Retro Spins: Batman

Why not?...let's do another Prince album / soundtrack.

This is normally the section where I would put the blurb from the back of the VHS. However, believe it or not, the back of the original VHS doesn't give a synopsis of the film. Does it need to? It's Batman!

Instead, I'll tell you about two experiences I had with this film as a young, soon to be, teenager. First, I remember seeing it in the movie theater with my brother. While he didn't seem to enthralled with it, it blew my young mind away. I suppose I had a bit of an advantage as I was big into comics. I soaked up every last bit of the film, taking in all the detail of Tim Burton's dark Gotham City. Though I was too young to appreciate it at the time, all the actors behind the film did superb jobs pulling me into a state of suspended disbelief. These people were Bruce Wayne / Batman, Alfred, The Joker, Alexander Knox and Vicki Vale.

My next experience came in the form of the original VHS which my dad would later purchase for the family (himself). He didn't see it in the theaters with us, but truth be told, I don't honestly know if he saw it on his own. However, when we sat down to watch the movie at home, I couldn't stop talking about all the scenes I knew were coming. I'm sure it got on everyone's nerves. That was the first of many viewings that cassette got.

During this time in my life, I was already a big Prince fan. While I didn't have many of his albums, when I got the chance to pick up a cassette during one of our many Kmart outings, I immediately flocked to this one. Batdance was in consistent rotation on MTV, and I leapt at the opportunity to get a copy of the tune that wasn't recorded on an audio cassette from the TV.

I had to smile as I typed that last paragraph because it actually reminded me of the exact moment in time when I recorded it. I was sitting up for half the night, without my parents knowing of course, waiting impatiently for MTV to play two songs I wanted to record. Nelson's (I Can't Live Without Your Love) And Affection and Prince's Batdance. The stars were aligned perfectly this evening as both songs played within about a half hour of each other.

Unfortunately, the fates also have a way of stepping in to laugh at you. Not being very mindful of song lengths, I didn't really have an eye on the tape. Nelson's song fit just fine on side "A". However, when Prince's Batdance came on, the tape ran out right before the mid-point of the song, and auto flipped to side "B". It still recorded the whole song, and truth be told it was somewhat seamless. Still, there's something to be said about getting midway through a song just to have to flip the tape over to hear the rest.

Anyway, to bring this full circle, back to my Kmart visit. With the above story in mind, you can see why this was an album I was eager to pick up.

Upon playing the album, it quickly became one of my all time favorites. There's only one track I honestly don't like from it, and would replace in a heartbeat with 200 Ballons, the B side to the Batdance single. That song is Scandalous. Can't stand it!

In my adult years, I actually learned the album wasn't supposed to be strictly a Prince album. Instead, Michael Jackson was actually asked to record a set of slower / ballad style songs, while Prince was to provide the uptempo tracks. What ended up happening, as I have heard, is that Michael was too busy with his Bad world tour. While we got a great album out of it in the long run, it's definitely one of those, "Yeah, but what could have been?" moments. I guess we'll never know.

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