Prince - Nothing Compares To U studio version finally gets a release

At last, a studio version of Nothing Compares To U is available. I always wanted to hear his own studio version, and it’s pretty good. Apparently a seven inch single version will be issued on May 25.

 

This is just wonderful. This was a real full on Prince and the Revolution recording from 1984 that he chose not to release? Would have made side one of AROUND THE WORLD even better, tho it has a cleaner production than most of that.

Pointless point: he seems to be singing not "living with you baby was sometimes hard" as in Sinead's but "living with you baby was some kind of hard" but maybe my ears are bad.

 

Thanks. Really good to hear that

 

Nice...hope it's available digitally as well on the 25th.

 

Nice! Love it. I’ll have to pick this one up when the 7’s released

 

Wow, awesome and way better than the Hits/B-Sides version (although I'm not digging the sax too much on it, was this the usually excellent Eric Leeds? Was he auditioning for a spot with Billy Vera and the Beaters for the Family Ties episode?) Nevertheless, I really hope this makes it onto a CD and isn't exclusively released on 7" vinyl. Wonder what they'll put on the B-side?

 

Nothing Compares 2 U: the secrets of Prince's original recording, unheard until today

 

Yeah the sax didn't work all that well but that's a minor nitpick..overall this was amazing to hear.

 

This is GREAT

No, the sax solo works fine.

 

From Billboard:

Prince Estate Unveils Previously Unreleased Original 'Nothing Compares 2 U' Recording: Listen

The previously unreleased original version of Prince's iconic hit "Nothing Compares 2 U" was issued for the first time on Thursday (Apr. 19) by the Prince estate in collaboration with Warner Bros. Records.

The original take on the heartbreak anthem that became a breakout Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit for Irish singer Sinead O'Connor in 1990 was recorded at the Flying Cloud Drive "Warehouse" in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, by Prince's longtime engineer Susan Rogers and was originally composed, arranged and performed entirely by Prince (with backing vocals by Susannah Melvoin and Paul "St. Paul" Peterson and saxophone by Eric Leeds on the original track).

“I spotted the 2" multitrack reel in the Vault some weeks back while doing a 1984-era inventory," said Michael Howe, Prince expert and official vault archivist for the Prince estate, in a press release announcing the single. "After retrieving my jaw from the floor, we took the reel upstairs, analyzed it, put it up on the Studer 24 track machine, and digitized it to 24/192. Even our 'faders up' rough mix was compelling enough to indicate that this was something very special indeed... No Prince-penned song performed by another artist has enjoyed more chart success (#1 in over a dozen countries) and overall cultural impact than Sinead O'Connor's 1990 recording, so hearing the song in its original context performed in its entirety by the author makes it particularly noteworthy.”

In addition to the saxophone breaks, the Prince version presents a more sensual take on the song that was famously accompanied by a stark, close-up shot of O'Connor's face in her legendary video for her more fragile, icy cover. O'Connor's take appeared on her second album, 1990's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got; "Nothing" also appeared on a 1985 album by the Prince-affiliated group The Family, and was included on two different Prince hits compilations.

The release comes two days before the second anniversary of Prince's death -- the singer died at age 57 from an accidental opioid overdose on April 21, 2016. A tribute fence will be installed at the singer's famed music studio and home in Minnesota as officials prepare for fans returning on the second anniversary. Earlier this week, Paisley Park also announced new details about Celebration 2018, the second annual gathering for Prince fans from April 19-22. Ten more guest speakers have been added, including The Revolution members Bobby Z, Dez Dickerson and Matt Fink.

Along with the Prince version of the song -- which can be streamed here -- a video with never-before-seen rehearsal footage of Prince & the Revolution practicing their choreography around that time in the Eden Prairie warehouse has also been released. The "Nothing" release is the first new music from the estate since last June's deluxe edition of of Purple Rain.

The late singer's estate is also bringing back the HitNRun online pop-up storeconcept first launch in November, which will offer fans a limited-edition black picture disk vinyl and a variety of other Prince merchandise; the vinyl will be released on May 25 and will be available for pre-order form major physical retailers. In a further celebration of the Rock Hall of Famer's legacy, the estate has launched a new interactive site called Prince2Me, where fans can share what Prince meant to them.

 

Oh, I adore the Rosie duet version! A rare example to my of "powerful oversinging" that totally works emotionally for me.

 

Is this just a one-off for now, or could it be a prelude for more vault-opening?

 

Hmmm, interesting this black picture disc..

 

Yeah, that's really cool. I like it much better than the live duet.

Almost 2 years now. Nothing compared to him...

 

The sax solo exists on The Family's version as well.

 

Agreed, reminds me of SNL ending credits

 

This wonderful version certainly does show that when it comes to Prince.... nothing compares 2 him!

 

Is there any doubt this would have been a smash hit for weeks on end had it been released in 1984/85?

 

Apologies. I started the same thread and found nothing in my search as this thread title is not spelled correctly. Perhaps a mod can correct and delete/merge?

 

OMG, that's a great version.
I'm so excited to hear this - now bring on the vaults!

 

the a-side of the 7" will be an edit, the b-side the full version (difference is only 30 or 4o seconds approximately)

 

I copied your track info from the other thread. Alas, it doesn't say who mastered it:

Recorded in July 1984 at Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN

Mixed by Tony Maserati at Mirrorball Studios, North Hollywood, CA

Assistant mix Engineer: Tyler Scott

Written, Arranged, Performed and Produced by Prince

Saxophone by Eric Leeds

Backing Vocals by Susannah Melvoin and Paul Peterson

Engineered by Susan Rogers

It's available for digital purchase right now in lossy and lossless via Tidal.

 

Fantastic! Just a shame the man is gone 2 years.

 

Oh, for ****'s sake, it's a DR6! 16/44.1. I hope that's just mastered for the radio and/or Tidal.

Then again, Roon shows me that it's a DR8, but I'm still uncertain how they come up with their numbers.

Listening and looking at the wav file, I don't detect any clipping; there isn't any distortion, but boy this is mastered right up to 0db, as loud as they could go without sending it over.

This leads me to believe that it's not Bernie Grundman on this track. I hope this isn't a sign of the future.

 

WTF is a black picture disk vinyl? You mean, like, a regular black record?