I've just found the song 'Billy'... all 51 minutes of it.

I've never heard this song before. Does anyone have any info on it please?

Whiskas31 said:

I've never heard anything about this song before. Does anyone have any info on it please?

Yeah. It's badass...its a rehearsal jam with Prince singing about Billy Sparks who always had those cheap sunglasses. Rumor is that the band was rehearsing and Bill-ay walked in.

My second fav guitar solo (live that is).

One thing that never gets any credit with this jam is although the guitar is standout badass, that drum click is classic purple linn goodness. MMMMM

Love this one.

I discovered this for the 1st time last week. Awesome stuff. I like how he came up with the riffs in "Strange Relationship" in 1985 but saved it for "S.O.T.T".

SPYZFAN1 said:

I discovered this for the 1st time last week. Awesome stuff. I like how he came up with the riffs in "Strange Relationship" in 1985 but saved it for "S.O.T.T".

He didnt come up with that. Wendy n Lisa, Sheila, Andre, Leeds, and Miko did. Prince just stole it and took credit for it.

SPYZFAN1 said:

I discovered this for the 1st time last week. Awesome stuff. I like how he came up with the riffs in "Strange Relationship" in 1985 but saved it for "S.O.T.T".

this was never one of my favorites and haven't listened to it years (or decades?) but I just put it on and will revisit it

It's Slamming! One of his best guitar works! Such a massive thing done. I am so glad it was recorded!

Whiskas31 said:

I've just found the song 'Billy'... all 51 minutes of it.

I've never heard this song before. Does anyone have any info on it please?

See: http://www.princevault.co....php/Billy

Versions circulating at 51 minutes feature a looped (i.e. repeated) section of the recording

I'm not a guitarist, but I have never understood the love for the guitar work in this track. It just seems like a mess to me.

Also, as mentioned by langebleu, the circulating 50+ minute versions are looped.

I'm sure the unlooped version is circulating on this release http://main.thedigitalgar...-mind.html

^

No , that version is looped

Dewrede said:

^

No , that version is looped

Oh, .

EyeJester7 said:

It's Slamming! One of his best guitar works! Such a massive thing done. I am so glad it was recorded!

rdhull..Thanks for the info and I'm not doubting you..but why does the Prince vault say 1985 with the Revolution members? The recording sounds like P was noodling on the guitar and out of nowhere that riff came up. But it's the 1st time I've heard it so what do I know?...

..and it's not the 1st time that I've heard he's stolen ideas from band members so you're probably right.

TheDigitalGardener said:

Dewrede said:

^

No , that version is looped

Oh, .

I just can't listen to the thing. A fifty one minute guitar solo? Jeez,.

Thank you all for your input. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say where I found it, so please forgive me moderators if I am breaking any rules.

The version I found was on Youtube. I assume giving the link is breaking the rules?

Haven't had a chance to listen to the whole thing yet, but it didn't sound like a loop. (although it seems the jam doesn't really deviate much throughout the 51 minutes, so it's difficult to tell)

[Edited 5/2/12 15:27pm]

rdhull said:

SPYZFAN1 said:

I discovered this for the 1st time last week. Awesome stuff. I like how he came up with the riffs in "Strange Relationship" in 1985 but saved it for "S.O.T.T".

He didnt come up with that. Wendy n Lisa, Sheila, Andre, Leeds, and Miko did. Prince just stole it and took credit for it.

Didn't prince also 'steal' Mountains, Purple Rain and Partyup? Perhaps this topic is worth a separate post?

[Edited 5/2/12 15:26pm]

See the version I have is 46.30 - what's that one?

Actually I have a few - but none of them are 51 mins. Although they do have kickass guitar and finger clicks ...

I was JOKING when I said Prince stole it. I thought that was obvious. I only said that because there's a general consensus growing that feels that Prince stole half of his ideas for songs (which I do not believe). Hell, if you get Eavesdropping In Intimate Moments leggage, the one with only him at the piano going through songs, you will hear him do Strange Relationship (as well as 17 Days, Purple rain etc etc...).

rdhull said:

I was JOKING when I said Prince stole it. I thought that was obvious. I only said that because there's a general consensus growing that feels that Prince stole half of his ideas for songs (which I do not believe). Hell, if you get Eavesdropping In Intimate Moments leggage, the one with only him at the piano going through songs, you will hear him do Strange Relationship (as well as 17 Days, Purple rain etc etc...).

How can that be obvious? I took your comment at face value, because there was no indication otherwise that you were joking.

[Edited 5/2/12 18:43pm]

SPYZFAN1 said:

rdhull..Thanks for the info and I'm not doubting you..but why does the Prince vault say 1985 with the Revolution members? The recording sounds like P was noodling on the guitar and out of nowhere that riff came up. But it's the 1st time I've heard it so what do I know?...

..and it's not the 1st time that I've heard he's stolen ideas from band members so you're probably right.

a lot of Prince songs started out as some basic track,

back then Prince allowed Lisa Coleman and then Wendy & Lisa to pull out songs to revisit

New Position was one of them that was started during the Controversy years

Strange relationship is another, the SOTT version is different from the Dream Factory version

with Wendy playing some arabic guitar sounds and some other instrumentations from the band

Billy's Sunglasses is an simple example of a lot of the band jam sessions that would go all night

Whiskas31 said:

rdhull said:

I was JOKING when I said Prince stole it. I thought that was obvious. I only said that because there's a general consensus growing that feels that Prince stole half of his ideas for songs (which I do not believe). Hell, if you get Eavesdropping In Intimate Moments leggage, the one with only him at the piano going through songs, you will hear him do Strange Relationship (as well as 17 Days, Purple rain etc etc...).

How can that be obvious? I took your comment at face value, because there was no indication otherwise that you were joking.

[Edited 5/2/12 18:43pm]

Because I stated "Andre, Leeds, and Miko"

rdhull said:

Whiskas31 said:

How can that be obvious? I took your comment at face value, because there was no indication otherwise that you were joking.

[Edited 5/2/12 18:43pm]

Because I stated "Andre, Leeds, and Miko"

You've lost me, sorry!

Whiskas31 said:

rdhull said:

Because I stated "Andre, Leeds, and Miko"

You've lost me, sorry!

they werent around for Billys Glasses rehearsal.

Don't know how, but I hadn't heard this one until last night. Someone said a great workout/running jam? That is exactly what I plan on listening to for my run tonight. Very cool.

rdhull said:

Whiskas31 said:

You've lost me, sorry!

they werent around for Billys Glasses rehearsal.

Mico was in the Sheila E camp at the time

OldFriends..Thanx for the scoops. Never knew that "New Position" was a song from back during those days. I learn something new everyday on the org.

Whiskas31..Thank you.. I took the comment for face value too because I didn't know the statement was just a joke... Because you know if you're wrong on the org. you will QUICKLY be corrected.

I only found out recently that some of the guitar work in "Billy's Sunglasses" was used in the song "Paisley Park".