German article on Originals with quotes from Michael Howe: https://www.deutschlandfu..._id=451304

Spanish article on Originals with quotes from Michael Howe: https://www.lavanguardia....inals.html

German article about Originals with quotes from Michael Howe, but those seem to originate from his interview with Der Spiegel: https://www.ksta.de/kultu...e-32755512

I wonder how a man under so many NDA stuff can give so many interviews...

it might be intentional. Whenever they ask a question that the estate does not want answered, it's "sorry, NDA". It gives him extra leeway to not answer questions while not immediately coming across as a dick.

high fashion

mutiny

desire

100 mph (better versiion)

allegience

The voice

baby ur a trip

noon rendevous

g spot

glamorous life

love thy will be done (guitar version)

...this is what shouldve been released

jfenster said:

high fashion

mutiny

desire

100 mph (better versiion)

allegience

The voice

baby ur a trip

noon rendevous

g spot

glamorous life

love thy will be done (guitar version)

...this is what shouldve been released

https://www.humo.be/humo-archief/403403/prince-humo-sprak-met-zijn-manager-en-muze-wij-hadden-een-heerlijk-seksleven-maar-als-er-een-song-in-zn-hoofd-opdook-moest-ik-wijken

Anybody can post it? Seems interesting...

yello1 said:

https://www.humo.be/humo-archief/403403/prince-humo-sprak-met-zijn-manager-en-muze-wij-hadden-een-heerlijk-seksleven-maar-als-er-een-song-in-zn-hoofd-opdook-moest-ik-wijken

Anybody can post it? Seems interesting...

.

Oh god, more pedantic BS from Serge Simonart, the genius who complained in 1991 that Prince didn't release a song like "Still Would Stand All Time".

yello1 said:

https://www.humo.be/humo-archief/403403/prince-humo-sprak-met-zijn-manager-en-muze-wij-hadden-een-heerlijk-seksleven-maar-als-er-een-song-in-zn-hoofd-opdook-moest-ik-wijken

Anybody can post it? Seems interesting...

.

Michael Howe part: Starts with speculation on how tracks got leaked to bootleggers. Says that the tapes from the start of Prince's career up to 1985 were in a bad condition. Serge thinks that "Golden Parachute" and "The Truth" are unreleased tracks. Howe says he's working on the next release and that it will feature two very explicit tracks, which they're not censoring. Michael Howe appears to think that "The Hookers" were an existing group before Prince took them on and renamed them to "Vanity 6". Serge claims that he heard Prince say that he had dictated his memoires to tape (but Serge is known to be making shit up and misinterpreting things).

.

Susannah Melvoin part: Says that they nicknamed the gentle side of Prince "Steve". Claims that Prince tried to recruit Wendy for the JWs and that he repeatedly talked to Wendy about this, badgering her. She says she "seldom" saw Prince trying XTC or coke (lord knows what she really said, of course -- again, Serge isn't a reliable source).

.

[Edited 7/9/19 15:35pm]

BartVanHemelen said:

yello1 said:

https://www.humo.be/humo-archief/403403/prince-humo-sprak-met-zijn-manager-en-muze-wij-hadden-een-heerlijk-seksleven-maar-als-er-een-song-in-zn-hoofd-opdook-moest-ik-wijken

Anybody can post it? Seems interesting...

.

Michael Howe part: Starts with speculation on how tracks got leaked to bootleggers. Says that the tapes from the start of Prince's career up to 1985 were in a bad condition. Serge thinks that "Golden Parachute" and "The Truth" are unreleased tracks. Howe says he's working on the next release and that it will feature two very explicit tracks, which they're not censoring. Michael Howe appears to think that "The Hookers" were an existing group before Prince took them on and renamed them to "Vanity 6". Serge claims that he heard Prince say that he had dictated his memoires to tape (but Serge is known to be making shit up and misinterpreting things).

.

[Edited 7/9/19 15:35pm]

If M.HOwe is working on the 1999 Deluxe as rumoured from long months now....my guesses > VAGINA & Xtraloveable !!!

PS> CAN WE HAVE a full & correct transcript of this interview....i'am afraid that the words reported from M.HOWE could be wrong or misinterpreted ??? thanx in advance

[Edited 7/10/19 0:58am]

love2thenines2003 said:

BartVanHemelen said:

.

Michael Howe part: Starts with speculation on how tracks got leaked to bootleggers. Says that the tapes from the start of Prince's career up to 1985 were in a bad condition. Serge thinks that "Golden Parachute" and "The Truth" are unreleased tracks. Howe says he's working on the next release and that it will feature two very explicit tracks, which they're not censoring. Michael Howe appears to think that "The Hookers" were an existing group before Prince took them on and renamed them to "Vanity 6". Serge claims that he heard Prince say that he had dictated his memoires to tape (but Serge is known to be making shit up and misinterpreting things).

.

[Edited 7/9/19 15:35pm]

If M.HOwe is working on the 1999 Deluxe as rumoured from long months now....my guesses > VAGINA & Xtraloveable !!!

PS> CAN WE HAVE a full & correct transcript of this interview....i'am afraid that the words reported from M.HOWE could be wrong or misinterpreted ??? thanx in advance

[Edited 7/10/19 0:58am]

pleasee!!!

yello1 said:

https://www.humo.be/humo-archief/403403/prince-humo-sprak-met-zijn-manager-en-muze-wij-hadden-een-heerlijk-seksleven-maar-als-er-een-song-in-zn-hoofd-opdook-moest-ik-wijken

Anybody can post it? Seems interesting...

.

Here's The Michael Howe part, translated using Google Translate (I haven't checked this):

.

More than three years after his death, a new record was released from the vaults of Prince: "Originals", with fifteen original versions of songs that Prince had given to other artists at the time. We were able to talk to Michael Howe, manager of Prince at Warner and now manager of the thousands of unpublished songs from The Vault, and to Susannah Melvoin, once his fiancé and muse: "Prince first had a crush on my sister, but he is a lesbian, so it was handy that she had a heterosexual twin sister. "

.

HUMO "Originals" is an official release, but many songs have been circulating on bootlegs for years. How do you explain that the private studio of a control freak was as leaky as a sieve?

.

Michael Howe «I talked about that yesterday with Bobby Z., the drummer of The Revolution. Almost all employees at Paisley Park, Prince's private domain, were helpful and loyal, but not all. In the beginning, Prince himself was sloppy: he had cassettes lying around in his car or on his desk. Sound engineers also made copies and smuggled them from Paisley Park. Cleaning women and suppliers occasionally saw the opportunity to grab something. Prince also gave the vault code to too many people: if someone was fired, he took revenge by stealing tapes. And some people couldn't resist the financial proposals of shady businessmen.

.

»I don't think there was a sinister conspiracy, but I do know that absolute control is an illusion. And do not forget that it was unthinkable until the end of the 1980s that you could send a tape in a trillion copies of the world at the touch of a button. »

.

HUMO At the time, Prince had a fight with record company Warner, who, oh irony, is now taking care of his posthumous releases. She does not mention a word about the period when Prince walked around with "Slave" on his cheek, because Warner exploited him.

.

Howe «Um, I have to put that into perspective. That dispute was about money. In fact, Prince had a great deal of respect for Warner, since it was the label on which almost all his heroes had released records, and he communicated directly with oldskool A&R people such as Mo Ostin and Lenny Waronker. Even though that didn't always go smoothly. Lenny told me how he had to tell Prince that Warner did not want to release a triple CD. Yes, the double track "Sign o" the Times "was first a triple album. According to Lenny, Prince reacted furiously when he had to delete eight songs. But already the next morning Lenny received a new version. »

.

HUMO Prince once said that the vice president of Warner asked him: “What do you think, Prince, that new trend, rap or what do they call it, will that be something?” Prince rolled his eyes and looked at his watch, as if to to say: I don't have time for that kind of nonsense.

.

Howe (chuckling) «I wasn't there, but I know it's right. I would like to point out that Warner Prince has always supported that "Slave" stuff was actually not fair. That incident with "Sign o" the Times "was an exception, otherwise Warner has never been involved. We were all big fans. »

.

HUMO Do you feel waded by the thousands of boxes of recordings that were previously forbidden, like the archaeologists who opened thousands of years old burial chambers of pharaohs?

.

Howe «Yes, it is exactly that feeling. I feel like a cultural archaeologist. My biggest fear at the beginning was that I would touch something that would pulverize. The cassettes from the period before his first record contract, until around 1985, were in poor condition. I was particularly moved by "Baby You're a Trip", because he improvises in that first version. He also tested vocal lines, and he sang so well that even a guide vocal from Prince almost always sounded perfect and was better than definitive vocal lines from lesser gods. »

.

HUMO The material in The Vault covers forty years: what do you think is the best period?

.

Howe «I feel inclined towards the period between 1980 and 1994, roughly from" Prince "and" 1999 "to" Diamonds and Pearls ". But we also found pearls from later years that I thought: it was really perverse that he never released them. »

.

HUMO Like?

.

Howe «Sorry, I cannot say anything about songs that have not yet been released, only about" Originals. "

.

HUMO But that is absurd: anyone can hear what is already there. What do you think of unpublished songs like "Broken", "The Second Coming", "The Streets of Panama", "The Fat Lady Sings", "All My Dreams", "Golden Parachute" or "The Truth"?

.

Howe "I can't comment on that, sorry."

.

HUMO You can't even comment if I mention the song titles?

.

Howe «No, I will be bothered: I have signed a contract. I can say that I am not so fond of the "Gold Experience" period, but even from that time I have heard sublime tracks that Prince almost casually referred to the vault. "

.

HUMO He often had problems with censorship organs. Do you censor the burned versions of songs for which only the textually cleaned up version was available?

.

Howe «For the next CD I am working on two tracks that are very sexually tinted and daring, but unfortunately I cannot tell you which ones. '

.

HUMO "When Eye Lay My Hands on You"? "Extraloveable"? "Electric Intercourse"?

.

Howe «Sorry, no titles. But we will not censor it. You notice that Prince made everything more elegant, really bad lyrics were not his thing. One example: before Prince Vanity took charge of Six, the girl group was called The Hookers - a world of difference. On "Originals" it says "Gigolos Get Lonely Too", but that's more of a joke, written for The Time. "

.

HUMO Is it true that the heirs have decided not to release half-finished songs or demos? Wouldn't that be fascinating? Bob Dylan has officially released eight versions of "Shelter from the Storm," and Dylan is still alive.

.

Howe «I agree with you, but the heirs think that Prince would not have wanted that. Anyway there are very few unfinished songs in the vault. Not only was Prince very disciplined, moreover he was able to finish something very quickly, because he played almost all the instruments himself. »

.

HUMO Prince was the best performer of his time. How is it possible that the heirs have not yet released any live CDs or DVDs?

.

Howe «I agree with you again. But I cannot speak for the heirs. »

.

HUMO In Paisley Park I once heard Prince say something about memoirs that he didn't write down, but did say. I was not allowed to write that down at the time, and recording a conversation with him was definitely not allowed. Have you found those tapes?

.

Howe «No. There are tapes on which you can hear him give a long explanation, but often they are jokes or guidelines to his technician or to a musician. I have not yet found memoirs. But of course I still have thousands of tapes to go. »

So Michael doesn even 'dare' to coment on his own (is)likes for certain songs, can only diss TGE...

Is that an American thing? Or did the NDA actually mention his own tastes?

TrevorAyer said:

BartVanHemelen said:

New interview with Michael Howe (actually done some weeks ago at the Originals listening party in london) @ SuperDeluxeEdition: http://www.superdeluxeedi...ks-to-sde/ .

This guy seems dim. They promote prince like cardi b .. he is a legacy artist .. originals should have been a 4 disk box with great liner notes .. they are obsessed with putting everything on vinyl (which is stupid) .. and with limiting the out put for quality sake ... even tho they include music that ‘sounds’ like shit (wouldn’t u love to love me, our destiny) ... claim no one wants a box but we get a fucking rave box?!?!?!? ... then cheap packaging .. cmom 4 4 disk box sets with great packaging 100 bucks each with tons of outtakes and live shows would have sold great and made money .. the current plan is destined for bankruptcy before they even get to the good stuff

You seem kind of dim or maybe you haven't read any other interviews with him. He isn't King of the Estate. He isn't in charge of what is released. He could not make Originals a 4 disk box set, even if he wanted to.

I think there's probably some interest in not just making money, since contracts will give all parties plenty, but finally allowing the world — and fans — to truly appreciate the scope and depth of Prince's peerless genious. Yes, I said PEERLESS. No ONE artist has this many diverse accessible and astoundingly crafted songs that reach such a wide variety of audiences. And I'm sure there's more to come.

rdhull said:

jfenster said:

wondering how the estate would think this would be a big seller to non-prince fans

Who says that’s what they’re thinking?

in case I didn't drop this in the right bucket....

Make-Up!

[Edited 7/11/19 8:35am]

BartVanHemelen said:

yello1 said:

https://www.humo.be/humo-archief/403403/prince-humo-sprak-met-zijn-manager-en-muze-wij-hadden-een-heerlijk-seksleven-maar-als-er-een-song-in-zn-hoofd-opdook-moest-ik-wijken

Anybody can post it? Seems interesting...

.

Here's The Michael Howe part, translated using Google Translate (I haven't checked this):

.

More than three years after his death, a new record was released from the vaults of Prince: "Originals", with fifteen original versions of songs that Prince had given to other artists at the time. We were able to talk to Michael Howe, manager of Prince at Warner and now manager of the thousands of unpublished songs from The Vault, and to Susannah Melvoin, once his fiancé and muse: "Prince first had a crush on my sister, but he is a lesbian, so it was handy that she had a heterosexual twin sister. "

.

HUMO "Originals" is an official release, but many songs have been circulating on bootlegs for years. How do you explain that the private studio of a control freak was as leaky as a sieve?

.

Michael Howe «I talked about that yesterday with Bobby Z., the drummer of The Revolution. Almost all employees at Paisley Park, Prince's private domain, were helpful and loyal, but not all. In the beginning, Prince himself was sloppy: he had cassettes lying around in his car or on his desk. Sound engineers also made copies and smuggled them from Paisley Park. Cleaning women and suppliers occasionally saw the opportunity to grab something. Prince also gave the vault code to too many people: if someone was fired, he took revenge by stealing tapes. And some people couldn't resist the financial proposals of shady businessmen.

.

»I don't think there was a sinister conspiracy, but I do know that absolute control is an illusion. And do not forget that it was unthinkable until the end of the 1980s that you could send a tape in a trillion copies of the world at the touch of a button. »

.

HUMO At the time, Prince had a fight with record company Warner, who, oh irony, is now taking care of his posthumous releases. She does not mention a word about the period when Prince walked around with "Slave" on his cheek, because Warner exploited him.

.

Howe «Um, I have to put that into perspective. That dispute was about money. In fact, Prince had a great deal of respect for Warner, since it was the label on which almost all his heroes had released records, and he communicated directly with oldskool A&R people such as Mo Ostin and Lenny Waronker. Even though that didn't always go smoothly. Lenny told me how he had to tell Prince that Warner did not want to release a triple CD. Yes, the double track "Sign o" the Times "was first a triple album. According to Lenny, Prince reacted furiously when he had to delete eight songs. But already the next morning Lenny received a new version. »

.

HUMO Prince once said that the vice president of Warner asked him: “What do you think, Prince, that new trend, rap or what do they call it, will that be something?” Prince rolled his eyes and looked at his watch, as if to to say: I don't have time for that kind of nonsense.

.

Howe (chuckling) «I wasn't there, but I know it's right. I would like to point out that Warner Prince has always supported that "Slave" stuff was actually not fair. That incident with "Sign o" the Times "was an exception, otherwise Warner has never been involved. We were all big fans. »

.

HUMO Do you feel waded by the thousands of boxes of recordings that were previously forbidden, like the archaeologists who opened thousands of years old burial chambers of pharaohs?

.

Howe «Yes, it is exactly that feeling. I feel like a cultural archaeologist. My biggest fear at the beginning was that I would touch something that would pulverize. The cassettes from the period before his first record contract, until around 1985, were in poor condition. I was particularly moved by "Baby You're a Trip", because he improvises in that first version. He also tested vocal lines, and he sang so well that even a guide vocal from Prince almost always sounded perfect and was better than definitive vocal lines from lesser gods. »

.

HUMO The material in The Vault covers forty years: what do you think is the best period?

.

Howe «I feel inclined towards the period between 1980 and 1994, roughly from" Prince "and" 1999 "to" Diamonds and Pearls ". But we also found pearls from later years that I thought: it was really perverse that he never released them. »

.

HUMO Like?

.

Howe «Sorry, I cannot say anything about songs that have not yet been released, only about" Originals. "

.

HUMO But that is absurd: anyone can hear what is already there. What do you think of unpublished songs like "Broken", "The Second Coming", "The Streets of Panama", "The Fat Lady Sings", "All My Dreams", "Golden Parachute" or "The Truth"?

.

Howe "I can't comment on that, sorry."

.

HUMO You can't even comment if I mention the song titles?

.

Howe «No, I will be bothered: I have signed a contract. I can say that I am not so fond of the "Gold Experience" period, but even from that time I have heard sublime tracks that Prince almost casually referred to the vault. "

.

HUMO He often had problems with censorship organs. Do you censor the burned versions of songs for which only the textually cleaned up version was available?

.

Howe «For the next CD I am working on two tracks that are very sexually tinted and daring, but unfortunately I cannot tell you which ones. '

.

HUMO "When Eye Lay My Hands on You"? "Extraloveable"? "Electric Intercourse"?

.

Howe «Sorry, no titles. But we will not censor it. You notice that Prince made everything more elegant, really bad lyrics were not his thing. One example: before Prince Vanity took charge of Six, the girl group was called The Hookers - a world of difference. On "Originals" it says "Gigolos Get Lonely Too", but that's more of a joke, written for The Time. "

.

HUMO Is it true that the heirs have decided not to release half-finished songs or demos? Wouldn't that be fascinating? Bob Dylan has officially released eight versions of "Shelter from the Storm," and Dylan is still alive.

.

Howe «I agree with you, but the heirs think that Prince would not have wanted that. Anyway there are very few unfinished songs in the vault. Not only was Prince very disciplined, moreover he was able to finish something very quickly, because he played almost all the instruments himself. »

.

HUMO Prince was the best performer of his time. How is it possible that the heirs have not yet released any live CDs or DVDs?

.

Howe «I agree with you again. But I cannot speak for the heirs. »

.

HUMO In Paisley Park I once heard Prince say something about memoirs that he didn't write down, but did say. I was not allowed to write that down at the time, and recording a conversation with him was definitely not allowed. Have you found those tapes?

.

Howe «No. There are tapes on which you can hear him give a long explanation, but often they are jokes or guidelines to his technician or to a musician. I have not yet found memoirs. But of course I still have thousands of tapes to go. »

THank ..U!...If you can post the Susannah part...even if you don´t translate it!

2 the Prince Estate ...Release the music from vault..Free the music!

BartVanHemelen said:

yello1 said:

https://www.humo.be/humo-archief/403403/prince-humo-sprak-met-zijn-manager-en-muze-wij-hadden-een-heerlijk-seksleven-maar-als-er-een-song-in-zn-hoofd-opdook-moest-ik-wijken

Anybody can post it? Seems interesting...

.

Here's The Michael Howe part, translated using Google Translate (I haven't checked this):

.

More than three years after his death, a new record was released from the vaults of Prince: "Originals", with fifteen original versions of songs that Prince had given to other artists at the time. We were able to talk to Michael Howe, manager of Prince at Warner and now manager of the thousands of unpublished songs from The Vault, and to Susannah Melvoin, once his fiancé and muse: "Prince first had a crush on my sister, but he is a lesbian, so it was handy that she had a heterosexual twin sister. "

.

HUMO "Originals" is an official release, but many songs have been circulating on bootlegs for years. How do you explain that the private studio of a control freak was as leaky as a sieve?

.

Michael Howe «I talked about that yesterday with Bobby Z., the drummer of The Revolution. Almost all employees at Paisley Park, Prince's private domain, were helpful and loyal, but not all. In the beginning, Prince himself was sloppy: he had cassettes lying around in his car or on his desk. Sound engineers also made copies and smuggled them from Paisley Park. Cleaning women and suppliers occasionally saw the opportunity to grab something. Prince also gave the vault code to too many people: if someone was fired, he took revenge by stealing tapes. And some people couldn't resist the financial proposals of shady businessmen.

.

»I don't think there was a sinister conspiracy, but I do know that absolute control is an illusion. And do not forget that it was unthinkable until the end of the 1980s that you could send a tape in a trillion copies of the world at the touch of a button. »

.

HUMO At the time, Prince had a fight with record company Warner, who, oh irony, is now taking care of his posthumous releases. She does not mention a word about the period when Prince walked around with "Slave" on his cheek, because Warner exploited him.

.

Howe «Um, I have to put that into perspective. That dispute was about money. In fact, Prince had a great deal of respect for Warner, since it was the label on which almost all his heroes had released records, and he communicated directly with oldskool A&R people such as Mo Ostin and Lenny Waronker. Even though that didn't always go smoothly. Lenny told me how he had to tell Prince that Warner did not want to release a triple CD. Yes, the double track "Sign o" the Times "was first a triple album. According to Lenny, Prince reacted furiously when he had to delete eight songs. But already the next morning Lenny received a new version. »

.

HUMO Prince once said that the vice president of Warner asked him: “What do you think, Prince, that new trend, rap or what do they call it, will that be something?” Prince rolled his eyes and looked at his watch, as if to to say: I don't have time for that kind of nonsense.

.

Howe (chuckling) «I wasn't there, but I know it's right. I would like to point out that Warner Prince has always supported that "Slave" stuff was actually not fair. That incident with "Sign o" the Times "was an exception, otherwise Warner has never been involved. We were all big fans. »

.

HUMO Do you feel waded by the thousands of boxes of recordings that were previously forbidden, like the archaeologists who opened thousands of years old burial chambers of pharaohs?

.

Howe «Yes, it is exactly that feeling. I feel like a cultural archaeologist. My biggest fear at the beginning was that I would touch something that would pulverize. The cassettes from the period before his first record contract, until around 1985, were in poor condition. I was particularly moved by "Baby You're a Trip", because he improvises in that first version. He also tested vocal lines, and he sang so well that even a guide vocal from Prince almost always sounded perfect and was better than definitive vocal lines from lesser gods. »

.

HUMO The material in The Vault covers forty years: what do you think is the best period?

.

Howe «I feel inclined towards the period between 1980 and 1994, roughly from" Prince "and" 1999 "to" Diamonds and Pearls ". But we also found pearls from later years that I thought: it was really perverse that he never released them. »

.

HUMO Like?

.

Howe «Sorry, I cannot say anything about songs that have not yet been released, only about" Originals. "

.

HUMO But that is absurd: anyone can hear what is already there. What do you think of unpublished songs like "Broken", "The Second Coming", "The Streets of Panama", "The Fat Lady Sings", "All My Dreams", "Golden Parachute" or "The Truth"?

.

Howe "I can't comment on that, sorry."

.

HUMO You can't even comment if I mention the song titles?

.

Howe «No, I will be bothered: I have signed a contract. I can say that I am not so fond of the "Gold Experience" period, but even from that time I have heard sublime tracks that Prince almost casually referred to the vault. "

.

HUMO He often had problems with censorship organs. Do you censor the burned versions of songs for which only the textually cleaned up version was available?

.

Howe «For the next CD I am working on two tracks that are very sexually tinted and daring, but unfortunately I cannot tell you which ones. '

.

HUMO "When Eye Lay My Hands on You"? "Extraloveable"? "Electric Intercourse"?

.

Howe «Sorry, no titles. But we will not censor it. You notice that Prince made everything more elegant, really bad lyrics were not his thing. One example: before Prince Vanity took charge of Six, the girl group was called The Hookers - a world of difference. On "Originals" it says "Gigolos Get Lonely Too", but that's more of a joke, written for The Time. "

.

HUMO Is it true that the heirs have decided not to release half-finished songs or demos? Wouldn't that be fascinating? Bob Dylan has officially released eight versions of "Shelter from the Storm," and Dylan is still alive.

.

Howe «I agree with you, but the heirs think that Prince would not have wanted that. Anyway there are very few unfinished songs in the vault. Not only was Prince very disciplined, moreover he was able to finish something very quickly, because he played almost all the instruments himself. »

.

HUMO Prince was the best performer of his time. How is it possible that the heirs have not yet released any live CDs or DVDs?

.

Howe «I agree with you again. But I cannot speak for the heirs. »

.

HUMO In Paisley Park I once heard Prince say something about memoirs that he didn't write down, but did say. I was not allowed to write that down at the time, and recording a conversation with him was definitely not allowed. Have you found those tapes?

.

Howe «No. There are tapes on which you can hear him give a long explanation, but often they are jokes or guidelines to his technician or to a musician. I have not yet found memoirs. But of course I still have thousands of tapes to go. »

Thank you very much!

T

Re-listening to it today. I have seen a comment or two that claim Prince didn't give his all with his vocals, since these were "guide tracks".

I have to completely disagree. Prince sang each of these songs EXACTLY how he wanted them to be sung. That's my takeaway, anyway.

He was simply incredible.

djThunderfunk said:

Ramzoo said:

I love japanese releases: all my Prince's CD's are from Japan. Always something special: jewel case (Ultimate Rave), bonus track (Originals), lyrics (all albums), sticker (Love Symbol), EP's (Gett Off, Cream, Scandalous Sex Suite...).

And it's said that in Japan they have better mastering and manfacturing, so the quality is almost always better.

FunkiestOne said:

TrevorAyer said:

This guy seems dim. They promote prince like cardi b .. he is a legacy artist .. originals should have been a 4 disk box with great liner notes .. they are obsessed with putting everything on vinyl (which is stupid) .. and with limiting the out put for quality sake ... even tho they include music that ‘sounds’ like shit (wouldn’t u love to love me, our destiny) ... claim no one wants a box but we get a fucking rave box?!?!?!? ... then cheap packaging .. cmom 4 4 disk box sets with great packaging 100 bucks each with tons of outtakes and live shows would have sold great and made money .. the current plan is destined for bankruptcy before they even get to the good stuff

You seem kind of dim or maybe you haven't read any other interviews with him. He isn't King of the Estate. He isn't in charge of what is released. He could not make Originals a 4 disk box set, even if he wanted to.

"MH: Well, somewhat. I mean we don’t want to induce Prince fatigue, you know. I’m not sure that opening the floodgates, with 50 tracks, is really the best consumer experience. "

jesus this guy is so far off the mark .. no one is buying his stupid ideas .. everyone with money wants a 50 fucking track set that looks fucking great .. i'd gladly hand over 100 bucks for that but cannot be bothered to spend money on these pisspoor flimsy ass short releases of crap they scraped off the floor when we all know they are sitting on pristine mastered outstanding tunes

TrevorAyer said:

jesus this guy is so far off the mark ..

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He has to study the Prince markets some more.

Learn about profit maximization.

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Any other artist can sell boxes of tracks and have their estate prosper: https://www.zappa.com/new...october-20

Box with USB stick, or box with 3 CD's.

Or view the list of some record store: https://www.platomania.nl/boxsets

That's just a small sampling, there's loads and loads more.

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How can it be that people even listen tot these Michael? They must be overfed with this music!

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I think it is safe to assume that no one is actually in charge of the profit maximization strategy.

Either they are and they are incompetent or no one is in charge and the result is incompetence.

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Put this next to the flaws that were noted in P&M '83 and in Originals, the packaging, the booklet, the awesome in-depth liner notes and we see a product line that is in dire need of some improvement.

Perhaps even retroactive improvement.

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[Edited 7/12/19 0:11am]

damn...dylan can release 13 cd bootleg series and hes still alive

Dunno why I even bother , but here's the Susannah interview from Humo translated by Google:

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Kiss in the toilet

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"Originals" concludes with "Nothing Compares 2 U", a song that became world famous in the version of Sinéad O’Connor, but which Prince originally wrote for The Family. The "U" from the title was the singer of that group, Susannah Melvoin, twin sister of Wendy and later also fiancé of Prince.

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HUMO Susannah, you were Prince's girlfriend for three years and you knew him for 30 years. Name a simply beautiful moment with him that you cherish?

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Susannah Melvoin «We have shared many intimate, romantic moments. Have conversations in the twilight, overlooking Lake Riley. Trips, pleasant cruising in the car, where he was of course always at the wheel - after all, he was a control freak. Drinking milkshakes and getting a weak smile at the Minnehaha Falls. All those times we played video games or watched movies and silly television series in bed while we were eating popcorn. (Sigh) The flowers that he gave me every week for two years. Our first kiss in the toilet of the studio. His first gift: a bed (laughs). »

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HUMO Describe a typical day in your life?

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Melvoin «Prince was very disciplined and almost always finished his songs immediately. He was afraid that a good idea would dilute if he did not work it out immediately. He started a song in the morning and worked on, if necessary until night, came home, crashed into bed and that was it. We had a wonderful sex life, but on days when a song popped up in his head, I had to give way. Then there was no sex. »

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HUMO Was he difficult as a person? "I can never turn off the roar in my head, that constant stream of ideas. That can be a curse, "he once told me.

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Melvoin «If he was under pressure, he could be blunt or impatient. But it is surprising that he was not more difficult, because he was constantly under pressure. Of course, he often blamed that on himself: other people occasionally take time off, but he rarely or never did. But he could also be very tender. For dear Prince we had a nickname: Steve. »

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HUMO The world never saw an unkempt Prince: even after three hours of performance, every hair was neatly in the fold and there was often no splash of sweat. Did you have a messy version in private?

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Melvoin «I've seen him tired, and in pajamas, with a mustache and unshaven ... But there were limits: he always stayed stylish and cool, even in pajamas. And he never wore a tracksuit or dirty T-shirts. When I first met him and my sister was already playing with him, he regularly stayed with us. Then he slept on the sofa, but even when our cats walked over him, he looked like a star. "

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HUMO Contrary to what the world thought for a long time, Prince had a sense of humor. But I didn't have the impression that he was capable of self-mockery.

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Melvoin «No, not that. That was a limit that was never crossed. He loved to act crazy and often imitated voices on the phone. But he took himself and his work very seriously, and I noticed that his musicians - even his early friends, such as guitarist Dez Dickerson or members of The Time - were not joking about his songs. »

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HUMO Did you never tease him with the often caricatural references to super male sex in his lyrics?

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Melvoin «No, that too was a no-go. He would have interpreted that as if we thought he should be ashamed of sex or his high libido. And as if we didn't take him seriously as an artist. »

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HUMO The Prince, who I knew a little, was jovial, intelligent and funny, but always on his guard. Song titles such as "Old Friends for Sale" and "Eye Love You But Eye Don't Trust You Anymore" also suggest that he didn't really trust his friends.

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Melvoin «That's right. When Wendy, Lisa and I were with him, he was very relaxed. But he wasn't the one who showed the back of his tongue. Certainly not with outsiders, but also with us, its inner circle, an invisible screen always remained intact. He often spoke through his music: he gave me a song and then I knew what he wanted to make clear to me based on the lyrics. He once wrote the song "A Strange Way of Saying I Love You" for Lisa in half an hour, as an excuse for a blunt outage.

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»I think it was self-protection: Prince had several families, but they always fell apart: he never knew true stability. Trust was always an issue, and that got worse as he got richer and more famous. He felt that sooner or later everyone would abandon him and therefore he could not trust anyone. Of course that is also the attitude of the workaholic and the egoist: a star, a super artist expects everything to revolve around him, and a workaholic expects all his confidants to give up their private lives and lead the same monomaniacal life as him, and therefore available at all times to serve his holy cause. He accommodated his musicians in houses near Paisley Park or, when it was still under construction, in a dingy motel nearby. Arriving later than half an hour after he called us into the studio was not an option. »

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HUMO When Prince joined the witnesses of Jehovah, he demanded that Wendy and Lisa renounce their homosexual orientation, because lesbian love was sinful.

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Melvoin «Then something broke. (Schamper) Homosexuality "renounce", please! They even tried to recruit Wendy, and Prince talked to her several times. She became very angry, and then it was over.

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»Prince saw his entry as a sort of penance, a way to come to terms with his" sinful "past. All nonsense. It is tragic. (Chuckles) Prince first had a crush on my sister, but she is a lesbian, so it was handy that she had a heterosexual twin sister. And actually it suited him that Wendy and Lisa were lesbians, because then he could work with them undisturbed without any sexual tension in the air. "

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"I didn't get the lead role in" Under the Cherry Moon, "because Prince didn't want me to act: he wanted me to be his wife."

HUMO I can already see a movie that would be many times stronger than "Purple Rain".

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Melvoin «Well, it's just a matter of time before someone runs a biopic. But I don't think I'll be happy to watch it, because they will naturally zoom in on the drama. "

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HUMO What was not enviable about working with Prince?

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Melvoin «It was hard labor. He was a perfectionist. That meant that we sometimes jammed on one reef for five hours to prepare for a tour. It sometimes felt like I was in the army, with Prince as a drill sergeant. There are nicer things. And I didn't get the lead role in "Under the Cherry Moon," arguing, "I don't want you to act, I want you to be my wife."

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HUMO A while ago you had a load of Prince related items auctioned: backstage passes, gifts and even a handwritten declaration of love. Sorry, but it shocked me a bit.

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Melvoin «I am not so attached to material things. I have many things Prince has ever given me and I know that others, true fans, will place more value on such a backstage pass than I do. I lived, freed, laughed, sang with him… He has' Nothing Compares 2 U ',' Witness', 'Play in the Sunshine', 'Big Tall Wall', 'Go', 'Condition of the Heart' and ' If I Was Your Girlfriend 'written for me. He wrote the text of "Starfish and Coffee" at the kitchen table after I told him in the car about my childhood friend Cynthia Rose and our childhood together. Those memories are not tangible, but they are priceless. »

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"Hip surgery was the beginning of the end: he became addicted to painkillers and took more and more stuff"

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HUMO In later years Prince was very critical of drugs, during concerts and in songs such as "The Undertaker", "Eye No" and "Cold Coffee and Cocaine". Have you ever seen him take drugs?

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Melvoin «When I met him, he was not yet a vegan. He also drank alcohol, usually wine or Bailey’s with ice cubes. I have rarely seen him try something like xtc or coke. But later he had a lot of pain from that hip surgery, that wasn't gossip, he really had it performed. And that was the beginning of the end: he became addicted to painkillers and took more and more stuff. »

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HUMO In my opinion, Prince died of pride. He was too proud to openly admit that he had a problem. The last time I saw him, in Paisley Park, he seemed a little steeper than usual. Now I think: he just improved the pain.

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Melvoin «That is a correct estimate. He was very proud and very fond of his privacy. That made it unthinkable that he would ever show a weakness towards the world. A superstar cannot afford dents in the armor. Even admitting that he was mortal was already a problem for Prince. (Sigh) It is tragic that in recent years he has had so little contact with us, with me, with Wendy and Lisa. We were his family, we were for him as older sisters, I am sure he would have trusted us enough to be vulnerable for once, in extreme need. And Lisa would have intervened immediately. »

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HUMO How do you explain that such a check freak if he has not made a will?

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Melvoin «Oh, but one does not exclude the other, on the contrary: the control freak, who died childless, could not bear the idea that after his death one outsider or one organization would gain total control over his legacy. It was unthinkable that Prince would go to a lawyer and say, "I am dying, I hereby transfer control to you." Then rather chaos! Now, I know he once drew up a provisional will on an A4 sheet. He stored it in the safe, but it was never found. You can draw your own conclusions from that. »

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Danke schoen, Bart!

...come on! It´s quite interesting! Thanks a lot Bart !

[Edited 7/13/19 1:28am]

Never trust Prince fans from their compilation choices because they intend to choose the shit tracks... after all they are iTunes Heads with a big Apple stuck up in their asses

Kobe said:

Never trust Prince fans from their compilation choices because they intend to choose the shit tracks... after all they are iTunes Heads with a big Apple stuck up in their asses

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Whaaaaaat!? Apple streams b00tleggars stuff?

I'd gladly help choose some tracks for free, but hey, this iron mountain place (was it?) is in the US.

I.e.: I won't go there until after the revolution.