jtfolden said:

as yet, I see nothing on the Star Tribune's website.... if an article was printed today, shouldn't it be posted on their site by now?
that being said, I'm still holding on to the use of the word "new".

jtfolden said:

And what's odd about that? Do you remember in 2003 when one by one, those letters spelled out NEWS on the floor of the 'lobby' of the then recently revamped NPGMC? Now that was a weird way to announce a new album. Oh, and having the Musicology Room at the same time, along with samples of its title track and the question before you entered the chat room 'What should Prince's 2004 album be called?'. Now that was a way to introduce a new album, even that far ahead.
I've got a hunch that Prince's next CD is going to be an independent affair. For the post WB Prince, the pre-release hype for Musicology and 3121 was the exception, not the rule and I think that maybe he's going back to his way of doing things again.

'Ticket Price includes Prince's new CD' it boldly states on the 3121.com website.
Not long ago, we were told that 'Planet Earth' was coming Summer 2007 and we've heard some words (and read them on 3121.com) that sound like they're probably lyrics to a song called 'Planet Earth'.

Sooo, we have 'new CD' and we have already had 'Planet Earth Coming summer 2007' and we're pretty sure that 'Planet Earth' is a new song also.

Now, call me mad or maybe just a little over-enthusiastic , but I'll put money on Prince's new CD (the one that's coming with the concert tickets) as being 'Planet Earth'. The London dates are part of the 'Earth Tour' (not Planet Earth) and it seems that he ain't going to be doing anything more live after that for some time. So 'Planet Earth' isn't going to be a World tour by the looks, so it seems like there's only one option left - for it to be an album title.

3121 is Prince's latest CD right now, but it's by no means new. Even with Prince's somewhat dubious marketing standards in the past, and given his constant desire to bring out new music, he wouldn't be describing 3121 as 'new'.

Although I can understand your caution here and at least with your thinking, you won't be disappointed if it isn't something genuinely new, however I'm pretty confident that the Planet Earth teaser was for this new album.

jtfolden said:

I fully understand...I'm not the type of person to swallow any bullshit that's passed under my nose....I'm just saying...I don't smell any bullshit. Only thing I smell is a dead horse.
and maybe you should take your own advice and move along if you're getting stressed out...mmmkay? I ain't stressin'

I haven't heard Prince call it "my new album". The press is wrong about things all the time. They have no problem calling 3121 his "new album". And I could see some promotional company he hired also making the same mistake. I hope it is a new album, but it certainly could be 3121.
[Edited 5/9/07 12:38pm]

"3121" is more than just the album it is more of a vibe or concept that refers to the mood set at the parties he hosted in LA. He first referred to 3121 on the NAACP performance in 2004, I believe, the numbers were on the back of his jacket. He even performed Satisfied on that show and if I recall correctly, Black Sweat was released on the NPGMC 3 years ago. So just because he's still saying "3121" doesn't mean this is what he considers his newest album. It just refers to the vibe he's bringing to his live performances. It's a concept just like NPG has been a recurring concept for years now. Besides, we were told in Vegas that he was flying up to MPLS to record material for his upcoming album and that was 3 months ago. So, it's a new album of new material.

i think this will be a brand new album because that will be the most easy
for prince to print up indi style and just hand out.

think about it. with a brand new album there's no ownership by contract,
no restrictions etc with a label.

if he'd hand out 150,000 copies of 3121 right now i don't think the rec
comp that released it would be too happy.

altho, he did do the same thing with musicology but that was before
the album was even in stores, lol. and it was part of the albums weird
promotional push to get it to #1.

anyways. my bet is that it's completely free new music. no label on it
xcept NPG.

if that's the case he'll finally make good on his word to hand out his
music for free at concerts, like he said in 1994

Haystack said:

Yes, and those show some thought or attention to the way things were built up but by the time Prince gets the media involved there is usually more to it. Mentioning an album included with a ticket isn't even mysterious or cryptic, it's just frustratingly vague in the sense that no one in the media has attributed the info as coming from Prince except...



Yeah, the 3121 site. I think that graphic is aimed at the mass audience coming to his shows not the choir that already has 3121.



I'm just taking it all with a grain of salt until I see at least one or two more dots connected. I see cases ALL the time in the media, and especially among Prince fans themselves, where they will grab onto the smallest line and by a week later it becomes some 'well known fact'. When it turns out not to be true, then people get upset cuz it 'was a lie', etc.

Shorty said:

It's not a dead horse until Prince says he has a new album being released this year. That hasn't happened yet.



You were the one tossing the "good gods" and exclamation points around.

The whole thing is a matter of "new" versus "latest."

IstenSzek said:

a) We don't know what the contract entails
b) They might be happy if he's still promoting it if people who don't go to the concert are enticed to pick a copy up... It wasn't that long ago that some posters here were wishing Prince would mount a new campaign for the album.



IIRC, that started just a short bit before the release but continued for much longer afterwards.



Even if it's not a new album then he would still be making good on his word in that regard.

I posted earlier on another site regarding the Star Tribune article. I didn't include a link because they didn't have one on the web site. On the inside page of the front section is a media column that reports on entertainment news. The article on Prince had a picture of him holding the "21" sign with his fingers. And the information on the new album was found in the last paragraph of the story. It speculated the NEW ALBUM being possibly titled "Earth" and scheduled for release on July 7th. The article was written by Jon Bream who is an avid Prince follower.

That's the scoop. The album is new, and not 3121. I repeat, NOT 3121.

jtfolden said:

Did NEWS actually get to the 'media involvement' stage? Again, remember the 'Planet Earth' teaser in March? This isn't just an instant thing.




I really, honestly don't think that 3121.com is aimed at the masses one bit. It's a site for the fans. That said, it is his official site and he IS saying on there that the ticket price includes his new CD. 3121 is not a new CD in anybody's eyes, least of all Prince's, given his track record at discarding a release almost as soon as it's been offered to the masses.



Again, I understand your caution, but this time around he's being refreshingly direct. A world tour that's touring only London (hey, and people complained at his world tours that only toured the US ) and those who buy a ticket will get his new album included. Fantastic.
Although, it's a sad reflection of his past form that people are thinking the way you are. We always expect the worst

The new album will coincide with the release of his perfume and will be entitled "Smell This."

From the AEG live website (and also on the press release issued at the conference in covent garden) "will include a copy of Prince’s brand new CD, the follow up to the critically acclaimed '3121'."

http://www.aeglive.co.uk/news.php

FunkiestOne said:

It wasn't from the press. It is announced on Prince's website: www.3121.com

Plus... U should have believed it before the announcement anyway...

jimmyreeve said:

Now that's more like it.

jtfolden said:

I'm glad something has now made you as justifiably (in my opinion) enthusiastic as the rest of us.

wait and see?

It says those shows will be the only ones in Europe this year so has he given up on world tours?

Haystack said:

Well, see it's got the earmarkings of a proper statement with supposed backup to the original press release as a source. That sounds like marketing hype you'd expect, talk of critical acclaim, etc...

Wow you guys or girls can bring a smile to a chaps face.

Shorty said:

jtfolden said:

But, ultimately, it still ain't directly from Prince's mouth, but this link obviously convinced you.

It just goes to show that the right wording can make even the most sceptical get excited, regardless of the actual source.

new album and he's gonna go away for awhile?
hmm... i'm suspecting some interesting lyrics

I don't know if anyone mentioned this but I-Tunes showed two albums to be released this year. One is live and the other is a rehash of "greatest hits". The live album had Pass the Peas as opne of the tracks. I'll see if I can find more information.

We'll know here in the states before he gets to London. That's the way it was with Musicology. By the time he gave out the free ones with the tickets I had bought mine from the record store!
[Edited 5/9/07 17:24pm]

Haystack said:

Yes, I said that was more like it. The thing that moved the needle to the more positive side of the meter (thought not 100% yet) is not simply the wording but for the moment I'm taking it on faith from jimmyreeve that the info as printed is the same as handed out in the original press release. So, I suppose that's more of the key right there because if he and that link are more accurate then I was right about the media twisting things, they're just twisting it in the opposite direction (downplaying the new albums news instead of hyping it up).

I'd still be happier with a direct source because Prince normally delivers a little more "oomph" with his album releases but as long as more reliable sources continue to pour in then I'll be less skeptical of the whole thing. If we're still hearing the same vague reporting a week from now then something is wrong, imo.

Giovanni777 said:

That's what I was wondering! I really hope so! really, really hope so!

jtfolden said:

maybe he hasn't settled the actual production/distribution details yet, so is holding back a bit?? I saw somewhere reference to the fact that Universal had no info on a new release.