Another Lonely Ex-Mas (FBG) 2CD

Another Lonely Ex-Mas 2CD

Free Boot Generation
Catalog # FBG 20
Release Year 2008
2CD Length 78:00 / 72:55
Date/Venue Civic Center, St. Paul 26th December 1984
Source Audience Recording
Quality VG+ / EX-

Rating 4.25/5.0

Track Listing
Purple Rain Tour Civic Center, St. Paul 26th December 1984
Disc 1
1. Let's Go Crazy 2. Delirious 3. 1999 4. Little Red Corvette 5. Yankee Doodle 6. Free 7. Take Me With U 8. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore 9. Dirty Mind 10. I Wanna Be Your Lover 11. Do Me, Baby 12. Temptation 13. Let's Pretend We're Married 14. International Lover 15. Father's Song 16. God 17. Computer Blue 18. Darling Nikki 19. The Beautiful Ones 20. When Doves Cry

Disc 2
1. I Would Die 4 U 2. Baby I'm A Star 3. Another Lonely Christmas 4. Purple Rain [Sheila E Opening Act] 5. Erotic City (w/ Prince) 6. The Glamorous Life

Comments
Fink's Comments (rates this release 4.25/5.0)
This is a different audience recording to the one that appears on the 'Civic Center, St. Paul' fan release, and it's strikingly better. The previous release suffered from overpowering tape hiss, had numerous drop-outs, was dull, flat, lifeless and below average. That, however is now a distant memory as this release suffers from none of those problems and is a superbly clear audience recording dating from 1984. Prince and the band are far, far above any background and/or audience noise, and his vocals during the piano segment in particular are strikingly loud and clear - impressively so.

Normally I would have happily rated this as an EX- recording (no mean feat for a 1984 recording), however the audience during the opening few songs are a little shrill and there is some minor tape rolling during the first track in particular, but be under no illusion, outside of the stunning Persic recordings from San Francisco 1985, this is one of the best audience recordings from the Purple Rain tour, and is without doubt the best of the circulating St. Paul shows. So good in fact, it would put to shame a number of recordings from the Musicology tour 20 years later in the supposed digital age. The recording is more complete than the previous release and the only drop-out I managed to notice was 2 seconds during the intro to 'International Lover' - although a few seconds out of over 2 hours is pathetic of me to mention. The majority of the show follows the standard pattern of early Purple Rain shows with the piano segment containing the only real improvisation of the first half. The trio of 'Dirty Mind', 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' and 'Do Me, Baby', whilst not being rarities, were not staples of the show, however mention has to also go to the vocal gymnastics on 'How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore'. Disc 2 really contains the most interesting aspect of this release with the only known live performance of 'Another Lonely Christmas' circulating thus far. This one song performance is worthy of release alone, however the fact the show takes place following Christmas, and the fact it's a home town show also adds to make it a little more special. The release also includes 18 minutes from Sheila E's opening act which was uncirculating until now. The quality is slightly less impressive with a hefty bass level for 'Erotic City' in particular, however it's a welcome extra to an already impressive release.

Overall I enjoy this as for two simple reasons : the fact it makes the previous release obsolete, and the one-time live performance of 'Another Lonely Christmas'. An excellent, really enjoyable release.