Will you all ever stop fucking up Prince's visions???

Yeah, i know this was a well known bootleg back in the day.

It was also well known that these type of underground compilations were fan made and had nothing to do with official releases from Prince.

"charade" is just a fan label on a work in progress.

So, my answer is "NO"

nayroo2002 said:

Parade is fine as it is.

Charade was a great listen back in the day, until 4DF's 'Parade Demos' free release came along in 2012 and made it obsolete.

Well, no. Much as I loved the experience of buying it and Chocolate Box back in the day, they sounded like crap. Still a special time though. Alongside X-Records Small Club and illicit Black Album cassette, those were the days, attending Record fairs as a teen, it was a bit like nervously buying a top shelf magazine buying a Prince bootleg. .

[Edited 8/12/23 14:38pm]

It's not better.

It's not just missing "Do U Lie" and "Venus De Milo." It's also missing "Anotherloverholeinyohead," "Kiss," "Mountains" which are all arguably better songs than something like "Others Here With Us" or even "Under The Cherry Moon" (which is schmaltzy, at best). "Alexa De Paris" is better than either of those two, frankly.

I've never been a fan of "Life Can Be So Nice," but it is what it is. I could go for "🖤 or 💲" in that spot.

I don't know how "Old Friends 4 Sale" or "All My Dreams" is supposed to fit into that movie. So they're better off not on that particular record. He should've really put one or both of those on SOTT, actually, or put them out as b-sides for Parade. Get that era's music out.

So no, Charade is not better. Not by a long shot. Great songs, but not made for Parade.

By the way, if anyone ever comes across Parade: The Show Will Proceed, that was me.

TrivialPursuit said:

By the way, if anyone ever comes across Parade: The Show Will Proceed, that was me.

I might have grabbed that once upon a time from TheRoyalHub

Marrk said:

TrivialPursuit said:

By the way, if anyone ever comes across Parade: The Show Will Proceed, that was me.

I might have grabbed that once upon a time from TheRoyalHub

Yeah, it was 2004 or so when I did it, I believe. I did that after Purple Rain: Severe Storms. I just compiled them for shits and giggles.

TrivialPursuit said:

By the way, if anyone ever comes across Parade: The Show Will Proceed, that was me.

It used to be a favourite of mine. Might dig it out again soon.

obvs its not OBJETIVELY better but there is something about this slightly diff sequence

and the lack of strings

its almost another album in some ways (great thing about albums before and after strings were added)

but strings aside, charade is closer to the original configuration prince had. tho without katrinas paper dolls, which is a song i love, but isnt realy a great fit here.

id prob combine the two.

1. Wendy’s/christopher tracys Parade
2. New Position
3. I Wonder U
4. Under The Cherry Moon
5. GIrls & Boys
6. Life Can Be So Nice
7. Venus De Milo
8. Sometimes it snows...
9. mountains
10. Do u Lie?
11. Theres others...
12. Old Friends 4 Sale
13. All My Dreams

[Edited 8/13/23 10:51am]

mb71 said:

TrivialPursuit said:

By the way, if anyone ever comes across Parade: The Show Will Proceed, that was me.

It used to be a favourite of mine. Might dig it out again soon.

Sweet.

thisisreece said:

Sometimes it Snows in April is a closing track through and through, arguably the most stunning of his career. It does not belong lost in the middle of a tracklist.

.

And yet it wasn't the closing track on an early config of Parade.

And yet it wasn't the closing track on an early config of Parade.

it does work after life is so nice...

bizzie said:

its actually really good in the middle of the album... put it at the end, and it feels wrong, as it sort of belongs to the songs that are all sequenced as part of a suite. in the middle, its like a perfect midpoint comedown. Also, all my dreams is a great, great way to end the album

[Edited 8/13/23 10:44am]

thisisreece said:

Parade is Prince’s most perfect album...

I've always felt this way. From start to finish, just absolute brilliance. It's a shame that it's a soundtrack to what in inarguably one of the worst films ever released(in terms of box office).

So, that's kinda the albatross around the neck of the album.