What do you think would have occured had this album been released? I just get chills when I think about it. We all know that due to "Prince's Highly Rising Machismo" during the "ATWIAD/Parade Era", the fate of "The Revolution" was coming. Correct me on any of this if I happen to be wrong and am just speculating, but how do you feel the "Dream Factory" album would have done had it been released and "Prince & THe Revolution" had kept it together? I, especially feel that if the release had been handled right, there is no telling just how great the success of this band would have been right before they had all went on a more fitting hiatus from each other.

No one can say but i ain't sure it would have had the critical success that Sign "O" The Times did have. Of course more than half of Dream Factory ended up in Sign "O" The Times but the unreleased "Revolution" tracks have a more "adolescent" feeling in 'em than the more mature "solo" tracks. It's hard 2 say anyway since we've all heard the Sign "O" The Times track years b4 we heard the Dream Factory outtakes so i guess 4 most of us (4 me anyway) Dream Factory, great as it was, doesn't sound too cohesive.

What would have been a definitive shock 2 the musical critics & possibly the general public would have been the release of Crystal Ball, cuz 3 CD's of such great (& this time cohesive) music would probably have amazed every one.

shaomi said:

Yeah, I see what you are saying. There is no doubt in my mind that "Crystal Ball" would have been way better than what had come out "Sign "O" The Times", and that is really saying something when you think about it because "Sign "O" The Times" was amazing. That is one of those few albums from "ANYONE" to have ever stayed timeless. But, man, the 3-CD Opus would have been magical, especially considering that there was absolutely no filler material. I still wouldn't rule out "Dream Factory", though. Hell, so far, all that I have really heard was the title track, but it was the concepts that had gotten me all excited, so I could be wrong.

theodore said:

What is that all for? LOL!

FarrahMoan said:

I love it

theodore said:

Hahahaha!!! You're something else. J/K, I think.....

It might have continued to alienate people who didn't dig the experimentalism of ATWIAD and Parade, and Prince may have gone into 'obscurity' earlier than he did - by that I mean he may have become more of 'cult artist' than maintain his status as a 'pop superstar'. Sign O The Times, despite it's greatness, was somewhat a return to more accessible sound.

Personally, If I was stranded on an island and had to choose between taking SOTT or Dream Factory, I would reluctantly take Dream Factory.

FarrahMoan said:

toejam said:

Why reluctantly?

toejam said:

i agree

Here was my take on it, but basically I would have loved to see Dream Factory released.

http://www.prince.org/msg/7/182299

FarrahMoan said:

I think exactly the opposite. Whilst as a fan, the idea of 3LP's sounds great, the culling of a whole disc did the album a favour IMO. 3LPs is a lot for a general audience to take in, and SOTT is viewed as a masterpiece and classic album by casual listeners, fans and critics a like. I'm not sure CB would've had the same legacy - something like the song 'Crystal Ball' itself probably would've been viewed no more than a sprawling, curious oddity from an artist at their peak simply trying out anything they could and just getting away with it.

RE: Dream Factory, I think even more so it would've been viewed as Prince veering even more down that path of ATWIAD and Parade, but the wheels are starting to come off the kart. There's some great stuff on there, but a lot of it's VERY whimsical and might've turned off a lot of people (all the fanfare stuff on All My Dreams for example).

Prince's own reaction to this period, IMO, was The Black Album. That says a lot.
I think the right choices were made, and whilst as fans we want it all, and as an artist, Prince didn't want his vision directed by anyone else, the outcome of the DF/Camille/CB period was SOTT, and THAT was the right outcome IMO for Prince's recording career.
[Edited 6/14/07 2:04am]

I agree with NouveauDance.

Sign O' The Times is a much stronger album than Dream Factory. It's also
worth remembering that had Dream Factory actually been released it almost
certainly wouldn't have had the tracklisting that everyone is familiar with. It's
more likely that it would've resembled the earlier tracklist closer (with more
'Revolution' tracks). I also agree that had Crystal Ball been released instead
of Sign O' The Times, it probably wouldn't have gotten the respect and
universal acclaim that Sign O' The Times has. It would more likely be viewed
as an overlong overindulgent album by the general public and press.

BorisFishpaw said:

In a way, I agree with you all. The public probably would not have been able to take all of that in. However, it still would have been interesting in seeing how it had all worked out. "Dream Factory" would have probably at least been a step or two up from "Parade" (And that is saying something, in my opinion.). "Prince" worked out better as a one-man-band in some cases, and in others, "The Revolution" were a good help. To say that "The Revolution" were not necessary in accomodating "Prince's Views" on musical exploration is still a bleak way on viewing things, though. But, like a lot of you said, some things were handled the way they should have been. I just don't think "Dream Factory". I mean, hell, even if they had to revamp the tracklisting or even the whole album, keeping most of the same concepts, this would have been the chance for "the band" to make a classic album and everyone be equally credited for before everyone went their seperate ways. If they wanted to, this could have been their "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" (I have heard about the reputation for this album as being the quintessential in "Pop Culture of Music", but I hadn't "HEARD" anything from it except for the title track). I don't know, I could be overrating "The Revolution" just a tad bit, but I hope everone understands what I mean about everything I said.

Yes, from a fan's point of view it would've been good to have seen Dream
Factory released in some way. He could have used the album as a breather
between Parade and Crystal Ball/SOTT, releasing it as a swan song for The
Revolution. It could've spawned a few singles but no tour (since the Revolution
would've pretty much over by the time it was released). If this happened it
would probably been a good idea to edit the album down to a single disc, as
releasing a double album, then following it up with another double (or even
triple) would be too much.

1987 would then have seen the release of Dream Factory, with maybe 3 or 4
associated singles (with their accompanying b-sides and videos).

Crystal Ball/SOTT would've then had to have been delayed until early 1988.
Giving Prince more time to tinker with the tracklisting and the tracks themselves,
maybe even re-recording a few of them with the new touring band. Which may
have been a good thing, as some of the subsequent live versions of SOTT
tracks (from the SOTT concert movie) wipe the floor with the album versions.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea.

NouveauDance said:

ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON!

NouveauDance said:

I don't mean to be rude or anything like that, but what do you mean when you say that "The Black Album" was "Prince's Reaction"?

FarrahMoan said:

Because I love both of those albums! But DF wins out. Having said that, I can see why it might not have been the best career move at the time.

BorisFishpaw said:

Since we're talking about this era... what about the live recording made in Paris in 86...? How serious was the idea for a live album of the "Parade" tour?

The boot has P telling the crowd the gig is being recorded and something along the lines of "you're on the record". Do u have some info on this Boris?

BorisFishpaw said:

Yeah... but you've basically laid LS to rest. When would he have found time to make/release it?
OTOH, maybe LS would've been pushed off to 1989, there would've been no Batman, he might've stuck with one of the original GB visions and the 90s would've looked completely different... (perhaps even no D&P!!!!)

wasitgood4u said:

Ah, hell! "Prince" would have still had that "road block" of a "bad trip" with an unknown hallucinogen substance, so he would have made time amidst the scheduled release of "The Black Album"