Prince - Computer Blue Versions

So I was listening to of Montreal's Skeletal Lamping this morning and was really enjoying all it's Princely vibes, although I was surprised to find that some people were really disappointed by that album. Apparently it has to do with the synthetic nature of that album's sound, whereas folks are much more into their new record, False Priest, which actually comes out tomorrow. I started listening to that and found it really difficult to get into. It just seems like Barnes is trying way too hard to be weird and Princey, whereas Skeletal Lamping was funky, fun and weird in a way that was really inviting. The guy has talent, that's for sure, and I'm really looking forward to hearing the new Solange Knowles album whenever it drops as he's produced it, but I guess I don't know what to make of False Priest. Maybe it's my whole thing about hating Elf Power. That though is another story for another post.

Listening to Skeletal Lamping really got me thinking about how great Prince is and how I have such a love/hate relationship with him. I love pretty much everything he did from Dirty Mind through The Black Album, I have some serious favorites on Lovesexy through 1992's symbol album and I always found gems throughout his later output up until his last few albums, but I hate who he has become and how he treats his fans. Chuck Klosterman wrote an article about why Billy Joel feels he needs to be cool, but I've always thought it was Prince who thinks he has to be cool. The man is so talented but he's got such issues with just being himself. He also seems to think he's still a tastemaker and that his opinions are taken seriously. Recently he made comments about how the internet is dead, but he's still singing songs about e-mails and online activity. He had a pay website setup for the Lotusflower debacle where he promised all kinds of exclusive content but made very little available. People canceled their accounts only to find they were re-billed regardless. What kind of way is that to treat your fans? And that's not even discussing the quality of the music. All three CDs were retreads of old ideas that still sound fresh in their original forms but are boring as by-the-numbers workouts. The man is crazy! Yet, I still love his old music. There are artists who I can turn away from and ignore easily, but Prince's best works still shine through. I suppose it's as easy as saying that his bad attitude doesn't make his music bad, but it's easy to tie those things together when you feel emotionally battered by such heartless treatments.

Whenever I listen to Prince, I always find myself eventually putting on Computer Blue. I can't stand to watch Purple Rain ever again for any reason other than seeing Appolonia topless or listening to how funny Morris Day is, although the workprint in circulation is interesting for different reasons, but Computer Blue is an example of how good Prince can be. I know I'll be looked at as blasphemous but I can't stand Take Me With U, The Beautiful Ones (it's okay, it's just not great) or Purple Rain the song, for me it's all about the first three songs on side two, Darling Nikki, the long version of Let's Go Crazy, all the b-sides that should have been on the album (Erotic City baby!) and, of course, Computer Blue. Not the album version of Computer Blue though, that edit doesn't begin to show the brilliance at work.

Bootleg tapes of rough and alternate mixes have been in circulation for years and they all show how much time and energy Prince put into this wonderful song that got chopped to death when it was released. Wendy and Lisa continue to talk in their bizarre monotones that freak everyone out, Prince talks about wandering through a hallway named after emotions, a guitar driven interpolation of Father's Song from the movie shows up in the middle, there are solos all over the place, tons of extra lyrics, and Prince creates a feedback masterpiece all over the end of the song that goes on for well over a minute with screams and alien calls. HOLY SHIT IS IT AWESOME! Yet it never came out remotely near how cool it could have been. GODDAMNIT THAT SUCKS! If there was ever a song that should have been issued as an extended version on the a-side of some cooler than cool 12" single, THIS IS IT! But as I mentioned earlier, there are bootlegs around, and that's what I'm gonna give you to sample today, four bootleg versions of Computer Blue. I've attempted to pitch correct them as much as possible so they're all about the correct speed and now you can have your own little 1983 synth/guitar epic overdose too! ARGH! OVERDOSE!


Prince - Computer Blue Versions

01 Computer Blue (Scratch Vocal)
The backing track here is mostly complete but Prince, for whatever reason, felt possessed to record a ridiculously rough vocal where he yells, curses and loses track of everything. Not essential, but fascinating nonetheless.

02 Computer Blue (Rough Mix #1)
This is where things get interesting! Someone found this tape in their collection a few years ago and started circulating it to the joy of Prince fans all over the world. This mix doesn't feature all the elements of the final song and is missing a lot of vocals, but the quality of the recording is amazingly clear and should give all interested a glimpse at the layers in this track. This mix also contains the longest version of the feedback outro with lots of additional noise. Really impressive.

03 Computer Blue (Rough Mix #2)
This one is the holy grail! While the quality of the recording is lacking, this version features just about everything that was made for the song. This is most likely a rough mix, but it's far more complete than the above version and could have been issued as is. This version has the hallway vocals, all kinds of Wendy and Lisa weirdness, the Father's Song, extra lyrics and all kinds of wonderment. I'd have put this first but I wanted this collection to be as close to chronological as possible.

04 Computer Blue (Extended Version)
While this is extended, that's only compared to the album version. This version was apparently considered for release in an alternate master of the Purple Rain album. It contains some extra vocals but is still rather incomplete. This version ends abruptly where the feedback would crossfade into Darling Nikki, which it does, but I wasn't going to bother including a version of that song which bares no noticeable difference from it's album version.


PS - Stole the image from the Beach Life Blog. Thanks!