Prince/MN,USA Last 3Days 2015 & more

Prince’s last live performance at Paisley Park in 2015, and effectively his last as a band, has been unearthed. This is an audience recording of a party at Paisley Park on October 24, 2015 to celebrate the release of Judith Hill’s first album. It was held in the smaller NPGMC room, not the large The Sound Stage. There are some parts where the sound is slightly distorted, which is probably due to the venue. However, it has been remastered well, so it is easy to listen to and doesn’t bother me much. The members are Kirk Johnson on drums, Mono Neon on bass, Donna Grantis on guitar, Adrian Crutchfield on sax and wind synth, and Judith Hill and Prince. First, they play an elegant and very funky jazz instrumental for about 4 minutes, which becomes the intro, and then it changes into a very thrilling new version of All The Crtics. Prince plays most of the keyboards as well as the vocals, so he is the main axis of this song and leads the performance. Prince’s electric solo is not a keyboard, but a wind synthesizer that can be controlled by playing wind instruments. It has a very interesting sound. Prince’s band style in 2016 may have favored using wind synthesizers. And the mono neon bass is funky and lively, as expected. Stratus features Donna’s guitar roaring, Prince’s elegant piano, mono neon’s elegant bass, and the other members also show off their outstanding solos. Then Prince introduces the star of this time, Judith Hill (in fact, she played two songs before this live, and those two songs are included as bonus tracks on Discs 2 and 3). The soulful version of My People features Adrian’s saxophone, and Zapp’s More Bounce To The Ounce-style cutting pops out, not forgetting the funkiness. Prince also comes in to sing in the second half, and the band also asserts itself, making it a long version of just under 10 minutes with a rising mood. Then they went straight into a cover of Bill Withers’ Use Me. Prince sang with a firm voice, asking for the audience’s interjections, and the performance developed into a groovy one. Donna’s funky guitar solo was also cool enough to make you shiver. And the performance continued without interruption, with a somewhat ominous sound. This is the live version of Ruff Enuff. Prince’s voice was funky, and as the sound gradually took on a certain direction, Prince finally began to sing. There is a vocal version in the studio take, where Adrian sings with a vocoder (he calls it a talking saxbox), but here it is the Prince version. It’s natural for Prince to sing, but it’s a very Prince-like song, and the performance is pop and makes you want to dance. Then the performance finished with the audience chanting Judith’s album title Back In Time, and then the intro with a sample of Prince’s song from Millon $ Show. Judith sings as if she’s jumping out of it. The studio version is reproduced, but it is played a little longer, and there is a live feeling, so it is a very happy performance. Then there is a sudden change, Sly’s Thank You is played. Prince sings well, and with the interesting keyboard sounds and cool development from the middle, it is a Thank You unique to this band. Judith participates in the chorus. Here, the guitar, which seems to be Prince, combines with the keyboard to create a funky Alphabet St. Then the guitar changes to a rockish and American Woman-like jam. When the audience notices the flow, they all scream in response. Then, just as you think it’s over, Prince sings Sign O The Times while putting in O-R-I-O and O-O, puts in a keyboard solo, and says Gunnai! Prince greets. However, it becomes 777-9311, and Prince himself reproduces the difficult drumming of this song. The mono neon bass also comes in, and there is a funkiness different from the usual sampling set. Then it’s Hot Thing. Prince is vocalizing well, but he also sings in a slightly interesting way. There is a cutting guitar, which is also funky. This was Prince’s last test performance with the band, and the Princes were heading for even greater heights. This is a very rare live performance. Disc 2 is a live performance at Paisley Park on November 6, 2015, titled Bringyojammies #1. The sound quality is a very immersive and good audience recording. It starts with the usual Let’s Go Crazy, but it’s not at all! It’s a shocking 21-minute version! It’s the first time I’ve played this long, except for rehearsals. A mysterious guitar is already developed from the intro. Then, after 5 minutes, it goes into a jam with Adrian Crutchfield’s saxophone on a different, rough, cutting funk. Kirk’s drums are solid and mostly Let’s Go Crazy-like. Donna’s sharp guitar, mono neon heavy bass, Prince’s ominous keyboard, and another saxophone tune. It’s a freaky and jazzy jam, but Prince’s keyboard controls the whole, so it’s cohesive. After 14 minutes, Prince finally starts to sing Let’s Go Crazy in a muttering voice. It’s a singing style that I’ve never heard before, and it’s a development. This time, I thought it would proceed with calm organ jazz, but it bounced and strange effects came in, and it became a slightly experimental mood, but it quickly developed, Prince started singing again, and the saxophone came in and it became a loose funky version. But Donna plays the usual guitar solo, and the keyboard also comes in, so you can see the irregularity here and there and you won’t get bored. Prince’s shout of Adrian! A saxophone solo pops out, and it gets more and more exciting. From the second half, it becomes a funky Let’s Go Crazy, and at the end, the usual sustained guitar comes in and closes. But it doesn’t stop and goes to The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker. It’s still a very jazzy version, and the piano puts in a lively phrase. Prince is in a good mood as he sings, taking his time. Adrian’s flute is elegant, and the version has a lot of instrumental parts, lasting just under 5 minutes, and then the instrumental changes to Xpectation. This rare song continues for 4 minutes, and then goes straight into Sly’s Thankful N’ Thoughtful. The song is solid and noble, but the backing changes to In Time and develops in a complex way. The old-fashioned sound of an electric piano cuts in and surprises, and the saxophone also has a nice flavor. Prince’s conversation with the audience, the wah guitar, the trembling bass, and the vocals of You Can Make If You Try at the perfect timing are all funky. D Train’s cover You’re The One For Me is a jazz version, but it has a Delirious-like up-tempo feel, and the thrilling guitar makes your body move involuntarily. Then, from the sharp guitar lingering sound, it ends with the raging heavyweight funkiness and the headstrong Days Of Wild. The audience is delighted, and Prince says thank you. The arrangement has a new manner in every aspect, from the effect sounds, cutting, horns, details to the jam in the latter half, which greatly increases the value of this masterpiece. This is a very valuable live performance that gives us the only glimpse of Prince’s new band, and the content is also super agonizing. I am very grateful that such a recording has been preserved. In addition, one of the first two songs from Judith Hill’s live performance on October 24th on Disc 1, A Trains Go By, is recorded by the audience. Judith finally starts singing from a funky and long intro, and Prince’s voice can be heard, singing, and there is also a scene where Judith and him sing in harmony. The guitar and saxophone that pop out, and the dizzying length of just under 20 minutes allow you to enjoy the outstanding performance of Prince and his band in depth. Disc 3 is also amazing. In 2016, Prince held a concert with only a piano set at Paisley Park and the Piano and a Microphone tour. It was always a wonderful piece that changed like a kaleidoscope, but the live performance at Paisley Park on November 7, 2015, titled Bringyojammies #2, is a very precious prototype of that. After lightly playing Diamonds And Pearls as an intro, they suddenly performed the rare If Eye Could Get Ur Attention, an old song that was re-recorded with the intention of being included in the album Hinrun Phase Two, but they played it on the piano for now. This was not played on the later Piano Microphone Tour. Then everyone sings Raspberry Beret together, and Starfish And Coffee, which is sung well and the audience listens to it, plays the outro even after finishing the performance once, and plays for a long time of 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Then it flows into Sweet Thing, but first it is sung quite broken. And it is actually a mashup with Starfish And Coffee, which is shocking. Something In The Water is still a single piano, but it is fresh to hear it sung and played slowly. The beautiful melody of With You eventually takes on a sad tone. Then the applause begins. It seems that the band members have joined in. Prince sings “When Will We B Paid?”. The saxophone also sways and overlaps. Kirk Johnson’s drumming comes in and it becomes a band sound, and then the piano bridges and transitions to Black Muse. There is also a version with only the piano, but it’s great that it’s a band sound here. Prince sings well and the saxophone cuts in.The mono neon bass solo is also full of groove. When Will We B Paid? is also sung, and Donna has a funky wah guitar. Adrian’s sax is also introduced by Prince, and at the end, it’s a very funky drumming by Khaki J, and then it’s a slow groove by Girls & Boys. Then Prince sings. The band sound continues, and Prince sings Love Or Money one after another, but he changes the lyrics, and the horn phrases of Girls & Boys are added, making it a rough band mashup. Then, while leaving the rhythm of Girls & Boys faintly, Prince starts providing a heavy beat saying, “I’m going to play boogie.” The horns are thin, there are interesting keyboard phrases, Prince’s screams, piercing guitar, and it can be called a new sense of jazz. It is said that Prince and his friends were working on an album called Black Is New Black, which contains 9 songs, and there is also talk that this is the title song. And at the end, the band members all work together to finish with the amazing Stratus. The first half is a piano set, the second half is a band set, it’s a bit irregular, but this is the last band performance by Adrian, Mono Neon, Donna, Kirk and others as Black Is New Black. Disc 1 also includes one of the first two songs from Judith Hill’s live performance on October 24th, Cry, Cry, Cry. It’s a super long version of 14 minutes, and Prince is also there, but here you can enjoy the rich music of the band and Judith to the fullest. And it comes with a DVD. It’s a smartphone video of Judith Hill’s album release party, but it was held in her hometown. She only plays her piano set for about 30 minutes, playing songs from the album Back In Time. There is one cover song, Pure Imagination from the musical Chocolate Factory. It’s a very beautiful live performance. And there are seven shots that partially capture the footage of Let’s Go Crazy at Paisley Park on November 6, 2015, which Prince posted on Instagram. Although it’s only 15 seconds each, you can get a glimpse of how the super long version of Let’s Go Crazy was performed. Also included is a video of the plectrumelectrum on the 7th the next day, which was recorded a little over a minute. Disc 1 “Party Celebrating Judith Hill Album” Paisley Park October 24, 2015 1.Instrumental Jam 2.All The Critics Love U In Minneapolis incl. A Love Bizarre (instr.) 3.Stratus 4.My People (feat. Judith Hill) 5.Use Me incl.Prince speech 6.Ruff Enugg incl. Kirk A Johson drum sol 7.Million $ Show ( feat. Judith Hill) 8.Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) incl. Shut This Down 9.Alphabet St. 10.American Woman 11.Sign O’ The Times 12.777-9311 (feat. Prince on drums) 13.Hot Thing Disc 2 “BRINGYOJAMMIES Party #1” Paisley Park November 6, 2015 1.Let’s Go Crazy incl.Frankenstein 2.The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker incl.Four 3.Xpectation 4.Thankful N’ Thoughtful incl. In Time, You Can Make If You Try 5.You’re The One For Me 6.Days Of Wild Bonus (Paisley Park October 24, 2015) 7.As Trains Go By (Judith Hill Feat. Prince) Disc 3 “BRINGYOJAM MIES Party #2” Paisley Park November 7, 2015 1.Diamonds And Pearls instr. 2.If Eye Could Get Ur Attention 3.Raspberry Beret 4.Starfish And Coffee 5.Sweet Thing 6.Something In The Water (Does Not Compute) 7.With You instr. 8.When Will We B Paid? 9.Black Muse incl. When Will We B Paid?(chant) 10.Black Muse incl.band introduction 11.Girls & Boys 12.Love or $ 13.Boogie Instrumental 14.Speech (Prince in the Zone) 15.Stratus Bonus (Paisley Park October 24, 2015) 16.Cry, Cry, Cry DVD Judith Hill Release Party (LA, 2015.10.22) 1.Intro 2.Turn Up 3.Cry, Cry, Cry 4.Love Trip 5.Pure Imagination 6.Angel In The Dark 7.Beautiful Night 8.As Train Go By (part) excerpt #1 excerpt #2 excerpt #3 excerpt #4 excerpt #5 excerpt #6 excerpt #9 LAUGHING STALLIONS