Category: Ephemera, 1981-1982
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Roundup: Ephemera, 1981-1982
Like the last roundup post for the 1999 album, this one has been an especially long time coming: I wrote my first “in-sequence” post on 1999-era ephemera way back in November of 2018, when we were all about 50 years younger. It didn’t help, of course, that last fall’s Super Deluxe Edition of 1999 dropped…
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No Call U
It isn’t entirely clear whether “No Call U,” recorded toward the end of the 1999 sessions on July 23, was intended for Jill Jones, another side project, or Prince himself; more likely than not, given the “crazy blur” of recording sessions during this period, it wasn’t even clear to the participants at the time.
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Moonbeam Levels (The New Master)
If the 1999 album sounds like dance music from a cyberpunk future, then “Moonbeam Levels” sounds as if it’s been beamed in from an entirely different solar system: had David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust character been a product of the early ‘80s instead of the early ‘70s, this is exactly the kind of song I’d imagine…
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Don’t Let Him Fool Ya
While it’s clearly a throwaway, I defy anyone to get through “Don’t Let Him Fool Ya” without at least a head bob and a smile.
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Lust U Always (Divinity)
Had “Lust U Always” come out on 1999, Prince may have forced the issue of music industry self-censorship two years early.
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Horny Toad
“Horny Toad” works as a self-aware riff on Prince’s carefully-cultivated reputation as a pervert.