This is just a thought that I had, but what if as the Purple Rain tour was winding down, to bridge the PR and ATWIAD experiences, Prince and The Revolution had put out a 12" with The Dance Electric on one side and any one of the long-ass Computer Blue versions on the other. The initial DJ promos would just have the (newly-debuted) Paisley Park logo and no artist or title info, and the commercial release would have followed shortly thereafter.

Alternate universe, yeah, I know, but I just dig on the idea that there would be a 12" that would kick asses with a new, 10-minute plus apocalyptic dancefloor jam as well as unlock some of the mysteries of Computer Blue for all the millions of folks who were still having their Purple Rain experience.

It still would have been mindboggling to hear ATWAID for the first time, but the extended grooves, spiritually-focused lyrical content, and magnificently strange funk (4 letters, but completely different words) would have pointed obliquely to the next bend in the road.

Thank u 4 your attention. This has been 2day's Prince 'What if?'

It is kind of criminal that the longer version of Computer Blue didn't make it to one of the singles, the b-side to Take Me With U or something.

Its true what you say therighteous1 but I am sorry it couldn't and wouldn't have happened. I know it's a what if scenario but Prince wanted to shock the world with anti purple rain in 85 as we all know. If he did it your way he would have had way too much success. But yeah if that went down that would have been great.

Why not make it an EP and add "She's Always in My Hair" and one of the other B-sides to it? I think "Pop Life" was also already written before the main sessions for ATWIAD had started. (Oh no, I'm creating another "fantasy album"...)

NouveauDance said:

It is kind of criminal that the longer version of Computer Blue didn't make it to one of the singles, the b-side to Take Me With U or something.

It's even, I daresay, one of the biggest mystery of P's careers, as it would have just been such an OBVIOUS decision to make

I'm also quite puzzled by The full band version of The Line never making it to a Lovesexy maxi, IDK, it woulda made sense. But Computer Blue was a no brainer, it would have become a mythological extended version for sure, that would have made the mythos even more powerful and critics would still rave about it today