tbh i think a lot of beloved b sides deserved to be where they are

17 days? good song. better than when doves cry or anything on the PR album? nope.

200 balloons? lot of fun and a great riff. better than batdance? not really.

a lot of emancipation should have been b-sides tbh. and if it was on warners, i think it would have been.

b-sides i think should have been on the albums - shes always in my hair, feel u up, girl.

irresistible bitch is another classic, but idk if it would have fit on 1999. same for la la la hee hee hee.

this might be sacrilegious as it is a genuine prince classic (but i think bob george should have been a b-side cut, like scarlet pussy. ditto, dead on it.

Landonfunkmonkey said:

Alexa De Paris should have been the final song on Parade.

true

i actually think sometimes it snows is more of a b-side song

"Moonbeam Levels" should have been on ATWIAD.

Drop "The Ladder" and "Temptation", and put it in with SAIMH,

Think of the singles that could have come off that album!
BUT....there's a reason for non-album singles to be B-sides. It increases sales.

laytonian said:

"Moonbeam Levels" should have been on ATWIAD.

Drop "The Ladder" and "Temptation", and put it in with SAIMH,

Think of the singles that could have come off that album!
BUT....there's a reason for non-album singles to be B-sides. It increases sales.

I would have put "Moonbeam Levels" on 1999 in place of "Free", personally. It's a much more interesting track, a much better ballad, and just fits the overall vibe of the album waaay better than that corny patriotic mush

RJOrion said:

Im one of the most loyal and appreciative Prince fans of all time

LOL

also moonbeam levels is an all timer

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

Landonfunkmonkey said:

Alexa De Paris should have been the final song on Parade.

true

i actually think sometimes it snows is more of a b-side song

Sometimes it Snows is one of the greatest songs Prince every made.

If you're going to drop a song from Parade for Alexa, it should be Kiss or Anotherlover. Neither of those songs fit the album.

Those pejorative descriptors for "Moonbeam Levels" easily apply ten-fold to "Free" which doesn't even match the vibe/approach of the electrofunk 1999.

In general this is an issue with all fanbases with artists who have cool B-sides. They make it about "oh this song was great, it should be on the album," or "oh this song is bad, it shouldn't be on the album, it should be a B-side or given away." Those perspectives completely miss the point.

It's always been about what fits the album, what fits what the artist is trying to say or do with the album.

"She's Always in My Hair" is a common nominee for fans to swap out with any ATWIAD track, but it just doesn't fit on the record. It's too much of a masterful pop/rock/funk hybrid, a la Purple Rain's trademark style right down to the phased Linn drums. The whole point of Around the World in a Day was to be the opposite of Purple Rain. "She's Always in My Hair" is one of his best tracks and definitely makes the album "better," but it completely undermines the entire approach he was going for that album and veers it a couple notches closer to Purple Rain II territory if it's included. It fits much better as the B-side to the accessible "pop hit" of ATWIAD. "Girl", now that's a solid nominee right there.

RJOrion said:

Im one of the most loyal and appreciative Prince fans of all time, but i just dont get the hype... "Moonbeam Levels" is very hard on the ears...not a good song at all....even Mr. Nelson himself didnt want anyone to hear that mess

Must not have been that bad if he kept pulling it out of the vault and considering it for album configurations up through the late 80s. And let's not pretend the guy who put out "Jughead", "The Arms of Orion", and "Purple & Gold" was always the best judge of his own material

Rock n' Roll Is Alive instead We March

Menstrual Cycle instead Boytrouble

La La La He He He instead Slow Love

Feel U Up instead Arms of Orions

Clocking the Jizz instead Diamonds & Pearls

When Will We B Paid? instead High

United States Of Division instead Life 'o The Party

RJOrion said:

Im one of the most loyal and appreciative Prince fans of all time, but i just dont get the hype... "Moonbeam Levels" is very hard on the ears...not a good song at all....even Mr. Nelson himself didnt want anyone to hear that mess

Mr Nelson also released Jughead instead of In A Large Room With No Light, so I am not sure what that is supposed to prove lol

RJOrion said:

Im one of the most loyal and appreciative Prince fans of all time, but i just dont get the hype... "Moonbeam Levels" is very hard on the ears...not a good song at all....even Mr. Nelson himself didnt want anyone to hear that mess

He said in a interview in the 90s or 00s that it was his favorite unreleased song and he tried to put it on every album he made after he recorded it.

bozojones said:

I would have put "Moonbeam Levels" on 1999 in place of "Free", personally. It's a much more interesting track, a much better ballad, and just fits the overall vibe of the album waaay better than that corny patriotic mush

I'm always surprised to see "Free" getting dissed by so many fans on this site I love "Free"! It's a wonderful ballad with a universal message.I like "Moonbeam Levels" too but I think Prince made the right decision to go with "Free" instead.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

JorisE73 said:

bozojones said:

RJOrion said:

bozojones said:

Must not have been that bad if he kept pulling it out of the vault and considering it for album configurations up through the late 80s. And let's not pretend the guy who put out "Jughead", "The Arms of Orion", and "Purple & Gold" was always the best judge of his own material

He was most definitely a better judge of his own material than ANYONE that comments at this site...that point is inarguable.

He was always working a distinct artistic angle to the curation of his material, even if that angle would be one way one day or the opposite the next.

It was more complex than simply "pick the best 9-16 tracks of the winter recording sessions, whatever doesn't fit is a B-side or given to Jill Jones and Sheila E., or put in The Vault." He elaborates his release philosophy in greater detail on "Jukebox with a Heartbeat".

Erotic City and 17 Days should 100% have been on Purple Rain, supplanting Take Me With U and Baby I'm a Star, respectively, which I definitely like, but not nearly as much as the B-Sides.

Landonfunkmonkey said:

bozojones said:

laytonian said:

"Moonbeam Levels" should have been on ATWIAD.

Drop "The Ladder" and "Temptation", and put it in with SAIMH,

Think of the singles that could have come off that album!
BUT....there's a reason for non-album singles to be B-sides. It increases sales.

I would have put "Moonbeam Levels" on 1999 in place of "Free", personally. It's a much more interesting track, a much better ballad, and just fits the overall vibe of the album waaay better than that corny patriotic mush

I don't know why y'all busting on "Free" so much. Staaahhhp!

I used to think "Moonbeam Levels" (one of my all-time favorite outtakes) was supposed to go on there but "Free" took its place. Turns out that just wasn't true. They certainly have the same sensibilities in production, etc.

Either one or the other should've been a b-side. I can't believe he just never put "Moonbeam Levels" out anywhere as a b-side. He went way back to find "Feel U Up" for the "Partyman" single, but can't pull out "Moonbeam Levels" for "Housequake" or "Alphabet St." or literally anything? It would've been a great companion to "The Morning Papers," actually.

RJOrion said:

He was most definitely a better judge of his own material than ANYONE that comments at this site...that point is inarguable.

Ndorphinmachina said:

Looks like I'll have to be that guy... Scarlet Pussy La La La He He Hee Feel You Up Girl Are all overrated. Especially Scarlett Pussy and La La. They're just awful. I'd have rather had Gangster Glam on the D&P album instead of Jughead, but I'll concede that it really wouldn't have fit. Alexa De Paris over Kiss. But Parade needed a chart topper. For the most part I think he made the right call with the B-sides. Especially through the 80s. Songs that could have been lost or overwhelmed by more commercial efforts on albums were elevated and given a new status as B-sides. It also made the effort of tracking down singles more rewarding.

I agree that Scarlet Pussy, Feel U Up and Girl are over-rated.

But not La, La, La. That's one of the best songs in the history of the world. The edit isn't anything special, but the full version kicks serious ass. That bass solo will curl your hair!

What I really love about La, La, La is the way it slowly evolves from a stripped down arrangament with delicate vocals to an explosive cacophony with unmatched intensity.

paraded said:

Erotic City and 17 Days should 100% have been on Purple Rain, supplanting Take Me With U and Baby I'm a Star, respectively, which I definitely like, but not nearly as much as the B-Sides.

no baby im a star? that song IS 80s prince.

thats like a prince mission statement.

WhisperingDandelions said:

Those pejorative descriptors for "Moonbeam Levels" easily apply ten-fold to "Free" which doesn't even match the vibe/approach of the electrofunk 1999.

In general this is an issue with all fanbases with artists who have cool B-sides. They make it about "oh this song was great, it should be on the album," or "oh this song is bad, it shouldn't be on the album, it should be a B-side or given away." Those perspectives completely miss the point.

It's always been about what fits the album, what fits what the artist is trying to say or do with the album.

"She's Always in My Hair" is a common nominee for fans to swap out with any ATWIAD track, but it just doesn't fit on the record. It's too much of a masterful pop/rock/funk hybrid, a la Purple Rain's trademark style right down to the phased Linn drums. The whole point of Around the World in a Day was to be the opposite of Purple Rain. "She's Always in My Hair" is one of his best tracks and definitely makes the album "better," but it completely undermines the entire approach he was going for that album and veers it a couple notches closer to Purple Rain II territory if it's included. It fits much better as the B-side to the accessible "pop hit" of ATWIAD. "Girl", now that's a solid nominee right there.

moonbeam levels should have at least made it as a b side but i think he knew it deserved better than that, and then it prob just became too old. im glad he didnt tinker with it in the end and that we finally got it released somewhere. but it just seems like such a complete song, in a way that many 1999 outtakes arent, that its a shame it was never released during his lifetime.

free does work on there but moonbeam is just more interesting

im not sure either really fit the vibe or synth-ness of 1999 but if you want a crunchy power ballad or an anthemic ballad to break up the album, both work fine

youre right about SAIMH - it IS more of a PR type track

but then ive never been that sure how temptation fit the ATWIAD brief tbh....

[Edited 8/10/23 12:32pm]