This could quite possibly be one of the worst maxi-singles released in his career. The remixes alone could have ended the careers of many an unwary musician.

I still cringe when I hear Rosie Gain's low-fiber-constipated voice belting "I came to parrrrtttayyyy." in one of the ill conceived, obviously hastily put together remixes.

As a matter of fact, Jughead is actually better than most of the tracks on this max-single.


I will admit the first track 1999-The New Master, isn't half bad, and much of the repetition that made the original single , 1999, released back in the early 80s, so damned boring to me, were resolved. The New Master, itself, is actually a more complex redo of the original with some semi-interesting moments in it. But I just can't get past the constant presence of Larry Graham and Rosie Gains, both of whom sound like they're constipated. It ruins the song altogether.


So, what was Prince thinking?
Everyone suspected 1999 would be his year. It was his signature song from one of his best selling albums. It was suspected we'd hear it on the radio constantly.

But we didn't. 1999 came and passed.
Prince released the single in the year 2000 with some explanation that he was releasing it in the real year it was intended for.

But I didn't buy that excuse at all. Does anyone know the story behind this release? Why was it late? Why did he bother to release it at all? Some say its because he wanted to steal some of the thunder from Warner's sell and distribution of 1999 as a single or album, with his own alternate version.
But his timing was way off regardless of his intentions, and I believe it sold little more than 5,000 copies a week at one point.

Does anyone know the scoop on this?

I'm always amazed (or aghast) at the fact that Rosario Dawson was on it.

My copy says (C) 1999 and I'm sure I bought it in 1999. I can't say that I remember that for definite though.

Wikipedia says it was released 2nd February 1999 http://en.wikipedia.org/w...New_Master
[Edited 2/14/09 11:34am]

TheEnglishGent said:

I don't recall. But I remember NPGMC releasing a statement in an email explaining why it was released "late".

This was all about generating cash, plain and simple.

there is not alot in his catalogue I consider to be crap but this is by far on the top of that very small pile.

That thing is just a mess. Actually, the first song on there is all right; I kinda like it. But that's it. The incredibly stupid and erroneous etymology of "Christmas" that comes after it is offensively bad, and then the rest of the mixes are just atrocious.

And then there's the fact that he released it in 1999. If he wanted it to gain any kind of attention, it should have been released toward the end of '98.

..i like the different mixes uesed..#3 is my fav so far!..
..mzsexybaby'REMIX',say it

His worst EP ever!

..prince's music are like children..not perfect but each 1 beautiful ..
..mzsexybaby PFUnk PRINCE 'wish u could sleep in my bed'

This is my own personal review....also available by clicking on the link in my sig.


Where was I when this EP was released? Oh yeah, that's right. I was a 17 year old boy in my final year of high school & I was hanging around with a couple of dudes who claimed that they loved Prince....but believe me, I was pretty damn hardcore compared to those other two fellas. Anyways, from what I can remember, I had heard about the release of the disc on the Internet and of course I was trying with all my might to get my hands on a copy. At the time, Prince was talking about how he'd started re-recording his older songs in an effort to get his music back from his former record label....so it was most definitely very exciting to hear about this particular release. Eventually it was brought to my attention that one of the main importers over here in Sydney was actually carrying the CD, therefore I finally had a chance to get a copy.....the only problem was.....every time I went out to the city, it was always sold out. Every single time without fail. Then one day I found it right on the shelf & took it up front to pay for it....but imagine my disappointment when I discovered that once again, the disc was not available. Damn! This was getting beyond a joke. So anyway I decided to get them to order it in for me & a week later, I went back to the store & purchased it. I remember enjoying what I heard.....or maybe I just felt like I had to like it cause I was such a huge Prince fan. Not too long after this disc was released, Prince vowed to never play the song ever again, as he felt as though it was not necessary to do so in the new millennium. However, while he was performing live in 2003, 2004 & 2007, he actually ended up playing intro until eventually breaking out into the entire song, using it as the opening number for his "Earth Tour" in that same year ('07 that is). What can ya do? He's Prince! As a result of Mr Nelson's vow, I, personally avoided the song as well.....but then after he started singing it again I decided to break out the E.P. & give it a good ole track for track analysis. This is what I had to say:


1999 (The New Master): What Prince has done here is, simply taken the original song, "1999" and given it a bit more of a "house" sound, while still retaining certain parts of the original song. For instance, the weird trippy intro telling us "Don't worry I won't hurt you I only want you to have some fun" is still present. As are the backing vocals from former band members Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson. Of course, the legendary synth line from the original song is still included in this particular remix. He didn't do a bad job, I suppose. My only complaint would be the rap verse from old school rapper Doug E Fresh, who just doesn't fit the song at all....which reminds me, did I just hear Doug saying, "No ego in the game" while directly referring to Prince? Yeah, sure. How much did he get paid for that one? As we all know, this wouldn't be "1999" if it didn't conclude with the rather quirky, baby-like question of, "Mommy....why does everybody have a bomb?" And, sure enough, it does.

Rosario (1999): Funnily enough, this remix actually contains a very subtle sample of the synth line from "Little Red Corvette." I say funnily enough, because, as it is common knowledge amongst hardcore Prince fans, "Little Red Corvette" is the song that followed "1999" on the legendary original album of the same name. That aside, this is a pretty messed up remix that he's decided to include here. He's basically asked the actress Rosario Dawson of such films as "Men In Black" and "Kids," to recite a poem full of incredibly whacked out phrases such as, "Christmas means - get this: to send Christ away." Obviously I very strongly disagree with Prince & all of that Jehovah's Witness stuff that he's been trying to force upon us all ever since he discovered the religion for himself back in the mid-to-late '90s, but hey.....let's allow him to have his own personal views.

1999 (The Inevitable Mix): Prince tries his hand at a bit of a "Latin" sounding remix and throws in some samples from the original song in the process. Perhaps he was trying to make it sound "futuristic," being that he's forever the innovator & what have you when it comes to music. Then again, the whole "latin sound" was pretty big at the time....so I guess you should take that last comment any way you choose. Other than that it's quite a drastically different song compared to the original song. Perhaps the most different thing being that it's actually Rosie Gaines & Larry Graham singing the two opening verses, as opposed to Wendy, Lisa and Dez. To me it sounds pretty lame, but hey Larry was and still is Prince's Yoda, so of course for him, such a combination was the greatest thing in the whole wide world. Oh well.....each to Princey's own.

1999 (Keep Steppin'): This time around, Prince has decided to let Doug E Fresh shine for a little while. The whole remix is rapped by him, while Prince backs him up with a chant of "Armageddon is headin'/Lethal rap weapon/One nine, nine, nine/People keep steppin'." I must admit, that does sound pretty cool, but consider this.....Prince actually asked Doug to write a rhyme all about the world ending. Either that or Doug did it on his own. So, while it may sound cool, by the same token, the whole notion about the world ending after 1999 just sounds stupid several years after the fact. But, let's not forget - that very notion is exactly what made Prince want to sit down & write the song in the first place.

1999 (Rosie & Doug E. In A Deep House): Truth be told, I never really paid attention to this particular version, which, if I recall correctly, was streaming on his old website the NPG Music Club sometime in the early 00s. Being that I never listened to it properly, I always assumed it was just an instrumental version with samples of Doug E Fresh rapping & even more samples of Rosie occasionally doing some jazz scats. While both of these things are present in the song, both performers also bring their own individual contributions to the remix over a much more straight up house beat. Therefore, the title pretty much speaks for itself. Obviously, I never really cared for this remix. So sue me if I go 2 fast....or sumthin'.

1999 (The New Master Edit): Again, the title pretty much speaks for itself: it's just a short version of the main remix. The intro is ommited & it fades out after about four minutes and thirty two seconds. There could be other stuff that's missing too, but I'm unsure.

1999 (Acapella): Obviously Prince included this version in order for disc jockeys to mess around with it & eventually come up with their own personal interpretations of the song. He even listed the Beats Per Minutes (or BPMs for short) on the back cover. Basically this acapella features vocals from Rosie Gaines, Larry Graham, of course Prince, and finally, Doug E Fresh. I've got to be honest, hearing Larry singing the line: "But when I woke up this morning could've sworn it was judgement day" makes me feel pretty uneasy. Prince definitley would've gotten his thrills out of hearing one of his heroes singing his own lyrics though - I'm conviced of that.

Verdict: Back in 1999 it was a big deal to have this thing in your collection. I mean, even the non fans probably went out & copped this disc, which could have very well been the reason for it constantly being sold out whenever I tried to buy it. Couple that with the fact that it originally cost me thirty bucks, but now it sells for as low as thirteen. What a difference. As for the release itself, it's not too bad for what it is. While I may not approve of some of the ways in which Prince may have re-interpreted the song (at the end of the day, he wrote that shit himself - so let him do with it what he will) I can appreciate the fact that the man was also trying new things out with a few of the remixes, and hey, he's a musician so why not let him do that every once in a while? Other than that, the EP is okay.

..#3 has salsa-galore!..
..mzsexybaby'not such a baby'

other people were dropping the bombs at this stage...

ORBITAL TO REUNITE AT BRIXTON ACADEMY! (but sadly not at the London Eye)

Cx

I got mine in 1999 also.

My take was - "if" 1999 was going to be the song of the New Years Eve, Prince didn't want Warners getting all the money - thus the re-release with the hopes of making it the track to play.

Swa

Swa said:

exactly

I've never heard, "The New Master," but I always thought that was the coolest picture.

If P had been smart he should have released the demos and outtakes from "1999" (in his vaults). I would have gladly paid for that. Glad I passed on the "new master".

anc282 said:

I payed 9.99 reguar price when it came out

LazarusHeart said:

There's no 'possibly' about it - IT IS

Let's just say money mattered many in '99.

I don't really understand the hate for this release, I think It's cool 2 listen 2 once in a while.

Thibaut said:

I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that I think fans hate this release because it sucks total ass.

The new master isn't bad, I particularly like the latin bridge toward the end, but for the most part, it was meant as leverage, not as a great song we'll listen to for years to come
By the way, I don't think it was about money, but more a shot across the bow of Warner to imply he willing to waste his time re-recording all the old songs so as to technically get his masters back.
Deep down, I think Prince was willing to steal his own thunder-by re-recording his old albums, therefore watering them down- just to steal theirs. Thankfully, he didn't release them.

The irony of it all: when he gets his masters back, what is he going to do with them? Snuggle on a cold night with them? Put them in a turkey sandwich and chow down?
And will he really be any happier? Maybe, but I think since '99, Prince has found happiness without his masters, and more with his Maker.

I don't think it's that bad and it was on pretty purple vinyl:


[Edited 2/15/09 15:16pm]

djdaffy1227 said:

I've got one of those but it's still wrapped up

When we will admit that P's primary concern over the past 10 years (if not more!!!! ) has been making money.....

This is not criticism, just a fact.

eireboy34 said:

If he hadn't done cheap shows in London, and put out some songs for free, I might be tempted to agree with you. If he was all about the money, he'd have also released all the stuff in his vault for us to buy. I just can't see this idea that Prince is all about money. Obviously he wants to make money, (and who can blame him?), but if that was all that interested him he could do so much more to earn it.

..i really enjoyed the 1999(acapella)..
..mzsexybaby'i feel it' represent chicago

eireboy34 said:

If this was so, would it not have been far easier and profitable for him to go along with the Warners release of the original version and milk it with promo appearances and other re-releases at the time.

The New Master was a mis-step on a lot of fronts, but it clearly wasn't about making as much money as possible.