I just got the new edition of Q Magazine (UK, Awards 2001 edition), and I can't believe no one else has noticed the half-page advertisment for The Rainbow Children on p164! The main image is the C'bibi Bayoc (sp??) portrait of Prince, with a little inset pic of the album. The text is: The Rainbow Children - The controversial new album from Prince - Available now at Virgin Megastore. I don't know if it really is available "now", but that's what it says!

It has the NPG Records logo and the Redline Entertainment logo... and the URL www.redline-entertainment.com/prince.

Wow! I never saw this kind of promotion, even for Rave!

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While I'm at it, I'll give you the full text of the Bill Oddie top 5 Prince albums. He's seen as a bit of a corny celebrity, but hey, he's got taste:

Bill Oddie's guide to Prince
"The Very Best Of Prince is freaking me to the next level," declares reader Anthony Ginn of Cornwall, "but where do I go for the real stuff?" Beloved humourist and eminent ornithologist Bill Oddie can tell you where - he's been following Prince since seeing him at the Lycecum in June 1981. "It was absolutely gobsmacking," says Oddie, adding, "I think these five are consistent - listen to all of them and see why he's so fantastically creative. And then shake your butt."

DIRTY MIND (Warners, 1980)
"I went out and bought this immediately. I'd heard nothing like it at all - I was used to most funk records being very bland lyrically. And here was Prince singing songs like Head! [Prince receives oral sex from a woman on her way to be married] Absolutely wonderful. I just thought, We're in the presence of genius, and I've never doubted his sense of humour, or his music, since."

PURPLE RAIN (Warners, 1984)
"Rock films tend to be dreadfully embarrassing, but this is a wonderful soundtrack to a great, massively tongue-in-cheek, sexy movie. And Purple Rain's one of the great songs of all time, without a doubt. The production's great - leaving aside the bass of When Doves Cry. Incredible. And Darling Nikki's hilarious. Hard to believe it's so old - people don't realise how well the lad's lasted, and he's still a mystery."

THE FAMILY (Warners, 1985)
"This is an offshoot, but it's a Prince album even though his name's not on it. This one's got sucha sheer joy of musicianship and such variety - there's great instrumental pieces, which gave him a chance to do the jazz and funk that he's interested in, with excellent saxophone from Eric Leeds. And the absolutely unbeatable version of Nothing Compares 2 U is on it. Beautiful and very moving."

SIGN O' THE TIMES (Warners, 1987)
"Generally accepted as the major work, the double album that had to be a double. The range of it is amazing - harsh social comment, gorgeous gentlye pop songs, and If I Was Your Girlfriend is the full-blown naughty one, where he turns his voice to chipmunk mode and gets all worked up! It's also got a very clever, complicated production - quite perfect really."

THE TRUTH (NPG, 1998) (given away with the 3CD set Crystal Ball)
"It's a crusade of mine to make people listen to this. It's almost entirely acoustic and his singing is so exposed, it's completely different from everything else he's done. There's virtually no rudeness, but Circle Of Amour is sucha beautiful little song it honestly made me cry. So many people have never got this far, but they'd be blown away if they did."

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Phew! Lastly, there's a little review of the "If I Was Prince" tribute album, p148, 'Compilations'.

The little purple man gets a makeover with 10 covers by indie/electronica types including Fort Lauderdale and Blue States. Beware: apart from 7 Hurtz With Peaches and Bitch Lap Lap's witty, voluptuous take on Sexy Dancer this is Prince with the sweat and sexiness excised. While Simian's Under The Cherry Moon is a Grand Guignol thrill, Hefner's trip hop balladising of Controversy fairly plods. [**]