I like the idea of adding, subtracting, and replacing tracks on an album to make it a stronger LP. Do you guys make your own albums or prefer any alternate configurations? I'm looking for reccommendations, my collection needs some sprucing up.

For example, my Lovesexy looks like this:

Disc 1:

1. Eye No
2. Alphabet St.
3. Escape (Free Yo Mind)
4. Glam Slam (Extended Remix)
5. God is Alive
6. Anna Stesia
7. Cross the Line

Disc 2:

1. Dance on
2. Scarlet Pussy
3. Lovesexy
4. When 2 R in Love
5. Pink Cashmere
6. I Wish U Heaven I, II & III
7. Positivity

[Edited 3/28/14 15:26pm]

Nah. It's easier just to hit skip or, like I did, save them to my phone and make playlists.

I'm kinda divided on this one actually. I mean, I have made my own playlist version of ATWIAD in some kind of attempt to improve upon what is in my opinion a rather flawed album, but even with all the bad tracks removed in favor of the b-sides (it still boggles my mind that Prince didn't stick She's Always In My Hair on that album) it didn't really feel "right" as such. I think that's because Prince is very much from an era where the album was regarded as an artistic statement to be consumed in its entirety. I think you can see this line of thinking in Prince's making the CD version of Lovesexy one track, so you couldn't just pick and chose what you wanted, like you can nowadays. Consequently it kinda feels wrong to modify the tracklist to one's tastes, like you're going against Prince's intentions.

For these reasons it feels a lot more natural playing around with the tracklists of, say, James Brown's sixties stuff, as his generation was still very much of the mentality that the single was king, and that the yearly album was just the crap put out by the label.

With that said, I think that the fan release The Dawn 4.1 is brilliant summation of that early ninties era, so I think it can work, as long as someone more intelligent than me is doing the tracklist and the editing.

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

Consequently it kinda feels wrong to modify the tracklist to one's tastes, like you're going against Prince's intentions.

djThunderfunk said:

Well, to be fair, I do have a sizeable portion of an external hard drive whose contents, if the recent lawsuit threat against the blogs are anything to go by, are "going against Prince's intentions" so that admittedly might not be the best metric for making decisions.

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

I'm kinda divided on this one actually. I mean, I have made my own playlist version of ATWIAD in some kind of attempt to improve upon what is in my opinion a rather flawed album, but even with all the bad tracks removed in favor of the b-sides (it still boggles my mind that Prince didn't stick She's Always In My Hair on that album) it didn't really feel "right" as such. I think that's because Prince is very much from an era where the album was regarded as an artistic statement to be consumed in its entirety. I think you can see this line of thinking in Prince's making the CD version of Lovesexy one track, so you couldn't just pick and chose what you wanted, like you can nowadays. Consequently it kinda feels wrong to modify the tracklist to one's tastes, like you're going against Prince's intentions.

For these reasons it feels a lot more natural playing around with the tracklists of, say, James Brown's sixties stuff, as his generation was still very much of the mentality that the single was king, and that the yearly album was just the crap put out by the label.

With that said, I think that the fan release The Dawn 4.1 is brilliant summation of that early ninties era, so I think it can work, as long as someone more intelligent than me is doing the tracklist and the editing.

I've had the same thoughts about original albums as artistic statements, but Prince does relegate would-be setpiece tracks to B-sides or not releasing them at all. It's not an issue a lot of other artists have. Have you heard Batman with the B-sides mixed in? It's a much darker, funkier, more complex album. I think it's justified because it's interesting to see how different people re-interpret something that's familiar to all of us.

And yeah, Around the World is much improved by She's Always in my Hair. I'm listening to it because of your comment now.

I don't.

I thought stuff like that was fun when I was younger and I suppose a lot of fan tried to make their "1CD versions" of Emancipation, but it has lost its appeal when it's so easy to simly make playlists of digital files on the computer. The CDs I listen to as they are (and don't usually press "skip" even on the very worst releases like NPS).

[Edited 3/29/14 0:07am]

No. I do enjoy mixing his songs up all kinds of ways for playlists, but I don't mess with the original presentation of songs on any album. I'm a bit orthodox that way, I guess. A Prince album is for me a complete thought, from start to finish. It wouldn't feel right to me to not have an accurate and correct record of it on stand-by. I like having he option at my fingertips to hear and experience his projects as he initially intended at the time of receiving his inspiration. His discography is a foundation, and should remain intact in my records. Outside of keeping an official record, music can be structured and experienced in a more free-form way, according to the listener's preferences.

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I'm not at all saying others should necessarily do what I do (though I would recommend it to a serious fan or student of Prince's work). This is just how I like to handle things given my relationship with his songs. Honor the music and how it guides you to listen to it, is my advice.

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I trust Prince's musical instincts implicitly. It works for me. Always has. So I personally choose to first love an album as it comes directly from the artist.

I mainly just add B-Sides to the end of the albums, unless I'm putting the full single on there (ie; Let's Go Crazy/ Erotic City, Mountains/ Alexa De Paris, etc...).

The only album I've customized is 1999, replaced the album versions - Little Red Corvette (Dance Mix), Delirious (Unreleased Mix) and Let's Pretend We're Married (Stereo Edit).

Y'all talking blasphemy as far as I'm concerned. I listen to albums they way they were intended to be listened to by the artist, Prince or otherwise.

NewPowerSoul ... full skip

I like making my own compilations and putting them into categories like: For The Feet, For The Heart, Sundya Morring Slow Jam mix, etc.

Yes, i have made changes to the running order of quite a few official albums to make them feel better for me

Prince album - I Wanna Be Your Lover, Why U Wanna Treat Me So Bad, Sexy Dancer,

When We're Dancing Close & Slow, Bambi, With You, Still Waiting, I Feel For You,

It's Gonna Be Lonely

The proper running order has With You before Bambi. It feels better to me this way. Bambi has more impact.

Batman album - Omitted The Arms of Orion from the album.

Grafitti Bridge album - Omitted all associates songs and the title track to level a stelar prince album.

Can't Stop This Feeling I Got, New Power Generation, The Question Of U, Elephants & Flowers,

We Can Funk, Joy In Repetition, Tick Tick Bang, Thieves In The Temple,

Still Would Stand All Time,New Power Generation Pt 2

Diamonds & Pearls - Omitted Jughead from the album

The Gold Experience - I have the album starting with Endorphinmachine, which is a much better opener. P Control now sits after Dolphin - This still feels like a natural place to have the song.

I have removed as much as the NPG operator as possible, and used the CD single album version of I Hate U because the operator does not talk over the end of it.

RAVE - this is a mash up of the 2 released albums, picking the best version from each. This album also 'announces' the song at the beginning of each song, which i found annoying, so i have edited that bit out of each song. Everyday is a Winding Road: mine now fades out as Larry Graham starts chanting.

Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, Undisputed, TGRES, Hot Wit U, Tangerine (Extended),

So Far So Pleased, The Sun The Moon & Stars, Everyday Is A Winding Road (Edit), Man O War,

Baby Knows (Extended), I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore, Beautiful Strange, Silly Game,

Strange But True, Wherever U Go Whatever U Do, Prettyman (Extended).

I feel i have turned this into a much better album (to my ears)

The Rainbow Children - i have tried to edit out a lot of the preachy parts. Removed Wedding Feast also

Musicology - The Marrying Kind & If I Was The Man In Your Life - This is now 1 track on my version

3121 - My version runs more like the concert running:

3121, Lolita, Black Sweat, then Te Amo Corozon ... and the rest of the album. The album feels like it flows better at the beginning now to me

Planet Earth. This opens with Guitar, and finishes with Planet Earth - a much more dramatic ending. Plus i have omitted All The Midnights In The World and Resolution, which i cannot stand the stupid lyrics to (but that is another discussion).

Guitar, Somewhere Here On Earth, The 1 U Wanna C, Future Baby Mama, Mr Goodnight,

Chelsea Rodgers, Lion Of Judah, Planet Earth

A short (40 mins) but much better album

2010 - My album starts with Laydown (why this is a hidden track i will never understand - it is one of the strongest tracks on the album), and i have omitted Everybody Loves Me

So, i don't think itis wrong to customize the albums, everyone has different taste after all.

You probably don't agree with mine, but such is life ...

I've customized a few, but really all I have done is added to the album.

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For Purple Rain and ATWIAD, I added the B-sides and extended mixes.

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For The Gold Experience, I added back in quite a few tracks that got deleted such as Days Of Wild, Ripopgodazippa and Acknowledge Me (Interactive is on one of my versions too).

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Then for Emancipation, I have created a single-disc version.

It was only fun for the 1978-1989 albums.

Creating one for the Batman music-adding the outtakes, creating the Rave 1989 album, Dream Factory compilations are fun, pre-For You demo compilations. creating a 1999/What Time Is It?/Vanity 6/unrel./extended version compilation. ATWIAD Parade Lovesexy compilations. I also did my own compilations on albums I thought he 'failed' at having a cohesive theme like Planet Earth.

Back when I had a cassette tape player (in the 80s/90s),

Before MP3.

I had Prince costomized albums on tapes (the official cassettes) but with longer running time (taken from 90 minutes casttes),

Often I made these, included the extended versions and the b-sides....

I had a Sony "Walkman" back then..

Sweet memories, from an ancient time... looong time ago.

It tickles me to see so many people bringing up Batman. It always did feel like there were pieces missing. Turns out those pieces were all the B-sides, the Partyman video mix, and "Dance With the Devil."

Shockedelicus said:

And making sure you kick Arms of Orion the hell off that album as soon as you get the chance, right?

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

Shockedelicus said:

It tickles me to see so many people bringing up Batman. It always did feel like there were pieces missing. Turns out those pieces were all the B-sides, the Partyman video mix, and "Dance With the Devil."

And making sure you kick Arms of Orion the hell off that album as soon as you get the chance, right?

I actually love Arms of Orion. I know it's a bit Disney, but I love it anyway

You almost have to since he hasn't delivered a consistently good record since Gold, really, (and arguabley the Lotus album and 3121) and since he caters to so many different styles and tastes. People who like the funk/rock stuff (like me) pull that material off and burn it while the ballad/pop types yank other songs and we all worship and appreciate different stuff.

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He's almost too versatile for his own good and for his own audience in some ways.

how ayone can hate on Arms of Orion (and All the Midnights in the World) and still say they ar eprince fans is beyond me, they are both beautifully crafted songs with great vocals and lots of musical/melodic twists and turns.

#dumbfounded.com

Dandroppedadime said:

how ayone can hate on Arms of Orion (and All the Midnights in the World) and still say they ar eprince fans is beyond me, they are both beautifully crafted songs with great vocals and lots of musical/melodic twists and turns.

#dumbfounded.com

Hah, great April Fools' day joke, right guys?

I used to do this kind of thing in the days of tapes and CDs, and make alternate album art etc. Nowadays tend to just make a playlist on the ipod of the tracks I want to listen to at any given point in time.

yeah digital music has destoyed the mix-tape! probably a good thing as i used to spend hours on those things.