It took Prince many years 2 officaly release the 'Black album', cuz there was dispute with his record company? They wann 2 release it, but Prince was unconvinced, in 'Alphabet Street', video there was a hidden-message, sayin 'Don't buy the black album'. Even though, the album was found on the bootleg market, and was said at the time 2 be the best sellin bootleg at dat time. Its also strange, its the only Prince album i haven't got, i can't find it anywhere.

Sam

its really not that great. i had it built up in my mind to be this spectacular album but when i got it, i was let down. it's probably my least favorite.

purpleMAN said:

he didnt release the Black album Warner's released in a bid 2 piss him off... being as when it was sched. 2 be released at last min Prince ordered all copies destroyed...

Little purple punkass was too afraid of his own funk. Then he came back looking like a little bitch with LOVESEXY. Lost a lot of funk cred with that action.

WB released the Black Album; not Prince.

PFunkjazz said:

that's old... or are you too old? I think it was a funky move and Lovesexy a funky album. He did something that none or most would ever try, isn't that funky? I think it is.

Man... it must be tough being a newbie Prince fan. There's a lot of history for the new Prince fans to catch up on.

It's probably best to think of 1992-1996 as Prince's "Dark Ages". Even though there are some musical gems from those days, there was an awful lot of crazy stuff going on behind the scenes as Prince was trying to do everything in his power to get out of his contract with Warner Bros.

purpleMAN said:

Don't listen to this dude man!
Try and find it, he should have released this album back in '87 instead of that stinker "Lovesexy" in '88...
Don't get me wrong, I really dig "Lovesexy" but it's not a "raw" album, unlike "Black Album" that one just reeks of funk and rawness... He didn't call it "The Funk Bible" for nothing...

Neversin.

Abrazo said:

That's revisionist history. Truth: Prince himself backed off it's release cuz it wuz too hard and dark.
(Maybe he wanted topaly games and create his own BASEMENT TAPES a la Bob Dylan []).

It's cool. We all live with our revisionist fictions. My revision on LOVESEXY is it's funkier
than at first once it grew on me.

Don't mind my age, youngsta. I've been funkin' so long your newbie ass can't sweat me.

More truth: Prince lost a lot of funkateers who won't touch his shit nowadays with a 10 ft pole.

Now run and tell your mama 'bout that!

Prince lost a lot of people in general.

sambluedolphin said:

I've read the music was originally intended for himself and Sheila E.'s birthday party. I've also read he cancelled the album presses at the last minute and ordered the album destroyed (bunch weren't, thus bootlegs) due to a vision he had -- He didn't want the Black Album to be his last offering to the world, since he thought it too dark and negative. I've also read on the org here that the album was the result of a bad trip on ecstacy (original source, some Prince biography).

Aside from cursing/gunshots in Bob George, the album isn't really dark/negative...I'd call COME a dark album. Bob George included, it's a decent album. It will add to the kalediscope of sounds you can expect from the man. Although, I have a bootleg, so I can't be sure I believe the sound quality was poor due to subpar recording on the original...??? Does anyone know this?

Have you checked EBay? They usually have it.

Really the Black album is the best. Oh my God we are lucky he released it at all. He should have released this before Lovesexy. There was nothing wrong with it. He had a Drug induced Vision? WTF? Sometimes I honestly don't know what he worrys about. His music is Great!

?
[This message was edited Wed Feb 26 2:42:21 PST 2003 by IstenSzek]

at first He wanted to Prove He hadn't Lost His Funk Edge.He didn't like Being Called as a Sell-Out So He took it as a Challenge I Believe.but then Pulled out from it.as P-FunkJAzz Said He Opened the Flood-Gates for His Dylan Like Bootlegs.this ALbum became One of the Most Boot-Legged Albums Ever&Gave Him a Cult Following on the Market.He got the Hype He wanted with it.but that Album was More Hype that Substance to Me&By the time it dropped in 94 it seemed Flat&just there.but back in 87 Hype alone made it seem like something else.I Remember back in 91 on the Warner's Back Lot in Burbank,CA Somebody from Canada Bought the Album for 13 Grand.

13 grand for the Black album? How stupid was that person? Lord, you could get it for $10. Brain-Check...1,2.

abucah said:

The Black Album was released in 87/88 and only sold about 12,000 copies before it was pulled from the shelves after a few days. It was re-released in 94. I remember seeing it in January 95 and not buying it because I was a real devoted fan and he said he didn't want anyone to buy it, so I didn't. I heard it though. I stopped listening after the first song. I didn't like it

bonojr said:
quote]Although, I have a bootleg, so I can't be sure I believe the sound quality was poor due to subpar recording on the original...??? Does anyone know this?[/quote]

There is quite noticable tape hiss on the official '94 Black Album CD. My bootleg copies that I had purchased previously were pretty much the same quality. I was thus disappointed by the official release.

The songs are without a doubt the best electronic funk that Prince has ever made available.

2 Nigs, Cindy C, Superfunk... I gots ta go play it...
[This message was edited Fri Aug 2 4:35:35 PDT 2002 by squirrelgrease]

?
[This message was edited Wed Feb 26 2:42:37 PST 2003 by IstenSzek]

bonojr said:

Almost. Not the album was the result of a bad ecstasy trip, but the "vision" that, according to some people, made him see the album as evil and too dark. He realized that if he died, this would be the last thing he left to the world. Then he came up with Lovesexy, a more spiritual and positive recording.
But keep in mind, who knows if this is the truth...I'd take it has speculation (although it might be probable).

[/quote]

Almost. Not the album was the result of a bad ecstasy trip, but the "vision" that, according to some people, made him see the album as evil and too dark. He realized that if he died, this would be the last thing he left to the world. Then he came up with Lovesexy, a more spiritual and positive recording.
But keep in mind, who knows if this is the truth...I'd take it has speculation (although it might be probable).[/quote]

Thanks for clarifying; yeah, another mystery...perhaps pulling the album was a PR stunt to foster more interest.

OK, here's the truth about the whole 'Black Album thing' (short version)...

1. A lot of the tracks that appeared on the black album had originally been recorded by Prince as music for Sheila E's 29th birthday party on 11th December 1986. He originally had no intention of releasing them commercially.

2. Prince was getting a certain amount of critism for 'abandoning his black roots' and 'losing the funk' due to his more rock-orientated recent output. In response he started to assemble an album of mostly funky party tracks, which he called 'The Funk Bible'.

3. Prince finished 'The Funk Bible', and wanted to release it under a pseudonym, possibly Camille. He wanted to release the album without anyone initially knowing it was by him, so it would be an underground thing that would spread by word of mouth. He dropped the pseudonym idea (everyone already knew who Camille was), he then came up with the idea of releasing it in a plain black sleeve, with no listed artist or title at all. The Black Album was born.

4. The Black Album was given a WB catalogue number and release date, everything was going to plan. This would shut up the people who said he'd 'lost the funk'. The album appeared on WB's relase schedule listed as 'Something' by 'Somebody' to be released on 8th December 1987.

5. November 1987: The first set back... News had leaked out that Prince had a new album on the way, this upset Prince's plan. He hadn't intended the album as a 'proper' new album, it was supposed to be more like a side project (much like the later NPG albums). Prince reluctantly resigned himself to the fact that the album would be seen as his next album, and started thinking about his next project: Graffiti Bridge. The Black Album was pressed up ready for release.

6. Prince was concerned with releasing 'The Black Album' effectively under his own name, and was having second thoughts about it. He took a copy down to Rupert's in Minneapolis with the intention of getting the DJ to play it so he could see what kind of reception it got from the crowd.

7. At the club he met a songwriter/poet called Ingrid Chavez, with whom he ended up talking with at length that evening. Prince had been recently going through a sort of spiritual awakening (another reason he was having second thoughts about 'The Black Album'), and he found that Ingrid was very much in tune with his current wavelength.

8. It has been reported that the crunch came when he was looking at his reflection in the cover of the album, and Ingrid said something like 'You should learn to smile more'. At that point Prince realised that if he died now, 'The Black Album' would be his final work, and he definitely didn't want that as his last artistic statement.

9. 1st December 1987 (1 week before release): Prince calls WB chairman Mo Ostin (with whom he had a good, trusting working relationship) and says he wants to cancel the release of 'The Black Album'. Mo Ostin agrees to Prince's request and production was ceased. WB ordered all existing copies of the album destroyed.

10. A few copies of the album escaped destruction. Many promo and advance copies had already been given to friends and family, as well as WB executives and reps. about 100 vinyl copies 'vanished' from the Alsdorf pressing plant in Germany. Also about 10 CD's 'escaped' from the pressing plant in the U.S. These genuine 1987 pressings are still worth a bomb (especially the CD's).

11. After shelving 'The Black Album' and putting 'Graffiti Bridge' on hold, Prince immediately starts work on his next project 'Lovesexy'. He records half the album on 11th December! The first version of the album is completed by 21st January 1988, with only a few changes made before it's release on 10th May.

12. As part of his settlement with Warners in 1994, Prince agreed to a limited release for 'The Black Album'. Warners had wanted to release the album for some time (it came close to being officially released in 1991), but Prince had always been against it. He finally relented when it became a bargaining chip in his bid to be released from his contract. Prince used it as 'contract filler' along with 'Chaos And Disorder' and 'The Vault...Old Friends 4 Sale'.
[This message was edited Mon Aug 5 14:03:46 PDT 2002 by kaylef]

... and we have Ingrid Chavez to blame for 'Lovesexy'.

Abrazo said:

...also, PFunkjazz, I know U MUST B joking cuz there's funk all over Lovesexy, and U know it! Its in your name P(prince)funk/jazz=lovesexy

The entire 'Lovesexy' album was reportedly inspired by Ingrid Chavez!!! That's a hilarious factoid to reflect upon!!!

A dumbass airhead like Ingrid!!!

The irony of this is too much to bear...

How can you say that...

Ingrid is a spirit child

a petite flower

a buffer of forheads

a goddess of love

a follower of Judy-ism

and Empress of Elvis-impersonators.

feltbluish said:

Bad job of parsing. P = Parliament; Funk = Funkadelic; Jazz is just that (not that smooth shit either )

Per LOVESEXY. AS with []TRC[/m]Single-track-indexing made it too much of
a chore to listen to. When first purchased it sounded real sweet and poppish and that
gay-looking cover didn't help. Eventually it became a favorite, but the packaging nearly
ruined my enjoyment of this disc.