I came across two potential versions of the album online. And even better, you can listen to either of them right now, in their entirety! And yes, there exists a version of the title track (if you’re willing to handle the low quality). I’d like to know which one people think is the “final” version.
Shadows On The Wall Shaped Like The Hat You Wore
The first is on the Prince org forum by Shango. The track-titles posted match the ones released on the family series. Also listed, are details about who was involved (which makes it seem more like the final version).
- Shadows On The Wall Shaped Like The Hat You Wore
- Twenty Bucks
- Just For Play
- Catch A Keeper
- Love Don’t Come Easy
- Think Right
Shadow[s] On The Wall Shaped Like The Hat You Wore
The other post I came across was on Facebook, posted by user EddieHazelandtheParliamentFunkadelicThang. On the surface, track listing for “Shadow On The Wall Shaped Like That Hat You Wore” (intentionally left off the ‘s’?), looks quite different. (The post also lists a fourth album track listing, more below). However, listening to the lyrics of the tracks from the first post, it seems clear enough that the tracks are the same (excluding Too Funky In Here, released as a single by P-Funk All Stars). Twenty Bucks is Make Your Move (the song starts with “Are you ready? Let’s get it on. Make your move”. With I’m Going Left, they don’t exactly say the song title, but do a Right/Left thing with “Think right if ya wanna go left”. Finally, Just For Play is Love Is A Baseball Game. I think the lack of a baseball reference is intentionally cryptic, fitting the line “You’ve been in touch with me for a long time, and you don’t even know my game”. Additionally, besides the clear relation between the track titles, there are lyrics that could be interpreted as allusions to baseball: “twist and turn me” and “you know you have to get caught”.
- Shadow On The Wall
- Catch A Keeper
- Make Your Move [released as Twenty Bucks?]
- Love Don’t Come Easy
- I’m Going Left [released as Think Right?]
- Love Is A Baseball Game [released as Just For Play?]
- It’s Too Funky In Here [released as a single by P-Funk All Stars]
On both versions of Shadows On The Wall Shaped Like The Hat You Wore, the only song missing is the title track. I don’t believe it has ever been officially released as intended for the album. However, again, while researching unreleased albums, I found the discussion here on The C-Conspiracy In The Last Time Zone, and was listening to the mentioned The Mammoth Sessions leaks. While listening, I noticed the track titled Da Da Da contains the lyrics exactly matching the title track/album name. Furthermore, the guitar on it seems to be continuing the Western theme of the previous album, Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy (which is present on Twenty Bucks/Make Your Move and Think Right/I’m Going Left). (Tangentially, I think the Diddles and Dah-Das on the track were later used/quoted on the track Martial Law, released on Hey Man… Smell My Finger).
untitled fourth album
And here’s the other (fourth) album mentioned (I’d consider opening a new discussion, but the album may not even have a title). Interestingly, French Kiss was released on The Cinderella Theory, and Hey Good Lookin’ & Do Fries Go With That Shake on R&B Skeletons In The Closet. For track 2, I can’t remember if I’ve heard a P-Funk song with mud. Regarding tracks 3 and 4, I have been researching unreleased albums (see the discussion here about Upsouth), and encountered Johnny mentioned in Rap “N*****ish” from the live album Funk Um Agin… For the First Time. There could be other songs mentioning Johnny, but, personally, either I can’t recall, didn’t notice, or haven’t listened to them yet.
- French Kiss
- Doing It In The Mud
- Johnny Was A Pimp
- Run Johnny
- Hey Good Lookin’
- Do Fries Go With That Shake