My Little Pill & Hide the Bone vs. Tonight

Song:  My Little Pill
Album:  The Vault . . . Old Friends 4 Sale
Year:  1999

Song:  Hide The Bone
Album:  Crystal Ball
Year:  1998

When Spotify decided to throw My Little Pill my way my initial reaction was that it had to be some type of interlude that was ultimately scrapped.  I'm partially right.  It was actually a demo which was to be re-recorded by Julie Kavner for the 1994 movie "I'll Do Anything".  Evidently that re-recording never occurred.  For a demo it's very highly produced and it works well as an interlude.  Given the brevity I decided to hit shuffle again and came up with Hide The Bone, a blistering funk track that found me singing along (while shaving . . . don't try it) in no time.  My cursory internet search for material on Hide The Bone didn't yield much, which is fine with me.  I'm happy to just enjoy it for the fun, upbeat track it is.

Verdict:  My Little Pill 3/5 stars, Hide The Bone 4/5 stars

Would I sing either of them at karaoke?  I'm funky enough for Brick House, but not funky enough for Hide The Bone.

Song:  Tonight
Album:  Tonight
Year:  1984

While the album Tonight may not have been a hit with the critics, it's release right after Let's Dance caused it to be in heavy rotation in my '76 Buick's tape deck.  This track captures Tina Turner at the prime of her 80's resurgence and if I recall correctly was a moderate hit on the radio.  The somewhat Caribbean beat is well done and the pairing of Tina and Bowie makes for a fine duet as well as an apt snapshot of the mid-80s and each of their places within pop culture at that time.  I don't recall seeing much of the video on MTV but seeing it now makes me appreciate the song even more.  As with other Tina Turner videos and the movie Lost Boys, I could do without a shirtless, muscular Tim Cappello dry humping (somehow) both his sax and the camera simultaneously.  Nothing against bodybuilding (or dry humping for that matter), but it just doesn't fit with art rock, soul revivals or vampires.

Verdict:  3/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Find me someone who can do Tina's part and I'm all in!

Winner:  My Little Pill and Hide the Bone

Running Score:  Bowie 3, Prince 2

FALLINLOVE2NITE vs. The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

Song:  FALLINLOVE2NITE
Album:  HITnRUN Phase 1
Year:  2015

Now THIS is exactly why I am taking on this utterly ridiculous project.  Though I've watched a couple seasons of New Girl and vaguely recall that there was a Prince episode, I did not realize that Zooey Deschanel performs this song near the end of the episode titled . . . wait for it . . . "Prince".  (Season 3, episode 14).  The album cut removes Zooey's vocals but retains the EDM dance groove with Prince in full-on cartoon voice.  He seems to be having a good time both in the show and on this track and both put a smile on my face.  I'm happy to have discovered this one and will probably blast it in the car from time to time.

Verdict:  4/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  How could I not?

Song:  The Stars (Are Out Tonight)
Album:  The Next Day
Year:  2013

Spotify came through for me in delivering a Bowie offering from roughly the same career point and year as FALLINLOVE2NITE.  What first struck me was how both songs take a driving beat and carry it forward throughout the song rather than using a verse, verse, chorus type of structure.  The song itself doesn't necessarily speak to me.  Bowie is using his earnest, louder "I'm trying not to succumb to panic" voice and it just feel a bit too frantic for me.  The video provides some perspective and is nicely done, especially Tilda Swinton's performance as The Thin White Duke.  I've listened to this several times now and I just can't find anything to sink my teeth into.  It's pleasant enough but I'd probably choose the video over the album track.

Verdict:  3/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Yes, but I doubt anyone would care.

Winner:  FALLINLOVE2NITE

Running Score:  Bowie 3, Prince 1

God vs. Panic in Detroit (Live Nassau Coliseum '76)

Song:  God
Album:  The Hits / The B-Sides
Year:  1984

I remember the disappointment my younger Purple Rain crazed self felt upon first hearing this B-Side to my very chic purple vinyl 12" single of Purple Rain.  I expected the energy of Let's Go Crazy or When Doves Cry and instead got a slow instrumental.  Still, I listened to it because, you know, Prince!  Only after a few listens did I discover that I had my turntable set to 33 1/3 rather than 45, which actually didn't sound all that bad.  Years later, my older and hopefully more musically refined self enjoys the extended version of the instrumental from time to time.  I still don't actively put on the vocal version though I don't necessarily change it either if it finds it's way into my mix.  The lyrics are simple and Prince's vocals are perfect . . . it's just not that go-to when you're in the mood for Prince.

Verdict:  3/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  The mere suggestion is blasphemous!

Song:  Panic in Detroit
Album:  Live Nassau Coliseum '76
Year:  This field seems unnecessary

I'm not normally a fan of live recordings though when they offer something that expands on the recorded version and are done right there is a certain magic.  Journey Captured and Frampton Comes Alive are excellent examples this.  I've found the Bowie releases to be inconsistent in this sense, though this recording of Panic in Detroit certainly falls into the category of a recording done right.  Bowie transforms this Aladdin Sane cut into his Thin White Duke persona by structuring the song like a jazz number; not that it's as abstract as jazz but rather in the sense that vocals are merely a vehicle to get to the more interesting solos that make up over half of this cut.  It should be noted that this is a 6:00 minute song on the album.  There's also a 13:00 version that includes a muuuuuuuch longer drum solo.  I like this energetic abbreviated version quite a bit and will surely seek out more cuts from this performance.

Verdict:  4/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Only to an appreciative Detroit audience

Winner:  Panic in Detroit

Running Score:  Bowie 3, Prince 0

4ever vs. V-2 Schneider

Song:  4ever
Album:  LotusFlow3r
Year:  2009

At first I thought this was some weird statement on hooking up in the afterlife.  Upon subsequent listenings though I think it's more of an appreciation of what could be.  Instead of despairing that something (or someone) is unobtainable, Prince urges us to keep dreaming and keep the possibilities open to fulfillment.  This seems to fit with the building celebratory mood of this composition.  The song opens with solo piano and vocals.  Guitar and drums enter late in the first verse and then set the rhythm for subsequent verses, building to a nice guitar solo by the end of the track.

Verdict:  3.5/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Perhaps.  The bigger question is would they have it!

Song:  V-2 Schneider
Album:  Heroes
Year:  1977

A mostly instrumental track from the Bowie/Eno collaboration with, along with the album Low, many critics have claimed to be the height of David Bowie's career.  The song title is a reference to Florian Schneider, a founding member of Kraftwerk, and features Bowie on vocals and saxaphone atop some nicely modified backing vocals courtesy of Eno, and some stark, razor-like guitar riffs by Carlos Alomar.  It's short and hypnotic; a nice deep cut to include in a compilation mix.

Verdict:  3.5/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Right after Tequila.  (The song, not the shot).

Winner:  V-2 Schneider

Running Score:  Bowie 2, Prince 0

       

Extraordinary vs. Rock 'N' Roll With Me

 

Song:  Extraordinary
Album:  The Vault . . . Old Friends 4 Sale
Year:  1999

Princevault.com indicates that although there is no exact recording date known for this single, basic tracks were recorded in 1992.  It seems this song was originally intended for the Rosie Gaines solo album Concrete Jungle.  I hadn't previously heard of Rosie Gaines (the early 90s were my industrial/goth/Wax Trax days) so took a cursory listen to this album.  Initial impressions are generally favorable in a Paula Abdul sort of way, though I question whether the title track, a remake Bob Marley's powerful and brooding opener to Catch a Fire, needed to be remade as a dance jam.

The song itself is a decent Prince slow jam though at a running time of 2:28 it definitely feels like a snippet that might have been developed into something more with some instrumental solos and the vocal improvs that only Prince can pull off.

Verdict:  3/5 stars.

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Only after a few drinks and only as an intentional train wreck.

Song:  Rock 'N' Roll With Me

Album:  Diamond Dogs

Year:  1974

Ziggy Stardust's love letter to his fans from the last album of his glam rock phase.  You can hear the blue-eyed soul that would mark his next album, 1975's Young Americans, start to emerge, though it's still steeped in the urban chaos proto-punk theme of this album.  The track starts slow with crooning Bowie and builds to desperately expressive Bowie throughout the choruses.  You can almost see the Bic lighters held aloft and the audience singing along near the end.

Diamond Dogs was never a prominent fixture on my turntable, though I have listened to the entire album more than a few times so was already very familiar with this track.  Still, I haven't gone back to it in recent years and am delighted that it made an appearance.

Verdict:  4.5/5 stars.

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Absolutely!  This one will be in heavy rotation for a while.

Winner:  David Bowie - Rock 'N' Roll With Me

Running Score:  David Bowie 1, Prince 0

As far back as I can remember I've been a fan of David Bowie.  Sometime in the early 80s, thanks to The Electrifyin' Mojo and the Midnight Funk Association I also became a fan of Prince.  While there are many songs from both artists that I know inside and out, there are also some that I know either very superficially or not at all.  This is my attempt to find those hidden gems and have a bit of competitive fun in the process.

Every day (or at least every day that I have the time) I will randomly select one Prince song and one Bowie song from my Spotify playlists named, respectively, Purple Overload and All The Bowie.  I will listen critically and deem one song the winner, hopefully gathering some new favorites in the process.