Great read, informative, love the test pressing art. What's your beef with "Scarlet Pussy," did she make you shoot your ego all over your sheets?

this is all the awesome

I've always favored The Camille Album over The Black Album as Prince's crowning funk achievement. The Camille Album is one nonstop funk barrage from beginning to end. I only wished this came out back in the day. Prince would have had a field day with the media with the androgynous character we know as Camille.

Spanky said:

What happened to the article? I wasn't finished reading it and it was edited down. Can someone org note it to me?

This is why we should be allowed to post the whole article. Now I don't get to read it at all.

dalboy2 said:

Spanky, Purplethunder I was asked by the org moderators to edit the article and just provide the link and a brief bit of the article. The link to the article was modified by mistake. It has been corrected so it know works again. Apologies

Thank you.

Great read! I want to thank you for posting the link. That site is amazing and the 2016 Lewis Taylor interview is FANTASTIC!!!!! Thanks again!

Had the Camille album been released, it might be his best, most solid work ever.

RogerRoger said:

What is the 'Camille album'?

Camille is an unreleased album by Prince, recorded in 1986. The album was planned to consist of 8 tracks recorded by the singer in a funky, sped up vocal. The album was to be released under the name Camille (who would not be pictured on the cover) and not as a Prince album. The album was canceled weeks prior to its release and most of the tracks were incorporated into the unreleased album Crystal Ball, which evolved into Sign "☮" the Times. Most of the music has been released officially in some form or another, however, one song, "Rebirth of the Flesh" remains unreleased in its original form. In 2001, a live rehearsal of "Rebirth of the Flesh" recorded with the Sign "☮" the Times band was released on Prince's Web site. This version, however, had profanity edited from the lyrics.

Side one

• "Rebirth of the Flesh": Prince recorded this song at Sunset Sound on October 28, 1986, on the same day as "Rockhard in a Funky Place". When the Camille album was shelved, the song was slated for inclusion on Prince's next album project, Crystal Ball. It was going to be the opening track segueing into "Play in the Sunshine". The NPG Music Club made a 1988 Lovesexy Tour rehearsal recording available in September 2001, marking the point at which all the Camille tracks have now been officially released in some form, although the original studio version only circulates on bootlegs.
• "Housequake": released unedited on Sign "☮" the Times.
• "Strange Relationship": Reworked from the Dream Factory sessions and released unedited on Sign "☮" the Times.
• "Feel U Up": This outtake was recorded toward the end of 1981 and was taped in sequence with "Irresistible Bitch". Both songs were re-recorded later. "Feel U Up" was re-recorded in 1986 and the lyrics of both recordings are very similar. The track was finally released in 1989 as the B-side of "Partyman".

Side two

• "Shockadelica": Originally written (unsolicited) by Prince in response to Jesse Johnson's then-forthcoming album titled Shockadelica(1986) because that album had no song to match/complement what Prince felt was such a great album title. "Shockadelica" was later included as a B-side of "If I Was Your Girlfriend".
• "Good Love": Later released on the Bright Lights, Big City film soundtrack in 1988.
• "If I Was Your Girlfriend": released with an added intro on Sign "☮" the Times.
• "Rockhard in a Funky Place": Included on The Black Album (1987) project, which was ultimately released in 1994.

I was just in LA to seeing a play, and freaked out when I saw the big compund with the Sunset Sound sign. Couldn't believe that I was near where all these legendary tracks were recorded.

joyinrepetition said:

I've always favored The Camille Album over The Black Album as Prince's crowning funk achievement. The Camille Album is one nonstop funk barrage from beginning to end. I only wished this came out back in the day. Prince would have had a field day with the media with the androgynous character we know as Camille.

Agreed. I think it's one of his tightest albums (as in all killer, no filler) up there Dirty Mind and Purple Rain in that sense imo.

I always wondered if it would have been the extended versions of Shockadelica and Feel U Up or shorter, edited versions on the final version of 'Camille'.

..

The album would have flew by fast with the shorter versions. I kind of like that. I did note that IIWYG would n't have had the later added intro.

Marrk said:

I always wondered if it would have been the extended versions of Shockadelica and Feel U Up or shorter, edited versions on the final version of 'Camille'

Both full length.

Such an amazing album and set of songs.

.

This album proves yet again the importance of context and sequencing.

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They work so perfectly well together.

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It would be nice for one day the orginal configurations like this to be heard.

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SPYZFAN1 said:

Great read! I want to thank you for posting the link. That site is amazing and the 2016 Lewis Taylor interview is FANTASTIC!!!!! Thanks again!

YES! Great reading for days!!!