callimnate said:

dodger said:

Yes, Bold Generation is what I keep going back to. Maybe because of the familiarity and I can sing along. And I can't help but add my own TC Ellis bit...

Admin, please ban immediately!

you know TC makes that track

dodger said:

LoveGalore said:

Bold Generation has just floored me. An absolute killer track - I simply can't understand how it got left behind for so long. It is the most Funkadelic-sounding song he's ever done, in my opinion. I can't fathom why he would record overtop the 2" (according to Michael Howe) and I desperately hope a better source surfaces at some point.

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Rearrange is great - slightly less catchy to me at first, but it grew quickly. It is not nearly as similar to Lady Cab Driver as the reviews suggested. While clearly he rearranged the song under a different premise, he didn't borrow any tracks from this demo in its recreation. Another stunning "Why did this get left behind?" moment.

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In a similar vein, You're All I Want is great and the clear prototype for Horny Toad. While I think Horny Toad was more of a success, this track's production quality is immense. I could see it being put on HitNRun 3 and nobody batting an eye.

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Great to hear Feel U Up and Irresistible Bitch in such great quality though Feel U Up is a head-scratcher. The fact his vocal is buried in the mix, the fact it is not a seamless transition between the two, and the fact the fidelity changes dramatically when it switches over. Michael Howe made it clear they were two independent songs from independent sources (ie. not tracked together on the 2"), but I would think they could've worked on these two a bit more.

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Prince's choice to add the staccato-style vocal arrangement here (reminiscent of "Pop Life" etc) is a strange choice to me when comparing to the leaked snippet which is quite beautiful. At one point, the vocals sort of trip on each other because of this, so I find it a little distracting when wearing cans. It ends up puling my ears in opposite directions for sec. Other than that, brilliant and sincere song.

Yes, Bold Generation is what I keep going back to. Maybe because of the familiarity and I can sing along. And I can't help but add my own TC Ellis bit...

LOL!!

Seriously though, Bold Generation is my jam on this set (so far). But of course I'm in the minority in that I love New Power Generation, too.

dsimp8 said:

Vagina's opening

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Giggity!

VaultCurator said:

i gather we wont be hearing the bootlegged version of Itll make u happy.....since its better

SO New Power Generation(1989) evolved out of BOLD GENERATION

OldFriends4Sale said:

SO New Power Generation(1989) evolved out of BOLD GENERATION

Surely you meant "regressed"?

djThunderfunk said:

djThunderfunk said:

dodger said:

Yes, Bold Generation is what I keep going back to. Maybe because of the familiarity and I can sing along. And I can't help but add my own TC Ellis bit...

LOL!!

Seriously though, Bold Generation is my jam on this set (so far). But of course I'm in the minority in that I love New Power Generation, too.

I love New Power Generation. I'm really enjoying Bold Generation, but its not as good. It's missing all the hooks. Clearly a work in progress.

Romeoblu said:

The only track I'd heard before was "Turn It Up" so I can't comment on the bootlegs or even care about bootlegs anymore.

My firts impression is this disc is a bit better than I expected after they released the pointless "International Lover (Take 1)". That's th ekind of listen to twice material I was expecting but no there's some cool stuff here

Standouts for me:

01 Feel U Up

04 Vagina

05 Rearrange
06 Bold Generation
12 If It’ll Make U Happy
13 How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore? (Take 2)

bonatoc said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

SO New Power Generation(1989) evolved out of BOLD GENERATION

Surely you meant "regressed"?

lol I was trying to be respectful

Bold Generation is a jam! In the key of E as opposed to A which is that New Power Generation is in. A really great tune, it is insane that P churned so many great tunes out that didn't even make 1999

purplepolitician said:

Money Don't Grow On Trees really is a working man's anthem 😆. Had me jamming doing my end of the night chores at least. I need my money (he needs his money) like a hog needs slop 😂🙏.

it's my December anthem while my daughters are doing their Christmas lists

I just made the connection that this version of Irresistible Bitch got turned into Jerk Out. Just as Lady Cab Driver is the younger sibling of Rearrange.

Oh no, is it the Lotusflower fiasco all over again ???

I got my Super Deluxe CD pack and in sleeve for CD3 I got CD 4...so I got 2 times CD 4 and not CD3 !!!

bluegangsta

You’re All I Want
Another rockabilly - and I like this one! And I'm not sure why. I read in another thread that a non-falsetto version exists, which I would love to hear, if it exists.

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It exists. It's a longer, different take with more guitar. And does not fade out, unlike the one from the set.

Rearrange => 'The Stick 1.5' with proto-'Lady Cab Driver' aspects of production, and a 'Private Joy - Ronnie Talk 2 Russia' concluding/segue guitar solo tacked on. On the same plane as 'The Walk'. Some slight hints of '777-9311'. Even some ideas shared with 'Bold Generation'/NPG. Almost good enough to be a released album track.

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'Bold Generation'

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are the two true standouts from this disc.

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[Edited 11/28/19 15:52pm]

Feel U Up/Irresistable Bitch - I love what he was doing with drum machines by then. He was crafting some very fine beats and rhythm tracks here, and was already far ahead of what anyone was doing in that realm. He could have done an entire album in this vein, and with this sound, yet the album he released sounds nothing like this. Crazy. And how amazing to have the suave, composed but funky, b-side version of Irresistable Bitch to contrast with this utterly manic, on-the-verge-of-a-psychotic-break version he left sitting in the vault. I love when it breaks down with just the bass and rhythm guitar lines, like he's taking a moment to check the pulse of the groove or something. Sick.

Money Don't Grow On Trees - It kind of gives me Sarah vibes. If you told me this was recorded in the 2000s, or the 90s, or the 2010s, I might have believed you. It has none of the 1999 era hallmarks, and not really even any 80s hallmarks. He could have recorded an album with this sort of timeless sound, already at age 23, and his career would have had completely different trajectory. Madness! It's like he already had all of these skills ready to go early on, but just took his time to execute them publicly.

Vagina - Completely fun jam that's way less dirty than the title might imply. Kind of like how Sister was way MORE dirty than the title implied. People infer that because he wanted to name Vanity Vagina, that the song was meant for her, but I can't imagine anyone other than Prince singing this.

Rearrange - An absolute highlight for me. Maybe THE highlight. Such an awesome funky-punk kind of anthem, that recalls other songs of the era, yet also has it's own special vibe not present in those songs. And the guitar soloing is just manic and mental, containing some of his finest shredding, with rhythm guitar lines that are razer sharp. I had to go old school and get the lyics down by pausing and jotting. I can't remember the last time I was inspired to do that by any song. "Ain't nothin' funky about a waltz or rhumba!"

Bold Generation - How is this sourced from a cassette?! The sound is fantastic! I always enjoyed New Power Generation, and it's a real treat to hear this early rendering. One of the best things about it for me is the band rehearsal vibe. The second time he comes in with, "Ain't got time for politics. We'll never fight no war," I'm fully committed and singing along.

Colleen - I'm not really an instrumentals guy, especially ones from this era, but this one is really cool! I love how the groove kind of starts and stops all the way through, with that unique purple drum programming. When I hear it, I get images of the band using it as a warm up track for rehearsals. It seems perfect for that.

International Lover (Take 1) - This version actually made me appreciate the album version, which I never really cared for beyond its novelty appeal, and the 'tee-hee' moment of that classic monologue. I love how much open space is in this version, and the hard thump of Morris' drums, with Prince's fluid piano playing and soulful vocal, create sheer perfection to these ears. And how is the sound so good?! The sound on some of these unreleased songs seems better than the album at times. "Did you like that? You wanna do it again?"

Turn It Up - I never really cared much about this one because it doesn't seem to go anywhere special, and has too few changes for me, but it benefits from finally being released in such high quality. The details (like the water sounds, for example) are appealing, and the energy is infectious. People often compare it to Delirious in reviews, but I don't hear it at all. This gives me Dirty Mind/Controversy era vibes all the way. He was right to shelve it, if for no other reason than to wait for new songs that would carve new ground, rather than rely too heavily on what he'd already done. It must have been a key track with how many times he mentions the phrase in other songs from this era.

You're All I Want - This might be my least favorite, falling into the "he's already been there, and done it better," category for me. I find myself wanting to sing lines from both Horny Toad and Jack U Off when I listen, both of which are more enjoyable to me. Rumors of another version of this song featuring a vocal in his lower register have me wondering if this isn't a guide vocal version for Kim Upsher who also recorded it.

Something In The Water (Does Not Compute) [Original Version] - It's necessary to have this version on the set, and there are unique things about it that are very nice (the piano playing, and bass licks for example), but I GREATLY prefer the album version. This version feels undercooked comparatively speaking.

If It'll Make U Happy - When the 2 minute sample of this leaked a few years ago, I had forgotten which era it was from, and assumed it was from the early 90s, because that's when I remembered him flirting with reggae sounds (Blue Light). When I checked PrinceVault.com and found out it was from the 1999 sessions, I was completely in awe. He was already doing that shit 10 years before he let the public know about it. Imagine being so overly talented and brimming with ideas, you had to hold it back a decade. His vocal on this is a highlight for me as well.

How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore (Take 2) - FUCK! Utterly arresting, enchanting and intoxicating. Imagine if his Piano and Vocal album sounded like this (no shade). It would have been a heralded masterpiece. In fact, I'd happily take a piano based record from the vault if they have more where this came from. Wow.

[Edited 11/28/19 17:32pm]

If It'll Make U Happy definitely sounds like a potential song for The Time to me

[Snip by request - luv4u]

Rearrange, Irresistable B, Bold Generation, and Money Don't Grow on Trees are all wonderful, and I will be returning to them often. But holy hell this new How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore is... damn. I know it's trash to be wanting to relitigate the tracklist of a classic record like 1999 but this song would have slipped in so much more snugly than Free. Maybe it's just late and I'm in love with a new song but damn!!

I really like this version of Teacher, Teacher!

That guitar country-funk is so cool!

That final instrumental 1'30" of Something in the Water (original version), so so good! The bass work, the piano, the detuned synth stabs and lines, the LM1 groove. Ok, the album version is something else, but this is so fine!

One pleasant surprise listening in lossless format for me: If It'll Make U Happy's staggered left channel lead vocal is not nearly as distracting as it was in the MP3 format.

LoveGalore said:

One pleasant surprise listening in lossless format for me: If It'll Make U Happy's staggered left channel lead vocal is not nearly as distracting as it was in the MP3 format.

That's interesting. I'll check it out. I also noticed how much better the MP3 sounded on the car stereo than it did through high end headphones.