antpooh said:

I like the GB version. Much fuller, can hear the thump of the drums and I like the "George Clinton" additions.

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Agree 100%. 'Graffiti Bridge' version, hands down.

imprimis said:

'We Can Funk (30 Years)' (bootlegger attribution), perhaps the best currently circulating representation of this material. It would be immaculate if the added instrumental suite section were tacked on and most of the pillow talk muted. Improved mix, Linndrum added, etc., pre-Cinderella Theory/Graffiti Bridge. The beneficiary of many small refinements between 1983 and 1986.

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[Edited 6/30/17 16:12pm]

I've always assumed the 'We Can Funk (30 Years)' version is the 86 version but theres no liner notes (unlike the other two volumes).

Can anyone confirm this? Or am I wrong.....

stephaniebrown said:

moradollorar said:

"You see this gold chain around my waist, what are you gonna do" ?

I will admit that I am absolutely terrible with lyrics (it would be quicker for me to make a list of lyrics that I actually got right than list my "misheard" lyrics)...but isn't this one "see this gold chain around my waist--I WANT TO GIVE IT TO YOOOOU"(?)

I listened to it again and I stand corrected lol..! It's so weird how I heard it the other way all those other times, and then when I listened to it again for "I wanna give it to you" then I finally heard that...so funny...!

luvgirl said:

dave1dmarx said:

For the record, I've always heard it as "I'm gonna give it to yooooooou, yeaah!"

This is how I hear it as well. As stephaniebrown said. "See this gold chain around my waist, I wanna give it to yooooooou." [Edited 7/5/17 6:56am]

Thx!

dave1dmarx said:

PRD version...love 86 but the part of the song around the 8 minute mark pushes it ahead.

The 1983 version by a long shot, then

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1986 Version 2 on Testament - Hornz

Version 3 1986

Version 5 1989

Version 1 1986 - Like 2 but quieter

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My least favourite is the GB version, just larded down with overdubs. A good example of Prince taking a classic and turning it into "Just a song".

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The 1983 PR Deluxe version is Gold.

It took me a while to adapt my brain into liking the Deluxe version but now, hands down, it is the best by far. A 10 minute tour de force. Reminds me a bit of his early work with Morris and the 1999 album where long 10 minute jams were musical journeys as opposed to just songs. The music tells the story as much as the lyrics do.

Between the PR Deluxe and GB versions, the PR Deluxe version of WCF is my favourite without question.

EDIT: Among the 3 versions, the PR Deluxe version of WCF is my favourite without question. (2) 86 version (3) GB version

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I have never heard the 1986 version. Feel free to send me an orgnote if you know where I can hear the 86 version.

EDIT: Another orger directed me to the 1986 version. (You know who you are, thank you.) The 86 version is very ahead of its time; it sounds like it's from the 1990s. At the same time, 1986's WCF definitely fits into the Parade era. I like this version better than the GB version, but my favourite is still the PR Deluxe version.

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The Grafitti Bridge version is nothing special. It's all over the place and incohesive. The chorus says: "I'm testing postive for the funk/I'll gladly pee in anybody's cup/And when your cup overflow/I'm testing positive and I'll pee some more." Maybe it's just me, but there is nothing sexy about urine at all. Then in verse 3, Prince starts singing about sex: "You can blow the candle off baby. (candle)/You can turn the candle on/Which ever one you choose is alright/Because we're going to do it all night long." How do you go from talking about pee in a cup to having sex all night long? It just doesn't flow well at all.

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As for "We Can F**k" on PR Deluxe, it is complete sheer purple raunchy brilliance, an absolute masterpiece!!! I say all of this in spite of feeling somewhat conflicted about the sexual content of the song, due to my strong beliefs regarding sex outside of marriage, beliefs that I have mostly lived up to myself. (I only have had 1 sexual partner, and he is my husband, although we did have sex prior to marriage). Prince clearly wasn't married when he made this song, and I wonder if he felt conflicted about the PR Deluxe version of WCF when he made the song.

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We Can F**k is so incredible that I think it outdoes other top-notch Prince songs of a sexual ilk, such as Head, Do Me Baby, Insatiable, and Erotic City. It would not surprise me if the PR Deluxe version of We Can F**k is the greatest recording that Prince never released. In other words, it would not surprise me if the PR Deluxe version of We Can F**k is the greatest Prince recording to come from one of the vaults (Paisley Park, Warner Brothers, or another vault).

[Edited 7/14/17 14:59pm]

dave1dmarx said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

His background ah-ah's after the "see this gold chain around my waste" part are so insane!

Well, THAT certainly paints a different picture than "see this gold chain around my waist"!

The PR Deluxe version is killer and probably my second favorite. However the finger cymbals do get on my nerves after a while. They should have turned them down in the mix.

The original from 86 is best, mostly because of the vocal effect and driving bass.