I recently picked up the We Are the World charity album on vinyl which features 4 the Tears in Your Eyes by Prince and the Revolution. I was aware that it was a different version to the one found on The Hits but I was never able to track down a copy and listen to it until now.

.

With the version on The Hits being the one I know, listening to the original version is a very odd experience. The song seems very rushed, both in terms of pacing and in terms of actual production. It almost sounds like a demo and whilst I really enjoy the version on The Hits, I really don't like the We Are the World version at all.

.

Which version do you prefer?

[Edited 5/10/17 10:38am]

The We Are The World album might the worst album of all time - and I like the actual song.

The original version is way better, it's the only one i play. The 'new' one seems like slo-mo compared to the good one

Both are nice, but I prefer the original. It's got some very P&TR quirkiness to it. It stands out like a sore thumb on that album (which actually has some good songs on it), but it makes Prince Prince.

"Trapped" is a good song. Huey Lewis' "Trouble In Paradise" is a live version of an older song of theirs. I think if any of those songs were on their respective artist's albums, no one would've thought ill about them. But in the vein of this album, it is a big mish-mosh of stuff. They work better as separate songs.

Huh, didn't actually know there were two versions, I'm only familiar with the The Hits version. I was never really that enamoured with the song anyway though so that's probably never why I paid enough attention to it to try to track down the original version.

The "video" (somewhat of a live take) version that was broadcast during the Live Aid concert is infinitely superior to the faster and cheesier "studio" version that is on the We Are The World album.

That video was our first look at "Christopher Tracy" short-haired Prince and it rocked my world at the time.

[Edited 5/10/17 14:58pm]

emesem said:

The "video" (somewhat of a live take) version that was broadcast during the Live Aid concert is infinitely superior to the faster and cheesier "studio" version that is on the We Are The World album.

That video was our first look at "Christopher Tracy" short-haired Prince and it rocked my world at the time.

I remember the short hair, yet the purple rain glasses or something like that. It was definitely an "in studio live take" sorta set up. Both have their strengths, for sure.

Speaking of LiveAid, I love the story that Prince gave Madonna her clothes that she wore for LiveAid. (This was on the heels of the nude photos published where she responded with "Who cares?" and shouted "I ain't takin' shit off today!" haha) I forget if the outfit she wore on the Prince tribute was Prince-given or not.

I prefer the We Are The World version.

worester 85 version is the best