U’re Gonna C Me: New Wave of Prince Reissues Includes Live Box Set

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Legacy Recordings and The Prince Estate are partying like it’s 2001-2002! On April 17, The Rainbow Children (2001) and One Nite Alone… (2002) will be reissued along with Prince’s first official live albums from the tour that took place in between those two studio releases. One Nite Alone…Live! and One Nite Alone: The Aftershow…It Ain’t Over! will both premiere on vinyl in limited edition purple, while The Rainbow Children returns to CD for the first time in years and on a clear double vinyl LP with a limited-edition custom rainbow slipmat. And that’s not all. The 5-CD box set Up All Nite With Prince: The One Nite Alone Collection rounds up the titular studio album and the two live albums in one slipcased package with a 48-page bound book and a bonus DVD, Prince Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas.

The Rainbow Children, The Artist’s 24th studio album, was first released as an exclusive on his NPG Music Club website and then issued commercially in November 2001. His first album to be released without the support of a major label, the LP also marked the return of the name “Prince” after he changed his moniker to an unpronounceable symbol. Featuring many of Prince’s familiar lyrical themes intertwining sex, love, and spirituality, it musically showcased a jazz-influenced direction with horn arrangements and live drums. He followed it up in May 2002 with One Nite Alone…, on which he primarily accompanied himself on piano for original songs and a cover of Joni Mitchell’s classic “A Case of U [sic].” The album was first released as a gift to NPG Music Club members, and was never released to traditional retail. One Nite Alone… will be released by Legacy as a single LP on purple vinyl.

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In between the two studio releases, Prince toured with his New Power Generation band featuring an all-star roster of musicians including Sheila E., Maceo Parker, Eric Leeds, Candy Dulfer, Greg Boyer, Renato Neto, John Blackwell, and Rhonda Smith. One Nite Alone…Live! was drawn from nine different concerts from March-April 2002. The first official live release of Prince’s career, it included fresh selections from The Rainbow Children (“Muse 2 The Pharaoh,” “1+1+1 Is 3”) as well as back catalogue favorites and solo piano performances (“When U Were Mine,” “Raspberry Beret,” “Adore,” “The Beautiful Ones,” “Nothing Compares 2 U”). One Nite Alone… Live! will be released as a 4-LP set pressed on purple vinyl. One Nite Alone… The Aftershow: It Ain’t Over! makes its vinyl debut as a 2-LP set, also pressed on purple vinyl. It was culled from three late-night post-show gigs, and features guest appearances by George Clinton and Musiq Soulchild.

To build excitement for these releases, Legacy and The Prince Estate are bringing individual music videos from Prince Live at The Aladdin Las Vegas to digital services from February 20 through April 17. Boasting much of the same line-up from One Nite Alone…Live! plus guest singer Nikka Costa, the set list includes cuts from The Rainbow Children (“1+1+1 Is 3,” “The Everlasting Now”), deep tracks (“Strange Relationship,” “Gotta Broken Heart Again,” “Pop Life”), and typically eclectic covers of James Brown (“Pass The Peas”) and even Led Zeppelin (“Whole Lotta Love”). The first video streaming now is “Pop Life,” a favorite from Around The World In a Day.