scififilmnerd said:

TheEnglishGent said:

JorisE73 said:

To be fair it seems he only shits on the people that shit on him first.
But I get where he's coming from, he just wants untinkered with songs from the vault like any of us, the only difference is is that he knows which versions are tinkered with and we don't.
See my post above about Manic Monday, that one just sounds like they put the wrong backing vocals on his demo.

The only problem I have is how does he know there aren't alternate takes, or what he has is the definitive version that Prince intended it to be? I respect Neversin's posts when he makes them because he is definitely knowledgable but as a wise man once said, with great knowledge comes great responsibility, or something like that. With that knowledge it would be nice if there could be more elaboration. So instead of saying X is shit, should have been Y. Say X is shit, person Z who was Prince's engineer at the time told me Y was the intended version, or whatever.

I don;t think it's about aletrnate takes, but about that tracks that were recorded for the finished version by the other artist were added to Prince's (finished) demo of the song and that makes it some hybrid thing that was never intended to be, like mixing the vocals of Extra Lovable 1982 with the music of the 2011 version and than saying that's the original version.

Kares said:

olb99 said:

Kares, Neversin, and others: do we know what happened with the new mixes? Did they take the multitracks and made stereo mixes without trying to recreate the existing mixes that Prince and the engineers made at the time? Or is it worse than that? It certainly is with "Nothing Compares 2 U", where they took a stereo cassette tape and added elements from the multitracks. What happened with Jill Jones background vocals on "Baby You're A Trip", for example? Did they just decide not to mute Jill Jones' tracks on the multitrack? Or did they use several sources?

.
I don't claim to know for sure – I can only talk about what I hear. Based on the quality and sonic characteristics of the material I am sure 14 songs came from genuine vault tapes, and this is a first since Prince passed. (NC2U is another matter but we've discussed that many times before.)
.
I'm also sure that at least some of these 14 songs (but perhaps all of them) have been newly mixed from the multitracks – this is most obvious in the case of Manic Monday, not only because of the background vocals, but because of fairly modern sound of the entire mix.

I don't think they've used different sources for these mixes, but it is likely that they've included tracks (parts) of some songs for the mix that weren't taped during the same session, simply because they are on the same tape – as it's the case with Jill Jones's vocals on BYAT, for example.
.

.

Thanks for your answer. So one of the remaining questions is: did they do it on purpose (bad) or because they didn't know better, as suggested by Neversin (worse)?

.

As mentioned by Databank, it will be interesting to see whether any technical details of what they actually did will be included in the booklet / liner notes. I'm really not holding my breath.

[Edited 6/7/19 6:25am]

The overall fidelity of the album hardly suggests vault tapes, FFS...

And could the edit on Jungle Love right near the end be anymore obvious...

However, I'm really enjoying listening to it all.

JorisE73 said:

TheEnglishGent said:

The only problem I have is how does he know there aren't alternate takes, or what he has is the definitive version that Prince intended it to be? I respect Neversin's posts when he makes them because he is definitely knowledgable but as a wise man once said, with great knowledge comes great responsibility, or something like that. With that knowledge it would be nice if there could be more elaboration. So instead of saying X is shit, should have been Y. Say X is shit, person Z who was Prince's engineer at the time told me Y was the intended version, or whatever.

I don;t think it's about aletrnate takes, but about that tracks that were recorded for the finished version by the other artist were added to Prince's (finished) demo of the song and that makes it some hybrid thing that was never intended to be, like mixing the vocals of Extra Lovable 1982 with the music of the 2011 version and than saying that's the original version.

.

If they're mixing tracks from the same multitrack tape, which were recorded during different sessions, it's not as bad as mixing completely different versions of the song. It's still bad, because they're creating new mixdowns that didn't exist before. But not as bad. I guess. It's still frustrating, though. Especially if they're not transparent about it.

.

Damn. I'm enjoying the music, but the (software) engineer that I am is starting to be pissed off.

TheEnglishGent said:

Neversin said:

It would have been nice if they could have actually put Prince's "Original" solo demos on there instead of some of these "Frankenstein" versions ("Manic Monday" (Brenda and Jill background vox), "Holly Rock" (suffers the most of it, too much to list), "Baby, You're A Trip" (Jill's background vox), "Dear Michaelangelo" (Eddie M. instead of original synth lines from the demo), "Nothing Compares 2 U" (already discussed...)

A shitty release that still gives bootleggers a chance to profit off of the real demo versions when some potential backstabber tries to sell these to them... Sad that this is what we have to look forward to for the rest of our "Prince fan" days...
The less said about this crap the sooner it'll fade away...

Neversin.

For the 99.9999% of the rest of us though, we have no comparison to make, so can only judge it on the merits of what is presented to us. And coming from that point of view, I love this release and am very happy with it. We're never going to get access to everything and are at the mercy of what the estate choose to release to us and it's days like today that I'm happy to be able to revel in my blissful ignorance of what might have been and just lay back and listen to Prince singing some songs to me.

Well, we're also (I guess) at the mercy of anyone who has a recording and doesn't make it accessible (and I know, they have "reasons" for not doing it--well, the people with the legal authority to release things have "reasons" for the choices they make, too.) And yes, obviously there were points in the recording process that didn't have elements that appear on these (now) released versions. But anything circulating among collectors is just a snapshot of an evolving process, too. Those weren't finished versions, but they also aren't like individual takes that have some special integrity as the kernel of what then grew into a full song--you can't say this recording of Prince on drums and guitar and bass and keys and 4 vocal lines is somehow a "single take" like the first acoustic guitar and vocal run through of I Am the Walrus or any of the full-band run throughs--but this version that includes this sax by someone else is a different "take"--no, it's still part of realizing the same work. Everything has a Frankenstein quality to it. I understand the idea that people who were not Prince made the selection of which tracks to use in these releases--but the only choices Prince made were to record and not erase the tracks... and then, if along the way he had an engineer make a cassette of the work-in-progres... which means that those cassette things are the closest thing to the real thing that there is. Everything else (for something he didn't "finish") is even less legitimately Prince-chosen. So source them from the cassette (or, I guess, try to re-produce the cassette from the multi-tracks, but that's still an arbitrary and Frankenstein-y thing to do).

What exactly do people want the Vault-releases to be? The songs very rarely will exist in some form that we can say Prince would have released this... and there aren't "take one" or "most complete take before overdubs" or even "every single take recorded between Jan 1991-June 1991"--the sort of thing many archive-release programs try to do.

Sure, document in detail what the choices were. Make it clear on every forum available what the people making these releases did... if you have other material, make it available so people can understand. But just complaining that "they're not doing it right"? What exactly do you really want?

I know what I want. Things to have gone different three years ago, and for Prince to have overseen or at least laid some guidelines for a program of releases. That didn't happen. What I want after that is difficult to say. But whatever is done won't be "the real thing," so what guidelines do the Vaultkeepers need to follow?

There's also no way that Prince would have let the random guitar noodling in the intro, verses and first chorus on 100 MPH be even on a rough mixdown, considering how aware he was of only having the necessary musical elements which didn't get in the way of the song or the vocal.

olb99 said:

Kares said:

.
I don't claim to know for sure – I can only talk about what I hear. Based on the quality and sonic characteristics of the material I am sure 14 songs came from genuine vault tapes, and this is a first since Prince passed. (NC2U is another matter but we've discussed that many times before.)
.
I'm also sure that at least some of these 14 songs (but perhaps all of them) have been newly mixed from the multitracks – this is most obvious in the case of Manic Monday, not only because of the background vocals, but because of fairly modern sound of the entire mix.

I don't think they've used different sources for these mixes, but it is likely that they've included tracks (parts) of some songs for the mix that weren't taped during the same session, simply because they are on the same tape – as it's the case with Jill Jones's vocals on BYAT, for example.
.

.

Thanks for your answer. So one of the remaining questions is: did they do it on purpose (bad) or because they didn't know better, as suggested by Neversin (worse)?

.
I assume it was done on purpose to make the songs sound more finished/polished for the masses who don't care about historical accuracy. It not something I would've done but perhaps I can accept it AS LONG AS it's clearly explained in the liner notes, without making false claims that these are exactly the mixes Prince left behind. We'll see if they have the decency to be open about all these things, I guess.
.
I definitely would've chosen to release the full (unedited) mixdown tapes Prince made/approved, even if they were produced from multitracks that contain additional parts – but some songs have more than one mixdown tapes, and there could be not just different mixes of songs, but different length versions too, so it is possible that in some cases Prince's 2-track master is actually shorter than the version he later gave to another artist. A song might go on for 12 minutes on the multitrack, but it still could have been edited and mixed down to a 3-minute length. And maybe a year later the same multitrack was used again to add a new vocal and create a 7-minute version. So in a lot of cases it is almost impossible for us to tell whether something is released in a shorter form because Howe decided to cut it short or because he's found a mixdown tape Prince made that happens to be a shorter version than what we knew before.
.

jjam said:

No, it's Prince arseing around on the guitar. He would have listened back to that and thought "Sod that" and muted the part.

Prince wasn't in the habit of including parts on records that didn't serve a purpose to the song.

Lots of reading to catch up on here since I crashed last night. I'm listening to the set while I catch up but I'm only up to Holly Rock so will wait on my thoughts about the release.

In the meantime, I agree with just about everyone here to some extent... call me conflicted.

I can't thank neversin & others that have access to uncirculating tapes enough for their insight and I second databank's calls for transparency. That said, as long as those tapes aren't being shared with me, I'm not gonna snub this set too much. For those of us that don't have something better (or more authentic) this is the all we have for now. Perhaps if more of us had access to the uncirculating tapes there would be more consensus here. In the meantime, I suppose most of us without elite access will just have to settle for this, good and bad.

It would be nice if we could debate these details without attacking one another and show some respect for differing opinions and especially to those whose knowledge has been proven again and again. But this is the org so why should I expect that? LOL!!

Neversin said:

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

Sounds lilke you already have more than enough to enjoy in your vast collection ...so...shut up already!

Don't worry, you won't hear me ever again about these releases, outtakes or whatever...
You lot are just not worth it and deserve the garbage you get and praise....
Obviously people here just don't care about his legacy, the history and accurate representation of his recordings... So be it...

Neversin.

oh Jesus!! Yes we get your input is valuable. Mate I have been collecting / buying bootleg cassettes from Holland since they 1st became available & then from the UK in real time. Therefore I have a huge collection. Each track on here will have multiple versions in the vault, the estate [who I am no fan off!] have done their best & it gives the masses a taste of his talent. Look at the marketing campaign & reviews - the masses [who pay the bills btw!] are in awe of this release - do they give a damn about the guitar intro on 100MPH or the having a single vocal version of NCP2U?!

My advice is to enjoy your collection, i'll enjoy mine BUT please please let everyone else enjoy this one.

not sure i love the mastering but at least i didn't have to remaster it again myself like pr deluxe .. its decent enough as is

prince often told others to make a basic mix for his review .. this does not mean it was his personal final mix .. for example .. the sheila e version of glamourous life is the version prince was happy with and finished with .. nothing else was even neccessarily mixed by prince ..

many of the vocals sound like quick scratch vocals .. not a final vocal take for release .. my guess is that prince laid down ideas all the time and if he wasn't thrilled with the result it became a song he might let someone else have a crack at

prince has many songs where others took lead in the final vocal .. so any guesses to prince intent are pointless because his intent is clear .. none of these were good enough for release as is

the notion that a huge corporate music company is NOT going to screw up the sound is laughable .. too much money .. too much modern processing pressure to put out a comercial modern sounding record .. dirty mind is loved not just for the songs but the rawness of the mix and production .. if dirty mind came out today it wouldn't sound like that .. they would try to fatten everything up and fill out the sound more to make it match modern music .. protest all you want but decades of music have been ruined by modern mastering .. not just prince but ALL MUSIC out there .. with crap like kendrik lamar popular its not gonna change soon

bob dylan and neil young seem to have the ear still .. nice archival releases .. but those are rockers with rockers in camp .. pop industry are notoriously deaf to tone and taste .. prince is unique as a pop artist with actual talent who managed to stay in the pop market .. even so .. nothing after the first wb run "sounded" good .. maybe a couple good songs in there but the "sound" was pretty horrible .. albums like emancipation gold and 3121 are so stupidly produced it makes it hard to enjoy the albums at all ..

so now u have a bunch of non musicians trying to sort out what will work and sell

good luck getting some strait unaltered demo .. everyone bitching that pr deluxe and p+m came from cassettes and sound bad .. but those are the closest you are gonna get to unaltered versions of these songs ..

originals is a fun release for what it is .. i think the best way to take what neversin says seriously is for neversin to post the original demos so we can hear how far off these new releases are .. then we can decide for ourselves if what we are getting is worth boycotting

personally i would prefer the unaltered cassettes that prince made for reference but most people will complain about sound quality and prefer something strait from the multitracks .. it is clear that masters of many of these demos only exist on cassette and they needed to do a fresh mix from multi trax to get prince vocals mixed with everything else

another thought is that prince supposedly has numerous completely finished and mastered albums in the vault in perfect condition .. maybe there is a bigger plan for those releases and they are just getting the odds and ends riff raff out now .. while they sort out the legalities .. they are looking for songs that connect with the general public and draw them into the prince world again for future sales of lesser known unreleased songs .. they likely feel that the cassette demos are not quite good enough quality to draw in the public so fixen em up like this is their best chance at public consumption .. that doesnt make it right in terms of legacy but with all the bitching about sources from cassettes can u blame them for trying to fix these up?

stand out trax for me are 'you're my love' and 'neon rendezvous' .. the rest are a bit familiar for my excitement but i am sure they will grow on me once i get used to prince singing .. it is clear the urgency of a final prince vocal is not on these tracks .. these are quick guide vocals at best .. as is i don't think these songs would have been the hits they became from other singers performing them .. i feel the same about the family demos .. for some reason pauls vocals sound more alive than prince guide vocals .. my guess is prince felt the same and is why these versions remained in the vault

its a tough release because obviously there are other songs in the vault that prince intended to be the main vocal on and are finished as such and sound a bit more lively rather than the quick basic runthrough presented here .. i am thankful to have a bunch of versions i have never heard before

dustoff said:

BartVanHemelen said:

.

One of the recent Michael Howe interviews suggests Jay-Z wanted this track.

Even so, the inclusion of "Jungle Love" strikes me as an utterly uncontroversial choice for this comp.

yeah well Kiss was put on Parade.....

Final word from me - please don't get hung up on what version should / shouldn't been included - that's an impossible task for anyone - we are an audience that is rarely satisfied!!!

Enjoy this for what it is - Michael Howe's interviews have given me much hope for the future so enjoy this & enjoy the talent of a total & utter genius!

I just listened to 'Originals'. Not impressed.

AvocadosMax said:

Can’t wait for Originals Volume 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 to make my own ‘originals’ playlist: Ultimate Originals lol

same here i like this release, but it simply isn't enough. if they release a few albums each
year, it's all good. but if they still plan on releasing only one of these kinda things each 12 or
even 18 months, then: no please no.

i wish we would already be at the point of a website subscription service for hardcore fans or
the point where this would be the major public version and we could buy one with more songs
and unedited versions etc.

but for what it is, it's ok. just hurry up with more volumes

Hmm, how can I explain this; I love the groove on Sex Shooter. However, the driving force has always been that crash drum right after "I'm a Sex Shooter" *CRAAASH* "Shooting love in your direction" .
On this version it sounds so thin and weak in comparison.

And unlike you guys, my problem isn't the sound quality on "Wouldn't You Love To Love Me". It's the Dirty Mind version that I don't like. I want that damn 1986-1987 version!

Jungle Love is my favourite on here.

TrevorAyer said:

not sure i love the mastering but at least i didn't have to remaster it again myself like pr deluxe .. its decent enough as is

prince often told others to make a basic mix for his review .. this does not mean it was his personal final mix .. for example .. the sheila e version of glamourous life is the version prince was happy with and finished with .. nothing else was even neccessarily mixed by prince ..

many of the vocals sound like quick scratch vocals .. not a final vocal take for release .. my guess is that prince laid down ideas all the time and if he wasn't thrilled with the result it became a song he might let someone else have a crack at

prince has many songs where others took lead in the final vocal .. so any guesses to prince intent are pointless because his intent is clear .. none of these were good enough for release as is

the notion that a huge corporate music company is NOT going to screw up the sound is laughable .. too much money .. too much modern processing pressure to put out a comercial modern sounding record .. dirty mind is loved not just for the songs but the rawness of the mix and production .. if dirty mind came out today it wouldn't sound like that .. they would try to fatten everything up and fill out the sound more to make it match modern music .. protest all you want but decades of music have been ruined by modern mastering .. not just prince but ALL MUSIC out there .. with crap like kendrik lamar popular its not gonna change soon

bob dylan and neil young seem to have the ear still .. nice archival releases .. but those are rockers with rockers in camp .. pop industry are notoriously deaf to tone and taste .. prince is unique as a pop artist with actual talent who managed to stay in the pop market .. even so .. nothing after the first wb run "sounded" good .. maybe a couple good songs in there but the "sound" was pretty horrible .. albums like emancipation gold and 3121 are so stupidly produced it makes it hard to enjoy the albums at all ..

so now u have a bunch of non musicians trying to sort out what will work and sell

good luck getting some strait unaltered demo .. everyone bitching that pr deluxe and p+m came from cassettes and sound bad .. but those are the closest you are gonna get to unaltered versions of these songs ..

originals is a fun release for what it is .. i think the best way to take what neversin says seriously is for neversin to post the original demos so we can hear how far off these new releases are .. then we can decide for ourselves if what we are getting is worth boycotting

personally i would prefer the unaltered cassettes that prince made for reference but most people will complain about sound quality and prefer something strait from the multitracks .. it is clear that masters of many of these demos only exist on cassette and they needed to do a fresh mix from multi trax to get prince vocals mixed with everything else

another thought is that prince supposedly has numerous completely finished and mastered albums in the vault in perfect condition .. maybe there is a bigger plan for those releases and they are just getting the odds and ends riff raff out now .. while they sort out the legalities .. they are looking for songs that connect with the general public and draw them into the prince world again for future sales of lesser known unreleased songs .. they likely feel that the cassette demos are not quite good enough quality to draw in the public so fixen em up like this is their best chance at public consumption .. that doesnt make it right in terms of legacy but with all the bitching about sources from cassettes can u blame them for trying to fix these up?

stand out trax for me are 'you're my love' and 'neon rendezvous' .. the rest are a bit familiar for my excitement but i am sure they will grow on me once i get used to prince singing .. it is clear the urgency of a final prince vocal is not on these tracks .. these are quick guide vocals at best .. as is i don't think these songs would have been the hits they became from other singers performing them .. i feel the same about the family demos .. for some reason pauls vocals sound more alive than prince guide vocals .. my guess is prince felt the same and is why these versions remained in the vault

its a tough release because obviously there are other songs in the vault that prince intended to be the main vocal on and are finished as such and sound a bit more lively rather than the quick basic runthrough presented here .. i am thankful to have a bunch of versions i have never heard before

Except for Baby You're a Trip of course, he belts that shit out.

My intial thought is, "YES!" I woke up early and gave it a proper 'spin' in headphones and it brought many smiles, funk faces, and a couple moments of dancing around the kitchen while making breakfast.

Sex Shooter - Totally fun to hear him singing this. "No girl's body can compete with mine..." I know it was meant from a female's perspective, but it's still amusing to hear him say such things.

Jungle Love - This brought the first smile. You can hear how much fun he was having while recording it. Some giggles here and there, reminding me of him and Morris goofing off in Tricky. His vocal has a more of a James Brown flavor than Morris.

Manic Monday - I love the mix on this! The acoustic guitar flourishes are wonderful, as well as the background vocals. Prince's vocal is not what I was expecting, but it's really cool. He sounds a bit sleepy, which sort of fits with the protagonist just waking up.

Noon Rendezvous - LOVE THIS. There's a certain cinematic quality to this. Maybe it's the arrangement. I can close my eyes and see a love scene. I only ever liked the fan favorite rehearsal version of this, but this version gave me a new appreciation for the studio version.

Make Up - Bizarre, but in the best way possible. Experimental, fun, and a total genderfuck moment hearing his male voice express these female desires and perspectives.

100 MPH - One of my favorite grooves of his. It was slightly jarring to hear this unknown version. I didn't want to like it because I'm used to the one we all know already. And as someone mentioned before, the vocal sounds a little muddy, but I can't figure out of it's a vocal effect during the recording process or if it's poor tape quality or what. I don't really understand why all of the musical elements would all sound fine on a tape, and not the vocal, but I don't know a lot about the recording process.

You're My Love - SHOWSTOPPER GOBSMACK MOMENT. I love hearing him crooning like this in that lower register. It's not one of the best or most interesting things he ever wrote, but then he goes and sells it like that with the vocal! Wow. It's like he's giving you a little James Ingram, a little Peabo Bryson, and touch of Al Jarreau.

Holly Rock - Total jam. He sounds like he's having a blast. I love the little teeth-sucking sounds he makes before the refrain. So much attitude. "Who gon' fuck with that?" That breakdown towards the end is killer, too. "My Toy Box! I'm not bullshittin'!"

Baby You're A Trip - Another favorite outtake, and so tremendous hearing it sound like this. One of the best vocals he's ever done. That coda at the end is such a moment. It's cool to hear him and Jill singing it, though if I had a choice, I would rather it just be Prince. His vocal layering is just the best.

The Glamorous Life - Pleasant enough. Is that him whistling the lead line somewhere in the mix? Definitely cool to have, but Sheila elevated it for sure.

Gigolos Get Lonely Too - An R&B classic as far as I'm concerned. There really wasn't a way this version wasn't going to be better than The Time's. It just has too much Prince swag for that not to happen. Though if he kept it for himself, I would imagine he would have gone over the top with the vocal...ya know, with the Prince howls and such. He keeps it pretty tasteful here. I love the scatting during the solo, too.

Love... Thy Will Be Done - A top song for me in his catalogue. It's amazing to hear it in this quality, especially the 'choir' moments at the end. It definitely does sound out of place on this compilation, and they perhaps should have waited, and put it with songs from a similar era, but I'm still glad to have it. Martika's version is still my favorite though.

Dear Michaelangelo - Always a favorite of mine. Such a quirky and interesting song. I was disappointed to not hear the intro from Sheila's version. The opening keyboard chords, and slow-unravel of the first verse into the first chorus is my absolute favorite part of the song, and it's not on this version. But I still love it. It will just take some getting used to.

Wouldn't You Love To Love Me - FUCK! You know I never really cared for this song, and often wondered what he saw in it to keep pulling it out over the years. But this version is THE SHIT. Yes, the quality isn't the best, but it's so good it doesn't really matter. It makes me want an 80s pop/rock Prince album with songs like this, Do Yourself A Favor, Yah U Know, etc. I wonder if he ever considered it for Controversy?

Nothing Compares 2 U - I like this version. It's fitting and necessary on this compilation. It is one of those songs I've maybe heard too much though, and I'm not sure this version is the best one out there. But it's definitely important to have.

I'm very happy with the content and quality of the sound on this release, and it's just a great listen PERIOD. No it isn't perfect, and we all have our favorites that we would have liked to see represented here instead of (fill in the blank), but it's such a step up from the other posthumous releases. I would welcome more volumes of this type of compilation without a doubt, and hopefully not only one per year. Just keep that vault door open damn it!

TheEnglishGent said:

IstenSzek said:

i like it

favorites: noon rendezvous, make-up, dear michaelangelo.

it doesn't feel like an album, it feels like a compilation, which is what it is anyway.
the real excitement i think, for me, will come once we get actual albums he made
and filed away, so a completed project with unknown songs from start to end.

but for what it is, i like this release, it's nice and there's a bunch of great tracks
on this. and like always, with every prince release, i will probably come to really
enjoy even the ones i don't like now, in future.

I.m really not feeling Make Up. It's odd and doesn't even really do anything interesting.

to me the prince version sounds like something that might have fit on "controversy",
between "let's work" and "annie christian"

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Wouldn't You Love To Love Me - FUCK! You know I never really cared for this song, and often wondered what he saw in it to keep pulling it out over the years. But this version is THE SHIT. Yes, the quality isn't the best, but it's so good it doesn't really matter. It makes me want an 80s pop/rock Prince album with songs like this, Do Yourself A Favor, Yah U Know, etc. I wonder if he ever considered it for Controversy?

yup, i agree with that. never really cared for the song either. but this version came as such a good
and pleasant surprise at the end of this compilation.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

My intial thought is, "YES!" I woke up early and gave it a proper 'spin' in headphones and it brought many smiles, funk faces, and a couple moments of dancing around the kitchen while making breakfast.

Sex Shooter - Totally fun to hear him singing this. "No girl's body can compete with mine..." I know it was meant from a female's perspective, but it's still amusing to hear him say such things.

Jungle Love - This brought the first smile. You can hear how much fun he was having while recording it. Some giggles here and there, reminding me of him and Morris goofing off in Tricky. His vocal has a more of a James Brown flavor than Morris.

Manic Monday - I love the mix on this! The acoustic guitar flourishes are wonderful, as well as the background vocals. Prince's vocal is not what I was expecting, but it's really cool. He sounds a bit sleepy, which sort of fits with the protagonist just waking up.

Noon Rendezvous - LOVE THIS. There's a certain cinematic quality to this. Maybe it's the arrangement. I can close my eyes and see a love scene. I only ever liked the fan favorite rehearsal version of this, but this version gave me a new appreciation for the studio version.

Make Up - Bizarre, but in the best way possible. Experimental, fun, and a total genderfuck moment hearing his male voice express these female desires and perspectives.

100 MPH - One of my favorite grooves of his. It was slightly jarring to hear this unknown version. I didn't want to like it because I'm used to the one we all know already. And as someone mentioned before, the vocal sounds a little muddy, but I can't figure out of it's a vocal effect during the recording process or if it's poor tape quality or what. I don't really understand why all of the musical elements would all sound fine on a tape, and not the vocal, but I don't know a lot about the recording process.

You're My Love - SHOWSTOPPER GOBSMACK MOMENT. I love hearing him crooning like this in that lower register. It's not one of the best or most interesting things he ever wrote, but then he goes and sells it like that with the vocal! Wow. It's like he's giving you a little James Ingram, a little Peabo Bryson, and touch of Al Jarreau.

Holly Rock - Total jam. He sounds like he's having a blast. I love the little teeth-sucking sounds he makes before the refrain. So much attitude. "Who gon' fuck with that?" That breakdown towards the end is killer, too. "My Toy Box! I'm not bullshittin'!"

Baby You're A Trip - Another favorite outtake, and so tremendous hearing it sound like this. One of the best vocals he's ever done. That coda at the end is such a moment. It's cool to hear him and Jill singing it, though if I had a choice, I would rather it just be Prince. His vocal layering is just the best.

The Glamorous Life - Pleasant enough. Is that him whistling the lead line somewhere in the mix? Definitely cool to have, but Sheila elevated it for sure.

Gigolos Get Lonely Too - An R&B classic as far as I'm concerned. There really wasn't a way this version wasn't going to be better than The Time's. It just has too much Prince swag for that not to happen. Though if he kept it for himself, I would imagine he would have gone over the top with the vocal...ya know, with the Prince howls and such. He keeps it pretty tasteful here. I love the scatting during the solo, too.

Love... Thy Will Be Done - A top song for me in his catalogue. It's amazing to hear it in this quality, especially the 'choir' moments at the end. It definitely does sound out of place on this compilation, and they perhaps should have waited, and put it with songs from a similar era, but I'm still glad to have it. Martika's version is still my favorite though.

Dear Michaelangelo - Always a favorite of mine. Such a quirky and interesting song. I was disappointed to not hear the intro from Sheila's version. The opening keyboard chords, and slow-unravel of the first verse into the first chorus is my absolute favorite part of the song, and it's not on this version. But I still love it. It will just take some getting used to.

Wouldn't You Love To Love Me - FUCK! You know I never really cared for this song, and often wondered what he saw in it to keep pulling it out over the years. But this version is THE SHIT. Yes, the quality isn't the best, but it's so good it doesn't really matter. It makes me want an 80s pop/rock Prince album with songs like this, Do Yourself A Favor, Yah U Know, etc. I wonder if he ever considered it for Controversy?

Nothing Compares 2 U - I like this version. It's fitting and necessary on this compilation. It is one of those songs I've maybe heard too much though, and I'm not sure this version is the best one out there. But it's definitely important to have.

I'm very happy with the content and quality of the sound on this release, and it's just a great listen PERIOD. No it isn't perfect, and we all have our favorites that we would have liked to see represented here instead of (fill in the blank), but it's such a step up from the other posthumous releases. I would welcome more volumes of this type of compilation without a doubt, and hopefully not only one per year. Just keep that vault door open damn it!

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

AvocadosMax said:

I like Prince’s vocals on Glamorous Life; you can tell he believes in the song and has Sheila E in mind

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Except he didn't originally: http://princevault.com/in...orous_Life

I haven't had time to listen to the entire album yet, but I skimmed through each song last night out of excitement, and I am loving this release It's always exciting to enjoy new recordings after months of waiting around for something, flaws and all.