As a collection of songs how does 1 800 New Funk stand up?

Did Prince write all of these tunes or are they all just songs that were on the label?

You're gonna love this website: http://www.princevault.co...0_New_Funk

As stated in the entry Prince was directly involved in all songs but one. See songs entries for details.

At the time the collection sounded very "fresh", with mostly a new jack swing direction. Some tracks were outstanding and some less impressive but I remember buying it on the day of release and it made a great OST for the second part of my summer.

IDK how it would sound to younger ears in 2015 (assuming you weren't there in 1994), but it's a compilation I'm very fond of.

BTW there was no "label" properly: at that time P wanted to make NPG Records a "real" label, and the successor of Paisley Park and planned to release a mix of side projects and associated artists albums, as well as rereleases of out of print Paisley Park albums, at least in Europe with Edel distributing. 1-800 New Funk was supposed to be at the forefront of the new label and promote future releases (or rereleases in the case of Staples, Clinton and the NPG). But for some yet to be revealed reason he scrapped the whole plan at some point in late 1994 or 1995 and NPG Records became a label devoted only to P's own records and the very few side projects he commited himself to from that point on.

NPG Records rereleased Mavis and George's respective second albums soon after that, but other plans were immediately scrapped. Of note is the release of Jacob Armen's album (on which P wasn't involved), which happened without P's approval by a former Edel employee's admission: some Edel execs realized P wouldn't ever release any of the promised albums (some of which they already had the masters of) and decided to print 1000 copies of it so it'd become a costly collector that they could resell for much profit. I'm not even sure if any copy was ever distributed to any store. It was also the same situation with Mayte's singles from Child Of The Sun. They didn't dare do it with Madhouse's 24 of which they also had the masters of (probably because it was a Prince album proper, and they feared they wouldn't get away with it) and it's a pity, coz it would then have become officially part of P's canon.

Other scrapped projects included Madhouse's 24, reissues of older Paisley Park albums by (IIRC) Ingrid Chavez, Eric Leeds, Madhouse and possibly also Carmen Electra (and maybe a couple of others), and the idea of further records by Margie Cox, The Steele, Nona Gaye and MPLS was probably still floating around in P's mind at that time.

MPLS morphed into the NPG's Exodus, Mayte's Child Of The Sun was properly released, and Gold Nigga knew a very limited rerelease thru P's website, and that was the end of it.

[Edited 12/1/15 10:21am]

Great summary databank

I loved this era.

Lovesign got loads of radio play in the Uk but it is a shame it was just released as a radio promo.

I remember MTV Europe (as it was at the time) played the video to death!

The sticker on the CD states (erroneously) that all tracks were "written and produced by "

Woman's Gotta Have It is a cover of Bobby Womack.

Thanks databank for the info!

Wasted Kisses is on here?

214 said:

fms said:

The sticker on the CD states (erroneously) that all tracks were "written and produced by "

Woman's Gotta Have It is a cover of Bobby Womack.

Thanks databank for the info!

And Hollywood is by Dallas Austin.

I enjoyed this album back in the day.. MPLS, LoveSign, If I love u 2nite, 2gether, |Standing at the Altar, and A Woman's Gotta Have it were on repeat a lot during that year.

2 excellent songs: Love Sign + Standing At The Altar..


I can live happily without the rest (it's mostly garbage, sorry)...

databank said:

At the time the collection sounded very "fresh"

.

I thought it was an overpriced label sampler.

.

I'm not even sure if any copy was ever distributed to any store.

.

Yes they were. Bought mine in a regular CD store (GigaSwing in Hasselt, Belgium).

*

[Edited 12/4/15 3:49am]

thedance said:

2 excellent songs: Love Sign + Standing At The Altar..


I can live happily without the rest (it's mostly garbage, sorry)...

You never listened to 17, one of my favorite Prince songs ever...?

And of course 2gether, a perfect track from Goldnigga.

Pentacle said:

If U 2night

iZsaZsa said:

And If U 2night? I thought you adored Mayte.

Uhm.... not as a singer. I love Prince's own (demo-like) version, which has real charm.

(I also like the However Much U Want duet, and of course Ain't No Place Like U which is a classic.)

Pentacle said:

Big fan of the compilation! 'If I Love U Tonight' is my favourite song from it.

fms said:

The sticker on the CD states (erroneously) that all tracks were "written and produced by "

Woman's Gotta Have It is a cover of Bobby Womack.

Thanks databank for the info!

I don't have the CD to hand but I'm pretty sure that Dallas Austin is credted for production on 'Hollywood' isn't he? (Hope I haven't completely made that up?)

i once found a very very cheap copy in a second hand store, with scribblings on it. looked like a mess. i took a closer look and it were the autographs of Mayte, Sonny T, Michael B, Mr Hayes en Michael B!

iZsaZsa said:

And If U 2night? I thought you adored Mayte.

Yes. Mayte, true... I have a very soft spot for her in my Prince-heart..

I adore Mayte, true... she's a beauty, and a sweet soul..

But I have never liked her album "Child Of The Sun"... only the Prince-Mayte duet "However Much U Want" is good... and maybe "Ain't No Place Like U", oh dear...... it's more than a decade since I have listened to those songs..

"If I Love U 2Nite" is far better with Mica Paris.. I believe I have a 7 inch vinyl by Mica somewhere...

thedance said:

^ ok, haha... cool!

Love it. Have it on VINYL too.