8-3-83 Rehearsal 2CD
Free Boot Generation
Catalog # FBG 17
Release Year  2008
2CD Length 41:26 / 45:46
Date/Venue Rehearsal For First Avenue Benefit Concert July 1983
Source Soundboard Recording
Quality EX
Rating 5.0/5.0

Track Listing
Disc 1
Rehearsal For First Avenue Benefit Concert July 1983

1. Let's Go Crazy 2. When You Were Mine 3. A Case Of You 4. Computer Blue 5. Delirious 6. Electric Intercourse 7. Automatic 8. I Would Die 4 U 9. Baby I'm A Star 10. Little Red Corvette

Disc 2
1. Purple Rain 2. D.M.S.R. 3. Band Tuning 4. Africa Talks To You 5. Band Improvisations 6. Let's Go Crazy

Comments
Fink's Comments (rates this release 5.0/5.0)
One of, if not the finest rehearsals of the man's career, and thankfully a stellar quality soundboard recording to match the content. This rehearsal has been circulating in various degrees of quality for years with Sabotage's 'Purple Rush Volume 2' perhaps being the most popular thus far. Sabotage's was good, great in parts, but the audible hiss throughout 'Purple Rain' and a number of small edits during the rehearsal were a source of frustration for me. Thankfully this release has zero hiss, a running order which appears to be a true reflection of the rehearsal (Sabotage placed both versions of 'Let's Go Crazy' back-to-back which always seemed strange) and the overall clarity of the soundboard recording is head-and-shoulders above any other.

There's no comparison when it comes to the two as this is far superior, but of the 3 major glitches in the recording (which affects both), it should be pointed out that everything is left "as is" on here, so we get the original intro to the first version of 'Let's Go Crazy' (Sabotage edited in a different recording) complete with the "when you call up that nigger in Beverley Hills" spoken intro, we get a little distortion and/or tape-chew on 'Baby I'm A Star' here with the original "turn around, 1..2..3" intro which Sabotage removed, and finally the tape fluctuation and distortion on 'D.M.S.R.' is left on here untouched and unedited. Those are the three main flaws with the recording, but they account for 1 minute in total and are minimal when considering the overall quality. The originality of the recording aside, it's also simply a clearer, cleaner recording which allows you to hear things not audible on other versions - such as background comments by Prince during the band improvisation section. Excellent soundboard, excellent rehearsal and an excellent improvement over any other version - I really do enjoy this release immensely.

The content is the real icing on the cake with a nasty-as-you-like (and we like) 'Computer Blue' to rival any other version, a stunning 'Electric Intercourse, a frenetic 'D.M.S.R.' which simply goes on and on and on...and on, and a 24 minute segment of the band fooling around with numerous genuinely funny moments and snippets from a vast array of songs from the James Bond theme through to 'Catch A Falling Star'. This isn't perfect, and outside the 3 flaws on the recording mentioned above, Prince's vocals on 'I Would Die 4 U' are raspy and hazy, but that also affects all other versions of the rehearsal, so no fault lies with FBG.

If you only ever grab one version of this rehearsal, make it this one. If you already have this rehearsal, get this version, grab a set of earphones, turn it up loud and enjoy.


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