This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2021) |
Crystal Ball | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Box set by | ||||
Released | January 29, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1983–1996 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 149:10 | |||
Label | NPG | |||
Producer | Prince | |||
Prince chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The A.V. Club | favorable [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [3] |
Rolling Stone | [4] |
Yahoo! Music | favorable [5] |
Crystal Ball is a box set by American recording artist Prince. It includes Crystal Ball, the artist's twentieth studio album, which is a three-disc set of "previously bootlegged" material, together with a fourth disc, The Truth , the twenty-first studio album by Prince.
The box set was initially only available through direct orders by phone and internet. The direct order edition included a fifth disc, an instrumental studio album by The NPG Orchestra titled Kamasutra . Shipment of this limited edition 5-CD version started on January 29, 1998, approximately two months before the release of the 4-CD version to retail stores on March 21, 1998.
The album Crystal Ball is Prince's second triple album in succession, following Emancipation . Each of the three CDs contain ten tracks and last fifty minutes, resembling Emancipation's 12-song, sixty-minute disc lengths.
In 2018, NPG Records released Crystal Ball and The Truth digitally on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, and Apple Music. [6]
In 2021, a special limited vinyl edition of The Truth was released on Record Store Day. [7]
Crystal Ball | |
---|---|
Studio album by | |
Released | January 29, 1998 |
Recorded | 1983; 1985–1986; 1991–1996 |
Genre | |
Label | NPG |
Producer | Prince |
The album is largely made up of tracks recorded in two periods: 1985–1986 and 1993–1996. The only exception is "Cloreen Bacon Skin", recorded in March 1983.
No tracks were recorded especially for this album (although "2morrow" was recorded after his last album, Emancipation , was completed, so Crystal Ball was the first album for which it could have been considered). Additionally, the album contains seven remixes or alternate versions of previously-released tracks, "Love Sign" (Shock G’s Silky Remix), "So Dark" (a remix of "Dark"), "Tell Me How U Wanna B Done" (a remix of "The Continental"), "Interactive", "Good Love", "Get Loose" (a remix of "Loose!"), and "P. Control" (Remix).
As such, this album marks the first time material has been re-used from one album to another, although this album should perhaps not be viewed as a cohesive, canonical piece in the way others could. Prince avoided using tracks that strongly featured the Revolution, as he intended to release a companion album, Roadhouse Garden, in 1999, containing previously unreleased Prince and the Revolution material (this album remains unreleased, however).
Copyright information on the album is given as 1997. No singles were released from the album, although "Love Sign" and "P. Control" had both previously been available as promo-only singles connected to their original albums, 1-800-NEW-FUNK and The Gold Experience , respectively. Although videos for "Acknowledge Me", "Interactive" and "18 & Over" were made a few years before this release (and not connected to any albums), they were not used as promotional tools for Crystal Ball. "Days of Wild" was released as a limited-release single in 2002, using a different live version than included here.
Prince did not tour or make any TV appearances to support the album. The album reached number 62 on the Billboard 200, and number 59 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [8]
All tracks are written by Prince, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Crystal Ball*" (recorded 1986) | 10:28 | |
2. | "Dream Factory*" (recorded 1985) | 3:07 | |
3. | "Acknowledge Me*" (recorded 1993) | 5:27 | |
4. | "Ripopgodazippa" (recorded 1993) | Prince, Sonny T., Michael Bland | 4:39 |
5. | "Love Sign (Shock G's Silky Remix)‡" (recorded 1994) | 3:53 | |
6. | "Hide the Bone" (recorded 1993) | Prince, Brenda Lee Eager, Hilliard Wilson | 5:04 |
7. | "2morrow" (recorded 1996) | 4:14 | |
8. | "So Dark‡" (recorded 1994) | 5:14 | |
9. | "Movie Star*" (recorded 1986) | 4:26 | |
10. | "Tell Me How U Wanna B Done‡" (recorded 1992) | 3:16 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Interactive" (recorded 1993) | 3:04 |
2. | "Da Bang" (recorded 1995) | 3:20 |
3. | "Calhoun Square*" (recorded 1993) | 4:47 |
4. | "What's My Name" (recorded 1993) | 3:04 |
5. | "Crucial*" (recorded 1986) | 5:06 |
6. | "An Honest Man*" (recorded 1985) | 1:13 |
7. | "Sexual Suicide*" (recorded 1985) | 3:40 |
8. | "Cloreen Bacon Skin" (recorded 1983) | 15:37 |
9. | "Good Love†" (recorded 1986) | 4:55 |
10. | "Strays of the World" (recorded 1993) | 5:07 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Days of Wild (Live)*" (live; recorded 1995) | 9:19 |
2. | "Last Heart*" (recorded 1986) | 3:01 |
3. | "Poom Poom" (recorded 1996) | 4:32 |
4. | "She Gave Her Angels" (recorded 1996) | 3:53 |
5. | "18 & Over*" (recorded 1994) | 5:40 |
6. | "The Ride (Live)*" (recorded 1995) | 5:14 |
7. | "Get Loose‡" (recorded 1994) | 3:31 |
8. | "P Control‡" (recorded 1993) | 6:00 |
9. | "Make Your Mama Happy" (recorded 1986) | 4:01 |
10. | "Goodbye" (recorded 1994) | 4:35 |
Notes
Chart (1998) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 [9] | 62 |
The Truth | |
---|---|
Studio album by | |
Released | January 29, 1998 |
Recorded | November 1996 |
Genre | Acoustic |
Length | 43:25 |
Label | NPG |
Producer | Prince |
Singles from The Truth | |
|
The Truth is the twenty-first studio album by Prince. It was released as the fourth CD in the Crystal Ball box set. The arrangements are mainly based around the acoustic guitar, augmented with elaborate production effects, multi-layered vocals, and occasional percussion and percussive effects. A CD single was released prior to the album, consisting of the record's first two tracks. In 2018, NPG Records released The Truth digitally on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, and Apple Music. [6] In 2021, a special limited vinyl edition of The Truth was released on Record Store Day. [7]
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [10] | 24 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [11] | 31 |
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [12] | 26 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [13] | 73 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [14] | 2 |
US Billboard 200 [9] | 64 |
This section needs additional citations for verification .(March 2021) |
Kamasutra | |
---|---|
Studio album by | |
Released | February 14, 1997 (cassette) [15] January 29, 1998 (box set) [16] |
Recorded | 1995 |
Genre | |
Length | 40:57 |
Label | NPG |
Producer | Prince |
Kamasutra is an instrumental studio album by The NPG Orchestra. It was first released on cassette on February 14, 1997, and later in the limited edition Crystal Ball box set as the fifth CD on January 29, 1998, by NPG Records. The album was written to be played during Prince's wedding to Mayte Garcia in 1996. The tracks range in style from classical music, jazz, and experimentations with various sounds. For example, the track "Cutz" uses the sound of scissors snipping as its basis. Another track, "The Plan", was previewed in an excerpt on the 1996 3-CD set Emancipation .
AWB is the second studio album by the Scottish funk and soul band Average White Band, released in August 1974.
The New Power Generation, also known as the NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for his final studio album before his death, Hit n Run Phase Two. They reunited once again in 2017 for a US and European tour.
Emancipation is the nineteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on November 19, 1996, by NPG Records and EMI Records as a triple album. The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with Warner Bros. Records after 18 years, with which he had a contentious relationship. The album was Prince's third to be released that year, which made 1996 one of the most prolific years for material released by Prince.
Love Symbol is the fourteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the second of two that featured his backing band the New Power Generation. It was released on October 13, 1992, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. It was originally conceived as a "fantasy rock soap opera" with various spoken segues throughout, and contains elements of R&B, funk, pop, rock, and soul.
Exodus is the second studio album by the New Power Generation. Although the track listing boasts 21 tracks, many of them are narrative segues, leaving only nine actual songs. Of those, one is an instrumental. The album spawned three singles, however only one was released in the United States.
"New Power Generation", or "N.P.G.", is a song by American musician Prince from the 1990 album and film Graffiti Bridge. It is an anthem for his backing band, The New Power Generation, who were officially co-credited on his album covers for a time, and continued to back him up until 2013, albeit with a changing lineup. The song saw minimal chart attention, and was not as successful as its predecessor, "Thieves in the Temple".
"The Future" is a song from American musician Prince's 1989 Batman soundtrack, and the final single released from the album. The single was not the album version, but a remixed version by S'Express' Mark Moore and William Orbit. "The Future" was released as a single only in Europe. The standard European 7-inch single was backed with the album version of "Electric Chair", but on the maxi-single, "Electric Chair" was also remixed by Moore and Orbit. Moore and Orbit's remix of "The Future" is house-inspired, whereas Prince's original is minimalistic. Moore and Orbit substituted a muted, pulsating beat in place of the original elements of Prince's song. Moore and Orbit also removed Prince's original bassline, synthline, and snippets of sampled dialogue. This would be the last time Orbit would work with Prince for several years. In most countries, neither "The Future" nor its B-side were a hit on the pop or dance floors. The single peaked at #9 in the Dutch charts.
The Beautiful Experience is an EP by American musician Prince, his second commercial release under the symbolic moniker. The EP contained seven mixes of the song "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" in various formats, some with completely new vocals and/or instrumentation. Of particular note is the "Mustang Mix", in which Prince uses his normal singing voice and additional lyrics to give the song a sexual edge. The maxi-single also spawned two singles, "Staxowax" and "Mustang Mix", which were sold commercially in shops to support it.
"Purple Medley" is a medley of songs by American musician Prince from 1995. There is no album accompanying the single. The track is a mix of many hits and well-known songs from Prince's career. Some of the pieces of music are samples, while others are re-recorded for the mix. Some of the additional instrumentation is credited to The New Power Generation. The "Purple Medley" consists of snippets from the songs: "Batdance", "When Doves Cry", "Kiss", "Erotic City", "Darling Nikki", "1999", "Baby I'm a Star", "Diamonds and Pearls", "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy" and fades for the edit. The full version continues with "Sexy Dancer", "Let's Work", "Irresistible Bitch", "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Alphabet St.", "Thieves in the Temple", the bassline to The Time's "777-9311", Sheila E.'s "A Love Bizarre", "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "Raspberry Beret", "Little Red Corvette", "Cream" and "Peach".
"I Hate U" is a song by American musician Prince, released on September 12, 1995 by NPG and Warner Bros., as the lead single from his seventeenth studio album, The Gold Experience (1995). It was also Prince's last original single to reach the US Top 40, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it peaked at number 20. A music video was produced to promote the single, but never officially released until it was made available after Prince's death, on the official Prince YouTube channel in 2018.
"The Holy River" is a song by American musician Prince, released as the second single from his nineteenth album, Emancipation (1996). The pop/rock-based song tells the story of spiritual enlightenment and of Prince's decision to marry Mayte Garcia. A music video was also produced to promote the single.
"The Truth" is a song recorded by American recording artist Prince for his twenty-first and eponymous studio album, The Truth (1998). The track was released as the record's lead single by NPG Records on February 14, 1997. Being issued as a CD single, the recording was paired with previously unreleased track "Don't Play Me". "The Truth" was solely written and produced by Prince, who also provided the track's entire instrumentation. Musically, the recording is an acoustic rock and folk song that lyrically has Prince claiming that there is "no more truth" left in the world.
"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" is a song recorded by American musician Prince, under his unpronounceable stage name called the "Love Symbol". It was released as the only single from his twenty-third studio album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999). It was issued on October 5, 1999, in several different formats, including a 12-inch single, CD single, and a maxi single. Prince solely wrote and produced it, while Mike Scott provided guitar strings for the track. Several music critics found the single reminiscent to the works on his previous studio album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991).
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.
Just One Night is the fourth studio album by English singer Samantha Fox. It was released on 21 June 1991 by Jive Records. In addition to longtime collaborators Full Force, the album also features production from Robert Clivillés and David Cole of C+C Music Factory. The lead single, "(Hurt Me! Hurt Me!) But the Pants Stay On", had some radio airplay, but failed to receive much attention. The album's second single, "Another Woman ", remixed for radio, charted moderately in some continental European countries. The radio remix of "Another Woman ", along with the third single, "Just One Night", and fourth single, "Spirit of America", written by Mama's Boys member Pat McManus and featuring a guitar solo by Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest, were subsequently included on Fox's 1992 Greatest Hits album.
Mange Tout is the second studio album by the English synth-pop duo Blancmange, released in May 1984 by London Records. It was Blancmange's most successful studio album, peaking at number eight on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 25 January 1985 for sales in excess of 100,000 copies. The album contained four UK top-40 singles, two of which reached the top 10. The fourth single to be released and final track on the album is a cover version of ABBA's song "The Day Before You Came".
Come 2 My House is the ninth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan released on the NPG Records label in 1998.
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is the sixth studio album by French electronic music band M83. The album was released on 18 October 2011, by Naïve Records in France and by Mute Records in the United States. The album was the last M83 album with keyboardist Morgan Kibby and the band's first full double album.
Roxette XXX – The 30 Biggest Hits is the sixth greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 3 November 2014 by Roxette Recordings in conjunction with Parlophone and Warner Music Group.
Smile is the sixth studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on August 28, 2020, by Capitol Records, three years after its predecessor Witness (2017). Perry worked with various producers on the album, such as Josh Abraham, Carolina Liar, the Daylights, G Koop, Andrew Goldstein, Oligee, Oscar Görres, Oscar Holter, Ilya, Ian Kirkpatrick, the Monsters & Strangerz, Charlie Puth, Stargate and Zedd. She described Smile as her "journey towards the light, with stories of resilience, hope, and love". Primarily a pop record, Smile is characterized by themes of self-help and empowerment.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)