18 & Over vs. Sense of Doubt - Live

Song:  18 & Over
Album:  Crystal Ball
Year:  1998

Let me start by pointing out that this song was recorded in 1994, which would put Prince at 36 years of age at the time of recording.  Bear that in mind as you read on . . .

Coming from an artist who has proven himself capable of artistic displays of sexuality, sometimes very graphically, this particular offering is abhorrent.  Prince may be trying for some double entendres here, but he barely manages single entendres with lines such as "18 & over, I wants to bone ya" and referring to himself as a "Kemosabe Bone Ranger".  I haven't witnessed such a blind spot in music since Robin Thicke thought himself so clever with "what rhymes with hug me?"  The rapping is poor, the sentiment is merely sexual, not sexy, and the beat is simplistic.

Back to the whole age thing.  WTF Prince!!!!!  Who do you think you are?  R. Kelly?  Not someone to aspire to!!!  Do you want to know when most guys move on from 18 year olds?  At the age of 19!  Even employing the "half your age plus 7" rule you'd be off by seven years.  I'm disappointed in you sir.  I'll accept Do Me Baby, Head and International Lover, but this is crap.

Verdict:  0/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Good God no!!!!

Song:  Sense of Doubt - Live
Album:  Stage
Year:  1978

A live version of an instrumental track from his Heroes album, this is a moody synth piece clearly meant to be a bridge (and a vocal respite) between songs in his live set.  It's a fine piece for what it is, but not necessarily what I'm seeking when I want to  hear some Bowie.  It works far better in the context of the full studio album, though I'm sure the crowd appreciated it live too.

Song facts offers this:

Producer, Brian Eno, devised a set of "Oblique Strategies" cards that contained cryptic "instructions" to help with the recording of the Heroes album. Eno and Bowie would select a card at random, keeping it a secret from the other. Bowie selected "Emphasise differences" while Eno selected "Try to make everything as similar as possible" and it was this paradox which formed the basis for this dark but ambient instrumental piece. Eno said: "It was like a game. We took turns working on it; he'd do one overdub and I'd do the next, and he'd do the next…I was trying to smooth it out and make it into one continuum [while] he was trying to do the opposite."

This explanation gives the song a bit more depth.  I like the concept and would love to try it myself sometime.

Verdict:  3/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Silly question

Winner:  Sense of Doubt - Live

Running Score - Bowie 23, Prince 16

I Wonder U vs. Let Me Sleep Beside You

Song:  I Wonder U
Album:  Parade
Year:  1986

Clocking in at 1:39, this track probably shines brightest when the album tracks are experienced sequentially.  It works well as a segue between the more up tempo New Position and the slower Under the Cherry Moon.  Taken on it's own it's interesting but too short.  This is an album I'm very familiar with and as many times as I've listened to this track I've only just noticed that there seems to be a very slight, almost imperceptible, tempo increase as the track progresses.  The lyrics are vague, though they may make more sense in the context of  the movie (Under the Cherry Moon), which I've never seen.

As a side note, the lead vocals on this track are sung by Wendy Melvoin and mark the first time Prince did not provide the lead vocals on a Prince album track.

Verdict:  4/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  No.  Too short and too few words

Song:  Let Me Sleep Beside You
Album:  David Bowie
Year:  1967

Nothing I can write here will better describe this song than Chris O'Leary's Pushing Ahead of the Dame blog:

“Let Me Sleep Beside You” is a rake’s come-on in the well-worn style of Andrew Marvell and Robert Herrick—the singer frames his seduction as being empowering, the rake merely serving as a means of liberation. He appeals to youth’s vanity; he flatters his conquest with the promise of her alleged maturity: “Brush the dust of youth from off your shoulder/because the years of threading daisies lie behind you now,” Bowie murmurs, keeping a straight face. “Lock away your childhood…child, you’re a woman now/your heart and soul are free.”

Of Bowie's earliest works, this is not a track of which I was familiar.  Having now had a few listens, I can confidently say that it's OK.  The lyrics are more accessible than some of his other early works, though it's definitely missing the odd subject matter of tracks such as Silly Boy Blue or Please Mr. Gravedigger.

Verdict:  3/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Doubtful

Winner:  I Wonder U

Running Score:  Bowie 22, Prince 16

Sleep Around vs. Moonage Daydream - Live

Song:  Sleep Around
Album:  Emancipation
Year:  1996

A decent up-tempo groove influenced by late 90s club music with a touch of Miami Sound Machine.  Prince seems to be having fun with the mix and soloing on this track and while the drum beat seems very mechanical, the other instrumentation is more dense and interesting.  At just over 7 minutes, it feels like an extended dance mix, and perhaps this is an example of his newfound artistic freedom.  There may not be a lot of substance lyrically but that's made up for by enough variance in the mix to make for a nice listen.

Verdict:  4/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Not necessarily the right fit for such a venue

Song:  Moonage Daydream - Live
Album:  1982
Year:  Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (The Motion Picture Soundtrack)

I went into this one dreading it.  This soundtrack is of notoriously muddy quality and not known to be representative of his best live recordings.  The slight vocal ch-ch-changes that Bowie makes early into the song didn't help.  They were OK but definitely felt as if he were holding back slightly, though that's understandable for a live performance.  This all changed when Mick Ronson's guitar took over.  It's a soaring, wobbly, spinny sensation, evoking a sense of interstellar travel with just the right use of some pedal effects.  I can imagine being in the audience and just soaking it in.

Verdict:  4/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  I believe I have!

Pointless rambling:
This is a tough pairing for me.  I was surprised by both of these tracks and love them both for very different reasons.  So  I have to ask myself which track will I intentionally seek out to listen to again?  And I still can't decide, because that question hinges on setting.  I may throw Sleep Around into a Spotify playlist intended for a social  gathering but go to Moonage Daydream for a drive with the windows down and the volume turned up to eleven.  So then which song sticks in the head better?  Well that would be Moonage Daydream by a long shot, but that may be because I know it well enough to sing at karaoke.  That being said, I think that is going to be my criteria on this one.  As much as I liked Sleep Around I am going to have to proclaim this battle's winner . . .

Winner:  Moonage Daydream - Live

Running Score:  Bowie 22,  Prince 15

STOPTHISTRAIN vs. Hallo Spaceboy - Live

Song:  STOPTHISTRAIN
Album:  PlectrumElectrum
Year:  2014

Another Prince project, 3rdEyeGirl, with Hannah Welton-Ford on vocals.  This is a pleasant mid-tempo pop song with vocals that manage to fit with the pop sounds of the day.  It rolls along at an easy pace and makes me want to listen to more of the album.  Billboard describes this album as "more dessert than side dish" (to the album "Art Official Age" which was released at the same time) and calls out this track as one of the stronger numbers.  It's an apt description

Verdict:  3.5/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Not my style.

Song:  Hallo Spaceboy - Live
Album:  A Reality Tour
Year:  2004

A nice noise track and one that I'm sure got the crowd going when performed live.  It's not a track that would be a showstopper or highlight, but sure would rev a concert-goer up in preparation for some off the bigger numbers.  I don't have a lot to say about this one.  Good enough but nothing very special.

Verdict:  3/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  No

Winner:  STOPTHISTRAIN

Running Score:  Bowie 21, Prince 15

Let's Work vs. Diamond Dogs - Live

Song:  Let's Work
Album:  Controversy
Year:  1981

Follow me here . . . Waaaaaaaay back in 1979 it seems Prince took his backing band to Boulder, Colorado to record an album under the band name The Rebels.  They recorded nine tracks, none of which have ever been released.  One of those tracks, titled Let's Rock, derived it's name from a popular dance at the time called, what else, The Rock, which itself was influenced by an Edwin Starr song titled "It's Called the Rock".  (I was unable to find a video of the dance itself, though if you'd like to see videos of Dwayne Johnson dancing those are readily available).

A couple years later Prince decided to re-record and re-title Let's Rock as Let's Work for his fourth album Controversy, an album which Allmusic rightly claims tries to bring funk to a rock audience and vice versa.  This track does just that.  To say it rocks would be a misnomer.  To say it funks would be more appropriate, but that's just not a thing.  To say it works is probably most accurate, though it seems like a vast understatement.

Having listened to this album, and both the album and extended recordings of  this particular track, for 38 years now, I can definitively say that this is the Prince that I prefer.  The one that drew me into his music to begin with.  A hard driving funk/rock/soul beat, sweaty lyrics, cool synthesizer backing . . . it's all there.  It expands the sound of his previous release Dirty Mind and sets the stage for the masterpiece that is 1999.  (For what it's work, Dirty Mind and Controversy are also masterpieces).  This is Prince at his best.

Verdict:  5/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Oh hell yeah!

Song:  Diamond Dogs
Album:  David Live
Year:  1974

While a fan of the Diamond Dogs album, both as a collection of songs and as a concept, I've never been that fond of this title track.  It's OK.  It just doesn't do much for me.  It's a natural inclusion on the David Live album as Diamond Dogs was released the same year.  It's fast-paced and rocking, but rather TOO much of a straight-forward rock song for it to spark any interest.  The live performance doesn't try to alter or improve on the studio recording in any way.  It's just meh.

Verdict:  3/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Meh

Winner:  Let's Work

Running Score:  Bowie 21, Prince 14

Emancipation vs. Dollar Days

Song:  Emancipation
Album:  Emancipation
Year:  1996

Emancipation (the song) is the final track from the staggering 3-CD, 3 hour album of the same name.  It starts as if it's going to be a slower song but quickly switches to an midtempo dance/funk jam.  As the final track, it's a fitting celebration of Prince's newly found freedom from his Warner Bros. contract.  Ironically, his glee in being free to chart new musical ground and experiment with new sounds does not play out on this track; it would actually fit well within the oeuvre of his Purple Rain output.  Still, it's an enjoyable song that had my toe tapping and my head bobbing.

For what it's worth, this rather dumb poem, also titled Emancipation, was distributed to the audience of his 9/9/95 show at Paisley Park Studios.

Is it reality or just a dream?

2 your spirit say ♥ U in spite of my slavery

We're both 2 blame 4 this lesson in life

cuz this is the path we choose

'm sure knew U long ago

Look into your soul – it knows

And would never claim more righteous

Dare Napoleon and Hitler see

It depends on who U ask my friend

love U, do U love me?

How will history sing, my brother

What song will our children teach?

The Emancipation Proclamation is well within our reach

Tear down the walls that make us bicker

4 many years fought your war

One stroke of your pen could conquer

Every sin our actions bore

implore the goodness that's in all of us

An example we now must set

4 when this life is over

What U be is what U get

The Dawn is coming!

The Dawn is coming!

Acknowledge and save us all

Free my people 2 bring the message

Heed the call! Heed the call!

And this song from every mountain top

Every child will surely teach

The Emancipation Proclamation

Is well within our reach

love U, love U – Do U love me?

I'm not convinced that Prince's emancipation from his record label carries the same weight as the Emancipation Proclamation, and if the pictures from this time with the word "slave" emblazoned on Prince's cheek weren't enough to evoke that tie, this poem dispels any doubt.

Verdict:  3.5/5 stars for the song.  1/5 stars for the poem.

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Nah . . . vocals are too sparse

Song:  Dollar Days
Album:  Blackstar
Year:  2016

The Blackstar album is Bowie's final, poignant gift to his fans.  He recorded it while he knew he was dying and passed away just days after it's release.  The album differs from anything he's done previously due to  the inclusion of some jazz musicians; specifically, on this track, saxophonist Donny McCaslin.  The track is moody and beautiful.  Though Bowie's voice is not at it's strongest, it is still a beautiful and haunting presence in this lament on the futility of the human condition.  I can't possibly know what was going through Bowie's head at the time.  Though I'm sure he despaired of things left undone and the continued overall shittiness of humanity, I do hope he took satisfaction in the global pleasure of his enduring work.

Verdict:  3.5/5 stars

Winner:  Emancipation

Running Score:  Bowie 21, Prince 13

3121 vs. Rosalyn

 Song:  3121
Album:  3121
Year:  2006

The lead track on the album, 3121 evidently refers to Prince's rented mansion at 3121 Antelo Rd. in Los Angeles.  Evidently that's where the party be.  The track is heavy on post-recording effects, including various vocal pitches combined so that Prince is singing along with himself.  There are also some other distortions and intentionally abrupt musical stops.  The song chugs along nicely with a decent effects-heavy guitar solo thrown in for good measure.  A few online commenters suggest that 3121 means "Love One to One" or refers to the 21 concerts Prince gave in London for the price of 31 pounds each.  Perhaps it's all that, perhaps not.  What it IS is a nice, funky Prince jam that has grown better for me with each listen.

Verdict:  4/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Only if I could do all the voices at once like Anna-Maria Hefele.

Song:  Rosalyn
Album:  Pin Ups
Year:  1973

Also an opening track, this one from Bowie's album of 60s British rock covers, Rosalyn is a guitar-heavy jam with a Bo-Diddly beat that incorporates some nice Mick Ronson slide guitar work.  It's a straight-up guitar rock jam from a band (The Pretty Things) that unashamedly borrowed from all manner of American blues and rockabilly styles.  Bowie's version is very true to the original, though somewhat crisper.  Altogether a pleasant rendition of a forgotten hit that led me back to the original material and deeper into the original artist's catalog.  This was probably the intention.  Well done.

Verdict:  3.5/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  Yes!  A nice rocking obscure number!

Winner:  3121.

Running score:  Bowie 21, Prince 12

Random musings:
As I've been listening to my Prince v. Bowie tracks I've found that I have a tendency to try to think of if/how/why each pairing goes together.  Today, both tracks stay within their own grooves and within one key.  Each tune has a distinct energy and rocks/funks out in their own particular way.  Despite the 33 year time span these two work together well.