The Time live in KC
In the year nineteen eighty-three, Prince’s Triple Threat Tour did hit the road. Vanity 6 opened the evening, with The Time as their backing band behind a curtain. Next up, before Prince took the stage, Morris Day and the boys got their 45 minutes in the spotlight, and they took every advantage, trying their hardest to upstage their boss.
I was a wee 12 year old during this tour, so I didn’t get to witness the competition firsthand. But from all accounts, it made for an amazing tour – Prince touring behind 1999, and the Time, with two solid (Prince-produced) records under their belt, there to try and show him up night after night.
Here’s The Time’s set from a recently unearthed soundboard recording from March 19th, 1983, at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
The Time
Kansas City, MO
March 19, 19831. Intro
2. Get It Up
3. 777-9311
4. Girl
5. Wild & Loose
6. Gigolos Get Lonely Too
7. Cool
8. The Walk
9. OutroVideo: We All Wanna Be Prince
I’ve seen this song all over the place the last few weeks, but I didn’t take the time to listen until tonight, when I noticed the video was out. And let me say, the video is cool and pretty chuckle-worthy at times. They capture the Dirty Mind thru 1999-era Prince – with the Prince dress-up, the ladies, the rampant horniness, and the song itself. Well done, Felix Da Housecat…
It’s Live, It’s Purple: Musicology in Phoenix
A couple times a year, I slip into my Prince-only phase – three, four, five weeks of obsessive listening. To spur it on this time around, it was the Spin issue commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Purple Rain. The movie and album pulled me into Prince’s purple universe in the latter half of 1984, and I haven’t left since.
What I could use right now is some live Prince – something I haven’t experienced since April 2002, when he was touring behind The Rainbow Children album with his ‘One Night Alone’ shows…
Unfortunately, I missed the Musicology tour. I was moving from Denver back to Phoenix that Spring of ’04. He stopped in Denver a few weeks after I left, and he played Phoenix a week or two before I got there. Great luck.
I’m still assuming that Prince would want to tour behind his latest albums, Lotusflow3r and MPLSound, but we’re still waiting. Over the last few weeks, he’s played the Montreux Jazz Festival and a fancy-pants show in Monaco. But let’s hope he gets back stateside for some normal gigs for everyman and everywoman. You know, the fans who’ve supported him for decades?
I missed a good show in Phoenix that Spring of ’04. Hear for yourself…
Musicology Tour
Glendale Arena | Phoenix, AZ
March 31st, 2004Part 1
1. Intro
2. Musicology
3. Let’s Go Crazy
4. I Would Die 4 U
5. When Doves Cry
6. 1999 – Intro Baby I’m A Star
7. Shhh
8. D.M.S.R Incl. The Way You Move
9. A Love Bizarre – The Glamorous Life – I Feel 4 U
10. Controversy
11. Interlude
12. God
13. The Beautiful Ones
14. Nothing Compares 2 U
15. InsatiablePart 2
1. Sign ‘O’ The Times
2. The Question Of U – The One – Fallin
3. Let’s Work
4. U Got The Look
5. Hot Pants
6. Soulman
7. Kiss
8. Take Me With U
9. Outro
10. Purple RainBonus Tracks:
San Antonio, TX | SBC Center | June 9th, 2004
11. D.M.S.R.
12. A Love Bizarre
13. I Feel For You
14. ControversyAmazon Links:
Prince & Lenny – American Woman
If you do a little digging, it is possible to track down some quality Prince video action online. This comes from the Pay-Per-View concert (Rave Un2 the Year 2000) that Prince broadcast on New Year’s Eve 1999. It was a few months after Prince had released the disappointing Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. The album was released on Arista, and was conceived by Clive Davis as a comeback/collaboration album, similar to what Supernatural had done for Carlos Santana a couple years earlier. It featured artists like Chuck D., Gwen Stefani, and Sheryl Crow, and well, it didn’t turn out to be the smash hit they were looking for.
As for Lenny, he had just contributed his version of the Guess Who classic “American Woman” to the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack.
And here, the two sashay to the stage in dramatic fashion, and do proceed to rock the house.
[dailymotion id=x66l3y]Incubus & the Roots do justice to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy”
?uestlove warned us to set our DVR’s to catch Incubus perform Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” with the Roots on the Jimmy Fallon show. Only thing is, my computer is upstairs and my DVR is downstairs. If that doesn’t define laziness, I don’t know what does.
Thankfully, Okay Player has the video available, and it has yet to be yanked by the Purple One and his web police goons. I just watched it, and I think this version kicks ass. Lead singer Brandon Boyd clearly knows the song inside and out, and does the song great justice, along with all the great players. Kudos too to Mike Einziger, who nails the guitar parts – including the classic finale solo. Obviously the kids along the railing didn’t grow up with the song like us older farts – they think the song’s over when Einziger starts his solo. Kids…
The Friday Five: July 17, 2009
Friday Five : ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
Raphael Saadiq – “Never Give You Up” (feat. Stevie Wonder & CJ Hilton)(from The Way I See It, 2008)
Raphael Saadiq took Neo-Soul to a whole new level with this record. Classic soul with a killer Stevie harmonica solo.
Huey Lewis & The News – “So Little Kindness” (from Time Flies… The Best of Huey Lewis & The News, 1996)
Everyone’s favorite little bar band and the subject of the latest installment of Rock Court over at Popdose (link)
Prince – “Dig U Better Dead” (from Chaos and Disorder, 1996)
Not my favorite, but one of the better tracks from this lackluster effort.
Fall Out Boy – “What a Catch, Donnie” (from Folie à Deux, 2008)Patrick Stump does his best Elvis Costello, only to be trumped by the man himself making an appearance.
Guns N’ Roses – “Paradise City” (from Appetite for Destruction, 1987)
Nice way to tie it up!
What next on your shuffle today?
The Friday Five: July 3, 2009
Friday Five : ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
Editor’s Note: After a 4 day work week that felt more like 7 it’s time to unwind, but before I start my holiday weekend I’ve got a quick shuffle to share. Have a safe and great Independence Day weekend.
Harvey Danger – “Flagpole Sitta” (from Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?, 1997)
The Gaslight Anthem – “Great Expectations” (mp3) (from The ’59 Sound, 2008)
Van Halen – “Jamie’s Cryin'” (from Van Halen, 1978)
Prince – “Controversy” (from Controversy, 1981)
Bobby Brown – “Roni” (mp3) (from Dance! … Ya Know It, 1989)
What tunes are getting you started today?
The Friday Five: June 5, 2009
Friday Five : ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.The Five:
Editor’s Note: It’s a busy day here in the Northeast but The Five is still playing in the background… here’s what is spinning with some twitter-sized thoughts:
Frente! – “Labour of Love” (from Labour of Love)
Aussie acoustic-pop act better known 4 their intimate cover of New Order‘s “Bizarre Love Triangle”. I actually like this record quite a bit.
Metallica – “Battery” (from Master of Puppets)
& now 4 something cmpletly difft! ive 2 admit that I dont listen 2 enough classic Metallica. I hold their present against their past glory.
ALL – “Hot Rod Lincon” (from Allroy’s Revenge)
Punk tribute to the Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen classic.
Prince – “The Arms of Orion (feat. Sheena Easton)” (from Batman)
Mama said if you ain’t got nuthin’ nice to say don’t say nuthin’ at all.
Johnny Cash – “A Boy Named Sue (live)” (from The Legend of Johnny Cash)
This 1 brings back memories of sitting the back of the family station wagon. Johnny, Waylon, Willie & the boys were always the soundtrack.
What’s keeping your day rolling?
The Friday Five: May 29, 2009
Friday Five : ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
Toad the Wet Sprocket – “Nothing Is Alone” (mp3) (from 1992-09-16: Fox Theater, Boulder, CO, USA)“And now the song so happy that Todd had to sing it.” From 1990’s Pale this remains one of my favorite Toad songs.
Stevie Wonder – “Sir Duke” (from Songs in the Key of Life)
To say that this song is one of the nearest and dearest to my heart would be an understatement. This song is truthfully sunshine for the soul. Don’t believe me? Next time you are having a bad day, put it on. You’ll thank me later.
Just to prove my point, here’s the set up. Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket, see what I did there?) has played so long that the venue has sent him and the crowd out into the streets where Glen along with Nickel Creek bring the encore to the streets and close the evening with a joyful rendition of Stevie’s classic “Sir Duke” (mp3).
Chaka Khan – “I Feel for You” (from Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Volume One)
Okay, so this is a Prince track featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel – that’s him on the “Ch-ch-ch-chaka-chaka-chaka Khan” – and Stevie Wonder on Harmonica. I mean really, how can you go wrong?
Prince – “Sexy Dancer” (from Prince)
Hey, look at that. It’s almost as if iTunes is paying special attention today. Stevie, Chaka, Prince… this could rank in my top 10 fives!
Jamiroquai – “Virtual Insanity” (mp3) (from High Times: Singles 1992-2006)
With the exception of the Toad the Wet Sprocket tune that kicked us off, this has turned out to be one damned funky five. The futuristic blend of soul, acid-jazz and funk of Jamiroquai has always resounded with me and this track is no exception.
**BONUS**
Down to the Bone – “Greedy Fingers” (mp3) (from Supercharged)
Okay, I’ve only done this once before… but the sixth track to shuffle up was just so good and fit the overall shuffle so well that I simply had to include it. More soul, acid-jazz and funk only this time of the instrumental variety. If you’ve never heard of the UK’s Down to the Bone consider yourself schooled in coolest collective of UK’s jazz groove.
Okay, I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours!
“Somewhere Here on Earth” on Leno
Prince stopped by to wish Leno well on his new venture and left it on the stage with a killer version of “Somewhere Here on Earth”. I must reiterate how good it is to see Rhonda, Renato and John Blackwell backing him up.
