There's a constant complaint that most of the 14 live albums -audio or video- Prince has released so far are lame and don't reflect his true talent (the talent we know through bootlegs). I partially agree with that to be honest, but I've realized that given the huge number of shows I've been exposed to through bootlegs, I wouldn't even know where to start if I was asked what Prince should have released instead of what he did release.

So regardless of the format (audio or video):

1/ Which shows you know from bootlegs do u think Prince should have released in the past and when (in terms of the impact it could have been at the time)?

2/ Which shows you know from bootlegs do u think Prince should release in priority if he finally decided that his back catalogue deserves his attention and that his legacy is in need of an online store with an "official bootlegs" collection? (faery tales scenario at this point, I know...)

I'm really curious as to what the fandom would fancy when it comes to that

.

For reminders, the official releases so far:

1985: Double Live (1985, video)

1987: Sign "O" The Times (1987, video)

1989: Lovesexy Live 1 (1988, video) and Lovesexy Live 2 (1988, video)

1995: The Sacrifice Of Victor (1993, video)

1998: The War (1998, audio)

1999: Beautiful Strange (1999, video)

2000: Rave Unto The Year 2000 (1999, video)

2002: One Nite Alone... Live! (2002, audio) and One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over (2002, audio)

2003: Live AT The Aladdin Las Vegas (2002, video)

2004: C-Note (2002, audio)

2008: Indigo Nights / Live Sessions (2007, audio)

2012: Tramps (New York, NY), Sept 26, 1998 (1998, audio)

.

For me a big WTF? is the lack of an official D&P Tour video album back in 92, I mean it was his most ambitious superstar tour ever! I don't know what show in particular would have been the best (or it could have been a compilation of several shows as done with ONA Live) but I think it was a real missed opportunity.

databank said:

There's a constant complaint that most of the 14 live albums -audio or video- Prince has released so far are lame and don't reflect his true talent (the talent we know through bootlegs). I partially agree with that to be honest, but I've realized that given the huge number of shows I've been exposed to through bootlegs, I wouldn't even know where to start if I was asked what Prince should have released instead of what he did release.

So regardless of the format (audio or video):

1/ Which shows you know from bootlegs do u think Prince should have released in the past and when (in terms of the impact it could have been at the time)?

2/ Which shows you know from bootlegs do u think Prince should release in priority if he finally decided that his back catalogue deserves his attention and that his legacy is in need of an online store with an "official bootlegs" collection? (faery tales scenario at this point, I know...)

I'm really curious as to what the fandom would fancy when it comes to that

.

For reminders, the official releases so far:

1985: Double Live (1985, video)

1987: Sign "O" The Times (1987, video)

1989: Lovesexy Live 1 (1988, video) and Lovesexy Live 2 (1988, video)

1995: The Sacrifice Of Victor (1993, video)

1998: The War (1998, audio)

1999: Beautiful Strange (1999, video)

2000: Rave Unto The Year 2000 (1999, video)

2002: One Nite Alone... Live! (2002, audio) and One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over (2002, audio)

2003: Live AT The Aladdin Las Vegas (2002, video)

2004: C-Note (2002, audio)

2008: Indigo Nights / Live Sessions (2007, audio)

2012: Tramps (New York, NY), Sept 26, 1998 (1998, audio)

.

For me a big WTF? is the lack of an official D&P Tour video album back in 92, I mean it was his most ambitious superstar tour ever! I don't know what show in particular would have been the best (or it could have been a compilation of several shows as done with ONA Live) but I think it was a real missed opportunity.

2012 Tramps an official release? Have I missed something? I thought this was only available as a bootleg (with the show itself being a snooze-athon mainly showcasing Larry / Doug E. / Chaka)

i still cant believe a musician of his caliber doesnt have a proper live release.

Video from Brussels 28/03/1995 should have been released... or at the very least, it should have been professionally shot!

I've wanted to make a post about this show before... it's insanely good. The video I've seen is from a handheld camera, but it captures the show really well. It's one of the best concerts I've seen from Prince, it's so full of energy and crowd is going nuts. It made me see much of the mid-90s in a different light - not only is it a missed oppertunity for a live DVD, but I think it represents a huge missed oppertunity for Prince's studio output.

databank said:

For reminders, the official releases so far:

1985: Double Live (1985, video)

1987: Sign "O" The Times (1987, video)

1989: Lovesexy Live 1 (1988, video) and Lovesexy Live 2 (1988, video)

1995: The Sacrifice Of Victor (1993, video)

1998: The War (1998, audio)

1999: Beautiful Strange (1999, video)

2000: Rave Unto The Year 2000 (1999, video)

2002: One Nite Alone... Live! (2002, audio) and One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over (2002, audio)

2003: Live AT The Aladdin Las Vegas (2002, video)

2004: C-Note (2002, audio)

2008: Indigo Nights / Live Sessions (2007, audio)

2012: Tramps (New York, NY), Sept 26, 1998 (1998, audio)

14 "official releases" is generous.

1985: Double Live (1985, video): Assuming you're talking about Live in Syracuse, i have no qualms here, but a DVD re-issue os long overdue

1987: Sign "O" The Times (1987, video): Not really a "live album" sonce most of it's filmed on a sound stage. Ditch the stupid "plot"

1989: Lovesexy Live 1 (1988, video) and Lovesexy Live 2 (1988, video): Not rally official either. make it official and available on DVD.

1995: The Sacrifice Of Victor (1993, video): ??

1998: The War (1998, audio): an EP. A throwaway

1999: Beautiful Strange (1999, video): Same

2000: Rave Unto The Year 2000 (1999, video): I like this one but the diting is too herky jerky.

2002: One Nite Alone... Live! (2002, audio) and One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over (2002, audio): It's OK. Parts of it are great. Joy in Repition is nice. Do we need another version of "Everlasting Now"? Jesus Christ he wore this out.

2003: Live AT The Aladdin Las Vegas (2002, video): Video quality is horrible and and there are some glaring omissions from the set list.

2004: C-Note (2002, audio): Booorrringgg....

2008: Indigo Nights / Live Sessions (2007, audio): Awful song selection

2012: Tramps (New York, NY), Sept 26, 1998 (1998, audio): ???

.

What are you calling official exactly?

.

He's never been really captured live (officially) and he doesn't seem to really try. I like the Rave video more than most because I think the performace and setlist were relaly strong. What I'd like is a 4 CD/DVD set similar to what Zeppelin and KISS have managed to do over the years.

.

I started to write up a disc set but damn. Just give us the shit we've all heard on bootlegs with better sound and some professionally shot video. Put the Purple Rain and 1999 tours on there, the SOTT shows he did in Europe, the Nude Tour, Musicology for sure and then throw in the blistering shit from the countless aftershows and TV performances he's done. It's not hard. The Grateful Dead, Rush, NIN, Bowie, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, White Stripes, RHCP have been doing it for years.

.

Just build a proper website, manage it, and put this shit up there so fans will buy it. But, no, there's perfume, calendars and mugs to be sold I guess.

[Edited 11/25/14 11:44am]

he's like KISS --who have so much better sounding live shows than what is released

luvsexy4all said:

he's like KISS --who have so much better sounding live shows than what is released

No KISS is terrible, even though I like them for what they are. One thing you can say about them is they always give their fans their money's worth and deliver what they want. Maybe they have to because they have minimal talent but they know who butters their bread. They put their fans first and their live releases have been great IMO.

.

KISSology alone is a huge gift to their fans and a testament to why KISS remains popluar. Prince has NEVER done anything like that and I doubt he ever will. Prince sues his fans. Other bands and musicians are grateful for their support and largely don't act like THEY are doing YOU a favor by showing up on time, granting an interview, promoting material, singing a song or even running a decent website.

databank,

didn't you forget about the '86 birthday concert in Detroit in your list ?

A proper live for Sign O The Times would be a non-overdubbed, full concert taken from the rushes.

I would like a proper SOTT concert DVD as opposed to the over dubbed one we have. Would also like a ONA DVD in full (preferably the first London show!). Some aftershows would be nice, especially from the 1988 era such as Small Club but I believe that even though it was filmed it was too dark. Would also like a 3EG DVD from one of the London shows earlier this year. And a 5 box set covering the 21 nights in London aftershows would be nice.

Asd for audio, there is too much to choose from. But I would prefer shows with different setlists and not just hits. Aftershows really I guess.

bonatoc said:

databank,

didn't you forget about the '86 birthday concert in Detroit in your list ?

.

Was never released on video AFAIK.

.

A proper live for Sign O The Times would be a non-overdubbed, full concert taken from the rushes.

.

Both audio and video of the SOTT concert movie are fake. The video because the original footage is barely watchable (you can see some original footage in the movie and it is really visible); the audio was re-recorded because all instruments bled into each other.

Rebeljuice said:

Asd for audio, there is too much to choose from. But I would prefer shows with different setlists and not just hits. Aftershows really I guess.

.

We'd need both: at least one "regular" concert from a tour, and then some aftershows/one off gigs with exceptional playlists. These I'd actually release on CD etc. and heavily promote, perhaps as part of a "deluxe album" package, perhaps separately because there's still much interest in these legendary tours. Don't release it all at once, just let it trickle out and collaborate with magazines like Mojo etc. to allow for in-depth tour histories.

.

But I'd also make more "mundane" recordings available via a website, like Fugazi for instance.

.

Simply put: finally monetize that past and curate it at the same time. Keeping these recordings in the vault forever is just ridiculous.

hw3004 said:

databank said:

There's a constant complaint that most of the 14 live albums -audio or video- Prince has released so far are lame and don't reflect his true talent (the talent we know through bootlegs). I partially agree with that to be honest, but I've realized that given the huge number of shows I've been exposed to through bootlegs, I wouldn't even know where to start if I was asked what Prince should have released instead of what he did release.

So regardless of the format (audio or video):

1/ Which shows you know from bootlegs do u think Prince should have released in the past and when (in terms of the impact it could have been at the time)?

2/ Which shows you know from bootlegs do u think Prince should release in priority if he finally decided that his back catalogue deserves his attention and that his legacy is in need of an online store with an "official bootlegs" collection? (faery tales scenario at this point, I know...)

I'm really curious as to what the fandom would fancy when it comes to that

.

For reminders, the official releases so far:

1985: Double Live (1985, video)

1987: Sign "O" The Times (1987, video)

1989: Lovesexy Live 1 (1988, video) and Lovesexy Live 2 (1988, video)

1995: The Sacrifice Of Victor (1993, video)

1998: The War (1998, audio)

1999: Beautiful Strange (1999, video)

2000: Rave Unto The Year 2000 (1999, video)

2002: One Nite Alone... Live! (2002, audio) and One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over (2002, audio)

2003: Live AT The Aladdin Las Vegas (2002, video)

2004: C-Note (2002, audio)

2008: Indigo Nights / Live Sessions (2007, audio)

2012: Tramps (New York, NY), Sept 26, 1998 (1998, audio)

.

For me a big WTF? is the lack of an official D&P Tour video album back in 92, I mean it was his most ambitious superstar tour ever! I don't know what show in particular would have been the best (or it could have been a compilation of several shows as done with ONA Live) but I think it was a real missed opportunity.

2012 Tramps an official release? Have I missed something? I thought this was only available as a bootleg (with the show itself being a snooze-athon mainly showcasing Larry / Doug E. / Chaka)

Soon after it was leaked, it became available for purchase on a totally legit and official website that some mods would however rather not have us call by name here (out of paranoia if u ask me, but it's their forum so I shall not break their rules). Of note is the fact that the released recording comes from a different sourcetape than the leaked bootleg. That same site also offers a Controversy show that's currently available in audio and video (the video is also on their YT channel) and the DNA Lounge 93 aftershow, but those are available in streaming only while the 98 show can be purchased and downloaded, hence making it a release.

luvsexy4all said:

i still cant believe a musician of his caliber doesnt have a proper live release.

That's the whole point of this thread: what would be a proper live release?

BartVanHemelen said:

BartVanHemelen said:

herb4 said:

databank said:

For reminders, the official releases so far:

1985: Double Live (1985, video)

1987: Sign "O" The Times (1987, video)

1989: Lovesexy Live 1 (1988, video) and Lovesexy Live 2 (1988, video)

1995: The Sacrifice Of Victor (1993, video)

1998: The War (1998, audio)

1999: Beautiful Strange (1999, video)

2000: Rave Unto The Year 2000 (1999, video)

2002: One Nite Alone... Live! (2002, audio) and One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over (2002, audio)

2003: Live AT The Aladdin Las Vegas (2002, video)

2004: C-Note (2002, audio)

2008: Indigo Nights / Live Sessions (2007, audio)

2012: Tramps (New York, NY), Sept 26, 1998 (1998, audio)

14 "official releases" is generous.

1985: Double Live (1985, video): Assuming you're talking about Live in Syracuse, i have no qualms here, but a DVD re-issue os long overdue

1987: Sign "O" The Times (1987, video): Not really a "live album" sonce most of it's filmed on a sound stage. Ditch the stupid "plot"

1989: Lovesexy Live 1 (1988, video) and Lovesexy Live 2 (1988, video): Not rally official either. make it official and available on DVD.

1995: The Sacrifice Of Victor (1993, video): ??

1998: The War (1998, audio): an EP. A throwaway

1999: Beautiful Strange (1999, video): Same

2000: Rave Unto The Year 2000 (1999, video): I like this one but the diting is too herky jerky.

2002: One Nite Alone... Live! (2002, audio) and One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over (2002, audio): It's OK. Parts of it are great. Joy in Repition is nice. Do we need another version of "Everlasting Now"? Jesus Christ he wore this out.

2003: Live AT The Aladdin Las Vegas (2002, video): Video quality is horrible and and there are some glaring omissions from the set list.

2004: C-Note (2002, audio): Booorrringgg....

2008: Indigo Nights / Live Sessions (2007, audio): Awful song selection

2012: Tramps (New York, NY), Sept 26, 1998 (1998, audio): ???

.

What are you calling official exactly?

.

He's never been really captured live (officially) and he doesn't seem to really try. I like the Rave video more than most because I think the performace and setlist were relaly strong. What I'd like is a 4 CD/DVD set similar to what Zeppelin and KISS have managed to do over the years.

.

I started to write up a disc set but damn. Just give us the shit we've all heard on bootlegs with better sound and some professionally shot video. Put the Purple Rain and 1999 tours on there, the SOTT shows he did in Europe, the Nude Tour, Musicology for sure and then throw in the blistering shit from the countless aftershows and TV performances he's done. It's not hard. The Grateful Dead, Rush, NIN, Bowie, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, White Stripes, RHCP have been doing it for years.

.

Just build a proper website, manage it, and put this shit up there so fans will buy it. But, no, there's perfume, calendars and mugs to be sold I guess.

[Edited 11/25/14 11:44am]

What I call an official release is an official release, i.e. authorized by the legal owner of the recording/film (the artist or its label). All the releases above have been officially made available to the public in one form or another at some point. The fact that most are out of print doesn't make them any less official. I agree that SOTT is ambiguous but since it was to reconstitute the original show and still contained some original sequences, I figured it had to count. The Sacrifice Of Victor is a London 93 aftershow released on video in 95, I'm surprised u've never heard of it. Lovesexy Live has always been an official release I don't know where u got the notion that it wasn't: it was released by Polygram in 1989 and available in every possible record store in Europe back then. See my reply above for the 1998 NY show. He HAS been captured live officially on each and everyone of the release above, the fact that you don't enjoy the releases don't make them any less official (another curious notion some people have on this forum: "I hate Musicology so it's not an official release!", I've read this often).

You are totally correct though when it comes to the urgent need of a proper archives program available, at the very least, for download.

BartVanHemelen said:

bonatoc said:

databank,

didn't you forget about the '86 birthday concert in Detroit in your list ?

.

Was never released on video AFAIK.

.

You are correct, it was aired on TV but never made available for purchase (a great pity if u ask me!)

Uncut, unedited, untampered.

iZsaZsa said:

I got my copy (2 VHS tapes) of Lovesexy Live in London which is why I cannot play them at home. They're real.

You cannot play VHS? That is proven technology...

udo said:

A Bootleg series like Bob Dylan's would be amazing.

Top of my list... Small Club. Would LOVE to know what critics would make of it.

databank said:

So regardless of the format (audio or video):

1/ Which shows you know from bootlegs do u think Prince should have released in the past and when (in terms of the impact it could have been at the time)?

2/ Which shows you know from bootlegs do u think Prince should release in priority if he finally decided that his back catalogue deserves his attention and that his legacy is in need of an online store with an "official bootlegs" collection? (faery tales scenario at this point, I know...)

I'm really curious as to what the fandom would fancy when it comes to that

Video: Live at Staples Center, LA, 29/3/2004 - Musicology Tour

iZsaZsa said:

BartVanHemelen said:

.

Both audio and video of the SOTT concert movie are fake. The video because the original footage is barely watchable (you can see some original footage in the movie and it is really visible); the audio was re-recorded because all instruments bled into each other.

Where?!

.

The scene where he's throwing flowers into the public, for instance. You can see where they switch from Paisley Park-recreation to actual footage: there's massive grain, for one.

.

Some of the audience shots are also from the actual gigs.

BartVanHemelen said:

iZsaZsa said:

udo said:

You cannot play VHS? That is proven technology...

The format is PAL or something. It is (or was) different than what the US has and they wouldn't play so I stowed them years ago.

Whaha!

Shows that US gear is inferior.

Use a multi standard player/screen. (in case of VHS, DVD, etc)

NTSC isn't the world. Please remember.

It's a pity BTW that no one ever cared to rip the original VHS release (admitting there's still a good quality copy in circulation), which was divided in 2 parts and subtely different from the circulating LD and TV broadcasts rips

KingSausage said:

The soundboard of the 1984 birthday show blows the shit out of any official live releases. He should just put that sucker out.

I have it only in audience, I'm confused about how I could miss the soundboard when it leaked, what was the name of the boot and the label???