Just piggybacking off the other post, What Live version do you like better than the studio version?

me personally, I like A Love Bizarre better Live , because he speeds up the tempo and it becomes a whole new song

I was just thinking about this the other day when I was watching a Musicology concert. Prince never seems happy to play an old song in it's entirety as it sounds on an album. He really has the talent and the luxury (since he plays a lot of shows) to tweak and re-arrange a lot of his material, making it sound new sometimes even blending several songs together.

When You Were Mine is one of his most perfect pop songs but it does sound of it's time. His recent arrangements of this song I really love, probably a bit more than the original.

Also, to me, Empty Room also sounds a lot more epic live.

SHHH.
Never really loved it on the CD, however, the live versions are incredible and bring the song to life.

Check out the live DVD version at Hong Kong Rocks ! The guitar is amazing.

I think just about every1 here has been in agreement that the SNL live version of "Fury" completely smears the studio version. Also, I personally prefer live version(s) of "Days of Wild".

dogbot said:

Sometimes i like the changes but sometimes i like to here it like the studio version but live-ish ya know, but it seems like the more popular songs he doesn't change alot like 1999 i feel like im at the concert when i listen to that

npgmaverick said:

me too, sounds more raw

"Bambi" always sounds more expansive and profoundly epic when played live.

Tokyo '90 is fiery ...and the instrumental version from detroit in the 80ies i think is superior to the studio version too,... even w/out lyrics.

The one that leaps to mind is Purple Rain.

FunkiestOne said:

But... the album version is live.

I like it when he rocks out "When U were Mine" better than Dirty Mind.


I like it when he performs "Anotherloverholeinyohead" and rocks it out better than on PARADE.

I've heard some very impressive performances of little red corvette and The Cross.


SONGS I NEVER LIKE LIVE compared to studio are: Kiss, alphabet street, and when Doves Cry.


The problem is that Prince has a great voice in the studio, but it often falls a bit flat on live performances. I also hate pauses in the vocals due to him turning the mike towards the audience and having them fill in the gaps--he tends to do this to Little Red Corvette too frequently.

His singing voice sometimes sounds great live, but sometimes sounds strained and flat---this doesn't always affect the quality of the live performance but on certain songs where it's important (like Doves Cry or Kiss), it does.

Like live: Controversy, Love Bizarre.

Don't like live: Let's Go Crazy, Purple Rain.

The "Live Studio Mix" or whatever it's called, of "Somebody's Somebody" is better than the original studio version. It's still in the studio, but it's the band, just playing the song live, and it rocks.

"Girls and Boys" during 1987-1988 was always great live.

"Days of Wild"

"Now"

"Endorphinmachine"

Most of them.

ernestsewell said:

yes! especially when he performed them in 1994/1995. the glam slam
show versions are all super good. the one i love the most is when
he did 1. interactive 2. days of wild 3. now.

what a punch!

another song i liked more live is "fury". the studio version is a
cool track but that live performance on SNL was amazing. his voice
had such power. he took it right to the edge without it ever going
over. awesome.

F U R Y ! ! !

I love the live version of Lady Cab Driver

"Still Waiting" as performed live circa 1980-81 is much better than the stdio version.

"The Ladder" also sounds better live, at least if you count that Lovesexy era rehearsal as live.

I really dig the slightly extended version of "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" from the early days. Especially when he says "why you wanna treat me so bad...bitch!"

OceanOfViolets said:

also some other songs
Joy in Repeatition
Get Wild! i just recently discovered this song its fantastic
Shhh
Purple Rain
Dreamer
Old Skool Company
Mountains
America
Crimson and Colver

gosh there's so many

rialb said:

oh yeah I totally forgot about the WYWTMSB performance lol classic rocker right there also i like the live verisons of Endorphine Machine, When I Lay My Hands on U, Its Gonnna a beautiful night, Darling Nikki, Head, Do Me Baby, Little Red Corvette, and Lets Work

PicklesMcMillan said:

Well...that's an easy question....

ANY!!!

He is absolutely outstanding as a live performer...that even songs from other artists will b better performed by Prince than by the original ....

generally,most of the 00'stuff is better live than on record but the standout example is ''Life 'o the Party'' which is dull on record but really comes to life on stage.

Days of Wild is another prime example

Dolphin from the Copenhagen ONA aftershow is great.

Purple Rain - 1985, Syracuse and Atlanta
Forever In My Life - Sign 'O' Times Concert Video and The Small Club Aftershow performance
ANY Live performance of Days Of Wild
ANY live performance of Now
DMSR from The Small Club Aftershow
Theives In The Temple/It(Cant remember what concert its from)
I wanna Melt With U(Cant remember what concert its from, but it sounds so Arabic)
Peach
Baby I'm A Star - 1985, Syracuse and Atlanta

Thats for starters!!!!
[Edited 5/15/10 9:48am]

udo said:

Agreed!

That is easy:

I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man was AMAZING live in the SOTT movie. The solo is seriously one of my all time favorites live.

motherfunka said:

Yep. Me too.

Purple Rain.

the slightly different beat that sheila provided made prince take it to chuhhhch almost every single time.

Most definitely the track "3121" because it was done in various versions. I like that the horns were added, because it gives it a nice New Orleans sound and it is more upbeat than the studio version for sure. Especially on the 21 nights cd, very nice, live version of that track on that cd, and very well played.
[Edited 5/15/10 21:08pm]

D.M.S.R.
1999

Desire2006 said:

much better live