not every one buys boots but lots a yall bought this one .
as bryant gumball would say . . . " how?"

I bought my copy off of Ebay.

It's 1989. I am 17 & live in suburban Mass. The Black Album became a reality for me when on a weekend visit to Long Island to see relatives, my best friend and Prince Partner in Crime, spent an afternoon in NYC to try & hunt it down as NY could surely be the only hope for us. He happened apon a small record shop in the East Village called Finyl Vinyl. Bob, the owner, said he had sold his last one, but knew he would be getting more, so my friend gave him $50 & his address and sure enough we got it in the mail a couple of weeks later! I'll never forget that first listen! We turned the lights down so we could take it all in.
The quality was low, muffled, & scratchy, but oh man!! The forbidden Black Album! We LOVED it! A funny thing about it also is that I have been living in NYC for 9 years now and I happen to work in the East Village and pass Finyl Vinyl every day on my way to the subway.
Thanks for asking.

FINYL VINYL ?
in the bowery?

1989, in a record shop in Vancouver. It was on vinyl, the cover was the same as the U Got The Look cover, with a dark background. $55, Canadian.

shausler said:

Mr. Shausler
and your avi is hilarious!!

I love this topic & LP!!

My 1st BLACK ALBUM was on cassette-bought it at a record swapmeet in HOLLYWOOD-20 miles.Bootleg Cassette-

"Serve it up Frankie!"

2nd was at a store that I had to travel 45 miles to get to in Cypress,Calif. The fantastic LP version on Erotic Records-NOIR-69

"Cindy C, where'd U get that beauty mark?"

3rd/4th further on up the road in Buena Park,Calif
CD-The Black Album-Toasted Records. I had to buy 2 ,the 1st one was defective.

"U & your 'o almond-shape head ass"

FINALLY- the man Himself lets it out via (WB)
I did'nt have to go far for THIS ONE-literally, right around the corner.

"London wa duz BIG BEN say??"

6th & last(I hope)drove to PASADENA,Calif to find the one CD with the fold out cover showing prince in the PURPLE JACKET making a diamond shape at his crotch area, while he licks his lip.AWSESOME COVER!!

"Until next week,same time,same boogie"

"I'm just a rock hard in a FUNKYFISH"

A friend of mine who wasn't and isn't a Prince fan gave me a cassette she copied from someone because she KNEW I would love it. It's when I fell in love with "Bob George!" I didn't get it on vinyl, just listened to that tape until Prince released the CD himself.

Walked into this record shop called Spirit Records. They had a Black Album Lp i bought for $75.00 it sounded perfect.

They're available at my local Wherehouse-- used-- and I saw a few copies of them there, too.

I went the Beaver Clever route:


Gosh, in high school, my buddy offered to sell it to me for $10.

That evening at dinner, I asked my parents (yes, I was a good lil' boy). They weren't totally cool with the idea of buying something that was so underground or whatever, but ultimately, they were like: "Oh, alright..."

NewPowerSista said:

Exactly my story. I still remember my friend: "YOU of all people MUST hear Bob George!"

i got lucky and called a used CD store in 99'(i think)and they had a copy.

My first copy was a tape that a deejay from a local radio station recorded free for me.
The vinyil copy I have I bought it for 10$ approx. in 1988, when it was supposed to be released: could be an original, I never knew.
It's all black with the writings in peach, and I bought it in a wreckastow very close to my house.

My first copy was a cassette that I bought off a street vendor in NYC in 1988 fdor $10.00.
My second copy was vinyl that I bought in a PA. used record store for $30.00.
My third copy was a double bootleg cd that I bought in Toronto for $20.00.
My fourth copy was the official release that came out about 6 months after I bought the copy in Toronto.
Man I love that music.

I got it on cassette in 1991 from this guy I knew whom had an enormous collection of prince boots.

Playing 'the black album' 4 the 1st time is simply one of those moment U never 4get.

Xenophobiac said:

say that again

none.

somebody dubbed it for me years ago, finally got a used copy within the last 2 years.

NEVER listen to it.

shame.

I got the tube to camden town and paid 50 quid for it. Good quality and loved it

Funny that I'm posting after Vivid - I BOUGHT my 1st copy in Camden too.

I'm from Australia and had no hope of getting it there. I was travelling in '89 (mostly in Israel, where I now live) and a friend (a musician from the US) went home for a couple of weeks and promised me he would get a copy from some boot contacts. When he came back he brought only a cassette copy as he didn't want 2 risk travelling with the original. That was the 1st copy I heard. Then, later in the year, I was in Camden Town market in London and found one at a stall (I think it was 30 quid).
When I got back to Australia, it turned out my brother had bought me a copy for a present while travelling in the US, so I now have two.

PS I discovered Finyl Vinyl while stopping off in NYC after visiting the 1st Celebration. Picked up some great stuff there, including a couple of P boots (such as SOTT Try-Out Rehearsal gig, naughty me) plus 1sxt Graham Central Station LP.

Summer '88, I came across it @ Record Exchange (Warrensville Hts.) here in Cleveland For $20. I had been looking for it ever since the SOTT album had run its course, and was losing its speed with me. I had gone to every WRECKA STOW in the area I could think of, both new and used. Almost every store had not a clue as to what I was talking about. I kinda gave up the search, along w/the search to find "Good Love" on an album. When I stopped looking, it fell right into my hands. Ain't that always the way?

1st.. I got a bootleg tape off a friend

2nd.. bought a bootleg LP at a record fair (ok quality)

3rd.. bought a better quality another bootleg LP on Camden Market (looked like the real thing, I was happy)

4th.. bought the official (belated) release on CD

5th.. bought the official (belated) release on LP (ahh, vinyl)

A friend made me a copy.
[This message was edited Sat Mar 16 17:49:29 PST 2002 by Abrazo]

i think it was 88, got mine at a local store, Record Den. the only local music store in the mall at the time (now there is none...) i don't think i paid more than $30 for it. still have it, sitting next to some of the 12" remix singles i have...

Honestly? You're not a fed or anything are u? [looks around and whispers] i stole it from an acquaintance who said she only bought it cuz she thought she'd be able to sell it down the line. so actually, i liberated it.

Mine is kinda like kalef's...

- bought it bootleg on vinyl (wrong speed)
- bought it bootleg on vinyl (right speed)
- bought it bootleg on cd (crappy quality)
- got an excellent tape of it
- went to the wrecka stow at midnight to buy official copies on CD (yes, I said "copies"... still got some shrinkwrapped somewhere)

It was worth it. Might give away the crappy vinyl copies one day as a fun "nostalgia" item on the site...

Believe it or not, I bought my copy in a regular record store it was there with the rest of Prince's cds.
I only paid 17 dollars for it in 1998.

Thats a wacky thing about The Black album is if you have had numerous versions they aren't all the same speed. The first version I had was much faster than any versions I got later. Its taken me awhile to get used to the right speed since I listened that first faster version to death before I found another copy. And on the first version the quality was only ok so I misunderstood a lot of the lyrics.

I got the original on vinyl in December 1987. I used to go to my local record store on Tuesday lunchtimes to catch the Warner (WEA) rep as he made deliveries.

He knew me as a Prince fan so he often used to give me shop displays and things (previously he had given me huge displays for ATWIAD, Parade and Purple Rain).

6 Days before the Black album was due to be released, he had a copy in his van. He told me Warner were under instructions from Prince that the album could not be publicised in his name, so each rep was told to drum up interest locally to get shops to stock it. They were playing it to the shop owners and telling them that once it got to number one in the black and dance charts, prince was going to come clean, causing massive interest and sales.

As the rep knew me, he gave me his copy because my stop was his last delivery of the week, and the album would be out the following monday.

The rest they say, is history...

Brother gave me copy on tape for birthday in 1988. Crystal clear, although half of Bob George was cut off. Never did say where he got it from
[This message was edited Mon Mar 18 4:03:58 PST 2002 by MKevon]