Whilst digging through my old video tapes in search of my (possible) lost footage of the Lovesexy tour opening in Paris, I came across a 1988 BBC broadcast.

The programme was "Def II", which I'm pretty sure came from the Janet Street-Porter stable of 'yoof-culture' programming shown on BBC2 at around 6pm, hosted sometimes by the likes of Magenta Devine.

This particular show includes what was billed as an 'exclusive' Prince feature. For the most part it has videos such as 'Dirty Mind', 'Kiss', 'Anotherloverholenyohead', 'Girls and Boys', and clips from 'Sign O' The Times' which, the footage states, was to be released the following week. Although the film premiered in late 1987 in the US, I'm sure it only made it to the UK in 1988, and it certainly played some cinemas because I went to see it in Manchester, before it went to video.

The 'new' footage was shot in Minneapolis, and mostly at Paisley Park as the band rehearsed and staff prepared for the Lovesexy tour. Helen Hiatt, the wardrobe manager, talks to camera about the various tour costumes, Femi Jiya and another engineer (I'll check his name) wax lyrical about Prince as they listen back at the desk to a mix of Lovesexy, Jeff Mason (tour production manager) shows the stage car being assembled but admitting they're unsure what it can actually do, and the late Steve Fargnoli explains that Prince achieves more in 12 months than most artists muster in 5 years. There are also the briefest of glimpses of Prince and Sheila E (with Prince telling her to run) because the documentary camera is prowling). Sheila is wearing the sort of heels that only Prince runs in!

Does anyone else have this footage, and was it ever broadcast outside of the UK?
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Yes - I have it - theres a screencap from that program in the gallery:



Also avilable on 'The Digital Garden'

I'm pretty sure I still have it - it is on one of our oldest video tapes, we must have only just got a video player at that point! I remember one of the first things I ever taped was the Chart Show! So I could freeze the frame and read the 'interactive' onscreen notes.

I'll have to check tomorrow.

I remember they started with Sign o The Times and they flashed up Prince 4 U.

I was just getting really into Prince at the time.

That's the one, Nana and metalorange ... look at track 13 on Lovesexy - 'ROAR'!!

(When you say "Also available on 'The Digital Garden'", Nana, is that a boot?)

Ive still got the Parade show on VHS from its original screening!!! Im amazed it's still watchable considering how much I HAVE watched it! looks crystal clear too!

Apart from that, the oldest thing I have on tape is a 3 minute clip of Prince performing 'Play In The Sunshine' on the opening nite of the SOTT tour that was exclusively filmed for the 'YOOF TV' show: 'Network7'. That's pretty damned cool. We'll have 2 have a video n beers sesh sometime soon langebleu - u only live a short train ride away 4 Gawd's sake!!

langebleu said:

Might be

I have never seen it, but this sounds very interesting.

bananacologne said:

I'd have to drive, I think - too convoluted by train - which regretably reduces the beer intake.

As it is, it's possible I'll be away for stretches over the next three months around different parts of England (and I'm in the US the latter half of October) so a weekend would work best.

langebleu said:

Stay over then. There, that solves that problem!

whats always intrigued me is the handwritten instructions 4 the lovesexy remix!!

this was a v cool wee docu!

jonylawson said:

It's like trying to decipher heiroglyphics!

LOVESEXY
after intro
1 chorus then dig me now
No horns in perc break
after guitar solo add talk (or talka/tabla/talks?)
could be stronger turn...? (turnaround?)
after fu.. (funk?)

A great insight into how he works. Plus I like how he writes Lovesexy with a small 'o' - a nice little touch an artist/designer would make.

I don't know if they were working on a remix or just the actual track, but you can just hear playing it under the talking and it sounds different - obviously work in progress!

langebleu said:

Yeah, having just re-watched this, I can tell you it was 'Behind the Beat'. They also did a special following Michael Jackson during the Bad tour.

I don't think it is Prince telling Sheila to run, it is just some employee, and she runs in an exaggerated manner, like it's a bit of joke or something. Clearly non of his band were supposed to be filmed!

I think some of this footage ended up on the Omnibus documentary?

metalorange said:

I did the same about 5 months ago 4 a lovesexy thread with this very same clip - took me about a fucking hour 2 work out what most of it said, and no one said a fucking thing! The things we do!!!

Reminds me of BET's Screen Scene, which aired a specil on the GB/Nude Tour, and it has something similar, an 'inside" look at PP

It starts with Prince walking straight toward the camera down a hallway, all serious and moody with 2 body guards I think.

And the cameraman is walking backwards maintaining the pace and suddenly as Prince gets close enough he duckes into a small elevator corridor and disappears, probably pissing himself in the elevator about how he duked out the cameraman after he had permission to film him!

LOl

jerk

There was another 'exclusive" interview with the Time, basically bitching about prince and how the movie was about him, and how they didnt care for it much anyways. Bad audio quality, theyre all huddled around an old car.

Yeah, I had this footage at one stage before we had our house burgled along with our videotapes (wankers). I also had some footage of Prince jamming on keyboards with Mico Weaver to a right funky beat as well as a clip from Prince rocking out to a mad guitar solo for "Just my imagination" at a Lovesexy aftershow in London (was it Camden?). Was this from the same show (it definitely wasn't the Omnibus documentary)? I remember that this footage was talking of a behing the scenes documentary being made of the Lovesexy tour. But like I said my house was burgled, so if YOU nicked my takes and you're an ORGer, at least have the decency to let me know.

Thank you very much.

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CapedCrusader said:

Does any body know if longer footage exist of the lovesexy rehearsals for the lovesexy tour which are shown on the Prince: a musical portrait documentary. In the footage Prince is jamming with the band on a rock & roll song and he's wearing black and white pants and huge thick rimmed glasses

howcomeudontcallme said:

CLICK ME
PS: that footage was filmed very late one nite in a small rehearsal studio, the day Prince and the band arrived in London:

That's the one!

"la la la la PSYCHE!"




thanks

bananacologne said: