Prince - Nothing Compares 2 U unreleased version

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lewism

That was great, but you can’t really go wrong with Prince from that era (and there’s still a lot of great stuff on his later, more obscure albums). It’s almost a shame that the song’s so linked to Sinead O’Connor though as the different style seems alien to what I’m used to hearing in that song. It’s a testament to his songwriting that it could just be given away to someone else though.

Rabs

lewism said:

That was great, but you can’t really go wrong with Prince from that era (and there’s still a lot of great stuff on his later, more obscure albums). It’s almost a shame that the song’s so linked to Sinead O’Connor though as the different style seems alien to what I’m used to hearing in that song. It’s a testament to his songwriting that it could just be given away to someone else though.

Yeah.. as a song writer he was just something else...  For some added info heres the BBC page I found this on

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43836755

Prince's estate has released the star's original 1984 recording of Nothing Compares 2 U, ahead of the second anniversary of his death.

One of Prince's loneliest songs, it was initially given to his side project, The Family, before Sinead O'Connor made it a hit in 1990.

Prince later reclaimed it in concert, and released a live version of the ballad on his 1993 Hits album.

The song also featured in his last ever show, in Atlanta, on 14 April 2016.

Prince's recording is more ornate than Sinead O'Connor's stripped-down version, and features a heavy guitar riff and a saxophone solo by frequent collaborator Eric Leeds.

But the backing vocals, recorded by the star's on-off girlfriend Susannah Melvoin, are a revelation, providing a harmonic counterpoint to the desolate lyrics.

Melvoin later recorded the first released version of the song with The Family, a band Prince put together in 1984 as a showcase for singer Paul Peterson.

"I'm so blessed and honoured to have been singing background vocals on this," tweeted the singer after Prince's demo was given its first official release on Thursday. "So much love for him."

Prince's version was recorded at the Flying Cloud Drive "Warehouse" in Eden Prairie, Minnesota - the huge rehearsal space he used before building Paisley Park - on 15 July 1984.

It was recently unearthed by Michael Howe, the official vault archivist for the Prince estate.

"I spotted the two-inch multitrack reel in the Vault some weeks back while doing a 1984-era inventory," he said in a press release. "After retrieving my jaw from the floor, we took the reel upstairs, analysed it... and digitised it.

"Even our 'faders up' rough mix was compelling enough to indicate that this was something very special indeed."

dindude

That sounds wonderful 

joeyowen

Might just my lack of sleep currently, but that was quite an emotional watch

Top of his game stuff

I do think his version doesn't flow in places (maybe I'm conditioned by the Sinaed O Connor version).  Can't quite put my finger on it.  Still awesome though, it's a minor critique 

Rabs

joeyowen said:

Might just my lack of sleep currently, but that was quite an emotional watch

Top of his game stuff

I do think his version doesn't flow in places (maybe I'm conditioned by the Sinaed O Connor version).  Can't quite put my finger on it.  Still awesome though, it's a minor critique 

I think its cos Prince's version goes off key a lot in the way that he did in a lot of his tunes... So its like theres a lot more minors in it which gives it a more angled sound (if you see what I mean, im not too technical so that's the only way I can explain it).

But I like it.. Quite a lot actually.. Especially the sax solo. 

lewism

The sax solo threw me off, really. It seems to date it a bit. A proper Prince “Purple Rain” style guitar solo would have suited more to my mind.

IvisonGuitars

There's a reason that stayed unreleased for so long....

impmann

TBH, it sounds like a demo... and Sinead's version was better.

Prince was a genius, no question in my mind. And the song is amazing. Its just not a very polished version of it, and I prefer O'Connor's emotive rendering of it. Prince's later release of this was better IMHO, but I don't think the man himself would have ever condoned releasing this, as its not a great version.