"This is it / time 4 U 2 go 2 the wire..." After a lengthy gap between catalog projects, the Prince Estate returns with a vengeance this fall, offering a deluxe box set edition of Diamonds and Pearls - the late icon's first work with a new backing band, The New Power Generation.

The expanded Diamonds and Pearls, available October 27, comes two years past the 30th anniversary of the album and features a wide assortment of the bonus audio content that's accompanied expansions of 1999, Purple Rain and Sign O' the Times. The album, newly remastered by Bernie Grundman, is complemented by a collection of B-sides, remixes and edits; 33 unreleased recordings from the legendary Vault at Paisley Park, and live concerts in audio and visual forms,. The box set will be available in 7CD/Blu-ray and 12LP/Blu-ray formats along with simpler editions that feature the album and single/mix material. It's the first catalogue release from the estate and label partners Legacy Recordings since last year's remix of Prince and The Revolution Live.

Diamonds and Pearls came at a crucial time for Prince. He'd spent most of the '80s as one of the most revered musicians of his generation, but as the '80s wore on, his sales were starting to cool; only slowing descent with an album tied to the 1989 blockbuster film version of Batman. A year later, Prince's third and final foray into film, the disjointed Purple Rain sequel Graffiti Bridge, was a box office disappointment.

But therein lied the seeds of his creative rebirth: for the first time since dissolving The Revolution in 1986, Prince put stock in building up a band of upstart players who he'd been touring with since the end of the decade. (The band name, "New Power Generation," had been kicked around conceptually since the opening of 1988's Lovesexy, with one of Graffiti Bridge's standout tracks sharing the name.) Longtime bassist Levi Seacer, Jr. switched to second guitar for The NPG, supporting the rhythm section of bassist Sonny Thompson and drummer Michael Bland. Two keyboardists were recruited: Tommy Barbarella and Rosie Gaines, the latter of whom also served as a powerful vocal foil for Prince. Perhaps most controversial was the recruitment of Tony Mosley, who rapped on multiple tracks on Diamonds and Pearls. (Tony M. represented Prince's detente after years of varying reactions to hip-hop culture.) Rounding out the line-up were percussionists Damon Dickson and Kirk Johnson; the album also included cameos from longtime collaborators including Eric Leeds on flute, percussionist Sheila E. and sampled orchestration from Clare Fischer.

As an album, Diamonds and Pearls furthered Prince's musical eclecticism with a little something for everyone, mixing funk, soul and hip-hop with some irresistible pop hooks to boot. Released the year after the late Sinead O'Connor took a cover of an obscure Prince composition, "Nothing Compares 2 U," to the top of the U.S. pop charts, Diamonds and Pearls proved that people still wanted to hear what Prince had to sing. Throbbing lead single "Gett Off" made a memorable appearance on the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards (which saw Prince sing and dance in a yellow lace bodysuit which left little of his backside to the imagination), while the bluesy "Cream" earned Prince his fifth and final career No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The soaring ballad that gave the album its title followed at No. 3, and the simmering "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" was a radio staple.

The bonus disc of B-sides and edits includes rare maxi-single mixes to "Gett Off" and "Cream" (including the rare "Damn Near 10 Minutes" version of the former only issued as a promotional item on Prince's 33rd birthday), as well as "Horny Pony," a B-side that was excised from the album in favor of "Gett Off" at the last minute. (Careful eyes will see the song crossed out on the original album's track list.) The Vault discs include even more songs considered for early versions of the album, including "Something Funky (This House Comes)," "Schoolyard" and early versions of "Live 4 Love" and "Insatiable." Other noteworthy outtakes include a 1991 reimagining of Lovesexy single "Glam Slam" that formed the bones of "Gett Off," and multiple demos given to acts like Martika ("Martika's Kitchen," "Don't Say U Love Me"), Mavis Staples ("The Voice") and Margie Cox ("Standing At the Altar"). Other noteworthy tracks include the unreleased "Alice Through the Looking Glass," heard here as the first teaser from the box, and the instrumental "Letter 4 Miles," a tribute to the just-deceased jazz legend.

A searing live set closes out the audio portion of the box, featuring Prince and The New Power Generation offering a preview of the tour they'd embark on in 1992 to lucky visitors of Glam Slam on the evening of January 11. Prince's interplay with his group is well on display, as well as his restless live spirit: nearly everything performed is from Diamonds and Pearls ("Gett Off," "Cream," "Insatiable," "Daddy Pop") or the group's next album, released in the fall of 1992 with the unpronounceable symbol Prince would take as his name for most of the '90s. (Those tracks include "Sexy M.F." and "The Sacrifice of Victor.") Prince and Gaines trade off on a version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" (heard on a 7" single given to attendees of the Paisley Park Celebration in 2022), and a medley of "1999" and "Baby I'm a Star" starts bringing the audio portion of the set to a close. (In the deluxe vinyl box, this set is cut across three LPs, with the second side of the final disc featuring an etching.)

Finally, a packed Blu-ray Disc offers three exciting programs. Footage of the Glam Slam concert kicks things off, presented in 2K video with optional Dolby Atmos, Dolby True HD 5.1 and stereo mixes. The disc next offers one of the first sets from The NPG recorded on July 20, 1991 at the Minneapolis Metrodome - a performance during the year's Special Olympics summer games that would be broadcast on ABC in America the following month. (In addition to Atmos, True HD 5.1 and stereo mixes of this show, a stereo soundcheck from the day before will also be presented.) Finally, the video portion closes out with a fresh remaster of the original Diamonds and Pearls Collection long-form video, remastered in 1080p with stereo audio. This collection, issued in 1993, includes all the music videos from the album plus unique live versions.

The 12" x 12" box, featuring a telescoping lid with an unused photo by Randee St. Nicholas, also includes a 120-page hardbound book offering rare photos, handwritten lyric sheets and six brand-new essays and notes from Minneapolis author/journalist/broadcaster Andrea Swensson (host of the estate's official podcast), estate archivist Duane Tudahl, British critic Jason Draper, NYU professor De Angela L. Duff, fan and historian KaNisa Williams, and an intro from Public Enemy's Chuck D. A fold-out, double-sided poster is the last complement to this heavy-duty set.

In addition to various formats of this reissue, a 7" vinyl singles box set will be released, similar to a package done for the Sign O' the Times reissue in 2020. It will replicate, on white vinyl, the original single releases of "Gett Off," "Cream," "Insatiable," "Diamonds and Pearls," "Money Don't Matter 2 Night," and "Thunder," adding a new disc featuring "Alice Through the Looking Glass" backed with an alternate version of "Horny Pony." A set of postcards will also be included.

October 27 will be the day. Pre-order your copies below.

Diamonds and Pearls (Super Deluxe Edition) (NPG/Legacy (U.S.)/Warner (rest of world), 2023)

7CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
12LP/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP (milky white vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (clear vinyl)
Vinyl Singles Box: Official Store

CD 1/LP 1-2: Original album remastered (released as Paisley Park/Warner Bros. 25739, 1991)

1. Thunder
2. Daddy Pop
3. Diamonds and Pearls
4. Cream
5. Strollin'
6. Willing and Able
7. Gett Off
8. Walk Don't Walk
9. Jughead
10. Money Don't Matter 2 Night
11. Push
12. Insatiable
13. Live 4 Love

CD 2/LP 3-4: Single Mixes & Edits

1. Gett Off (Damn Near 10 Minutes)
2. Gett Off (Houstyle)
3. Violet the Organ Grinder
4. Gangster Glam
5. Horny Pony
6. Cream (N.P.G. Mix)
7. Things Have Gotta Change (Tony M. Rap)
8. Do Your Dance (KC's Remix)
9. Insatiable (Edit)
10. Diamonds and Pearls (Edit)
11. Money Don't Matter 2 Night (Edit)
12. Call the Law
13. Willing and Able (Edit)
14. Willing and Able (Video Version)
15. Thunder (DJ Fade)

Track 1 from "Gett Off" 12" promo - Paisley Park JUN7, 1991
Tracks 2-4 from "Gett Off" maxi-CD single - Paisley Park/Warner Bros. 40138, 1991
Track 5 from "Gett Off" 7" single - Paisley Park/Warner Bros. 7-19225, 1991
Tracks 6-8 from "Cream" maxi-CD single - Paisley Park/Warner Bros. 40197, 1991
Track 9 from "Insatiable" 7" single - Paisley Park/Warner Bros. 7-19090, 1991
Track 10 from "Diamonds and Pearls" 7" single - Paisley Park/Warner Bros. 7-19083, 1991
Tracks 11-12 from "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" 7" single - Paisley Park/Warner Bros. 7-19020, 1992
Track 13 from "Willing and Able" promo CD single - Paisley Park/Warner Bros. PRO-CD-5301, 1992
Track 14 previously unreleased
Track 15 from "Thunder" U.K. promo CD single - Paisley Park/Warner Bros. W0113CDDJ, 1992

CD 3-5/LP 5-9: The Vault (previously unreleased)

1. Schoolyard
2. My Tender Heart
3. Pain
4. Streetwalker
5. Lauriann
6. Darkside
7. Insatiable (Early Mix - Full Version)
8. Glam Slam '91
9. Live 4 Love (Early Version)
10. Cream (Take 2)
11. Skip to My You My Darling
12. Diamonds and Pearls (Long Version)

1. Daddy Pop (12" Mix)
2. Martika's Kitchen
3. Spirit
4. Open Book
5. Work That Fat
6. Horny Pony (Version 2)
7. Something Funky (This House Comes) (Band Version)
8. Hold Me
9. Blood on the Sheets
10. The Last Dance (Bang Pow Zoom and the Whole Nine)
11. Don't Say U Love Me

1. Get Blue
2. Tip O' My Tongue
3. The Voice
4. Trouble
5. Alice Through the Looking Glass
6. Standing At the Altar
7. Hey U
8. Letter 4 Miles
9. I Pledge Allegiance to Your Love
10. Thunder Ballet

Disc 3, Track 2 recorded by Rosie Gaines on Here It Is (Motown, 1995)
Disc 3, Track 3 recorded by Chaka Khan on Living SIngle: Music from and Inspired by the TV Show (Warner Bros., 1997)
Disc 3, Track 11 recorded by Jevetta Steele on early pressings of Here It Is (Une Musique/Musidisc, 1991). Disc 4, Tracks 4 and 9 included on later pressings of the same album (Columbia, 1993)
Disc 4, Tracks 2-3 and 11 recorded by Martika on Martika's Kitchen (Columbia, 1991)
Disc 5, Track 1 recorded by Louie Louie on Let's Get Started (Reprise, 1993)
Disc 5, Track 2 recorded by El DeBarge on In the Storm (Warner Bros., 1992)
Disc 5, Track 3 recorded by Mavis Staples on The Voice (Paisley Park, 1993)
Disc 5, Track 6 recorded by Margie Cox on 1-800-NEW-FUNK (NPG, 1994)

CD 6-7/LP 10-12: Live at Glam Slam, Minneapolis, MN - 1/11/1992

1. Thunder
2. Daddy Pop
3. Diamonds and Pearls
4. Willing and Able
5. Jughead
6. The Sacrifice of Victor
7. Nothing Compares 2 U
8. Thieves in the Temple
9. Sexy M.F.

1. Insatiable
2. Cream/Well Done/I Want U/Hit U In the Socket
3. 1999/Baby I'm a Star/Push
4. Gett Off
5. Gett Off (Houstyle)

All tracks previously unreleased except 3 and 7, from Paisley Park Celebration exclusive 7" - NPG/Legacy 19658 70130-7, 2022

Blu-ray Disc

Live at Glam Slam, Minneapolis, MN - 1/11/1992 (track list identical to Discs 6-7)

Live at The Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN - 7/19-20/1991

1. Let's Go Crazy/Baby I'm a Star/Push (soundcheck - 7/19/1991)
2. Diamonds and Pearls
3. Let's Go Crazy/Baby I'm a Star/Push

Tracks 2-3 aired as part of Victory and Valor: A Special Olympics All Star Celebration, ABC-TV - 8/15/1991

The Diamonds and Pearls Video Collection (released as Warner Reprise Video 38291, 1992)

1. Introduction
2. Thunder (Live @ Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia - 4/24-5/1/1992)
3. Gett Off (promo video)
4. Cream (promo video)
5. Diamonds and Pearls (promo video)
6. Dr. Feelgood (Live @ Flanders Park Tennis Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - 4/18/1992)
7. Call the Law
8. Willing and Able (promo video)
9. Jughead (Live)
10. Insatiable (promo video)
11. Strollin'
12. Money Don't Matter 2 Night (promo video)
13. Live 4 Love (Live @ Earls Court, London, England - 6/24/1992)