I've read often about extended cuts of Prince tracks such as "Computer Blue," and I've heard people mention they have them in their collections, but were they officially released in any form?

How do people end up getting them?

[There are just some things you cannot ask for - luv4u]

Some have been released (America, Mountains, Take Me With U...etc.), some haven't (Computer Blue). Those that have been released may be purchased legally. Those that haven't may be purchased illegally...or obtained in trade.

Don't ask me about the illegal stuff. Discussion of such items is verboten here.

I don't advocate any bootlegging. But being fairly new to Prince and hearing about all these variations of certain great tracks, I just had to wonder how much of it was officially out there.

I knew it was sort of a sensitive question. I just wanted to know how much of it I could legally purchase!

I guess the truest (yet least helpful) answer is, "It depends."

Thieves in the temple and kiss are on "Ultimate"
[Edited 10/17/08 14:05pm]

OmegaSeamaster said:

Most of the official stuff you can still get, although a lot of the older material (before 1989) with extended versions is not on cd and if it was on cd it is really hard to find or way too expensive (Lovesexy material). There is a TON of bootleg material and often the quality is poor and keep in mind if he didn't release it officialy it wasn't really worth it to him. There are some great songs out there though that are bootleg and good quality, just not a lot. Matter of opinion I guess...
[Edited 10/17/08 17:56pm]

The extended cuts from Batman-thru-now are fairly easy to find on CD, just look on Amazon or eBay. The pre-1989 ones are a bit harder to find, mostly because most of those were LPs or cassettes.

My take on finding them illegally, you are on your own there. But I will say this: if you have the LP or cassette sitting on your shelf -- and lack the capability to digitize them yourself for personal use -- then it's well within your rights to download them for free. That is just my opinion. Put it this way: if your house was raided, and they combed thru your digital collection, you had better be able to prove that you own an original copy.

All that nonsense aside, his extended cuts are amazing ... almost "gorgeous", if that term could be used for music.

Interesting thread

If you're not sure what's been officially released and what hasn't, there's a
list here of all the officially released different versions of tracks...
(so if it's not on the list, then it wasn't officially released)

http://www.housequake.com...adid=80042

There's also a discography too, so you can see exactly what albums and singles
were officially released and what tracks (and versions of tracks) were on them...

http://www.housequake.com...iscography


hope that helps.

I feel that if at some point you have bought a copy of the origanal then you have payed your right to listen to that album in what ever shape or form.
I have Vanity 6 on cassette ,with the digital age i no longer own a tape player but managed to obtain it in a bootleg form so i think there is no harm in that.Or is there?

purpleparty3000 said:

This was exactly my point, except I think that if it is no longer in your collection, you have lost the legal right to listen to it (digital or otherwise). As far as karma and guilt-free listening on a spiritual level, you're covered

purpleparty3000 said:

I agree, you aleady have the CD or vinyl legally purchased - all you want to do is listen to it on your IPod.

OmegaSeamaster said:

[No you don't snip - luv4u]

Se7en said:

I'm pretty much interested in some of the extended SOTT-era cuts. But I'm guessing those are only available on vinyl or cassette? Too bad.

OmegaSeamaster said:

The extended versions of U Got The Look and Housequake are on last year's Ultimate collection.

mplsmike said:

Oops.... :

Now i feel like a rebel