We've all been clamoring for a live release. But what exactly do you listen for when listening to a cd of Prince live?

Is it the musical arrangement that is sometimes different live? Is it the way one song transitions and flows into another? Is it his voice? Is it the audience participation? Is it the stripped down live sound? Is it the memories of a show you attended? Is it the performance skills exhibited?

With those questions in mind, how do overdubs and studio edits limit your enjoyment?

look, let me clue u in on this overdub crap.. have u actually heard the Days of Wild song? the overdubs make it sound cheap, fake.. it totally damped the live effect.. it turned the song in2 a piece of cheese, and it stinks..


sorry, but he can have that smelly song

Whoa slow down with the cluelessness assumptions. Re-read my post. I'm asking what in particular do you listen for, not giving a justification for overdubs.

What exaclty is the "live effect" that you listen for.
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[This message was edited Tue Sep 3 21:27:40 PDT 2002 by NuPwrSoul]

Usually the different arrangements.I love to hear him do a song in a different tempo or key.Sometimes he mixes two songs (comuterblue/automatic let's go crazy/delirious)and sometimes he does a song you never heard before like moonbeam levels or an honest man.Live shows are also much more RAW(i think he sounds best this way).Although lovesexy sounded very much POLISHED

For me, the live recording puts me in deeper contact with the performer. Although a great studio recording allows me to hear the intricacy of the music in it's purist form, the live recording is a reinterpretation of the music. Many of the live performances that I enjoy most are those that sound closest to the studio version. As a nonmusician, it's somehow a validation that the music is created by the artist.

In many cases, I find myself looking forward to the extemporaneous comments from the musician. The recent promo release of "Xenophobia" was great in that respect. It's like a glimpse into the artist's personality. Also, the live versions are often longer than the studio versions. Hearing well-placed solos or improvisation adds to the magic of the studio recording.

I happen to not notice the "overdubs" that offend so many here. Frankly, I feel lucky in that respect. If the recording or sound quality is excellent, then I'm happy. The only times I have been truly bothered by editing of live performances were in the harsh removal of "profanity" from some of last year's downloads (eg "Face Down"), and the unusual metamorphosis of the live "1+1+1=3" advertisement download from the NPGMC website. I'm all for picking the best version of "Joy In Repetition" from the ONA Tour for inclusion in the Live CD. Other than that, make it sound as clean as possible while still being live.

for me when it comes to Prince was hearing a Song like "She's Always in My Hair".also hearing how He would drop it live.I think when I listen to anybody's Live Album I Know I go in thinking there is gonna be One Jam where you go that is the Money Cut.I thin if Prince is Doing a Jam or doing the song in a whole different flavor it can truly add a new spin to it.But I like Prince Bootleg Live Shows far better than what He will release Probably IMHO."Small Club 88" is something else as is "First Avenue 83" IMHO.

eye dig the special moments like a total change of tone/pitch/tempo of the song.. if he slows a fast one down, or fast paces a slow one.. just change it up, so we can see ure vision of a great song in a different view.. but eye'll love it if he puts his heart in2 it.. eye know it..

RELEASE IT..

this just in: He Overdubbed the Overdubs because he wasnt satisfied:)

A LIVE recording..you can't Over Produce.

Purple Rain Album's last few songs were Live recordings..

Prince just record it on DAT transfer it to CD and your done!

What I like is the sense of community you hear from among all the musicians in play. It's like they are conversing with each other, trading melodic phrases this for that, call and response, and then the call and response with the audience. A smile comes over my face when I hear the audience singing along the words... it's like a communion type experience.

The aftershows especially display the improvisational conversations taking place on stage with just instruments... First Renato, then John, then Prince, then Greg, Maceo and Eric... that real time conversation is lost in a studio recording if the recording wasn't done in one take as most are not. Most studio recordings are done track by track but the live joint is in real time, everybody get their cue and PLAY.

I also like hearing Prince call out signals to his band to turn it around, to solo, to break on the one, to break it down, etc.

We also get a sense of his humor... I know that during one of the Xenophobia shows he was playing When You Were Mine (or Uptown?) I think, and the audience kept messing up the verses. We were getting the chorus but not the verse... and he stopped us and said, "Umm yeah you do YOUR part and let me do MINE." He tried again, and some of us still tried to sing along, and he stopped us again and said the same thing... even clapping to say, "Y'all do THIS and let ME sing!" Funny as hell.

Then there are the rearrangements. Most memorable are the lengthened Joy in Repetition and the totally reworked I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man totally bluesed out.

Lastly, of course are his lengthened SOLOs.

For me the sense of community of musicians and audience gets lost in too much overdubbing, because it shifts the focus away from the collective to the singular artist making the dubs. For example, Baby I'm a Star and Purple Rain on the cd originally came from live recordings but the sense of the audience, the "you" in "I never meant to cause YOU any pain" the "baby" in "BABY I'm a star," the ones he's addressing aren't as prominent anymore cuz the focus is shifted to the musician.

The magic of the One Night Alone show was not just the audience participation (in the piano segments for example where we would sing the high notes to Do Me Baby and he's say "I'm scared o yall!") but also the back and forth between he, Rhonda, Maceo, Renato, Greg, and John. Too much overdubbing would disturb that delicate but incredible balance.

Hope he keeps it.

NuPwrSoul said:

Hopefully for most of the songs at least. No reason to reproduce every single song live exactly as it is on record.


Sometimes. If it's a good show, the flow is always good.


Just one reason.


That's part of the live experience, yes. If the audience is enjoying themselves (and you can always tell), there's a good chance you'll dig the show if you follow said artist anyway, but haven't necessarily heard specific performances. At live gigs the audience is ALWAYS part of the show. It's the interaction element.


Not necessarily all the time. It could hypothetically be a more elaborate production than what's on the studio recording of the same songs, and depending on other variables, that could potentially be good too.


That's probably part of it for most people. But if I hadn't witnessed a show on the tour I'd still look forward to the live album. Especially because he's never released a live disc himself. Actually, a lot of Prince fans have been clamoring for a live album for years.


That's always the case when talking about live recordings.


Well, we already know what Prince's studio work is like - it's all he's ever released. To add overdubs would just dampen it, most likely. Depending on the degree of overdubs and edits not everybody will notice, but I most likely will. The element of discovery and surprise is part of Prince's strength. Why would one of the best musicians on the planet need to add studio work to his own live disc? It's less visceral by doing that.

Live is where a musician proves himself. Whether it's in front of 10 people, 100 people, 1000 people, 10,000 people, etc. And Prince is nothing if not a musician. His musical interaction with his band and the audience is part and parcel of the whole live experience. People want to hear his musical communication with both the band and his audience at the gig.

New arrangements, definitely. More often than not he makes the song sound better than on the album, and he's given more freedom to take the song in different directions and jam. We also get to hear the various talents and personalities of those in his band. I also enjoy any audience interaction from him or the audience. I like hearing him say things outside of his lyrics, and I like hearing the audience sing along to a song he rarely performs. In fact, I love hearing him perform a song he almost never plays live (e.g. "Paisley Park" at the Fillmore in 2001, which I know he has performed several times since). Also, there's a certain energy you can feel from a live performance, knowing that it wasn't done in the studio when he was alone, but that it was performed in front of many people who reciprocated the energy back and forth with Prince and his band; it makes you feel a part of it.

Everything is Special. See a Live recording will make us Fans feel like we are actually at one of Prince's concerts. And this is the Best Feeling in the world. His Concerts are not just Concerts,but Jubilations Of Sheer Joy.

Natasha said:

Where's Boris?

Natasha said:

I totally agree!

Just listen to Prince's cover of "Just My Imagination" from the 88 Small Club bootleg. That explains it all.

NuPwrSoul said:

The live experiance for me is all those things you listed.

As for overdubs and edits, I don't care for them unless they are getting rid of feedback, or obnoxious audience yells, etc. I wasn't overly impressed with the DOW single because they were so obvious. However, the minor over-dubbing done on "The Ride" from Crystal Ball is ok because unless you happened to be at that show you didn't know the difference.

NuPwrSoul said:[quote]We've all been clamoring for a live release. But what exactly do you listen for when listening to a cd of Prince live?

Is it the musical arrangement that is sometimes different live?

Yes, because with Prince and his musicians, it's
all about REAL music, and REAL musicians, and they
can really get to jammin. It's magical!


Is it the way one song transitions and flows into another?

- yet another example of free music just flowin


Is it his voice? - again - he is perfecto live - he has a true voice!


Is it the audience participation? in the way that if one can't always get to the concerts, it gives you the feel of being there.

Is it the stripped down live sound? ah - MOST DEFINATELY - FREE music once again!

Is it the performance skills exhibited?

Well we all know there is nothing like seeing Prince live, he gives it all he's got, along with the rest of the NPG band

With those questions in mind, how do overdubs and studio edits limit your enjoyment?

I figure there is a reason - fine - that's his decision for the overdubs - always enjoy the music

NuPwrSoul,

Great thread by the way, and can't, can't, can't
wait til we get the FIRST NEW LIVE ALBUM/CD EVER
RELEASED - COOL!


Wonder if there will be some Friday night parties - so we can get some reports.





[This message was edited Wed Sep 4 7:58:59 PDT 2002 by EchoOfMySoul]

One more thing...

it's just plain and simple ALIVE,

it's the next best thing to being

there...

another good thing is

Because he can Play, Sing & yes release anything LIVE with no production whats so ever!

not many " Icons " can make that statement..

and he sounds as good Live then a studio album


[This message was edited Wed Sep 4 20:15:05 PDT 2002 by locoarts]

NuPwrSoul said:

Yes I listen for the Different Arrangments etc. One of the other reasons is that Prince has this way of playing a song and just keep going with it into this incredible jamfest that just knocks my socks off. Hearing the man live has and effect on me that I truly can't describe. It some time just flat out gives me chills.