This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2009) |
Dream Factory | |
---|---|
Studio album by Prince and the Revolution | |
Released | Unreleased |
Recorded | July 1984 ("Slow Love"); April 1985 ("All My Dreams"); June 1985 (Wendy and Lisa's overdubbed version of "Strange Relationship" and a reworked version of "Teacher, Teacher")–July 1986 ("Train", "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man", "Sign o' the Times" and "The Cross") |
Label | Paisley Park/Warner Bros. |
Producer | Prince and the Revolution |
Dream Factory is an unreleased double LP project by Prince and the Revolution.
Prince's band, the Revolution, were invited to the studio in 1986 to contribute to a majority of the material for the planned album, with the notable exceptions of "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" and "Starfish & Coffee" (co-written by Susannah Melvoin). Some tracks included a few band members, most tracks none, some were full band recordings or included other musicians such as Sheila E. But in September 1986 at the end of the Parade Tour, Prince was too frustrated with the Revolution. [1] The band was dissolved in October 1986, after which many of the album's tracks were incorporated into what was now a planned solo three LP project titled Crystal Ball . However, Prince's record distributor at the time, Warner Bros., balked at a three-LP release, so the project was reduced to a two-LP set and retitled Sign o' the Times . Mavis Staples would later cover "Train" for her 1989 album Time Waits for No One ; Prince's version would not be released until 2020.
In March 2009, Vibe magazine featured the album on its "51 Albums That Never Were", calling it a "coulda-been classic", and even streaming "All My Dreams" for a limited time. [2] Vibe also interviewed former Revolution members Wendy and Lisa on the project. [3]
Even though the album was never officially released, there is a bootleg CD available of the July 1986 track configuration, which comes with a color pencil sketch made by Susannah Melvoin as cover, which was a concept for the prospective sleeve. This album cover is attributed to The Flesh rather than Prince and the Revolution.
A Super Deluxe Edition of Sign o' the Times was released on September 25, 2020, which included outtakes from the Dream Factory/Camille/Crystal Ball sessions as bonus tracks.
No. | Title | Release(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Visions" | Eroica (Special Edition) (Renamed "Minneapolis #1") Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
2. | "Dream Factory" | Crystal Ball | |
3. | "It's a Wonderful Day" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (Renamed "Wonderful Day") | |
4. | "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" | Sign o' the Times | |
5. | "Big Tall Wall" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
6. | "And That Says What?" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
7. | "Strange Relationship" | Sign o' the Times (heavily remixed) Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (original version) | |
8. | "Teacher, Teacher" | 1999 – Super Deluxe Expanded Edition (1982 version) Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (1985 version) | |
9. | "Starfish and Coffee" (omits alarm clock intro) | Sign o' the Times | |
10. | "A Place in Heaven" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
11. | "Sexual Suicide" | Crystal Ball |
No. | Title | Release(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Visions" | Eroica Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
2. | "Dream Factory" | Crystal Ball | |
3. | "It's a Wonderful Day" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (Renamed "Wonderful Day") | |
4. | "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" | Sign o' the Times | |
5. | "It" | Sign o' the Times | |
6. | "Strange Relationship" | Sign o' the Times (heavily remixed) Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (original version) | |
7. | "Teacher, Teacher" | 1999 – Super Deluxe Expanded Edition (1982 version) Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (1985 version) | |
8. | "Starfish and Coffee" (omits alarm clock intro) | Sign o' the Times | |
9. | "Interlude ("Wendy")" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (Renamed "Colors") | |
10. | "Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
11. | "In a Large Room with No Light" | Re-recorded in 2009 for the Montreux Jazz Festival [4] [5] Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (1986 studio version) | |
12. | "A Place in Heaven" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
13. | "Sexual Suicide" | Crystal Ball | |
14. | "Crystal Ball" | Crystal Ball | |
15. | "Power Fantastic" | The Hits/The B-Sides (without introduction) | |
16. | "Last Heart" | Crystal Ball | |
17. | "Witness 4 the Prosecution" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
18. | "Movie Star" | Crystal Ball | |
19. | "A Place in Heaven" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
20. | "All My Dreams" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition |
No. | Title | Release(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Visions" | Eroica Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
2. | "Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
3. | "Dream Factory" | Crystal Ball | |
4. | "Train" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
5. | "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" | Sign o' the Times | |
6. | "It" | Sign o' the Times | |
7. | "Strange Relationship" | Sign o' the Times (heavily remixed) Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (original version) | |
8. | "Starfish & Coffee" (omits alarm clock intro) | Sign o' the Times | |
9. | "Slow Love" | Sign o' the Times | |
10. | "Interlude" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition (Renamed "Colors") | |
11. | "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" | Sign o' the Times | |
12. | "Sign o' the Times" (single version) | Sign o' the Times | |
13. | "Crystal Ball" | Crystal Ball | |
14. | "A Place in Heaven" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
15. | "The Cross" | Sign o' the Times | |
16. | "Last Heart" | Crystal Ball | |
17. | "Witness 4 the Prosecution" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | |
18. | "Movie Star" | Crystal Ball | |
19. | "All My Dreams" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition |
Jonathan David Melvoin was an American musician, active in the 1980s and 1990s.
Madhouse was an American jazz fusion band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, created by Prince. Two Madhouse albums were officially released, both in 1987.
The Family was a band formed by Prince, and one of the first signed to Prince's record label, Paisley Park Records. The band reformed as fDeluxe in 2011. This band should not be confused with a 1970s Minneapolis R&B band of the same name.
The Revolution is an American band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979 by Prince, serving as his live band and later as his studio band. The band's sound incorporated rock, pop, R&B, funk, new wave and psychedelic elements. Along with Prince's other projects, the Revolution helped create the Minneapolis sound. By the time of their 1986 breakup, the Revolution had backed Prince on two studio albums, two soundtracks and two videos.
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. Many of its tracks were repurposed for the 1987 album Sign o' the Times, while others remained officially unreleased for years.
Wendy & Lisa is 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 eponymous debut studio album in 1987. In recent years they have turned their attention to writing music for film and television and have won an Emmy Award.
Wendy Ann Melvoin is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band the Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy & Lisa.
"I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" is a song written and recorded by American musician Prince. It was released as the final single from his ninth studio album Sign o' the Times (1987), becoming the third top-ten hit off the album. It has since been covered by numerous artists.
Susannah Melvoin is an American vocalist and songwriter. Melvoin is best known for her association with Prince in the mid-1980s. Melvoin comes from a musical family and is the twin sister of musician Wendy Melvoin, sister of the late Jonathan Melvoin, and daughter of jazz pianist Michael Melvoin.
"Girls & Boys" is a 1986 song by American musician Prince and The Revolution, from his eighth studio album, Parade (1986), the soundtrack to the film Under the Cherry Moon. The song was released as a single in the UK, and as the B-side to "Anotherloverholenyohead" in the US.
Lisa Coleman is an American musician and singer-songwriter, primarily on keyboards and piano. Coleman is known for her tenure as a member of Prince's backing band The Revolution from 1979 to 1986, as well as Wendy & Lisa, her musical partnership with fellow Revolution alum Wendy Melvoin.
Prince was well known in the entertainment industry for having a vast body of work that remains unreleased. It has been said that his vault contains multiple unreleased albums and 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 of these unreleased works. Many were later released and circulated among collectors as bootlegs.
Sign o' the Times is the ninth studio album by the American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was first released on March 30, 1987, as a double album by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album is the follow-up to Parade and is Prince's first solo album following his disbanding of the Revolution. The album's songs were largely recorded during 1986 to 1987 in sessions for releases Prince ultimately aborted: Dream Factory, the pseudonymous Camille, and finally the triple album Crystal Ball. Prince eventually compromised with label executives and shortened the length of the release to a double album.
Wendy and Lisa is the 1987 debut album by American pop duo Wendy & Lisa, formerly of Prince's band, the Revolution.
The Family is the sole studio album by the band of the same name, released on August 19, 1985 by Prince's Paisley Park Records.
The Parade Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince in support of Prince and The Revolution's eighth studio album Parade and his 1986 film Under the Cherry Moon. The Hit n Run Tour was not a full scale American tour, but a string of concerts that was dubbed "Hit n Run" by Prince's manager. Most of those shows were announced days or hours before the actual concert took place. The Parade Tour marked the first full tour of Europe by Prince. It also saw the expanded Revolution line-up and featured Sheila E. and her band as an opening act for most shows.
Jill Jones is the self-titled debut solo album from the artist of the same name; Jill Jones. The album was released in 1987 on Paisley Park / Warner Bros. Records. It was produced by Jones and Prince.
"Starfish and Coffee" is a song performed by Prince, and written by him and Susannah Melvoin. It is the sixth track on his 1987 double album Sign o' the Times, and was based on a true story about a girl named Cynthia Rose that went to the same school as Susannah and Wendy Melvoin. Susannah, Prince's girlfriend at the time, would receive a writing credit for the lyrics on the track due to the story that she told of Cynthia.
"Sometimes It Snows in April" is a song by American musician Prince. It was included on his eighth studio album Parade, which was also the soundtrack to his film Under the Cherry Moon (1986). Prince wrote, performed, and produced the song alongside Wendy & Lisa, who co-wrote the music.
Camille is the upcoming second posthumous studio album by American musician Prince. The album was originally recorded in 1986 under the pseudonym Camille, a feminine alter ego portrayed by Prince via pitch-shifting his vocals up to an androgynous register. Prince planned to release the album without any acknowledgement of his identity. The project was initially scrapped several weeks before its planned release, with rare early LP pressings eventually surfacing for auction in 2016; several tracks recorded for Camille were instead included on various other projects, most prominently Prince's 1987 double LP Sign o' the Times.