Hi, I was talking to a friend today who's favourite genre of music is Blues now he's into blues in a heavy kind of way: Aretha Franklin, BB King, Buddy Guy etc you name it.

I asked him what Prince music he's heard and he thinks I'm crazy for even thinking that Prince has any blues and I said that Prince is crazy-good on the guitar and has alot of soul & his lyrics are out of this world. (I also mentioned that he writes all his own songs as this friend of mine is only into real musicians). he doesn't believe me...

So I wanted to put together a mix-tape (cd) of the bluesy kind of songs by Prince, and I know that only real hardcore Prince fans (orgers) can help me out with this one.

From what I can remember Beggin Woman Blues & The One (live version from Indigo nights) are good bluesy types

...any other suggestions?

.

[Edited 6/8/12 3:52am]

Allow yourself the pleasure of obtaining a bootleg named "7th St Entry" it's a Minneapolis show from Oct 1984. There are two versions (possiby more, but these two are worthy of note) in circulation, one is "tweaked & enhanced" by Cosmic Records, the other is the Sa Tim version. Both versions have the track "Blues In G," and while the lyrics are purple type nonsense the blues guitar work in this track is really rather splendid. As a bonus, if you obtain the Sa Tim version, you also get the wonderful piano rehearsal from 1983.

[Edited 1/27/12 2:31am]

CrabalockerFishwife said:

actually, I'd check out all of 'The Vault' and 'The Undertaker', though I'm pretty sure 'Undertaker' was never legally released.

Unfortunately no, but there are quality bootlegs of the album and video in circulation, in fact just last year there was the release of the best quality version of The Undertaker album so far on DFB Records, taken from one of the promo cd's and slightly enhanced for your listening pleasure.

Wow! Thanks so much for your suggestions. I jumped straight into my collection to see if I have these songs!!

CrabalockerFishwife said:

5 Women (from 'The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale')

The Ride (from 'Crystal Ball' + a better bootleg(?) version from the album "The Undertaker')

actually, I'd check out all of 'The Vault' and 'The Undertaker', though I'm pretty sure 'Undertaker' was never legally released.

Nice!! I'm listening to the Ride now - I never realised how bluesy it is. Good one!

Yeah I don't have The Undertaker

damn, i just checked and I don't have 7th St Entry either - and I thought I had everything!

Will go check em out

the undertaker was officially released on VHS and laserdisc. you might even find a vhs copy on fleabay or even amazon

"blues in g" from 7th street entry is actually a cover of a john lee hooker track. i can't remember the correct name of it at the moment

over all the bootlegs he's covered a few blues tracks like down home blues (listed as blue in c on the lovesexy live video) by etta james, and jealous again by black crowes, and all sorts of stuff at rehearsals and paisley parties. the rock night at the celly at paisley isn't all blues but he does blues style versions of some tracks. also the accoustic demos of kiss, theives in the temple and alphabet street in particular are very bluesy

Playing 5 Women now - Please somebody tell me why this song isn't number 1 on the blues & downright chillax charts?!?!

Prince kills it in every genre!

A few suggestions for you:

5 Women+

Peach

Zannalee

Alphabet Street Blues

The Ride

The Truth

3rd Eye

Cream (the acoustic version from the Musicology tour is awesome)

If I had a Harem

Delirious

Horny Toad

Can't believe that no ones mentioned the "Telemarketers Blues" and "12:01" songs that he performed during the acoustic section on the Musicology Tour... Take it from a blues guitar player... Those songs are some awesome blues.

unique said:

the undertaker was officially released on VHS and laserdisc. you might even find a vhs copy on fleabay or even amazon

"blues in g" from 7th street entry is actually a cover of a john lee hooker track. i can't remember the correct name of it at the moment

over all the bootlegs he's covered a few blues tracks like down home blues (listed as blue in c on the lovesexy live video) by etta james, and jealous again by black crowes, and all sorts of stuff at rehearsals and paisley parties. the rock night at the celly at paisley isn't all blues but he does blues style versions of some tracks. also the accoustic demos of kiss, theives in the temple and alphabet street in particular are very bluesy

I get the impression the op is not that interested in the stuff on bootlegs, I could be wrong though, I often am.

show him the bagleys version of the ride, and the undertaker video..........then tell him robertgeorge says he a fool!!!!

surprised nobodys mentioned papa. thats heavily flavoured with delta blues.

robertgeorgeakabob said:

show him the bagleys version of the ride, and the undertaker video..........then tell him robertgeorge says he a fool!!!!

it's the bagleys version of the ride (from the sacrifice of victor video) that's on the official crystal ball. i can't remember if poor goo was on the video or not, it was played during the show but i think wasn't on either the broadcast or released vhs or laserdisc (there are apparently minor camera differences between the two versions)

if i had to pick a couple of things for someone into blues or guitar i'd start with the undertaker and the truth cds, as both show his guitar playing well. i'd then stick stuff like purple house on the end of the undertaker cd to fill the disc. i'd probably squeeze as much of one night alone on the end of the truth, even though it's all piano. i'd then melt the kamasutra cd in the microwave and throw it out the window

I'm in the mood.

I bought it to an album of John Lee Hooker.

Marie0124 said:

I'm in the mood.

I bought it to an album of John Lee Hooker.

oh yeah, the glam slam boogie. boogie 2nite has a nice clean version of it

How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?

Still rather listen to Mayer, King, Vaughan and so on. True blues players play nothing but.

unique said:

robertgeorgeakabob said:

show him the bagleys version of the ride, and the undertaker video..........then tell him robertgeorge says he a fool!!!!

it's the bagleys version of the ride (from the sacrifice of victor video) that's on the official crystal ball. i can't remember if poor goo was on the video or not, it was played during the show but i think wasn't on either the broadcast or released vhs or laserdisc (there are apparently minor camera differences between the two versions)

if i had to pick a couple of things for someone into blues or guitar i'd start with the undertaker and the truth cds, as both show his guitar playing well. i'd then stick stuff like purple house on the end of the undertaker cd to fill the disc. i'd probably squeeze as much of one night alone on the end of the truth, even though it's all piano. i'd then melt the kamasutra cd in the microwave and throw it out the window

yeah i know the bagleys version is on crystal ball and i realise the op is compiling a mixtape. i would show him the video to illustrate the visual aspect of prince's playing and his feel

The Undertaker should do the trick.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prince-Undertaker-VHS/dp/B00004R6P5

amazon have the undertaker vhs for £15

theres one on ebay uk for £7 delivered

well worth it

unique said:

over all the bootlegs he's covered a few blues tracks like down home blues (listed as blue in c on the lovesexy live video) by etta james

Prince was performing this George Jackson song in the '80s. It has been a million-seller for ZZ Hill in 1982 (and was subsequently covered by Malaco stablemate, Denise LaSalle the following year). Etta James only recorded the song in 1992.

The song on the Lovesexy Live video is "Blues In C (If I Had A Harem)" and is not the same song:

http://www.princevault.co...ad_A_Harem)

langebleu said:

unique said:

over all the bootlegs he's covered a few blues tracks like down home blues (listed as blue in c on the lovesexy live video) by etta james

Prince was performing this George Jackson song in the '80s. It has been a million-seller for ZZ Hill in 1982 (and was subsequently covered by Malaco stablemate, Denise LaSalle the following year). Etta James only recorded the song in 1992.

The song on the Lovesexy Live video is "Blues In C (If I Had A Harem)" and is not the same song:

http://www.princevault.co...ad_A_Harem)

oh yeah, it's the trojan horse bootleg that has downhome blues on it. in lovesexy he plays the same tune but sings his own song "if i had a harem" to the music. the studio version of harem sounds nothing like it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Right_Time_%28Etta_James_album%29

Sign O' The Times (The Song) Definetly captures a very bluesy feel lyrically and musically.

I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man has that really long blues part in the middle.

As someone born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, I’d have to say that I’m scratching my head at some of the songs that have been suggested as blues or blues influenced. If your friend is a blues purist, do not, I repeat, do not play “Papa” as an example of Prince playing the blues. Also, “How Come U Don’t Call Me” is gospel, not blues as well as “Wade in the Water.” (And yes, I know that on the bootleg one can hear what sounds like some drunk dude in the background say, “Yeah, you better play the blues in hear,” during the performance, but “Wade in the Water” is a Negro spiritual, which is a more ancient form of gospel, that is related to the blues but not blues.) And “Motherless Child” is a Negro spiritual also. “Five Women” would be considered country blues at best, Las Vegas lounge blues at worst. And if you play “Old Friends for Sale,” “When I Lay My Hands on You,” or “Empty Room” to a blues purist as an example of Prince playing the blues, not only will that person no longer respect your musical knowledge; that person may start throwing objects at you. And while I never like to insult anybody, I cannot believe that someone actually suggested “Sign ‘O’ the Times” and “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” as blues or blues-like? I am at a loss for words to explain why they are not blues.

*

Of course, the problem with Prince is that he can play the blues, but, again, Prince does not desire to be tied to a particular genre and doesn’t seem to be interested in anyone whose ears are not open nor sophisticated enough to ear and enjoy all the various types and layers of genres amalgamated in his style. For instance, “Temptation” is a rock song that diverges into blues and jazz during the end. Prince seems to prefer listeners who can recognize those individual aspects and appreciate the whole more than the parts. With that said, I would suggest simply playing almost any version of “The Ride,” but the versions from The Sacrifice of Victor or Live at the Aladdin are the most representative of traditional blues. And play “Blues in C (If I Had a Harem).” And if your friend can’t hear that Prince can play the blues well, then he doesn’t want to hear that Prince plays the blues well. Additionally, the only problem with playing “Kansas City” and “Down Home Blues” from the same boot as “Wade in the Water” is that to the ears of a purist they may sound more like a lounge act imitating the blues than someone actually being the blues.

*

Finally, The Undertaker is a rock performance, not a blues performance. If your friend is not a Mississippi Delta Blues purist, it might pass. But the only thing blues about The Undertaker is that rock-n-roll is an offspring or derivative of blues. The problem is that a lot of rockers that are blues inspired become labeled as blues in mainstream media, which causes something like The Undertaker and much of the material from The Vault (Old Friends for Sale) to be mislabeled as blues.

On the Couch is blues inspired

1725topp said: