Dearly beloved, we R gathered here 2day to announce that Prince's classic Warner Bros. Records catalogue is finally back on streaming services.
As previously expected, 18 studio albums, six compilations and a handful of digital singles and EPs are available on Spotify, with all platforms expected to feature the offering by the 5 p.m. Pacific start time of the 59th annual Grammy Awards.
But that's not all: in a press release, Warner Bros. announced the first details of the long-awaited deluxe edition of Purple Rain, now due in stores June 9 (two days after what would have been Prince's 59th birthday).
This new edition of Purple Rain will feature "two incredible albums of previously unreleased Prince music and two complete concert films from the Paisley Park vault," Warner Bros. Records Chairman and CEO Cameron Strang announced.
"When we make any of Prince's music available to fans - from the hits to unreleased gems - we are committed to upholding Prince's high creative standards and we know fans will be thrilled when they hear these albums and see these films," Strang continued.
To your Second Disc correspondent, the revelation of a Purple Rain reissue with this much material is exciting and tantalizing. What was originally touted as a reissue possessing "a second album" of material from The Vault" seemed like a way to offload some highlights from the archive (whether they were contemporaneous to the Purple Rain era or not) alongside the most commercially viable album to reissue. The described set, likely amounting to a 3CD/2DVD set at least, is a dream come true for the loyal fans.
And what would be on those bonus discs? Purple Rain possessed a handful of solid B-sides, including "17 Days," "Erotic City," "God" and "Another Lonely Christmas." The latter three were extended on 12" singles, as were "Let's Go Crazy" and a live rehearsal take of "I Would Die 4 U" (edited from a 30-minute run-through to 10 minutes!). And who could forget great outtakes from the sessions like "Possessed" and "Electric Intercourse," long bootlegged but worth officially releasing on disc?
The live shows are also intriguing, being the first classic Prince and The Revolution live releases in the digital era. Smart money would be on The Revolution's first show at First Avenue in Minneapolis in 1983 (the debut of guitarist Wendy Melvoin, and the show where overdubbed versions of "Baby I'm a Star" and "Purple Rain" became what fans heard on the finished album) or a show in Syracuse released on home video as Prince and The Revolution Live! in 1985.
Assuredly, more will be known in the coming months, and The Second Disc is your place to learn what's happening!
Prince Albums (and Compilations *) Now Available on Streaming Providers
For You (1978)
Prince (1979)
Dirty Mind (1980)
Controversy (1981)
1999 (1982)
Purple Rain (1984)
Around the World in a Day (1985)
"Raspberry Beret"/"She's Always in My Hair" Digital 45 (1985)
Parade: Music from the Motion Picture "Under the Cherry Moon" (1986)
"Kiss"/"Love or Money" Digital 45 (1986)
Sign "O" The Times (1987)
Lovesexy (1988)
Batman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1989)
Graffiti Bridge: Music from the Motion Picture (1990)
Diamonds and Pearls (1991)
"Gett Off" EP (1991)
Love Symbol (1992)
The Hits/The B-Sides / The Hits 1 / The Hits 2 (1993) *
Come (1994)
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999)
The Very Best of Prince (2001) *
Ultimate (2006) *
Art Official Age (2014)
PlectrumElectrum (2014)
"Stare" digital single (2015)
4Ever (2016) *
RTT says
Where's the Black Album? Where's the Gold Experience???? Give the people what they want,WB!!!!! (Although I am happy about the deluxe PR Set!
Eddie Scott says
Finally! Hope this is the start of more to come from the Prince catalog. Now let's look for expanded editions of "1999", "Dirty Mind" & "Sign 'O' The Times".
Don says
Great News!! This bodes well, I hope, for extended version w/BLU RAY of his masterpiece, Sign O' The Times!!!