4DaFunk Catalog #
4DF 084/085 Release
Year 2011 2CD Length
N/A Date/Venue First Avenue,
Minneapolis 3rd March 1986 Source
Audience Recording Quality
EX
Rating
4.75/5.0
Track Listing
Disc 1
Hit & Run Warm-Up First Avenue, Minneapolis 3rd March 1986
1. Around The World In A Day 2. Christopher Tracy's Parade 3. New
Position 4. I Wonder U 5. Paisley Park 6. Alexa De Paris (intro) 7. Raspberry
Beret 8. Alexa De Paris 9. Controversy 10. Mutiny (including Dream Factory) 11.
Soft And Wet 12. I Wanna Be Your Lover 13. Head 14. Interlude 15. Under The
Cherry Moon 16. Pop Life 17. Girls And Boys (including Holly Rock) 18. Life Can
Be So Nice
Disc 2
1. Purple Rain 2. Whole Lotta Shakin' 3. Anotherloverholenyohead 4.
Mountains 5. A Love Bizarre 6. America 7. Interlude #2 8. Kiss
Comments Deane's Comments(rates this release 4.75/5.0)
The number of stunning shows Prince has performed during his
career is huge, and we are used to the use of superlatives often thrown around.
Well, with good cause may I say. But there are some shows that stand out of the
crowd due to their amazing and unrivalled quality, and I am convinced that this
show is, without doubt, one that any hardcore fan would put high in their list
of favourite live performances.
What can we say about the First Avenue '86 that has not been said before? It
showcased the Revolution in a reformed lineup, and in a way can be considered
almost the perfect transition between the classic Revolution from the Purple
Rain Years, to the band that would perform the Lovesexy material. We are
speaking about major names here. Legendary stuff, with Wendy and Miko on
guitars, Brownmark on bass, Dr. Fink and Lisa on keyboards, Eric Leeds and
Atlanta Bliss on horns, Bobby Z on drums, and Jerome/Greg/Wally doing their
work. If there was any doubt that Prince was a fully fledged legend by this
period, listen to this show and you will see what all the fuss was about.
The recording itself had been released in the past, but the audio quality from
this new source, and used in this release from 4DaFunk, is absolutely
magnificent. Add to it the flawless audio treatment that is the signature of
this label, and you have nothing but musical delight. As always, we've got very
nice and professional artwork making the whole set a model release (certainly
something to get inspiration from, when/if the purple guy himself decides one
day to do the right thing and release official versions of legendary shows like
this).
So then… what about the music??? The music is a dream. Since this was a warm-up
gig for the Parade tour naturally you have most of the Parade album included
although it's a pity to see Sometimes It Snows In April missing. Listen through,
though, and its omission makes sense as the show is tight as hell, with a groove
to match, and in that context a ballad would be out of place. But wait, there's
much more! There's an almost 5 min take of Alexa de Paris, there's Mutiny/Dream
Factory, there's 13 min of Purple Rain (and yes, I still enjoy this beauty of
song), there's Mountains and Girls & Boys in full glory and there's even a
seemingly never-ending America which would be a nightmare for any other rhythm
section, but not for The Revolution…
The inspiration flows everywhere, the state of grace of the whole band makes the
performance a pure pleasure to listen. The horns, and particularly the sublime
Eric Leeds, shine everywhere (just listen to Mutiny) and to top it all, you have
the commander at his peak, in a good mood and fully aware of his almost
omnipotent musical prowess.
In short: I don't have enough words to praise this set from 4DaFunk. They have
an astonishing catalogue, but they managed once more to put another landmark
release out there. Desrved thanks are due to everybody involved in releasing
this jewel.