Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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70 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow...he actually made me a believer again, May 18, 2003
Let me make this much clear at the outset: I was a Prince fan until about 1992 or so. After that the music just feel off for me and I've been waiting for Prince to get it together. I retained a severe respect for his genius and range, but had given up all hope for an album that I would actually be able to like, let alone spend money on.Well, after album and album of navel-gazing production values, mission statements and songs with no almost bite whatsoever, Prince hit me fully over the head and knocked me out with his latest release, the 3-cd box set "One Nite Alove...Live!". The mission of the record was to show "real music by real musicians", which he attempted to sell via the abominable "Rainbow Children" record, but nailed here in capturing some of the stuff live. The 1st CD is made up of stuff that most people couldn't name because they didn't buy any of his last 4 or 5 records, but the second and third CDs are mostly old stuff revamped with a new, jazzier band, and man, do they smoke. The slow grooves REALLY grind to a funky, smoldering near-halt and the party stuff actually makes you want to dance like the man's in your living room. Prince finally got the philosophy, the tunes and the mission all on the same page and this box set really soars. The one thing I have to point out here that this box gives us is a great insight into Prince as guitar player. Sure, we all know he plays guitar, but live? He really kills it. Problem is, if you don't see him live you don't appreciate how incredibly gifted he is on this instrument. He really is a guitar god, and this set proves it. For me, there's Jimi, then Frank Zappa, then Prince. Always has been, but now I have this box as uncontestable evidence. The man's range is almost frightening.
For fans, but also for people who used to be fans.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Each CD gets 5 stars, so shouldn't that be 15 stars?, February 4, 2003
By A Customer
What can I say? I've been a Prince fan almost my whole life, and have just about every one of his albums, under any moniker. This is his best since Sign 'O' The Times, hands down. I've never heard a live CD this intimate, this energetic, this intense, this emotional, and played this amazingly. Best band ever assembled. Now for a rundown of the tracks.Disc One
1. Rainbow Children : a great studio tune made awe-inspiring live. The playing is superb.
2. Muse 2 The Pharaoh : one of my faves from The Rainbow Children, this track kicks up live and gets a little bit more funky. One of Disc One's highlights.
3. Xenophobia : a great NEW track! Epic instrumental jam with jazz stylings; yet again, awesome playing.
4. Extraordinary : Love this ballad. Great, old school type 6/8 falsetto ballad. Beautiful.
5. Mellow : The title says it all. But not in a bad way! A great groove track from Rainbow Children.
6. 1+1+1 is 3 : another Rainbow Children track, this one funks it up a bit; an instant Prince classic turned up live.
7. The Other Side Of The Pillow : an awesome bluesy track from the acoustic album The Truth; sounds very B.B. King-ish live, which makes it even better.
8. Strange Relationship : this blows the original out of the water; the groove is tighter and the song just is HUGE!
9. When U Were Mine : like the latter, this crushes the original. This is one of the best tracks in the entire Box Set.
10. Avalanche : a great song fighting racism; the message makes the song even more intense emotionally. Disc Two
1. Family Name : a great James Brown type of funk/soul track from Rainbow Children. Gotta love it. Prince at his best.
2. Take Me With U : the FULL VERSION live! Gotta love it. The arrangement features very cool starts and stops and slides right into...
3. Raspberry Beret : wow. Just wow.
4. Everlasting Now : another GREAT funk tune from Rainbow Children album; the best track live from that album easily.
5. One Nite Alone... : the so-called title track? It's only about a minute-and-a-half long, but it has a cool vibe; more like an interlude than anything.
6. Adore : AMAZING. AMAZING. AMAZING. Prince, a piano, the crowd, humor, sex, love, passion. AMAZING.
7. Eye Wanna B Ur Lover : another piano tune that sounds VERY cool; don't get me wrong, I love the original, but this allows Prince's voice and musical talent to shine!
8. Do Me, Baby : the crowd sings most of it, which is pretty awesome. Prince can tear it up on the piano.
9. Condition of the Heart (interlude) : it's an interlude! However, it is very graceful and pretty.
10. Diamonds & Pearls : No Rosie Gaines, only one verse. Still a great moment.
11. The Beautiful Ones : Classic! Rarely performed live, it's just Prince and the piano, another amazing staple on Disc Two.
12. Nothing Compares 2 U : the best version yet! GREAT!
13. Free : an overlooked gem from 1999 that really shines live.
14. Starfish & Coffee : a short segment, but a crowd-pleaser nonetheless
15. Sometimes It Snows In April : absolutely awe-inspiring. Probably the rarest track on this collection, this tune is actually a tearjerker.
16. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore : a B-side with PIZAZZ! Live, the full band crushes it! One of the highlights of the Box Set.
17. Anna Stesia : hands down the best track in the set. Overlooked on Lovesexy, this song actually makes me feel good after listening to it. I actually bought the box set during a bad week, and this song gave me a great outlook. The emotion is only hightened by the music. It's total bliss. Prince lives. Disc Three
1. Joy In Repetition : a cool funk jam.
2. We Do This : great to hear George Clinton on here! Prince and band at their best, as usual.
3. Medley: Just Friends (Sunny)/If You Want Me To Stay : very interesting to hear a new voice over Prince and his band; a smooth R&B medley sure to please.
4. 2 Nigs United 4 West Compton : funky gem from the rare Black Album. Prince workin' it into the wee hours.
5. Alphabet St. : much more uptempo than the original, gets the crowd goin!
6. Peach (xtended jam) : much bluesier and cleaner than the original; the extended jam is over ten minutes, great playing.
7. Dorothy Parker : a more evolved version of the original "Ballad Of..." Gotta love it.
8. Girls & Boys : another funky soul treat.
9. The Everlasting Now (vamp) : a very short faded vamp of the song that ends a great album on the right note!
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45 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prince: A God-given talent, December 17, 2002
If there were any doubters beforehand, this 3CD box-set should silence them! His jazz upbringing shows throughout. This being a LIVE set and for those keenly aware of how GREAT Prince is in concert, such as myself, this set is an extra treat! The side-musicians: Renaldo Neto(keyboards), Rhonda Smith(bass), Maceo Parker(saxophone), Greg Boyer(trombone), John Blackwell(drums), Larry Graham(bass), Sheila E.(drums, cymbals), Candy Dulfer(saxophone) are all of the highest order and are allowed to shine MANY times throughout this 3hr extravaganza, but Prince is the LEADER make no mistake about it! I won't give a song by song play-by-play of this set but I will mention those songs which spoke for me and I think other fans of this artist. They are the HIGHLIGHTS in a set of gems:
1) Xenophobia (free-form jazz! Always changing, never put in a box, is Prince's motto and this song proves it. I LOVE IT!)
2) The Other Side Of The Pillow (That VOICE!)
3) Avalanche (social commentary, at its most biting!)
4) Family Name (Free at last!...)
5) Everlasting Now (BRILLIANTLY performed on the recent guest spot on the 'Jay Leno' show!)
6) Anna Stesia (brings back memories of the Lovesexy album and tour with an EXTRA touch at the end (ie. 'Rise Up' seque) which takes it over the top for ME!)
7) Joy In Repetition (GENIUS...I can't use this word enough)
8) We Do This (FUNKIEST SONG of the past 20-25 years! The artists on the song: Prince/George Clinton/Larry Graham/Maceo Parker/etc.. gives you some idea of what this song is about! I would rank this song up next to songs by The Godfather-James Brown (one of Prince's idols) and not feel embarassed!)
9) Peach (a very funky extended groove - over 11 minutes!)
10) Girls & Boys (the 'LA' chant throughout this song, does it for me!) In an age of bland industry cookie cutter products being given to the public, Prince stand as ONE OF THE FEW whose whole life's mission is geared for the MUSIC and the music ALONE and that's why I'm a fan and why he has my undying respect. As I've said before in one of my reviews and Prince uses in one of the songs here: 'REAL music, REAL musicians'... enough said!
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