runphilrun said:

I called Amoeba records yesterday, and the guy that answered said he wasn't even aware there were reissues and the store didn't have them .

During my few days in LA, I made the trip to Amoeba, just to see it tbh, and I saw a stand full of Prince LPs, which of course thrilled me

I suddenly remembered these reissues/remasters, so snapped them up, though on reflection now, they don't have anything on them to say they are a remaster or a reissue (or anything about Rhino for that matter). They do all have a sticker on them though that says HQ-180, so I'm hoping I got the right ones.

I mentioned to the cashier that I'd flown from Melbourne to LA to see Prince and he nodded and said, "I get it. I used to work for him." - he was a promotions manager at one of his Glam Slam nightclubs! It was nice to meet someone who didn't think I was crazy for making the trip

Now I just have to pack them well so that they make it home to Australia safely!!

These were delivered to my desk at work today.. and I couldnt wait to get home..

and

HOLY SHIT!

totally worth the wait.

they sound awesome... they sound like new songs , i cant believe it.. i mean ive heard these songs millions of times... MILLIONS! i know them like the back of my hand..

but it felt like i was discovering them all over again..

just hearing prince's voice so clearly is UNREAL.. UNREAL!!!!!!

and the guitar comes thru so much harder, especially on Dirty Mind...

and i never cared for UPTOWN..(i know there is something wrong with me).. but its driving me CRAZY right now.. just hearing this one guitar part turned up and prince's vocals so crystal clearly make all the difference in the world.

OH MY GOD.. imagine what SOTT and Parade are going to sound like....

itsjustaroundthecorner said:

These were delivered to my desk at work today.. and I couldnt wait to get home..

Thanks for posting! Can't wait to play the ones I bought (have to get back home from California first ) - did yours mention anything on the packaging about being a reissue/remaster, or did it simply mention HQ-180 or similar? Did it say Rhino anywhere, or just the old standard WB info on the back?

Just want to make sure I got the right ones! Though I've not heard of any of those being released in 180g before this, so I'm assuming it's right...

Regardless, this is great news!!

If these are true remasters (as it appears to be confirmed By Bernie Grundman mastering)

- why isn't everyone going crazy ??

Maybe it will take a CD release to make people excited ?

I sold all my LP gear not that long ago... so I will be waiting for the CD myself.

FunkyStrange said:

If these are true remasters (as it appears to be confirmed By Bernie Grundman mastering)

- why isn't everyone going crazy ??

Maybe it will take a CD release to make people excited ?

It will. I couldn't care less about LPs. Give me CDs. Or 24-bit 192 kHz FLAC files.

FunkyStrange said:

If these are true remasters (as it appears to be confirmed By Bernie Grundman mastering)

- why isn't everyone going crazy ??

Maybe it will take a CD release to make people excited ?

I sold all my LP gear not that long ago... so I will be waiting for the CD myself.

I would say that those of us who have heard the vinyl remasters are pretty excited. A lot more people (including myself) will get excited if we get CD remasters one day. But for now this is what we've got.

FunkyStrange said:

Chiquetet said:

runphilrun said:

I called Amoeba records yesterday, and the guy that answered said he wasn't even aware there were reissues and the store didn't have them .

During my few days in LA, I made the trip to Amoeba, just to see it tbh, and I saw a stand full of Prince LPs, which of course thrilled me

I suddenly remembered these reissues/remasters, so snapped them up, though on reflection now, they don't have anything on them to say they are a remaster or a reissue (or anything about Rhino for that matter). They do all have a sticker on them though that says HQ-180, so I'm hoping I got the right ones.

I mentioned to the cashier that I'd flown from Melbourne to LA to see Prince and he nodded and said, "I get it. I used to work for him." - he was a promotions manager at one of his Glam Slam nightclubs! It was nice to meet someone who didn't think I was crazy for making the trip

Now I just have to pack them well so that they make it home to Australia safely!!

If you saw the pics No Video provided, those indeed are the Rhino reissues. Strange, that the employee at Amoeba said that they didn't have them when I spoke to him over the phone. Must have been clueless or careless. Anyways, I should get my LPs by Monday. I can't wait!

I hope they remaster SOTT. The sound quality on that album was really poor. I always gotta put my volume almost to the the maximum whenever i listen to it.

SOTT might desperately need remastering, but if you really have to almost maximize the volume when listening to that album then it's your sound system that's to blame. I'd recommend spending the money on a new system instead of even considering spending it on any potential remasters.

temptation68 said:

Should I just burn down my in laws home (NOT SERIOUS) for throwing away my PRINCE AND MORRIS DAY album collection. I started buying Prince in 79 age 11. These friggin lunatics tossed them because they said it was the DEVILS music. I have been the Devil towards my husband since I found out the horrid news..... Ugh! Rhino here I come.... Friggin fraggin lunatics

nah don't burn anything .. just throw away something they care about .. like their bibles or a cross or two ..

Each of these vnyl reissues need their own threads.

novabrkr said:

SOTT might desperately need remastering, but if you really have to almost maximize the volume when listening to that album then it's your sound system that's to blame. I'd recommend spending the money on a new system instead of even considering spending it on any potential remasters.

I got a Sony hi fi system and it was a very expensive set Not only does it sound poor on the system, but also when I listen to it on my ipod.

Genius album that is in need of remastering imo. Hope they do it.

Ok, sorry about my response then. I've just noticed that a lot of people are listening to music exclusively on desktop speakers these days. Those really don't have a lot of range for volume available. Especially as they seem to be manufactured with the presumption that all albums these days are mastered to be really loud (and apparently with the additional presumption that no one listens to older music either).

SOTT is much lower in volume than any other Prince album... Did someone else mix or master that album than the others?

DaveG said:

SOTT is much lower in volume than any other Prince album... Did someone else mix or master that album than the others?

The liner notes say it was engineered by Susan Rogers, Coke Johnson & Prince, and "originally mastered by Bernie Grundman." On my copy, I can clearly see Bernie's distinctive handwriting in the deadwax of Side 3. The other sides have some numbers that appear to be in a different handwriting.

I just got the lot of the new LPs. Shit man, this sounds REAL good compared to my old vinyl and CDs. It's pretty damn exciting. I'm somewhat shocked that no one is shitting their pants over this really? Makes me want to smash the CDs

How can Rhino put these out and not even one press release? So strange.

I just walked into my local Best Buy and was surprised to find that they have a whole vinyl section now, and that Prince's remastered vinyls were all in stock (except for 1999, which might have just been sold). I can't recall the last time I saw new vinyl records being sold in a chain store like that, except for the old chain record stores that have all closed down now. I gather that Best Buy has been selling them for a while but I didn't notice it until today. I wonder if vinyl will start popping up at places like Target next, where it was missing for a very long time.

I also noticed that my Best Buy had some sealed copies of The Rainbow Children CD still on the shelves, even though it's out of print. Maybe they just never sold the ones they got ten years ago. I've heard people saying that it's much easier to sell used vinyl records nowadays than it is to sell used CDs. This would probably be a good time to check the CD bins at your local wrecka stow. Your local dealer may not realize that a genuine CD of Vanity 6 or The Family is actually worth a significant amount of money. There may be quite a few of these that have been lingering in the shelves for years, even brand-new sealed copies.

[Edited 5/29/11 21:11pm]

You can't buy them outside the USA, is it any wonder he's all but 4got10 in NZ and anywhere outside of USA/Scandinavia/Germany/netherlands/France/UK.

Thank god in my storage unit is a crate of 80s vinyl including at least 10 Prince albums, 20 singles (12inch and 7inch) and several Time, Sheila E and an Apollonia 6 album. Once I get a record player, out they come. My favourite item, an original copy of For You, complete with illustrated liner bag (The floating guitar bed thing on one side, Instrument list on the other - "handclapsandfingasnaps"), now thats a treat.

Just recently bought all three here in Norway in a record store called Big Dipper. They also told me the records will be avaiable for quite some while, as they will import these whenever they need too. Problem is, that's about the only store in Norway that I know of would be interessted in, or even know that there's any reissues of Prince.

NoVideo said:

On side 3 of 1999 now. Jammin' to "Automatic". Should have been a big single in the US.

"Automatic" is my all-time favorite Prince song.I still can't believe that it wasn't released as a single.

SoulAlive said:

NoVideo said:

On side 3 of 1999 now. Jammin' to "Automatic". Should have been a big single in the US.

"Automatic" is my all-time favorite Prince song.I still can't believe that it wasn't released as a single.

It was, but only in Australia.

SoulAlive said:

NoVideo said:

On side 3 of 1999 now. Jammin' to "Automatic". Should have been a big single in the US.

"Automatic" is my all-time favorite Prince song.I still can't believe that it wasn't released as a single.

No matter how much of a classic it is, it would NEVER be a hit. It just isn't melodic or catchy enough. And the beat is too stripped down for the general public. It would be a fiasco. But I love it.

njin said:

SoulAlive said:

"Automatic" is my all-time favorite Prince song.I still can't believe that it wasn't released as a single.

No matter how much of a classic it is, it would NEVER be a hit. It just isn't melodic or catchy enough. And the beat is too stripped down for the general public. It would be a fiasco. But I love it.

Anyone know whether it charted in Australia? Princevault does not have the chart information. I'm curious as to why it was released there and nowhere else.

NoVideo said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

bathrooms may be a poor place to hang it. they tend to get too humid. Could damage the poster. But they sell poster frames at shops. Maybe try a Micheal's craft store?

Good point; probably just hang it in my loft, where i have my music set up. I could just buy a frame, true... i usually have them professionally done but it might be simpler just to try Michaels (and cheaper!)

I used to have it framed in a poster frame years ago and it looked horrible. It wasn't because it was a poster frame though, it was because of the poster itself. It had permanent creases all throughout the poster because of the way it had been folded up and packaged in the album cover when it was released. When light hit the poster a certain way, you could see squares all over it from all the creases.

I have come to the temporary conclusion that this release must be a Warner/Rhino effort, with no Prince involvement.

Tremolina said:

I have come to the temporary conclusion that this release must be a Warner/Rhino effort, with no Prince involvement.

I find it hard to imagine that they could create vinyl remasters from the original tapes without Prince's approval, and without him even objecting to what they're doing. I remember that when "The Very Best of Prince" came out, he posted some message on his official website at the time urging fans not to buy it. There has also been much speculation that Prince refused to allow "Erotic City" to be included on the "Prince: Ultimate" project. I'd think that, if Prince didn't like this, he would have made some comment about it through Dr. Funkenberry, painted "Slave" on his face again, or something.

I think what happened is that WMG asked Prince if they could remaster these albums for vinyl, and he gave his approval but refused to do any promotion for them (other than playing the tracks at his concerts, which he does anyway). He knows that there isn't much money to be made from vinyl in any event, and it won't interfere with whatever long-term plans he may have for digital remasters.

But that's just a guess.

electricberet said:

Tremolina said:

I have come to the temporary conclusion that this release must be a Warner/Rhino effort, with no Prince involvement.

I find it hard to imagine that they could create vinyl remasters from the original tapes without Prince's approval, and without him even objecting to what they're doing. I remember that when "The Very Best of Prince" came out, he posted some message on his official website at the time urging fans not to buy it. There has also been much speculation that Prince refused to allow "Erotic City" to be included on the "Prince: Ultimate" project. I'd think that, if Prince didn't like this, he would have made some comment about it through Dr. Funkenberry, painted "Slave" on his face again, or something.

I think what happened is that WMG asked Prince if they could remaster these albums for vinyl, and he gave his approval but refused to do any promotion for them (other than playing the tracks at his concerts, which he does anyway). He knows that there isn't much money to be made from vinyl in any event, and it won't interfere with whatever long-term plans he may have for digital remasters.

But that's just a guess.

I didnt think it was a secret that Prince actually wants his shit remastered but the record company dealings always go awry for whatever reasons. At least thats what I recall form that Prince podcast episode a few months ago.

Heck I even think Prince wants the extras on them . I went to that BET aftershow back in 2007(?) and spoke with somene there who worked on the Purple Rain anniversary special edition dvd. He told me there were so many things they were /had to put on there but "talks" broke down. Not between Prince and WB or Prince and lawyers...but with lawyers for BOTH sides before Prince even spoke a peep in the issue. Of course that was then and this is now so I think Prince is actually more involved now then before in attempts to get this remastered issues rectified , but things have changed hands since with WB incorporated etc so its didfferent now. But I think he is all for it..orignal music, no edits, etc. Its only legal logistics now.

[Edited 5/30/11 12:32pm]

xlr8r said:

electricberet said:

I find it hard to imagine that they could create vinyl remasters from the original tapes without Prince's approval, and without him even objecting to what they're doing. I remember that when "The Very Best of Prince" came out, he posted some message on his official website at the time urging fans not to buy it. There has also been much speculation that Prince refused to allow "Erotic City" to be included on the "Prince: Ultimate" project. I'd think that, if Prince didn't like this, he would have made some comment about it through Dr. Funkenberry, painted "Slave" on his face again, or something.

I think what happened is that WMG asked Prince if they could remaster these albums for vinyl, and he gave his approval but refused to do any promotion for them (other than playing the tracks at his concerts, which he does anyway). He knows that there isn't much money to be made from vinyl in any event, and it won't interfere with whatever long-term plans he may have for digital remasters.

But that's just a guess.

I didnt think it was a secret that prnc eacxtually wants hi shit rmeatered but the record company dealings always go awry for whatever reasons. At elast thats what I recall form that Prince podcast episode a few months ago.

Heck I even think Prince wants the extras on them . I went to that BET aftershow back in 2007(?) and spoke with somene there who worked on the Purple Rain anniversary special edition dvd. he told me there were so many things they were /had to put on there but "talks" broke down. Not between Prince and WB or Prince and lawyers...but with lawyers for BOTH sides before Prince even spoke a peep in the issue. Of courrse that was then and this is now so I think Prince is actually mor einvolved now then before in attempts to get this remastered issues rectified , but things have changed hands since with WB incorporated etc so its didfferent now. But I think he is all for it..orignal music, no edits, etc. Its only legal logistics now.

Legal logistics meaning: who owns the masters and who gets the money when new music is released. I think that's what it boils down to. I think the reason these vinyl remasters are coming out is that WMG either offered him an advance, or accelerated ownership of his masters, or both, as a way to get him to agree to it.

I'd bet that Prince has had many different plans over the years for what he'd like to do with his masters once he owns them. But he's obviously not in a rush, because he could have cut a deal with WB/WMG at any point. The stuff in the Paisley Park vault is his pension fund. If he ever gets to the point where he can't make all the money he wants from other endeavors, he always has that vault to fall back on.

I find it hard to imagine that they could create vinyl remasters from the original tapes without Prince's approval, and without him even objecting to what they're doing. I remember that when "The Very Best of Prince" came out, he posted some message on his official website at the time urging fans not to buy it. There has also been much speculation that Prince refused to allow "Erotic City" to be included on the "Prince: Ultimate" project. I'd think that, if Prince didn't like this, he would have made some comment about it through Dr. Funkenberry, painted "Slave" on his face again, or something.

I think what happened is that WMG asked Prince if they could remaster these albums for vinyl, and he gave his approval but refused to do any promotion for them (other than playing the tracks at his concerts, which he does anyway). He knows that there isn't much money to be made from vinyl in any event, and it won't interfere with whatever long-term plans he may have for digital remasters.

But that's just a guess.

^

I would guess Prince is not that easy when it comes to this issue. But it's just a guess.

Also, if you ask me, tho I'm not a recording technician either, "remasters" aren't always necessarily made from the original (multi track) tapes. Preferably so maybe, but not necessarily.

My bets are, that everybody that is involved in the game somehow, is beginning to play their part right now.

That means all the players. Not just the main ones, Prince and Warner, but also associated artists, business partners and even (ex)wives.

What it all boils down to legally is: who owns or (or after 35 years) will own (part of) the copyrights to the 80's recordings? The issue of what tapes were used exactly for remastering and who exactly has those tapes in his possession is not irrelevant, but of minor importance if you ask me.

Going by (the little) we know about this issue from those involved at this point, and what I know myself of copyright practices in the music industry, my guess (but really no more) at this moment is, that Prince hasn't gotten any rights back yet, not untill 2013 (35 years). WB can therefore still remaster and re-release these WB records Dirty Mind, Controversy and 1999, through Rhino (a WB company), without Prince's approval, when and as long as it concerns vinyl releases.

But when into comes to cd's and digital remastering technology, it could very well be a different story, because those technologies didn't exist yet at the time of signing the original copyright transfer clauses, regarding these albums (back in the late 70's or early 80's). Because these technologies didn't yet exist back then, legally, they can not be covered by those transfer clauses. This issue is commonly known in copyright contracts as "future rights". Rights that do not exist yet at the time of signing a copyright transfer.

On the other hand, the vinyl remastering technologies that were used now, presumably, are most probably covered by those agreements because those technologies did exist back then already and therefore are covered by the transfer clause. Hence these releases by Rhino/WB, yet without a word by Prince.

This is all theory of course and I could be wrong about this. (Even if we would have knowledge of all the contracts, we probably stil'l couldnt be sure 100% who owns what)

[Edited 5/30/11 13:00pm]