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Thread started 11/30/19 5:22pm

PURPLEIZED3121

Prince was an exceptional album editor...

When you take into consideration what was available in vault you have to tip your hat & say he was mostly brilliant in putting together his albums & ruthless in his decision making. This applies not only to potential tracks he left off BUT also edits of tracks he put on. The immediate & obvious example being 1999 - there's not a single thing I would change on the final album - some incredible ones left over BUT he got it perfect. Same for P. Rain, SOTT, Emancipation & many others.

Anyone agree & if not name replacement tracks from the vaults for any albums , edits/extensions etc.

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Reply #1 posted 11/30/19 5:36pm

LoveGalore

I would not call Emancipation a masterclass in editing, tbh. I feel like running the clock to 60 minutes and using damn near all the material you recorded around that era is just egregious and something any musician could do.
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Reply #2 posted 11/30/19 6:50pm

donnyenglish

i mostly agree, but I think he should have found room for Extraloveable and Moonbeams.

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Reply #3 posted 11/30/19 7:27pm

EnDoRpHn

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

When you take into consideration what was available in vault you have to tip your hat & say he was mostly brilliant in putting together his albums & ruthless in his decision making. This applies not only to potential tracks he left off BUT also edits of tracks he put on. The immediate & obvious example being 1999 - there's not a single thing I would change on the final album - some incredible ones left over BUT he got it perfect. Same for P. Rain, SOTT, Emancipation & many others.

Anyone agree & if not name replacement tracks from the vaults for any albums , edits/extensions etc.

You've just contradicted 20+ years of running commentary on this website, so be prepared for random sniper fire.

[Edited 11/30/19 19:27pm]

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Reply #4 posted 11/30/19 10:09pm

Graycap23

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Prince was exceptional in a lot of things in the studio and on stage that he rarely if ever received credit 4.

FOOLS multiply when WISE Men & Women are silent.
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Reply #5 posted 12/01/19 3:18am

Strive

He really wasn't.

How many times did he torpodo an album by jamming a new song at it last minute or by torturing the songs with overproduction because he was bored of them? (Boytrouble on 3rdeyegirl, Baltimore on HNR2, Eye Wanna Melt With U on Symbol Album, all of Graffitti Bridge/Come/The Gold Experience)

He'd get lucky sometimes in the other way (Gett Off replacing Horny Pony on Diamonds And Pearls, Beautiful Ones replacing Electric Intercourse on Purple Rain) but he was really swinging in the dark.

There's some albums that are a coherent statement then there's some albums where it seems like he cobbled together albums out of leftover tracks (Lotusflow3r/20Ten/HNR2)

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Reply #6 posted 12/01/19 5:50am

PURPLEIZED3121

Strive said:

He really wasn't.

How many times did he torpodo an album by jamming a new song at it last minute or by torturing the songs with overproduction because he was bored of them? (Boytrouble on 3rdeyegirl, Baltimore on HNR2, Eye Wanna Melt With U on Symbol Album, all of Graffitti Bridge/Come/The Gold Experience)

He'd get lucky sometimes in the other way (Gett Off replacing Horny Pony on Diamonds And Pearls, Beautiful Ones replacing Electric Intercourse on Purple Rain) but he was really swinging in the dark.

There's some albums that are a coherent statement then there's some albums where it seems like he cobbled together albums out of leftover tracks (Lotusflow3r/20Ten/HNR2)

lucky? !!!

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Reply #7 posted 12/01/19 11:40am

homesquid

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Let's go with 1999

I think he could've cut "Lady Cab Driver" and "Free" for "Irresistable Bitch" and "How Come You Don't Call me Anymore". It would have made the album even greater,

In fact he could have dropped "Critics Love You" for "Purple Music". Can you imagine? I dunno the original album is great as it is.

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Reply #8 posted 12/01/19 8:49pm

datdude

I am inclined to agree and have stated as much here lots of times. the more I actually hear material from the vaulted well, VAULT, the more I a appreciate his decision making process. for all the hate "Free" has always gotten, ppl fail to consider WHY it made the album. its his pre-pre millennial tension treatise at the height of the Cold War ("everybody has a bomb")and he was pondering the benefits of certain American liberties other countries don't have. More recently, his decision to keep International Lover instead of giving it to Morris made me appreciate his complex understanding and exploration of black masculinity (the song doesn't work for me with Morris' schick). Sure there are great tracks that we wish had found homes, but a great song doesn't automatically mean it makes the "album" recorded during its era. The "idea" of a B-side is a gift on this regard. Giving us "access" to gems like Irresistible or 17 Days from their eras as Bsides vs just cramming them on albums that in HIS mind didn't fit (he's the artist and curator of his own work; not us) were/are timeless treats. As for "versions" of songs, Computer Blue in its PR format is best, same for We Can Funk, The Dance, etc. Unless the vault reveals a collection of (and I strain to say) "cohesive" set of tracks from a scrapped album, I will continue to appreciate the "hits and misses" (Purple Music and All Day, All Nite, are the best for me so far)from The Vault as glimpses and gifts from a prolific genius who just couldn't stop making music
[Edited 12/1/19 21:02pm]
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Reply #9 posted 12/01/19 8:55pm

SoulAlive

To me,1999 is perfect exactly the way it is.And yes,I even love "Free" biggrin there's nothing that I would change about that album.So yeah,Prince was an exceptional album editor on that album.

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Reply #10 posted 12/02/19 8:40am

lurker316

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Strive said:

He really wasn't.

How many times did he torpodo an album by jamming a new song at it last minute or by torturing the songs with overproduction because he was bored of them? (Boytrouble on 3rdeyegirl, Baltimore on HNR2, Eye Wanna Melt With U on Symbol Album, all of Graffitti Bridge/Come/The Gold Experience)

He'd get lucky sometimes in the other way (Gett Off replacing Horny Pony on Diamonds And Pearls, Beautiful Ones replacing Electric Intercourse on Purple Rain) but he was really swinging in the dark.

There's some albums that are a coherent statement then there's some albums where it seems like he cobbled together albums out of leftover tracks (Lotusflow3r/20Ten/HNR2)



I agree with everything you wrote except you're saying that Lotusflow3r seems like it was cobbled together out of leftover tracks. Even if you don't particularly care for that album (and acknowledging that some tracks were leftover from 3121), it still seems fairly coherent sound and theme to me. $ was the only one that sounded tacked on to me (not because of the quality of the song, but because it wasn't consistent with the rest of the album).



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Reply #11 posted 12/04/19 10:31am

kygermo

homesquid said:

Let's go with 1999

I think he could've cut "Lady Cab Driver" and "Free" for "Irresistable Bitch" and "How Come You Don't Call me Anymore". It would have made the album even greater,

In fact he could have dropped "Critics Love You" for "Purple Music". Can you imagine? I dunno the original album is great as it is.

eek CUT LADY CAB DRIVER??!! That just made my heart hurt lol. Id take the axe to "Something in the Water.." or even "All the Critics..." before LCD, but thats just me.

Get in your mouse, and get out of here!
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Reply #12 posted 12/04/19 11:37am

Mintchip

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I think the masterclass in editing is Purple Rain. Not only within songs - Computer Blue, Darling Nikki, Purple Rain, and Let's Go Crazy come to mind - but also in leaving Erotic City and 17 Days off entirely. That album is cut to the bone, and as much as I prefer alternate, longer versions of songs, the 45 minute 9 song album feels both expansive and complete.

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Reply #13 posted 12/04/19 12:37pm

jfenster

Strive said:

He really wasn't.

How many times did he torpodo an album by jamming a new song at it last minute or by torturing the songs with overproduction because he was bored of them? (Boytrouble on 3rdeyegirl, Baltimore on HNR2, Eye Wanna Melt With U on Symbol Album, all of Graffitti Bridge/Come/The Gold Experience)

He'd get lucky sometimes in the other way (Gett Off replacing Horny Pony on Diamonds And Pearls, Beautiful Ones replacing Electric Intercourse on Purple Rain) but he was really swinging in the dark.

There's some albums that are a coherent statement then there's some albums where it seems like he cobbled together albums out of leftover tracks (Lotusflow3r/20Ten/HNR2)

"torturing the songs" ???

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Reply #14 posted 12/04/19 12:42pm

SoulAlive

homesquid said:

I think he could've cut "Lady Cab Driver" and "Free" for "Irresistable Bitch" and "How Come You Don't Call me Anymore". It would have made the album even greater,

In fact he could have dropped "Critics Love You" for "Purple Music". Can you imagine?

eek disbelief no no no!

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Reply #15 posted 12/04/19 12:45pm

rdhull

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1999 was perfect as it was presented.
"Climb in my fur."
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Reply #16 posted 12/04/19 12:55pm

jfenster

did we ever find out the dipshit who decided to cut DMSR friom the original cd ?

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Reply #17 posted 12/08/19 3:47am

PURPLEIZED3121

Mintchip said:

I think the masterclass in editing is Purple Rain. Not only within songs - Computer Blue, Darling Nikki, Purple Rain, and Let's Go Crazy come to mind - but also in leaving Erotic City and 17 Days off entirely. That album is cut to the bone, and as much as I prefer alternate, longer versions of songs, the 45 minute 9 song album feels both expansive and complete.

100% agree, same with ATWIAD & Lovesexy.

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Reply #18 posted 12/09/19 4:02am

databank

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homesquid said:

Let's go with 1999

I think he could've cut "Lady Cab Driver" and "Free" for "Irresistable Bitch" and "How Come You Don't Call me Anymore". It would have made the album even greater,

In fact he could have dropped "Critics Love You" for "Purple Music". Can you imagine? I dunno the original album is great as it is.

The demo? eek

A COMPREHENSIVE PRINCE DISCOGRAPHY (work in progress ^^): https://sites.google.com/...scography/
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