Prince -The 15 best remixes!

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Herman’s top 15 Prince remixes

A top 15 of alternate Prince songs, an almost impossible task, as it contains extended versions, remixes by Prince himself, remixes by other people, alternate versions with minor differences or alternate takes with entirely new vocals and just slightly different versions.
Some offerings on the list of possibilities were not going to get any points from the get-go, I can tell you upfront, as I consider some on the list the most boring, uninteresting things Prince ever released, like 1999 The New Master, which is totally unlistenable to me, but that is a personal thing. Also not in contention were any of the snippets marked “Xcerpt”, cuz why would I be interested in a snippet of a song I’ve already got or if they’re the same, except for Prince whispering “The Versace Experience” over the tune? So they went to the bottom of the list. Not in contention.

There were two major considerations for every item considered on this list and those were, a) if the alternate version of the song could stand on its own and be as strong, if not stronger than the original version and b) if they added something to it, making it distinct.
Of course as judged by me and my personal taste, so do not mind me if I find the first released version of The Dance superior to the second, it’s just my opinion and you’re allowed to be wrong.
🙂

1. Paisley Park
   Remix
   Whereas many of Prince’s ‘extended’ plays were ‘merely’ the original version and the album version ‘merely’ an edit, this is an actual extension mixed after the fact. But it SOUNDS like an original version and to me, it’s miles better than the original, which was already a perfect pop song. But there are some reasons this versions lifts above the rest; the crazy introductory voices, the soundscapes mixed into the song, but most of all, an amazing guitar solo that makes this song stretch time. This version has spent so much time on top of my favourite list, and was played on walk-mans so often, it is one I can play in my mind. Every time I play it, it stilll stretches time as it takes me places. It’s one of those songs that made me realise I love Prince better than any other artist and I never tire of hearing this. It’s a total joyful song to me.
2. Beautiful Strange
   Remix
   Back in the day it was easy to miss this, as the original version was released on a video and this ‘remix’, basically an alternate mix, was released on Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic‘s remix album, which was released without much fanfare and until its re-release last year it was basically a collector’s item.
   The greatest shame is that this song wasn’t on the original album, as it is the prettiest song on both Rave albums combined; a bluesy work-out with amazing guitar work, a chilling vocal, delivering the kind of lyrics I love Prince for. Never fails to give me goosebumps. And the kinda song that makes non-fans go “What is THIS?” every time I put it on mixtapes.
3. Raspberry Beret
   New mix
   I realise that my top 15 is Around The World In A Day-heavy; Prince And The Revolution were in a creative growth spurt after Purple Rain and it gave us so many pearls that it is not strange there are some more from the era than any other.
   Raspberry Beret is a timeless song in its album edit, but this is seemingly the actual version Prince And The Revolution recorded in 1984, based on an earlier Prince solo version. But the vibe with The Revolution, in this case with Lisa Coleman, was extraordinary, and it creates a playful song with added layers and playful coughs. It sounds weird when you try to put it in words, so best you play this. And sing along, cuz it’s that kinda song.
4. I Feel For You
   Acoustic Demo
   This was never a single for Prince and sometimes his songs needed another person’s input to make it shine (like Nothing Compares 2 U) and that is certainly the case with the original song; Chaka Khan stole that one and was probably the best evidence that Prince could be a hit provider for other people, even though Prince had nothing to do with the production of her version of the song. She was such a stealer, though; I prefer her versions over Prince’s Eternity and Sticky Wicked.
   And then The Prince Estate found this and put it out to celebrate Prince’s second album’s aniversary in 2019; an acoustic demo that is so damn cute and sweet I had to have it on purple vinyl. The fact I’ve played this more often in the short time since release than Prince’s original album version is a sign this needed to be on this list.
5. Pop Life
   Extended version
   The third Around The World In A Day song on my list, Pop Life is amazing in every version, both the album version, which was an edit of this longer version and the Fresh Dance Mix, but this longer version has got it all; another social commentary, this time layered in an almost perfect pop song.
   The reason I love it so much, besides the before mentioned obvious reason, there are so many awesome details layered into this song, which only get more space to breathe on this longer version. Just as with Raspberry Beret, Wendy & Lisa’s vocals are a perfect match with Prince’s.
6. The Future
   Remix
   This song was one of the biggest reason why I love the Batman soundtrack; The Future is as haunting a commentary as Sign O’ The Times was, with a relentless beat (that was used on the Nude Tour‘s opening medley) and Prince delivering a drop-dead amazing synthesizer landscape, layered with countless subtle soundbits that make it a joy to listen to on headphones. And one of the best utilizations of Clare Fisher orchestrations in a Prince song outside of the Parade era album and outtakes.
   So if a remix builds on that and comes out as strong as the original; nothing short of amazing. The best remixes not done by Prince are the ones that take the core of the song, but then transcend it into its own genre. And that is what this one does, it replaces the original beat and most synthesizer work with a new relentless beat, fit for dancefloors. An amazing job by William Orbit.
7. She Spoke 2 Me
   Extended Remix
   A brilliant track, hidden away on a Spike Lee soundtrack in an edited form, but later unleashed in its luscious longer form on ‘throw-away’ album The Vault… Old Friends 4 Sale, an album Prince sent to Warner Brothers to fulfill his contract and got not much exposure at all, even though many tracks on this album are awesome and fit very well in Prince’s discography and deserve more plays.
   This longer version of the song is a joyous, sexy, sultry NPG band effort, and even though most band members get their own chance to show their skills, it shows why Prince was such a fan of Sonny T. on the bass.
   And I do not know who to thank for that sexy horn arrangement, but it’s swell and the horn section on this song is one of the reasons why the NPG live was so awesome in the early ’90s.
8. Anotherloverholenyohead
   Extended Version
   As soon as the intro, which you do not get on the album version, kicks in, you know this is a keeper; the stone-cold funk of this track gets more space to stretch. As with Kiss‘ extended play, you get the original song with an extended second part, but where the extended Kiss is funky and hilarious, this stays cool; spaced out funk.
9. Willing And Able
   Promo Video
   Prince was working his new band hard in 1990; while touring he recorded new songs all over the world, songs that would come together on Diamonds And Pearls. If you hear Willing And Able‘s progression through its various stages, you can hear it come together. This is one of the songs where I do not mind Tony M. as much as I do on other tracks.
   Prince was invested in making The NPG a solid live band, which he shows off on the Diamonds And Pearls video collection with a few songs recorded live in the studio, both on tape and video. It’s awesome to have live studio material; another area I hope The Prince Estate will look into. Solid gold.
10. Letitgo
    Sherm Stick Edit
    The original version of Letitigo was the last song recorded for the Come album and its first release. It is not included on many ‘best of’-lists with other fans, but to me it captures the excitement of the upcoming new album. Its lyrics hint at the dissatisfaction Prince felt with his record label at the time, but he manages to make it auto-biographical in ways he had not done before very often, while still keeping it funky and uplifting.
    The single contained a few remixes by Q.D. III, the artist name of Quincy Jones III, Quincy Jones’ son, who on the Sherm Stick Edit uses samples of The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker to build Letitgo a new foundation, and in that way, creates a new version that I love as much as I love the original version. And the instrumental version of it is as awesome as the vocal version.
11. Let’s Go Crazy
    Special Dance Mix
    There aren’t many Prince albums I played more often than Purple Rain; I played it so often that I can play it in my mind; it was the album that made me a fan and for a tiny year it was the only Prince album I owned. Then seeing the movie blew my mind, as Let’s Go Crazy was longer than on the album! How amazing! It was only a short time later, when I started reading Uptown, when I found out that this longer version was the actual recorded song, which got then edited into the album version I knew so well.
    It’s a total Revolution song; a total funk/rock stomper, but the ‘extended’ version is the version I play, when compared to the edit. It is the actual song. So, I only get to hear the album version when I play my vinyl copy of Purple Rain, but on my digital playlists it is all about the longer version.
12. I Wish U Heaven
    Part 1, 2 & 3
    Prince’s recording studio Paisley Park was opened in 1987 and offered him a place to nurture his songs in ways he had not done before and behold; the first album to bear fruit was a funk gospel album that was produced in ways no other Prince album had been produced before. It gave Lovesexy its slick sound that Eric Leeds calls over-produced, but many, many fans rate this album as their favourite or, in my case, rate it highly for its insular sound in the Prince discography.
    I Wish U Heaven is not one of the songs that has alternate versions floating around, like other songs from that era that were heavily worked on until they reached the released version, so the album version sounds like one of those songs Prince just poured onto tape as he heard it in his mind, but that is just conjecture on my part.
    But then it became Lovesexy‘s last single and it got worked on extensively; the original song got a thicker beat and got called Part 1, and two extra Parts were recorded, which show Prince’s funky side, with soundbits that would make it into his 1988 live sets. Part 2 has got Prince name his Cloud guitar The Blue Angel and Part 3 incorporates an updated version of an earlier song called Take This Beat. And when he calls his own song “so fine”, I can do nothing else but agree; it’s funky and fine.
13. Thieves In The Temple
    Remix
    As with Letitgo (and When Doves Cry, for that matter), Thieves In The Temple is the last recorded song for a new album that became its first single. Thieves In The Temple became a tantalising teaser for Graffiti Bridge, a failed movie and a soundtrack that for the first and only time featured other artists as well, something not often hailed as his best choice.
    But it’s hard to fault Thieves In The Temple, which is a tight song and captures the overall sound of the album. The remix is a Prince production and doubles its playing time where Prince uses his voice in ways that I just love, using his lower register for the start of the ‘Moses’ vocal, and he screams and squeals his way through the extended bit. Love it.
14. Superfunkycalifragisexy
    Instrumental
    Oh, the joy of being part of the online NPG Music Club, which would stream and offer downloads of material that were throwaways to Prince, but jewels to us. That is how the before unknown Splash came to us and many, many others.
    But also, on the third NPG AHDIO Show, a part of the instrumental Superfunkycalifragisexy. Things like this would offer us a peek into the famed Vault and for a limited time only, it seemed as if Prince was in synch with his fans, with all the original content. And which is something The Prince Estate might want to look into, with the multitudes of live shows and videos that they have at hand.
    And even though this instrumental version is just a part of the entire song, it plays well, as it is Prince in 1986; where his many personas spilled over in the many, many releases that would follow in 1987 and made that year the one that cemented my fandom with its magnificent live tour and the many outtakes that started seeping out through the cracks of The Vault.
15. Rock And Roll Love Affair
    Remix7
    Prince had a few songs he pre-released on the internet, like Guitar, that did not reflect very well what that song was trying to convey; Guitar‘s early online version had weak guitar, and Rock And Roll Love Affair album version does not feature any rock, not any roll, but is rather droll, to be honest; it’s too smooth and bland to be either.
    Then there was a remix album, with 6 mixes I like even less than the album version, but then Prince came back with a stream and a download of a remix called Remix7 and all of a sudden the track feels alive and bouncing, with a phat bass and a beat that propels it. Winner.