The grandaddy of Prince aftershows, at least as far as 80’s Prince goes, is the ‘Small Club’ from the Hague in Holland, recorded late one night & early one morning on August 19, 1988 during the Lovesexy Tour.

Overshadowed by its excellent quality big brother, this aftershow from later that month is a treat in itself. The sound quality leaves a little to be desired, there’s some skips, there’s parts missing. Yeah, it’s imperfect, but totally worth it. It’s another glimpse into the real Prince, the Prince that liked to keep his band up until the wee hours of the morning, running them through the funky stuff, keeping them sharp, but very relaxed at the same time.

This is certainly the sweetest and funkiest “Strange Relationship” I’ve ever heard. Ten minutes of Strange Relationship-ness, no less. Prince brings up Taylor Dane during “Still Would Stand All Time”, where towards the end she gets into it with the late Boni Boyer (who can sing louder?). We get “Rave Un 2 the Joy Fantastic” a dozen years before it was officially released. A nice long “Love Bizarre”. And during “God is Alive”, Prince (sort of) explains why the ‘Black Album’ was pulled in favor of ‘Lovesexy’.

I’ll always favor this Prince.

Aftershow at Grosse Freiheit 36 club in Hamburg, Germany
August 30-31, 1988

1. Just My Imagination [fades in after start]
2. Rave Un 2 The Joy Fantastic
3. Girls & Boys
4. Venus De Milo
5. Starfish & Coffee
6. Raspberry Beret
7. People Without
8. Condition Of The Heart
9. Still Would Stand All Time (w/ Taylor Dayne)
10. Strange Relationship
11. A Love Bizarre
12. I’ll Take U There
13. Down Home Blues / Blues In C
14. Cold Sweat
15. God Is Alive
16. I Wish U Heaven
17. Purple Rain [faded out before end]

Prince’s Official Site.

Whilst on a “Lovesexy” YouTube search, I came across this dance interpretation of Prince’s “Sister” from ‘Dirty Mind’. I’m feverishly trying to track down her interpretation of the song that precedes “Sister” on the album. Now I don’t want to exclude anyone, so for those who don’t enjoy that, try this.

Smack dab in the middle of Vanity 6 and Prince on the 1999 tour (figuratively speaking, I think), was Prince’s funky-ass pet project, The Time: Jesse Johnson, Monte Moir, Jellybean Johnson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and of course charismatic front man Morris Day. Now, rumor of course has it that the Time were dropped from the tour toward the end because Prince was tired of being upstaged. Truth, rumor? I don’t know. Who can offer insight into this great life question?? Help me people, I was 12 during this tour.

The Time were touring in support of their second (and best) release, What Time Is It?, produced, arranged and composed by Jamie Starr and his Starr Company.

Mr. Starr (yes, aka Prince) had created a monster…

The Time
Long Beach, CA
March 31st, 1983
Opening for Prince on the 1999 Tour

Intro
Get it Up
777-9311
Girl
Wild and Loose
Gigolos Get Lonely Too
Cool
The Walk

Prince takes the stage later this week… | Vanity 6’s Set

The Ickmusic Hero of the Month is Arthur, who hooked me up in a trade with the Feb. 14 and Feb. 15, 2004 Prince aftershows at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The quality is superb, the set lists are amazing, and I’ve been one happy Prince fan the last few days. The parts that really hit me are hearing Prince reach back into his catalog for the old favorites. “The Beautiful Ones”, “Adore”, “Sign o the Times”, “Let’s Work”, “The Question of U”, “D.M.S.R.”, “I Feel For You”, and so many more (even the Time’s “777-9311” – which of course was a Jamie Starr production).

It brought me around again to wondering what is happening today. How 3121 was released back in March, and beyond the publicity blitz around that time with him and his latest protege Tamar, we have yet to see a tour. Meanwhile, his official site closed down due to a trademark issue, and Tamar’s CD has apparently been scrapped. See this 8/31 article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press for a look at the current state of affairs…

Secrets shroud Prince more than purple ever did
by Ross Raihala
Pioneer Press

Last week, Rhino Records quietly slipped the double-CD compilation “Ultimate Prince” into stores, five months after its original street date. Fans of the Purple One might remember back in March, when “Ultimate Prince,” which features one disc with his biggest hits and a second with hard-to-find remixes, was scheduled for release a week before his latest studio album, “3121.”

But at the last minute, Prince coerced Rhino (which is owned by his old nemesis, Warner Bros.) into delaying the compilation, lest it compete with “3121.” And it truly was an eleventh-hour decision, as “Ultimate Prince” appeared in that Sunday’s circulars for the big-box stores, and promotional copies of the set had already shipped to the media. (At the time, those rare promos were selling for up to $180 on eBay.)
– read the entire article

So suffice to say I hope everything steadies its course in Prince’s world, and he gets back to what he does best: making and performing his music, and please, more aftershows like these!

Prince:
The Beautiful Ones (mp3) – live, 2-15-2004
D.M.S.R. (mp3) – live, 2-14-2004

I thought I’d post this video since there are a good number of folks who have not seen Prince tear up the stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2004 ceremony (the year Prince was inducted). Prince’s guitar solo during “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, the all star tribute to George Harrison, was a show stealer to say the least. This performance won praise from Prince fans and non-Prince fans alike. Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are showcased during the first half of the song. Then, Prince takes over. Watch……

Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Dani Harrison, and Others: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

Did you make it this far? Good. Are you anxious to hear the full aftershows? Well, a lucky winner will receive both nights, Feb. 14th and Feb. 15th. It’s as simple as leaving a comment below. One winner will be selected in a couple of days. Good luck….

Update – Related: Silence is a Rhythm Too has a couple of tunes posted from the new ‘Ultimate’ release. Check out the post here.

A WINNER!!! >>> See my comment below for the winner of the aftershows.