OK, here's the truth about the whole 'Black Album thing' (short version)...

1. A lot of the tracks that appeared on the black album had originally been recorded by Prince as music for Sheila E's 29th birthday party on 11th December 1986. He originally had no intention of releasing them commercially.

2. Prince was getting a certain amount of critism for 'abandoning his black roots' and 'losing the funk' due to his more rock-orientated recent output. In response he started to assemble an album of mostly funky party tracks, which he called 'The Funk Bible'.

3. Prince finished 'The Funk Bible', and wanted to release it under a pseudonym, possibly Camille. He wanted to release the album without anyone initially knowing it was by him, so it would be an underground thing that would spread by word of mouth. He dropped the pseudonym idea (everyone already knew who Camille was), he then came up with the idea of releasing it in a plain black sleeve, with no listed artist or title at all. The Black Album was born.

4. The Black Album was given a WB catalogue number and release date, everything was going to plan. This would shut up the people who said he'd 'lost the funk'. The album appeared on WB's relase schedule listed as 'Something' by 'Somebody' to be released on 8th December 1987.

5. November 1987: The first set back... News had leaked out that Prince had a new album on the way, this upset Prince's plan. He hadn't intended the album as a 'proper' new album, it was supposed to be more like a side project (much like the later NPG albums). Prince reluctantly resigned himself to the fact that the album would be seen as his next album, and started thinking about his next project: Graffiti Bridge. The Black Album was pressed up ready for release.

6. Prince was concerned with releasing 'The Black Album' effectively under his own name, and was having second thoughts about it. He took a copy down to Rupert's in Minneapolis with the intention of getting the DJ to play it so he could see what kind of reception it got from the crowd.

7. At the club he met a songwriter/poet called Ingrid Chavez, with whom he ended up talking with at length that evening. Prince had been recently going through a sort of spiritual awakening (another reason he was having second thoughts about 'The Black Album'), and he found that Ingrid was very much in tune with his current wavelength.

8. It has been reported that the crunch came when he was looking at his reflection in the cover of the album, and Ingrid said something like 'You should learn to smile more'. At that point Prince realised that if he died now, 'The Black Album' would be his final work, and he definitely didn't want that as his last artistic statement.

9. 1st December 1987 (1 week before release): Prince calls WB chairman Mo Ostin (with whom he had a good, trusting working relationship) and says he wants to cancel the release of 'The Black Album'. Mo Ostin agrees to Prince's request and production was ceased. WB ordered all existing copies of the album destroyed.

10. A few copies of the album escaped destruction. Many promo and advance copies had already been given to friends and family, as well as WB executives and reps. about 100 vinyl copies 'vanished' from the Alsdorf pressing plant in Germany. Also about 10 CD's 'escaped' from the pressing plant in the U.S. These genuine 1987 pressings are still worth a bomb (especially the CD's).

11. After shelving 'The Black Album' and putting 'Graffiti Bridge' on hold, Prince immediately starts work on his next project 'Lovesexy'. He records half the album on 11th December! The first version of the album is completed by 21st January 1988, with only a few changes made before it's release on 10th May.

12. As part of his settlement with Warners in 1994, Prince agreed to a limited release for 'The Black Album'. Warners had wanted to release the album for some time (it came close to being officially released in 1991), but Prince had always been against it. He finally relented when it became a bargaining chip in his bid to be released from his contract. Prince used it as 'contract filler' along with 'Chaos And Disorder' and 'The Vault...Old Friends 4 Sale'.

Yeah, and I can include something.

A famous female radio-DJ called Ruth Rockenschraub played the original album in the whole length.
Back in the 80ies when radio wasn't boring.
That was immediately after the vanishing of the copies in Alsfeld (and the radio-station was in Hamburg, quite near 2 Alsfeld).
She knew what she had done & the radio-bosses wanted 2 fire her, but she replied she never knew it wasn't released. That's not a boot. There's even a press number on it.

Really clever of her.

(this is lifted from an old thread...again) ...

(this is lifted from an old thread...again)




So there you have it.

...That was immediately after the vanishing of the copies in Alsfeld (and the radio-station was in Hamburg, quite near 2 Alsfeld

The records were pressed in Alsdorf. And that's nowhere near Hamburg. Alsdorf is a little town, just 20 km or so from the german-dutch border, 50 km from Cologne.

Pellwormer said:

Duh... how untrue.

The records were pressed in Alsdorf. And that's nowhere near Hamburg. Alsdorf is a little town, just 20 km or so from the german-dutch border, 50 km from Cologne. The uncle of a friend of mine worked there at the time and "saved" 7 original Black Albums from destruction. I still have mine.

By the same source I had Lovesexy on CD, 1,5 months before it was available in the stores. It was reaon for me buing my first CD player. Thought it was broke because it only indicated 1 track, but played all. The guy at the store didn't know what he saw and was astonished by what he heard