I think including all 7” and 12” mixes is the way to go .Based on previous box sets that omit a rare Europe only 7inch promo edit and the subsequent howls of complaint from the fan base that result ..it’s best to do an all or nothing ..and you can programme your cd to change track order or create a playlist etc ..obviously on vinyl your stuffed
It may be best to pair up For You and Prince as one reissue and do the same with Dirty Mind and Controversy. I am not an expert but I don't believe there is a ton of vault tracks circa 1977-1981. There are quite a few pre For You demos that could be included and visually there are several shows from the 1980-1981 era. I'm not sure what would be on a DVD circa 1977-1979. So far promo videos have not been included, there isn't much else from the earliest years. Maybe the American Bandstand appearance?
The Estate are way off organising licensing TV clips from around the world to be included in boxsets I reckon.
Yeah, my phrasing was poor. It’s because Parade is outside of that Sony deal that I’m concerned we’ll never see a deluxe set. Purple Rain has been done. Batman is unlikely. Graffiti Bridge? I doubt WB would invest in that. So what incentive does WB have to do a deluxe Parade? Sure, my logic may not be perfect here. But it’s my favorite album by anyone, ever. Ever. I have no time for logic when Parade is involved!
Yeah, those early (known) pickings are slim. But they are good! I’ve always enjoyed the Rebels recordings. And the original version of Tick Tick Bang.
For those wondering how the new CD mastering sounds compared to the original vinyl, here's an A/B of "Delirious" and "Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)" from both the original vinyl from 1982 and the CD remaster in the box set: Dropbox - 1999 A-B samples (1982 vinyl vs 2019 CD box set).wav - Simplify your life On my system and to my ears, the new CD remaster has a little more bass, but it's not overdone. The original vinyl, however, is a bit brighter. I'm playing it with an Audio Technica AT150MLX. What do you think?
Forgot to post this earlier, this was on the outside cardboard box the 10 LP set came in. Nice to see secret code-words are still used when keeping things ambiguous
Re-listening to the Vault tracks again today. Unlike the Purple Rain edition, where the extra tracks that Prince cut out of the actual album, such as replacing Electric Intercourse, I thought where absolutely the right decisions, but with 1999 as a whole I'm not sure. So many great tracks to choose from. Hence my question, which tracks from 1999 do you think are the weakest? For me its always been "Free", and maybe "Automatic". I don't mind the latter, but its not 10 minutes good, its the longest track on the album.
I'm hoping vinyl sales are brisk enough that they keep putting them out on vinyl. I still have disappointment that Purple Rain was CD only with the vinyl just being a straight reissue of the nine track album we all own. I am on cloud nine with this set and still devouring it slowly
I don't know if I would replace anything. I'm not a big fan of "Free" either, but at the time it was a peek into his personality and beliefs when Prince was still defining himself to the public. It's naive but that's who he was back then. At the time, it was confusing hearing that song, then flipping the side to "Lady Cab Driver." The genius of 1999 is its flow, variety of material and it's imperfection. As I've been listening to the outtakes over the past couple days via Spotify, nothing really feels album worthy to me... or at least, not this album. I love "Possessed", "Purple Music" (so cool but seems unfinished) and "Moonbeam Levels," but I can't see them replacing anything on 1999. Maybe, just maybe I'd replace "Free" with "Moonbeam Levels."
Right. If they could put out a Parade [or Batman or GB] at any time, why do it next year, when they could do Sign O' The Times... Would they be blocked from using vault recordings as bonus material after 2021? Or could they still put together big sets like this for those soundtrack releases [a la Purple Rain]? [Seriously asking because I don't know...]
The estate is still involved with the WB releases. Perhaps they get the final say on where unreleased tracks and live recordings appear? I hope they will reissue the deluxe Purple Rain on vinyl a few months before their next one. I'll take deluxe versions of any of those soundtracks! Recently, I've noticed a renewed interest in the Batman soundtrack. There was a 2-day symposium about Batman at Spelman College earlier this year. I think a lot of people are fascinated by Prince's attraction to the themes in that movie and how he was able to put himself in the soundtrack so effortlessly. I don't think it would be a big deluxe edition... there are a handful of outtakes from that project, and he didn't tour it. But there are some cool B-Sides and remixes.
I've always ferociously maintained that fidelity matters, and the better SQ on the new "Moonbeam Levels" left me much more impressed than the previous posthumous issue, which I went ahead and bought, but always felt a little bit like there was something there everybody else was seeing/hearing that I was missing. (Disclaimer: I never heard it as a boot before his passing. And maybe it's more than a SQ difference between the 2 versions, IDK. I don't A/B.) Still... "1999"-worthy? IDK. Until this past week, it had been years since I'd listened to the complete "1999" album. Listening to the 2019 remaster beginning-to-end, it stands out to me as much more ambitious than a cull of the "best" stuff he happened to have on tape. These vault bonuses strike me the same way that the ones for the Stones' "Some Girls" (2009?) re-issue do, and some of those, I HAD heard for years. Awesome, yes. Able to stand on their own as an album, absolutely. But those bonus songs and "Some Girls" really were not 2 sets of interchangeable parts. Like "1999", they provide both insight to the familiar, and just standalone joy.
The rights for the SOTT movie are kinda messed up. That's why a German company was able to reissue it earlier this year. It would be great if the estate could release a deluxe SOTT and include the movie.
Ok. But I was thinking in terms of remastered audio + all the edits/b-sides + contemporary vault songs, not so much thinking of the video... [although the video would be great to include as well]
The movie is not quite the SOTT concert experience. I fear we'll all go to our graves without a real SOTT tour concert film (as opposed to what they filmed and pieced together for the movie.) I've never seen a video boot.