If you had a chance to have either one which do you usually like best?

Do you usually like the studio version better or the live version that you either saw at a concert or have heard on a concert cd?

Or I suppose it could be either way on some stuff.

It seems to me that some stuff I and others I think I have heard say that the live version is much better than the studio version.

In most cases for me hmmmm..... I know with Purple Rain as much as I LUV the studio version it seems like i've always liked the live on better. I just love the extra guitar work I believe that he usually does for it in concerts.

There probably are others but I can't think of them right now.

i really like the magic Prince does to his songs in the studio
but there's nothing like hearing and seeing him perform the same songs live
tough call

Yeah, hard to say... Depends on the song... Some are more suited to a live feel...

Easiest example... "America"... the live video version is far superior to the studio version.

First time I saw part of it was on the "Interactive" video game.

I was like... damn... that's a band!

Wish I was there!

I love Prince Live - he injects more electricity in to his music live and you can feel the Emotion more - Take purple rain for a simple example....Studio - Great song wicked solo.....Live.....This becomes a heart wrenching solo and more emotional lyrically. Also there is more "fun" in the live versions My Favourite example would be Lets Go Crazy live on the Lovesexy Video ...

however this discussion is answered purely on personal taste. Like the Vinyl Versus CD discussion. (I like Vinyl before you ask !)

Well it's all to do with the song, cause some sound much better live, but others sound bad.

it really depends on the song. sometimes hearing a prince song live for the first time makes me totally reconsider the song and appreciate it that much more. sometimes he can do a less-than-stellar live version of a song i already liked, and it sometimes makes me like the song a bit less.

Maybe I'm wrong but I didn't know there was a studio version of "Purple rain". The album version was recorded live and the single version is just an edited version of the album version.

I like studio cuts better. Even bootlegs, I like studio outtakes better than live.

djdaffy1227 said:

Thats my fault for misspeaking. I should have said album version. I forgot its one of those exceptions that is live but I guess what I meant with that one is I like when he plays the extra guitar on it live instead of just doing the 8:41 version.I guess he edited the guitar solo down. I do have the full thing though now (blessedly) and I think its 13 minutes and some odd seconds total.

djdaffy1227 said:

there are some really interesting demo versions of purple rain floating around out there.

Love2tha9s said:

The 1985 "LIVE" Video is 18 Minutes long.....and if you listen real careful you can hear the porr cloud hitting the floor and making a sickening crunch !! Watch even more carefully and you can see him sling it on the Monitor above the stage !!

Love2tha9s said:

The 1985 "LIVE" Video is 18 Minutes long.....and if you listen real careful you can hear the porr cloud hitting the floor and making a sickening crunch !! Watch even more carefully and you can see him sling it on the Monitor above the stage !!

Love2tha9s said:

The 1985 "LIVE" Video is 18 Minutes long.....and if you listen real careful you can hear the porr cloud hitting the floor and making a sickening crunch !! Watch even more carefully and you can see him sling it on the Monitor above the stage !!

It depends on the song. I love studio versions and I love Live songs too. Sometimes Prince changes things in the live versions, that just didn't work or sounded crazy. That He should've sung it the way it is on the record. Otherwise live versions I've seen and heard sounded great. It really depends, some studio songs sound better live and some live versions sound better on record.
[Edited 10/14/05 9:21am]

When I saw Prince play "Cream" on Arsenio I loved it. I was really disappointed in the album version as compared to the live version.

The tracks from Emancipation performed live breathed new life into them....so much better live than on the album.

ever seen emancipation: live


i personally think prince has become a horrible producer of his own work.....my evidence is how wonderful the same tracks sound live...ie, face down, jam of the year, call my name.....

on wax his music is dead....but before that i would say they were equal..

doeineffect said:

same here

carlpenn said:

also, Prince messes up by almost singing a verse a few measures too early -- he lets out a sound and then holds back (while sharing the mic with Brenda) -- hey, he's human!! whaddaya know

more examples: Everlasting Now

Snap said:

He does that at the end of the Guitar Break of I Wish U Heaven on Lovesexy Live - While playing alongside Miko at the Mic !!

GoldTimer said:

HECK YA!

I LOVE Face Down live, but it sounds so lackluster in comparison on the album

same goes for alot of the other cuts from that album (somebody's Somebody, Sleep Around)

sosgemini said:

I totally agree. I was at the taping of the Tonight Show and when he played it I got a chill up my spine. The album version is ok, but lacked the energy of the Leno version. Then again, I've listened to TRC about 10 times total.

Best example of Better LIVE:

Love Bizarre (see Romance 1600 Live or any Sheila show).....it's a whole new song..... ruins you for the album version


Best example of Better STUDIO:

KISS. single and/or extended version. The live versions just never sound right.