I'm not sure if the topic has been up here yet.. in fact I'm pretty sure it was (considering the number of posts on this forum), but since I can't find it- here it goes:

I just recently started listening to the Crystal Ball and like it a lot. I'm surprised how little respond there is to the 4-set of albums.
What do you guys think about it?

In general I think most people like it that r that n2 Prince. Otherwise the masses rnt going 2b that interested. y b/c they for whatever reason cant value the quality of work Prince puts out. I guess that`s y we`re here.

I love Crystal ball...4 a Prince fan its a "must have". 4 a new Prince fan, its a very good introduction 2 the man. I love the acoustic material. But i think the songs on disc 1 & 2 rock me the most.

nosajd said:

Mikey71b said:

What? Skip the Princebonics. They're old, and no one will read through the mess.
[Edited 3/4/10 12:13pm]

Agnieszka020 said:

The original Crystal Ball is a lot better. The 3 disk set he released, with The Truth, and Kamasutra was just his "cleaning up the bootleg market" a bit (per his own words). It was a cheap way to invoke the "Crystal Ball" name, while not delivering the original product. And really, if you take out the remixes (which are unnecessary), and put everything in order, you'd have about 1 disk of music at most, yet he spread it out over 3 disks and charged more for it.

ernestsewell said:

1st of all, u read both of our posts so ur wrong. 2nd of all my ass is on a little nv3 so it`s a little ezier to shorten that shit sometimes, back to topic ernest.

ernestsewell said:

I didn't know there was an original crystal ball vs 'unoriginal' crystal ball (?). What's the difference between them? I have the 4-cd set, which means the 'unoriginal' crystal ball?

nosajd said:

No, I am correct. I saw a bunch of drivel, cut and pasted, and replied. Princebonics doesn't make you cool, or closer to, or like Prince. Just makes you lame. You don't want to be lame, do you?

ernestsewell said:

so long as I`m not as lame as u.

nosajd said:

How old are you guys?
And about the topic?

Agnieszka020 said:

Here's a good starting point: http://en.wikipedia.org/w...d_album%29

Agnieszka020 said:

The original Crystal Ball in 1987/1988 had some of the songs from SOTT, as well as other yet-unreleased songs like "Train", "Big Tall Wall", etc.

The one released in 1998 was nothing but a compilation of outtakes. It was great that we had cleaner versions of the title track, "Acknowledge Me", "Dream Factory", "Sexual Suicide", "Ripopgodazippa", etc, but it wasn't how Crystal Ball was originally intended. Prince stated that he wanted to "clean up the bootleg market a bit" with the CB release. It was good that he did, and there was a CB II in the works, but it never materialized. God only knows why - but it's probably Prince losing interest in something, yet again.

CB original and final configuration as of November 30, 1986:

A
Rebirth of the Flesh
Play In the Sunshine
Housequake
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker

B
It
Starfish and Coffee
Slow Love
Hot Thing

C
Crystal Ball
If I Was Your Girlfriend
Rockhard In A Funky Place


D
The Ball
Joy In Repetition
Strange Relationship
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man


E
Shockadelica
Good Love
Forever In My Life
Sign O The Times

F
The Cross
Adore
It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night

The only outstanding song not released is some fashion is "The Ball". "Rebirth" was released as a live cut during NPGMC 2001. On 30 Years of Unreleased Funk, the original first two tracks, and how they segued together was bootlegged out. Interesting to hear "Rebirth" segue into "Sunshine". Also, there is a slightly different version of "ICNTTPOYM" out there. Just a bit of a rearrangement, and a some extra stuff at the beginning that's floating around out there.

It just seems that Prince using the "CB" name was a cheap ploy to gain interest in the project. The original CB wasn't an outtake set per se, it was new music, although the eventual CB was "new" in the regard that those tunes had not been released before, a lot of it wasn't new (like the remixes, or even "Good Love" which was already out on the soundtrack).

billymeade said:

I thought you guys don't love wiki

Agnieszka020 said:

Not sure who told you that... but I love it.

I think it's messy and poorly put together. I "get" what Prince was going for, an "official bootleg", but it just ends up doing more harm than good to the set - poor editing, superfluous overdubs, horribly loud mastering (or mixing, whatever you tech-heads say it is), unnecessary remixes, which could've been replaced by other unreleased tracks, unchronological track order makes for a poor listening experience. I would've much preferred a chronological set.

This is all before we go into the ordering and distribution methods he used (or didn't!) back in 1998!

On the plus side much of the material, individually, is great, with the welcome inclusion of many of the better 1993/94 tracks that missed the cut on Come & TGE.

Agnieszka020 said:

I think it was a missed opportunity. Very unfortunate how matters things bteween prince and his fans turned out after that.

Like others have said I was dissapointed that so little real outtakes and so many remixes, most of which were pretty lame and just serving as filler in my humble opinion.

I also think that when you cut those tracks, and put the remaining tracks in chronological order you would get a very decent Prince album. One of his best actually of the 90's.

Alas, it couldn't be. And yeah, let's not get started on the distribution and the war than ensued after that. Took them a year to deliver it to me. Some never even got it.

I love it. After being pissed about the poor distribution and handling of pre-orders, I got over it and enjoyed the cuts. I don't skip a single track on the first 3 CDs.

squirrelgrease said:

I remember going to Border's and buying it, as well as Liz Jones' horrible Purple Reign book. I read the book while listening to the CDs. I wasn't thrilled w/ the book, nor "Calhouse Square" and "Da Bang". I liked the set overall though. Still do.

ernestsewell said:

I fucking bought the retail petri-dish Crystal Ball at Best Buy because my 1-800-New Funk pre-order hadn't shipped yet. So I have an extra mint copy of the hockey puck edition. Prince has such a great track record with these kinds of things... who'da thunk?

By the way, I love me some Calhoun Square.

Calhoun Square is great. One of the best tracks on there.

The Truth is also high quality, tho' not CB technically.

Tremolina said:

The Truth is a keeper, though I can't listen to Animal Kingdom without wincing.

Hated it when i first listened but now i listen 2 it everyday

I love crystal ball.

Cloreen bacon skin makes me

have always loved CB
Have the one from 1-800-yeah-I-GOT -MINE
and I bought one @ Best Buy
I've taken what I like off the cd's now they just sit in storage

I wish I could find this to replace my set which is worn out lol I would get 2 one to play and one to keep wrapped up. I never thought the day would come where it would be hard to get Prince music.

I still have that shirt that came with it (I like safe sex) never worn lol.

one of my favs I Love it!!!

utopia7 said:

And it'll only get harder and harder.

In ten years Musicology will be no where to be found, since the NPG label seemingly can't figure out how to repress and re-contract. Even Lotusflow3r will be a pricy item (remember, in Europe, Asia and all around you'd have to import it from the US, which leads us to ask Prince: "WTF?").

And if the trend keeps up .. then in 100 years, Wikipedia and all the encyclopedia's will delete their article on Prince, since no one konws him and no one cares (as they've never heard a single note of his music).

Anyway, this is off topic.

I think Crystal Ball is respectable, nothing more. Some of the songs seems to slap you in the face with missed potential, others (like the title track) are just ace.

I would how ever recommend buying it for any fan, as it really (to me) is the best book end to Prince's 1990s (his 2000s started with The Rainbow Children and Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic never happened)

I like Crystal Ball. Calhoun Square is a great song.

squirrelgrease said:

And what exactly is wrong with the line 'funky funky blue cheese'? Clearly your perceptions have changed.