I saw this somewhere:



So I guess the original cover wasn't black?

that, m'friend, is obviously a bootleg cover.

That's lovely.

Just as a general rule, anytime Prince looks like he does in that picture, you can guess that it comes from the 1982-1984 period. Prince still had curly hair in 87/88, but it was a different kind of curl.

So did the original version also have In All My Dreams and Old Friends For Sale like this one does?

.....oh wait.....



No, and no

Here's another cover I found:

awwww yeah. big bootie awwww yeah. big bootie, big bootie, big bootie.

doctamario said:

aww, that brings back memories , it was the cover of the very first bootleg I bought in a little record shop around 1992 .I had only been a fan for a year or
so , I was so thrilled to buy it , I never knew back then that bootlegs werent impossible to get hold of . After I bought it I felt elated and also a little
bit naughty , like the record police were gonna arrest me for buying a bootleg,
and yes it did have In All My Dreams and Old Friends For Sale on it too lol

doctamario said:

bootlegg!

doctamario said:

ha!..i have this!

so the Black album
it is all black, no title.
What is on it that is in red letters?
I am about to search out an authentic copy that was released by WB in the "War of the '90's."
I don't want a boot if I can avoid it.
About how much and are Gemm star, Second spin and amazon.com and half-bay are they reputable?

prodigalfan said:

go on www.froogle.com and see what kind of deal you can find.

that, or go on amazon.com

the mid-90s WB release was limited edition, but i've seen it in wrecka stow used bins for fairly normal prices - like 9.99 or 10.99. don't pay too much for it without browsing around a bit.

just found a CD of black album selling on half ebay for $249. guy says this is an original boot. My question is how can it be an "original" boot if CD'S weren't available then. Wasn't the masters on vinyl and got copied onto analog tapes because that was the media back then?
thanks

i wouldn't spend that kind of money for a black album boot from eBay or from anyone online. i'd go to a record show where you can see it in person and where you can ask other vendors about the authenticity if you feel iffy about it.

personally, i'm happy with my mid-90s WB version on CD, but i know some people need to have their artifacts.

doctamario said:

rudeboynpg said:

LMAO!!!!

I hate it.

rudeboynpg said:

Oh yeah big Time N00b. That picture is so obviously taken in 1999 or purple rain era.

prodigalfan said:

The album was pressed on vinyl together with promo CDs back in 1987. When it was withdrawn, some vinyl was saved. Uptown's The Vault suggests that fewer than 10 CDs are rumoured to exist.

The work then began to fill with pirated copies, mostly on vinyl LP, some on vinyl 7" with the tracks split across various singles. Some issues added other outtakes.

The work then beqan to emerge on pirate / bootleg CDs, again sometimes wth other tracks added.

Meanwhile, an original vinyl then sold for considerable amounts - £ / $000s reportedly.

When the album was finally released officially in 1984 for a limited period, it was in CD and promotional vinyl versions.

This effectively all but killed off the unofficial market. That said, people who have 'original bootlegs' now try to offload them in the hope that there is always someone around to pay big money for an unofficial pirate.
.
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Handclapsfingasnapz said:

True. Yet this one is a bit more easy to believe.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the original 1987 release was to have no mention of the artist

This means - anything with a picture of Prince on the cover is a bootleg.

You can get copies of the official 1994 release from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and eBay - on eBay just look for the official release:




This is the original 1987 LP:




The sticker there says "Explicit Lyrics - Parental Advisory" - No mention of 'Prince', or the name 'The Black Album' - no tracklist on the sleeve either.

It's only until you look at the original vinyl that you see a tracklist - and still no mention of the artist or title. It's only until you put the needle on the record and listen careful to the intro to Le Grind, that we hear the artist is Prince, and the album is The Funk Bible.



» MetroArea
[Edited 4/12/05 1:10am]

prodigalfan said:

The only markings on the officially released cover, are the catalogue number and Warner Bros. address down the spine in a sort of peachy/orangey colour and a repeat of the catalogue number very small in white inside. On the actual cd is the tracklist in the peachy colour, no mention of Prince.

Being completely black, it is so easy for bootleggers to pass off a copy as an official original - or an official original as an original bootleg! I would say, don't pay too much for it, the high-priced ones are usually bootleggers hoping that some people still don't know it was officially released.

I bought mine from a second-hand CD store for £8.99 - but that was 5 years ago...

metalorange said:

Can you give me the catalogue number please?

purple7 said:

Here's the catalogue numbers for the 1994 official CD release of the Black Album

U.S. issue...
CDW 45793

U.K./European issue...
9362-45793-2

It's also worth noting that the most obvious indicator as to whether you've
got a genuine Black Album or a Bootleg is whether it's on Warner Bros Records
or not. If it ain't on WB then it ain't genuine.

I have a the black album but the cover is Prince in a white furry coat (sott) look with the heart on his sleve. Is this rare?

YES said:

nope. bootleg.

MetroArea and BorisFishpaw's posts break it down for ya. What they're describing is the real deal. Otherwise, there are kajillions of varieties of fakes and bootlegs out there, and a lot of folks like passing 'em off as legit so they can rake in the bucks. KNOW WHAT YOU'RE BUYING.

emesem said:

me 2!! (twice!)

Oh, and that pic from the orig. post is a Herb Ritts RS pic. I used 2 have a poster of it in my room (2 my shame) from my bro's Smash Hits mag
[Edited 4/12/05 9:59am]

BorisFishpaw said:

Thank you but I was talking about the number of the vinyl if there one exists ...

purple7 said:

Look on here for vinyl details:

http://sleevographia2.fre...ercher.htm

1987

LP • Germany • 925 677-1
LP • USA • 25677-1

1994

LP • Germany • 9362-45793-1

+ various promotional vinyls


If you look at the 1987 pix, you'll also see the catalogue number WX 147.

(Of course, these sort of details were also obtained and included on some inauthentic pirates that wanted to make lots of money.)

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