
MOJO : You've done hard rock. You've done some of the most sensuous PRINCE : No, we've just scratched the surface with all that stuff. There's so many sounds, it's limitless.
MOJO : Some people say you probably have in your secret vault...in the Prince music vault, about 500 tunes that you've done that
you haven't even considered using yet...that you could put out an album for the next twenty years, two a year PRINCE : Naw, not that many...320 to be exact. Not 500. (laughs)
MOJO : 320 songs ? That have never been released.
PRINCE : Mmm-hmm.
MOJO : It's been rumored that they all sound different, that's probably why each album you release is just a little bit different.
PRINCE : Yeah. They don't ALL sound different. There's a couple times I copied myself.
MOJO : It's alright to copy yourself.
PRINCE : You think you hit on something, right ! You try to do it again...ya know ? (both laugh) I try not to do that too much. If I
do, then it's usually someone around, Wendy or Lisa, who says, "Hey, man, I've heard that. Put it away." And it goes away. And
we don't hear from that song for a while. Mojo, guess what ? We're all going to see Purple Rain tonight.
MOJO : You are ?
PRINCE : Yep !
MOJO : I've seen it twelve times.
PRINCE : I've seen it too many times, but I wanna watch it again.
MOJO : I've seen it twelve times, and I'll go watch it tonight. Tell you what - I'm gonna ask everybody out there to go watch Purple
Rain. What time will you be watching it ?
PRINCE : About three minutes...they're knocking on my door now. I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'll call back tomorrow and I'm
gonna leave a little message at about 4:30. And, this one's just for all the purple people, and I think they'll understand. I'll call
you. I got your number.
MOJO : Alright ! Prince, it's been one big pleasure. Words cannot describe this moment. I don't think words can describe how
Detroit feels about Prince. So, in closing, whatever you want to say to Detroit...the airwaves are yours.
PRINCE : (makes five kissing sounds with his lips and then says the word...) KISS.
07-06-1986 : Mazarati @ Detroit
♫ h Detroit Cobo Arena Birthday Concert
(1:12 / 0:59)
* Advert. Start : 8:00PM / Tick. Price : $17.50
(A : Birthday Parade – 10/10 / Birthday ’86 – The Full Concert – 5/10 * V : Detroit June 7th 86 – 10/10)
Around The World In A Day / Christopher Tracy’s Parade / New Position / I Wonder U
Raspberry Beret / Alexa De Paris / New Position / Controversy / Mutiny (Incl. Dream Factory)
Happy Birthday / How Much Is That Doggie In The Window ? / Lady Cab Driver / Automatic / DMSR
The Dance Electric (w/ Andre Cymone) / Under The Cherry Moon / Anotherloverholenyohead
Soft & Wet / I Wanna Be Your Lover / Head (Incl. Electric Man) / Pop Life / Girls & Boys
Take My Hand, Precious Lord / Life Can Be So Nice / Purple Rain / Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
Mountains / A Love Bizarre (Incl. Holly Rock) / Kiss (extended)
Prince spent his 28th birthday treating the fans at the Cobo Arena in Detroit to an inspired
two-hour show. Several people guested on stage, including André Cymone, Sheila E., and
opening act Mazarati. The rowdy and enthusiastic Detroit audience made its presence felt
from the beginning, shouting “happy birthday” and singing along at Prince’s urging. “Happy
birthday,” Prince said to himself before kicking off “Raspberry Beret.” “Controversy” started
unusually, with Prince getting the crowd to repeat a line from “New Position,” “do ya, do ya like
a big man should,” over the funky rhythm guitar intro. Apart from the usual “Dream Factory”
lines, “Mutiny” also included some
“Holly Rock” chants and an
inspired organ solo by Prince,
who was clearly enjoying himself
a lot on stage. “Listen, this is a very special day,” Wendy said, taking
the microphone after “Mutiny.” She led the crowd in a loud version of
“Happy Birthday.” Then a grinning Prince took the microphone himself,
“Does that mean I can come back? Last year we had a party and it was
fun, but it wasn’t as fun as this. Detroit is like my hometown, I mean
that. I could’ve stayed in Uptown and partied, but I wanted to come
down and party with y’all.” André Cymone appeared on stage for “The
Dance Electric,” which featured extended bass and guitar solos before
finishing with Prince’s exclamation, “André Cymone !” “Head” included
the “Electric Man” portion for the first time (at least on tape). Prince
addressed the audience again over the “Pop Life” intro but it is very
difficult to hear what he says on the existing tape recording of the
concert (this part was edited out of the TV film). “Life Can Be So Nice” had an unusual, very long ending. After slowing down the
tempo, Eric Leeds continued with an extended saxophone solo. The intro to “Purple Rain” was stretched out much longer than
usual although the actual performance of the song was not different in any way. Sheila E. guested on “A Love Bizarre”, which
included “Holly Rock” chants and Prince’s instructions of how to do the “Oak Tree” dance. The two Detroit concerts were filmed and
an hour-long concert film was produced, Parade Live, which was broadcast in several European countries later in 1986. Detroit
News’ Jim McFarlin thought the birthday show was “everything a good party should be : loose and loud, with the guest of honour
proving himself a merry and gracious host,” while Gray Graff of Detroit Free Press described the show as “a slick, energetic, tightly
choreographed eighties update of the old Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Ike & Tina Turner, and Sly and The Family Stone shows.”
After the previous club and theatre “Hit & Run” concerts, the Cobo Arena was the first show in a larger, arena-sized venue. The
remaining “Hit & Run” shows all took place in similar Purple Rain-tour-sized arenas. They sold out nearly as quickly as the smaller
venues.
Parade Live – long overdue a reissue. Although only featuring an hour of the show, along
with the Dortmund Lovesexy show it’s the best video recording Prince has ever released.
Only here can you get a full sense of the true power of a Prince and The Revolution show
from this era. Prince on his checkerboard stage, dancing atop his piano, stripped to the
waist, a show with none of the longueurs so familiar from Prince’s main shows over the
past decade – no stop–starts, no dead spots: when he goes to the piano, it’s a dancing run
to an upright organ, the whole band working as one of the most formidable machines
popular music has ever seen. And while the set may be one of his more pared down, the
show is still theatrical: there’s as much drama in Prince’s out-on-a-limb performance of
‘Head’/‘Electric Man’ as in any of his movies. (No less than 4 different versions of this
show have in fact been sent to TV channels and aired in 1986 and later. The one listed
above is the promo video that was sent to Detroit TV channel WGPR and constitutes the
primary US broadcast. A slightly different edit has been sold to various European TV
channels later in 86, which is similar except that it lacks Soft And Wet. The third version is the promo video that's been re-edited for
the Japanese broadcast: it is significantly shorter, but I need to check whether it only lacks some songs or if it is, in any other way, a
different version. Finally, it has been reported that the full Detroit show has been aired late at night by WGPR at some point in 1986
(or possibly even later). This last version was pro-shot and sent to the station either by Prince himself or members of his staff, and
it's not clear whether Prince had authorized this broadcast and whether he was even aware of its existence. The exact content of this
broadcast is uncertain as we don't know whether it has been edited or not at all. More info needed.)
A : This is the complete recording of the heavily circulating Birthday 1986 concert. This recording is an audience,
as opposed to the edited version which is Soundboard (taken from the broadcast). It's a fairly average recording,
and parts are faded in / out (Soft & Wet). The show itself is fantastic, and as it's Prince's birthday it goes without
saying that he's in a great mood. Andre Cymone guests on stage for a fast, frantic 'The Dance Electric', and Sheila
E pops her head in for 'A Love Bizarre'. There are MUCH better 'Parade / Hit & Run' shows circulating, but as it's a
birthday concert - it tends to be a little more special, even WITH the audience wetting their pants every time
Prince so much as MOVES.
V : Another surprisingly decent release from Ladybird, and it seems they have sourced
a more complete video recording of the show - much to my surprise and delight.
Thankfully they have released the 60 minute version which includes the performance of
'Soft & Wet' - that is the plus of this release. Unfortunately the minus is that the
picture quality is less good than some other releases of the show (GSH /
Pimpsandwich's 'Cobo Arena' being far superior quality). The colour is a little faded and
overall the is picture is slightly flat. The show itself is an excellent Hit & Run / Birthday
show with Prince (obviously) having a ball on his 28th birthday. I won't comment on
the show as it is listed several times on this site already. The DVD is packaged in a trifold out sleeve with stunning artwork, however there is no information regarding the
show itself. Confusingly the track-listing on the back sleeve does not quite match the
track-listing on the menu - however considering the mess of Ladybird's recent releases,
this small flaw is no biggie. I much rather prefer the GSH / Pimpsandwich release of
the show as the quality is far better, but this is more complete, so for that reason it's a
nice effort and a decent release.
Shot at the Cobo Hall and directed by Daniel Kleinman, Anotherloverholenyohead is the twentyfourth Prince video to have been released for broadcast. Of note this is the last appearance of
Bobby Z., Brownmark, Wendy Melvoin, Susannah Melvoin, Lisa Coleman and Jerome Benton in a
Prince video.
Joe Louis Arena Afterparty
A birthday party was held at Joe Louis Arena Olympia Room after the Cobo concert. Prince and his friends, including Andre
Cymone, and local celebrities, including basketball players Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson, or Punch Andrews, Bob Seger's
manager. George Clinton and Bob Seger attended the concert, but did not come out after. After singing "happy birthday", the
evening ended early in the morning.
Detroit Free Press
Prince of the city
By Gary Graff
Prince is one guy who knows how to hit a town. He played the First Avenue club in his hometown of Minneapolis in March without
any formal notice. In early April, a show at the Metro in Boston was announced that day. Fans in San Francisco had a day and a
half’s notice for his surprise concert at the Warfield. The same happened eight days ago for a show at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theatre.
Detroiters should consider themselves lucky; they had two days to prepare for Friday night’s show at Masonic Auditorium and four
days for his birthday concert tonight at Cobo Arena. Perhaps it was special consideration for the city Prince considers to be his
“second hometown,” according to his managers. It was certainly a chance to see a looser, more relaxed Prince than the pop
phenomenon who opened his “Purple Rain” tour with seven shows at Joe Louis Arena in November 1984. Since then, he’s had two
more albums – “Around The World in A Day” and “Parade” – Another N°1 his single in “Kiss” and has expanded his band, the
Revolution, from five to 11 members. Surprise gigs aside, his real tour is scheduled to begin about the third week of July, timed to
coincide with the July 2 release of his second film, “Under The Cherry Moon”.
Billboard
A Prince-ly hometown tribute
By Gerry Wood
A prophet with honor in his hometown, Prince performed at the 1986 Minnesota Music Awards and received a special award. The
princely tribute came from Gov. Rudy Perpich during the award ceremony May 20 at the Carlton Celebrity Room in Bloomington.
Drawing some 2.000 music and civic personalities, the three-hour event was telecast live over KTMA-TV. Enough awards were
doled out to put Minnesota mining into overtime – 62 in all, including 13 that were announced but not presented during the
telecast. Plaudits ranged from “best world-beat/calypso band” to “best rock reed player,” and seemed intent on securing the Guiness
world record for most obscure categories in an awards presentation. While categories ranged from the sublime to the more sublime,
several important awards were presented, including best rock female vocalist. Melanie Rozales; rock male vocalist, Dale Goulett;
r&b/funk/blues female vocalist, TaMara of TaMara & The Seen; r&b male vocalist, Alexander O’Neal; new rock/pop band, Great
Nation; radio stations, WLOL-FM and KDWB-FM; best video, Prince’s Raspberry Beret; rock/heavy metal band, the Jets; rock/pop
band, Unlimited Warranty; rock/pop recording, Unlimited Warranty’s This Is Serious; LP/EP, The Jets; country/bluegrass/folk
female vocalist, Mary Jane Alm; and country/bluegrass/folk male vocalist, Michael Johnson. The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame
Award went to Jeanne Arland Peterson. Entertainer/group of the year honors went to Unlimited Warranty. They coveted Connie
Hechter Award went to Amos Heilicher, founder of the Great American Music & Wax Museum chain. As usual, the power of the
event was demonstrated onstage with electrifying performances by Prince, the Jets, Mazarati and TaMara & The Seen. There also
was a stunning duet by Mary Jane Alm and Michael Johnson. Earlier, Prince, demurely attired in a dark suit and tie, was honoured
for his contributions to American, and Minnesotan, music. The creativity of the
state that has produced Bob Dylan as well as Prince, has never been more
dramatically showcased.
10-06-1986 : Louisville Freedom Hall
* Attendance : 13.000 / Sold Out
After the two Detroit shows, another “Hit & Run” concert followed at the
15.000-seat Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. Again, no tape recording is
circulating.
??-??-1986 : Can I Play With U (3) (6:27) – Prev. Sunset Sound 27-12-85
Prince contributed additional material to the track to extend it in 1986, but neither Miles Davis nor Prince were very excited by the
final result, and after hearing the rest of the finished album, Prince asked that his track be removed, as it didn't fit in with the style of
the rest of the album. After Davis died in 1991, Warner Bros. asked Prince to add some post-production to this track (as well as
Penetration, Jail Bat and A Girl And Her Puppy) to include on his first posthumous album, Doo-Bop, but Prince was not interested
in contributing to tracks that he felt didn't show Davis at his best. The longer version of the track was planned for release (credited
to "Miles Davis with Prince") as the twelfth track on a 2001 box-set of Miles Davis's Warner Bros. work, entitled The Last Word, but
the track was not included on the eventual 2-disc 2010 release, titled Perfect Way.
12-06-1986 : Sunset Sound
Baby Go Go (1) (4:40) – Female Trouble
Baby Go Go
Ooh baby what can I do
You know I can't dance unless it's me and you
This feeling is much too strong
You and me gotta get it on
Whenever I see your body move
Ooh baby I lose my cool
Something about ya, I don't know
Makes me wanna go-go
My naked body on the floor
Is all you really need to know
Whatever you do just don't say no
Come on baby go-go
Ooh baby I really like your look
When you lay your eyes on me
You know I'm hooked
I'm waiting to feel your touch
Your body, your mind, and soul...is that too much ?
NO !
Whenever I see your body move
Ooh baby I lose my cool
Something about ya, I don't know
Makes me wanna go-go
Naked body on the floor
Is all you really need to know
Ooh baby go-go
(In a man's work I can hold my own
I’m a super dense specimen - Full grown
It doesn't really matter
It doesn't really matter
It doesn't really matter
When you're all alone)
You need a pretty lover
Let me hear you say go-go
Ooh baby what can I do
You know I can't dance unless it's me and you
This feeling is much too strong
You and me gotta get it on, get it on get it on
Whenever I see your body move
Oh baby I lose my cool
Something about you I don’t know
Makes me wanna go-go
My naked body on the floor
Is all you really need to know
Whatever you do just don’t say no
Come on baby go go go
Whenever I see your body move
Oh baby I lose my cool
Something about you
Something about you
13-06-1986 : MAZARATI – 100 MPH Single Release
n 100 MPH
(0:03)
100 MPH (Edit) (3:09) / Don’t Leave Me Baby (4:11)
100 MPH was the second single to be released from
Mazarati's first album Mazarati. It was released three
months after the album. The single contained an edit of
the track 100 MPH, not available elsewhere. 100 MPH
featured Prince as writer and performer, although his
performance input was uncredited. The b-side, Don't
Leave Me Baby, was previously-unreleased, and did
not involve Prince. The single reached number 19 on
the Billboard Black Chart, and number 12 in the
Billboard Hot dance/Disco - Club Play chart, but failed
to enter the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
14-06-1986 : City Limits (UK)
Billboard
Prince & The Revolution
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles – Tickets : $20
By Mark Rowland
Los Angeles’ renovated decor showpiece proved an appropriate setting for the
May 30 Prince concert. The 90-minute “warm-up” engagement for his US tour –
slated for September – suggested a spirited, if decidedly funky, update of the bigband era. A three-man chorus line, featuring Purple Rain co-star Jerome Benton,
provided dapper choreography, and a trumpet/saxophone duo helped fatten the
Revolution’s trademark dance grooves while complementing Prince’s more
orchestral palettes. Through it all His Purpleness emerged as an ingratiating
bandleader, whose range of musical invention was matched only by his variety of
costumes. Drawing mostly from his last two albums, Parade and Around The
World In A Day, Prince evidenced some attempt at career perspective by
including one selection from each of his other six albums. Highlights of the older
material ranged from audience sing-alongs to Head – Prince’s physical gyrations
and falsetto ululations helped underscore the theme – and the anthemic Purple
Rain, which featured supple vocals and a drop-dead guitar solo. The crowd
danced and swayed through New Position and a disappointedly truncated medley
of Automatic and DMSR before the band hits his groove on A Love Bizarre, a
roiling jam replete with guest appearance by Sheila E. Prince allowed his
bandmates generous solo space (usually while he was backstage changing clothes)
at which point audience exuberance tended to flag. But he otherwise
commandeered the stage with grace and authority. Guitar pyrotechnics were
scarce, relative to previous tours, but Prince compensated with deft vocal
phrasings on Pop Life and the cabaret ballad Under The Cherry Moon. He
frequently propelled more uptempo numbers with greasy Hammond organ riffs
worthy of Jimmy Smith – maybe he’s been listening to those Blue Note reissues.
The concert climaxed with a rousing rendition of Kiss, after which the crowd
chanted at length for encores. Keeping in character, Prince stuck to showbiz
tradition and left his fans begging for more.
17-06-1986 : New Eden Prairie - Broadway-style musical session
Data Bank (1/2) (8:24/7:46) – Corporate World
Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got (2) (2:09) – Prev. Home Studio Summ 82 – Graffiti Bridge
We Can Funk (prev. We Can Fuck) (3) (5:29) – initial raw take – Prev. Sunset Sound 01-01-84 – Graffiti Bridge
Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got (3) (2:07) – Graffiti Bridge
We Can Funk (4) (5:33) – overdubs – Graffiti Bridge
From June 17 to 18, the full, expanded line-up of The Revolution recorded four songs at the Washington Avenue warehouse. With
characteristically sudden passion, Prince had lit upon the idea of doing a musical (which could have been called Dream Factory).
“He talked a lot about doing a Broadway play,” Bobby Z recalls. “He was writing a script and he really wanted to take it to the
stage,” says Eric Leeds. “We were literally going to do a Broadway-type musical… I think it was a fairly short-lived idea, though.”
Prince and the band taped three songs in quick succession : “Data Bank,” “Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got,” and “We Can Funk”. “It
was almost a medley and the whole band really killed on that,” recalls Eric.
Data Bank
So, look here mama, umm
I'm feelin' like I, umm
I, umm, kinda want them numbers
So, umm, I don't know
Could I ... could I call U sometime ?
Ooh, ooh !
Data bank
I'm feelin' like I wanna put U in my data bank
If U got the love, I got the time (Data bank)
Just give me your phone number, I'll drop a dime on ya
(Data bank)
Think I won't ?
Hurt me !
On the phone, I may be shy (Data bank)
I don't know, U wanna ...
U wanna go on a picnic or somethin' ?
But in living color, I'm a real neat guy (Data bank)
Oh !
When the other brothers tell U they are better
U better look real close, they might be a bedwetter
Hey !
Dig this...
6 feet tall, skinny legs and all
All they really know is basketball
Then I say, give me that phone number
Mama, we can pop all night (doo waa)
I might be small, but so is dynamite
Hey !
Ouch ! (doo waa, doo waa)
And then I say...
Hey U, am I gettin' through ?
Ha, ha, oww !
Data bank
I'm feelin' like I wanna put U in my data bank
Data bank {x2}
Ooh ! (doo waa, doo waa)
School's in
The teacher got a guitar
If U didn't come 2 turn it out
Might as well get yo ass in your car
And get on down the road
Get on down the road, yeah
{"Data bank" repeats in BG 'til end}
Keep goin', right there, don't...
See if ... see if the trumpet work
Does it work ?
Well, come on
Play !
Yeeaahh !
I'm feelin' like I wanna put U in my data bank
Brass !
Oww !
Yeah !
Can... can U play it again ?
Oww !
Ow Ow Oww !
Listen...
School's in
The teacher got a saxophone
If U didn't come 2 turn it out
U might as well leave it alone
Eric.. Leeds, that is
Kid, Movie Star
Funky, nasty
Drives an ugly car
Hold up, hold up
Mark, come on
U're in the wrong key cousin
No, no, wait
Oww !
I'm feelin' like I wanna put U in my data bank
What happened 2 that melody we had ?
What if...
We just gonna groove ?
Fine
We just gonna groove or what ?
Well, somebody got 2 solo or somethin'
Hmm, I don't know
12 inch
Think it ain't ?
Mark
School's in
The teacher got a funky bass
If U didn't come 2 turn it out
Get your frail ass out my face
I'm feelin' like I wanna put U in my data bank {x2}
I didn't ... I didn't call the horns
I didn't call the horns
Why y'all got 2 play 'em ?
It's cool, OK, alright, Lisa
I don't wanna hear no horns, I just wanna hear Lisa
Oh, oh, that's dog, that's dog
I didn't call that either
OK, I quit
No, I'm quittin'
Lisa, stop !
OK, wait a minute
Susan, fade ... fade the shit out
See, I know, yeah OK (doo waa, doo waa)
Fade it out
(Data bank)
We Can Funk
2, 3
Ow ! Ow !
I could tell U things that get U excited
I could play with your mind
But U'd probably say that I was a liar
So I won't waste your time
I'm scared, cuz though we just met
There's this energy between us
Let's just go somewhere we can funk
I could say I'm sorry all of my life
But that wouldn't be true
I only say and do the things that I do
Cuz I'm not U
I'm scared, cuz if I don't kiss ya
I'm gonna go mad, baby
Let's just go somewhere we can funk
Ooh baby
(We can funk) {x2}
I could teach U things about your b-b-body, baby
Things U never heard
Ooh, U know the Kama Sutra, I could re-write it
With half as many words
Eric, come blow your horn
(We can funk)
Ooh Lord, ooh (We can funk)
I'm scared, cuz though I just met U
There's this energy between us
Let's just go somewhere we can funk
Ooh, c'mon baby, uh (Yeah)
(We can funk) {x2}
Don't ya wanna funk with me ?
(We can funk) {x5}
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(We can funk)
Baby, we can funk
Miko (We can funk) {repeat 2 fade}
18-06-1986 : Girl O’ My Dreams (2) (1:26) – Prev. Home Studio Summ 82 – True Confessions
We Can Funk (5) (5:53) - “Finished” 86 version – Graffiti Bridge
They returned the next day to cut “Girl O’ My Dreams,” which saw Prince making a rare appearance on harmonica.
The highlight of this era for me is the session that produced four songs over two days in June 1986, which represents the last time
the band sound untroubled. It has been suggested that the songs were recorded for a planned Broadway musical, although details
on this are vague, and it was a project that never came to fruition. Another idea in the air at the time, Lisa Coleman told me, was a
concept record about an imaginary nightclub, on which at least two of these songs would fit, as well as several others from this
period. This concept seems to have been folded into the Graffiti Bridge project, on which two of these songs (in considerably
different versions) later appeared. Three of the tracks Prince took into Minneapolis’s Washington Avenue Warehouse for this
midweek session were old : he’d first committed ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got’, ‘Girl o’ My Dreams’ and ‘We Can Funk’ to tape in
the early 1980s, during the period while he was working on 1999 and before he’d started on Purple Rain, and all of the songs would
undergo further reinvention before they were released. ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got’ and ‘Girl o’ My Dreams’ are short, funny,
rockabilly freak-outs, and the released versions of the songs are both disposable. On Graffiti Bridge, ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got’
is Prince solo (although surrounded by crowd noise and encouragement), as it was when he first recorded it in 1982, and despairing
– the song is still in the same style, but drawn out and much more of a genuine lament. But in the Warehouse, playing with a lineup of The Revolution that had swollen to nine members, Prince performed the song with infectious joy. ‘Girl o’ My Dreams’ is a
short throwaway with a funny cinephile lyric about how his favourite women are oldtime movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and
Lauren Bacall. Prince can’t resist making a joke about Bacall being old and wrinkled (at the time he wrote the song she was sixtytwo), but the song is redeemed by a member of The Revolution (or
Prince himself putting on a funny voice) taking him to task for his
chauvinism. Prince would never release the song himself, instead
giving it to Paisley Park-signed rapper T. C. Ellis. It can sometimes
seem as if Prince is either genuinely perverse about deciding which
unreleased song goes to which artist (or perhaps, in most instances, he
simply doesn’t care), but giving T. C. Ellis ‘Girl o’ My Dreams’ was a
truly baffling move. It’s not that the song is a lost classic, and the
Paisley Park album on which it appeared (True Confessions) is long
forgotten, so it would be easy for him to put it out again, but I can’t
help wondering whether he was having a little joke or conducting
deliberate sabotage by deciding that an aspiring rapper should be
singing about Lena Horne. But it’s the other two songs recorded
during this session that really show The Revolution as a live unit at
their very best. ‘We Can Funk’ is one of those songs through which it’s
possible to trace ten years of Prince’s development. Prince has
recorded at least eight versions, and it resurfaces at various points in
his career, leaking poison along the way. The song began as a track on
a 1983 tape called ‘We Can Fuck’ and ended up as a somewhat tepid
PG-rated George Clinton duet on Graffiti Bridge. When Prince finally
decided to ready the song for release, he took as the basis his original
tape rather than the Revolution recording, which seems surprising
given that Wendy and Lisa also played on this early 1983 version (as
well as Susannah, Jonathan Melvoin and David Coleman). Wendy
remembers the song with particular fondness, preferring its original
title. While it’s hard to fathom why Prince gave ‘Girl o’ My Dreams’ to
T. C. Ellis, I wonder whether ‘Data Bank’ might always have been
intended for its eventual recipients, The Time, and if The Time might
always have been part of whatever project Prince was working on then,
the musical or the nightclub record. In the lyrics he mentions ‘the
time’, ‘Movie Star’ (the title of a song Prince wrote for Morris Day a
couple of months earlier) and ‘The Kid’, and although there are shoutouts to Eric and Lisa, the song’s subject – getting women’s numbers –
makes it an obvious sequel to ‘777-9311’.
19-06-1986 : RDL (SP)
21-06-1986 : Lisa Barber
Lisa Barber, a 20-year-old hotel worker, is the 10,000th caller in a contest sponsored by MTV and Wamer Brothers. She won the
premiere of Under The Cherry Moon for her hometown Sheridan, a small town of 10,000 habitants in north-central Wyoming.
Chicago Tribune
Prince Dethroned In Minnesota
Edited by Howard Reich.
Prince, one of the most successful rock acts to come out of Minnesota (where he still lives), was recently clobbered by local acts at
the sixth annual Minnesota Music Awards. Though Prince has won 18 awards from the Minnesota Music Academy over the past
three years, the recent edition awarded him only three: for best film/video score (for his album Parade), best video (for Raspberry
Beret) and best original r&b music (for his band Prince & the Revolution). The big winner was Limited Warranty, which won 11
prizes. The band has been gaining acclaim ever since it was named best new musical group last year on TV’s Star Search.`Also
beating out Prince were the Jets, an r&b band composed of eight brothers and sisters; and jazz artist Jeanne Arland Peterson, who
also performs with her family.
06-1986 : SHEILA E LIVE IN ROMANCE 1600 US VHS Release
Sheila E. : Romance 1600 Live is the first Sheila E. home video to be released. It has a guest
performance by Prince and the Revolution who perform A Love Bizarre. The footage comes
from a live show by Sheila E. and her band on the 'Romance 1600 Tour' and was recorded on
8 March, 1986, directed by Danny Kleinman. It lasts 57:41 minutes. It was first released on
VHS and Betamax cassette in the USA and later also in the UK. In Japan it was released on
laserdisc. The video was produced by Limelight. The original retail price was $ 29.98. The
video was re-released in the UK on 1 July, 1991
Summer 1986 : Electric Ladyland - Jill Jones sessions
Rivkin and Jill continued work on the album in the summer of 1986 at the Electric Ladyland
studio in New York, to where Jill had moved. Using seasoned New York studio musicians and
Steve Stevens, guitarist with Billy Idol, they recorded a version of Prince’s “With You” and two
songs that Jill wrote herself that became single B-sides, “77 Bleeker St.” and “Baby Cries (Ay
Yah).” “That was great,” says Rivkin of recording in New York. “I got all the players. Steve
Stevens was a friend of Jill’s and he was terrific. He came in and played anything you wanted
him to play. He was really terrific !”
Unknown newspaper
Valentino Prince of pop
The pop poseur of raunch’n roll turns Prince of Romance for his latest movie. Prince has
switched back the clock in Under The Cherry Moon – a love story set in the South of France due
for release this month. And he’s drawn the inspiration for his screen character from one of the cinema’s greatest ever sex symbols,
Rudolf Valentino. Said an aide : “Prince was addicted to old romantic movies as a child. They made a lasting impression on him
because of their timelessness. That’s the feeling he’s trying to create in Under The Cherry Moon.” Prince plays a slick American
musician called Christopher. His extravagantly nostalgic costumes are based on the wardrobe created for Valentino’s role as a
bullfighter in the 1922 smash hit Blood And Sand. They’re suitably updated, of course, to reveal the trim, taut torso which has
become the Princely hallmark... and to ensure that the Matinee Idol Mark Two is still much ruder than Rudi.
??-??-1986 : h Club Gig Mazarati & Sheila E (0:18)
America
! Mazarati
@ San Francisco (Inc.)
(0:24)
Intro / Prelude / Player’s Ball / Suzy / Lonely Girl On Bourbon Street
Stroke / 100 MPH / She’s Just That Kind Of Lady
America / Encore / Head