Eye Records 3 CD Label : “Eye” Records Catalogue : #88-89-90 3Disc Length : 90:42 / 85:54 / 78:41 Source : Audience Recordings Date/Venue : Hotel Gansevoort, New York : 10-11th October 2008 Sound Quality : VG+ / EX- Year Of Release : 2009 |
Comments
Fink's
Comments (rates this release 4.25/5.0)
"Eye" Records 3CD set documenting Prince's 21 Nights book launch and
aftershow benefiting both Prince's own Love 4 One Another charity and Taja
Sevelle's Urban Farming. The book launch itself on Disc 1 was a highly pricey
and exclusive affair, so having a recording of it is something to be very
thankful for. Disc 1's recording is at the lower scale of EX- recordings perhaps
due to the intimacy of the room it was recorded in, with every noise surrounding
the person taping being audible. There is some chatter and background noise from
those in close proximity, along with a fair few shout-outs to Prince during the
quieter parts of the show, but all are easily zoned out and not at all
overpowering. Unfortunately for such a small setting, Prince's mic level is
rather low and one has to concentrate to hear him during the opening few tracks
when he's interacting with the crowd. He's very occasionally lost in amongst the
band during a few of the songs, however these are my only gripes and overall
they are very minimal considering the recording as a whole. The set-list may not
look too appealing, however the lack of horn section means numerous tracks have
been given a different slant for the performance, with varying results. It's
sorely missing on 'I Feel For You', 'Controversy' (the 'Housequake' addition is
a complete waste of time with no horn line) and 'Cream' and the performances
sound bare, however songs such as 'What Is Hip?' and 'Stratus' now lean more on
Prince's guitar work and benefit greatly. Frederic Yonnet guests throughout on
harmonica and is hit-or-miss, however his appearance on 'Beggin' Woman Blues' is
impressive and is an added touch of blues to an already bluesy track. The show
isn't earth-shatteringly good, however slight changes throughout do lift it from
the mundane. Various lyric changes reflecting the economic crisis on '1999'
("The stock market was crashing, there were people running everywhere") and all
lyrical reference to "Funky London" (now changed to New York City") and The
Twinz (banished to history now with the new lyric of "the band" during 'Le
Freak'. The main attraction for me is the live debut of 'Colonized Mind' which
is the only real stand-out moment of the entire 90 minute show.
Discs 2 and 3 feature the aftershow also in benefit of both Love 4 One Another
and Urban Farming, and whilst the content is far more interesting, the recording
quality leaves a little to be desired for the opening 40 minutes. I'm not hating
on anyone, but if you are recording a show, please leave your screaming
girlfriend at home - the bootleg collecting world will thank you. As you may
have guessed, there is a shrieking, screaming female who greets Prince's every
move with an ear-popping scream. Alas, it's pretty incessant for the opening 8
or 9 tracks and makes listening (or more importantly enjoying) the opening songs
something of a chore. Thankfully for all involved she quietens down and is
barely audible for the remainder, however the damage she inflicts is enough to
demote this to a VG+ recording. Taking aside the opening 40 minutes, the
recording overall is impressive without being stunningly good. It lacks any
great depth and the overall feel is rather thin - a perfect example is a bass
solo from Josh which falls flat and almost goes unnoticed as the recording has
minimal power or "bite". In a similar vein the mic levels, as with the first
show, leave a little to be desired and you can forget about trying to listen to
Dave Lappelle's 8 minute comedy interlude without straining to hear or turning
the volume up to the max. In saying all that, this is a complete recording, and
the show is perfectly listenable (albeit without the screaming banshee in the
beginning), and despite my harsh critique, it's enjoyable. The two shows are the
live premier for many upcoming LotusFlow3r / MPLSound material, and the
aftershow begins with 'Crimson And Clover' making it's live debut matched by
'Controversy' including a "There'll never be another like me" chant lifted from
"(There'll Never B) Another Like Me". Alongside the usual song performances are
a number of covers performed by Prince rarely - 'Long Train Runnin' and 'Red
House' being the most obvious two, and Prince takes a backseat during the second
half of the show to allow Shelby and Marva lead vocals on a covertastic medley
section culminating in the Ohio Players 'I Want To Be Free' with a few lyrics
from 'Chocolate Box' thrown in for good measure. Once again the horn section are
absent, so numerous tracks are slightly reworked to cover their absence and as
with the main show the results vary, however '3121' performed without horns is
like Prince without heels - it's just not right, and doesn't work. The release
ends with Prince's brief appearance at the Las Vegas House Of Blues guesting on
guitar with Q-Tip, however the audio is taken from the circulating video and is
really rather shit.
Now we come to the packaging and artwork. I'll ignore the fact the two worst
pictures from the past 30 years have been used on the front cover and the
fold-out booklet cover, and concentrate on the booklet itself. It's less a
booklet, more a fold-out spread - the term used by "Eye" Records is leporello,
and wow is it pretty. It's glossy, embossed, shiny and should you excrete some
bodily fluids whilst listening to the shows (like our female friend on Disc 2),
it's also wipe-clean! It contains a detailed set-list, various pics (including
some nice photos not used in the 21 Nights book, published in Flaunt magazine)
and some slightly more in-depth info on the charities. Not particularly useful,
but it's one of the highest quality printed additions to an unofficial release
I've seen in a while. I've no doubt this release will/should appeal to the
majority as the recordings are very decent and the shows are a lot of fun. There
are numerous rarities in the set-lists, various tracks have been reworked, and
the performance itself is above-par. Sure, a fair amount is what we have heard
on recordings from 5 years ago, and the amount of covers is verging on the
ridiculous, but there's enough on here for it to be of interest, and it's still
a pleasure to hear the man having fun, and at times during these shows, he's
having a riot. Digital Funk Bitch have released their own, improved version of
the release on 'Black Eye Day'.