Category: Ephemera, 1981-1982
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Purple Music (Welcome 2 the Freedom Galaxy)
“Purple Music” feels like the private tinkering of an unhinged genius: a funky Aleister Crowley drawing ritual circles in his suburban Boleskine House; a post-disco Dr. Frankenstein cackling over his Tesla coil-powered drum machine.
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How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?
“How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?” feels in many ways like Prince’s Ur-song: a pure expression of the carnal and emotional longing at his core, drawn from the deep well of the African American musical tradition.
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If It’ll Make U Happy
What “If It’ll Make U Happy” lacks in polish, it makes up for in potential: with a little more gloss, its sunny harmonies and glistening arrangement could have been a hit for someone.
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Turn It Up
Prince dives into “Turn It Up” with impressive sincerity and single-minded intensity, as if “horny radio” were the role he’d always dreamed of playing.
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Dance to the Beat
“Dance to the Beat” feels tailor-made for live performances, giving Morris plenty of opportunities to exhort the audience with the title phrase while the lively synth and guitar riff provides some additional inducement.