ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING FOR BOOTLEGS.You want to discuss them? That's fine - but NO OFFERS TO COPY, NO REQUESTS TO COPY, NO "WHERE CAN I GET", etc. NO POSTING OF LINKS TO THESE SITES EITHER. Please be aware that the moderators here strictly enforce this rule.

__________________________________________________________________________________

So it's that time of year again when we can look back fondly on another 12 months of quite amazing unofficial Prince releases.

2011 brought us, quite a brilliant array of releases in audio and in video. So what releases tickled your bits? Which release had you drooling? Which release did you obtain but were disappointed in?

For me, two highlights of 2011 were the amazing From The Soundboard - '84 Birthday Show and the no less brilliant First Avenue '86, both titles brought to us from everyones favorite free labels FBG, and 4DaFunk (with a little help from Anonymous with the birthday show).

For me, these two releases contained amazing music played with total passion, and to have them in such amazing sound quality really is a total pleasure.

Lets not forget the great music of the two rehearsal releases from FBG, the White Girls and Feline rehearsals, brought to us in never heard before sound quality.

2011 also brought us the fruits of new label Love Or $, who brought us the amazing Melkweg releases from Prince's Euro tour of 2011.

This year also brought us some pretty great video releases. Night 2 of North Sea Nights from Love Or $ was a highlight for me, it is one of the best audience filmed recordings I have ever seen by any artist.

Another top video release was the pro-shot Montreux concerts, great to finally see these come to light.

Well, those are among my favorites, there have many more great releases over 2011, let's hear what your's have been.

Please remember, DO NOT ask where to obtain unofficial recordings in this thread!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

^ U know ppl will rightly ask "WHERE DID U GET THIS?"

"Body massager..PLEASE"...

TheFreakerFantastic said:

^ U know ppl will rightly ask "WHERE DID U GET THIS?"

"Body massager..PLEASE"...

Yeah, goes without saying.

Anyway, what are your fav's?

^ I can't really comment as I don't have all those....but I think most people will say 1984 soundboard. That was cool...the only snag for me was the lack of audience noise which I always find adds to the atmosphere!!! (Part of the reason Dortmund 88 is one of my fav bootlegs)...

[Edited 12/16/11 14:16pm]

TheFreakerFantastic said:

^ I can't really comment as I don't have all those....but I think most people will say 1984 soundboard. That was cool...the only snag for me was the lack of audience noise which I always find adds to the atmosphere!!! (Part of the reason Dortmund 88 is one of my fav bootlegs)...

Mmm, hearing the audience has never really been an issue for me. It does have a place in certain boots though.

I think the birthday soundboard is going to be a favorite for a lot of people.

i think the montreux shows, followed by the birthday soundboard 84, and the first ave 86 show is one of my faves, so it says a lot that a recentish show(s) can be top choice. perfect sound and video and a great one off, well two off show

Montreux for sure!!! That version of 'All This Love' is fucking amazing.

Love the 84 birthday soundboard, followed by the Montreux concerts. I'm a happy camper.

[Edited 12/16/11 15:19pm]

the birthday show was really cool .. but was also just an upgrade .. a great upgrade .. i also really enjoyed the string of welcome to america shows .. not that any particular one really did it for me .. but hearing all the different setlist surprises was super fun .. will probably compile my own best of at some point

How about "Your favourite unofficial non-live Prince release of 2011"?

Fuck me this gets tricky now.

Birthday 1984 soundboard easily gets the top nod from me. No question that this should be number ONE!!

The Oct. 1983 soundboard show from The Time get an honorable mention as well.

I just can't in good conscience add the Montreux shows to a tops list because the shows were so fuckin' boring. Great on musicianship, very short on performance. He needs to realize that, yes, he is still BOTH (a performer and musician). The quality of the video was stellar, obviously. But, I tried watching the videos, and I just couldn't sit all the way through it. Same for the Melkweg shows. Again, terrific quality for an audience recording, but for entertainment and a feast for the eyes, it was a dud.

I was also glad to see City Lights Vol. 5 (and any other volume that was released this year; my memory's fuzzy if there was another one) finally see the light of day after the 2 or 3 month delay, though that was damn near 100% rehash.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

Birthday 1984 soundboard easily gets the top nod from me. No question that this should be number ONE!!

The Oct. 1983 soundboard show from The Time get an honorable mention as well.

I just can't in good conscience add the Montreux shows to a tops list because the shows were so fuckin' boring. Great on musicianship, very short on performance. He needs to realize that, yes, he is still BOTH (a performer and musician). The quality of the video was stellar, obviously. But, I tried watching the videos, and I just couldn't sit all the way through it. Same for the Melkweg shows. Again, terrific quality for an audience recording, but for entertainment and a feast for the eyes, it was a dud.

I was also glad to see City Lights Vol. 5 (and any other volume that was released this year; my memory's fuzzy if there was another one) finally see the light of day after the 2 or 3 month delay, though that was damn near 100% rehash.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess....I would give anything to see sets like the ones from Montreux. I'll take solid playing over dancing and flashy lights any day.

all in all we can't complain with the content this year!

hang on what he hell am i talking about. I want him to blow all these also ran arseholes away with just god dame nod ya head funk.........

alexnvrmnd777 said:

Birthday 1984 soundboard easily gets the top nod from me. No question that this should be number ONE!!

Co-sign

jackmitz said:

Montreux for sure!!! That version of 'All This Love' is fucking amazing.

fucking A

That was amazing

secondly the 84 soundboard-noon rendevous is the shizazzle

alexnvrmnd777 said:

I was also glad to see City Lights Vol. 5 (and any other volume that was released this year; my memory's fuzzy if there was another one) finally see the light of day after the 2 or 3 month delay, though that was damn near 100% rehash.

I have these "remastered" city lights thingybobs so far, vol 6 is not out yet. I have not listened to any of them apart from a couple of discs from vol1.

Same with Sabs 20Ten stuff, there is fucking mountains of the stuff, 10 Volumes? I never listened to a note. I'll wait till i'm a pensioner.

[Edited 12/17/11 1:15am]

Its hard to decide between Montreux and 84 Birthday show.

Montreux for the quality alone and the performance is flawless, definitely his best band musicans esp JB. And Prince's guitar playing is effing amazing. But I don't have time to sit and watching the dvd all the time. Wish I went Montreux but couldnt afford it to bloody expensive.

I listen to the Birthday show a lot, absolutely love it. Our Destiny creme de la creme of everything

So both!

catpark said:

Its hard to decide between Montreux and 84 Birthday show.

Montreux for the quality alone and the performance is flawless, definitely his best band musicans esp JB. And Prince's guitar playing is effing amazing. But I don't have time to sit and watching the dvd all the time. Wish I went Montreux but couldnt afford it to bloody expensive.

I listen to the Birthday show a lot, absolutely love it. Our Destiny creme de la creme of everything

So both!

The two Montreux shows had different directors. I find it a shame that quite a bit of the second show appears to be quite dark, and on a couple of occasions, Prince is blazing away on guitar and it's either too dark to see him or the camera is wandering elsewhere.

Still, just a small grumble really. It's better to have than to not.

The birthday show, if only for AAll Day, All Night and Erotic City

TheDigitalGardener said:

catpark said:

Its hard to decide between Montreux and 84 Birthday show.

Montreux for the quality alone and the performance is flawless, definitely his best band musicans esp JB. And Prince's guitar playing is effing amazing. But I don't have time to sit and watching the dvd all the time. Wish I went Montreux but couldnt afford it to bloody expensive.

I listen to the Birthday show a lot, absolutely love it. Our Destiny creme de la creme of everything

So both!

The two Montreux shows had different directors. I find it a shame that quite a bit of the second show appears to be quite dark, and on a couple of occasions, Prince is blazing away on guitar and it's either too dark to see him or the camera is wandering elsewhere.

Still, just a small grumble really. It's better to have than to not.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

Birthday 1984 soundboard easily gets the top nod from me. No question that this should be number ONE!!

The Oct. 1983 soundboard show from The Time get an honorable mention as well.

I just can't in good conscience add the Montreux shows to a tops list because the shows were so fuckin' boring. Great on musicianship, very short on performance. He needs to realize that, yes, he is still BOTH (a performer and musician). The quality of the video was stellar, obviously. But, I tried watching the videos, and I just couldn't sit all the way through it. Same for the Melkweg shows. Again, terrific quality for an audience recording, but for entertainment and a feast for the eyes, it was a dud.

I was also glad to see City Lights Vol. 5 (and any other volume that was released this year; my memory's fuzzy if there was another one) finally see the light of day after the 2 or 3 month delay, though that was damn near 100% rehash.

Vol. 6 was expected this month but, as far as I know, no news yet. There'll probably be a delay too, I guess.