Hi everyone

I am new to the forum, but have been a massive Prince fan for years. One of the main reasons for joining, is that after lurking for a while before I joined, I found the level of Prince knowledge here to be exceptional, so I was confident that someone would be able to answer any questions I have?

As the title of my post suggests, I am after some advice in regards to adding to my Prince music collection. I am a CD collector, not a vinyl collector, which i know is frowned upon in some circles, but that's another discussion for another day.

Anyway... while I do collect other CD's, as well, I am keen on compiling as complete a Prince CD collection as I can. I have most official album releases, and I am working on making that all. I am currently short of Indigo Nights, Lotus Flower, One Night Alone and Crystal ball, plus 3 compilation albums, (Girl 6, The Very Best of Prince, and Ultimate Prince), and some of the harder to find (£££££) NPG releases (I have New Power Soul and Exodus).

I have 2 separate questions for now in regards to furthering my collection...

The 1st is in relation to the download only albums from the former NPG music club, and where I would be able to get a hold of these now in the absence of the site. I must add that I have read the terms and the notes in relation to bootlegs, etc, but must qualify my statement by adding that I myself am no fan of bootlegs, copies, fakes ( I did fall for a fake version of Apollonia 6's album on eay some time ago, which I promptly returned for a full refund)...

I was just wondering if there was still some way of obtaining a legitimate copy of the download only albums. I actually was a paid up member of the NPG website, but, and as weird as this sounds, it was before I had full access PC, I was signed up on works PC, which meant I could not download anything. And so I missed the boat.

If anyone can help in relation to information regarding the download only albums, I would be greatly appreciative,

My 2nd question is in relation to obtaining legitimate versions of the extended versions of Let's go Crazy and Erotic City, on CD. I have the Hits/B Sides set, so I have that version of EC, and I obviously own both the CD and DVD versions of Purple Rain, but would love to own the full extended version of LGC in some form, minus the film dialogue.

Again, information in relation to these, I would be extremely thankful.

Anyway, back to work for me... Think I'll listen to Dirty Mind as I go.

Cheers

Kev

The extended version of "Let's Go Crazy" is on the Prince: Ultimate compilation, along with several other extended versions. "Erotic City" is not on that compilation, but it was released on a German mini-CD single that you can easily find on sites such as eBay. You'll need to make sure that your CD player or drive can play those mini-CDs: some external disc drives can and others cannot.

As far as I know, there is no legitimate way to purchase the download-only albums from the NPGMC. I wish Prince would set up a website to allow fans to do that, but that would make too much sense.

Kever10 said:

Hi everyone

I am new to the forum, but have been a massive Prince fan for years. One of the main reasons for joining, is that after lurking for a while before I joined, I found the level of Prince knowledge here to be exceptional, so I was confident that someone would be able to answer any questions I have?

As the title of my post suggests, I am after some advice in regards to adding to my Prince music collection. I am a CD collector, not a vinyl collector, which i know is frowned upon in some circles, but that's another discussion for another day.

Anyway... while I do collect other CD's, as well, I am keen on compiling as complete a Prince CD collection as I can. I have most official album releases, and I am working on making that all. I am currently short of Indigo Nights, Lotus Flower, One Night Alone and Crystal ball, plus 3 compilation albums, (Girl 6, The Very Best of Prince, and Ultimate Prince), and some of the harder to find (£££££) NPG releases (I have New Power Soul and Exodus).

I have 2 separate questions for now in regards to furthering my collection...

The 1st is in relation to the download only albums from the former NPG music club, and where I would be able to get a hold of these now in the absence of the site. I must add that I have read the terms and the notes in relation to bootlegs, etc, but must qualify my statement by adding that I myself am no fan of bootlegs , copies, fakes ( I did fall for a fake version of Apollonia 6's album on eay some time ago, which I promptly returned for a full refund)...

I was just wondering if there was still some way of obtaining a legitimate copy of the download only albums. I actually was a paid up member of the NPG website, but, and as weird as this sounds, it was before I had full access PC, I was signed up on works PC, which meant I could not download anything. And so I missed the boat.

If anyone can help in relation to information regarding the download only albums, I would be greatly appreciative,

My 2nd question is in relation to obtaining legitimate versions of the extended versions of Let's go Crazy and Erotic City, on CD. I have the Hits/B Sides set, so I have that version of EC, and I obviously own both the CD and DVD versions of Purple Rain, but would love to own the full extended version of LGC in some form, minus the film dialogue.

Again, information in relation to these, I would be extremely thankful.

Anyway, back to work for me... Think I'll listen to Dirty Mind as I go.

Cheers

Kev

Frankly spoken , I can't fathom that at all ;

Many of his unreleased songs and live recordings are fantastic

Infact , they are what keeps me interested and are the reason that i'm such a huge fan

If it was for his latest output only i would've lost interest

I have no problem listening to bootlegs of unauthorized recordings. However, I don't want to spend one cent on a counterfeit version of something that was officially released, even if the original costs hundreds of dollars. If that is what the OP means then I agree with him.

electricberet said:

The extended version of "Let's Go Crazy" is on the Prince: Ultimate compilation, along with several other extended versions. "Erotic City" is not on that compilation, but it was released on a German mini-CD single that you can easily find on sites such as eBay. You'll need to make sure that your CD player or drive can play those mini-CDs: some external disc drives can and others cannot.

As far as I know, there is no legitimate way to purchase the download-only albums from the NPGMC. I wish Prince would set up a website to allow fans to do that, but that would make too much sense.

These were released on regular 5" CDs too.

[Edited 8/23/12 8:00am]

electricberet said:

I have no problem listening to bootlegs of unauthorized recordings. However, I don't want to spend one cent on a counterfeit version of something that was officially released, even if the original costs hundreds of dollars. If that is what the OP means then I agree with him.

yeah i thought he might've meant that too

[Edited 8/23/12 8:15am]

electricberet said:

Unfortunately in order to have the NPG downloadable albums then you are have to download, as some might say, a bootleg.

I rather think of it as a friend lending me their MP3 (MP3 is the only format these were released in), but in saying that if an official release of The Slaughterhouse, The Chocolate Invasion, C-NOTE and/or Xpectation came along in the morning then I'd be buying those...and very happy to do so.

But at the moment you are reliant on a virtual friend to share with you.

Good luck with the actual albums, but don't forget the CD singles as some very cool B-sides are ther to be found as well as some extended singles, like Gett Off, Cream and Letitgo to mention but three.

Then the once off CD singles like SST/Brand New Orleans and U Make My Sun Shine.

But one peice of advice...don't get hung up on what you need but rather enjoy what you have.

Update:

Managed to get a copy of Ultimate Prince, so I've finally got the extended Let's go Crazy. Thanks electricberet.

Not got extended Erotic City yet, but I am on it... I found a copy of the 5" single mentioned by NouveauDance on Amazon which is cheaper than most of the ebay ones, so probably go for that.

I also managed to get a (authentic, hopefully) copy of the Vanity 6 CD from a seller on Amazon.com, which was pretty cool.

Still working on the others though. There used to be a really good independent CD shop in Liverpool in the Palace on Slater street that had the occasional rare/Bootleg CDs, but that closed years ago and there's nothing similar to my knowledge, apart from the occasional CD fair.

Anyway, 1 further question following on from my others...

I am doing a "My ultimate introduction to Prince" playlist in an attempt to convert my brother, and 1 other "extended" version I would like to put on it is the full length "Computer Blue".

Any ideas where I can find this?

Cheers in advance.

P.S. jfrost, totally agree with that sentiment... I do appreciate the stuff I've already got, even more so lately while I have been going back through everything trying to make this playlist for my bro...

It's hard trying to find that balance narrowing down the entire back catalogue to roughly 50 tracks... I was going through the entire track list on my iPod and saving favourites to an"on the go" playlist and when I went back through for the 2nd edit, I had saved over 100 tracks to it, whole albums in some cases, and trying to narrow them down was HARD...

I kind of felt guilty missing some out.

LOL

It's a work in progress anyway. When it's done, I might post the completed list here, see what y'all think.

[Edited 8/30/12 5:45am]

The full-lenght version (whatever it is since there are actually several long versions, the longest not including some musical elements that were then added on a later, still very long but nonetheless shorter version) has never been released, so you can't find it anywhere but on bootlegs.

The internet-only albums aren't legally available anywhere, so there is no other option than downloading them from internet sites or peer-2-peer networks. Illegal download of official material isn't the same as getting bootlegs, though. There are some hard copies made by bootleggers from back then, but why pay illegally for what you can get for free illegally?

What you need is to grab a digital and free copy of Work It 2.0, which is the ultimate Prince outtakes collection, and a few collections released later which include new material or similar material with better sound quality: 30 Years Of Unreleased Funk, Box Of Chocolate, Parade Demos, Exodus V1 & V2, Perfect Unreleased Prince and 10,000 Wallpaper and u'll kinda have just everything save a very few circulating songs.

Also, you can rely on www.princevault.com and my chronological discography (linked below) for the data you need regarding Prince's discography (both sites are work in progress).

And, last but not least, it is VERY easy to find pretty much everything online, just using Google.

[Edited 8/30/12 6:03am]

Just had a quick look at your site... wow... that is comprehensive...

Well, I know what I'm doing in work this afternoon.

LOL

Cheers

Since a lot of the NPGMC/download albums stuff is not available in ANY format physical or digital to purchase, I think it's fine for people who weren't around at the time to download them.

If they were out on CD or up on iTunes, they'd be there to get legally, but they're not so P. misses a few extra bucks there for zero effort on his part.

Kever10 said:

Update:

Managed to get a copy of Ultimate Prince, so I've finally got the extended Let's go Crazy. Thanks electricberet.

Not got extended Erotic City yet, but I am on it... I found a copy of the 5" single mentioned by NouveauDance on Amazon which is cheaper than most of the ebay ones, so probably go for that.

I also managed to get a (authentic, hopefully) copy of the Vanity 6 CD from a seller on Amazon.com, which was pretty cool.

Still working on the others though. There used to be a really good independent CD shop in Liverpool in the Palace on Slater street that had the occasional rare/Bootleg CDs, but that closed years ago and there's nothing similar to my knowledge, apart from the occasional CD fair.

Anyway, 1 further question following on from my others...

I am doing a "My ultimate introduction to Prince" playlist in an attempt to convert my brother, and 1 other "extended" version I would like to put on it is the full length "Computer Blue".

Any ideas where I can find this?

Cheers in advance.

P.S. jfrost, totally agree with that sentiment... I do appreciate the stuff I've already got, even more so lately while I have been going back through everything trying to make this playlist for my bro...

It's hard trying to find that balance narrowing down the entire back catalogue to roughly 50 tracks... I was going through the entire track list on my iPod and saving favourites to an"on the go" playlist and when I went back through for the 2nd edit, I had saved over 100 tracks to it, whole albums in some cases, and trying to narrow them down was HARD...

I kind of felt guilty missing some out.

LOL

It's a work in progress anyway. When it's done, I might post the completed list here, see what y'all think.

[Edited 8/30/12 5:45am]

Most of the copies of Vanity 6 for sale on Amazon are counterfeits, some of them quite authentic-looking. I was fooled myself at one point. There is a sticky in the Marketplace forum that will help you determine whether it is a fake (in which case it may be up-sampled from mp3s and inferior to files you can find on the internet for free). The Apollonia 6 album is very rare and only issued in Japan; if you can find a copy, be prepared to pay several hundred dollars for it. Mine cost me $1000.

Look for the book that contains Indigo Nights at your local large book retailer in the discount section. People have reported seeing it discounted as low as $4.99. The book sucks but I just consider it an elaborate CD cover and focus on the disc...

Also, you can probably find the LotusFlow3r 3CD set at Target for about $5 too.

[Edited 8/30/12 8:56am]

djThunderfunk said:

Look for the book that contains Indigo Nights at your local large book retailer in the discount section. People have reported seeing it discounted as low as $4.99. The book sucks but I just consider it an elaborate CD cover and focus on the disc...

Also, you can probably find the LotusFlow3r 3CD set at Target for about $5 too.

[Edited 8/30/12 8:56am]

I actually live in the UK, so we don't have Target over here, which is a shame, because I've seen elsewhere that they seem to get a few exclusve or limited edition releases of things, not just Prince CD's but I recall seeing a limited edition set of The Office series 7 (I think) with a bonus disc on, which was released in Target. CD/DVD shops over here range from cheap places like That's Entertainment (great bargains) to HMV (ridiculously expensive for what you can get). I tend to do most of shopping oline.

And speaking of online, I am probably gonna pick up both the Indigo nights and Lotus Flower CD on Amazon very soon, as I have noticed recently they seem to have dropped in price a fair bit, and I have a voucher that needs to be used soon.

Kever10 said:

djThunderfunk said:

Look for the book that contains Indigo Nights at your local large book retailer in the discount section. People have reported seeing it discounted as low as $4.99. The book sucks but I just consider it an elaborate CD cover and focus on the disc...

Also, you can probably find the LotusFlow3r 3CD set at Target for about $5 too.

[Edited 8/30/12 8:56am]

I actually live in the UK, so we don't have Target over here, which is a shame, because I've seen elsewhere that they seem to get a few exclusve or limited edition releases of things, not just Prince CD's but I recall seeing a limited edition set of The Office series 7 (I think) with a bonus disc on, which was released in Target. CD/DVD shops over here range from cheap places like That's Entertainment (great bargains) to HMV (ridiculously expensive for what you can get). I tend to do most of shopping oline.

And speaking of online, I am probably gonna pick up both the Indigo nights and Lotus Flower CD on Amazon very soon, as I have noticed recently they seem to have dropped in price a fair bit, and I have a voucher that needs to be used soon.

Here's an idea. Try to find a cheap copy of 20Ten in the UK, then trade it with somebody who can pick up a cheap copy of LotusFlower in the US! Everybody wins...

djThunderfunk said:

Kever10 said:

I actually live in the UK, so we don't have Target over here, which is a shame, because I've seen elsewhere that they seem to get a few exclusve or limited edition releases of things, not just Prince CD's but I recall seeing a limited edition set of The Office series 7 (I think) with a bonus disc on, which was released in Target. CD/DVD shops over here range from cheap places like That's Entertainment (great bargains) to HMV (ridiculously expensive for what you can get). I tend to do most of shopping oline.

And speaking of online, I am probably gonna pick up both the Indigo nights and Lotus Flower CD on Amazon very soon, as I have noticed recently they seem to have dropped in price a fair bit, and I have a voucher that needs to be used soon.

Here's an idea. Try to find a cheap copy of 20Ten in the UK, then trade it with somebody who can pick up a cheap copy of LotusFlower in the US! Everybody wins...

That's actually a great idea. I bought my copy of LotusFlow3r at Target for $5. I have heard prices reported as low as 99 cents. I haven't been back to Target recently but if they still have any copies in stock (which I imagine they do) I'd be happy to trade with a British fan for a copy of 20Ten, which is the one official album I haven't bought.

electricberet said:

djThunderfunk said:

Here's an idea. Try to find a cheap copy of 20Ten in the UK, then trade it with somebody who can pick up a cheap copy of LotusFlower in the US! Everybody wins...

That's actually a great idea. I bought my copy of LotusFlow3r at Target for $5. I have heard prices reported as low as 99 cents. I haven't been back to Target recently but if they still have any copies in stock (which I imagine they do) I'd be happy to trade with a British fan for a copy of 20Ten, which is the one official album I haven't bought.

With a possibility that Kever may not have a second copy of 20Ten, I'll volunteer my second copy (Actually the only one I have left bar my own copy as I posted nearly a dozen to America at the time of release!!)

So if Kever hasn't got a back-up copy then let him Pm Eletricberet who will in turn Pm me his address and I'll post on a copy!!!

jfrost said:

kev1972 said: