Prince/PA,USA 1981 & more Soundboard Edition

It’s here! An unreleased soundboard of a threat, a live performance from the Controversy tour on November 20, 1981 in Pittsburgh, more than 35 years ago! Moreover, it is a superb soundboard recording with such a high sense of realism that it makes you think that it was planned to be released, and that the young Prince is definitely playing there! It fades in a little, but the first song, Sexuality, approaches with a guitar cutting that sounds so good it’s almost divine, and you can’t help but smile. There is a soundboard on the Controversy tour, but the sound quality is well-balanced as if you were listening to a live album, and yet you can hear the sounds of each instrument. It’s a sound quality that can be said to be better than that of Royal Badness*. Amazing! The rockishness of the rare number Jack U Off and the pop of When U Were Mine stand out very much from the good sound. The highlight, I Wanna Be Your Lover, is a well-finished version that is broken down and sung, and the good sound makes it easy to understand and enjoy each sound. The same goes for the sexy funk Head, with Lisa’s mysterious chorus, Doctor’s piercing keyboards, and Prince’s sensual yet cool vocals, which appear as if they are playing right in front of you. Do Me Baby also gives a sense of dignity, and Let’s Work is a performance that could be called a grand finale. But it doesn’t end there, with a funky version of Controversy with Brown Mark and Prince’s groovy ensemble, a completed version of Uptown with an excellent thrilling guitar solo in the second half that lasts for 7 minutes, and the last song played after several encores is Party Up, which is a sprinting performance that doesn’t let up at all, and even makes you feel like you’re about to start a live show again! It’s an intense 11-minute performance that sounds like a long version of the performance at Saturday Night Live in 1981! It’s a really great closing! And there are two bonus tracks, and both are amazing! The early version of I Would Die 4 U has a different backing, and the crunchy sound of the guitar is very innovative. There is no middle verse yet, and it is filled with voices such as yeah. It is definitely before the First Avenue live in 1983, and it may have been recorded around 1981 because it was unearthed at the same time as this recording. Because it is followed by the performance of Uptown, it seems to be a performance of the tour around that time. You can hear Prince calling Lisa and Dez’s voice, so there is no doubt. Another bonus track is a Shocadelica rehearsal in 1987, where Prince wrote a song first after hearing the title of Jesse Johnson’s album. It has piano phrases, a freaky feel, interesting effects, and an atmosphere like a Shocadelica jam, but it seems to have been well thought out, including the progression, and it is a wonderful version that gradually gets funky. It’s clear that this is a rehearsal for the Sign of the Times tour, as Wally’s voice and Cat are present. It was supposed to be played on that tour, but it never was. This is a rare recording that can be heard here. Live at the Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA, 20 November 1981 Disc 1 01. Sexuality 02. Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? 03. Jack U Off 04. When You Were Mine 05. I Wanna Be Your Lover 06. Head 07. Annie Christian 08. Dirty Mind 09. Do Me, Baby 10. Let’s Work Disc 2 01. Controversy 02. Uptown 03. Partyup bonus: 04. I Would Die 4 U/ Uptown (Rehearsal 1981) 05. Shocadelica (Rehearsal 1987)