They sound very similar in arrangement and delivery. What's the low-down?

Prince's version is better

Cool - but what's the relationship? Was P's version used as backing for the Time's or was it re-recorded?

The track was originally recorded Apr.83 for 'Ice Cream Castles', but not included. It was later placed on 'Pandemonium'.

It's the same song (maybe there's some overdubs or something on the released version, you know), the Prince version is his vocal delivered in his Jamie Starr voice for Morris to sing over as a guide to how Prince wanted it to be sung. This is what Prince generally did for all the protege acts.

NouveauDance said:

I love it when Prince uses that Jamie Starr voice. He should have released an album under that name, like he was going to do with Camille.

dance4me3121 said:

I liked his "Morris Day" voice but really Im going with the Time version...much more complete and i LOOOVE the ending alot better.

wasitgood4u said:

It was just Morris over Prince's track. In fact, Prince's vocal as the waiter is still there as it was in the original version.

I always liked Prince's cut.

I like 'em both, this track is one of my fav's either way.

This is one of those times where I actually like the released version better. Morris delivers those lines like a champ... "18 Jumbo Shrip... DAMN!"

Another classic Jamie Starr* cut 4 The Time. Prince need 2 bring Jamie Starr* back out here one more time 4 The Time's reunion album. There's nothing like a Jamie Starr* collabo with The Time.

NouveauDance said:

Interesting. I always appreciate your posts! So does that mean the track on Pandemonium is the 1983 recording (i.e. did Morris add his vox @ the time?), or did Morris add his vox in '89/'90 during the Pandemonium sessions?

Seems a shame to keep such a great song in hiding all those years, but I guess that is par for the course.

Yep - it was the jump-out track from Pandemonium for sure (tho I loved that whole album). Never would've guessed it had been on the shelf. I think it's probably better than Jungle Love or The Bird, but I'd have to think that through. at least it got given back to the original Time configuration - maybe that was why it was held off...

BlackbeltJones said:

Aye, Morris' vocal is from '83 AFAIK. Jerk Out and My Summertime Thang are also older cuts (1982 and 1983 respectively IIRC).

NouveauDance said:

Thx. They are my 3 fav cuts on the album. In fact they were my 3 favs when I first picked Pandemonium on cassette in 1990... of course this was back when I was naive to the ways of the Prince world and knew nothing of "the vault." And Jerk Out and Chocolate were also the two singles from the album as I recall... interesting 7 year old songs were used to promote a new Time album. Says something about the strength of that old material.

That 81-83 period was a hell of a time for Prince.

NouveauDance said:

So he reworked My Summertime Thing, an old track as The Latest Fashion for the GB album?

paisleypark4 said:

I agree. The ending is dope! "Oh, no stella. You gonna get your tootsie roll...after I have my dinner", cracks me up everytime!!

Prince gave Miles Davis a cassette copy of Chocolate, which Miles dug. Miles in his rasp was Guest VJing a show on VH-1 during the late 80s, and he called the song "Gimme Some Chocolate." Funny shit to hear him talk about it. It had other songs on the cassette too, like Movie Star and Penetration. I bet that's where they were leaked from . . .Miles passed the songs around to his band members to learn.
[Edited 3/6/10 19:19pm]

Chocolate was also offered to James Brown who rejected it, in 1986 IIRC.

I think that's why Prince not only "remixed" but totally rearranged "Gimme Your Love" in 1989, making that 4gettable song in 2 a great, 10 minutes-long, funk jam: besides being honored 2 b able 2 remix a Brown/Franklin track, Prince probably was like "u rejected my song but i can make YOUR song much better & funky than what u did with the original mix". Just a personnal theory, though.