9. chaos & disorder (from chaos & disorder lp, 1996)
at one time, i knew the song whose live extended jam became "chaos & disorder," the song; goes to show how disconnected i've become from my former fanatic self. like a pete rock or dj premier, prince, in his prime, could toss off bonus beats (or riffs) that could form the core of a lesser artist's canon. perhaps a sign of the times (sorry), then, that prince resorted to re-using that riff for "chaos & disorder." i can't blame him: it's a great one, and the song itself is a nice "dance to the music"/"the jam" introduction of the band number, with prince's most clever use of samples ever.

btu perhaps the second-handedness of the song was a jab at warners and a wink to his fan, letting both know that this was contractual filler. among the dross to be found on chaos & disorder were two jewels -- a sign that, even when he wasn't trying, he could still come up with something quite potent: a surprise to fan and, quite possible, artist alike.