According to Wikipedia : "Just before The Black Album was released to the market, Prince recalled all copies and abandoned the entire project, leaving roughly 100 European promotional copies in circulation, and several US copies that would be widely bootlegged in the coming years."

Had any of these promos already been distributed to radios and had any US copy already been distributed into record stores before the project was withdrawn, or were all the surviving/circulating copies just stolen from WB factories/warehouses by WB employees?

In other words the question is: has any copy ever been distributed through legal channels (promo sendings or stores) or not?

Thanks for clearing this

databank said:

i do remember hearing le'grind on the radio only 1 time

Interesting databank. Hm. What do we think? We think he WANTED it out. So whatever way it went, it came out.

forthevault said:

I remember hearing a Sign O The Times bootleg on a VERY famous french radio where they had this live program in which they used soundboard boots so that doesn't prove anything.

I'm sure this wasn't legal, but back in 1988, or maybe '89, the famous Electrifying Mojo played the entire album on his radio show, one song after the other. He would come in between songs and say, "The Black Album...Shhhhh..."

errant said:

cool site errant!!

No copies of the Black Album were sent to stores or radio before it was cancelled.
They were pulled before they had reached the distribution stage.

BorisFishpaw said:

Thanks for clearing this Boris

Am I misunderstanding this? (i probably am) Do you mean the normal 'Black Album'? coz I bought 2 copies from HMV at the time (one is still in it's wrapper).

I have an original copy and it was rather easy for me to get back in the late 80s

QueenOfDiamonds said:

Not true. Prince was the one that wanted it pulled.

Brofie said:

Really? It was never "easy" to get a copy, even just after the cancelled
release date. And they were changing hands for a lot of money from day one.

indeed, the last one on ebay sold, must have been a couple of years ago

BorisFishpaw said:

Exactly, i saw real one going for £4000+ back at around the time it was supposed to have came out. Most folks that think they have a real original are deluded it seems.

very few exist in reality.

I'd imagine their value is pretty much gone after the '94 release. So if i had an original i wouldn't brag, i'd probably be upset.

PEJ said:

Agreed! Nice.


http://www.7silhouetteproject.com/

BorisFishpaw said:

There's a theory going round here lately that Prince canceled it just out of fear of poor sales, but that he wanted it out whatsoever and that the religious/moral reason were all lies

I think this theory contradicts every known fact, however... I don't think that the Black Album was aimed at making much money considering how Prince wanted it marketed, so i fail to understand why cancelliing it would have been a business decision.
[Edited 4/19/10 11:25am]

MrsGoodnight said:

Are you describing the officially-released product in 1994?

This thread is about vinyl copies pressed in 1987 which did not make it to distribution outlets such as HMV.

langebleu said:

Ah! Ok, I knew I had it wrong

Thanks for clearing that up for me Langebleu

^ No problem ... and thanks for the compliment.

(Damn ... it's just your signature)

langebleu said:

Hold on... Ok, I fixed it

I'm taking a screen shot .... before you change it back.

You only have to look at what happened, and use a bit of common sense, to realise Prince wanted it to be heard.
I doubt it was ever supposed to be released... It was just massive hype for Lovesexy!!

The production on it is pretty rough. It's not half as polished as any of his previous albums, or later ones.

And all that business about not wanting to be judged on those songs... He played many of the "worst" on the Lovesexy tour!

QueenOfDiamonds said:

Some of you lot...

james said:

Funny how you use the words "common sense" and then display you ain't got it.

james said:

Yes, he was pulling an album AT THE LAST MINUTE (the trucks were already loaded) to promote an album HE HADN'T RECORDED YET.

james said:

Oh for fuck's sake.

james said:

Did u ever take xtc?

I did, it makes u think "differently" ^^

databank said:

& the whole Lovesxy tour is all about Lust/God so yeah he played them: on purpose

databank said:

Now YEAH he KNEW it was GREAT music so of course part of him wanted it to be heard.

But i believe in the xtc/religious trip theory, because i've been through similar experiences (changing plans after a trip under drugs because of religious beliefs) even though at my level no one cared

& yeah, i'm quite sure Langebleu's got a wonderful ass

But i'm totally addicted to Indian girls, sorry