Prince & The New Power Generation - Starlight Lounge [2CD Set] (2005)

Sabotage’s release of the heavily circulating Act I aftershow. They appear to have sourced this from the Temptation fan release ‘Easter Miracle’, however they have done an excellent job in repairing the drop-outs and missing parts evident on the Temptation release. Not all problems were fixed, and small sections of the show remain missing (some sections which were ON the Temptation release are not on this) – however I think (short of a brand new soundboard appearing) this will be the best quality we can expect. The DNA Lounge show itself is an absolute joy to listen to, not least for Prince’s voice struggling against a case of bronchitis. It’s raw, hoarse and painful, however that coupled with atmosphere generated is just an amazing listening experience. The band (and especially Sonny T) are laughing, joking and cackling their way through a set which contains some inspired bass (both Prince & Sonny), and one of the best live versions of ‘What Is Hip?’ you will hear. The remainder of the release contains highlights from the Cabaret Metro aftershow, and thankfully Sabotage have omitted the horrendously bad MJ Warner (ahem) “rapper” from their choice of what to include. Tony M is far more vocal on the Cabaret Metro set than the DNA Lounge – however even he can’t ruin the show, try as he may. The sound quality of the Cabaret Metro tracks, although soundboard and improved (very slightly) over the previously circulating releases of the show is still no comparison to the DNA Lounge. That just leaves the exceptional addition of the soundboard Act II tracks from cancelled radio broadcast on Sheffield Radio. Some were previously released on Sabotage’s ‘Rock Over Germany’ however having them all here (nearly 35 minutes worth) just makes this release even more amazing. The packaging and booklet are very cool, and contain more info on Sabotage’s choices of what to include in the release along with some great photo’s from backstage at Paris, August 1993. Overall – an excellent release