Is there a reason why Prince reworked the song We Can Funk and reworked it and reworked? Is this a special song? I love the version on GB.

cfluid said:

Is there a reason why Prince reworked the song We Can Funk and reworked it and reworked? Is this a special song? I love the version on GB.

It was included in a few different projects. However, it was assigned to the GB project fairly early I reckon considering the first vestiges of the album began to materialize around 1985.

GB didn't come out til 91 I thought?

cfluid said:

GB didn't come out til 91 I thought?

90

and i think he meant prince started working on the album in 85, that song being one of the first. that happens a lot.

dyvrdown said:

cfluid said:

GB didn't come out til 91 I thought?

90

and i think he meant prince started working on the album in 85, that song being one of the first. that happens a lot.

Yep.

We Can Funk was originally recorded in 1983, but the sessions for the first The Dawn musical began around 1985 through 1987 while it transitioned into GB.

Thanks I appreciate the info greatly. It seems that he worked on it so much but then in retrospect I don't see that it has been performed live much if at all.

One of my absolute favorites. Am I in the minority who thinks the GB version is better than the original? I really do. Its also one of my favorite vocal performances by Prince as well. Shoot, Id even go as far as saying its the best song on GB (maayyyyyybe, like 80% sure).

kygermo said:

One of my absolute favorites. Am I in the minority who thinks the GB version is better than the original? I really do. Its also one of my favorite vocal performances by Prince as well. Shoot, Id even go as far as saying its the best song on GB (maayyyyyybe, like 80% sure).

The GB version IS basically the original. Barring some editing here and there, the GB version includes the original vocal track and original backing vocals along with the same arrangement and basic tracks of the original.

The version from 1986 is not the original and was a reworking done for The Dawn. The Dawn involved a West Side Story type plot and involved the characters called The Coco Boys. Eventually The Dawn was scrapped and elements of the concept were rolled into the GB concept,

Personally, I prefer the version from 1989 that does not include George Clinton on it.

I still think that the unreleased original 1983 version and the extended 10 minute version that got edited for the album is as good as it gets!

cfluid said:

Is there a reason why Prince reworked the song We Can Funk and reworked it and reworked? Is this a special song? I love the version on GB.

U forgot the 1st version of We can Funk aka We can Fuck recorded in 1983!

love2thenines2003 said:

cfluid said:

Is there a reason why Prince reworked the song We Can Funk and reworked it and reworked? Is this a special song? I love the version on GB.

U forgot the 1st version of We can Funk aka We can Fuck recorded in 1983!

This one is the 1989 version, basically. The 1983 version has more synths and no horns, though. And the lyric is "fuck", of course, as opposed to "funk".

Spinlight said:

Personally, I prefer the version from 1989 that does not include George Clinton on it.

Odd thing about this song is that I really enjoy the 1986 just-Prince version the most, which isn't that odd, but....

I also prefer the earlier/later version with just Prince and the one that's mostly George Clinton to the version that was actually released that mixed them together. I really like what George did to make it his own. but I don't particularly care for how Prince reeled those elements in to mix with his rougher solo version.

still, great song in whatever form.

i love this track on GB, i think its severely underrated and hated on for the "original" (glad to hear its not much different. i think there's too much "boot nostalgia" on the org, but i digress). i think its dope how his vocals and George's are almost indistinguishable (at least to me) and to now know it was changed from FUCK to FUNK makes it that much more of an appropriate collab with George, two legendary funk masters finally coming together. yall gon make me go pull out GB. an underrated album IMO.

sms130 said:

I still think that the unreleased original 1983 version and the extended 10 minute version that got edited for the album is as good as it gets!

what???????????

Love the song

InternationalLover82 said:

sms130 said:

I still think that the unreleased original 1983 version and the extended 10 minute version that got edited for the album is as good as it gets!

what???????????

Yep, I said it! LOL! The original 1983 version (We Can Fuck) and the unreleased extended 10 minute version of the one that's on the Garffiti Bridge album r the best ones. The although the released version is based off the original 1983 version. Big Chick loved that 1983 recording. I can imagine that being just as long as the 1990 one that's leaked.

Isn't the original version called "Moral Majority"? There's a leaked clip of it.

Yeah, they called it Moral Majority but, it's really We Can Fuck (the original 1983 recording of We Can Funk). Moral Majority is a totally different song. That was originally intended for the Vanity 6 album. It was later worked on again for the Apollonia 6 album as well.

[Edited 2/28/11 9:31am]

Militant said:

Isn't the original version called "Moral Majority"? There's a leaked clip of it.

The post below yours is half right.

"We Can Fuck" was deemed inappropriate to put on the session sheets. Thus, it was titled "Moral Majority" until it was re-titled "We Can Funk".

There IS a Vanity 6 outtake by the name of "Moral Majority" as well. But who knows if that's the actual title.

[Edited 2/28/11 9:39am]

nursev said:

Love the song

Me too.

dag said:

nursev said:

Love the song

Me too.

Have loved it since my very first listen-killer jam!

How many versions of the song are there? I love the original with just Prince, but I know of the GB one with George. Are there any more?

nursev said:

How many versions of the song are there? I love the original with just Prince, but I know of the GB one with George. Are there any more?

There's about 5-6 circulating versions/edits.

Spinlight said:

nursev said:

How many versions of the song are there? I love the original with just Prince, but I know of the GB one with George. Are there any more?

There's about 5-6 circulating versions/edits.

So I just have those two Gotta look around Thanks Spin