It’s been quite some time since I last went back and listened to some shows from earlier in Princes career, and today’s blog taking in the Paris show from 1981 is well over due. I have previously written of shows from earlier in year, the shows in March at both Sam’s Minneapolis and the Ritz New York, as well as the opening for the Rolling Stones later in October of the year. This show today falls right between those and neatly shows how quickly Prince is evolving. There is a lot more evolution yet to come, but here we see his look becoming a little less raw, and the overall show becoming more focused. There is still a long way to go, as we’ll see, but he is definitely progressing forward at a great rate.

4th June 1981, Théâtre Le Palace, Paris

As the show begins Prince is looking all cool and calm, it seems his look has been toned down, certain from the raw look he had at the Ritz show. I wouldn’t go so far as calling his look polished, but it certainly would be more acceptable to my Mother. Do It All Night matches the look of Prince and the band, it sounds smooth and polished, even if the lyrics give a clue to what lies behind this facade. The band is together on the small stage, shoulder to shoulder, and this too can be heard in the music, the band is tight and playing as one. Sonically it’s the bass that I am drawn to most, it’s got a life to it that lifts the song, and it helps that Andre Cymone looks dead cool as he’s playing. In fact, with a front line of Andre, Prince, and Dez it’s hard to say who’s the coolest, and all of them are worth watching closely.

Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad sees Prince stalking the front of the stage, guitar slung at his side ready for action. After the first verse he delivers, and along with Dez there is a nice clean rock sound that comes across as warm rather than dangerous. That feeling changes as the song progresses and Prince becomes more impassioned and bolder with his guitar playing as we get deeper into the song. Initially its Dez striking the guitar hero poses but soon enough Prince is again centre of attention as he has his guitar howling and crying. Even as the three of them stand shoulder to shoulder playing it is still Prince my eyes remain glued too, guitar in hand he is electrifying to watch. The last minute even more so as he plays out the last minute of the song solo, every note stretched for maximum effect and emotional value, and I know that as a teenage boy the final pose of him atop of the amps shredding was about as good as it gets.

The teenage me would not have been quite as excited by Gotta A Broken Heart Again that follows, however the more mature me finds plenty to like about it. Eyes closed, gripping the microphone, Prince is in the moment and putting his all into the vocals. I haven’t seen this DVD in years, and watching it now I am seeing it with new eyes, Prince isn’t working the guitar or the audience, instead he’s pouring it out into the vocals and as a listener the reward is great. It’s not a song that I would generally rate for the vocals, today I am in a different frame of mind and it’s all I hear as he sings.

The announcement that “this is a new song, Jack U Off” has me again paying attention closely, Jack U Off seems to have been around for ever, but even it was a new song at some stage. The audience is fairly muted (as they are throughout) and it’s up to Prince to compensate with his dancing and energy onstage. His dancing is still at a primitive stage, its Dez who gets all the cool points here with his guitar god moves and poses. The song finishes with a flourish, before something more serious and well-known follows.

Prince loses another layer of clothing as When You Were Mine soars into view. The song sounds sprightly, although onstage there are times when the band look like they are going through the motions. They get a new less of life after the breakdown, and the second half of the song is played with great gusto. No matter what is happening on stage, it always sounds good in my ears, and never once do the band drop the ball in this respect. The final moments see Prince knelt at the front of the stage playing guitar in a visual image that always sticks with me.

I never thought of Gotta Stop (Messin’ About) as a fully-fledged rock song before, but here it is rocking my socks off. The bass and drums and beautifully locked in and Dez provides some sharp edged guitar buzz to it the has my inner rocker all a shaking. The only thing that pulls it back is the shrill keyboards, the rest of the time it’s all macho posing and Dez’s deeper backing vocals add a much manlier sound to the mix. Prince derails this somewhat with his effeminate dancing and overall provides a cool balance to it all, especially as he and Dez engage in some interplay with their guitar playing.

Andre is back to the forefront of things as Sexy Dancer begins, and his bass certainly adds a lot more weight than what is heard on record. Prince, Andre and Dez perform some rather rudimentary moves, although it’s hardly necessary on a stage as small as this, and instead it’s the music that carries the day. The part of the performance that does catch my attention however, is when the three of them stand in a semi-circle playing to each other. Although they don’t make eye contact you do get the feeling that they are listening to each other and playing off each other.

I can’t get past the silliness of Sister, although one does have to admire the courage of Prince to stand in his underwear and sing this in front of a crowd of strangers. It’s a blessing that the song is so short, but to be fair I don’t see how he could make it any longer without really pushing things over the top.

I am much more at ease as we sail into Still Waiting. It refreshing to see Prince at this stage without guitar in hand, and instead he engages in some old fashioned showmanship and he croons and works his way through the song at the front of the stage. He moans, he howls, he croons, he falls to his knees at the front row, all the time attempting to break through to the audience. He falsetto for the final minutes is right on the money, and it’s a rare thing to hear a voice of such clarity and beauty in a raw club setting.

Guitar rattle and runs signal the start of the next movement, and initially sounds like the beginning of a blues song until Prince begins to tell the audience “Down with War” which kicks open the door for Party Up. Prince has worked himself into a lather by this stage and he is looking and sounding suitably sweaty as they bump and funk their way through the song. Andres moves behind Prince almost steal the show for me, I am fascinated by his bobbing and weaving, although Prince commands attention as he later calls on the rather flat Paris crowd to “partyup”. Even enthusiastic hand clapping from Prince fails to elicit much of a response, this is either one cool crowd or a bunch of cardboard cut-outs. Dez and Prince put their all into playing, and they look like they are feeling it, even if the crowd isn’t.

Dirty Mind sees Prince finally dispense with the last of his clothes, and performs in his bikini briefs. The music is exciting and up-tempo, and the performance has plenty going for it. Princes dancing is raw, and to be honest at times he does look like he performing calisthenics rather than performing on stage. It makes me wonder if he did perhaps meet the devil down by the cross roads sometime between this show and 1984, there is night and day between the dancing of the two eras. Knowing Prince as I do, I’m sure he dedicated many hours to perfecting his dancing, and looking at his raw performance here I can see it was certainly needed. His passion for the music and obvious joy of performing it does shine through, and it’s very hard for me to be negative about any aspect of the performance, I know a lot of my moves are similar to this when I am dancing to his music. Dez’s guitar and the swelling keys give it a great uplifting sound, and the energy does leap out of the speakers at me throughout the entire song.

There is no better way to end the show than Uptown, and it is a glorious sounding version played here. Prince and the band end on a high, Andres bass and Dezs guitar sound full and fresh, as does Bobby on the drums along with Lisa and Finks keyboards. Everything sounds pushed forward and full, and I do love the full band sound playing at maximum power. Prince is back to playing guitar, mostly rhythm although he often instead punches the air or grabs the microphone. There is a great coda though where his guitar playing is highlighted, although only briefly, and then its Dez who gets a rocking lead break while Prince encourages the crowd one last time.

There is no denying this is an earlier, rawer sounding Prince. He is moving in the right direction though, there is more dancing appearing and they are working on a more well-rounded performance. The sound on this recording was excellent, and seeing the band as well as hearing them is always an added bonus. Of the earlier shows by Prince captured on tape, this is perhaps my favourite, the look of the band, their sound, and the show itself are all interesting and it greatly appeals to me. This is a real band performance, I could hear each of them playing their part and contributing, I could have easily highlighted anyone of the band for special praise, and for me that says a lot for the quality of Prince’s bands. A worthy addition to any collection, this one will stand up to further viewings in years to come.

Thanks for reading,

See you back here next week

-Hamish