ian said:

Yeah I got the same email.
Annoying because I could have just ordered with Amazon, who do have stock it seems.

feeluupp said:

I got that email too. I just ordered the white vinyl from them and I'm going to pick up the deluxe one at local record store. Funny that they say it's "industry wide", but all the record stores here seems to have gotten them, except for the exclusive white vinyl of course.

djThunderfunk said:

In defense of the exclusivity of some of the Deluxe version content: the three essays aren't very interesting and certainly far from being essential or particularly informative - nothing we haven't heard before - really, will anyone re-read any of these? It's a beautiful package for those with a few extra bucks to spare, but the regular version is completely sufficient.

christobole said:

christobole said:

In defense of the exclusivity of some of the Deluxe version content: the three essays aren't very interesting and certainly far from being essential or particularly informative - nothing we haven't heard before - really, will anyone re-read any of these? It's a beautiful package for those with a few extra bucks to spare, but the regular version is completely sufficient.

Yeah... I'd suspected that might be the case. I plumped for the regular edition vinyl, as I did with Piano And A Microphone. I don't like the bulky and pointless semi-box that the deluxe version comes in, and I'd always rather have black vinyl - coloured vinyl, to me, is for kids.

So while I'd like to have the booklet, and fully think it should be in the regular edition, I won't be paying the extra £20/£25 for something I'm not that fussed about. The regular vinyl is overpriced as it is, and £50 for the deluxe, with no extra music? A total piss take. Especially with Emancipation, Chaos & Disorder and Versace Experience vinyl coming out shortly.

Another disadvantage of these "deluxe" offerings is just how bulky they are - they don't fit in a regular outer sleeve (for the vinyl nerds out there) and they take so much shelf space. With 4Ever, Piano and a Mic, and now Originals Deluxe all being so chunky, I'm not sure how many years of overpackaged cash-ins my shelves can take

ian said:

Another disadvantage of these "deluxe" offerings is just how bulky they are - they don't fit in a regular outer sleeve (for the vinyl nerds out there) and they take so much shelf space. With 4Ever, Piano and a Mic, and now Originals Deluxe all being so chunky, I'm not sure how many years of overpackaged cash-ins my shelves can take

Agreed!

Feels to me like 4Ever at least deserved its box and size, but the other should just be packaged as regular albums...

I just had a wonderful evening with the deluxe package and care to disagree with christobole and ian: My vinyl shelf (= wall) has long been more then full, but I'm sure you easily can find some ten records to give away to accomodate this great package.

It may sound conservative, but when listening to these two vinyls you surely will agree: This is the way your 80's Prince should sound. I have been listening to these songs for some weeks (or is it months already?) on Tidal now, and the sound of the vinyls is another league. The CD? Sounds very boring in comparison. So i agree with djThunderfunk and SuperHero here: These songs were made for the warm vinyl sound, not for the digital era.

There's one song/mix I still cannot get into even on vinyl, and that is Manic Monday. All the more I long for the release of the "real" original version by Apollonia 6 of which the tracking sheet is pictured in the booklet with vocals by Prince (high), Prince (low), Brenda (lead), Apollonia and Jill. Hopefully one day...

Which brings us to the booklet: Of course there is nothing lifechanging in the three essays, but even though i've read all the recent interviews with Peggy McCreary and Susannah, there are still some great anecdotes and observations that are exclusive to this set. While Peggy's essay is more informative, Susannahs essay reads like a love letter to Prince and is very touching, at least for me. But the highlights of the booklet for me are the various tracking sheets and the original lyrics from 1976 for Wouldn't You Love To Love Me which differ wildly from the later versions but nevertheless encompass everything Prince would be in the decades to come.

Long story short: I strongly recommend everybody to rush out and buy the deluxe set. The superior sound quality alone is worth the price. The artwork (the cover in 12 '' size is gorgeous, as is the inner sleeve with the Manic Monday reel!) is worth the price alone. And the booklet is at least very nice to have. Money and shelf space very well spent! Great job, Michael Howe (+ the Estate?)

The August 2019 issue of UK music monthly Mojo (issue 309) has a four star review of Originals in their "Filter Reissues" section; it is a full-page review by Paul Trynka, titled "Let’s go to work: A collection of songs written by Prince for other people evokes sadness at a career cut short – but also captures the joy of creation."

I just hope they go easier on the heavy amount of reverb added to his voice for future releases. It takes his voice 'out' of the song to an extent. It is really a horrnedous amount of uncecessary reverb, almost ruins Sex Shooter, especially the beginning and the spoken part where the music is sparse. It is my only gripe in how Niko Balas handled the songs on Originals. Other than that I thought he did great work.

[Edited 7/24/19 18:40pm]

so, just read on facebook, on the official prince page, that "holly rock" will be the second single.



there's even going to be an animated video for it. well, i guess that's about all the 'single' we'll
get.

it would be nice if they released an actual single, with the untinkered version on it

oh, here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/...-O-dkTMalL

[Edited 7/24/19 14:00pm]

Meh... Probably the worst choice for a single from that album...

IstenSzek said:

so, just read on facebook, on the official prince page, that "holly rock" will be the second single.



there's even going to be an animated video for it. well, i guess that's about all the 'single' we'll
get.

it would be nice if they released an actual single, with the untinkered version on it

oh, here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/...-O-dkTMalL

[Edited 7/24/19 14:00pm]

by all acounts we've had on here it's the most obvious cut n paste job on the record

but oh well.

also, it's a great groove and all, but it's kind of boring and hardly a 'single' worthy of the
name. "love they will be done" would have been the obvious choice.

FunkyStrange said:

Over an hour long interview with Niko Bolas, the guy who mixed the material on the Originals album and much more.. https://peachandblack.pod...interview/ . . [Edited 7/24/19 18:26pm]

Yeah interesting interview, most of the tracks were indeed constructed from the multi tracks, and he pieced them together keeping in mind various guidlines for accuracy, but many liberties were taken. The most aggregious being the massive reverb placed on most of his vocals. Which takes his voice OUT of the song imo.

I hope Niko sees this, because he worked on 50-60 other tracks the estate gave him, and I would love for his vocals to stay as is on those.

He gets tracks all the time from the estate, and is working one now, a sparse piano track, that he said will be out in a few months. How amazing would it be if it is With This Tear?

I am so glad the interviewers asked the question on the reverb, I thought I was the only one that thought it was way too much.

Anyway, the guy has one of the best jobs on the planet right now. Talk about lucky.

[Edited 7/24/19 19:46pm]

I am kinda surprised they didn't use the 86 version of Wouldn't You Love To Love Me? Out of all the versions it is the closest to the one he gave away that was actually released.

Really liking the 78 version of "Wouldn't You Love to Love Me?" that's up on Youtube just now. Wonder why that wasn't used on Originals?

Speaking of that song... I'm curious about the audio quality issues with the version they did use on the record, presumably it came from an audio cassette or something? I had hoped the P&B guys would ask Niko about that.

The podcast was awesome but the interview with Niko Bolas was a little tricky at times. It was cool they asked about the early fade-outs and the super-wet reverb on the vocals (though his answers were not great) and overall it felt like he could be quite slippery as an interviewee, he just wouldn't be pinned down on anything specific at all. Either he couldn't remember the songs, or didn't want to discuss the mixing process, or gave slightly misleading answers about the audio sources and how songs were pieced together from different sources etc. Ah well, I guess this is the new normal now, with other folk making decisions over Prince's music. Pity the estate didn't get someone more connected to Prince's legacy to supervise the mixes.

ian said:

Really liking the 78 version of "Wouldn't You Love to Love Me?" that's up on Youtube just now. Wonder why that wasn't used on Originals?

Speaking of that song... I'm curious about the audio quality issues with the version they did use on the record, presumably it came from an audio cassette or something? I had hoped the P&B guys would ask Niko about that.

The podcast was awesome but the interview with Niko Bolas was a little tricky at times. It was cool they asked about the early fade-outs and the super-wet reverb on the vocals (though his answers were not great) and overall it felt like he could be quite slippery as an interviewee, he just wouldn't be pinned down on anything specific at all. Either he couldn't remember the songs, or didn't want to discuss the mixing process, or gave slightly misleading answers about the audio sources and how songs were pieced together from different sources etc. Ah well, I guess this is the new normal now, with other folk making decisions over Prince's music. Pity the estate didn't get someone more connected to Prince's legacy to supervise the mixes.

He is most likely under many nda's.

[Edited 7/31/19 23:11pm]

I agree with leadline, that there is too much reverb on these mixes.

[Edited 8/2/19 20:22pm]

I love this album! It is cool hearing his versions of the songs.

Just FYI:

I saw Originals at Barnes & Noble on vinyl today, as well as Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic on purple vinyl. Of course each place may have a different inventory.

My deluxe Originals arrived this past Thursday, and yes, I will more than likely always order from Amazon! But fam to fam, I'm having a moment. There have been books written over the years, so the recent ones really didn't take me out. There have been different versions of songs and songs unreleased. We're spoiled, I've/we've pretty much heard them all. It wasn't until I opened this Originals Deluxe package that for the first time since 2016, to myself I said, "He's really gone."

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have purchased this product, happy the Estate is trying hard to please the expert and novice fam all at the same time. I just needed to share my heart for a moment cuz we know without a doubt P would have never released this. Brings the grief back home to me. Pardon my need to share.

too much reverb as in?

Holmes said:

I agree with leadline, that there is too much reverb on these mixes.

[Edited 8/2/19 20:22pm]

Kobe said:

too much reverb as in?

Holmes said:

I agree with leadline, that there is too much reverb on these mixes.

[Edited 8/2/19 20:22pm]

His vocals sound like he's singing in a cathedral, you can really hear how especially wet it is when he's doing more speak-sing vocal asides in "Jungle Love". His vocals never sounded like that on his own releases.

WhisperingDandelions said:

Kobe said:

too much reverb as in?

His vocals sound like he's singing in a cathedral, you can really hear how especially wet it is when he's doing more speak-sing vocal asides in "Jungle Love". His vocals never sounded like that on his own releases.

Amen to that, never, not on released, not on demos, not on unreleased stuff, not on associated artist stuff, etc. How the heck do you water down a funk track like Jungle Love? By design, every aspect of the sound is supposed to be tight, it is not a ballad. Its like the guy that did this had a bucket filled to the brim with reverb and just poured it over everything indiscriminantly. He should have known better, and if the estate had any clue, they would not have allowed it.

There are proabably 100+ songs now that this guy has done, you can expect them all to be drowning as he mentioned in his interview he has a phd in reverb. He needs to get a phd in removing reverb, quick.

Its hilarious, all this talk in the interview about staying true to Prince's vision, and then he drowns his vocals to the max. There is nothing in Prince's vision or historical account that could ever lead one to believe that that was the right move.

You don't take liberties on Prince's music, it is the way it is for one simple reason, THAT is how he wanted it.

[Edited 8/6/19 2:45am]