As Sony continues to roll along rereleasing oop albums from the 90’s up and Warners continues, albeit slower, to release deluxe editions of the classic 80’s period albums and new albums like Originals,I continue to be impressed with the reissue/archival program. This year alone , including the 1999 super deluxe, we have gotten 9 Prince releases, plus the book in October. Part of me hopes they continue at this pace at least until all the albums are back in print, and I can’t help but wonder if the reason they are doing those so quickly is to clear the decks before some massive vault releases? As far as Warners, what are the chances of deluxe editions like this for other albums, such as Dirty Mind, Sign, Around the World etc? They only have the rights for those for a limited amount of time before it all goes to Sony except the soundtracks? If that’s the case Warners probably needs to get cracking. But I’m still fuzzy on the deal and who will control what and when. Every time a new Prince release is announced I seem to always start looking forward to what the next could be, so forgive me
Now this is a boxset! Whether there are a couple things on or ommited that some people would have preferred, this sounds like a wonderfully extensive collection and what Purple Rain's reissue should be like Does "2019 remaster" listed on Moonneam Levels imply that they are using a better source than what was included on 4ever?
I love the long version way more IMO! I forgot that the edit exists so I am always musically suprised whenever it plays on radio
First of all, very, very excited for this release! Huge Prince fan! Probably my favourite when all is said and done. I'm sure Amazon will match this price if not be even lower before the release date. I pre ordered this morning so I sure hope so. Lol. But if a special and/or better deal is to be had, I will cancel and order as necessary.
it doesn't necessarily mean that -- it could be the same mix as 4ever, just remastered. But I'm hoping they've gone back to the multitracks and it's a new mix entirely.
I could see amazon price matching but at under $10 per disc shipped, I don't see it going much lower. Granted I hope I am very wrong
Well, Purple Rain Deluxe eventually settled at around $25. It's currently $22 or so! And it's only 2 disc less of 1999 Deluxe. I actually purchased PR Deluxe as a gift for about $20 during that christmas season. So there's hope for sure.
Really would prefer Prince get the David Bowie treatment with more comprehensive box sets centered around a certain period of time. This is a decent offering but it's just frustrating to see what's been held back. Maybe one day they'll get it right.
i highly doubt it. even though it looks to be a different Detroit show from what's long been circulating, i'll bet it comes from the same source/orgin. it always sounded to me as a soundboard mix for Prince to review (& the band if they wish) on the tour bus after the performance. that also means it comes from a cassette source since there's always little cut-off/glitch around 45 min. or so. it still sounds pretty full & balanced so i'm assuming this release will at least match the boot but...definitely no multi-track for them to work on. Prince recorded most, if not all of his shows from very early on but strictly for 'performance review' reason rather than live album or document sake of it. i was rather obsessed with collecting Prince bootlegs around the time of (original) release of City Lights set (mid-90's) so i remember it vividly how big of a deal it was. 9 never-heard shows from 6 different early tours in pristine condition...you could imagine the excitement. i had to track down all 6 cds individually, paying ridiculous amounts, faxing (~) my credit card info to God knows who...but it felt worth it, especially after hearing the Detroit show which is my favorite from the whole set. let's just hope Prince had something left for the evening show (one we're getting) after such performance during the matinee earlier in the day (bootleg) i'll bet it is. my old VHS copy is rather high generation (never seen a low gen. copy of this one for some reason ~) with grainy pics. & distorted (mono) sound so...at least we're getting a definite upgrade on this one
The version on this 1999 set is a longer version with an extended fade-out according to the timing of the track so it is probably from the multitracks since Warner's apparently didn't have access to them for the 4Ever set (which is why it was sourced from an in-house cassette).
That Zappa stuff's all already released and has been available for decades - no one's advocating reverse censorship of old material, so you're posing a straw man argument. What's being discussed here is a Vault song that most people haven't heard, that obviously would land pretty badly in the current era and probably tarnish the Artist's legacy at a time when the estate is trying to build him up. You guys have all been hearing it on bootlegs anyway - it's not like you're entitled to a release.
Or it could mean that they couldn't access an original mix for 4ever because the Estate had not cataloged the Vault yet. They were prepping this release when Prince was still alive, but I suspect they had to turn to inferior sources instead of canceling the release. "Moonbeam Levels", according to Susan Rogers, was considered for many, many albums in the 80s. I bet there's an official mix in the Vault. I am guessing that they remastered it from the original mix for the 1999 deluxe edition.
Right now the catalog is still kind of a mess. Warner Bros has the right to some albums. Sony has the rights to some albums. I think the vault will really open up next year once all the studio albums (minus the 5 soundtracks for WB produced films) move to Sony. The "Originals" album was the one owed to Tidal. With that obligation fulfilled, all eyes will be on how Sony plans to handle the catalog. Right now Sony has only been doing straight reissues of the post-WB albums. We have to look back at their track record to see how they handle the other artists on their "Legacy" imprint. Bob Dylan has been represented very well. If the Prince estate wants to go that way of "Bootleg Series" releases, I wonder if Sony will be receptive. On the other end of the spectrum, you have Jimi Hendrix. Sony/Legacy doesn't seem like a good fit for him. The estate really doesn't seem to want to open up the vaults and the releases have suffered from it. If we get some middle area between those two, I think most people would be satisfied. Personally, I hope they go with the Dylan approach. Songs gathered together by session date. Although, I would say this is a discussion to have in a few months when all the rights and who can release what is figured out.
I honestly just want the first 4 discs, with previously unreleased material. They can keep the live stuff.
what?? it's the other way around…. it's frustrating how little unreleased Bowie songs are on all these box sets, or even ryko bonustracks that DID get a release are omitted on the last few years of boxsets.
$249.98 for the 10 vinyl set at Amazon.com: 1999 (Super Deluxe) (10LP/1DVD) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XPRD4S4/ $69.98 for the 5CD set: 1999 (Super Deluxe) (5CD/1DVD) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XKW23LD/
I think you're probably right, but I also think it's possible that there's a multitrack for one or both shows in this set. He was starting to work with recording trucks around this time, as he was gathering ideas for Purple Rain at First Avenue and elsewhere. But I don't know what I'm talking about -- just conjecture.
Considering that the David Bowie boxsets up to now have only included the officially released albums, some single versions/B-sides and (almost) no unreleased material (save a live album here and there) I don't think that 'treatment' is preferred for Prince. Mind you, I've bought two of his boxsets (and am looking for a good price for the Loving The Alien one) as they're a good way for me to get his albums and fill the gaps in my collection. But I can understand that more serious fans feel left out with the lack of unreleased material. Instead, this Prince 1999 boxset looks to be a stellar offering. Basically all previously released material plus a wealth of unreleased material, centered around a certain album.
I know it's unlikely, but I really hope the outtakes are the original mixes. As nice as the Bolas mixes were on Originals, combining different versions and using monophonic reverb really spoiled it for me.
Try running a forum for the general public (not that 4Chan or 8Chan garbage) without that sort of automated censorship and you'll lose your mind. This at least heads off a possible batch of complaints at the pass.