I would not buy it for that much cash, especially if I already had a rip from a previous purchase. Hang on in there, it will get a re-issue at some point when the estate is sorted.

Yes. Even only to have "Crucial" and "Crystal Ball" (the song) in your CD collection.

I'm not that much of collector's collector; I just like having the music, and holding discs is a practical comfort to me. I'd have to be buying a hell of a lot more than 4 CDs for that price you mention--I don't care who's recording it is!

It depends. Are you buying it for the music or as a collectible?

If you want the music, you can get that without spending $312 - or even $150. If you're buying it as a collectible, you want the best condition possible - which would be new and sealed. And to preserve its value as a collectible, you can never open it.

If you want it for the music and having the actual, physical copy is important to you, find the least expensive original set you can that's in good, playable condition. I saw one on discogs a few minutes ago for $95.

If you were a friend of Prince he would not want you to break the bank for that.

.

Immediately before he died I got it on eBay for $18.

.

Just wait until it's rereleased or drops - or find it via other means - don't give those thieves more reason to keep rippin' off the temple. Seriously!

dance4me3121 said:

Thing is if I spend $312 on it,should I open it? Being that I already have a mp3 version of the album on my computer .But if I buy the CD I can rip it at 320 KB's

If you are willing to spend $312 so you can rip it in 320mp3, [Joke or not - luv4u]

TheEnglishGent said:

I would not buy it for that much cash, especially if I already had a rip from a previous purchase. Hang on in there, it will get a re-issue at some point when the estate is sorted.

Let's start counting the years.

I remeber when there were so many 5 disc 'puck' case sets unsold that they had hundreds of them at London record fairs for £5 each.

I bought a bunch of them and gave them to friends.

SquirrelMeat said:

I remeber when there were so many 5 disc 'puck' case sets unsold that they had hundreds of them at London record fairs for £5 each.

Surely one of the worst packaging ideas in an age. What a hopeless thing it was.

TheDigitalGardener said:

TheEnglishGent said:

I would not buy it for that much cash, especially if I already had a rip from a previous purchase. Hang on in there, it will get a re-issue at some point when the estate is sorted.

Let's start counting the years.

I agree that it probably won't be very soon but I also would have bet against the Warner stuff appearing on Spotify etc when it did. Time will tell.

TheDigitalGardener said:

dance4me3121 said:

Thing is if I spend $312 on it,should I open it? Being that I already have a mp3 version of the album on my computer .But if I buy the CD I can rip it at 320 KB's

If you are willing to spend $312 so you can rip it in 320mp3, [Joke or not - luv4u]

Vulture!

Great set, but that price is insane. You can find it cheaper...and my bet it will be re-released at some point.

I bought mine a little while before he died at Ameoba Records for $30, at the time I thought it was expensive but I really love the songs on it. Seeing the crazy online prices make me happy I ended up buying it after all - that same trip I scored The Black Album (1994 issue) for 3 bucks

how many threads can be answered with ..... duhhhh ?

dance4me3121 said:

This is one of only 4 prince CDs I don't own.I once had it a long time ago but it was stolen from me.I found the crystal ball CD for sale on amazon .$312 for a NEW copy and $150 for a USED copy.I usually only buy CDs in new condition . Thing is if I spend $312 on it,should I open it? Being that I already have a mp3 version of the album on my computer .But if I buy the CD I can rip it at 320 KB's

I fail to understand why you wanna spend that much money for CD's that you're gonna rip if you ALREADY have a rip of it

If it's about having it in 320 instead of lower quality there are cheaper and easier ways to find it in 320 or even Flac online

databank said:

dance4me3121 said:

Wait a few years until it eventually gets reissued... Probably remastered with extra songs too!

You know, it's not unthinkable that Crystal Ball might never get reissued. I mean, it's not a proper album, it's a grab-bag of songs. There's every possibility that those songs might pop up on other, more relevant releases.

With that possibility in mind, I recommend that we all hold tightly onto our crystal balls.

eyewishuheaven said:

You know, it's not unthinkable that Crystal Ball might never get reissued. I mean, it's not a proper album, it's a grab-bag of songs. There's every possibility that those songs might pop up on other, more relevant releases.

With that possibility in mind, I recommend that we all hold tightly onto our crystal balls.

That is true - and plus I feel like with Crystal Ball if you are not a massive Prince fan to begin with you are not going to be interested in it anyway. It might not make financial sense to re-release it, at the very least I can see maybe a limited number of copies being reissued but even that is a stretch.

eyewishuheaven said:

You know, it's not unthinkable that Crystal Ball might never get reissued. I mean, it's not a proper album, it's a grab-bag of songs. There's every possibility that those songs might pop up on other, more relevant releases.

With that possibility in mind, I recommend that we all hold tightly onto our crystal balls.

I think in Prince's mind it was a proper album: if you look beyond its apparant rendomness it was clearly assembled with great care and a well thought of sense of pace. It's an artistic statement as much as any other Prince album. I think the estate would be doing something as sacrilegeous disassembling it and spreading its tracks on other releases as if they were, say, to remove Joy In Repetition from GB to put it on a SOTT rerelease, or take away Rave from Rave to put it on a Batman rerelease.

Now I agree that given the current state of affairs for physical releases, it's not likely we'll see it rereleased physically anytime soon but who knows... In any case nothing should prevent a digital rerelease from happening.

^If by any chance CB II was ever assembled before being shelved, a digital or physical rerelease of CB with CB II, with all 5 CD's could create some appeal for the project.

I remember selling some other CDs I had, because I wanted to get some money, before I bought Crystal Ball... it was 150 DM back then, which should be around $80, I think? I was 15 or 16 at the time. I was fascinated by the cheap packaging. Like you're buying some underground thing that no one knows about.

[Edited 3/1/17 0:10am]

It is essential yes, but not at those prices, just the usual greed some people are capitalising on in the midst of Prince's passing from this astral pane. I paid $35 for it in 2009 and felt that was too much, but now have noticed I have never seen another copy of it for sale here in NZ since.

.

Instinct being instinct, I saw it and grabbed it knowing what it was.

dance4me3121 said:

This is one of only 4 prince CDs I don't own.I once had it a long time ago but it was stolen from me.I found the crystal ball CD for sale on amazon .$312 for a NEW copy and $150 for a USED copy.I usually only buy CDs in new condition . Thing is if I spend $312 on it,should I open it? Being that I already have a mp3 version of the album on my computer .But if I buy the CD I can rip it at 320 KB's

hoy shit, there are some freaks who want 1500+ Euro (1.700+ USD) for it LMAO

so 312$ appears to be a bargain

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01N8Z21JD/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1488549089&sr=1-7&keywords=crystal+ball+prince