In 2021, Prince's estate continued its evolving relationship with Sony Music, with much of The Artist's Warner Bros.-era albums getting digital distribution through Legacy Recordings. Now, 12 physical reissues of classic Prince albums will come into print through Legacy this winter.
These CD and vinyl titles, to be released February 4, make up the bulk of the Minneapolis icon's '70s and '80s recordings, as well as a select handful of his early '90s work. (Warner Music distributes in perpetuity the soundtracks to Prince's three films - 1984's Purple Rain, 1986's Parade and 1990's Graffiti Bridge - as well as his album for Tim Burton's Batman in 1989. Just about everything from 1995's The Gold Experience onward has been distributed by Legacy since shortly after Prince's passing, with a handful of reissues and select collections entering the marketplace in recent years.)
In addition to Prince's first six albums (1978's For You through 1982's 1999, given the deluxe treatment in 2019), this batch will include beloved '80s albums Around the World in a Day (1985), Sign O' the Times (1987, also the recipient of an incredible box set in 2020) and Lovesexy (1988). (Lovesexy, famously released as a one-track CD at Prince's insistence to appreciate the album as a whole, is now "tracked" on streaming services, and it's plausible that will be the case here as well.) The other four titles, all initially released in the '90s - greatest hits collections The Hits 1 and The Hits 2, 1994's Come and 1999's The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (each credited to Prince after he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993) - will all be available on vinyl in their widest releases, if ever.
Beyond the Warner titles, conspicuous in their absences from this batch are the two albums credited to Prince and The New Power Generation: 1991's Diamonds and Pearls and 1992's The Love Symbol. Diamonds, which turned 30 this year, has been widely speculated as the next title to get a deluxe reissue; could follow-up The Love Symbol, 30 years in 2022, also get its own look down the road?
These titles will be available on black vinyl instead of the usual purple pressings Legacy's been issuing in recent years - though 1999 and Sign will be given clear vinyl pressings with white swirl available through Walmart and Target, respectively. No remastering information has been offered, though it's likely 1999 and Sign will use their newer remasters. Pre-order all your copies below.
For You (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK 3150, 1978 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Prince (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK 3366, 1979 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Dirty Mind (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK 3478, 1980 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Controversy (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK 3601, 1981 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1999 (originally released as Warner Bros. 23720, 1982 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Black 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Clear/White Swirl 2LP: Walmart
Around the World in a Day (originally released as Paisley Park 25286, 1985 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Sign O' the Times (originally released as Paisley Park 25577, 1987 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Black 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Clear/White Swirl 2LP: Target
Lovesexy (originally released as Paisley Park 25720, 1988 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD)
The Hits 1 (originally released as Warner Bros./Paisley Park 45431, 1993 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD)
The Hits 2 (originally released as Warner Bros./Paisley Park 45435, 1993 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD)
Come (originally released as Warner Bros. 45700, 1994 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD)
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (originally released as Warner Bros. 47522, 1999 - reissued NPG/Legacy, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD)
Release Round-Up: Week of April 25
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So, we assume the recent deluxe sets are to go OOP?
I would assume so...those Warner sets were meant to be limited, even more so that most of his Warner catalogue was to be changing hands to Sony Legacy...the fact that Diamonds & Pearls was not among the titles listed is a sign that a deluxe set is forthcoming & the Symbol album turning 30 in 2022...as for The Gold Experience, hasn't that been held in limbo with The Most Beautiful Girl In The World held up in the Italian courts?? And Parade, no deluxe reissue been set up with that either...my take is each year the Prince Estate does 2 projects, one on Sony Legacy & one on Warners...these 12 reissues looks like the Sony Legacy announcement, the Warner one could be Diamonds or Parade...I also hope these reissues are in thin cardboard digipacks or wallets with pockets cuz jewelcases break, crack & get ugly after periods of time...nice follow-up to 2021's Welcome 2 America!!
I think the rerelease with out deluxe is a cash grab in vinyl sales for those needing new copies or their first one. That doesn't mean we wont get a deluxe parade or Dirtymind at some point. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World suite was settled. I would think that the estate has to pay monies owed since the original release date before they would allow a rerelease of the Gold Experience.
No bonus or extra tracks on these, a bit weird…those probably will need to come out at a later time in other, future releases I suppose. Disappointing actually.
I was kind of hoping for a deluxe re-issue for "Lovesexy" next....but seeing as I only have it on cassette, to finally get it on CD for a mere CAD $12 might be great even if I end up buying it AGAIN....
No Black Album? Very sad...
That will come back eventually, not sure about a deluxe edition though...
The Black Album??????? WTF!
Any news on if these releases are remastered?
They are not. The sound is identical to the old Warner Bros CD versions. Artwork is also identical, except the WB logo has been removed.
Is there any way information if these will be remastered releases?
Have all the original CDs of these, so will skip them, other than perhaps Lovesexy if it does turn out to have the songs indexed separately.
Lovesexy has been available "tracked" for years now. I don't know when the re-issue happened, but I've had it for at least fifteen years or so. The problem is there's no way of telling from the packaging (that I know of) whether the version in your hands is the single track or tracked version.
Yes, I know, thanks. That's why I am hoping this will be indexed by song. Much easier to tell if I can just buy the Legacy pressing and be done with it.
This is a mixed bag. Hopefully these titles will be remastered as well as the job done on SOTT and 1999 so that in itself would make the purchases worth it. I was hoping that these would at least be 2 discs with B sides and rarities. I would not want to buy these now, only to have them released again with the B sides etc a few years down the road.
Have any of Legacy's previous straight album reissues been remastered?
I am not sure, but the previous Legacy resissues were all post Warner Brothers. This is the first time Sony Legacy is resissuing the Warner’s catalog.
True! Hadn't thought of that. It will be interesting to see how these are handled.
Tem q conter algo a mais, um plus, faixas inéditas, senão vai ficar muito comum
I Would Like 2 Know When Will The Gold Experience, Diamonds and Pearls And Also The Love Symbol Vinyl Will Be Released As Well As Gold Nigga, Exodus And NewPowerSoul.... Those Are The Ones I Want And Need One Wax.
Tjam*
Hi. Do you happen to know whether they will be remastering those titles? Thanks.
The very last line of the article says "No remastering information has been offered, though it's likely 1999 and Sign will use their newer remasters..."
The first 4 albums are NOT remastered - sound is identical to the original Warner Bros CD versions. Artwork is also identical to the old CD's, but the WB logo has been removed.
One consolation is that we may be able to get vinyl reissues of Comeand LoveSexy.