Unreleased Prince projects
Encyclopedia
Prince
is well known in the entertainment industry for having a vast body of works that have never seen the light of day. It has been said that his vault contains over 50 fully produced music videos that have never been released, along with albums and other media. The following is a list, in rough chronological order, of the most prominent and notorious of these unreleased works. They were later released and circulated among collectors as bootlegs.
, he considered using his backing band as a side-project called The Rebels. The 1979 project was a group effort, with songs being written and sung by the various members. Andre Cymone
and Dez Dickerson
each contributed material and a few numbers were sung by Gayle Chapman. Instead of making something that sounded similar to his R&B solo output, Prince
wanted go into more rock elements of songs such like "I'm Yours" and "Bambi". The project was eventually shelved feeling that the whole thing sounded too generic, but two of the songs composed by Prince were re-recorded and released much later: "If I Love U 2 Night" by Mica Paris
(and later by Prince's wife-to-be Mayte Garcia) and "U" by Paula Abdul
. The original Prince guide vocal for "If I Love U 2 Nite" appeared by mistake on the rare Mica Paris Stand for Love EP, of which only a handful exist.
and live album from Prince's Controversy tour in 1981. The tour was professionally filmed but the project was abandoned, likely due to Prince's schedule producing The Time
and Vanity 6
. The title comes from a prerecorded a cappella
intro to the tour, immediately preceding the song "Uptown
".
. A circulating outtake from these sessions is titled "U Got 2 Shake Something".
was a single, then double LP project recorded with The Revolution
from 1986. Unlike the three previous Revolution
albums, the entire band was invited into the studio and contributed to most of the original tracks. Many of the tracks would later be incorporated into Crystal Ball
(see below) or be released through other outlets over the years.
, which evolved into Sign "☮" the Times.
Two other songs were credited to Camille after the album project was abandoned. The first was "Scarlet Pussy", which was released as the B-side of the 1988 single "I Wish U Heaven
" featuring a black label with the artist Camille credited in deep peach. Also, "U Got the Look
", which appeared on Sign "☮" the Times and was also released as a single. The video was recorded in France while Prince was on tour and the video was later added into the film Sign "☮" the Times.
Prince would later resurrect the character of Camille for the 1988 Lovesexy tour. Within the show, "Camille" sang in a low tone, with Prince's vocal filtered to sound slower. Prince has used this technique on numerous occasions, uncredited to Camille. Prince confirms in the Lovesexy tour book that "Camille" is the creator of "The Black Album".
Crystal Ball
was a 3-LP set to be released in 1987, The set was to consist of various tracks from 1985–1986. Although several Dream Factory tracks were incorporated, this set was to be marketed as a solo album by Prince. Warner Bros. Records
balked at the album's length so Prince begrudgingly trimmed it to the 2-LP Sign “☮” the Times, which many still consider to be his best album. The album is notable for two reasons; it was the last studio album to be recorded with The Revolution
and the events said to have surrounded its recording led to the resignation of both Wendy & Lisa
, effectively dissolving Prince's band until the creation of the New Power Generation.
album in 1987–1988 that was never released, featuring the cover model Maneca Lightner. Some of the tracks were altered and reused on Eric Leeds
's Times Squared album released in 1991. Interestingly, a totally different version of 24 was recorded with members of The New Power Generation and Eric Leeds in 1993, but this also was not released, with the exception of the track "17" of the 1-800-NEW-FUNK compilation album. Some of the tracks were on the rare "Sampler Experience" cassette.
soundtrack in late 1988. The album shared some tracks with Graffiti Bridge
and the title track was finally released in 1999 on a new album of the same name.
(of Ta Mara and the Seen) as lead singer. In July, Cox recorded 25 songs written by Prince for a planned album. No M.C. Flash album or singles were ever released. The only songs to be released as a result of Prince and Cox's work together was her cover of Prince's "Standing at the Altar" for his 1994 compilation album 1-800-NEW-FUNK
, and the B-side of that single, "Whistlin' Kenny".
and bassist Sonny T
. Prince originally intended to give this live CD
away free with 1,000 copies of Guitar Player
magazine in 1994 (uploading an original The Undertaker CD to iTunes, shows the year 1995 as the year the CD was "released"), but he was reportedly barred by Warner Bros.
from doing so. Copies were leaked and bootlegged. The songs were guitar-heavy versions of rock and blues numbers, including a cover of The Rolling Stones
' "Honky Tonk Women
" and new recording of "Bambi" (originally from 1979's Prince
). The title track was a cover of a song previously given to Mavis Staples
, while "The Ride", "Zannalee", and "Dolphin" would all be re-recorded future releases. A video recording of the performance was released in Europe (on VHS and Laserdisc) with small edits throughout the performance and "Dolphin" replaced by the audio track from the official video of the song from The Gold Experience
.
Track listing
, and performed the only song confirmed that would have been included on the album, "She Gave Her Angels", which remained unreleased until inclusion on the "Crystal Ball
" set. The album was likely cancelled due to Prince's son Gregory's death one week after birth.
, but it was shelved in 1997. An acoustic version of the title track can be found on The Truth. Prince had often thought of releasing an album called 'The Dawn' at many points during his career. The earliest known incarnation of 'The Dawn' was from 1986, and seems to have been some kind of musical (an idea that eventually resurfaced as 'Graffiti Bridge'). Another incarnation of 'The Dawn' was assembled around 1994, soon after Prince changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol. This time the content was made from tracks that would later surface on Come
and The Gold Experience
. The last known incarnation of the album was assembled in 1997, this time it came very close to release, and was even advertised on the back of the free cassette single of 'The Holy River' given away at 'Borders' stores in 1997.
for producers and DJs was announced in 1999 for a onetime fee of $700. It remains unreleased.
. Fans who attended Prince's Paisley Park Studios during June 2000 were given the opportunity to vote for their favorite outtakes out of a list of 23 and 17 were selected. For unknown reasons it was never produced.
The tracks included the following:
. This was to contain music video
s made for tracks off both volumes of the Crystal Ball albums.
was announced. It would contain new club remixes of "Hot Wit U" featuring Eve
.
On July 19, 2000, DJ Wolf played some unreleased mixes, likely from The Hot X-perience, at a club known as The Front in Minneapolis, Minnesota
:
"Underneath the Cream" was later released on Prince's website and an edit of the Nasty Girl Remix was released on the remix album Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic
.
", a duet with Angie Stone
, and it was also released as a single. Most songs were distributed via his NPG Music Club. Prince released The Rainbow Children
instead.
for his Bamboozled
soundtrack. Instead, "Peace" and "2045: Radical Man" were later released on the internet-only release of The Slaughterhouse
.
contacted Prince to gain permission to use "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
" for a scene in his movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
. Although he was denied permission, he agreed to film a documentary of reactions, questions and answers during one of Prince's fan weeks at his recording studios, Paisley Park
. Most of the footage comes from five sessions of Prince and Smith discussing music with fans. The footage still resides in Prince's vault, while some was used to promote The Rainbow Children album and as background video at some of his live concerts.
According to An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder
, Prince was intending to edit the film into a promotional movie for Jehovah's Witnesses
.
. The album has never materialized.
In November 2003, a problem with manufacturing was reported, and the project was put on hold. The only albums that have become available on CD in limited editions before were "The War", available through 1-800-NEW-FUNK in 1998 and One Nite Alone..., sent to NPG Music Club members in 2002 as part of the annual subscription. Furthermore, all albums have been made available for download (in some cases with tracks varying very slightly) via the NPG Music Club at various stages. An excerpt of "The Glam Slam Club Mix" was possibly part of NPG Ahdio Show #11 and available as a free download in December 2001, C-Note and Xpectation were free downloads for members in January 2003 and became available in the NPG Music Club store in 2004, together with One Nite Alone..., The Chocolate Invasion and The Slaughterhouse.
. The cover of the 3121 CD reads '3121 - The Music', further fuelling speculation of a 3121 movie. In April 2011, a fully produced trailer for the movie leaked on the net and stated that the movie is "Coming Soon".
worked on her debut album. Originally Beautiful, Loved and Blessed, it was renamed Milk & Honey. Normally, it was going to be released with Prince's 3121, but it was postponed before being cancelled altogether.
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
is well known in the entertainment industry for having a vast body of works that have never seen the light of day. It has been said that his vault contains over 50 fully produced music videos that have never been released, along with albums and other media. The following is a list, in rough chronological order, of the most prominent and notorious of these unreleased works. They were later released and circulated among collectors as bootlegs.
The Rebels
Before Prince formed The TimeThe Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
, he considered using his backing band as a side-project called The Rebels. The 1979 project was a group effort, with songs being written and sung by the various members. Andre Cymone
André Cymone
André Cymone is an American bassist, songwriter and record producer. Cymone was a bass guitarist for recording artist Prince's touring band, pre-Revolution. Cymone began a solo career in 1981. His song, "The Dance Electric" , reached number ten on the R&B charts...
and Dez Dickerson
Dez Dickerson
Dez Dickerson is an American guitarist and singer who was a member of Prince's former band, The Revolution.-Biography:...
each contributed material and a few numbers were sung by Gayle Chapman. Instead of making something that sounded similar to his R&B solo output, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
wanted go into more rock elements of songs such like "I'm Yours" and "Bambi". The project was eventually shelved feeling that the whole thing sounded too generic, but two of the songs composed by Prince were re-recorded and released much later: "If I Love U 2 Night" by Mica Paris
Mica Paris
Mica Paris is an English soul singer, radio and television presenter, and occasional actress. Her forename is pronounced Misha.-Beginnings:Paris' roots are in soul and gospel music...
(and later by Prince's wife-to-be Mayte Garcia) and "U" by Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
. The original Prince guide vocal for "If I Love U 2 Nite" appeared by mistake on the rare Mica Paris Stand for Love EP, of which only a handful exist.
The Second Coming
The Second Coming was planned to be a documentary filmDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and live album from Prince's Controversy tour in 1981. The tour was professionally filmed but the project was abandoned, likely due to Prince's schedule producing The Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
and Vanity 6
Vanity 6
Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
. The title comes from a prerecorded a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
intro to the tour, immediately preceding the song "Uptown
Uptown (song)
"Uptown" was the lead single in the U.S. to Prince's third album, Dirty Mind. Beginning with a lone drum intro, the track explodes into the keyboards of the chorus. The verses feature a more prominent funk guitar. The song breaks down to a more instrumental section toward the end that is mainly...
".
The Flesh
The Flesh was a project of live jam sessions recorded in late 1985 to early 1986. The project was abandoned when Prince began work on Parade although a small instrumental portion of a track called "Junk Music" made it into the film Under the Cherry MoonUnder the Cherry Moon
Under the Cherry Moon is a 1986 film directed by and starring Prince as a gigolo named Christopher Tracy and Time member Jerome Benton as his partner, Tricky. Together, the pair swindle wealthy French women...
. A circulating outtake from these sessions is titled "U Got 2 Shake Something".
Dream Factory
Dream FactoryDream Factory (album)
Dream Factory was an unreleased double LP project recorded by Prince and The Revolution from 1986.-History:Unlike the three previous Prince and The Revolution albums, the entire band was invited to the studio to contribute to a majority of the album's material, with the notable exceptions of "The...
was a single, then double LP project recorded with The Revolution
The Revolution (band)
The Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
from 1986. Unlike the three previous Revolution
The Revolution (band)
The Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
albums, the entire band was invited into the studio and contributed to most of the original tracks. Many of the tracks would later be incorporated into Crystal Ball
Crystal Ball (unreleased album)
Crystal Ball is an unreleased studio album by Prince recorded throughout 1986. The album was planned to consist of 3 LPs and cover a broad range of musical styles.-Evolution of the album:...
(see below) or be released through other outlets over the years.
Camille
Camille is an unreleased album by Prince, recorded in 1986. The album was planned to consist of 8 tracks recorded by the singer in a funky, sped up vocal. The album was to be released under the name Camille (who would not be pictured on the cover) and not as a Prince album. Much of the music has been released officially in some form or another, however, one song, "Rebirth of the Flesh" remains unreleased in its original form. In 2001, a live rehearsal of "Rebirth of the Flesh" recorded with the Sign "☮" the Times band was released on Prince's Web site. This version, however, had profanity edited from the lyrics. The album was canceled weeks prior to its release in favor of the more ambitious Sign "☮" the Times album. The concept itself was also abandoned and most of the tracks were incorporated into Crystal BallCrystal Ball (unreleased album)
Crystal Ball is an unreleased studio album by Prince recorded throughout 1986. The album was planned to consist of 3 LPs and cover a broad range of musical styles.-Evolution of the album:...
, which evolved into Sign "☮" the Times.
- "Rebirth of the Flesh": Prince recorded this song at Sunset Sound on October 28, 1986, on the same day as "Rockhard in a Funky Place". When the Camille album was shelved, the song was slated for inclusion on Prince's next album project, Crystal Ball. It was going to be the opening track segueing into "Play in the Sunshine". The NPG Music Club made a 1988 Lovesexy Tour rehearsal recording available in September 2001, which means that all the Camille tracks have now been officially released, although the original studio version remains unofficially released on bootlegs.
- "Housequake"
- "Strange Relationship"
- "Feel U Up": This outtake was recorded toward the end of 1981 and was taped in sequence with "Irresistible Bitch". Both songs were re-recorded later. "Feel U Up" was re-recorded in 1986 and the lyrics of both recordings are very similar. The track was finally released in 1989 as the B-side of "Partyman".
- "Shockadelica": Originally written (unsolicited) by Prince in response to Jesse Johnson's then-forthcoming album titled Shockadelica (1986) because that album had no song to match/complement what Prince felt was such a great album title. "Shockadelica" was later included as a B-side of "If I Was Your Girlfriend".
- "Good Love": Released on the Bright Lights, Big CityBright Lights, Big City (film)Bright Lights, Big City is a 1988 drama film starring Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland and Phoebe Cates, based on the novel of the same name by Jay McInerney. It was the last film directed by James Bridges before his death in 1993.-Plot:...
film soundtrack in 1988. - "If I Was Your Girlfriend"
- "Rockhard in a Funky Place": Also included on The Black Album (1987) project.
Two other songs were credited to Camille after the album project was abandoned. The first was "Scarlet Pussy", which was released as the B-side of the 1988 single "I Wish U Heaven
I Wish U Heaven
"I Wish U Heaven" is a song by Prince, and the third single from his 1988 album, Lovesexy. It is a joyful, spiritual song with few lyrics, which runs 2:43. The 12" single is a substantially extended three-part suite which runs over ten minutes....
" featuring a black label with the artist Camille credited in deep peach. Also, "U Got the Look
U Got the Look
"U Got the Look" is a song by Prince. It opens the second disc of Prince's 1987 double album Sign “☮” the Times, and became the album's highest charting single. Musically, the song is standard 12-bar blues number with emphasis on live drumming by Sheila E., and a crunchy guitar sound...
", which appeared on Sign "☮" the Times and was also released as a single. The video was recorded in France while Prince was on tour and the video was later added into the film Sign "☮" the Times.
Prince would later resurrect the character of Camille for the 1988 Lovesexy tour. Within the show, "Camille" sang in a low tone, with Prince's vocal filtered to sound slower. Prince has used this technique on numerous occasions, uncredited to Camille. Prince confirms in the Lovesexy tour book that "Camille" is the creator of "The Black Album".
Crystal Ball
- (not to be confused with Crystal Ball (album set)Crystal Ball (album set)Crystal Ball is the twentieth studio album by Prince . Crystal Ball is a four-disc set containing a three CD set of the same name featuring a much anticipated collection of "previously bootlegged" material, with The Truth, the twenty-first studio album by Prince which is a bonus disc of 12 new...
)
Crystal Ball
Crystal Ball (unreleased album)
Crystal Ball is an unreleased studio album by Prince recorded throughout 1986. The album was planned to consist of 3 LPs and cover a broad range of musical styles.-Evolution of the album:...
was a 3-LP set to be released in 1987, The set was to consist of various tracks from 1985–1986. Although several Dream Factory tracks were incorporated, this set was to be marketed as a solo album by Prince. Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
balked at the album's length so Prince begrudgingly trimmed it to the 2-LP Sign “☮” the Times, which many still consider to be his best album. The album is notable for two reasons; it was the last studio album to be recorded with The Revolution
The Revolution (band)
The Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
and the events said to have surrounded its recording led to the resignation of both Wendy & Lisa
Wendy & Lisa
Wendy & Lisa are a music duo consisting of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. They began working with Prince in the early 1980s and were part of his band The Revolution, before branching out on their own and releasing their debut album in 1987...
, effectively dissolving Prince's band until the creation of the New Power Generation.
Madhouse: 24
Prince worked on a third MadhouseMadhouse (band)
Madhouse is a jazz-fusion band from Minneapolis that was created by Prince. Two Madhouse albums were officially released in 1987.-History:...
album in 1987–1988 that was never released, featuring the cover model Maneca Lightner. Some of the tracks were altered and reused on Eric Leeds
Eric Leeds
Eric Leeds is an American jazz and funk musician who plays the saxophone and other woodwind and brass instruments. He is best known for his work with Prince.- Biography :Leeds was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a retailer...
's Times Squared album released in 1991. Interestingly, a totally different version of 24 was recorded with members of The New Power Generation and Eric Leeds in 1993, but this also was not released, with the exception of the track "17" of the 1-800-NEW-FUNK compilation album. Some of the tracks were on the rare "Sampler Experience" cassette.
Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic
The original Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic album was shelved when Prince started working on the BatmanBatman (album)
Batman is the eleventh studio album by musician Prince and the soundtrack for the 1989 film Batman. As a Warner Bros. stablemate, Prince's involvement in the soundtrack was designed to leverage the media company's contract-bound talent as well as fulfill the artist's need for a commercial revival...
soundtrack in late 1988. The album shared some tracks with Graffiti Bridge
Graffiti Bridge (album)
Graffiti Bridge is the twelfth studio album by Prince and the soundtrack to the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge.The album was much better received in sales than the film, reaching #6 in the US and #1 in the UK. Nearly every song on the record was written by Prince despite the handful of artists...
and the title track was finally released in 1999 on a new album of the same name.
M.C. Flash
In 1989 Prince formed a new band called M.C. Flash, featuring Margie CoxMargie Cox
Margaret "Margie" Cox, also known as Ta Mara, is an American singer. She is best known as the lead singer of Minneapolis sound band Ta Mara and the Seen, and for her work with Prince.-Early life and career:...
(of Ta Mara and the Seen) as lead singer. In July, Cox recorded 25 songs written by Prince for a planned album. No M.C. Flash album or singles were ever released. The only songs to be released as a result of Prince and Cox's work together was her cover of Prince's "Standing at the Altar" for his 1994 compilation album 1-800-NEW-FUNK
1-800-NEW-FUNK
1-800-NEW-FUNK is a compilation album by Prince's NPG Records meant to showcase artists signed to the label. It was released on July 20, 1994...
, and the B-side of that single, "Whistlin' Kenny".
The Tora Tora Experience
At the height of his troubles with Warner Bros. Records in 1994, Prince contributed under the moniker Tora Tora on the NPG's Exodus album. Happy with this pseudonym, a full album was recorded, but it remains unreleased. Very little is known about this project, but it was mentioned on the 1995 "Sampler Experience" cassette by the tracks "(Lemme See Your Body) Get Loose!" a remix of "Loose!" from Prince's 1994 Come album.The Undertaker
This recording was made in a continuous single live-in-the-studio pass in collaboration with NPG drummer Michael BlandMichael Bland
Michael Bland is best known as a drummer for Prince starting in 1989. He was with Prince during The New Power Generation era and played with him live and on albums for 7 years....
and bassist Sonny T
Sonny T
Sonny T. is an American bass player. He was a member of The New Power Generation, Prince's recording and stage band, from 1991–1996.In 2010, Sonny T...
. Prince originally intended to give this live CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
away free with 1,000 copies of Guitar Player
Guitar Player
Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
magazine in 1994 (uploading an original The Undertaker CD to iTunes, shows the year 1995 as the year the CD was "released"), but he was reportedly barred by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
from doing so. Copies were leaked and bootlegged. The songs were guitar-heavy versions of rock and blues numbers, including a cover of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' "Honky Tonk Women
Honky Tonk Women
"Honky Tonk Women" is a 1969 hit song by The Rolling Stones. Released as a single on 4 July 1969 in the UK and a week later in the US, it topped the charts in both nations.-Inspiration and Recording:...
" and new recording of "Bambi" (originally from 1979's Prince
Prince (album)
Prince is the second studio album by Prince, released on October 19, 1979. It was a quickly written album in reaction to his debut For You. It took seven weeks to complete. The album needed to have hits and sell well to make up for the blown budget on his first release...
). The title track was a cover of a song previously given to Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
, while "The Ride", "Zannalee", and "Dolphin" would all be re-recorded future releases. A video recording of the performance was released in Europe (on VHS and Laserdisc) with small edits throughout the performance and "Dolphin" replaced by the audio track from the official video of the song from The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
.
Track listing
- "The Ride" – 10:54
- "Poor Goo" – 4:26
- "Honky Tonk Women" – 3:00
- "Bambi" – 4:49
- "Zannalee (Prelude)" - :44
- "The Undertaker" – 9:50
- "Dolphin" – 3:40
Prince and Mayte: Happy Tears
With the pregnancy of Prince's then-wife Mayte Garcia, Prince was inspired to make and announce a children's music album called Happy Tears, credited to Prince and Mayte. The album was supposed to have been released on November/1996. The album was going to include a book of children's stories with it. To promote the album, Prince guest-starred on the show Muppets TonightMuppets Tonight
Muppets Tonight is a live-action/puppet television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The Muppets. Much like the "MuppeTelevision" segment of The Jim Henson Hour, Muppets Tonight was a continuation of The Muppet Show, set in a television studio, rather than a theater.-Format:The...
, and performed the only song confirmed that would have been included on the album, "She Gave Her Angels", which remained unreleased until inclusion on the "Crystal Ball
Crystal Ball (album set)
Crystal Ball is the twentieth studio album by Prince . Crystal Ball is a four-disc set containing a three CD set of the same name featuring a much anticipated collection of "previously bootlegged" material, with The Truth, the twenty-first studio album by Prince which is a bonus disc of 12 new...
" set. The album was likely cancelled due to Prince's son Gregory's death one week after birth.
The Dawn
The Dawn was to be the first Prince album after EmancipationEmancipation (album)
Emancipation is the nineteenth studio album by Prince . The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with Warner Bros. Records after 18 years, with whom he had a contentious relationship...
, but it was shelved in 1997. An acoustic version of the title track can be found on The Truth. Prince had often thought of releasing an album called 'The Dawn' at many points during his career. The earliest known incarnation of 'The Dawn' was from 1986, and seems to have been some kind of musical (an idea that eventually resurfaced as 'Graffiti Bridge'). Another incarnation of 'The Dawn' was assembled around 1994, soon after Prince changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol. This time the content was made from tracks that would later surface on Come
Come (album)
Come is the fifteenth studio album by Prince, released during his public dispute with his then-record company, Warner Bros.-Evolution of the album:...
and The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
. The last known incarnation of the album was assembled in 1997, this time it came very close to release, and was even advertised on the back of the free cassette single of 'The Holy River' given away at 'Borders' stores in 1997.
Roadhouse Garden
In 1998, Prince announced a comeback album of Prince & The Revolution that consisted of unreleased songs. It was most likely never released because of a dispute with the original Revolution members. One of the mentioned songs, "Splash" was released on Prince's website. According to former Revolution keyboardist Dr. Fink, Prince asked for Wendy and Lisa's input on the album, but he didn't offer any compensation, so they declined his offer. Later, when people asked about the Roadhouse Garden album, his reply was "Ask Wendy and Lisa."Newfunk sampling CD series
A 7-CD set of Prince samplesSampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
for producers and DJs was announced in 1999 for a onetime fee of $700. It remains unreleased.
Crystal Ball 2
This was a follow up to the 1998 outtake album Crystal BallCrystal Ball (album set)
Crystal Ball is the twentieth studio album by Prince . Crystal Ball is a four-disc set containing a three CD set of the same name featuring a much anticipated collection of "previously bootlegged" material, with The Truth, the twenty-first studio album by Prince which is a bonus disc of 12 new...
. Fans who attended Prince's Paisley Park Studios during June 2000 were given the opportunity to vote for their favorite outtakes out of a list of 23 and 17 were selected. For unknown reasons it was never produced.
The tracks included the following:
- "3 Nigs Watchin' a Kung Fu Movie"
- "Adonis & Bathsheba"
- "American Jam"
- "Come Electra Tuesday" (not selected)
- "Electric Intercourse"
- "Everybody Wants What They Don't Got"
- "Evolsidog"
- "Eye Wonder"
- "Girl" (not selected)
- "Girl o' My Dreams"
- "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" (not selected)
- "If It'll Make U Happy" (not selected)
- "Katrina's Paper Dolls"
- "Kiss" (Unreleased Xtended Version)
- "Love & Sex"
- "Lust U Always"
- "Others Here with Us"
- "She's Just a Baby" (not selected)
- "Strange Way of Saying Eye Love U"
- "Turn It Up"
- "U're All Eye Want"
- "Xtra Lovable"
DVD
Another little-known project that was due to be released at the same time as Crystal Ball II was an accompanying Crystal Ball DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. This was to contain music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s made for tracks off both volumes of the Crystal Ball albums.
The Hot X-perience
In 2000, a vinyl maxi singleMaxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
was announced. It would contain new club remixes of "Hot Wit U" featuring Eve
Eve (rapper)
Eve Jihan Jeffers , is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actress. Her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. She has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish." She won a Grammy Award in 2002 for the...
.
On July 19, 2000, DJ Wolf played some unreleased mixes, likely from The Hot X-perience, at a club known as The Front in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
:
- "Hot Wit You" (Nasty Girl Remix)
- "Hot Wit You" (Rap remix)
- "Underneath the Cream"
- "So Far, So Pleased" (a club-dance remix—mixed with portions of "Rave un2 the Joy Fantastic")
- "Hot Wit You" (a club-dance remix)
"Underneath the Cream" was later released on Prince's website and an edit of the Nasty Girl Remix was released on the remix album Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic is a remix album by Prince , released via mail exclusively through the NPG Music Club, an Internet subscription service, on April 29, 2001. The album is an alternative version of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, released the previous year.The album makes a number of...
.
High
In 2000 High was fully complete and ready to release in the summer of 2000, but the album was never released. A video was recorded for the song "U Make My Sun ShineU Make My Sun Shine
"U Make My Sun Shine" is a song by Prince, released on April 10, 2001. The ballad is a duet with guest vocalist Angie Stone, and was reportedly one of the tracks from Prince's canceled High album....
", a duet with Angie Stone
Angie Stone
Angie Stone is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She has been nominated for three Grammy Award. She is more successful on the charts R&B charts, with four Top 10 albums, forms including a number one album and 10 singles on the R&B chart,...
, and it was also released as a single. Most songs were distributed via his NPG Music Club. Prince released The Rainbow Children
The Rainbow Children
The Rainbow Children is the twenty-fourth studio album by Prince, released in 2001. It was also released through Prince's website earlier in the year...
instead.
NPG: Peace
During the "Hit and Run Tour" in 2001, an NPG single from what was billed as the forthcoming new NPG album, 'Peace' was sold. It featured the title track, "Peace" coupled with "2045: Radical Man". The album remains unreleased, while "2045: Radical Man" was given to Spike LeeSpike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
for his Bamboozled
Bamboozled
Bamboozled is a 2000 satirical film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors donning blackface makeup and the violent fall-out from the show's success...
soundtrack. Instead, "Peace" and "2045: Radical Man" were later released on the internet-only release of The Slaughterhouse
The Slaughterhouse
The Slaughterhouse is the twenty-ninth studio album by Prince released as MP3s through his website, NPG Music Club. The album's title comes from the first line of "Silicon:" "welcome 2 the slaughterhouse". The tracks consist of material previously available on the same website back in 2001,...
.
Untitled Kevin Smith-directed documentary
In the summer of 2001, actor-director Kevin SmithKevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
contacted Prince to gain permission to use "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (Prince song)
"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" is a song by Prince from his 1995 album The Gold Experience It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol. With the consent of Prince's usual record distributor Warner Bros...
" for a scene in his movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American action adventure comedy film written, directed by, and starring Kevin Smith as Silent Bob, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of his cult favorite Clerks...
. Although he was denied permission, he agreed to film a documentary of reactions, questions and answers during one of Prince's fan weeks at his recording studios, Paisley Park
Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records was Prince's record label, associated with and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain...
. Most of the footage comes from five sessions of Prince and Smith discussing music with fans. The footage still resides in Prince's vault, while some was used to promote The Rainbow Children album and as background video at some of his live concerts.
According to An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder
An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder
An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder is the second Kevin Smith Q&A DVD. The footage is taken from Kevin's Q&As at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto and the Criterion Theatre in London and was released on November 28, 2006...
, Prince was intending to edit the film into a promotional movie for Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
.
Madrid 2 Chicago
A new album was announced for 2001. The title track and "Breathe" were distributed via the NPG Music Club, but the full album remains unreleased.Last December
Announced in the "One Nite Alone..." tour book in March 2002, the title is a track from The Rainbow ChildrenThe Rainbow Children
The Rainbow Children is the twenty-fourth studio album by Prince, released in 2001. It was also released through Prince's website earlier in the year...
. The album has never materialized.
The Chocolate Invasion
In 2003 it was announced that the members-only tracks from the first years of the NPG Music Club would be released in a 7-CD boxed set containing:- C-NoteC-Note (album)C-Note is the second live album by Prince and The New Power Generation, released in 2003. Its genre is jazz, with four tracks taken from soundchecks during the One Nite Alone... tour.All five tracks are named after the location they were recorded in...
- XpectationXpectationXpectation is the twenty-sixth studio album by Prince, only available for download on his website, NPG Music Club. The album was made available for MP3 download on January 1, 2003 and all the songs are instrumentals...
- One Nite Alone...One Nite Alone...One Nite Alone... is the twenty-fifth studio album by Prince. It features him on piano and vocals with a few embellishments here and there. It was released online in 2002 through the NPG Music Club and it was never even available in stores. Many fans have only heard the album through MP3...
- Solo Piano & Voice - The Chocolate InvasionThe Chocolate InvasionThe Chocolate Invasion is the twenty-eighth studio album by Prince released only through his website, NPG Music Club. All the tracks except "The Dance" were previously available on the same website in 2001, although some may have rearrangements in music and/or lyrics. "U Make My Sun Shine", a duet...
- Trax from NPGMC Volume 1 - The SlaughterhouseThe SlaughterhouseThe Slaughterhouse is the twenty-ninth studio album by Prince released as MP3s through his website, NPG Music Club. The album's title comes from the first line of "Silicon:" "welcome 2 the slaughterhouse". The tracks consist of material previously available on the same website back in 2001,...
- Trax from NPGMC Volume 2 - "The Glam SlamGlam Slam"Glam Slam" is a song by Prince, and the second single from his 1988 album, Lovesexy. The title originates from the sexual quote "Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am". The song has sexual overtones with a spiritual undertone and fits the Lovesexy theme of integrating God and sex. The song is complex...
Club Mix" - "The War"
In November 2003, a problem with manufacturing was reported, and the project was put on hold. The only albums that have become available on CD in limited editions before were "The War", available through 1-800-NEW-FUNK in 1998 and One Nite Alone..., sent to NPG Music Club members in 2002 as part of the annual subscription. Furthermore, all albums have been made available for download (in some cases with tracks varying very slightly) via the NPG Music Club at various stages. An excerpt of "The Glam Slam Club Mix" was possibly part of NPG Ahdio Show #11 and available as a free download in December 2001, C-Note and Xpectation were free downloads for members in January 2003 and became available in the NPG Music Club store in 2004, together with One Nite Alone..., The Chocolate Invasion and The Slaughterhouse.
3121 film
Near the end of 2005, Prince had written and produced for the singer Liza Hernandez (also known as Liza Lena) and, according to the Panamanian news site Prensa.com, "Has maintained a good friendship since they filmed together the film 31-21," and was, according to the site, supposed to be released in April 2006. There are references to the film on a few Prince forums, which, unfortunately for the sake of authenticity, only refer back to quotes from unofficial, unknown, or expired sources. There are no references to the film found on either Prince's official newsletter 3121.com or in the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
. The cover of the 3121 CD reads '3121 - The Music', further fuelling speculation of a 3121 movie. In April 2011, a fully produced trailer for the movie leaked on the net and stated that the movie is "Coming Soon".
Támar: Milk & Honey
During the 3121 sessions, Prince and TámarTámar
Támar is an American R&B singer who came to prominence through the artist, Prince. She sang the co-lead vocals on his Grammy-nominated song "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" from his 2006 album, 3121 and on backup vocals throughout the album...
worked on her debut album. Originally Beautiful, Loved and Blessed, it was renamed Milk & Honey. Normally, it was going to be released with Prince's 3121, but it was postponed before being cancelled altogether.