Just wondering what the best version of this is, and also is the Washington show from the same year circulating?

This http://main.thedigitalgar...it-81.html is the version you need.

As far as i'm aware Washington does not circulate on video.

You're welcome.

Washington 81

1 DVD-R

Label : Fan Release

Catalogue : N/A

Interactive Menu : Yes

Source : Professionally Filmed

Quality : EX-

Duration : 70 minutes

Year Of Release : N/A

Controversy Tour

Warner Theater, Washington

21st November 1981

The Second Coming / Sexuality / Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? / Jack U Off / When You Were Mine / I Wanna Be Your Lover / Head / Annie Christain / Dirty Mind / Do Me, Baby / Let's Work / Controversy

COMMENT

Video footage of the Controversy tour is extremely rare and there are only 2 shows widely circulating from the tour. To have it is very special, but to have it in this quality is pretty amazing. Professionally filmed by a single camera slightly to the right of the stage. The view is unobstructed for the most part, however there are a few numbers where the stage is obscured by the audience. Bafflingly (although it's great for us, the viewer) the audience remain seated for nearly every song, and the only time they get on their feet without any prompting is when 'Head' kicks in - those fuckers even remain seated during the entire opening 40 minutes of the show. There is one girl who is up on her feet the whole time waving a rose about, but she adds a certain hilarity to the fact that she is the ONLY person up dancing in the theater. Prince has to prise them from their seats during 'Let's Work' after they simply ignore Dez's requests to "get up". Out of the 11 tracks performed, the camera is only obscured during 3 numbers - 'Head', 'Let's Work' and the closing 'Controversy'. The picture quality throughout is excellent considering the footage is nearly 25 years old. The colours are very vivid and strong, and while there is the occasional glitch during the recording it would be unfair to bitch about it. The colours do tend to bleed a little, and the picture certainly isn't the sharpest - but again taking in to account the age of this, it's far better than one would assume. The sound quality is a little fuzzy overall, and certainly not as impressive as the picture quality. The show is only the 2nd date of the tour and the order in which the songs are performed is different to many other circulating Controversy recordings. It's also worth pointing out that this is one of the few early shows where 'Annie Christian' closes with Prince holding a gun in his hand - something which he was forced to drop from the set for obvious reasons. The lacklustre crowd aside, this is a stunning early Controversy show, and a fascinating insight in to Prince's early live career.

Comments thanks to thedatabank.org RIP

[Edited 6/30/12 7:56am]

^^ Thanks jfrost, I overlooked this one.

No worries DG....I just know my DVDS.....not a whole all else but hey it's something!!

need. to. see. that.

Mmm, is it better than the Paris show quality wise? Looks like I may have some hunting to do...

Whitnail said:

Mmm, is it better than the Paris show quality wise? Looks like I may have some hunting to do...

The Paris show is from the Dirty Mind Tour, while either of above are from the Controversy tours....

Quality wise they are quiet similar with probably Houston been better then Washington but while they are similar in ways , been Prince concerts neither are carbon copies of each other.

I think they are both worth additions to a collection and in many ways essential just to see what a Prince gig was like before he was been worshipped