well with the confirmation that some of prince's 80s albums have been released on vinyl in remastered sound quality...surely the cd remasters cant be far away...this has been long overdue in happening so lets hope that his amazing albums from the 80s get the remastering they deserve on cd...and the thought of 'sign o the times' finally getting the remaster treatment has me ...

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and i just hope they get the deluxe treatment with extras tracks and outtakes but i think that may be hoping for too much...

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if it does you know he will find some way fo fucking it up. I struggle to see how given his religious beliefs, he could sanction remasters of his classic albums unless the lyrics were changed.

funkyhead said:

if it does you know he will find some way fo fucking it up. I struggle to see how given his religious beliefs, he could sanction remasters of his classic albums unless the lyrics were changed.

I actually don't think he would do this. Maybe in 98/99 when the cult thing was in white heat, but not now.

For me, the bigger concern is a) remastering it well and not just "TURN EVERYTHING UP TO ELEVEN!!!!1!" b) they include unreleased tracks, 7/12" versions, b-sides etc. Look at those sorry fucking Madonna remasters from years back, 2 mixes on each disc, seriously?... That would be terrible, because god only knows how long it would take for them to trot them out for re-release again.

funkyhead said:

if it does you know he will find some way fo fucking it up. I struggle to see how given his religious beliefs, he could sanction remasters of his classic albums unless the lyrics were changed.

But Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 were just remastered for vinyl by Bernie Grundman from the original tapes with no censorship:

http://prince.org/msg/7/357631

Hard to see how anything could be more in conflict with Prince's JW beliefs than "Head," "Sexuality," and "Let's Pretend We're Married." It's possible that he didn't know about this project, but I doubt it. If the remastering occurred without his approval I think the vinyl would have been yanked from the shelves by now.

I think what's holding digital remasters up is money: how to get the most and who's going to get it. Either Prince wants to wait until he has ownership of all the masters (or at least the ones through Purple Rain), or they've already worked that out and they're just waiting to finish the vinyl run before releasing digital remasters. I would guess that Purple Rain would be the first album to get the deluxe remaster treatment if any of them do, because that's the one that would sell the most copies.

NouveauDance said:

funkyhead said:

if it does you know he will find some way fo fucking it up. I struggle to see how given his religious beliefs, he could sanction remasters of his classic albums unless the lyrics were changed.

I actually don't think he would do this. Maybe in 98/99 when the cult thing was in white heat, but not now.

For me, the bigger concern is a) remastering it well and not just "TURN EVERYTHING UP TO ELEVEN!!!!1!" b) they include unreleased tracks, 7/12" versions, b-sides etc. Look at those sorry fucking Madonna remasters from years back, 2 mixes on each disc, seriously?... That would be terrible, because god only knows how long it would take for them to trot them out for re-release again.

I definitely agree with your first point. I think Prince is sort of a lukewarm JW at this point. He doesn't want to publicly back away from it, but it's not the focus of his existence like it was when he made TRC.

The fact that Bernie handled the vinyl remasters gives me hope that the digital ones won't be compressed too much. Regarding bonus tracks, I've noticed a trend that more recent remasters tend to include more good stuff (see, for example, the Paul McCartney series and the upcoming Pink Floyd "Immersion" sets). As others have pointed out on the Steve Hoffman forum, people who still buy physical media these days tend to expect more for their money.

But of course we've been disappointed in the past.

Extras would be nice, but the most important thing is to clean up the sound. Most of what we have now sounds like dirt. Can you imagine a pristine SOTT?

AhPook said:

Extras would be nice, but the most important thing is to clean up the sound. Most of what we have now sounds like dirt. Can you imagine a pristine SOTT?

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blackbob, I love your optimism and I share it.

However I don't think this is likely to happen until the little man pops his purple clogs.

I don't think this will happen. I think that the vinyl reissues are simply a way for WB to get some last minute funds before they turn over Prince's masters to him.

I hope they release remastered versions of each album (with or without bonus trax), but I just can't see that happening.

NouveauDance said:

funkyhead said:

if it does you know he will find some way fo fucking it up. I struggle to see how given his religious beliefs, he could sanction remasters of his classic albums unless the lyrics were changed.

I actually don't think he would do this. Maybe in 98/99 when the cult thing was in white heat, but not now.

For me, the bigger concern is a) remastering it well and not just "TURN EVERYTHING UP TO ELEVEN!!!!1!" b) they include unreleased tracks, 7/12" versions, b-sides etc. Look at those sorry fucking Madonna remasters from years back, 2 mixes on each disc, seriously?... That would be terrible, because god only knows how long it would take for them to trot them out for re-release again.

I agree.

On the other hand, once an artist's catalog starts being remastered, it KEEPS being remastered. On and on and on. Look at how many times they've remastered and re-released Bowie's albums in different configurations. I think Elvis Costello's gotten the same treatment. There are some more that aren't coming to mind.

Once they've put in the effort, they're going to milk it for all it's worth. We'll most likely get straight up album remasters, but then the floodgates will be opened for a never-ending series of boutique compilations including box sets of b-sides, box sets of extended versions, box sets of material produced for other artists, box sets of re-created individual singles, etc.

Shafty said:

blackbob, I love your optimism and I share it.

However I don't think this is likely to happen until the little man pops his purple clogs.

well its happening with vinyl now so i think it looks a lot more likely now ..sooner rather than later....other people on here will know more about the process of remastering the cd versions than i do but surely if the vinyl is already out....whats the difference with the cds ?...does it take longer to remaster digital versions of the albums ?...i dont know but surely the vinyl remasters wouldnt be out without prince giving the go ahead...didnt he have a meeting with warners late last year ?....maybe these vinyl releases are the outcome of those meetings and the first step to a complete reissue of all his back catalogue...

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daPrettyman said:

I don't think this will happen. I think that the vinyl reissues are simply a way for WB to get some last minute funds before they turn over Prince's masters to him.

I hope they release remastered versions of each album (with or without bonus trax), but I just can't see that happening.

Maybe. It's possible that releasing the vinyl remasters was part of a deal that got Prince ownership a few years early.

I know that Prince is a terrible businessman, but surely he's smart enough to realize eventually that if he's making a living by touring and playing all his hits from the 1980s, the people who go to those concerts might want to buy those albums after they hear the songs live, and selling the albums is a way to promote his concerts for people who haven't been to them yet. He also changes his mind a lot, and if he goes through a phase when he decides to release the remasters, they'll be out there for us and he won't be able to take them back.

daPrettyman said:

I don't think this will happen. I think that the vinyl reissues are simply a way for WB to get some last minute funds before they turn over Prince's masters to him.

I hope they release remastered versions of each album (with or without bonus trax), but I just can't see that happening.

maybe your right...would warners be able to remaster the original vinyl albums without prince's agreement?...i dont know...if warners are doing this as a last cash in and they have the rights to do this then the cd remasters are still as far away as ever ...hope not...

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[Edited 5/26/11 7:04am]

blackbob said:

Shafty said:

blackbob, I love your optimism and I share it.

However I don't think this is likely to happen until the little man pops his purple clogs.

well its happening with vinyl now so i think it looks a lot more likely now ..sooner rather than later....other people on here will know more about the process of remastering the cd versions than i do but surely if the vinyl is already out....whats the difference with the cds ?...does it take longer to remaster digital versions of the albums ?...i dont know but surely the vinyl remasters wouldnt be out without prince giving the go ahead...didnt he have a meeting with warners late last year ?....maybe these vinyl releases are the outcome of those meetings and the first step to a complete reissue of all his back catalogue...

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The person who wrote to me on behalf of Bernie Grundman Mastering said that they "received the original master tapes" for the vinyl remastering and did that work in January. Unless the tapes were sent out by a Paisley Park employee without Prince's knowledge (a similar thing did happen to Stevie Wonder once), I can't imagine that the original tapes would have left Prince's vault without being digitally archived first. Prince told the Peach & Black guys back in October of last year that the first 6 albums were already remastered at that point. I assume that means they were already digitally remastered prior to sending the tapes to Bernie for the vinyl remastering. (On the other hand, the sequence of events makes me a bit concerned about who did the digital remasters, if it wasn't Bernie.)

See this thread for the Peach & Black interview:

http://prince.org/msg/7/346229

[Edited 5/26/11 7:07am]

I think he will wait until 2013 to do this.

electricberet said:

daPrettyman said:

I don't think this will happen. I think that the vinyl reissues are simply a way for WB to get some last minute funds before they turn over Prince's masters to him.

I hope they release remastered versions of each album (with or without bonus trax), but I just can't see that happening.

Maybe. It's possible that releasing the vinyl remasters was part of a deal that got Prince ownership a few years early.

I know that Prince is a terrible businessman, but surely he's smart enough to realize eventually that if he's making a living by touring and playing all his hits from the 1980s, the people who go to those concerts might want to buy those albums after they hear the songs live, and selling the albums is a way to promote his concerts for people who haven't been to them yet. He also changes his mind a lot, and if he goes through a phase when he decides to release the remasters, they'll be out there for us and he won't be able to take them back.

I just found it odd that they would reissue "Dirty Mind" and not the "Prince" album. That was really odd to me considering that "Prince" sold really well and had his first real hit.

daPrettyman said:

electricberet said:

Maybe. It's possible that releasing the vinyl remasters was part of a deal that got Prince ownership a few years early.

I know that Prince is a terrible businessman, but surely he's smart enough to realize eventually that if he's making a living by touring and playing all his hits from the 1980s, the people who go to those concerts might want to buy those albums after they hear the songs live, and selling the albums is a way to promote his concerts for people who haven't been to them yet. He also changes his mind a lot, and if he goes through a phase when he decides to release the remasters, they'll be out there for us and he won't be able to take them back.

I just found it odd that they would reissue "Dirty Mind" and not the "Prince" album. That was really odd to me considering that "Prince" sold really well and had his first real hit.

Dirty Mind has acquired legendary status since its original release, and often makes lists of the greatest albums of all time. Not so for "Prince." Dirty Mind is also much more popular among the fans, judging by the poll I did:

http://prince.org/msg/7/357438

In today's market, a vinyl remaster of "Prince" (or "For You" for that matter) would probably sell fewer copies than the ones they have issued, and they are doing this in baby steps to see how much demand is out there (which is why they started with a vinyl reissue of Purple Rain). In any event, Prince said in the Peach and Black interview that the deal involves him acquiring ownership after 30 years. So, by his own statement, he already owned Dirty Mind when the tapes were sent to Bernie. If this were a crass attempt by WMG to profit one last time without Prince's permission, the shit would have hit the fan by now. But it could be part of a negotiated settlement of the masters issue.

Shafty said:

blackbob, I love your optimism and I share it.

However I don't think this is likely to happen until the little man pops his purple clogs.

uhhhh, then you DON'T share his optimism. IN SPITE of past precedent, the likelihood, etc, to be optimistic is to STILL hope for a positive outcome.

i'll hold on to my hope and not sabotage it BEFORE it can manifest. remasters ARE coming and WITH worthwhile extras

One thing that puzzles me is why they released a remastered Controversy on vinyl before SOTT, since they are not going in strict chronological order. It could have something to do with SOTT being on the Paisley Park label, though I'm not sure what difference that would make, as Alan Leeds said that Prince was really signed directly to WB. Or it could be that pristine original pressings of SOTT are still relatively easy to find, whereas an original pressing of Controversy is hard to track down in mint condition these days, especially if you want the poster.

TheFreakerFantastic said:

I think he will wait until 2013 to do this.

But what if the world ends in 2012 according to the ancient Mayan calendar?

electricberet said:

TheFreakerFantastic said:

I think he will wait until 2013 to do this.

But what if the world ends in 2012 according to the ancient Mayan calendar?

It already ended last Saturday, didn't you hear?! I got raptured away, it's so cool in heaven, we even get the org

NouveauDance said:

electricberet said:

But what if the world ends in 2012 according to the ancient Mayan calendar?

It already ended last Saturday, didn't you hear?! I got raptured away, it's so cool in heaven, we even get the org

Just like Prince predicted:

http://prince.org/msg/7/228973

"I think there is an afterworld. For some reason, I think it's going to be just like here..."

electricberet said:

NouveauDance said:

It already ended last Saturday, didn't you hear?! I got raptured away, it's so cool in heaven, we even get the org

Just like Prince predicted:

http://prince.org/msg/7/228973

"I think there is an afterworld. For some reason, I think it's going to be just like here..."

I did not even have to look to see the source! I remember reading that over and over.

ping pong balls and 'fat' kid on a bike... and all

[Edited 5/26/11 9:14am]

electricberet said:

TheFreakerFantastic said:

I think he will wait until 2013 to do this.

But what if the world ends in 2012 according to the ancient Mayan calendar?

It's not going to. People seem to forget that the Mayans lived thousands of years ago, they had to stop mapping out their future dates at some point - the fact they did it in what we call 2012 is neither here nor there its just when they stopped drawing out the dates IMO!

An alternative explanation is that this date will signal a consciousness shift, maybe it will but that doesn't mean the end of the world!

The reason I think 2013 is because I believe he is waiting to see what is happening in the music industry. Bear in mind WB has just been taken over so I think he will want to see what the new management is like before agreeing to let them re-cash in on anything.

TheFreakerFantastic said:

electricberet said:

But what if the world ends in 2012 according to the ancient Mayan calendar?

It's not going to. People seem to forget that the Mayans lived thousands of years ago, they had to stop mapping out their future dates at some point - the fact they did it in what we call 2012 is neither here nor there its just when they stopped drawing out the dates IMO!

An alternative explanation is that this date will signal a consciousness shift, maybe it will but that doesn't mean the end of the world!

The reason I think 2013 is because I believe he is waiting to see what is happening in the music industry. Bear in mind WB has just been taken over so I think he will want to see what the new management is like before agreeing to let them re-cash in on anything.

I still don't see why 2013 in particular. I could see 2014 because that's the 30th anniversary of Purple Rain and he said he gets the masters back after 30 years. Kicking off a remaster campaign with a deluxe edition of his most famous album would make sense.

It was previously thought that he gets his albums back after 35 years. If that's right (and Prince is wrong), then the only album he'll own in 2013 is "For You." I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly waiting with bated breath for the "For You" remaster, and I don't think anyone other than his hardcore fans would even notice it.

Check out this twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Prince_Live

The`re talking about a remasterd Sign` O Times.

barao9 said:

Check out this twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Prince_Live

The`re talking about a remasterd Sign` O Times.

Right. And for our desperate speculation about whether this person really knows anything, see this thread:

http://prince.org/msg/7/359706

If we do get digital remasters someday, I wonder if there will be any official announcement, or if some fan will just discover them on a record store website (as was the case with the recent vinyl remasters).

TheFreakerFantastic said:

I think he will wait until 2013 to do this.

I'm going to agree with u on that. I think 2013 is gonna set it off. I would love for it to happen sooner but, let's wait and see.

It definitely could happen in 2013 lol

Waiting for Prince's remasters is like waiting for the big one in California buts theres one thing you know, its coming