In A Large Room With No Light

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In A Large Room With No Light

Montreuxjazzfestivallogo.jpg
streamed on montreuxjazz.com
Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
from the album
Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
Song details
Performer: Prince (Prince and the Revolution)
First Released: 15 July 2009 - montreuxjazz.com audio stream
Album(s): Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
Writer(s): Prince, Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman
Producer(s): Prince
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
  • none
Performed occasionally in shows:

In A Large Room With No Light (a.k.a. Life Is Like Looking For A Penny In A Large Room With No Light, listed as ‘N.A. Large Room’ in the initial tracking session) was first available as an audio stream on the Montreux Jazz Festival website on 15 July 2009 in conjunction with Prince’s two shows at the festival three days later. While the recording was new, the track itself was 23 years old. In September 2020, Prince’s original version was released as the eighteenth and final track of Vault Tracks part 1, one of the discs with previously unreleased tracks included with the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition.

Basic tracking for the original version were recorded on 4 May 1986 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California, and was recorded with members of the Revolution and Sheila E.’s band. Eric Leeds confirmed in an interview with The Last Miles that the full title of the track was originally Life Is Like Looking For A Penny In A Large Room With No Light. The track was initially included as the tenth track on the first disc of the 3 June 1986 configuration of the Dream Factory album (and hence would have been credited to Prince and the Revolution), but was removed for the 18 July 1986 configuration.

UK radio station Jazz FM premiered the 2009 version, stating that it had been finished only two days prior to the premiere (on 14 July 2009), and it is assumed that this recording took place at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, but this is not confirmed.

The track’s first live performance took place on 29 March 2009, am, almost 23 years after its initial recording.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
4-7 May 1986 Sunset Sound - Studio 3, Hollywood, CA, USA Tracking (4th); Vocal overdubs, mix (5th); Mix (6th); Likely mix (7th)
8 July 2009 Paisley Park Studios,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Re-recording
12 July 2009 Paisley Park Studios,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
overdubbing
Recording Personnel

1986 version

2009 'streamed' version



Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
In A Large Room With No Light 3:27 Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition Studio
In A Large Room With No Light 5:29 n/a Studio 2009 Re-recording
Broadcasts/streaming (only)
Title Length Released Version Additional info
In A Large Room With No Light 5:29 Montreux Jazz Festival website .flv audio stream Studio 2009 studio recording


 
Additional Information

See also Trivia

  • The early version of In A Large Room With No Light was in wide circulation among collectors since the end of the eighties and was wrongly believed to be titled Welcome 2 The Rat Race (after a line in the chorus). This song was included on albums and officially released by two acts before Prince released his new version in July 2009. As Ratrace it was first sung by T.M. Stevens and Marco Minnemann’s band named Illegal Aliens on their album International Telephone in 2000 (a promo release). American singer Wil Key released his own version (titled Welcome 2 The Rat Race) on his album Satisfy My Soul in January 2009 (which led to the registration of the song at the ASCAP as Welcome 2 The Rat Race). Since Prince was not associated with those acts and was not involved on these releases which were done without his consent or knowledge at that time, their versions are not listed above and are considered as cover versions although they were released before Prince’s.

References
Immersion   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   In A Spanish Villa