If done correctly this set could well prove Prince is the greatest, most creative pop star ever. This will become more and more apparent as more of his vault gets released. Over at the org someone is saying they were sent a track list and one of the discs is The Black Album. They do say that they can't verify the tracklist is true but if it is this would be disappointing.
The Black Album being on there wouldn't just be disappointing, it'd be completely revisionist... surely belongs with Lovesexy...
Yeah, having Parade material included would make a lot more sense in the context of who Prince was working with from 85-87 Oh by the way, get Rebirth of the Flesh out to promote it. It's so fantastic
I have no idea. That’s not how the process usually works, the labels would remaster specifically for the Apple protocol themselves. As this is more than just a major release from a major label, and since streaming is far more popular than physical, it seems to me this would have been done for SOTT. I just know that my Apple Music streams sound better than my CD of this album. Remasters are subtle. Remixes are usually dramatic. Hidden instruments brought forward, the stereo field expanded, etc.
It has been discussed quite a lot, but remixing artists work when they are no longer on this earth doesn't sit right me me, sorry. I don't want a remix, he did them and that is that. Fair enough if it is a surround mix, but no to just stereo What you could end up, like the new Beatles remixes, is that they seem to either replace the original stereo mix, or create confusion with having two of the same thing. Count me out.
I'm going more for the Black Album to be a part of Lovesexy too now I think, as "When 2 are in love" enters into that realm. Arguably the SOTT boxset would include anything recorded straight after the Parade album and singles, and the stops at the point of the SOTT album and singles being released
Agree completely - although there's a bunch of stuff around this period you could make a case for being on either a Parade or an SOTT deluxe.
It's a weird cut-off because The Revolution's disbandment is right there in the middle. And some of those songs lived on to be included on SOTT. Like I said, I'd prefer that stuff to be on a Parade deluxe, but I'll take it any way they give it to us!
I enjoy the Beatles remixes. Not as a replacement for the artist's original vision but as an interesting alternative after decades of listening to the same thing. To me, it's no different than listening to outtakes. Just a cool alternative every once in awhile. Remasters have never meant anything to me. I never hear enough of a difference between the original and the remaster to make it worth my while. Note that I mean that since the digital era; the '09 Beatles remasters, for example, had a difference I could hear. As SOTT was originally mastered for CD upon its initial release, I don't have any expectations of some mind-blowing new sound quality.
This is absolutely not true. The decision to provide an “Apple Digital Master” (What was called “Mastered for iTunes” until recently) is completely voluntary and if the album doesn’t display the “Apple digital Master” sign then it hasn’t got one. The “per Apple” bit is also untrue. It is not something Apple does to the file. The band/label has to have a mastering engineer do it. To qualify for the “Apple Digital Master” program you have to follow Apple’s guidelines outlined in this document: https://www.apple.com/itunes/docs/apple-digital-masters.pdf But the majority of music available in the iTunes Store and on Apple Music does not have an “Apple Digital Master”.
This would fit neatly on one disc for the B-sides/Edits/Extended part of it: "Sign O' The Times" (Edit) 3:42 "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" 3:21 "If I Was Your Girlfriend" (Edit) 3:46 "Shockadelica" 3:30 "U Got The Look" (Video Version) 5:32 "Housequake" (Edit) 3:24 "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" (Fade) 3:39 "Hot Thing" (Edit) 3:40 "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" (Highly Explosive) 10:32 "Shockadelica" (Extended Version) 6:12 "U Got The Look" (Long Look) 6:45 "Housequake" (7 Minutes MoQuake) 7:15 "Hot Thing" (Extended Remix) 8:32 "Hot Thing" (Dub Version) 6:53 This is also how I'd sequence it. It will be the first time on CD for much of this.
The lines are blurred between songs that could go on Parade or Sign deluxe. I guess the easiest way would be to say the cut off point is the release date for Parade. If recorded or worked on after 31st March 1986 it goes on Sign.
It's not that easy.... that will mean that some key SOTT songs will be on Parade deluxe, like Dream Factory, The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, Strange Relationship and Power Fantastic. All of them are typical SOTT songs to me. It will work with All My Dreams and It's A Wonderful Day. The good thing about SOTT is that it can take all genres. Parade is much more focused and coherent (for a Prince album).
I agree it's not ideal at all, just a thought. I can't wait to see the tracklist if this rumour is true.
That is the version, but it only exists in collectors circles, to my knowledge, as a low bitrate mp3. And you can tell, lol. The version of Splash without strings exists in "perfect" sound among collectors but the strings version just destroys it!!!
There’s a lot of discussion of this over on prince.org too, Sign O The Times Super Deluxe Info I’m watching that too hoping for a leaked tracklist soon.
Basically if the song was on SOTT, it should be on SOTT Deluxe. If a Parade era song was continued to be worked on after Parade's release date, it should be on SOTT Deluxe. No way all the tracks fit on an 8 CD set. Anything below 15 does not do it justice, but they did 3 for Purple Rain, so I'm holding my breath. Obviously, with 8 CDs, an awesome set can be done, but there will be missing songs. Honestly, a 10 CD Super Deluxe with only Studio material would be passable, but we would need a separate 10 CD Live Box Set, which should include Tour rehearsals as well. Some of the best live versions of SOTT happened in rehearsal. Of course, the DVD(remember, the estate has not found out that Blu Ray exist), would have everything that was filmed, MTV Awards, Miles Davis show, First Avenue. It could be 4 Blu Ray if anyone cares.
