This Is A Rehearsal FBG CD

This is A Rehearsal CD

Free Boot Generation
Catalog # FBG 16
Release Year 2008
CD Length 65:47
Date/Venue First Avenue, Minneapolis, 21st March 1987
Source Soundboard Recording
Quality EX-

Rating 4.25/5.0

Track Listing
Sign O' The Times Tour Warm-Up
First Avenue, Minneapolis, 21st March 1987
1. Intro 2. Housequake 3. Girls And Boys 4. Slow Love 5. Hot Thing 6. Now's The Time - Sheila E Drum Solo 7. Strange Relationship (including Superfunkycalifragisexy) 8. Forever In My Life 9. Kiss 10. It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night (including Six)

Comments
Fink's Comments (rates this release 4.25/5.0)
I love this show. I mean, I really love this show. Up to this point, I'd personally rate the Sabotage release 'Sign O' The Times Live' as containing the best currently circulating version of this concert. All versions are sourced from the video recording, and as such they have an audible "video feel" about them - never more noticeable than during the opening intro speech which has distinct humming throughout. Unfortunately the video source this particular release is sourced from appears to have an issue with the audio which means there is some slight distortion on the high-end of Prince's vocals intermittently throughout. It doesn't plague the entire show and only appears during a few tracks ('Housequake' springs to mind), but alas it is an issue which affects the audio and because of this, the best remaining version of this show still remains the Sabotage release (all IMO, as usual). Excellent preview of the new Sign O' The Times material and for the most part it stays faithful to the versions played on the Sign O' The Times tour.

The opening half of the show is pretty standard fare for anyone who is familiar with the 1987 live shows, and it really isn't until the second half where the show kicks up a gear and really moves onto a groove which makes this a legendary concert - and rightly so. 'Strange Relationship' is a phenomenal groove which lasts over 13 minutes with the added attraction of a small portion of 'Superfunkycalifragisexy' for good measure. A stunning 'Forever In My Life' is again extended far beyond the norm with various crowd chants towards the end. To close, we have a lengthy 'It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night' with the normal inclusion of 'Six'. This show is probably familiar to the majority, so I'd hoped that this Free Boot Generation release would have added something new or improved to make this more appealing than others. For me, it doesn't.