SPOOKYGAS said:

Cocoa Boys is as good as the man has put out! What a fucking track!

Almost true, it really is.... except for the fact that he mic'd the whole thing from the dunny...

AvocadosMax said:

Listened to the boot of Cocoa Boys and I prefer the bootleg ‘mix’ to this 2020 one Someone needs to turn that crowd noise DOWN.... smh... such a good track a victim to horrible mixing....

i like all the elements in the finished version, but the removal of the "we were a sight for moral eyes" talk singing part and the "fighting's the ultimate sin" part make me weep. i wonder why he removed them, i saw someone say they conflict with the narrative? i don't know, never put too much thought into it.

but god almighty what a track. masterpiece of storytelling and dark rhythm.

lustmealways said:

AvocadosMax said:

Listened to the boot of Cocoa Boys and I prefer the bootleg ‘mix’ to this 2020 one Someone needs to turn that crowd noise DOWN.... smh... such a good track a victim to horrible mixing....

i like all the elements in the finished version, but the removal of the "we were a sight for moral eyes" talk singing part and the "fighting's the ultimate sin" part make me weep. i wonder why he removed them, i saw someone say they conflict with the narrative? i don't know, never put too much thought into it.

but god almighty what a track. masterpiece of storytelling and dark rhythm.

I think Cocoa Boys would've fit great on the Black Album. When it was released in 1994, it would've been great to remove When 2 R in Love (since we already had it) and insert Cocoa Boys instead.

This disc is amazing. My favorites:

3. Eggplant (Prince vocal)
I haven't listened to the lyrics carefully, but the feel and energy of the song is great.

5. Blanche
This is so fuuuuunnnnkkkkyyy! I can listen to this on repeat.

8. Adonis And Bathsheba
I was blown away when I first heard the bootleg of this one. Now it's officially relesaed. Yay!

8. Forever In My Life (early vocal studio run-through)
Sounds like a potential pop hit to me.

9. Crucial (alternate lyrics)
Really like having this alternate take. Both versions have some cringy lyrics and some great lyrics.

10. The Cocoa Boys
Storytelling funk!

11. When The Dawn Of The Morning Comes
In my top 3 favorites of the three vault discs.

12. Witness 4 The Prosecution (version 2)
Definitely the better of the two versions

-

And I would love to hear this brilliant track

with the background vocals the way it was suppose to be.

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Same for the Bob George track. Would love to hear Prince's Jamie Star vocal fun pitched the right way.

-

bluegangsta said:

First impressions!

(...)

Forever In My Life (early vocal studio run-through)
This is the single I've been listening to the most in anticipation for the set.

I really love this version. How he could take such a beautiful song and turn it into something so dark and brooding is a testement to his genius. This wouldn't have works on the album, but as a standalone track, it's really brilliant.
(...)

Cocoa Boys and Blanche, by far the standout tracks on this CD for me

purplepolitician said:

Blanche, yooooo. Was annoyed by the drums being on 1 side n overall wonky quality, but damn if it isn't funky as all ever . It Be's is really cool also

It Be's is brilliant...strong Sly influence IMO

I'm getting a big "All the Critics" vibe from When the Dawn

lustmealways said:

paisleypark4 said:

lustmealways said:

i like all the elements in the finished version, but the removal of the "we were a sight for moral eyes" talk singing part and the "fighting's the ultimate sin" part make me weep. i wonder why he removed them, i saw someone say they conflict with the narrative? i don't know, never put too much thought into it.

but god almighty what a track. masterpiece of storytelling and dark rhythm.

You know I never even noticed that. Had a change of mind perhaps? It was a hot line. Probably won't be hard to mix that original line back in there yourself

Maybe he realized being in a band called Sandra Dee wasn't very cool.

why'd the keep the drumstick intro on everybody wants (one of the all time great songs, btw, just in case you didn't know) but adonis and bathsheba get done dirty with that abrupt intro

look. i'm saying it. wendy's eggplant tastes better than prince's.

prince vox one just feels too empty after jamming the later version for so long

[Edited 9/28/20 21:53pm]

JorisE73 said:

jaynoonan said:

It Be's Like That Sometimes

hmm, sounds familiar but can't place it. Average to me. mid-tempo, doesnt really go anywhere.

I hear The Ball/Eye No and Gangster Glam in it.

Yeah, me too. But in the book they claim he turned "it into the title track for his Lovesexy album." I hear a lot in it, but not Lovesexy.

Loefie said:

Yeah, me too. But in the book they claim he turned "it into the title track for his Lovesexy album." I hear a lot in it, but not Lovesexy.

this is an especially odious statement because #1 i don't think It Be's Like That sounds like the lovesexy title track in any way shape or form, but also because the lovesexy title track is maybe literally his best song and one of the greatest things that's ever entered my ears while It Be's Like That is just "really good" by comparison, a nice track but nothing earth shattering.

lustmealways said:

LoveGalore said:

Anyone else notice how in the book Duane says It Be's Like That Sometimes was a precursor to the Lovesexy title track?

Thank you! I'm still listening to the discs and finally finished Vault 2 on today. I could hear lots of Eye Know in It Be's but couldn't for my life place the other song that I was hearing and it's been bugging the SHIT out of me all day. Turns out, it's LoveSexy. Can't place my finger on it, but the "...I want it morning, noon, and night of every day..." is the line that I couldn't place but could hear faint hints of throughout It Be's.

They cut the ending to 'Fat Lady'. That just burns my ass

The fade out on 'Crucial' really burns my ass, too. WHY, WHY, WHY are fadeouts necessary? These are not going to play on the radio, so let them play out. GODDAMMIT!

sulls said:

The fade out on 'Crucial' really burns my ass, too. WHY, WHY, WHY are fadeouts necessary? These are not going to play on the radio, so let them play out. GODDAMMIT!

Yep, probably the biggest single disappointment on the entire set for me.

it seems absolutely pointless

Crucial is one of my favourite Prince songs, but the version included here is as frustrating then the one that was included on Crystal Ball. Why not release the ones with the full Eric Leeds solo, and/or the one with the full guitar solo?

Even more frustrating that the liner notes mention an early piano demo.

For me this song alone would deserve its own EP containing all the different versions, including one highlighting Clare Fischers orchestration.

Pjwest said:

Now we have two versions of Witness 4 The Prosecution on the SOTT SDE can anyone tell me which bootleg has the best sounding version Of the one that isn't there? I'm sure I have it but there are so many bootlegs!

.

The version on "Box 'O' Chocolates" (2010) was pretty good. The one on "Blast From The Past 4.0 [Eye Records]" (2017) doesn't sound particularly better, nor worse. Has something better emerged?

sulls said:

They cut the ending to 'Fat Lady'. That just burns my ass

Apparently (hopefully) "they didn't do any such thing since it's the genuine Prince mix.

As for Crucial IDK. Supposedly Bolas' mixes are supposed to be faithful recreations but after the originals fiasco you never know.

olb99 said:

Pjwest said:

Now we have two versions of Witness 4 The Prosecution on the SOTT SDE can anyone tell me which bootleg has the best sounding version Of the one that isn't there? I'm sure I have it but there are so many bootlegs!

.

The version on "Box 'O' Chocolates" (2010) was pretty good. The one on "Blast From The Past 4.0 [Eye Records]" (2017) doesn't sound particularly better, nor worse. Has something better emerged?

Thank you - I have both tucked away somewhere. I will dig them out.

Now to try and find the full length version of Crucial..........

I love Prince's drumming on "Fat Lady Sings". The treble on "Train" is too low imo.

sulls said:

They cut the ending to 'Fat Lady'. That just burns my ass

Claire's strings are missing as well as far as I can tell. Prince must've decided against them.

Blanche and It Be's are my jams! It Be's is a laid back groove and Blanche - I took TWO showers and still can't get the funk off me

sulls said:

Blanche and It Be's are my jams! It Be's is a laid back groove and Blanche - I took TWO showers and still can't get the funk off me