did you like this one?

It reminds me of Beautiful Strange

Yes there's a lot of mumbo jumbo but this one off performance/single is an out there trippy side of purple

Absolutely! And the guitar solo was killer.

Magnificent.

And to think this was from the same timeframe as NPS!

I love it. It would have been great if the full fat 45min version was released, but even in it's edited form it's a great piece of music.

One of 's masterpiece IMO, and one of these few times when he really stepped outside his usual musical territories, and a great homage to Funkadelic. I wish would release more crazy stuff like that.

Love it. I want the 58 minute version.

lyrics..??

could someone please tell what they are about.

I like this funk jam, however: I still have absolutely no clue what's it about:

The War

(1,2, the evolution will be colorized) {repeated throughout song}

I can't hear U, say it
Y'all ain't ready, I can't hear U, say it

Do like this...

The evolution will be colorized

This is the war... right on!
The war will go on and on and on
If U don't wanna miss your Saturday morning cartoons
1,2, the evolution will be colorized {x2}
Yeah... right on!

Y'all niggas is bad

The war will go on and on
Revolution will be... {x2}
Revolution will be on and on and...

(1,2) {repeated}

War will go on and on
If U do not wish 2 be in the war U should leave now
We are about 2 challenge what U believe
If U do not wish 2 be challenged U should leave now
Saturday morning awaits
Do U love your country? {x2} (Yes)
Do U love God? (Yes)
Do U love your country as much as U love God? (No)
If the government... {x2}
If the government wants 2 put a microchip in your neck, heh heh,
right on!
Do U still love your country? (No)
The war will go on and on
If U do not wish 2 be challenged, leave now
The evolution will be colorized
1,2, the evolution will be colorized

We are running out of the essentials of life:
Oxygen, water, food, fertile earth
Underground right now as we speak, there is a metropolis
Awaiting, waiting... 4 U, me
Clean air, food 2 eat
Will U go, will U go?
Will U go underground 2 this metropolis, this metropolis paradise?
We are running out of the essentials of life here on earth
Will U go, will U go, will U go?
Don't U love your country? (No)
If your country no longer exists on this earth
But exists under this earth, will U go?
Underneath in this metropolis, there's food 2 eat, clean air
It's a paradise
One condition: microchip in your neck
1,2, the evolution will be colorized
Right on!

Would U stay above the metropolis, the microchip city?
Would U stay above and await your fate?
Do U trust your God? (Yeah)
Would U stay on top of the chip and await your fate?
2night U will be challenged, U best leave now
This war will go on and on

2, the evolution will be colorized
1,2
1,2, the evolution will be colorized

Without God there is no country
Without God there is no metropolis
Without God there is no oxygen, there is no food to eat
Without God there is no chocolate microchip 4 your neck

Somebody say it
1,2, the evolution will be colorized
In other words, there'll be a little bit of U and a little bit of me
1,2, the evolution will be colorized
The evolution will be colorized {x2}

1 4 me, 2 4 U
Preach a lie, not the truth
U give me candy, I keep the store
Gonna' eat it in the war
I said, 1 4 me, 2 4 U
U preach a lie, not the truth
U give me candy, keep the store
Gonna' eat it in the war

Batter up, pitcher down
What your teachers say, it ain't down
Pledge allegiance 2 your flag
U tie me 2 a truck, 'n' then U drag
1 4 me, 2 4 U
U preach a lie, not a truth
U give me candy and keep the store
U gonna eat it in the war

U give me AIDS, your history
When it comes 2 mine, another name
Many die and this is true
Red, black, yellow, even Jew
Claimin' God was backin' U on a cross, what a fool
1 4 me, 2 4 U
U preach a lie, not the truth
U give me candy, U keep the store
Gonna eat it in the war

Shall I go on? (Yes)
So U say U got a cure?
HIV, I'm not sure
Every seed, fruit 2 bear
The great Babylon, I don't care
We know your name, it's the beast
All of God's child is your feast
When the righteous one plant the seed
No more kids with mama bleed
Only way 2 get there is the truth, y'all
In the war, talkin' 'bout me and U

Come on
1,2, the evolution will be colorized
1,2
1,2, the evolution will be colorized
1,2
1,2, the evolution will be colorized
Play your organ, son

(1,2) {repeated}
1 4 me, 2 4 U
Preach a lie, not the truth
Give me candy, U keep the store
What the hell is goin' on y'all?

There's a mountain that's mighty high
Can't reach the top unless U fly
Ain't about the money, it's about the gold
21st century, money just got sold, y'all
Ya hear me?
Money just got sold, y'all
Check the yen
It's has-been
It's all gone
Your pocketbook is next
It's about the gold y'all

1,2, the evolution will be colorized
1,2, the evolution will be {x2}
The evolution will be
The... evolution... will... be... colorized

(1,2, the evolution will be colorized) {repeated till end}

It's a bunch of gobbledygook, but I dig the music.

thedance said:

lyrics..??

could someone please tell what they are about.

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/FEMA_concentration_camps

I must be in the minority. I think this song is WAYYYYY TOOOOO long and the lyrics are ridiculously terrible. Not one of his finer moments for me.

Great jam.

TheDigitalGardener said:

I love it. It would have been great if the full fat 45min version was released, but even in it's edited form it's a great piece of music.

People who were there that night wouldn´t agree with you. They told me that the longer parts were basically just the drum loop over and over again. I´m not even sure if Prince was on stage all the time. I wasn´t there but I remember that I said the same thing and they strongly disagreed.

I´m not a fan of Prince´s late 90s, early 2000s and current conspiracy theory based lyrics but this one was a fine piece of science fiction with some great music and laid back yet bombastic atmosphere. Loved it when it came out, still do.

Somehow reminds me of some of my favorite old school sci-fi movies, like Logan´s Run.

45 minutes? I forgot.If its justa drum loop that was the larger portion I guess it would still be cool to clean house to lol.

Still have the orignal casssette though form CB order.

Prince was attmepting to get his Gil Scott Heron on with this one. I like the build up and the coda.

I put this on a mix for someone to show Princes way out there side a couple of years ago..Others Here With Us was also on it.

[Edited 12/8/11 18:23pm]

KoolEaze said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

I love it. It would have been great if the full fat 45min version was released, but even in it's edited form it's a great piece of music.

People who were there that night wouldn´t agree with you.

I'm pleased for them.

I've never seen the appeal of Beautiful Strange (since it was compared in the OP), but I do like to sit The War along since/after Exodus Has Begun and Hallucination Rain (the 11 min. version)

anc282 said:

Absolutely! And the guitar solo was killer.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

NouveauDance said:

I've never seen the appeal of Beautiful Strange (since it was compared in the OP),

I think in the wake of the much maligned New P(lastic)ower Soul era, it came off a sa retrun to form.

It's only 19 minutes too long...

... liked this track since my first listen

My all time favorite Prince song.

babynoz said:

My all time favorite Prince song.

Whaaaa?

You like this better than lets say...17 Days...Shes Always In My Hair.....LRC?

rdhull said:

babynoz said:

My all time favorite Prince song.

Whaaaa?

You like this better than lets say...17 Days...Shes Always In My Hair.....LRC?

Yep,

I love Prince best when he's in his trippy, stream of consciouness mode.

I tell ya...Prince was in the Zone when he recorded The War,

babynoz said:

I tell ya...Prince was in the Zone when he recorded The War,

I'd like about 50 more tracks like this.

Graycap23 said:

babynoz said:

I tell ya...Prince was in the Zone when he recorded The War,

I'd like about 50 more tracks like this.

Me too bro. Few artists can fire my imagination the way Prince does. The imagery he evokes with that one song is phenomenal, not to mention the groove is siiiick!

Dude has a mind like no other.

damn...yall reeeeallly like The War lol...more than I do I think