Just wonderin'... I was driving in to work this morning, listening to a "Camille" configuration, and it really struck me how "Strange Relationship" is the least Camille-sounding of the supposed Camille tracks. Sure, at various points you can hear the processed voice, especially at the end, but Prince's voice sounds fairly normal to me.

.

Does anyone know if there was originally a very pitch-shifted version, like a demo or first pass, that was recorded before the version that wound up on "Sign 'O' The Times"? I checked Prince Vault, but there doesn't seem to be any info.

I wouldn't of even said it was a Camille track as such, like Erotic City isn't (even though it has the sped up voice). There is a early version which has a asian/sitar vibe about it - i think it had Wendy & Lisa input and thus was re-worked for SOTT. It's basically the same vocal track but radically different mix.

[Edited 12/19/13 16:37pm]

Dandroppedadime said:

I wouldn't of even said it was a Camille track as such, like Erotic City isn't (even though it has the sped up voice). There is a early version which has a asian/sitar vibe about it - i think it had Wendy & Lisa input and thus was re-worked for SOTT. It's basically the same vocal track but radically different music.

"Radically different" might be overstating it a bit. That mix simply had a sitar in it.

The album version also has the sitar in it ... it's just lower in the mix.

The Camille version is 4:00 mins and the Prince version is 4:00 mins and 26 secs. I can hear a definite difference in the vocals.

Definitely out of place on the Camille album!

Are we sure that the bootleg configuration of Camille has the right version? Maybe it had the same version as SOTT did?

Could the bootleg of the alternate take that's circulating be somewhat slowed down by whomever that's put it out there? That way the vocal would sound "more normal", but the entire track itself would be slower.

If I'll have the time I'll compare the tempo (speed) of it with the released one on SOTT a bit later (my copy of SOTT is buried underneath a pile of boxes at the moment).

CocoRock said:

Dandroppedadime said:

I wouldn't of even said it was a Camille track as such, like Erotic City isn't (even though it has the sped up voice). There is a early version which has a asian/sitar vibe about it - i think it had Wendy & Lisa input and thus was re-worked for SOTT. It's basically the same vocal track but radically different music.

"Radically different" might be overstating it a bit. That mix simply had a sitar in it.

It had some other percussions on it too I believe

Correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a while since I compared the two, but does one version say, "I'd take all the blame but I'm only human.." while the other says, "I'd take all the blame, yo baby I'm sorry."

it's definitely the Camille voice but not as radically altered as some of the others. I remember hearing on MTV news with Kurt Loder that "Strange Relationship" was going to be the next single from SOTT, but obviously that never ended up happening. It might have been an interesting choice to follow up I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man. Wonder how it would have done.

Camille isn't simply the voice.

Camille is a character. A state of mind. A persona that Prince felt was present in him when writing all those songs. That's why "Strange Relationship" is Camille but "Erotic City", "Partyman", "Love Or Money" are not.

These songs are Camille:

Rebirth Of The Flesh
Housequake
Strange Relationship
Feel U Up
Shockadelica
Good Love
If I was your Girlfriend
Rockhard in a Funky Place
U Got the Look
Scarlet Pussy

And as far as released songs, that's it.

There are unreleased Camille songs in the vault. For example, the unreleased 1987 version of "Lust U Always" is Camille, but the 1982 version which leaked last year, is not. We know this, because one of Prince's lyric sheets for the 1987 version has leaked and it is credited to Camille on that lyric sheet.

[Edited 12/23/13 9:01am]

Militant said:

Camille isn't simply the voice.

Camille is a character. A state of mind. A persona that Prince felt was present in him when writing all those songs. That's why "Strange Relationship" is Camille but "Erotic City", "Partyman", "Love Or Money" are not.

These songs are Camille:

Rebirth Of The Flesh
Housequake
Strange Relationship
Feel U Up
Shockadelica
Good Love
If I was your Girlfriend
Rockhard in a Funky Place
U Got the Look
Scarlet Pussy

And as far as released songs, that's it.

There are unreleased Camille songs in the vault. For example, the unreleased 1987 version of "Lust U Always" is Camille, but the 1982 version which leaked last year, is not. We know this, because one of Prince's lyric sheets for the 1987 version has leaked and it is credited to Camille on that lyric sheet.

[Edited 12/23/13 9:01am]

Cosmic Day has that Camille voice but was created in the 1985/86 Revolution years

callimnate said:

Seeing as P was rehearsing this tune in 1984, it was always going to be a "Camille" filler. And TBH I don't hear the high pitched voice in this. Just the norm.

what do you mean always going to be Camille filler?

Originally it was on the Dream Factory set, right?

Militant said:

Camille isn't simply the voice.

Camille is a character. A state of mind. A persona that Prince felt was present in him when writing all those songs. That's why "Strange Relationship" is Camille but "Erotic City", "Partyman", "Love Or Money" are not.

These songs are Camille:

Rebirth Of The Flesh
Housequake
Strange Relationship
Feel U Up
Shockadelica
Good Love
If I was your Girlfriend
Rockhard in a Funky Place
U Got the Look
Scarlet Pussy

And as far as released songs, that's it.

There are unreleased Camille songs in the vault. For example, the unreleased 1987 version of "Lust U Always" is Camille, but the 1982 version which leaked last year, is not. We know this, because one of Prince's lyric sheets for the 1987 version has leaked and it is credited to Camille on that lyric sheet.

[Edited 12/23/13 9:01am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

callimnate said:

Seeing as P was rehearsing this tune in 1984, it was always going to be a "Camille" filler. And TBH I don't hear the high pitched voice in this. Just the norm.

what do you mean always going to be Camille filler?

Originally it was on the Dream Factory set, right?

He probably means that it was not written specifically for the Camille album.

callimnate said:

Seeing as P was rehearsing this tune in 1984, it was always going to be a "Camille" killer.

there..fixed

novabrkr said:

Militant said:

Camille isn't simply the voice.

Camille is a character. A state of mind. A persona that Prince felt was present in him when writing all those songs. That's why "Strange Relationship" is Camille but "Erotic City", "Partyman", "Love Or Money" are not.

These songs are Camille:

Rebirth Of The Flesh
Housequake
Strange Relationship
Feel U Up
Shockadelica
Good Love
If I was your Girlfriend
Rockhard in a Funky Place
U Got the Look
Scarlet Pussy

And as far as released songs, that's it.

There are unreleased Camille songs in the vault. For example, the unreleased 1987 version of "Lust U Always" is Camille, but the 1982 version which leaked last year, is not. We know this, because one of Prince's lyric sheets for the 1987 version has leaked and it is credited to Camille on that lyric sheet.

[Edited 12/23/13 9:01am]

paulludvig said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

what do you mean always going to be Camille filler?

Originally it was on the Dream Factory set, right?

He probably means that it was not written specifically for the Camille album.

oh thanks

novabrkr said:

Militant said:

Camille isn't simply the voice.

Camille is a character. A state of mind. A persona that Prince felt was present in him when writing all those songs. That's why "Strange Relationship" is Camille but "Erotic City", "Partyman", "Love Or Money" are not.

These songs are Camille:

Rebirth Of The Flesh
Housequake
Strange Relationship
Feel U Up
Shockadelica
Good Love
If I was your Girlfriend
Rockhard in a Funky Place
U Got the Look
Scarlet Pussy

And as far as released songs, that's it.

There are unreleased Camille songs in the vault. For example, the unreleased 1987 version of "Lust U Always" is Camille, but the 1982 version which leaked last year, is not. We know this, because one of Prince's lyric sheets for the 1987 version has leaked and it is credited to Camille on that lyric sheet.

[Edited 12/23/13 9:01am]

ill bet that version is betta than the 82 version

luvsexy4all said:

novabrkr said:

ill bet that version is betta than the 82 version

Is the vocal:Lust You Always the same year as the instrumental version?

Militant said:

novabrkr said:

According to Princevault: It is not known if the song was intended for Prince's next album 1999 or any other project. It was submitted for copyright five years after its recording, on 14 December, 1987, and Prince offered it to English singer-songwriterRobert Palmer soon after, but he turned the song down.

No mention of a 1987 rerecording.

NoVideo said:

it's definitely the Camille voice but not as radically altered as some of the others. I remember hearing on MTV news with Kurt Loder that "Strange Relationship" was going to be the next single from SOTT, but obviously that never ended up happening. It might have been an interesting choice to follow up I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man. Wonder how it would have done.

Does anyone else remember this newsflash on MTV back in the day? I swear to God, Kurt Loder said during one of his news segments that "Strange Relationship" would reportedly be the next single from SOTT. Someone tell me I'm not crazy.....

NoVideo said:

NoVideo said:

it's definitely the Camille voice but not as radically altered as some of the others. I remember hearing on MTV news with Kurt Loder that "Strange Relationship" was going to be the next single from SOTT, but obviously that never ended up happening. It might have been an interesting choice to follow up I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man. Wonder how it would have done.

Does anyone else remember this newsflash on MTV back in the day? I swear to God, Kurt Loder said during one of his news segments that "Strange Relationship" would reportedly be the next single from SOTT. Someone tell me I'm not crazy.....

u not crazy..he said a video was going to be filmed also

luvsexy4all said:

NoVideo said:

Does anyone else remember this newsflash on MTV back in the day? I swear to God, Kurt Loder said during one of his news segments that "Strange Relationship" would reportedly be the next single from SOTT. Someone tell me I'm not crazy.....

u not crazy..he said a video was going to be filmed also

Thank you!