I want to know what is in the vault as much as anyone but the thought of anyone but Prince determining the final form of a project is not appealing to me. Even those who knew him best do not know what his true vision of a particular song or project was. Human nature will almost guarantee that anyone involved will put there personal "spin", sound, whatever you want to call it on the work. All we will end up with is "Roadhouse Garden as interpreted by Questlove".

Now if there are fully fleshed out albums, videos, concerts, etc. sitting in that vault, let them loose as they are. Issue the deluxe remasters that everyone is clamoring for. Perhaps an outtakes or demos project could be figured out but leave the unfinished works unfinished. Prince didn't finish them for a reason and in my opinion, that should be respected.

I do like the Elvis Follow That Dream (FTD) series in every way except price. I'm not an expert on the issue but when I look at prices it looks like they typically charge about $40 for a double disc set. If it is something I'll listen to repeated times I'll consider it but for live recordings or "crappy" sounding outtakes I'll pass.

berlinas2k said:

I want to know what is in the vault as much as anyone but the thought of anyone but Prince determining the final form of a project is not appealing to me. Even those who knew him best do not know what his true vision of a particular song or project was. Human nature will almost guarantee that anyone involved will put there personal "spin", sound, whatever you want to call it on the work. All we will end up with is "Roadhouse Garden as interpreted by Questlove".

Now if there are fully fleshed out albums, videos, concerts, etc. sitting in that vault, let them loose as they are. Issue the deluxe remasters that everyone is clamoring for. Perhaps an outtakes or demos project could be figured out but leave the unfinished works unfinished. Prince didn't finish them for a reason and in my opinion, that should be respected.

Good points and the bolded sentence gives me nightmares.

yukoncornelius said:

I do like the Elvis Follow That Dream (FTD) series in every way except price. I'm not an expert on the issue but when I look at prices it looks like they typically charge about $40 for a double disc set. If it is something I'll listen to repeated times I'll consider it but for live recordings or "crappy" sounding outtakes I'll pass.

The outtake CD's I've bought sound crystal clear - nothing short of amazing. The best feature is the banter between songs. The Jungle Room, for example, made me feel as if I was there. I was fascinated by that. (JR is the one I bought on my visit) I agree the price sucks. I think they are so expensive because they don't make a lot of them, but use high quality packaging, and also the overhead. Thats all I can think of outside of the obvious. You didn't hear this from me, but Elvis fans have been known to trade their FTD releases among small groups to curb cost. I don't have a desire to own all of them, so I personally haven't gotten involved in that, but it happens.

[Edited 6/13/16 13:23pm]

OperatingThetan said:

It's probably also worth mentioning that Alan has been a total arsehole toward Prince for about the last decade. He's reversed his opinion slightly since Prince died (probaby because he wants a job or thinks there's money to be made) but still can't resist making barely veiled criticisms in the interview you're refering to. [Edited 6/13/16 12:48pm]

Yes he has, a lot of digs.

Guitarhero said:

OperatingThetan said:

It's probably also worth mentioning that Alan has been a total arsehole toward Prince for about the last decade. He's reversed his opinion slightly since Prince died (probaby because he wants a job or thinks there's money to be made) but still can't resist making barely veiled criticisms in the interview you're refering to. [Edited 6/13/16 12:48pm]

Yes he has, a lot of digs.

He always sounds disgruntled and bases his observations on knowledge from over twenty years ago.

PurpleDiamonds1 said:

Agree with what everyone has posted. Would like to see some of the jewelry that use to be for sale on the NPGMC website. The site closed before I could buy the ear bling.

I'd love an official, rhinestone-encrusted symbol pendant necklace - a long one, like P used to wear!

JoeyCococo said:

Guitarhero said:

Questlove you're fired.

Questlove? I never mentioned him in my original post. I think he's a great fan and obviously has access that fans like us don't have but I would not consider him someone who should be brought in to work on a project like this. NO NO NO.

We need people who worked with Prince, who he trusted, who understand him.....now, we can't make that call. This is something I am hoping Alan can do. He would know who would be worthwhile to call in.

Certainly he (Alan) can gather opinions from who ever he wants but I would not choose Questlove only b/c he had nothing to do with Prince's vault material, as far as we know.

Well Questlove is Alan leeds buddy via connection thorugh D'angelo throughout the years. So, if ya want Leeds, you're going to end up with Questlove HEAVILY in the mix. Trust.

berlinas2k said:

I've said this before here, but I'll say it again:

The vault material should be left AS IS. Not re-mastered, not touched. That doesnt mean never seen or heard.

EVERYTHING in the vault should be catagorized by time period into revolving monthly/bimonthly/quarterly exhibits at Paisely Park.

This will bring people to visit Paisely multiple times and there will be years worth of exhibits that could be mounted by the right curators. The Paiseley Museum could be a continuing revenue generator not just for Princes legacy but also for Minneapolis - by bringing visitirs there forevermore. Prince LOVED his hometown, and they took great pride in him, and he in they...

revolving exhibits will give people a reason to continue to go to Paisely not just to see Prince but to experience where he created his music and to HEAR HIM THE WAY HE WANTED US TO.

The music should be heard THERE, as part of his surroundings.. along with supporting video/movie projects etc etc and any other content available....there could be lectures, symposiums think tank dsicussions as well as events held to fund music education either through an endowment created from revenues or eventually create a music school on site.

I see the vault as the beginning of a museum and cultural center that brings the world to Minneapolis.

I dont want posthumous albums or to hear Princes music in commercials - he is the Mozart of our generation and his cultural impact can have far greater significance for the development of future musicans and artists and he goes way beyond a mere commercial entity, imo.

Princes life is about the study, mastery and innovation of music, and should be treated that way

NorthC said:

Bad idea, terrig. No one is going to cough up money for a ticket four times a year just to hear some music. It should be released on CD and downloads and streaming, so folks can pick the format they like.

I disagree.... and if the music is sold - let it be sold on vinyl or cd you buy rt there...Prince would love that

edited to add....

We have to think of the music as something other than consumable product...assuming they put everything up for streams or downlaod...exactly what does that serve outside the obsession for us diehards?? Once everyone has it...then what? The context of Pailey Park I think is important. The context to place the music into his timelines along with events in his life is an extraordinary opportunity...I mean he recorded probably every day of his life....I dont know of an artist where we probably have a surviving record of his every day?

Besdides that Prince shelved alot of it for a reason...and I doubt he'd be all like ....oh yeah let'em download it all ....

[Edited 6/13/16 15:13pm]

I understand some of the arguments against Mr.Alan Leeds, and I didn´t like his suggestions in that interview but hey, come on, he wrote some great liner notes for the Hits and B-sides album, and he knows a lot about the music up until the early 90s. Though I bet that his brother Eric, as someone who was directly involved in the making of many songs, probably knows even more.

But then again, they should definitely not be the only ones in charge of the vault.

I´d add Wendy and Lisa, Sonny Thompson , maybe even Kirk Johnson and people like Hans Martin Buff, Femi Jiya of course, and loyal and long time band members such as Morris Hayes.

There ´s so much material, so many eras, so many different recording techniques, and so much history....it is almost impossible (and irresponsible) to leave it up to just one or two people to decide what to release and how to release it.

Of course it would be fantastic to have exhibits and events etc etc at PP. And I hope that happens - but the music should be available to fans across the globe in a variety of formats. Not all of us can afford quarterly visits to Minneapolis, you know!

Dibblekins said:

Of course it would be fantastic to have exhibits and events etc etc at PP. And I hope that happens - but the music should be available to fans across the globe in a variety of formats. Not all of us can afford quarterly visits to Minneapolis, you know!

IKR we are not all millionaires in the UK with a private jet who can just fly to minneapolis.

KoolEaze said:

JoeyCococo said:

KoolEaze said:

I understand some of the arguments against Mr.Alan Leeds, and I didn´t like his suggestions in that interview but hey, come on, he wrote some great liner notes for the Hits and B-sides album, and he knows a lot about the music up until the early 90s. Though I bet that his brother Eric, as someone who was directly involved in the making of many songs, probably knows even more.

But then again, they should definitely not be the only ones in charge of the vault.

I´d add Wendy and Lisa, Sonny Thompson , maybe even Kirk Johnson and people like Hans Martin Buff, Femi Jiya of course, and loyal and long time band members such as Morris Hayes.

There ´s so much material, so many eras, so many different recording techniques, and so much history....it is almost impossible (and irresponsible) to leave it up to just one or two people to decide what to release and how to release it.

Koolease, I agree....need more than a few proplr. I only suggest Alan be the main man in charge to oversee the project. He is an authority in the years he was there but may choose to bring in Morris Hayes or others for the other eras. How do I find Alan??????

But..but...I just sent you an orgnote, and you´ve opened and read it, right?

Just send him an orgnote, he used to have an account here.

He was quite nice and talkative here.

Much like Eric, who is also always nice, polite, talkative and friendly with the fans.

Alan Leeds has not worked with, or spoken to Prince in how many years/decades? and his last public comments about Prince were very negative. Put yourself in Prince's place, would you want this to happen to you? what a horrible idea.

[Edited 6/13/16 15:35pm]

wonder505 said:

Alan Leeds have not worked with, or have spoken with Prince in how many years? and his last public comments about Prince were very negative. Put yourself in Prince's place, would you want this to happen to you? what a horrible idea.

He comes across as a very honest and brutally honest person. Nothing wrong with that.

And here on the org he´s been very nice and open to all those who sent him questions.

Of course he´s said some less than flattering stuff about Prince and of course we don´t have to agree with him on every single thing he´s said , and like I said, I wouldn´t want him to be the only person in charge but to exclude him from any future projects regarding Prince´s music or biography would be a grave mistake.

He´s a walking encyclopedia as far as the 1982-1993 years are concerned.

Ooops...that was one "honest" too much.

KoolEaze said:

wonder505 said:

Alan Leeds have not worked with, or have spoken with Prince in how many years? and his last public comments about Prince were very negative. Put yourself in Prince's place, would you want this to happen to you? what a horrible idea.

He comes across as a very honest and brutally honest person. Nothing wrong with that.

And here on the org he´s been very nice and open to all those who sent him questions.

Of course he´s said some less than flattering stuff about Prince and of course we don´t have to agree with him on every single thing he´s said , and like I said, I wouldn´t want him to be the only person in charge but to exclude him from any future projects regarding Prince´s music or biography would be a grave mistake.

He´s a walking encyclopedia as far as the 1982-1993 years are concerned.

His public comments can be labeled as brutally honest althought I felt a few were unnecessary, but IDK, I cant speak for Prince personally but instead of looking at it from a fan perspective, if that were me I would not want Alan near my stuff whether he had a point or not. I don't think Prince took a liking to those comments.

[Edited 6/13/16 15:48pm]

NorthC said:

JoeyCococo said:

Guitarhero said:

Questlove you're fired.

Questlove? I never mentioned him in my original post. I think he's a great fan and obviously has access that fans like us don't have but I would not consider him someone who should be brought in to work on a project like this. NO NO NO.

We need people who worked with Prince, who he trusted, who understand him.....now, we can't make that call. This is something I am hoping Alan can do. He would know who would be worthwhile to call in.

Certainly he (Alan) can gather opinions from who ever he wants but I would not choose Questlove only b/c he had nothing to do with Prince's vault material, as far as we know.

Sheila, Wendy, Lisa, Michael Bland (maybe), Eric Leeds, Dez Dickerson, Susan Rogers...I think these people should be consulted. Frankly, Manuela and possibly Matye too as they'd know how he personally felt about some of the material.

It seems that Kirk Johnson knew Prince better than almost anyone, and he was his trusted confidante until the very end. He should definitely have a seat at the table.

wonder505 said:

KoolEaze said:

He comes across as a very honest and brutally honest person. Nothing wrong with that.

And here on the org he´s been very nice and open to all those who sent him questions.

Of course he´s said some less than flattering stuff about Prince and of course we don´t have to agree with him on every single thing he´s said , and like I said, I wouldn´t want him to be the only person in charge but to exclude him from any future projects regarding Prince´s music or biography would be a grave mistake.

He´s a walking encyclopedia as far as the 1982-1993 years are concerned.

His public comments can be labeled as brutally honest althought I felt a few were unnecessary, but IDK, I cant speak for Prince personally but instead of looking at it from a fan perspective, if that were me I would not want Alan near my stuff whether he had a point or not. I don't think Prince took a liking to those comments.

[Edited 6/13/16 15:48pm]

Leeds doesn't necessarily know more than other people involved with Paisley Park. IMO that's more org mythology. People tend to gravitate to Leeds and take his word as gospel because he was one of the few willing to talk openly at a time when most of Prince's associates remained closed mouthed for fear of repercussions.

He can be included in an advisory capacity for his specific time period just like many others but I would NEVER put him or any non musician in charge. I suspect that the last thing Prince would want but that's just my guess.

babynoz said:

wonder505 said:

His public comments can be labeled as brutally honest althought I felt a few were unnecessary, but IDK, I cant speak for Prince personally but instead of looking at it from a fan perspective, if that were me I would not want Alan near my stuff whether he had a point or not. I don't think Prince took a liking to those comments.

[Edited 6/13/16 15:48pm]

Leeds doesn't necessarily know more than other people involved with Paisley Park. IMO that's more org mythology. People tend to gravitate to Leeds and take his word as gospel because he was one of the few willing to talk openly at a time when most of Prince's associates remained closed mouthed for fear of repercussions.

He can be included in an advisory capacity for his specific time period just like many others but I would NEVER put him or any non musician in charge. I suspect that the last thing Prince would want but that's just my guess.

What is needed is a Board of Directors.

paulludvig said:

JoeyCococo said:

Questlove? I never mentioned him in my original post. I think he's a great fan and obviously has access that fans like us don't have but I would not consider him someone who should be brought in to work on a project like this. NO NO NO.

We need people who worked with Prince, who he trusted, who understand him.....now, we can't make that call. This is something I am hoping Alan can do. He would know who would be worthwhile to call in.

Certainly he (Alan) can gather opinions from who ever he wants but I would not choose Questlove only b/c he had nothing to do with Prince's vault material, as far as we know.

Sheila, Wendy, Lisa, Michael Bland (maybe), Eric Leeds, Dez Dickerson, Susan Rogers...I think these people should be consulted. Frankly, Manuela and possibly Matye too as they'd know how he personally felt about some of the material.

Alan Leeds would favour his brother Eric first, and his friends Wendy and Lisa second. Nothing wrong with that., Those are people who should be consulted, but not the only ones. Prince was more than an 80's act.

As for Susan Rogers. What about the other engineers? What makes SR special, other than she talks a lot.

Bingo.

People take her word for everything because she talks a lot. Others who might give us a different perspective are not as willing to talk so her statements go unchallenged.

FlyOnTheWall said:

babynoz said:

Leeds doesn't necessarily know more than other people involved with Paisley Park. IMO that's more org mythology. People tend to gravitate to Leeds and take his word as gospel because he was one of the few willing to talk openly at a time when most of Prince's associates remained closed mouthed for fear of repercussions.

He can be included in an advisory capacity for his specific time period just like many others but I would NEVER put him or any non musician in charge. I suspect that the last thing Prince would want but that's just my guess.

What is needed is a Board of Directors.

I think that a Board of Directors would be appropriate to oversee Paisley Park operations as a whole but music-wise, the last thing I want is a whole bunch of chefs stirring the vault stew.

Just a committee of two or three objective people who are NOT married to one particular era. Those two or three can consult with various advisors on an as-needed basis.

The reason I chose Jimmy Jam is because 1. he has a comprehensive grasp of the music industry, 2. he will respect the entirety of Prince's body of work, 3. he is a musician and 4. he is the only one who has come forward claiming to have had a serious discussion with Prince himself about the subject. Finally, Jimmy Jam doesn't need the money and isn't looking for exposure either so I trust him to be more objective than anyone else.

wonder505 said:

babynoz said:

Guitarhero said:

Questlove you're fired.

I don't even want Questlove's or Toure's name mentioned in connection with this.

The only person I trust to be objective and agenda free is Jimmy Jam.

I totally agree with you, babynoz. I do trust Sheila E.'s take on the music as well, since regardless of their ups and downs, she's been there in some capacity throughout the decades with Prince.

OperatingThetan said:

The same interview where Alan stated the vault contained mostly 'unfinshed' material and that he'd only issue a fraction of it as bonuses on a remaster series? He's the last person I'd want on the job. Other than Shelia E who stated she wanted the vault destroyed. That hasn't stopped fans voting for her to have major input either. Bewildering. [Edited 6/13/16 12:48pm] [Edited 6/13/16 12:49pm]

Do you happen to know the premise behind her desire to destroy the vault???? That's like burning Picasso's studio!!!