This is going to miss out on quite a few sales with the big box retailers like Target, Walmart and Best Buy not having the Super Deluxe in stock for Black Friday. But, since Best Buy doesn't carry CDs any longer, then I guess they would not have it in stock. But, I at least thought Walmart and Target would have it on the shelves.

Mintchip said:

rdhull said:

donnyenglish said:

Mine has not arrived (ordered from the Estate site). I wanted to get a copy today and I cannot find it anywhere in Baltimore. Our big record store doesn't even have it. No luck at Target, Barnes and Noble or Best Buy. I bet a lot of Black Friday shoppers would have purchased it.

It's damn near nowhere to be found lol. Ill have to order online

You gon learn.

udo said:

Mintchip said:

LoveGalore said:

Fascinating to consider, actually.

.

I would say that this album had A LOT of allusions to rather aggressive sexual predation. Not just rape stuff in EL and LUA, but also the last bit of Something in the Water, the last moment in DMSR, "fuck the taste out of your mouth" which could be interpreted as overtly aggressive, Jill taking it pretty rough in Lady Cab Driver, the BDSM imagery in Automatic, the "turbulents" in International Lover might be referencing these moments, "so you'll NEVER FORGET", "the more you scream, the nastier I get", the original "Irresistible Bitch" is overtly aggro. I'm missing some references, but you get the idea.

.

Knowing all this, it's fascinating that MH called the rape lyrics "lamentable" - as if this wasn't part of the character he was playing during 1999.

. I agree, and would also point to the very first line of the whole album, “don’t worry I won’t hurt you, I only want you to have some fun”, which is ominous at best, with its Darth Vader vocal effect. This is countered by the last line of that song, “mommy why does everybody have a bomb?”, said high pitched like a child. . One odd thing I noticed about this rerelease is that every article talks about what the album did: this is where Prince went pop, or this is where Prince became successful. Nobody mentions the incredible themes of the album; chaos at the end of the world, disturbing violence everywhere, and the listener is going to just keep dancing, because this music is too good. . Given that everyone actually feels that the world might end soon, you’d think this might be a no-brainer. . And ya, that context is how you approach those two tracks, which to my mind are the only two tracks that mention rape from the predators POV. They were correctly removed from the original album. It’s a shame they weren’t included on this release.

I don't agree. I do not find the songs/album '1999' violent nor aggressive abuse sounding.

Sex, yes, violent, no.

JMO. To point out that if 'it's obvious' to you, doesn't mean everyone else agrees.

[Edited 11/29/19 17:44pm]

mnfriend said:

Strive said:

A real sh*t week this week in the office and out ... had this parcel of awesomeness waiting for me when I got in last night ...

... what an absolute solid gold top drawer release!! Full respect to Warner Records and those who put it together, I don't think I could ask for much more from a 1999 re-release.

I hope it sells like hot cakes, firstly because it deserves to, and secondly because I can't WAIT to see what they do with Prince's other albums.

DaveT said:

gollygirl said:

So I rested a bit and I skipped to the first vault disc.
Then the second vault disc.

.

I guess a big THANK YOU is needed to Bernie Grundman.

Stuff sounds great.

Simply great!

Finally a decent remaster.

Can Bernie please redo the PR fiasco?

udo said:

So I rested a bit and I skipped to the first vault disc.
Then the second vault disc.

.

I guess a big THANK YOU is needed to Bernie Grundman.

Stuff sounds great.

Simply great!

Finally a decent remaster.

Can Bernie please redo the PR fiasco?

I thought the PR release was pretty good to

... just had an email from Amazon to say they're refunding £10 on my pre-order to ... tasty!

Thank you Amazon for NOT delivering this on time!

But Yeah... great set. I can do with out the edits and whatnot... and yeah 2 songs missing... but over all great stuff. I am paying for my obsession over collecting unreleased songs...

some of the vocals seem to be too low...but maybe that was just my crapy system? (with headphoes it sounds better.)

And as I said: given how many of these have been circulating in some form... is that an indication of that maybe most of his songs are in circulation?

DaveT said:

I thought the PR release was pretty good to

.

PR was done by a band member's husband (?), supposedly overseen by Prince.

Judging from the sound on the CD I must guess that Prince's hearing was seriously degraded at that time.

If one does not notice the lack of dynamics on PR, (compare to this 1999 Deluxe remaster) then what is there to do?

Simply redo the PR thing, preferrably by a real remastering engineer like Bernie Grundman.

I really LOVE the package. The box, the individual digipaks, the booklet...

This is really a beautiful set, WELL DONE!

Haven't read the essays yet but love Duane's notes on the vault tracks.

Purple Rain deluxe looks super cheap by comparison.

djThunderfunk said:

djThunderfunk said:

Doozer said:

Great release.

Shame about PR Deluxe being released at a time when there was no access to the material for it in better quality. Then again, I can't complain about getting access to tracks like "Love & Sex", regardless of sound quality issues. This one is much better, regardless. A few of the outtakes might be sourced from tapes, but at least there's no silly, muffled-sounding garbage like the version of "The Dance Electric" they included on PR Deluxe.

The remaster of the album itself is also considerably better (yes, I know the PR remaster can only be blamed on Prince, and either on his poor judgment or issues with his ears, in the end)

novabrkr said:

LoveGalore said:

Wolfie87 said:

LoveGalore said:

There is no "few" sourced from tapes. Just one. Bold Generation. The rest come from reels.

And that's the best song on the entire Vault release. This is not a knock on you or the other audio elitists in here. But what I know is that I'm going to shake my ass to these songs, regardless of whatever sound issues there might be.

novabrkr said:

Great release.

Shame about PR Deluxe being released at a time when there was no access to the material for it in better quality. Then again, I can't complain about getting access to tracks like "Love & Sex", regardless of sound quality issues. This one is much better, regardless. A few of the outtakes might be sourced from tapes, but at least there's no silly, muffled-sounding garbage like the version of "The Dance Electric" they included on PR Deluxe.

The remaster of the album itself is also considerably better (yes, I know the PR remaster can only be blamed on Prince, and either on his poor judgment or issues with his ears, in the end)

PR Deluxe certainly had its fair share of issues, but one thing it had over the 1999 SuperDeluxe was the inclusion of revelatory 'lost' classics like We Can Fuck, Computer Blue (Hallway Speech) and Electric intercourse, along with other great tracks like Wonderful Ass and Love & Sex. I don't feel like the 1999 set has anything anywhere near this level of genius.

The 1999 set has a whole bunch of these rockabilly songs that all sound more or less the same and feel totally throwaway to me. They seem comparable to Katrina's Paper Dolls or Velvet Kitty Cat and people really complained about those 2 tracks.

Where 1999 SuperDeluxe really succeeds is in the overall package and presentation, which is miles ahead of PR. I just wish there wasn't so much material that feels totally skippable. It really needs a few more classics, and the inclusion of Extraloveable or Baby You're A Trip would have gone some way to achieving this.

I see a lot of other people are really enjoying this set though and I don't want to spoil their fun, so I won't continue with this point, but I wish I was finding as much to love in this set as I did with PR Deluxe.

massing said:

novabrkr said:

Great release.

Shame about PR Deluxe being released at a time when there was no access to the material for it in better quality. Then again, I can't complain about getting access to tracks like "Love & Sex", regardless of sound quality issues. This one is much better, regardless. A few of the outtakes might be sourced from tapes, but at least there's no silly, muffled-sounding garbage like the version of "The Dance Electric" they included on PR Deluxe.

The remaster of the album itself is also considerably better (yes, I know the PR remaster can only be blamed on Prince, and either on his poor judgment or issues with his ears, in the end)

PR Deluxe certainly had its fair share of issues, but one thing it had over the 1999 SuperDeluxe was the inclusion of revelatory 'lost' classics like We Can Fuck, Computer Blue (Hallway Speech) and Electric intercourse, along with other great tracks like Wonderful Ass and Love & Sex. I don't feel like the 1999 set has anything anywhere near this level of genius.

The 1999 set has a whole bunch of these rockabilly songs that all sound more or less the same and feel totally throwaway to me. They seem comparable to Katrina's Paper Dolls or Velvet Kitty Cat and people really complained about those 2 tracks.

Where 1999 SuperDeluxe really succeeds is in the overall package and presentation, which is miles ahead of PR. I just wish there wasn't so much material that feels totally skippable. It really needs a few more classics, and the inclusion of Extraloveable or Baby You're A Trip would have gone some way to achieving this.

I see a lot of other people are really enjoying this set though and I don't want to spoil their fun, so I won't continue with this point, but I wish I was finding as much to love in this set as I did with PR Deluxe.

Love & Sex was Ok, not a holy grail. Wonderful Ass, which everybody hated on the .Org when it was released you mean? That chugging typewriter/machinegun cladder in the Background (1986 inferior version, and therefor a bastardisation of a track said to be recorded in 1983-84. Not tweaked after Purple Rain). The 1983 version is one of my favourite Prince outtakes and was a huge letdown on PR Deluxe. Electric Intercourse doesn't hold a candle compared to First Avenue 1983. An even bigger letdown than Wonderful Ass. We Can Fuck is a holy grail though, and Hallway, well you just knew that was coming sooner rather than later. This 1999 Vault piece is a "Holy Shit" moment. Better than I anticipated. 5/5 stars easily. But you are correct that the rockabilly songs are a bit throwaway. Delirious and Horny Toad is enough for me.

[Edited 11/30/19 14:46pm]

Wolfie87 said:

massing said:

PR Deluxe certainly had its fair share of issues, but one thing it had over the 1999 SuperDeluxe was the inclusion of revelatory 'lost' classics like We Can Fuck, Computer Blue (Hallway Speech) and Electric intercourse, along with other great tracks like Wonderful Ass and Love & Sex. I don't feel like the 1999 set has anything anywhere near this level of genius.

The 1999 set has a whole bunch of these rockabilly songs that all sound more or less the same and feel totally throwaway to me. They seem comparable to Katrina's Paper Dolls or Velvet Kitty Cat and people really complained about those 2 tracks.

Where 1999 SuperDeluxe really succeeds is in the overall package and presentation, which is miles ahead of PR. I just wish there wasn't so much material that feels totally skippable. It really needs a few more classics, and the inclusion of Extraloveable or Baby You're A Trip would have gone some way to achieving this.

I see a lot of other people are really enjoying this set though and I don't want to spoil their fun, so I won't continue with this point, but I wish I was finding as much to love in this set as I did with PR Deluxe.

Love & Sex was Ok, not a holy grail. Wonderful Ass, which everybody hated on the .Org when it was released you mean? That chugging typewriter/machinegun cladder in the Background (1986 inferior version, and therefor a bastardisation of a track said to be recorded in 1983-84. Not tweaked after Purple Rain). The 1983 version is one of my favourite Prince outtakes and was a huge letdown on PR Deluxe. Electric Intercourse doesn't hold a candle compared to First Avenue 1983. An even bigger letdown than Wonderful Ass. We Can Fuck is a holy grail though, and Hallway, well you just knew that was coming sooner rather than later. This 1999 Vault piece is a "Holy Shit" moment. Better than I anticipated. 5/5 stars easily. But you are correct that the rockabilly songs are a bit throwaway. Delirious and Horny Toad is enough for me.

[Edited 11/30/19 14:46pm]

I don't see it that way at all, but fair enough, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

massing said:

novabrkr said:

Great release.

Shame about PR Deluxe being released at a time when there was no access to the material for it in better quality. Then again, I can't complain about getting access to tracks like "Love & Sex", regardless of sound quality issues. This one is much better, regardless. A few of the outtakes might be sourced from tapes, but at least there's no silly, muffled-sounding garbage like the version of "The Dance Electric" they included on PR Deluxe.

The remaster of the album itself is also considerably better (yes, I know the PR remaster can only be blamed on Prince, and either on his poor judgment or issues with his ears, in the end)

PR Deluxe certainly had its fair share of issues, but one thing it had over the 1999 SuperDeluxe was the inclusion of revelatory 'lost' classics like We Can Fuck, Computer Blue (Hallway Speech) and Electric intercourse, along with other great tracks like Wonderful Ass and Love & Sex. I don't feel like the 1999 set has anything anywhere near this level of genius.

The 1999 set has a whole bunch of these rockabilly songs that all sound more or less the same and feel totally throwaway to me. They seem comparable to Katrina's Paper Dolls or Velvet Kitty Cat and people really complained about those 2 tracks.

Where 1999 SuperDeluxe really succeeds is in the overall package and presentation, which is miles ahead of PR. I just wish there wasn't so much material that feels totally skippable. It really needs a few more classics, and the inclusion of Extraloveable or Baby You're A Trip would have gone some way to achieving this.

I see a lot of other people are really enjoying this set though and I don't want to spoil their fun, so I won't continue with this point, but I wish I was finding as much to love in this set as I did with PR Deluxe.

You pretty much hit the nail on the head, and there are several tracks on here I likely won't revisit after this initial hype dies down (much like the aforementioned throwaways on PR Deluxe). With that said, it's still so exciting to get further insight to Prince's creative process. Even the best of the best have to burn through rough sketches before they get to something special.

Since "Extraloveable" has been a popular topic as of lately... do fans/collectors have a decent quality version of this song? The best I've been able to find is very muddy, to say the least. I hope a satisfyingly clear version surfaces someday since it won't see an official release soon (if ever)

massing said:

Wolfie87 said:

Love & Sex was Ok, not a holy grail. Wonderful Ass, which everybody hated on the .Org when it was released you mean? That chugging typewriter/machinegun cladder in the Background (1986 inferior version, and therefor a bastardisation of a track said to be recorded in 1983-84. Not tweaked after Purple Rain). The 1983 version is one of my favourite Prince outtakes and was a huge letdown on PR Deluxe. Electric Intercourse doesn't hold a candle compared to First Avenue 1983. An even bigger letdown than Wonderful Ass. We Can Fuck is a holy grail though, and Hallway, well you just knew that was coming sooner rather than later. This 1999 Vault piece is a "Holy Shit" moment. Better than I anticipated. 5/5 stars easily. But you are correct that the rockabilly songs are a bit throwaway. Delirious and Horny Toad is enough for me.

[Edited 11/30/19 14:46pm]

I don't see it that way at all, but fair enough, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

True or otherwise........look at the amount of unreleased material we have from just 3 releases. This makes for a great set of songs between, Originals, PR & 1999. I can't imagine how material we will have by the time they get to 10 releases or so.

Wolfie87 said:

Doozer said:

Totally agree. PR Deluxe seems rushed and incomplete compared to 1999 Super Deluxe. Guess that’s why it’s “Super.”

If future releases are treated similarly, I’ll be thrilled.

Looking forward to your review. This 1994-1995 era was crazy long.
[Edited 11/30/19 11:03am]