I love the o.g. versions of The Dance Electric and Jerk Out. Songs of course that were not released by Prince. But by Andre Cymone and The Time. The versions that I have with P's lead vocal are very cool. Although I like Andre's vocal on Dance Electric a little mo' better. But P's o.g. version of Jerk Out (later given to Mazarati for their first album) is off the hook. His lyrics about going off on this white girl is way out there and is as vintage Prince as u can get. Sir Casey couldn't even fuck with this song. That's why Mazarati didn't do it. Of course there are many songs that has P's "guide vocal" on there. Hell, "Oh Baby" was originally done for P's second album. I mean,...totally finished and mixed. For some reason, P took it off the album and replaced it with "With You". That's what I heard. Well, I'm glad he did cuz I LOVE the fact that "Oh Baby" is on The Time's first album. Although P's backing vocals are LOUD as hell. I would love to have P's second album version of Oh Baby. But I heard that versions of Ice Cream Castles with a full out lead vocal by P was done. Not just a guide vocal for Morris to follow. Also it had other lyrics too that were way out in the same vein as on Jerk Out. But were cut out when Morris sang them. Same as with 3x2=6. Extra lyrics with P's lead vocal AND a long ass guitar solo! Much longer than on Vanity's version. Man...I would love to get those. What do ya'll think?

it's interesting to think that there's probably a Prince version of "Nasty Girl" can you imagine that?

that's right I can't control it
I need seven inches or more

Would love to hear his guide vocals on songs like this,lol

"Oh Baby" is one of my favorites. It's so incredibly good that I can't imagine why Prince gave it away (especially since I consider "With You" a weak track). Maybe it was as simple as he felt that he already had a "Baby" track on his first album and didn't need another.

I think the vibe he created in "Oh Baby" he kind of channeled into "Noon Rendezvous" (his version) years later.

I'd love to hear Prince's version of "3x2=6" too.

Another great thread, Z!

Efan said:

Thank u. I know SoulAlive can't stand 3x2=6 just like he knows that it's one of my fave songs that P has written. Both songs I wouuld love to hear with a serious P lead vocal on it. And not just him doing a guide track.

SoulAlive said:

P probably erased this version as soon as he got a good track with Vanity on it!

blackguitaristz said:

He'd better had not.

And I've heard for the longest that Jerk-Out version with P's vocal were yet to be released. Man, I've really got to hear that one.

GoActive said:

Oh, P would NEVER release his version of Jerk Out. He actually threatens a white girl in the lyrics. And talks about tossing her off "What the hell...she's white." From what I heard about the unedited lyrics to the cut Ice Cream Castles is even worse. Prince was wicked as hell in the early 80's.

blackguitaristz said:

*Salivates*

Now THAT's a must-hear! I like ICC, but it's just a bit too commercial for my acquired taste of the band.

WOW! Z once again you've done it...Great thread of course, i would love to hear prince's version to all the songs mentioned, because early 80's P was on hit and as raunchy as he could get...Virtual funk @ its best P's Style!

regcart said:

Thanx.

Hey Black! Whats up!

Ice Cream Castles was recorded on Friday, January 13 1984. Prince and Morris had been recording tracks for most of the week ("My Drawers" took up the previous days). During this period, Prince had been spending a lot of time in studio 2 (at Sunset Sound), and when the 1st recording session for Ice Cream Castles (the song) at 3:30 AM the following day, Prince had only recorded the music bed, and no lyrics had been laid down. Morris was involved with writing some of the lyrics for the song during this time. On Saturday, the session started at 3:30 pm with overdubs for the song. The song was basically completed that day. Within the next week, the Ice Cream Castles album was assembled so there wasn’t much time for changing the lyrics. The album was reduced once it was assembled, but there were just chunks of some of the song taken out. One of the big bites came out of “If the Kid Can’t Make You Cum” when a verse was removed.

I’d have to go back to my notes to really examine what was done, but I don’t know of any really rude lyrics that had been removed. I know that tracks were radically remixed to lose Jesse’s guitar parts, but the again, I haven’t heard the original Prince vocals on these tracks.

Hope that clears up part of it. Sorry, I don’t have all of my notes with me.

(This is based in parts from the book “Prince: The Studio Sessions”)

madhouseman said:

Hey, what it is madhouse?

GoActive said:

I think P wanted to try to get a pop hit for the band with this song. Not just black air play that The Time had always received in the past. Although Jungle Love and The Bird were big pop hits but that's cuz of the film.

blackguitaristz said:

The film did skyrocket Time from R&B/Urban Contemporary to Pop status.

blackguitaristz said:

Well he achieved what he sought out to do. I can't complain all too much as I stated in my previous post, the album's fine with me, but I would've liked just a little bit more nasty-funk

GoActive said:

I can dig it. Understand, although I do like the title track, I never liked that album. It was a HUGE let down to me when it first came out. Very very throwaway-ish. It sounded like Morris was getting the fuck out of there and P knew it. So he wasn't about to waste good cuts on something that he knew was falling apart. That's what The Family was all about. To fill in the gap The Time had left. It didn't work of course but The Family's album was good. High Fashion and Mutiny was originally intended for The Time. But....

blackguitaristz said:

I would've loved to hear The Time's take on High Fashion and Mutiny, but then again, it's hard to audibly imagine the band taking that European approach. I wondered how it would've faired with Mazarati too?

Speaking of tracks passed along to other artists, Apollonia's 'Glamorous Life' has intrigued me also. Call me crazy, but I hear a bit of her on Sheila's --- but that could very well be due to the vocal limitations each possessed.

GoActive said:

The Time could have easliy swung doing these two songs. Once Morris had his voice on it, lights out. And yeah, I do see what u mean regarding Patty on Glam Life. It's buried in the mix though.

blackguitaristz said:

No doubt. The fellas would've turned the songs out fo' sho.

blackguitaristz said:

I have the Mazarati Version of Jerk Out from 1985 but I didn't know Prince's 1981/82 version was circulating. Or is this a little goody only a few people have?