From: MichaelBland
Subject: Re: Chaos And Disorder
Sent: Thu Jan 20 2005 9:41am

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Hey,

The recording of Gold and Chaos was a real 'intense' time for all involved. It was a period of great change in many ways, both positive and negative. The manner in which Prince handled his feud with Warners was regarded by many as career suicide. I honestly never saw it that way. Although I'd never claimed to have conceptualised the outcome of that time, Prince obviously did. He put it all on the line for what he believed in his heart was right and true.

I believed in his cause and had continual faith in his musical vision. Prince has always been ahead of his time, be it musically or in his methods of distribution. Understandably, not many share this ability and occasionally the message gets lost on people. However, the fact is that we do usually end up meeting at the same spot, albeit a little later.

Days of Wild, man, that is the jam! ha ha. I really couldnt say why it was left of the album. All I know is that each time we played it, it got longer and nastier. I have a hunch, though, that he really couldn't settle on which version to release. Who knows!

Peace, take care.

Cool!

I would much rather have any version of Days O' Wild on TGE than We March or Now.

thanks2joniandu said:

i don't mind "now" - it's not such a strong piece of music on its own, but i think it certainly fits on the album, and from what live recordings i've heard from that era, it certainly keeps the energy up.

"we march" however...i think it's a bit awkward, and it kinda throws a pebble in the flow of the album for me. i think that it would have been better as a b-side, expecially if he wanted the message of the song to get some attention, since fans are always freaking out over a new prince b-side song.

Anji said:

Prince's peers always seem to understand him and his motives better than lay people.

It's a shame Days Of Wild got pulled from the album at the last minute,
though I do appreciate the reasons why.

Hmmm... interesting. The POSSESSED book has a slightly different interpretation on Michael B's viewpoint:

from page 197

Even Prince's band members, most of whom were young African-Americans, were largely unsympathetic to his arguments and were troubled that he was letting the fight with Warners dictate artistic decisions. They felt more like Prince's pawns than his comrades-in-arms. "The saga was building everyday, but it really had nothing to do with us," recalled Bland. "Mostly, I rolled my eyes. There were some valid points he was making, but to me business is business, and it's important to follow through on your obligations."

BorisFishpaw said:

Sorry, I don't know the specifics, Boris - why was it pulled from the album?

toejam said:

thank you!!! bullshit alert..

prince mishandled his wb contract dispute...dont try to act like just because "now" he has worked an angle (an angle he cant work anymore due to billboard rule changes) that he was some pioneer....If you want to see a true pioneer of music distrubution mention Ann DiFranco...Want to see a pioneer go see David Bowie.....

Perhaps Michael B has become a revisionist.

toejam said: