Take The "W" Train(4DF) CD

Take The "W" Train CD

4DaFunk
Catalog # 4DF 043
Release Year 2007
CD Length 67:08
Date/Venue Warfield Theatre, San Francisco 11th November 1988 (am)
Source Audience Recordings
Quality VG+

Rating 4.0/5.0

Track Listing
Lovesexy Tour Aftershow
Warfield Theatre, San Francisco 11th November 1988 (am)
1. Positivity 2. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker 3. Four 4. Housequake (including Take The A-Train) 5. Just My Imagination 6. I'll Take You There 7. Take This Beat 8. Cold Sweat 9. Prince Drum Solo 10. Sheila E Percussion Solo 11. Lovesexy (including Holly Rock) 12. 80's Medley 13. It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night 14. Chain Of Fools 15. It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night (outro)

Comments
Fink's Comments (rates this release 4.0/5.0)
4DaFunk's release of the excellent Oakland / San Francisco Lovesexy aftershow, and whilst this is head-and-shoulders above the previous 'Just Another Aftershow' release, it still has it's fair share of problems. Overall the recording is a solid audience VG+ with the crowd being completely in the background throughout and at no point being obtrusive or overpowering - in fact this recording sounds like it was recorded a fair distance from the actual crowd, yet close to the stage/speakers - like I say, a very solid recording. The sound issues don't lie with the crowd, but with the recording itself and begin right at the start. The audio wavers from L to R throughout the opening few songs, but does thankfully settle down from there on in.

The bass level on a few songs is also very excessive and is at it's max during 'Four' and 'Housequake' where it does slightly edge into one's enjoyment of the performance - not too much, but there's plainly a problem there. These issues aside, anything else I can say about this is a moot point as the recording dates from 1988 and the shows content is phenomenally good. A loose, laid-back opening 'Positivity' gives way to a rather short 'The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker' segueing into an extended version of Madhouse 'Four'. One of the shows (many) highlights is a thumping 'Housequake' which is performed in a similar vein to the live version on the US leg of the Lovesexy tour, complete with the "Hey you, get out on this dance floor" portion and the addition of 'Take The A-Train' to close. Boni is called up for her usual lead vocal performance of 'I'll Take You There' before Prince reigns back the show with 'Take This Beat'.

The mid-section of the show features both Prince and Sheila trading a drum/percussion solo before the show is brought to a close with an extraordinary lengthy, very funky 'Lovesexy / 80's Medley / It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night'. The show itself really can't be faulted and whilst this is a vast improvement over the previously circulating release, it does still have a number of issues which affect it. Still, one can't have everything.