Free Boot
Generation Catalog # FBG 041 Release Year 2011 CD Length 50:07 Date/Venue Soundcheck Summer 1984 Source Soundboard Recordings Quality EX+ |
Mike's
Comments (rates this release 4.5/5.0) (Review Courtesy of Mike Antonich @ Blog:
Now It's On)
Here we have yet another soundboard recording of a rehearsal/soundcheck from
1984 that has seen the light of day in 2011. This session has been in
circulation for awhile, but never in this complete form with this pristine sound
quality. Free Boot Generation continues to 'Free The Music' like no other label.
The exact date and location this rehearsal took place is not known, although it
has been placed from 1984. Prince And The Revolution primarily work on new songs
Prince was writing for The Family, the protegee band that grew out of the
leftovers from The Time after Morris Day left. The Family's lone Paisley Park
album was not released until 1985, so this recording again provides a peek at
Prince's process as he works out this new material with The Revolution.
I will say, this is far from the most interesting rehearsal to listen to. The
majority of the session involves work on the song "Feline", a track written for
The Family that remains unreleased to this day. You would think that would make
for an engaging listen, but the first eleven minutes of the rehearsal is
basically nothing more than repetitive bass and drums. At one point they switch
to the drum and bass pattern from "Erotic City" while things are worked out, but
otherwise things are pretty dull to start.
Things pick up at the eleven minute mark when Prince joins in on guitar and the
rest of The Revolution start to build the song. The highlight of this near 35
minute jam on "Feline" starts at the 17:30 mark when Prince tears into some
searing guitar work. If you are a fan of Prince's extended guitar solos, there
are some incredible moments on display here. By this point the funk is boiling
over from The Revolution and the "Feline" workout hits its peak.
Prince sings some unfinished lyrics, then does a rap written for The Family's
St. Paul that may sound familiar. 'St. Paul's my name, makin' love's my game,
I'm funky as I wanna be. Line up a hundred, swear to God, I'll fuck 'em till
they just can't see. Cuz I'm bad, good God, badder than the wicked witch...'
with some improvised mumbles thrown in as he clearly had not finished the
lyrics. Although he did change this rap a bit, it was turned into the song
"Holly Rock" by Sheila E. St. Paul apparently balked at the overtly sexual
lyrics of "Feline" and asked that it not be included on The Family's album. A
studio version of the song was recorded, but it has yet to circulate amongst
collectors.
The second song worked on here is another track given to The Family, their Top
Ten R&B hit "The Screams Of Passion". Prince instructs Bobby Z on the drum
pattern he wants for the song, getting it to the right tempo before starting to
play the electric piano. During the verse, Prince hums and mumbles at times,
while also mixing in some of the lyrics that wound up on the released song, so
it is very likely he was still working out the lyrics at the time of this
session. The basic structure of the song is there, but like "Feline" it appears
the lyric had yet to be finished.
The band then does a quick portion of James Brown's "Bodyheat" before the
rehearsal tape closes with work on "Let's Go Crazy". This only lasts for about
two minutes before things end with about three minutes of band members noodling
on their instruments occasionally and a lot of silence. As I said, not the most
exciting session to surface, but worth it for the only work on "Feline"
currently in circulation, as well as being able to hear the building of "The
Screams Of Passion" into a fully fleshed out song. Sound quality, again, is
perfect, crystal clear soundboard, all the more reason to add this to your
collection, even if you may only listen to it once.