PRINCE VS. WB: THE FANS LOST

Part 6: Free at last!

By Scififilmnerd

The making of Emancipation

Having just wrapped up work on a group project, the New Power Generation: Exodus album in early 1995, began to record some new songs on his own. From January to the summer of 1995, while waiting for The Gold Experience to get released, recorded Good Pussy and Am The DJ, with Eric Leeds adding horns to both on 16 January 1995, as well as Feelgood and 2020. He also recorded his own version of the NPG: Exodus outtake Slave from 1994, changing it from rock to R&B and renaming it Slave (2 The System). “Slave” instead became the title of a brand new song.

While on the European Gold Experience Tour 3-31 March 1995, performed Feelgood at an aftershow in Amsterdam 26 March and at an aftershow in London 22 March that also featured a guest appearance by singer Stacy Francis, who would come to visit at Paisley Park in June 1995 where they recorded a version of Journey 2 The Center Of Your together.

Before her visit, back at Paisley Park from the European tour, had recorded Journey 2 The Center Of Your on his own, as well as the new songs Right Back Here In My Arms, Emancipation and Die.

On 19 May 1995, aired another new song, Good Dick And A Job, at a small party at Paisley Park, and on 7 June 1995, the new song PoomPoom was played at The NPG Store in London.

By now, had recorded enough new songs to start thinking about putting a new album together, and in the booklet for the 1996 Emancipation album, he said that Right Back Here In My Arms was the first song he had recorded with Emancipation in mind. The first configuration of Emancipation was assembled in July 1995 and had the following track list:

: Emancipation (July 1995)

1. Right Back Here In My Arms

2. Slave (2 The System)

3. Slave

4. New World

5. 2020

6. Feelgood

7. Journey 2 The Center Of Your

8. Am The DJ

9. Emancipation

New World was originally entitled Love 4 1 Another and had been planned as a B-side to The Most Beautiful Girl In The World in early 1994.

A brand new concept

When ’s dancer Mayte was interviewed by Uptown in July 1995, the interviewer told her that he had heard that was “working on this “New World” album – kind of a techno album,” to which Mayte said “Oh,yeah,” before admitting that she had “no idea of what he has planned.” What they were talking about was obviously Emancipation – they just had the title wrong.

Meanwhile, kept himself busy by recording songs with former The Family Stand member Sandra St. Victor. He wrote music to her lyrics, and their collaboration spawned the songs Livin’ 2 Die, ’ll Never B Another Fool, Nothing Left 2 Give (bootlegged as Stone) and Soul Sanctuary, all recorded with on vocals. also recorded Van Gogh around this time, plus (Excuse Me Is This) Goodbye before making a new configuration of Emancipation that got bootlegged in its entirety. It contained the same tracks as the first configuration, but in a different playing order, plus (Excuse Me Is This) Goodbye. Right Back Here In My Arms was edited for length.

: Emancipation (1995)

1. Emancipation (4:30)

2. Right Back Here In My Arms (4:32)

3. Slave 2 The System (3:05)

4. Slave (5:09)

5. 2020 (2:05)

6. New World (3:41)

7. Feelgood (4:05)

8. Journey 2 The Center Of Your (4:14)

9. Am The DJ (4:47)

10. (Excuse Me Is This) Goodbye (4:30)

By the time was interviewed for Esquire Gentleman, he had revamped the Emancipation concept. When the interview was published in September 1995, it was revealed that Emancipation had now replaced the acoustic album Heart as his intended first album when he was free of his Warner Bros. contract, and that it would contain maybe fifty new songs. stated that his heart and perhaps his best work were in Emancipation.

However, apparently didn’t start to seriously work on those fifty new songs until 1996 following the wrap-up of work on the contract-filling albums Chaos And Disorder and The Vault… Old Friends 4 Sale. Instead, he just recorded a new song now and then, like The Emancipation Proclamation for which a pink lyric sheet entitled simply Emancipation was handed out to the audience at a Paisley Park concert on 9 September 1995.

Emancipation

Is it reality or just a dream?

2 your spirit say U in spite of my slavery

We’re both 2 blame 4 this lesson in life

‘cuz this is the path we choose

’m sure knew U long ago

Look into your soul – it knows

And would never claim more righteous

Dare Napoleon and Hitler see

It depends on who U ask my friend

love U, do U love me?

How will history sing, my brother

What song will our children teach?

The Emancipation Proclamation is well within our reach

Tear down the walls that make us bicker

4 many years fought your war

One stroke of your pen could conquer

Every sin our actions bore

implore the goodness that’s in all of us

An example we now must set

4 when this life is over

What U be is what U get

The Dawn is coming!

The Dawn is coming!

Acknowledge and save us all

Free my people 2 bring the message

Heed the call! Heed the call!

And this song from every mountain top

Every child will surely teach

The Emancipation Proclamation

Is well within our reach

love U, love U – Do U love me?

Busy doing what?

On 20 September 1995, told the audience at a Paisley Park concert that Dallas Austin, who wrote the song Creep, would co-produce his next album: “It’s called Emancipation. 52 songs. 80 dollars. Save your money.”

Although Dallas Austin was present at the concert, no tracks crediting him ever appeared. Instead, Kirk A. Johnson of The Game Boyz ended up getting a credit as Associate Producer on Emancipation. In 1994, he had done a remix of Get Wild and some remixes of four Prince songs that liked. They were used on The Purple Medley single released 14 March 1995.

But at this time, it seemed like either ’s muse had left him, or that he was busy compiling The Vault: Volumes I, II and III, which were announced at the end of the year. As far as is known, following the release of The Gold Experience on 26 September 1995, re-recorded old tracks in October, 5 Women and Starfish And Coffee, and recorded covers in November: Betcha By Golly Wow! by The Stylistics, and One Of Us by Joan Osborne, of which a live version (recorded before the NPG was disbanded on 8 March 1996) made the album.

2morrow is the only known new and original song that recorded at this time, besides a title track for the Spike Lee movie Girl 6.

Betcha By Golly Wow! was aired prior to a Paisley Park concert on 11 November 1995 and was subsequently played on Minneapolis radio, as was Right Back Here In My Arms on 16 November 1995. It was a longer version than the version that got released. On 25 November 1995, New World was also aired on Minneapolis radio.

On 9 December 1995, One Of Us was aired prior to a Paisley Park concert, where cassettes containing Slave and New World were handed out for free to the audience. At this point, the drum effect that was originally used on Slave 2 The System had been moved to the chorus of Slave instead. It had also been used on the Mayte song Ain’t No Place Like U that was released on her Child Of The Sun album 27 November 1995.

: Slave (Cassette)

1. Slave (4:51)

2. New World (3:43)

On 22 December 1995, Paisley Park issued a press release that read as follows: “ has officially given notice to Warner Bros. Records (WBR) of his desire to terminate his recording agreement with the company. (…) The Artist is prepared to deliver the three (3) remaining albums under his former name Prince which will fulfil his contractual to WBR. Currently, the albums are titled: Prince: The Vault – Volumes I, II and III. will release a new recording entitled Emancipation once he is free from all ties with Time Warner.”

Inspired by marriage

On 22 January 1996, ’s Love 4 One Another TV-movie premiered on VH-1. In it, he said that he had found his soul mate and implied that it was Mayte. They had actually gotten engaged in August 1995, “Six months before the wedding,” later revealed to El Pais, with Mayte showing off her engagement ring on her Child Of The Sun promotional trip to Europe in the Fall of 1995.

Nona Gaye, who had recorded on and off with since 1993, also appeared in Love 4 One Another. Then she disappeared from Paisley Park with most of her recordings with remaining unreleased. “Once I got married, the phone stopped ringing,” said on Oprah later in the year, and he wasn’t necessarily happy about that. “For those who know the number and don’t call, fuck all y’all,” he’d say in the song Face Down.

recorded a few songs in secret in preparation of his wedding to Mayte on Valentine’s Day, 14 February 1996. While on tour in Japan in January 1996, he wrote Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife and Let’s Have A Baby. One Kiss At A Time was probably also recorded at this time as it mentions Valentine in the lyrics.

On 16 February 1996, a new press release announced: “Inspired by his love and complete adoration for his wife, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince composed a song entitled, Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife. The lyrics of love were unveiled to bride Mayte for the first time, as her groom escorted her onto the dance floor for their first dance as man and wife. This song can not be released to the public because of contractual restrictions between Warner Bros. Records and The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.”

“After the reception, she took one look at the crib, and he pushed the button marked play,” said nine months later about Let’s Have A Baby in the cover for Emancipation

In February, also stated: “I look forward to the release of Emancipation in the near future. It will be The Dawn of the next phase of my life as a musician. It will represent my freedom from the past and it will be a continuum of what I have started here today.”

Inspired by conception

During the Chaos And Disorder session in late February 1996, recorded Saviour with The New Power Generation and Damned If Do with the NPG Hornz. Courtin’ Time, which also featured The NPG Hornz, was probably also recorded at this time, because later told Musician, “I played Courtin' Time with Eric once for twenty minutes, and he was wailin' that whole time,” indicating that the song already existed before Eric Leeds was hired in May/June 1996 to play horns instead of The NPG Hornz.

On 1 April 1996, it was announced that Mayte was pregnant and that the baby was expected in November. To celebrate, and Mayte started to develop a multimedia package of children’s stories containing a read-along cassette, book and CD entitled Happy Tears. Three short stories and eight songs were said to be in the works, but nothing was ever heard about Happy Tears again.

probably recorded Conception around this time, as it was inspired by Mayte becoming pregnant. “I tried to write a song about how a sperm feels on his way in to the egg,” later revealed in an interview for International Feature Agency published in the Dutch Oor magazine. “But then I got part of the way into it, writing about everything a sperm has to go through, and I was like, “Whoa… That’s way too heavy for me.””

Another track from around this time was Da Bang, which said in the Crystal Ball booklet came about from boredom while in Los Angeles where spent time in both late April and late May 1996. The first visit was for a meeting with Warner Bros. where an agreement was finally reached to release from his contract, and the second was of a more creative nature with a video shoot for the Chaos And Disorder single Dinner With Delores.

Inspired by death

In May 1996, recorded a new version of Van Gogh with saxophone by Eric Leeds. At some point he also remixed Soul Sanctuary and possibly also Somebody’s Somebody, which had been recorded with Derek Hughes on lead vocal in late 1994, but ’s own version might actually have been recorded in November 1993 as it was co-written by Brenda Lee Eager and Hilliard Wilson, who also co-wrote Hide The Bone.

hired a new bass player, Rhonda Smith, in June 1996 and she played on the recordings of Get Yo Groove On, We Gets Up, Dreamin’ About U, a cover of Can’t Make U Love Me by Bonnie Raitt and a new version of Conception, now titled Sex In The Summer. Eric Leeds also played on those tracks.

She Gave Her Angels was probably also recorded in June, as the lyrics mention that month. The track featured musical similarities to the unreleased Empty Room.

Meanwhile, ’s last collection of original material recorded for Warner Bros., Chaos And Disorder, was released on 9 July 1996. In their review, Rolling Stone Online wondered: “Maybe he was just saving the good stuff for his new three-disc set, Emancipation?”

While in New York to promote Chaos And Disorder in early July 1996, recorded a couple of tracks with Me’Shell Ndegeocello at Battery Studios: Emale and an untitled composition.

re-recorded Emale upon returning to Paisley Park with horns by Eric Leeds and Brian Lynch.

On 12 July 1996, Jonathan Melvoin was found dead from a heroin overdose in a New York hotel room. He was the brother of Wendy Melvoin from Prince And The Revolution and Susannah Melvoin, Prince’s ex-girlfriend. The news inspired to record The Love We Make against drug abuse and In This Bed Scream about Lisa Coleman, Wendy and Susannah.

When Wendy and Lisa were asked about In This Bed Scream in an interview at geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge, Wendy said: “He had sent that song to us to see if we wanted to work on it. We gave him some suggestions about it, and he sounded like he was into it, but we never heard from him again on the subject.”

Curious Child, which was about “an old friend” according to the Emancipation booklet, may also have been recorded at this time when was seemingly in a sentimental mood.

Saving the better track

On 6 August 1996, Eric Leeds added horn overdubs to the new tracks Moneyappolis, Muhammad Ali and The Divine. None of them made Emancipation. “I wrote a song for “Dawn”,” revealed to Rolling Stone in August. “It was so much better than what I’m doing now that I thought, “I’m gonna have to wait to put this out.” I worry about that. I worry whether people are going to be ready for what I do.”

So while was working on Emancipation, he saved some of the recordings for a projected The Dawn album that never appeared, however.

also told Rolling Stone that Emancipation was based on his studies “of the Egyptians, the building of the pyramids and how the pyramids were related to the constellations. They were a message from the Egyptians about how civilization really started.”

He revealed that Emancipation would be made up of three CDs, each exactly an hour long, “To the minute,” indicating that an early configuration existed at this point. Tracks mentioned for inclusion were Betcha By Golly Wow!, Sex In The Summer, Damned If Do and Can’t Make U Love Me. In August, was also interviewed for International Feature Agency (published in Oor), where he additionally talked about She Gave Her Her Angels and Let’s Have A Baby.

In late August 1996, songs from Emancipation were aired at Paisley Park parties on 24, 25 and 31 August. Besides Somebody’s Somebody, Betcha By Golly Wow!, Get Yo Groove On and Sex In The Summer, the new track Mr. Happy and a cover of The Delfonic’s La, La, La Means Love U were also aired, indicating that these tracks were also on the August 1996 Emancipation configuration.

: Emancipation (August 1996)

Track list unknown, but triple album including She Gave Her Angels, Let’s Have A Baby, Sex In The Summer, Betcha By Golly Wow!, Damned If Do, Can’t Make U Love Me, Somebody’s Somebody, Get Yo Groove On, Mr. Happy and La, La, La Means Love U.

Mr. Happy featured a rap by Scrap D., so it is likely that the other Emancipation tracks that he appeared on, Da Da Da and Style, had also been recorded at this point. By the same token, Style also featured horns by Walter Chancellor, Jr. and Eric Leeds, indicating that Jam Of The Year, which also featured the duo, had also been recorded at this time.

The shooting of the Muppets Tonight episode featuring that was shown on TV around the world beginning in May 1997 supposedly took place in September 1996. performed the 1995 re-recording of Starfish And Coffee and an edit of She Gave Her Angels.

On 5 October 1996, another new track, The Human Body, was aired at a Paisley Park party. It featured additional programming by Cesar Sogbe and Joe Galdo, as did Sleep Around, which had then probably also been recorded at this time. Sleep Around also featured The NPG Hornz, which were brought back in after Eric Leeds quit over a payment dispute.

Ready for release

When assembled the final Emancipation album configuration, it included some songs where it is unknown when in the year he recorded them: White Mansion, Joint 2 Joint, The Holy River, Face Down and My Computer. The Holy River may have been a last-minute addition, as the liner notes for the 1998 Crystal Ball collection said that it had replaced (Excuse Me Is This) Goodbye on Emancipation.

By 10 October 1996, Emancipation was done and previewed the album for the record company EMI-Capitol’s top-level executives. A deal was made for them to print, distribute and promote Emancipation. Five days later, an Emancipation listening party was held at Paisley Park for a few Minneapolis journalists, EMI executives and retail representatives.

Happy with his freedom from Warner Bros., had wiped “slave” from his face when he talked about the EMI deal and his impending fatherhood in an interview with Rolling Stone. The pregnant Mayte was present for the interview.

“Recently I thought about my whole career, my whole life leading up to this point - having a child helps you do that - and I thought about what would be the perfect album for me to do,” said. “Sign O' The Times was originally called Crystal Ball and was supposed to be three albums. “You'll overwhelm the market,” I was told. “You can't do that.” Then people say I'm a crazy fool for writing on my face, but if I can't do what I want to do, what am I? When you stop a man from dreaming, he becomes a slave. That's where I was. I don't own Prince's music. If you don't own your masters, your master owns you.”

It was revealed that each of the three CDs making up Emancipation would contain 12 songs, adding up to 36 songs, which was a CD and 14-16 songs less than the 50-52 songs he had initially announced.

Discussing how he had been affected by the prospect of fatherhood, said, “You'll definitely hear it in my music.”

Tragedy strikes

and Mayte’s baby was born on 16 October 1996. Unfortunately, the child suffered from Pfeiffer’s Syndrome and a week later, it was decided to turn off the life-support machine and allow the boy to die. The body was cremated the same day.

The promotional activities for the release of Emancipation had already been planned and decided not to postpone them. Two days later, he gave a concert at Paisley Park, playing Jam Of The Year, Get Yo Groove On, Face Down and One Of Us from Emancipation.

On 26 October 1996, and EMI hosted a press conference at Paisley Park for music industry and media people from the US. aired selections from Emancipation before answering questions. Then he performed a short set that included Get Yo Groove On and Jam Of The Year. A few hours later, he performed a 30-minute set at Paisley Park for about 100 fans. asked the audience, “Where are you gonna go after you die?” before playing One Of Us. He concluded the show by stating, “Freedom is a truly beautiful thing.”

Following a promotional trip to Japan from 30 October to 3 November 1996, was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for her Oprah talk show on 4 November. Mayte participated in the interview. The image that had planned to associate with Emancipation was that of a family man, celebrating his marriage to Mayte and the birth of their child. Despite the death of the baby, decided to go through with promoting that image, talking with Oprah about his love for Mayte, how the song Sex In The Summer featured the ultrasound heartbeat of the child, and that they wanted more children. He answered, “Well, our family exists. We're just beginning it. And we've got many kids to have, a long way to go,” when asked about the rumors about the baby being born with health problems. “It's all good. Never mind what you hear.” He then showed Oprah the playroom he and Mayte had prepared for the baby at Paisley Park.

Following the interview, recorded a video for Betcha By Golly Wow! that also celebrated his love for Mayte and the birth of their child. Mayte was in it, acting pregnant.

Emancipation arrives

On 11-16 November 1996, gave a series of interviews at Paisley Park. “Mayte and I decided it's cool to talk about ourselves but not about our children,” told USA Today. “There is a rumor out that my baby died. My skin is so thick now. I care much more about my child than about what anyone says or writes.”

“My child will have so much fun, all the fun I never had as a child,” added to MSN Music Central.

“This is the most exciting time of my life,” also told USA Today. “There was nothing in the way when I recorded (Emancipation). Nobody looked over my shoulder. Nothing was remixed, censored, chopped down or edited. (…) This is my debut. My name represents this body of work, not what came before.”

“I started with the blueprint of three CD's, one hour each, with peaks and valleys in the right places. I just filled in the blueprint,” told New York Times.

On 12 November 1996, performed a TV-transmitted 25-minute show at Paisley Park in celebration of his freedom from Warner Bros. and the upcoming release of Emancipation. Only ’s lead vocal and guitar were live, though. The rest of the music was pre-recorded and included Jam Of The Year, Get Yo Groove On and One Of Us. A 15-minute press conference followed for about 100 reporters.

Betcha By Golly Wow! was released as the first single on 13 November 1996. It contained a new edit of Right Back Here In My Arms that would also be the album version.

: Betcha By Golly Wow!

1. Betcha By Golly Wow! (3:31) – by Thomas R. Bell & Linda Creed

2. Right Back Here In My Arms (4:43)

The single only reached number 32 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay Chart, but peaked at number 10 on the Hot R&B Airplay chart. An alternative video for Betcha By Golly Wow! with a close-up performance by was shown on Top Of The Pops on 15 November 1996.

The day after that, gave another concert at Paisley Park, performing Face Down, Jam Of The Year, Get Yo Groove On and Sleep Around.

Then, on 19 November 1996, Emancipation was finally released, only four months after Chaos And Disorder. It contained an edit of the title track and The Plan from the upcoming The NPG Orchestra: Kamasutra release.

: Emancipation

Disc 1:

1. Jam Of The Year (6:10)

2. Right Back Here In My Arms (4:43)

3. Somebody’s Somebody (4:43)

4. Get Yo Groove On (6:31)

5. Courtin’ Time (2:46)

6. Betcha By Golly Wow! (3:31) – by Thomas R. Bell & Linda Creed

7. We Gets Up (4:18)

8. White Mansion (4:47)

9. Damned If Do (5:21)

10. Can’t Make U Love Me (6:37) – by James A. Shamblin & Michael B. Reid

11. Mr. Happy (4:46)

12. In This Bed Scream (5:40)

Disc 2:

1. Sex In The Summer (5:57)

2. One Kiss At A Time (4:41)

3. Soul Sanctuary (4:41)

4. Emale (3:38)

5. Curious Child (2:57)

6. Dreamin’ About U (3:52)

7. Joint 2 Joint (7:52)

8. The Holy River (6:55)

9. Let’s Have A Baby (4:07)

10. Saviour (5:48)

11. The Plan (1:47)

12. Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife (7:37)

Disc 3:

1. Slave (4:51)

2. New World (3:43)

3. The Human Body (5:42)

4. Face Down (3:17)

5. La, La, La Means Love U (3:59) – by Thomas R. Bell & William Hart

6. Style (6:40)

7. Sleep Around (7:42)

8. Da, Da, Da (5:15)

9. My Computer (4:37)

10. One Of Us (5:19) – by Eric M. Bazilian

11. The Love We Make (4:39)

12. Emancipation (4:12)