A little bit of a tricky topic, because we've heard so much now that some of the more well-known ones pale by comparison.

I'm gonna say: If I Had a Harem

You?

Cosmic Day

RJOrion said:

1.Moonbeam Levels 2.Wally

These are two of his best songs in my opinon.

Wally

I have to go with Big Tall Wall as well although I'm sure that there may be others. I've never found this song interesting. Now Wally on the other hand I have to disagree. Susan always was clear in that Prince destroyed the original song so we're not hearing what she spoke so passionately about but rather the second less personal lyrics. That being said I can still sense the pain in his voice and while the lyrics may not be nowhere as deep as they were originally, there is a pain in his voice that comes through. That's what brought me in, that what's always kept me, the emotion in his voice.

BoraBora said:

Cosmic Day

soladeo1 said:

Most Underrated Boot: If It'll Make U Happy

A big on both counts.

Oh, naw! Not Big Tall Wall.

BoraBora said:

Cosmic Day

i just heard this for the first time yesterday...maybe i heard the wrong song, but it sounds like 12 year old girls singing...if that was Cosmic Day, then yes, that song is overrated too... i kept reading commenters praise it, but i was thinking i must have heard the wrong song

Definitely the Caterpillar make. The stitching is awful and the heels disintegrate from the inside after only a few months.

Im so so thank ful to have it..and it is actually a nice song!

However Per Nilsen messed me up for a very long time because I finally got to hear "Love And Sex" by Sheila E. Which he described as an exhilirating track...and in my opinion, it was alright and I see why it was left off the album compared to the other tracks. It just doesnt really..take off, however it is a nice pop tune and kind of cute. Very thankful for hearing it, but Per had me going bonkers in his description.


However THIS IS a guy who said Dance Electric and Sugar Walls were just okay even describing "Sugar Walls" as not one of Prince's best moments, which I defenitley disagree with him.

RJOrion said:

BoraBora said:

Cosmic Day

i just heard this for the first time yesterday...maybe i heard the wrong song, but it sounds like 12 year old girls singing...if that was Cosmic Day, then yes, that song is overrated too... i kept reading commenters praise it, but i was thinking i must have heard the wrong song

Yes, that’s the one, but we’ve only heard a 1 ½ minute section, haven’t we? It’s definitely odd (I generally like odd), but in any case I’ve learnt to reserve judgement until I’ve heard the entire thing – we all know the interesting and unexpected places Prince can take a track.

I know that the OP is talking about studio leaks rather than bootlegs in general, so I’m straying off topic (and I’m probably going to be laughed off the forum for this), but I’ve never understood why “Small Club” was so highly rated. It’s great and I like it a lot, but it doesn’t better a lot of other live material out there for me. I much prefer the Sign O' The Times and Lovesexy rehearsals. Small Club always had a mythical status not unlike some of these studio tracks, and my initial reaction upon hearing it was slight disappointment.

Of the recent studio leaks, Wally definitely suffers from its reputation, but I still think it’s great.

[Edited 7/26/17 13:32pm]

Cosmic Day

It's not even good, much less great. I don't care if I ever hear more than the circulating snippet...

djThunderfunk said:

Cosmic Day

It's not even good, much less great. I don't care if I ever hear more than the circulating snippet...

for real..its so bad that when i first played it, it though i was being trolled...i thought someone sent me a link that said "prince - cosmic day", but attached a different song as a joke/prank...

I've always loved Big Tall Wall . It's out there n fun, the way he meant it . I got more hos than a golf course . Like Cosmic Day 2 .

typo edit

[Edited 7/26/17 15:53pm]

RJOrion said:

djThunderfunk said:

Cosmic Day

It's not even good, much less great. I don't care if I ever hear more than the circulating snippet...

for real..its so bad that when i first played it, it though i was being trolled...i thought someone sent me a link that said "prince - cosmic day", but attached a different song as a joke/prank...

LOL

I like the song I guess, but would like to hear more. Sounds like it is about to go into a rock solo then fades out after the second verse. Maybe it could get more interesting.

I think Per Nilsen was responsible in hyping this track as well in his description, plus the title itself is pretty cool.

fen said:

I know that the OP is talking about studio leaks rather than bootlegs in general, so I’m straying off topic (and I’m probably going to be laughed off the forum for this), but I’ve never understood why “Small Club” was so highly rated. It’s great and I like it a lot, but it doesn’t better a lot of other live material out there for me. I much prefer the Sign O' The Times and Lovesexy rehearsals. Small Club always had a mythical status not unlike some of these studio tracks, and my initial reaction upon hearing it was slight disappointment.

Of the recent studio leaks, Wally definitely suffers from its reputation, but I still think it’s great.

[Edited 7/26/17 13:32pm]

When I clicked on the thread I was thinking "bootlegs", not "bootleg tracks", so, I think it's fair enough.

That said, I won't "laugh" you off the forum but I might "sigh" you off...

Small Club is such a great show. So loose and tight at the same time and fonky as hell. Just My Imagination & People Without stand out, but that Rave Un2 jam is simply superb.

It's not just the setlist and the vibe either. The sound quality is fantastic, not just soundboard, but a well-mixed soundboard. This thing sounds better than most artists' official live releases.

Not to mention, when it came out, there was lots less competition. Most boots didn't sounded nearly as good as this and few had tracklists as interesting. Plus, for me anyway, it was a surprise. I had heard zero hype about it or how good it was. I bought it taking the same risk I did with any bootleg, I might put it on the turntable and find I had spent $75 on a horrible recording that sounded like someone recorded it with a walkman in their pocket.. but no, it was terrific.

In my not-so-humble opinion, of course...

djThunderfunk said:

fen said:

I know that the OP is talking about studio leaks rather than bootlegs in general, so I’m straying off topic (and I’m probably going to be laughed off the forum for this), but I’ve never understood why “Small Club” was so highly rated. It’s great and I like it a lot, but it doesn’t better a lot of other live material out there for me. I much prefer the Sign O' The Times and Lovesexy rehearsals. Small Club always had a mythical status not unlike some of these studio tracks, and my initial reaction upon hearing it was slight disappointment.

Of the recent studio leaks, Wally definitely suffers from its reputation, but I still think it’s great.

[Edited 7/26/17 13:32pm]

When I clicked on the thread I was thinking "bootlegs", not "bootleg tracks", so, I think it's fair enough.

That said, I won't "laugh" you off the forum but I might "sigh" you off...

Small Club is such a great show. So loose and tight at the same time and fonky as hell. Just My Imagination & People Without stand out, but that Rave Un2 jam is simply superb.

It's not just the setlist and the vibe either. The sound quality is fantastic, not just soundboard, but a well-mixed soundboard. This thing sounds better than most artists' official live releases.

Not to mention, when it came out, there was lots less competition. Most boots didn't sounded nearly as good as this and few had tracklists as interesting. Plus, for me anyway, it was a surprise. I had heard zero hype about it or how good it was. I bought it taking the same risk I did with any bootleg, I might put it on the turntable and find I had spent $75 on a horrible recording that sounded like someone recorded it with a walkman in their pocket.. but no, it was terrific.

In my not-so-humble opinion, of course...

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great show, but I tend to prefer Prince at his most intense or face-distortingly funky (not a word, but you know what I mean… Feline or IGBABN/Six territory). Overall, “Small Club” is quite a chilled, laid back show. But I agree, “Rave Un2” is wonderful. What I’m really talking about is the pitfalls of being confronted with long mythologised material, and our ultimate response always depends on our personal tastes and expectations. As a young, relatively new fan I tracked down a copy of The Black Album a few years before it saw an official release, and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.

Regarding your last point, I also started collecting bootlegs in the pre-internet days when you actually had to leave the house and part with significant amounts of cash, so I remember what a lottery it was back then. I was bemoaning the sound quality of Dear Michelangelo when it leaked and had to remind myself of some of the stuff that I happily listened to in the past.

[Edited 7/26/17 17:40pm]

I wouldn't necessarily say "overrated", but I've never jumped about the train of fawning for these, though I like them well enough:

"In a Large Room With No Light"
"All My Dreams"
"Splash"
"Go"
"Big Tall Wall"
"Rebirth of the Flesh"
"The Dopamine Rush Suite"

All good songs, but nowhere near the top of the shelf, IMO.

Moonbeam said:

I wouldn't necessarily say "overrated", but I've never jumped about the train of fawning for these, though I like them well enough:

"In a Large Room With No Light"
"All My Dreams"
"Splash"
"Go"
"Big Tall Wall"
"Rebirth of the Flesh"
"The Dopamine Rush Suite"

All good songs, but nowhere near the top of the shelf, IMO.

Rebirth of the Flesh was my first grail track before I even recognized it as such. When I first found it in great quality, I was soooo happy.

sulls said:

Moonbeam said:

I wouldn't necessarily say "overrated", but I've never jumped about the train of fawning for these, though I like them well enough:

"In a Large Room With No Light"
"All My Dreams"
"Splash"
"Go"
"Big Tall Wall"
"Rebirth of the Flesh"
"The Dopamine Rush Suite"

All good songs, but nowhere near the top of the shelf, IMO.

Rebirth of the Flesh was my first grail track before I even recognized it as such. When I first found it in great quality, I was soooo happy.

I like it! But it's about a 7.5 for me, not a 10. Then again, I have songs like "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" and "3 Chains of Gold" as contenders for my top 10 Prince songs, so what do I know.

soladeo1 said:

Most Underrated Boot: If It'll Make U Happy

Most Underrated: "Schoolyard"

the elitists can keep their unedited perfect copy of Cosmic Day..