VaultCurator said:

I imagine that it wouldn't have changed any further in 1989. I may be wrong, but Susan did state in her interview that Prince rarely went back to remix a song with a few notable exceptions. And he'd already done additional work to it in 1983 so I imagine it was left as intended.

Furthermore, had he of made updates they probably would have surfaced on the '4ever' album as I'm sure Warner would have wanted to release the most complete version of the song. Having said that, they did release the earliest known version of 'We can funk' on Purple Rain Deluxe, so they're not opposed to releasing older versions of songs if there is fan interest, so maybe?

I don't think that's the oldest version of We Can Funk on PRD. I have a version that sounds significantly older. Almost like a different recording altogther.

lurker316 said:

VaultCurator said:

I don't think that's the oldest version of We Can Funk on PRD. I have a version that sounds significantly older. Almost like a different recording altogther.

How long is it?

lurker316 said:

VaultCurator said:

I don't think that's the oldest version of We Can Funk on PRD. I have a version that sounds significantly older. Almost like a different recording altogther.

Really?
I think We Can Fuck is the oldest version before it became We Can Funk.

VaultCurator said:

JorisE73 said:

Even tho it was released on 4Ever I still think it should be on a 1999 Deluxe.
Teh version on 4Ever fades out to soon and misses the end piano piece so they can put that full unreleased version on a 1999 Deluxe.

.
Hi Joris.

.

OK, so I have the song 'Moonbeam Levels' on the original 'The Work' box set, the updated 'Work It 2.0' set and lastly on BFTP 4.

.

I've just compared these three versions to the official release and the very most I could make out was about 3 notes. Maybe 2 seconds of additional fade at the most. I’m assuming you’re not referring to that, so is there a longer version I am unaware of? May I ask how you came by the song? Note, I’m not asking for a link or anything. Just some indication of what it was released on so I can check it out for myself. Thanks.

I downloaded it years ago from someone on the Royal Hub, I don;t know if it ever was released on a bootleg.

VaultCurator said:

JorisE73 said:

Even tho it was released on 4Ever I still think it should be on a 1999 Deluxe.
Teh version on 4Ever fades out to soon and misses the end piano piece so they can put that full unreleased version on a 1999 Deluxe.

.
Hi Joris.

.

OK, so I have the song 'Moonbeam Levels' on the original 'The Work' box set, the updated 'Work It 2.0' set and lastly on BFTP 4.

.

I've just compared these three versions to the official release and the very most I could make out was about 3 notes. Maybe 2 seconds of additional fade at the most. I’m assuming you’re not referring to that, so is there a longer version I am unaware of? May I ask how you came by the song? Note, I’m not asking for a link or anything. Just some indication of what it was released on so I can check it out for myself. Thanks.

You can find this version on the bootleg “A Better Place 2 Die”.

lurker316 said:

VaultCurator said:

I don't think that's the oldest version of We Can Funk on PRD. I have a version that sounds significantly older. Almost like a different recording altogther.

Hi Lurker,

It sounds like you're referring to one of the version recorded at Washington Avenue Warehouse from 1986. Does Prince count in "Two... Three..." before the track starts?

A brief history of 'We Can Funk'...

We Can Funk #1 (AKA. 'We Can Fuck') (1983-1984):
So the earliest known version is 'We Can Fuck' which was recorded and mixed on 31 December 1983 & 1 January 1984 at Sunset Sound. It's basically the same recording that later surfaced on Graffiti Bridge after additional mixing. This is the version on PRD.

We Can Funk #2, #3 & #4 (1986):
In June 1986 Prince recorded 3 tracks played live in quick succession (I believe with The Revolution? I may be wrong). The three songs were 'Girl of my Dreams', 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got', 'We Can Funk'. Since they recorded this sequence twice this accounts for We Can Funk #2 and #3

Prince would later take the music from one of these versions and record a clearer vocal line at Paisley Park. This is known as We Can Funk #4

We Can Funk #5 onwards... (1989? / 1990?):
When Prince came to work on Graffiti Bridge he took the original 'We Can Fuck' recording, changed the lyric and did some reworking to the track. The first couple of versions featured Prince on his own, and a few later versions featured George Clinton to various degrees. On some versions George sung during the second verse and some versions just contained his ab libs between verses. These mixes vary in length and include many different endings, probably because Prince was experimenting on how to segue the track into Joy In Repetition.

JorisE73 said:

VaultCurator said:

.
Hi Joris.

.

OK, so I have the song 'Moonbeam Levels' on the original 'The Work' box set, the updated 'Work It 2.0' set and lastly on BFTP 4.

.

I've just compared these three versions to the official release and the very most I could make out was about 3 notes. Maybe 2 seconds of additional fade at the most. I’m assuming you’re not referring to that, so is there a longer version I am unaware of? May I ask how you came by the song? Note, I’m not asking for a link or anything. Just some indication of what it was released on so I can check it out for myself. Thanks.

I downloaded it years ago from someone on the Royal Hub, I don;t know if it ever was released on a bootleg.

.

"Free" would have been the only track worth swapping out from 82-88, otherwise he probably missed his opening... other than dumping it on the Batman soundtrack, which might've been second best option actually, even the completely unimpressed might find it refreshing amidst that whole context... He could say it was performed by Alfred.

[Edited 7/10/19 4:05am]

Not a fan of this song at all - played it a few times, tried to like it, failed.

''Variety is the spice of life'' as they say ...

Ugot2shakesumthin said:

luv2tha99s said:

luv2tha99s said:

Ugot2shakesumthin said:

luv2tha99s said:

Meanwhile, EVERYBODY is clamoring for a re-release of SHAKE lol.

Shake? The Graffiti Bridge song? Are you commenting on my username? It’s an unreleased track from The Flesh sessions. Nice attempt at trolling though

Oh snap. Wait until he learns there is also a "Get Off" completely distinct from "Gett Off."

VaultCurator said:

lurker316 said:

I don't think that's the oldest version of We Can Funk on PRD. I have a version that sounds significantly older. Almost like a different recording altogther.

Hi Lurker,

It sounds like you're referring to one of the version recorded at Washington Avenue Warehouse from 1986. Does Prince count in "Two... Three..." before the track starts?

A brief history of 'We Can Funk'...

We Can Funk #1 (AKA. 'We Can Fuck') (1983-1984):
So the earliest known version is 'We Can Fuck' which was recorded and mixed on 31 December 1983 & 1 January 1984 at Sunset Sound. It's basically the same recording that later surfaced on Graffiti Bridge after additional mixing. This is the version on PRD.

We Can Funk #2, #3 & #4 (1986):
In June 1986 Prince recorded 3 tracks played live in quick succession (I believe with The Revolution? I may be wrong). The three songs were 'Girl of my Dreams', 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got', 'We Can Funk'. Since they recorded this sequence twice this accounts for We Can Funk #2 and #3

Prince would later take the music from one of these versions and record a clearer vocal line at Paisley Park. This is known as We Can Funk #4

We Can Funk #5 onwards... (1989? / 1990?):
When Prince came to work on Graffiti Bridge he took the original 'We Can Fuck' recording, changed the lyric and did some reworking to the track. The first couple of versions featured Prince on his own, and a few later versions featured George Clinton to various degrees. On some versions George sung during the second verse and some versions just contained his ab libs between verses. These mixes vary in length and include many different endings, probably because Prince was experimenting on how to segue the track into Joy In Repetition.

I am not sure that much of "we can fuck" was used for the Graffiti Bridge version... there are some differences to vocals and lyrics ("Weather they're in love or not" to "If all the love in the world is what they got")

Dang! it is mostly the same... "We can Funk" had a lot of lyrics that we ommited in "We Can Fuck" and other changes (Like "take off my clothes") but much of the vocals that are in both is idenical.

[Edited 7/10/19 20:14pm]

OnlyNDaUsa said:

I am not sure that much of "we can fuck" was used for the Graffiti Bridge version... there are some differences to vocals and lyrics ("Weather they're in love or not" to "If all the love in the world is what they got")

Dang! it is mostly the same... "We can Funk" had a lot of lyrics that we ommited in "We Can Fuck" and other changes (Like "take off my clothes") but much of the vocals that are in both is idenical.

[Edited 7/10/19 20:14pm]

There's a version on an early configuation of Graffiti Bridge that's basically the PRD version but he added the whisper part which ended up in the final cut and recorded over/change the lyrics at the end.

love2thenines2003 said:

Do we know if an alternative/or reworked version of Moonbeam does exist in the vault

I remember reading somewhere that Prince pulled it out around the time Michael Bland joined the band and that he recorded new drums for it at the time, but I can't seem to find it. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

VaultCurator said:

lurker316 said:

I don't think that's the oldest version of We Can Funk on PRD. I have a version that sounds significantly older. Almost like a different recording altogther.

Hi Lurker,

It sounds like you're referring to one of the version recorded at Washington Avenue Warehouse from 1986. Does Prince count in "Two... Three..." before the track starts?

A brief history of 'We Can Funk'...

We Can Funk #1 (AKA. 'We Can Fuck') (1983-1984):
So the earliest known version is 'We Can Fuck' which was recorded and mixed on 31 December 1983 & 1 January 1984 at Sunset Sound. It's basically the same recording that later surfaced on Graffiti Bridge after additional mixing. This is the version on PRD.

We Can Funk #2, #3 & #4 (1986):
In June 1986 Prince recorded 3 tracks played live in quick succession (I believe with The Revolution? I may be wrong). The three songs were 'Girl of my Dreams', 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got', 'We Can Funk'. Since they recorded this sequence twice this accounts for We Can Funk #2 and #3

Prince would later take the music from one of these versions and record a clearer vocal line at Paisley Park. This is known as We Can Funk #4

We Can Funk #5 onwards... (1989? / 1990?):
When Prince came to work on Graffiti Bridge he took the original 'We Can Fuck' recording, changed the lyric and did some reworking to the track. The first couple of versions featured Prince on his own, and a few later versions featured George Clinton to various degrees. On some versions George sung during the second verse and some versions just contained his ab libs between verses. These mixes vary in length and include many different endings, probably because Prince was experimenting on how to segue the track into Joy In Repetition.

Yes, the version I have starts off with Prince counting, "Two.. Three...". It's 5:06 in duration.

I assumed it was earlier because it is obviously a completely different recording from what appeared on GB... whereas "We Can Fuck" that appears on PRD sounds like an earlier version of the GB song.

In other words (using your numbering) #s 1 and 5 are clearly an evolution of the same recording, whereas number 2/3/4 sounds like a different song altogether, so I thought it was earlier.

Regardless, I prefer 2/3/4.

lurker316 said:

In other words (using your numbering) #s 1 and 5 are clearly an evolution of the same recording, whereas number 2/3/4 sounds like a different song altogether, so I thought it was earlier.

.

Yep, spot on. I actually prefer those versions to (#2/3/4, the not GB ones). They have some wicked vibe.
.
It blew my mind when I heard 'We Can Fuck' on PRD, as I knew there was a version that pre-dated the 1986 recordings, but I assumed that would also be a separate recording of its own. For years I figured that the Graffiti Bridge version was a fresh recording specifically done for Graffiti Bridge. It turned out that the backing music was nearly a decade old by the time anyone heard it.

VaultCurator said:

lurker316 said:

In other words (using your numbering) #s 1 and 5 are clearly an evolution of the same recording, whereas number 2/3/4 sounds like a different song altogether, so I thought it was earlier.

.

Yep, spot on. I actually prefer those versions to (#2/3/4, the not GB ones). They have some wicked vibe.
.
It blew my mind when I heard 'We Can Fuck' on PRD, as I knew there was a version that pre-dated the 1986 recordings, but I assumed that would also be a separate recording of its own. For years I figured that the Graffiti Bridge version was a fresh recording specifically done for Graffiti Bridge. It turned out that the backing music was nearly a decade old by the time anyone heard it.

That is very surprsing.

VaultCurator said:

lurker316 said:

In other words (using your numbering) #s 1 and 5 are clearly an evolution of the same recording, whereas number 2/3/4 sounds like a different song altogether, so I thought it was earlier.

.

Yep, spot on. I actually prefer those versions to (#2/3/4, the not GB ones). They have some wicked vibe.
.
It blew my mind when I heard 'We Can Fuck' on PRD, as I knew there was a version that pre-dated the 1986 recordings, but I assumed that would also be a separate recording of its own. For years I figured that the Graffiti Bridge version was a fresh recording specifically done for Graffiti Bridge. It turned out that the backing music was nearly a decade old by the time anyone heard it.

Yes, We Can Funk has a great history.

.

The 86 version is by far my favourite.

.

I also love the final rendition he did with Andy Allo (Oui Can Luv)

Great lyrics, overhyped and way over rated song by the fans, especially on The Org.

Anyone claiming this to be his VERY BEST SONG needs to go back and rediscover the Prince catalouge.

feeluupp said:

feeluupp said:

Moonbeam said:

Moonbeam said:

feeluupp said:

Great lyrics, overhyped and way over rated song by the fans, especially on The Org.

Anyone claiming this to be his VERY BEST SONG needs to go back and rediscover the Prince catalouge.

As I am the one who said that “Moonbeam Levels” is his best song, I think you need to get over yourself, frankly. I don’t need to go back and “rediscover” a catalogue I have been listening to over and over again for 30 years just for your approval.

Naw... If you think that is his greatest song then you do need to rediscover his catalogue.

how did this thread turn into a ridiculous argument

jfenster said:

how did this thread turn into a ridiculous argument

that how the org do.

RODSERLING said:

feeluupp said:

Great lyrics, overhyped and way over rated song by the fans, especially on The Org.

Anyone claiming this to be his VERY BEST SONG needs to go back and rediscover the Prince catalouge.

I agree. Prince thought the same, since he never released it.

I seem to recall listening to an interview with Susan Rogers where she spoke about this song and said that she thought the reason he didn't release it was to do with the lyrics, and that was often the factor that made him decide not to release songs. The implication seemed to be that the lyrics revealed an aspect of himself that he wasn't entirely comfortable with being out there. I think this could also apply to the original version of Old Friends For Sale, although that is speculation on my part.