Days Of Wild.

This one calls for a top 10:

Daddy Pop - I wore out the Arsenio version back in the day. I especially loved Rosie's little, "Well, they're callin my number...." part and was kinda sad when it wasn't on the album.

Electric Chair - He took what was already a beast of a song and gave it a backhand to the face like it was Apollonia in Purple Rain.

Fury - The SNL version smokes the album version any day of the week.

Black Sweat - The version he was doing during the Vegas residency with the extended bass solo was SICK SICK SICK.

Something In The Water - The Birthday Show and rehearsal versions are some next level shit.

Days O Wild - The studio version is pretty lame, so this is kind of an obvious choice.

Play In The Sunshine - The live version takes the sunny and vibrant studio version and makes it 100% rousing.

Forever In My Life - He took the brilliant, minimalist studio version and brought it to church during the SOTT tour. Is there a song from this tour that wasn't better than the album version?

Little Red Corvette - The Montreux version took a song that I could probably never hear again and be fine and made me love it again.

All This Love - The Montreux version took a forgettable Prince-chick song and made it one of my favorite Prince moments ever.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

KingSausage said:

My vote for #1 song that's way better live is Sticky Like Glue, closely followed by Still Would Stand All Time. What's your vote?

SLG Live..I heard a version during the aftershow...but that was more of a jam and not properly done all the way...is there another one?

days of wild

KingSausage said:

My vote for #1 song that's way better live is Sticky Like Glue

"Dreamer" (although it's pretty great in studio form aswell), & most of the songs from the "Sign o' The Times" movie, always wished that was officially released on cd.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

This one calls for a top 10:

Daddy Pop - I wore out the Arsenio version back in the day. I especially loved Rosie's little, "Well, they're callin my number...." part and was kinda sad when it wasn't on the album.

Electric Chair - He took what was already a beast of a song and gave it a backhand to the face like it was Apollonia in Purple Rain.

Fury - The SNL version smokes the album version any day of the week.

Black Sweat - The version he was doing during the Vegas residency with the extended bass solo was SICK SICK SICK.

Something In The Water - The Birthday Show and rehearsal versions are some next level shit.

Days O Wild - The studio version is pretty lame, so this is kind of an obvious choice.

Play In The Sunshine - The live version takes the sunny and vibrant studio version and makes it 100% rousing.

Forever In My Life - He took the brilliant, minimalist studio version and brought it to church during the SOTT tour. Is there a song from this tour that wasn't better than the album version?

Little Red Corvette - The Montreux version took a song that I could probably never hear again and be fine and made me love it again.

All This Love - The Montreux version took a forgettable Prince-chick song and made it one of my favorite Prince moments ever.

I agree with all of your songs above!

ESPECIALLY "All This Love'" I love how he created such a moment with that song! The audience reaction was priceless, and the guitar was just stunning! Especially how he did 'Love Like Jazz' as well; Just amazing!!! SO glad you mentioned these 'Rare ones'

I got a couple of other ones!

LOLITA - HATED this song at first, but I love how he performs it live! Just works perfectly!

Black Sweat - Just amazing...Prince KILLING the bass!

Get On The Boat - I love how he did this on the pre-show to the superbowl!!! Just crazy GOOD!

^^...Pretty much everything on 3121 was crazy good live!

Anotherloverholenyohead - Always preffered it live with some crazy good guitar licks!

Chaos & Disorder - Love how he tears this up; live!!

The Love WE MAKE - Just crazy great!!! I think this song, above anything else I mentioned, really is MEANT to be heard live...It completely makes no sense in the emotion he brings forth in this song! Just great!

So many great ones!!

+

[Edited 7/11/12 0:19am]

SchlomoThaHomo said:

This one calls for a top 10:

Daddy Pop - I wore out the Arsenio version back in the day. I especially loved Rosie's little, "Well, they're callin my number...." part and was kinda sad when it wasn't on the album.

Electric Chair - He took what was already a beast of a song and gave it a backhand to the face like it was Apollonia in Purple Rain.

Fury - The SNL version smokes the album version any day of the week.

Black Sweat - The version he was doing during the Vegas residency with the extended bass solo was SICK SICK SICK.

Something In The Water - The Birthday Show and rehearsal versions are some next level shit.

Days O Wild - The studio version is pretty lame, so this is kind of an obvious choice.

Play In The Sunshine - The live version takes the sunny and vibrant studio version and makes it 100% rousing.

Forever In My Life - He took the brilliant, minimalist studio version and brought it to church during the SOTT tour. Is there a song from this tour that wasn't better than the album version?

Little Red Corvette - The Montreux version took a song that I could probably never hear again and be fine and made me love it again.

All This Love - The Montreux version took a forgettable Prince-chick song and made it one of my favorite Prince moments ever.

some top tier choices here. Excelent!

KingSausage said:

A lot of Rave era songs kicked ass live. I was right up near the front at a killer Paisley show (in the small Love4OneAnother room) the weekend or two before Rave came out: http://princevault.com/in...,_1999-am. He played many songs that were great live, but minor letdowns or total shit on record: When Will We B Paid? The Greatest Romance Baby Knows Everyday is a Winding Road (I'm not being sarcastic; it was really good and not disco) I was also at a Paisley show or two and the Mill City Music Festival, where he played Prettyman. It was damn good. This was one of the shows: http://princevault.com/in...,_1999-am. And this one: http://princevault.com/in...,_2000-am. Vavoom was great at Paisley, too: http://princevault.com/in...,_2000-am.

I remember Everyday Is A Winding Road from Mill City and you're right. It was actually good. When the album finally came out, it was so disappointing to hear what he did to it. Sidebar - It looks like we were at a lot of the same Paisley shows as well.

I forgot to mention the Special Olympics performance of Diamonds and Pearls, too. I loved the ascending chord changes at the end that lead into a really nice guitar solo and some great improvising from Rosie. I liked the album version when it finally came out, too, but it was hard not to be disappointed after rewatching this performance 100 times beforehand.

You never saw the 1989 SNL performance with Patrice Rushen on keys and Margie Cox on backups?

KingSausage said:

Shit. I don't have the live version of Electric Chair. I feel left out. I need some of that funk.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Shhhh

Push it up... I absolutely couldn't stand the song on New Power Soul until I heard it live on an audience recording I found from the New Power Soul Tour. The song actually works so much better when the audience is actually screaming "This is the Jam of the Year" as opposed to a soundbyte of a crowd cheering. Maybe its the degraded quality of the recording that covers up the songs stank or something, but I prefer it live. Same with Days of Wild, I found a studio version (or maybe its a rehearsal or demo?) on Work It 2.0 and I couldn't help but notice something was missing... It just didn't sound right. That moaning before he calls out "These are the Days Of Wild" was buried into the mix and Prince didn't sound too into the song. The studio versions grown on me, but the Crystal Ball version still takes the cake for me, after I edited the song down a bit that is. I'm sure a lot of Prince's less popular songs actually work well live, seeing as one of my least favorite Prince songs (Push It Up) becomes actually tolerable live.

I'd say Hot Thing is better live.

Play in the Sunshine live is also better, but the studio one is a bit experimental in it's pool of reverb an delay and it's weird squelched spastic sound.

Personally, I think that many live versions of Days of Wild are pretty boring because it turns into a very standard funk song feel. But the initial live debut of it was awesome.

I think the studio version is brilliant with it's too cool for school in your face talking vocal and it's electro scifi kind of noise. The studio one is not conservative funk, and sounds very unusual. that's why I think it's one of his best.

Sister

Jack U Off

Pop Life

Play in the Sunshine

It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night

Slow Love

Adore

Glam Slam

My Name is Prince

Musicology

ufoclub said:

I'd say Hot Thing is better live.

NO

I think is one of his best 80's productions, along with Little Red Corvette, Uptown, When Doves Cry or Kiss...

ufoclub said:

I'd say Hot Thing is better live.

I can't get the live version from this year (last year?) off repeat. Love that shit.

JoeTyler said:

ufoclub said:

I'd say Hot Thing is better live.

NO

I think is one of his best 80's productions, along with Little Red Corvette, Uptown, When Doves Cry or Kiss...

^^

Is that suppose to represent 'EYE NO'?

JoeTyler said:

ufoclub said:

I'd say Hot Thing is better live.

NO

I think is one of his best 80's productions, along with Little Red Corvette, Uptown, When Doves Cry or Kiss...

The SOTT tour arrangement of it is very very similar to the studio cut in many ways but has more funky strength. In that case I think the studio version has less spirit. I think the live one just works it and sweats.

Purple Rain

Kazzy88 said:

Purple Rain

Is that a joke answer? The original studio recording has not been released or bootlegged!

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Days O Wild - The studio version is pretty lame, so this is kind of an obvious choice.

I actually like the 94 radio DAT version.

SuperFurryAnimal said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Days O Wild - The studio version is pretty lame, so this is kind of an obvious choice.

I actually like the 94 radio DAT version.

What bothers me about it is the "Ah, ah, ah's" are buried super low in the mix. It's almost like they aren't there, compared to the live version where they're a big part of the song.