Case in point, the original version of Feel U Up from the early eighties is so much better than what was later released. Why would Prince tinker with a song until its inferior?

Just saying

Averett said:

Case in point, the original version of Feel U Up from the early eighties is so much better than what was later released. Why would Prince tinker with a song until its inferior?

Just saying

.

The original take would not be consistent with the production expectations of a mid-to-late 1980s audience for a commercial artist of Prince's standard (recorded in 1986, considered for a 1986 or 1987 album release, ultimately liberated from the Vault as a 1989 B-side). It is not truly 'release grade', even in respect of a 1981 or 1982 audience. It is, however, a very good experiment in pushing away from the less remarkable disco/post-disco/soul image of 1978-1981 Prince and his first three or four albums, and is a bit of important 'glue' connecting the development of Purple soundcraft between that earlier era and his signature '1999' era, more thoroughly developed Minneapolis sound.

.

[Edited 4/30/15 18:42pm]

imprimis said:

Averett said:

Case in point, the original version of Feel U Up from the early eighties is so much better than what was later released. Why would Prince tinker with a song until its inferior?

Just saying

.

The original take would not be consistent with the production expectations of a mid-to-late 1980s audience for a commercial artist of Prince's calibre. It is not truly 'release grade', even in respect of a 1981 or 1982 audience. It is, however, a very good experiment in pushing away from the disco/post-disco/soul image of 1978-1981 Prince and boldly advances to his signature '1999'-era, more thoroughly developed Minneapolis sound.

.

[Edited 4/30/15 18:33pm]

It feels like the funk took a hit when they further produced the track. Much like Tick Tick Bang in that respect.

Averett said:

imprimis said:

.

The original take would not be consistent with the production expectations of a mid-to-late 1980s audience for a commercial artist of Prince's calibre. It is not truly 'release grade', even in respect of a 1981 or 1982 audience. It is, however, a very good experiment in pushing away from the disco/post-disco/soul image of 1978-1981 Prince and boldly advances to his signature '1999'-era, more thoroughly developed Minneapolis sound.

.

[Edited 4/30/15 18:33pm]

It feels like the funk took a hit when they further produced the track. Much like Tick Tick Bang in that respect.

.

.

The 1986 version is a completely re-recorded effort. You may be correct that the funk 'suffered', as it were, since the composition was filtered through his production idiosyncracies of that time. It is, after all, re-styled to work with the Camille alter-ego and effects.

.

That the song was revisited at all, and given an opportunity to see the light of day in any form, is likely another case-in-point of his preoccupation from ~late 1984-early 1988 to renovate 1981 and 1982 Vault material.

.

'Jerk Out' (best represented in the Mazarati take), 'Turn It Up' 'No Call U', 'Drive Me Wild' are some other tracks from roughly the same time period as the 'Irresistable Bitch-Feel U Up' suite.

.

.

[Edited 4/30/15 19:02pm]

Other than the fact that it's fun to hear it up against the original Irresistible Bitch, the original Feel U Up is not all that compelling.

.

The remake is, to my mind, a far better track.

.

In my humble....

Averett said:

purplepolitician said:

Those synths kick, but the b side is a more fully realized update .

I think I'm the type of fan that openly weeped when the synths took more of a back seat. With time and a little maturity, I gradually grew to love the prominence the horns played but man, I still miss those synths

When P. takes a song and updates it, I tend to think of it as more of a re-envisioning of that song than an adulteration of it. The 1986 version of "Feel U Up" (released in 1989 as the B-side to "Partyman") is a long-time favorite of mine that I prefer to listen over the original 1981 recording. I do enjoy the original as well, though, just in a different way. In revamping a song, I find he changes musical elements enough to transform the piece into something distinctly different--to a greater or lesser degree--from its predecessor. The newer version has a sound and 'personality'--if you will--all of its own. So, I try to listen to different versions of the same song as if they were stand-alone works. Not that I don't compare versions--I do, of course--but I also like to develop an appreciation for each version on its own terms.

.

I prefer the latter version of "Feel U Up" to its original, but on the other hand, I prefer the earlier 1986 recording of "We Can Funk" to the 1989 version on Grafitti Bridge. But give me any version of either song and I'm happy

.

More on topic, I think imprimis's answer to your question (reply #1) is the most likely reason why Prince would tinker with a song. If he decided to pull a song from the vault for release some years after its creation, I'm guessing he'd need to rework it in order to market it to new audience whose tastes generally no longer align with the earlier style of music that the original song was written and recorded in.

.

[Edited 5/2/15 23:42pm]

[Edited 5/2/15 23:50pm]

[Edited 5/3/15 0:47am]

KingSausage said:

Averett said:

It feels like the funk took a hit when they further produced the track. Much like Tick Tick Bang in that respect.

Tick Tick Bang is a tragedy. I love the original version.

I'm good with the GB version of TTB, but I'm with ya on the original. A friend played it for me just this year and I was floored. The original is all kinds of awesome.

Bluu said:

When P. takes a song and updates it, I tend to think of it as more of a re-envisioning of that song than an adulteration of it. The 1986 version of "Feel U Up" (released in 1989 as the B-side to "Partyman") is a long-time favorite of mine that I prefer to listen over the original 1981 recording. I do enjoy the original as well, though, just in a different way. In revamping a song, I find he changes musical elements enough to transform the piece into something distinctly different--to a greater or lesser degree--from its predecessor. The newer version has a sound and 'personality'--if you will--all of its own. So, I try to listen to different versions of the same song as if they were stand-alone works. Not that I don't compare versions--I do, of course--but I also like to develop an appreciation for each version on its own terms.

.

I prefer the latter version of "Feel U Up" to its original, but on the other hand, I prefer the earlier 1986 recording of "We Can Funk" to the 1989 version on Grafitti Bridge which is in fact more or less the original 1983 recording with Clinton's parts added. But give me any version of either song and I'm happy

.

More on topic, I think imprimis's answer to your question (reply #1) is the most likely reason why Prince would tinker with a song. If he decided to pull a song from the vault for release some years after its creation, I'm guessing he'd need to rework it in order to market it to new audience whose tastes generally no longer align with the earlier style of music that the original song was written and recorded in.

.

[Edited 5/2/15 23:42pm]

[Edited 5/2/15 23:50pm]

[Edited 5/3/15 0:47am]

Bluu said:

I prefer the latter version of "Feel U Up" to its original, but on the other hand, I prefer the earlier 1986 recording of "We Can Funk" to the 1989 version on Grafitti Bridge. But give me any version of either song and I'm happy

It's always fun to hear Prince foolin' around in search of ideas, but the released version is a masterpiece,
we're talking Camille The Album here.

Of course the original "We Can Funk" is better. Dirtier, greasier (that organ! Miko!),
on GB it evolved into some Broadway drunk refrain, meh.

Tick-tick-bang is stupid, whatever the version.
There's no beat, it's just silly programming and frustration yelled over it (because the programming is silly, get it?).
How did this get out of the box for GB makes the mind wonder.

Speaking of which, "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got" by The Revolution
sends the 64-tracks indigest cake down the toilet.
And you can't have it without "Girl O' My Dreams" before and seguing into "We Can Funk", it's a tryptic.

Speaking of which, "Thieves In The Temple" should have stayed a Gospel Blues,
you don't replicate "Kiss" or "When Doves Cry" EVERY time, it doesn't work that way.

GB is a charming album, but God, it is utterly awful under a certain point of view.

The best compliment I can come with is that it is a soundtrack that honors its movie.

[Edited 5/3/15 11:52am]

Please y'all stop saying the 1986 We Can Funk is the original. The released mix is the original (though reworked) while the 1986 cut is a rerecorded version.

databank said:

Please y'all stop saying the 1986 We Can Funk is the original. The released mix is the original (though reworked) while the 1986 cut is a rerecorded version.

I appreciate the reply because I checked Princevault on both songs before I posted (cuz I know how y'all get when a girl doesn't dot her i's and cross her T's on her facts ) but got a bit turned around with the original 1983 recording having a slightly different title than the '86 and '89 reworkings. Correction duly noted.

bonatoc said:

...Speaking of which, "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got" by The Revolution
sends the 64-tracks indigest cake down the toilet.
And you can't have it without "Girl O' My Dreams" before and seguing into "We Can Funk", it's a tryptic....

"Can't Stop This Feeling I Got" is another song I'd take any version of, but I am a bit partial to the original--the fast tempo suits the style of the song really well. The GB version is a little more thoughtful, infused with a nice bit of rock, love the vocals on both versions. The original is more playful, the GB version is more creative with how P. changes up the sound in the middle, and how he isolates the last set of high notes he sings, kind of teasing uswith them. It 's a pretty interesting pop-rock blend, actually. Once of my faves on GB.

.

I think the triptych you mentioned is "Data Bank"/"Can't Stop This Feeling I Got"/We Can Funk" with "Girl O' My Dreams" recorded the next day. (I only know cuz I consulted Princevault last night about WCF and they mentioned it.)

Bluu said:

bonatoc said:

...Speaking of which, "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got" by The Revolution
sends the 64-tracks indigest cake down the toilet.
And you can't have it without "Girl O' My Dreams" before and seguing into "We Can Funk", it's a tryptic....

"Can't Stop This Feeling I Got" is another song I'd take any version of, but I am a bit partial to the original--the fast tempo suits the style of the song really well. The GB version is a little more thoughtful, infused with a nice bit of rock, love the vocals on both versions. The original is more playful, the GB version is more creative with how P. changes up the sound in the middle, and how he isolates the last set of high notes he sings, kind of teasing uswith them. It 's a pretty interesting pop-rock blend, actually. Once of my faves on GB.

.

I think the triptych you mentioned is "Data Bank"/"Can't Stop This Feeling I Got"/We Can Funk" with "Girl O' My Dreams" recorded the next day. (I only know cuz I consulted Princevault last night about WCF and they mentioned it.)

Must be the bootleg I used to listen to, then.

"Can't Stop" was attached to "Girl". Last chord of "Girl" was the first chord of "Can't Stop".
Can't tell what bootleg it was, it was a cassette replica with no mentions whatsoever (it was early 1989).

"I got the jam, if you got the groove" . Wait a minute now . Still don't beat "cuz I'm a funky man."

The so-called '1986' versions of 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got', 'Girl o' My Dreams', and 'We Can Funk', are in fact a section of a partially leaked working tape of representative 'live' arrangement versions of studio tracks slated to appear on the proposed 'Dream Factory' album, as part of a never-materialized musical of the same name, perhaps for use as a 'guide'.

.

The WCF (recorded semi-live in the Warehouse, in a manner similar to, say, 'Data Bank', 'Girls and Boys' or 'Sexual Suicide') from that effort appears to have been more thoroughly overdubbed and mixed, however. Perhaps, for a fleeting moment, Prince considered expanding that Warehouse take into a more substantive effort for inclusion on an album.

.

The trading community appear to have been deprived of a 1986 studio-updated version of 'Girl of My Dreams', a composition with alleged 1981/1982 origins (a particularly consuming fascination at the time for Prince to revisit tracks from this early period) and appearing on this 'live' arrangement compilation that is said to be based mainly on material for the proposed DF album (which presumably included studio versions of these songs on its track listing at some undocumented point in its development). I firmly believe such a track exists and has never surfaced, or even been discussed. (If the T.C. Ellis recording is in any way related to it, it has to be as remotely related as the original 1981 Tick Tick Bang is to the GB TTB, and a thousand times worse than some find the latter to be).

.

Another wildly speculative thought I had was that 'In a Large Room with No Light' may have been recorded for use in this musical (although specifically for the musical itself, rather than based on pre-existing studio material). It appears to have been recorded mostly studio-live, and its mixed reception among the fan base, and production styling rather unlike a lot of the material from the same period, may possibly be explained by a rare and unconventional intended purpose for the song.

.

The 'DF' musical appears to be one of the projects WB and/or P's management greenlighted in furtherance of his post-Purple Rain 'unstoppable genius' image, to render him some king-of-all-media. Early 1987, post-UTCM and post-Revolution breakup, however, it seems this was tempered down to an effort to make over the newly 'liberated' Prince in the press to a formidable producer for other established artists (which appears to have fizzled out as a media campaign after the brief sessions with Bonnie Raitt, to a blander select one-or-two outtakes for PP label sign-ups).

.

'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got' and 'We Can Funk' (that is, the studio tracks appearing in further updated form on the 'Graffiti Bridge' album) can, in a sense, be said to have partial 1986 origins. WCF was initially tracked in 1983, and CSTIG in 1982 or 1983. Both were worked on, on multiple occasions, at least until the Summer of 1986, before again being set aside for another two to three years. I believe CSTIG in its most basic tracks (1982 or 1983) may be semi-live (studio-live) itself (being mainly an unfinished post-Delirious rockabilly number), with many of the vocals, some of the guitar lines and meditative sitar/swirling digital synth parts added ~1985/1986.

.

Had Prince seriously pursued this avenue, and had the Revolution not been disbanded, it is most likely the versions of the tracks that appeared further-updated on GB (and also a possible 1986-overdubbed 1981/1982 studio 'Girl of My Dreams') that would have made 'Dream Factory', or whichever next one or two putative Prince or Prince and the Revolution albums that might have been released between late 1986 and 1988.

.

I have a purple suspicion that CSTIG is too relatively anemic and too sonically similar to ICNTTPOYM to have made the same album. And after 'Play in the Sunshine', if any thought was given to this track during the period of CB/SOTT album construction, all the same ground was covered in better fashion. If the GB film hadn't been reconfigured to be a pseudo-sequel to PR late in its development, thereby necessitating a last-minute lazy little-brother to 'Let's Go Crazy', CSTIG may never have seen the light of day in any form on any official album release.

.

I consider the absence of the batch of tracks these are part of, to be what Wendy and Lisa are truly complaining about in being 'stripped of credit for their contributions' on the resulting SOTT album, rather than an overly grievous lack of full attributions on the songs appearing on that album. 'The Cross' and the reworking/updating of ICNTTPOYM may or may not have received some of their assistance (in the studio, or by way of musical suggestion) with no credit listed. If true, that could be problematic. 'Strange Relationship' has been overdubbed and remixed, but the SOTT version is so faithful to 1985 W&L-madeover track as not to be a credible reason for complaint. I believe the real issue is that 'Dream Factory', 'All My Dreams', 'We Can Funk', 'Wonderful Ass', 'Power Fantastic', 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got', 'Neon Telephone', 'Go', 'Sexual Suicide', 'In a Large Room with No Light' (possibly), 'It's a Wonderful Day', 'Our Destiny', 'Roadhouse Garden', 'All Day, All Night', as well as others were removed or abandoned (obviously some left unfinished), weeks and months before he formally dissolved the Revolution, some on the basis of making room for higher-quality or more cohesive material, but some perhaps as a gradual emotional distancing. To be frank, not all of this material would have been especially commercially viable for an artist of his stature at the time, and he may not have had the nerve to make that explicit after allowing so much of the Colemans'/Melvoins' influence over the previous year or so. That may be a catalyst in the break-up. And fits comfortably in the accepted idea that he goes by the beat of his own drum, a backing band given some privileges during a time of extraordinary success cannot be sustained as a outward-facing 'group' indefinitely with Prince's sensibilities and tolerance. Not including a bulk of this material on the subsequent album release would make the already frayed personal and professional relationship that much more difficult to continue through to its contractual end (which may have been as late as 1989). A lot of this material simply would have been imprudent to flesh out a late 1986/1987 album with (while Prince is still stratospheric as a popular artist), after the commercial and reputational issues of 1985 and 1986. It would risk giving the appearance, whether true or not, of too much self-indulgence for too long. As a fan, and also taken individually, the tracks are scintillating, but as a major commercial effort I would not have much faith in an album, slated for 1986 or 1987 release, built predominately of these tracks as Prince's next big move after control-freak bad press/no-show at WATW/Big Chick incident and tabloids/ATWIAD/UTCM/Parade, whether that's fair or not. That most of the tracks began as outtakes from even earlier efforts, probably jeopardizes their unity and undermines their chance for mainstream success. He may have been floating on a cloud and channeling a muse in recording and working on many of these tracks, and for a brief moment in time had nothing in his heart but to see their release, but it would not be a credible economic possibility for them to be released as they may originally have been intended. It is not about compromising art but rather common sense.

.

.

On the 'iVault' Collection, which is an awful grouping but as an easy point of reference, there appear to be a more-or-less 'untouched-since-1986' mix of each track in either the 1989 or 1990 folders.

.

The WCF mix (I don't have that compilation in front of me, but it has possibly been labelled the '30 Year' one) I am referring to is much stripped down and likely closely resembles the track as it existed in 1986, but appears to have had a little 1988/89 updating. The CSTIG there has a brief section of later-edited-out Clare Fisher orchestration (a strong indication of its ~1986 status), the mixing on th elements is different (some tracks much louder than the later 1989/GB ones) and its feel is more overtly 'psychedelic' and 'alternative' (although that term didn't then exist). It is missing the new 1989 'Batdance'-esque guitar on the lead-out; it seems to be essentially unmolested since 1986 except for perhaps the editing. Both of these came front the very old ~1991 'Take It 2 the Bridge' BL, which in turn came from tapes circulating around ~1990/1991.

.

[Edited 5/5/15 0:48am]

You, Good Sir, are astonishingly interesting.

purplepolitician said:

Still don't beat "cuz I'm a funky man."

Du-du dum-dum-du.

Feel U Up is fantastic & one of my absolutely fave b-sides (b-side to Partyman)...

If Prince only could (or would) release such b-sides that good, now??

The song kicks ass, actually much better than any of his "newer" music.....


imho..

imprimis said:

The so-called '1986' versions of 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got', 'Girl o' My Dreams', and 'We Can Funk', are in fact a section of a partially leaked working tape of representative 'live' arrangement versions of studio tracks slated to appear on the proposed 'Dream Factory' album, as part of a never-materialized musical of the same name, perhaps for use as a 'guide'.

.

The WCF (recorded semi-live in the Warehouse, in a manner similar to, say, 'Data Bank', 'Girls and Boys' or 'Sexual Suicide') from that effort appears to have been more thoroughly overdubbed and mixed, however. Perhaps, for a fleeting moment, Prince considered expanding that Warehouse take into a more substantive effort for inclusion on an album.

.

The trading community appear to have been deprived of a 1986 studio-updated version of 'Girl of My Dreams', a composition with alleged 1981/1982 origins (a particularly consuming fascination at the time for Prince to revisit tracks from this early period) and appearing on this 'live' arrangement compilation that is said to be based mainly on material for the proposed DF album (which presumably included studio versions of these songs on its track listing at some undocumented point in its development). I firmly believe such a track exists and has never surfaced, or even been discussed. (If the T.C. Ellis recording is in any way related to it, it has to be as remotely related as the original 1981 Tick Tick Bang is to the GB TTB, and a thousand times worse than some find the latter to be).

.

Another wildly speculative thought I had was that 'In a Large Room with No Light' may have been recorded for use in this musical (although specifically for the musical itself, rather than based on pre-existing studio material). It appears to have been recorded mostly studio-live, and its mixed reception among the fan base, and production styling rather unlike a lot of the material from the same period, may possibly be explained by a rare and unconventional intended purpose for the song.

.

The 'DF' musical appears to be one of the projects WB and/or P's management greenlighted in furtherance of his post-Purple Rain 'unstoppable genius' image, to render him some king-of-all-media. Early 1987, post-UTCM and post-Revolution breakup, however, it seems this was tempered down to an effort to make over the newly 'liberated' Prince in the press to a formidable producer for other established artists (which appears to have fizzled out as a media campaign after the brief sessions with Bonnie Raitt, to a blander select one-or-two outtakes for PP label sign-ups).

.

'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got' and 'We Can Funk' (that is, the studio tracks appearing in further updated form on the 'Graffiti Bridge' album) can, in a sense, be said to have partial 1986 origins. WCF was initially tracked in 1983, and CSTIG in 1982 or 1983. Both were worked on, on multiple occasions, at least until the Summer of 1986, before again being set aside for another two to three years. I believe CSTIG in its most basic tracks (1982 or 1983) may be semi-live (studio-live) itself (being mainly an unfinished post-Delirious rockabilly number), with many of the vocals, some of the guitar lines and meditative sitar/swirling digital synth parts added ~1985/1986.

.

Had Prince seriously pursued this avenue, and had the Revolution not been disbanded, it is most likely the versions of the tracks that appeared further-updated on GB (and also a possible 1986-overdubbed 1981/1982 studio 'Girl of My Dreams') that would have made 'Dream Factory', or whichever next one or two putative Prince or Prince and the Revolution albums that might have been released between late 1986 and 1988.

.

I have a purple suspicion that CSTIG is too relatively anemic and too sonically similar to ICNTTPOYM to have made the same album. And after 'Play in the Sunshine', if any thought was given to this track during the period of CB/SOTT album construction, all the same ground was covered in better fashion. If the GB film hadn't been reconfigured to be a pseudo-sequel to PR late in its development, thereby necessitating a last-minute lazy little-brother to 'Let's Go Crazy', CSTIG may never have seen the light of day in any form on any official album release.

.

I consider the absence of the batch of tracks these are part of, to be what Wendy and Lisa are truly complaining about in being 'stripped of credit for their contributions' on the resulting SOTT album, rather than an overly grievous lack of full attributions on the songs appearing on that album. 'The Cross' and the reworking/updating of ICNTTPOYM may or may not have received some of their assistance (in the studio, or by way of musical suggestion) with no credit listed. If true, that could be problematic. 'Strange Relationship' has been overdubbed and remixed, but the SOTT version is so faithful to 1985 W&L-madeover track as not to be a credible reason for complaint. I believe the real issue is that 'Dream Factory', 'All My Dreams', 'We Can Funk', 'Wonderful Ass', 'Power Fantastic', 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got', 'Neon Telephone', 'Go', 'Sexual Suicide', 'In a Large Room with No Light' (possibly), 'It's a Wonderful Day', 'Our Destiny', 'Roadhouse Garden', 'All Day, All Night', as well as others were removed or abandoned (obviously some left unfinished), weeks and months before he formally dissolved the Revolution, some on the basis of making room for higher-quality or more cohesive material, but some perhaps as a gradual emotional distancing. To be frank, not all of this material would have been especially commercially viable for an artist of his stature at the time, and he may not have had the nerve to make that explicit after allowing so much of the Colemans'/Melvoins' influence over the previous year or so. That may be a catalyst in the break-up. And fits comfortably in the accepted idea that he goes by the beat of his own drum, a backing band given some privileges during a time of extraordinary success cannot be sustained as a outward-facing 'group' indefinitely with Prince's sensibilities and tolerance. Not including a bulk of this material on the subsequent album release would make the already frayed personal and professional relationship that much more difficult to continue through to its contractual end (which may have been as late as 1989). A lot of this material simply would have been imprudent to flesh out a late 1986/1987 album with (while Prince is still stratospheric as a popular artist), after the commercial and reputational issues of 1985 and 1986. It would risk giving the appearance, whether true or not, of too much self-indulgence for too long. As a fan, and also taken individually, the tracks are scintillating, but as a major commercial effort I would not have much faith in an album, slated for 1986 or 1987 release, built predominately of these tracks as Prince's next big move after control-freak bad press/no-show at WATW/Big Chick incident and tabloids/ATWIAD/UTCM/Parade, whether that's fair or not. That most of the tracks began as outtakes from even earlier efforts, probably jeopardizes their unity and undermines their chance for mainstream success. He may have been floating on a cloud and channeling a muse in recording and working on many of these tracks, and for a brief moment in time had nothing in his heart but to see their release, but it would not be a credible economic possibility for them to be released as they may originally have been intended. It is not about compromising art but rather common sense.

.

.

On the 'iVault' Collection, which is an awful grouping but as an easy point of reference, there appear to be a more-or-less 'untouched-since-1986' mix of each track in either the 1989 or 1990 folders.

.

The WCF mix (I don't have that compilation in front of me, but it has possibly been labelled the '30 Year' one) I am referring to is much stripped down and likely closely resembles the track as it existed in 1986, but appears to have had a little 1988/89 updating. The CSTIG there has a brief section of later-edited-out Clare Fisher orchestration (a strong indication of its ~1986 status), the mixing on th elements is different (some tracks much louder than the later 1989/GB ones) and its feel is more overtly 'psychedelic' and 'alternative' (although that term didn't then exist). It is missing the new 1989 'Batdance'-esque guitar on the lead-out; it seems to be essentially unmolested since 1986 except for perhaps the editing. Both of these came front the very old ~1991 'Take It 2 the Bridge' BL, which in turn came from tapes circulating around ~1990/1991.

.

[Edited 5/5/15 0:48am]

Interesting review, thanks! However, I don't recall reading in any reliable source that any version of Databank, Can't Stop, We Can Funk and Girl O' My Dreams were ever considered for the Dream Factory album. I remember it was widely believed that they were part of the project before the tracklists of the various configurations finally surfaced in the late 90's, but finally it seems it was never the case. I might be wrong, though, it's possible that they were recorded with the project in mind but never included on a proper tracklist.

I am not sure about the DF musical, I don't remember if there ever was any clarification on what it was supposed to be, how related it was supposed to be to the album of the same name and which tracks not considered for the album -if any- were considered for it.

With respect to my giving example of 'Databank', I was referring only to that it was recorded semi-live (in the Warehouse), and later overdubbed (like the 'We Can Funk' many call the '1986 version').

.

I don't believe 'Databank' was laid down or recorded with any specific project in mind. It is apparently a recording from a jam session or rehearsal that was turned into a novelty song of sorts after-the-fact. Given the boastful, flippant, playful vocal styling (a close friend, maybe, of Jamie Starr), and that the song was revisited for 'Corporate World' and 'Pandemonium', perhaps Prince had it in mind to offer it to Morris for use on his second solo album.

.

However, I absolutely believe that 'We Can Funk', 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got', and perhaps 'Girl o' My Dreams' (a possible 1986 reworked studio version that has never surfaced), *among other tracks known and unknown*, were considered or intended for one or more working configurations, at one point or another, of the next Prince or Prince and the Revolution album, whether that would have materialized as an album called 'Dream Factory' or by some other name.

.

It doesn't appear logical that some of these particular songs would be worked on all the way through the Summer of 1986, and have separate 'live' arrangement versions [possibly] recorded for a partially-corroborated related musical project, if these were not seriously being considered (at one point or another) for a forthcoming album project.

.

Some of these tracks rear their heads more often than others between ~ 1982 and 1990, which suggests that he holds them in particularly high esteem. If he hadn't been intending eventually to see their release, which I presume would originally have been on the first (or for practical reasons possibly second) album following 'Parade', when he finally had the opportunity to devote time to finishing or 'upgrading' them (before they became too outdated altogether) to some acceptable commercial release standard (having now been liberated by not having to chase superstardom, and no longer having his energies consumed supporting/promoting PR), why then was so much studio time over such a lengthy period devoted to them?

.

And if those efforts are particularly focused around 1986, what other intended outlet for their release would he have considered than the album that would become SOTT? He didn't record very many songs with other artists in mind *from the outset* prior to about the late 1980s, disregarding Sheila/Morris/The Time/V6/A6 (Susan Moonsie, Alexander O'Neil, and misc. others rounding out the rest prior to about 1987+), none of which apply here on basis of either timing or production goodness-of-fit.

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I believe the mystery, or uncertainty, of it all is rooted in the sheer volume of material he recorded or worked on during 1986, and as he progesssed more towards the Camille project, and then what was coalescing into Crystal Ball, these earlier ideas or track lists were forgotten, set aside or dropped, or jumbled up. He had to construct a coherent major commercial album release, drawing from a massive amount of material covering many different production concepts and phases. Add the work on the Jill Jones album, Madhouse, Sheila's third album, shopping around outtakes to other established artists, and the possibilities of where something being worked on could be placed, or reclaimed from, increases to almost total confusion.

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Among other tracks known to have been further worked on in 1986, that were perhaps considered for this evolving project, I would speculate those would include 'Neon Telephone', 'Heaven' (which is probably heavily overdubbed/reworked and bearing limited resemblance to the early demo we all have), 'Movie Star' (which I believe is an acknowledged part of one or more known DF track listings, but I believe it originates further back as a ~ early/mid-1985 as a track submitted to Morris for possible use on his first solo album, maybe recorded early on while working on Jill Jones' album; it seems to have that well-past-1984 but pre/early-Parade production fingerprint [kind of like 'Hello', not that MS resembles that track in any specific way]), 'Old Friends 4 Sale' (most likely the less-personal, so-called '1991 version', which I believe was actually completed with its lyrical changes ~1986 instead, with or without Clare Fischer strings), 'Go', 'Splash', 'Sexual Suicide' (in its completed form as appearing on 1998's CB set), 'All Day, All Night', 'Our Destiny', 'Roadhouse Garden' (in fact, W&L have confirmed to me that the latter three were meant to appear on the unrealized, alternate timeline late 1986/early 1987 album that ultimately became SOTT). Also newly recorded material, such as the soundcheck-overdubbed cover of 'Get On Up', etc. Possibly the updated 'Baby, You're a Trip'. Probably also late-on, Crystal Ball (the track, with or without CF overdubs; I doubt the CF-less CB is the song as Prince and W/L/S recorded it, it seems to be the master with with CF's tracks removed; probably has had a lot of synth parts and Fairlight parts replaced), forging the way to a relabelling and expansion of the concept of this album.

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And, of course, the known tracks such as 'All My Dreams' (which was probably overdubbed in 1986 specifically for this album, after languishing for months in the Vault, the 1985 basic tracks are likely just the first several minutes of the song with digital/analog synths, and a rather spartan and haphazard daa-daa-daaa-daaa synth throughout that the sample train sfx, slowed voice and piano solo were later superimposed on, probably most of the W/L/S bg vocals), 'Train', 'Wonderful Ass' (probably updated in 1985 around the same time as W&L were commissioned to update SR, and edited/mixed in 1986; the circulating longer remix has some of that late-1985 reverb on the Linn like on 'Eternity' [demo] and 'Anotherloverholenyohead'), etc.) The circulating 'Old Friends 4 Sale' seguing into 'All My Dreams' I believe may be from a segment of an early working tape for DF/proto-SOTT album, rather than from an early configuration acetate/tape of 'Parade' (because I don't believe 'All My Dreams' was this thoroughly produced in 1985), even though I acknowledge that both of the tracks obviously did exist in some form in early/mid-1985. The updated, quasi-Camille 'Love or $', may have been flagged for the next album, but ultimately just shuffled onto the Kiss B-Side.

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While a number of these tracks were recorded with the 'Parade' project possibly in mind, or at least during approximately the same period of studio sessions, they obviously did not make that album and were set aside for further work. 'Slow Love' (likely) and 'Strange Relationship' are the only tracks that survived this specific 1985 sessions->1986 album project->SOTT axe.

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With respect to a DF musical project, I do not mean to attach /too much/ weight or seriousness to it. I believe that in the approximately two years following Purple Rain promotion, WB and P's management had many [fleeting] grand and lofty plans for him (or, alternatively, in light of his newfound superstardom, were willing to give a tentative greenlight to any narcissistic idea he threw at them on a whim) (beginning with UTCM, but particularly writing/working on a musical/Broadway, further multimedia film projects [Coco Boys, The Dawn], collaborations with Miles Davis, etc., rebranding Prince in early 1987 as a go-to producer for other established artists ala Jam and Lewis), most of which never materialized, and those that did (mainly the ones hard-coded into his contract) effectively morphed over the next several years into less breathtaking projects (namely, Graffiti Bridge, and also the largely uninspired paint-by-number way of doing business on the PP label).

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Any possible DF or similar musical would likely have been a *very short-lived blip* on the radar during all of this, that may have in turn evolved into, or been abandoned in favor of, another live or film project (and so the cycle continues). If nothing else, all of these proposed projects discussed or rumored at the time generated some positive publicity and intrigue, during a period of mixed critical response [at least in the American media] to his 1985 and 1986 albums/film/alleged personal behavior.

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Interesting review, thanks! However, I don't recall reading in any reliable source that any version of Databank, Can't Stop, We Can Funk and Girl O' My Dreams were ever considered for the Dream Factory album. I remember it was widely believed that they were part of the project before the tracklists of the various configurations finally surfaced in the late 90's, but finally it seems it was never the case. I might be wrong, though, it's possible that they were recorded with the project in mind but never included on a proper tracklist.

I am not sure about the DF musical, I don't remember if there ever was any clarification on what it was supposed to be, how related it was supposed to be to the album of the same name and which tracks not considered for the album -if any- were considered for it.

[Edited 5/6/15 17:05pm]

The 81/82 version of Feel You Up is slammin', it would've sounded good on Controversy.

I dig the remake too btw

Ooh I've got one, but too easy: 1999.

Let's see if we have someone willing to praise the New Master.

bonatoc said:

Ooh I've got one, but too easy: 1999.

Let's see if we have someone willing to praise the New Master.

The only redeeming quality of the new master would be Rosie's vocals...

I would also add Old Friends 4 Sale to the discussion. I've never understood when someone said they prefer the revised lyrical version...

In regards to an original version not being superior to an official released version, Irresistible Bitch

[Edited 5/7/15 7:33am]

Averett said:

I would also add Old Friends 4 Sale to the discussion. I've never understood when someone said they prefer the revised lyrical version...

Oh yeah, that's the ultimate example.
Even Clare Fischer disappointed me with this.

There's also "Witness 4 The Prosecution" with horns and yapping GirlBros which is an itch to my ear.
Useless gloss.

Old Friends 4 Sale being an example.

bonatoc said:

You, Good Sir, are astonishingly interesting.

I second that. Color me impessed!