For as much talk as there has been about how Prince is such a perfectionist, and that's why we haven't seen a live album from here until ONA Live, it has always amazed me that one of the few live songs he's officially released has a technical glitch in it. Listen to Nothing Compares 2 U on the Hits, and there's mic feedback in the middle of the song. Could it have been done on purpose as yet another jab at WB? Are there other technical glitches such as this that you can point out on other releases?

Hi Doozer, how's it goin'?

Doozer said:

Pretty good.

Doozer said:

Bad thread, man. See ya later.

don't leave, doozer!!! there's gotta be some folks who'll come on here and give insight...p is human, the brotha ain't no stranger 2 technical glitches on his worx...


...just don't ask me, cuz i don't really look 2 glitches and such.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Not leaving...just having fun. BTW, did you know that you cannot post more than once every 20 seconds? I got an error message that said that.

Anyway, I just thought, dayum, it was 1993 and there was certainly enough technology around that P could've removed the feedback from NC2U if he had wanted to, but instead let it make it to the Hits with the glitch.

It depends what you define as 'glitch', I suppose.

Don't forget, some of Prince's greatest songs have been the result of technical hitches/mistakes/engineering glitches.

Take 'The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker', for example. Susan Rogers recorded the trak at the incorrect speed and, when Prince heard it, she thought he was going to KILL her! However, he decided 'que sera, sera' and left it as it was.

Or the doves on the 'One Nite Alone...' album. They weren't intentional.

So some so-called 'glitches' can produce amazing results!!!

yeah listen to 1999 and Little red Corvette. there's some feedback as well.

I remember in that BBC special (the Prince of Paisley Park or whatever it's called), Sheila talked about being used to recording things very cleanly as a session musician (jazz sessions, right?). But that Prince was more lax about that than she was used to, that every little thing didn't have to be super tight (despite him being a perfectionist, lol). Can't remember what she said exactly, but it's along that line...

onenitealone said:

Wow...never heard that before. Was the music supposed to be faster or slower than it is in its released form?

Doozer said:

i coulda sworn that the above story is how "if i was your girlfriend" came 2 be, not "tbodp"...

Handclaps - funny you should say that because I was going to mention 'IIWYG', as well. I'm in work, so I can't check, but you could be right. I'm sure I read it aBOUT 'DP', though

Anyhow, Doozer, it was recorded slightly FASTER than intended, so the intended version would've been a bit slower. Or at the least the bacing vocals would've been.

It was definitely "If eye was your girlfriend". I remember reading that, but I can't quote the source.

onenitealone said:

I don't remember reading this about DP either, but it would make sense I guess. The music has a strange & wonderful quality about it that I've never been able to put my finger on. I dunno...

On the Gett off version he made on Arsenio show, he seems to be struggling with his mike for a couple of seconds when he starts to sing...

My face is red, I stand corrected!

Aha! I lent a copy of Per Nilsen's fabulous 'D.M.S.R.' to a colleague ages ago and just retrieved it. It says thus:


'When Prince recorded his lead vocal on 'If I Was Your Girlfriend', there was something wrong with the microphone. "When I came back in to the control room and listened to it, I thought he was going to rip my head off", recalls Rogers, "But he liked the sound of it, I guess. He never said a word about it. But I cringe every time I hear it because it was a horrible mistake".


Apologies,y'all!
Thanks Handclapsfingasnapz!

onenitealone said:

all in a day's work...:princegeekemoticon:

Something else from 'D.M.S.R.' that I completely forgot about:


''Forever In My Life' features an interesting vocal arrangement, created purely by mistake. After laying down an LM-1 drum machine beat and recording his background vocal, Prince asked Rogers to mute the voice so he could put the lead vocal on top of it. However, when he had finished the recording and they played the song back in the control room, they realised that the lead vocal had entered a couple of bars too late and was lagging behind the background vocal all the way. "But it sounded great and he was very happy with it, so we kept it", says Rogers.


For anyone who hasn't got 'D.M.S.R.', I seriously recommend getting it. One of THE best Prince biographies I've read.

And it also helps correct your mistakes!!!

Handclapsfingasnapz -

almost forgot about that one 2, ona! i let a friend of mine borrow my copy of dmsr a while ago, so it's been a bit.

s'alright, at least i still study my copies of turn it up 2.0 and dow on a nightly basis from time 2 time...

the prince geek never sleeps...

onenitealone said:

ona -

Well, I just had to rifle through my colleague's desk hoping he'd left it in there, as before. So I hope he doesn't notice!!! Anyway, it's mine so

'Turn It Up 2.0' IS a superb book, so much detail.

Anyone have any idea when that new biog is coming out? April?

also: in dmsr, some cat mentioned about "still waiting" and how there wuz a buzz in the drums that couldn't be gotten rid of...

Hey where can I buy a copy of DMSR?

otan said:

there's always here, or just go 2 the local book sto' and look in the music section.

What about Alphabet Street, where the album version sounds like it was Scotch-taped to the single version as an after-thought?

There's an audible static-pop in Kiss too, towards the end. I think its when he sings, "My love will be your food".

And don't forget that the WHOLE of the Dirty Mind album was originally intended as a demo...

BinaryJustin said:

"scotch-taped"



that's the beauty of that album.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I can't find DMSR on Amazon.com ... any suggestions?

HotThang said:

go 2 barnes & noble, check in the music section. there might be at least one copy on the shelf, it ain't like the average joe/jane is gonna snatch it up...

i bet there are no imperfections in Emancipation, Rave, NPS, D&P, etc.. maybe that's why they don't stand up to the 80's stuff in many fans' opinion. they're so perfect and clean, and... sterile, in some ways.