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Prince and the Revolution released the Parade album in March 1986, after which, the following Prince projects were conceived, mostly completed, and abandoned: a single LP Dream Factory, a double-LP Dream Factory, the 3-LP Crystal Ball, a musical known as either The Dawn or Dream Factory, and a single LP Camille. Finally, in March 1987, the double-LP Sign O' The Times was released, cherry-picking highlights from most of those projects and adding brand-new material. It is—even for an artist who has gone down in history as one of the most prolific pop musicians of the 20th century—an astonishing volume of work. Even more astonishing is the consistently high quality of the work.
The original Sign O' The Times has long been recognized as Prince's creative zenith, garnering the sort of contemporaneous and retrospective critical admiration that very few double albums have ever claimed. But the fact that this work was the result of a 27-year-old creating at such a fast clip and such a high level is, when you stop and think about it, not just the mark of a genius at the top of his game, but something truly singular.
That uniqueness may bedevil listeners of this Super Deluxe Edition. While the Sign O' The Times album itself is, of course, still an incredible work that benefits immensely from the careful remastering (this album, probably more than any other in Prince's catalog, was in dire need of it), there is no easy way to mentally process its 45 unreleased tracks. They are sequenced in chronological order of recording, which makes sense, as there really is no other simple way the Estate could have presented this work. However—believe it or not—this isn't even everything! Due to licensing restrictions and the fact that many of these tracks exist in multiple versions, there is no way this set could be comprehensive.
So, while this presentation does deny listeners the chance to compile their own versions of the Dream Factory or Camille albums from the unreleased material, it also declines to provide any sort of narrative listening experience. Which is probably for the best. When, in just two years, you can go from the height of the Revolution's powers ("In A Large Room With No Light,""Soul Psychodelicide") through a collaboration with Miles Davis ("Can I Play With U?") and a run of inventive, immersive home-studio creations ("Cosmic Day") and then on to the sounds that would define Lovesexy ("The Cocoa Boys,""Walkin' in Glory"), the only story to tell is one of a prodigy at his most prodigious. With four albums' worth of unreleased material here—nearly all of which is in surprisingly solid sonic condition—your best bet is to proceed slowly, soak it all in, and find your favorites. And, if the original album and 45 unreleased tracks wasn't enough, this set also includes a handful of edits and remixes along with the two b-sides that were released contemporaneously with the album and an absolutely blazing live set from the album's European tour. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz
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Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Susannah Melvoin, Composer, Lyricist - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Carole Davis, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
DISC 2
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Eric Leeds, Composer, Lyricist - Matt Fink, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020, 1987 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
DISC 3
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, Engineer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet - Coke Johnson, Engineer
(P) 1999 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - LEE HERSCHBERG, Mastering Engineer - Stephen Marcussen, Mastering Engineer - Sheena Easton, Composer, Lyricist - Dave Friedlander, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - LEE HERSCHBERG, Mastering Engineer - Stephen Marcussen, Mastering Engineer - Sheena Easton, Composer, Lyricist - Dave Friedlander, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, Engineer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Camille, Vocal - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet - Coke Johnson, Engineer
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - LEE HERSCHBERG, Mastering Engineer - Stephen Marcussen, Mastering Engineer - Dave Friedlander, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - LEE HERSCHBERG, Mastering Engineer - Stephen Marcussen, Mastering Engineer - Dave Friedlander, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, Engineer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Camille, Vocal - Sheena Easton, Vocal - Sheila E., Drums, Percussion - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet - Coke Johnson, Engineer
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, Engineer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Camille, Vocal - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet - Coke Johnson, Engineer
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, Engineer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Camille, Vocal - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet - Coke Johnson, Engineer
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, Engineer, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Coke Johnson, Engineer
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Junior Vasquez, Editor - Shep Pettibone, Re-Mixer - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer - Michael Hutchinson, Producer - Eric Leeds, Saxophone
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Junior Vasquez, Editor - Shep Pettibone, Re-Mixer - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer - Michael Hutchinson, Producer - Eric Leeds, Saxophone
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Junior Vasquez, Editor - Shep Pettibone, Re-Mixer - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer - Michael Hutchinson, Producer - Eric Leeds, Saxophone
(P) 1987 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
DISC 4
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernie Grundman, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Producer - Wendy Melvoin, Producer - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - David Tickle, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Vocal - Wendy Melvoin, Vocal - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Peggy McCreary, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Miles Davis, Trumpet, FeaturedArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Coke Johnson, Engineer - Prince feat. Miles Davis, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Keyboards, Vocal - Wendy Melvoin, Guitar, Vocal - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Coke Johnson, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Producer, Vocal - Wendy Melvoin, Producer, Vocal - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - David Tickle, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Piano - Prince, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Susannah Melvoin, Background Vocal - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Clare Fischer, Horn - Eric Leeds, Saxophone
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Susannah Melvoin, Background Vocal - Lisa Coleman, Organ, Background Vocal - Wendy Melvoin, Guitar, Background Vocal - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Composer, Lyricist - Wendy Melvoin, Composer, Lyricist, Guitar - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Eric Leeds, Flute - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet - Bobby z, Drums
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Piano - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, Drums, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet - Matt Fink, Keyboards
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Coke Johnson, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Vocal - Wendy Melvoin, Background Vocal - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Wendy Melvoin, Composer, Lyricist, All Instruments - Prince, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Susannah Melvoin, Background Vocal - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Clare Fischer, Orchestrator
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Vocal - Wendy Melvoin, Background Vocal - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, AssociatedPerformer, Background Vocal - Wendy Melvoin, AssociatedPerformer, Background Vocal - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Sheila E., AssociatedPerformer, Background Vocal - NORbert Stachel, AssociatedPerformer - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet - Coke Johnson, Engineer - David Z, Engineer - Levi Seacer, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
DISC 5
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Todd Herreman, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, Piano - Wendy Melvoin, AssociatedPerformer - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Clare Fischer, Orchestra - Eric Leeds, Saxophone - Atlanta Bliss, Trumpet - Todd Herreman, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Lisa Coleman, AssociatedPerformer - Wendy Melvoin, AssociatedPerformer - Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, All Instruments, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - SUSAN ROGERS, Engineer - Eric Leeds, Horn - Atlanta Bliss, Horn - Todd Herreman, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
Album review
Prince and the Revolution released the Parade album in March 1986, after which, the following Prince projects were conceived, mostly completed, and abandoned: a single LP Dream Factory, a double-LP Dream Factory, the 3-LP Crystal Ball, a musical known as either The Dawn or Dream Factory, and a single LP Camille. Finally, in March 1987, the double-LP Sign O' The Times was released, cherry-picking highlights from most of those projects and adding brand-new material. It is—even for an artist who has gone down in history as one of the most prolific pop musicians of the 20th century—an astonishing volume of work. Even more astonishing is the consistently high quality of the work.
The original Sign O' The Times has long been recognized as Prince's creative zenith, garnering the sort of contemporaneous and retrospective critical admiration that very few double albums have ever claimed. But the fact that this work was the result of a 27-year-old creating at such a fast clip and such a high level is, when you stop and think about it, not just the mark of a genius at the top of his game, but something truly singular.
That uniqueness may bedevil listeners of this Super Deluxe Edition. While the Sign O' The Times album itself is, of course, still an incredible work that benefits immensely from the careful remastering (this album, probably more than any other in Prince's catalog, was in dire need of it), there is no easy way to mentally process its 45 unreleased tracks. They are sequenced in chronological order of recording, which makes sense, as there really is no other simple way the Estate could have presented this work. However—believe it or not—this isn't even everything! Due to licensing restrictions and the fact that many of these tracks exist in multiple versions, there is no way this set could be comprehensive.
So, while this presentation does deny listeners the chance to compile their own versions of the Dream Factory or Camille albums from the unreleased material, it also declines to provide any sort of narrative listening experience. Which is probably for the best. When, in just two years, you can go from the height of the Revolution's powers ("In A Large Room With No Light,""Soul Psychodelicide") through a collaboration with Miles Davis ("Can I Play With U?") and a run of inventive, immersive home-studio creations ("Cosmic Day") and then on to the sounds that would define Lovesexy ("The Cocoa Boys,""Walkin' in Glory"), the only story to tell is one of a prodigy at his most prodigious. With four albums' worth of unreleased material here—nearly all of which is in surprisingly solid sonic condition—your best bet is to proceed slowly, soak it all in, and find your favorites. And, if the original album and 45 unreleased tracks wasn't enough, this set also includes a handful of edits and remixes along with the two b-sides that were released contemporaneously with the album and an absolutely blazing live set from the album's European tour. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz
About the album
- 8 disc(s) - 92 track(s)
- Total length: 08:01:33
- Main artists: Prince
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Legacy Recordings
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Funk
(P) 2020 NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
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