The Latest Fashion

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The Latest Fashion

Graffitibridge.jpg
from the album Graffiti Bridge
Song details
Performer: The Time with Prince
First Released: 20 August 1990 - Graffiti Bridge album
Album(s): Graffiti Bridge
Writer(s): Prince
Producer(s): Prince with The Time
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
  • none
Performed occasionally in shows:
  • none

The Latest Fashion is the 13th track on Prince’s twelfth album Graffiti Bridge (the fourth track on the album to be credited to The Time, and the only track to be credited to The Time with Prince). Four and a half months after the album’s release, the track was included as the b-side of Shake!, the album’s fifth and final single (and first and only by The Time). A performance of the track was shot for the movie Graffiti Bridge but not kept on the final cut.

While specific recording dates are not known, basic tracking took place in early April 1987 at Prince’s Galpin Blvd Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota (during the same set of sessions that produced So Strong, shortly before departing for Europe for Sign O’ The Times Tour rehearsals). Along with So Strong, it was sent to Dale Bozzio for possible inclusion on her album Riot In English, but the track was rejected.

In July or August 1989, Morris Day recorded co-lead vocal overdubs at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota as Prince and Day worked on The Time’s Corporate World album (during the same sessions that produced Murph Drag, Nine Lives, Donald Trump (Black Version), Love Machine, Shake!, Corporate World and Release It).

Candy Dulfer added saxophone to the track at Paisley Park Studios in late July 1989 (along with saxophone overdubs on Love Machine, My Summertime Thang, Release It, Murph Drag, Donald Trump (Black Version), Data Bank and My Baby Knows). The song was included as the eighth track on the Corporate World album in early September 1989, as planned for release in November 1989. The album was abandoned when Warner Bros. wanted to involve the other original members of The Time, but many of the tracks were saved for Pandemonium and Graffiti Bridge.

The Graffiti Bridge version of The Latest Fashion used completely different music to the Corporate World version. The song was heavily reworked (most likely solely by Prince) and reuses the music from My Summertime Thang (also intended for release on Corporate World and finally included on Pandemonium). Parts of Morris Day’s vocals (as well the crowd noise) from the versions intended for the Corporate World album of The Latest Fashion and (the longer version of) My Summertime Thang were also used to create a 'duet' with Prince.

The track was remixed in September or October 1990 at Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood, California, during recording and remix sessions for the New Power Generation maxi-single.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
Early April 1987 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Tracking
Late July 1989 Paisley Park Studios,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Saxophone overdubs by Candy Dulfer
July - August 1989 (assumed) Paisley Park Studios,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Co-lead vocal overdubs by Morris Day
September 1989 - early 1990 Paisley Park Studios,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
re-recording of lead vox to My Summertime Thang music
September - October 1990 Larrabee Sound Studios,
North Hollywood, CA, USA
Remix by Michael Koppelman, Prince and Sylvia Massy (and vocal overdubs by Prince)
Recording Personnel

Released version


Unreleased 1987 version

  • Prince - all vocals and instruments (assumed)


Unreleased The Time version

  • Morris Day - lead vocals
  • Prince - all instruments, except where noted
  • Candy Dulfer - saxophone
  • Unidentified female vocalist(s) - background vocals

Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
The Latest Fashion 4:02 Graffiti Bridge Studio
The Latest Fashion (Remix) 6:15 Shake! single Remix Remix by Michael Koppelman, Prince and Sylvia Massy
The Latest Fashion (Edited Remix) 4:00 Shake! cassette-single Remix/Edit Remix by Michael Koppelman, Prince and Sylvia Massy. (Duration wrongly listed as 4:12)
Broadcasts/streaming (only)
Title Length Released Version Additional info
The Latest Fashion T.B.C. Delayed concert TV broadcast Live 29 July 1990, Estadio Santa María del Mar, La Coruña, Spain 'How to run the game'-rap, interpolated in It Takes Two
The Latest Fashion T.B.C. Delayed concert TV broadcast Live 31 August 1990, Tokyo Dome (東京ドーム), Tokyo, Japan 'How to run the game'-rap, interpolated in It Takes Two
Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in...
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Shake! (Boom Mix) 5:05 Shake! single Remix Remix by Levi Seacer, Jr.
Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
The Latest Fashion Studio Original 1987 version
The Latest Fashion Studio 1989 version before saxophone overdubs
The Latest Fashion Studio Original Corporate World version; completely different music
 
Additional Information

See also Trivia

  • This song is the first song to be officially credited to "The Time with Prince", despite Prince’s involvement with The Time’s music throughout their career.

References
Last Heart   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Latino Barbie Doll