I noticed that on Amazon,there are two versions of this album. What are the differences and what songs are edited. The only song I can think of that had explicit lyrics was "Face Down" any others?

Da, Da, Da... i think?

End of "Get Yo Groove On" - Fuck, Hell

"Da Da Da" - Fuck, Shit

"Face Down - F word

I live in Australia and there used to be a lag of about a week after an American release date before we would get it here. I remember paying $80 for Emancipation a few days early from a store who must've express shipped it when it cam out Stateside (it was retailing for $50 when it came out) and when I got it home it was the clean copy. Years later I picked up a dirty copy from a used record store for $10.

How was it "cleaned": were the bad words just taken away from the mix or were they replaced by some sounds/shouts (as on Sexy MF) or blurred (as on the NPGMC releases)?

Wasn't there a clean version of the O(-> album as well (besides Sexy MF i mean)??

databank said:

Non-Parental Warning/"Clean" versions of Emancipation and were sold along side each other at retail outlets.

On Face Down from the clean Emancipation, the cursing is just reversed. On Sexy MF from the clean , he sings "Sexy Mutha-Ooowahhh".

squirrelgrease said:

Mmmh, thanks. So basically only Sexy MF was altered on & only Face Down was altered on Emancipation?

databank said:

No, I was just giving examples of the way the edits were made off of the top of my head. I don't recall the other changes to , if any, but Ernest mentioned the Emancipation edits. It's been a while since I listened to those albums in full.

squirrelgrease said:

Oh lawd... I'm gonna have to find a way to find these alternate versions :-s

why does it matter?

I remember buying the "clean" version of the 'Love Symbol' CD.It's crazy what they did to "Sexy MF" They replaced the word "fucker" with one of Prince's trademark yelps...


come here,baby,yeah.....you sexy mother...aaawwoohhhhh
come here baby,yeah....you sexy mother....aaaawwwoooohhhh

SoulAlive said:

after the novelty of hearing the phrase "sexy motherfucker" wears off after the 300th listen, that "owwah!" version is even more comical and satisfying in its own way

SoulAlive said:

It's sad that Prince fans find those typed out letters instantly recognizable.

databank said:

Seems like there was a clean version of the but I could be wrong on that.

Just for the sake of being nit picky - the songs on NPGMC that were edited weren't blurred - they offending words were just reversed, a cheap and pedestrian tactic to hide the obvious.

I hated that yelp thrown into "Sexy MF" to edit out the F word. It was annoying and, frankly, comical as hell.

errant said:

YES! I just typed that without having read your response. It was comedy gold on an otherwise great album. The edited video had the same thing going on.

Remember there was also a scream over the word "wet" in "Gett Off". It was only on the Diamonds and Pearls Video Collection, whereas the video maxi single had the word intact.

databank said:

They're actually pretty easy to find in the used bins. The booklet would either have the Parental Advisory logo pre-printed on the front of it, or it would gone completely in the case of the "clean" pressing. I've seen it many times for under ten bucks.

The Emancipation set had a Parental Advisory sticker on the outside of the double-thick jewel case if it was the "dirty" version. I see the clean, non-stickered version much cheaper used than the more sought after "dirty" version. Both are, of course out of print. Dirty is usually priced around $20+, while Clean is half that.

Another clean/dirty CD pair is the Bamboozled Soundtrack. The N word is reversed in only some instances* on the track 2045: Radical Man for the promo-only disc. This can be spotted by the hole punched in the UPC barcode on the back CD tray artwork. This guy can also be had for under $10.

*Makes no sense, I know.

squirrelgrease said:

Thanks a lot. I'm in france where we only had the uncensored versions so there's no clean versions in our wreckastows.

I had no clue about the Bamboozled promo, you're GOOD

I don't really care about having these actually and maybe i should treat them like the edited versions of singles and ignore them, but in theory i need them for my discography (see link below).

Dammit i guess i'll end up not chasing the songs and simply adding them to the list :-s

Brofie said:

It does because, technically, there's alternate versions and i'm working on a discography. But maybe i'm being too picky wanting to include them, really i don't know :-s

databank said:

Do what you want, and forget those who try to stop you from doing what you want to do.

databank said:

I think that if you want the tracks, you'll probably end up with them at some point.

ernestsewell said:

Exactly. Many fans of the music are completists and would like all the odds and ends in their collections. It's a hobby. Some people collect music. Some people make bait posts.

squirrelgrease said:

I picked up the concert distributed CD of Musicology the other day for $5. With a Buy 2, Get The Third for Half off, plus a 20% off card at Record Town, it showed up at $1.78 on the receipt. Finally, I paid what it's worth.

I still debate over the many "Te Amo" singles I see.

ernestsewell said:

I contemplate the "Te Amo Corazon" single every time I go to the local Borders. they've had 2 copies forever. I can't justify buying it since there's nothing original on it. but in 10 years, I just know I'm going to end up snatching it up on an eBay rampage.

ernestsewell said:

Same here, that "Oowaaah!" was just anoying and silly.

Personally I think the song worked so much better with just a space there, like
in the "Sexy Mutha" remix or the BBC edited airplay version.

BorisFishpaw said:

I agree,that "Oowaaah" was just ridiculous I can't believe that they couldn't come up with a better way to edit it,lol.
[Edited 4/2/10 5:11am]

ernestsewell said:

Ernest cracks me up! Why the "f word" on the 3rd one? You already gave us fuck twice!

CallMeCarrie said:

I had originally typed "F word" for all of them, then went back and changed it, got distracted, farted, had a phone call, was OVER it, and hit Post.

ernestsewell said:

SoulAlive said:

I suspect Prince to have done it on purpose, with a "u want me to ruin my song because of your stupid censorship? Then i'll make it OBVIOUS how much it's ruining it" attitude. But i might be wrong ^^

Let's remember how he played the 1st notes of Sexy MF on the MTV Emancipation special, just to make the MTV people afraid after they told him "don't play Sexy MF or use any bad words on this program"
[Edited 4/2/10 8:30am]