I've been thinking about this for a bit lately. I guess because
I'm hoping the new "album" will be a 2 disc affair.

And it doesn't have to be 2 discs filled with 18 songs each. It
would be cool to just have an album that has perhaps 10 tracks,
followed by an album with about 9 tracks or so. Kind of like he
ended up with on SignOTheTimes.

He's done two 3disc sets and loads of single albums but there is
only one 2 disc set to this day (not counting ONA, that's live).
And even Sign O The Times wasn't intended to be two DISCS in the
first place.

From all the reports about his 3121 parties (which we have not
heard anything about anymore at all -dropped off the radar the
second they were over), I think a double disc album would be a
great opportunity if he decided to work with some of those top
notch artists at those parties (Joni, Stevie etc). He could do
a two disc set with some nice colaborations strewn across them.

Subtle colabs with real songs instead of the Rave colabs. Just
him and Stevie and him and Joni would be enough to make me ehm
drool hehe.

But I'm digressing. My "question" was as to why he decides to
release 3 disc packages and single albums but seems to steer
clear from double discs?

Is it because you can fit an album like Sign onto a single cd
these days?

Graffiti Bridge was a double LP.

So was

he's done several 75' CDs this years.
Those are like double discs to me

Exactly. In fact, most of his albums from the early 90's up until today would have been double LP's on vinyl.

Of course he could have made, let's say, the album into 2 CD's at 35-40 minutes each - and there might even be artistical reasons for such a thing - but that would also make the marketing and distribution harder (and more expensive), so it's probably not worth it.

Many of today's double CD's, with a playing time of around 150 minutes, would actually be triple albums by LP measures. "Emancipation" with its 180 minutes would have been a 4-LP box...

obviously you're all blind



I said double cd's not 2lp

The two lp package has been done. The three cd package has
been done.

But he's never intentionally released a TWO CD set.

Well then, to answer your original question.....



I would have to say there's no real reason behind it, no particular dislike of double disc releases.

If you think about it, it's probably this: Prince did a double album, 1999 (this is in the days of LPs).

So he'd been there, done that. He wanted Crystal Ball to be an even more grandiose 3 LPs, but we all know what went down there.

So because that desire was left unfulfilled, the 3 disc set idea was still something he wanted to achieve - I'd say this was the primary reason why Emancipation was 3 discs, because it was like a F.U. to Warners, who wouldn't let him release a 3 disc set all those years ago. A way of saying, now I'm free, I can do this.

Seems the idea for Crystal Ball (98) was formulated at the same time, or just after, Emancipation, since it's mentioned in Emancipation's booklet - So he goes and ups himself once again, by including another 2 discs with that, making a 5 disc set.

I think it's just a desire for the grandiose, to up the stakes so to speak. There's been no two CD set, because seems Prince wanted to up himself in terms of discs per release, regardless of the format.

How's that?


» NouveauDance
[Edited 10/4/05 8:44am]

NouveauDance said:

that's great