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Thread started 02/07/20 8:01am

VaultCurator

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Sign 'O' The Times Super Deluxe: Vault Tracks Suggestions

Hi everyone.

So, the rumour floating around at the moment is that 'Parade: Super Deluxe' has been bumped in favour of 'Sign 'O' The Times' (which will be all my Christmases if true), but this has got me thinking. There are so many songs recorded during the making of this album that it's very likely some of my favourites are not going to make the cut. '1999 Super Deluxe' had 2CDs (4LPS) of vault tracks, and realistically I don't think that's going to be nearly enough for Sign 'O' The Times (the album itself already being 2CDs before we even get to Vault tracks).

Since the final track list may not be set in stone I figured now would be a good time to suggest and prioritise which tracks you think should make the cut and why? Since '1999' included 24 vault tracks I decided to make a short list of the same length.


Disc One:

Strange Relationship (Summer 85)
Chronologically this one probably belongs on 'Parade Deluxe' as the Revolution version was recorded in mid-85, but I hope an exception is made on this occasion as spiritually it belongs on 'Sign' deluxe.

Teacher, Teacher (Early 86)
After including Prince's solo version on '1999', it would be great to listen to the final mix with the Revolution's input.

It’s A Wonderful Day (30/01/1986)
A sensational Revolution track and what I consider to be the spiritual genesis of 'It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night'.

And That Says What? (20/03/1986)
A funky instrumental and the only track in the Dream Factory project yet to leak into the public domain. Was originally placed at the end of 'Side A' of the first known Dream Factory configuration.

Witness 4 The Prosecution (15/04/1986)
Since Crystal Ball '98 included 'Last Heart' and 'Moviestar' it would be great to finally see 'Witness' get a proper release.

Crystal Ball (Dream Factory version) (17/04/1986)
Despite the Clair Fisher version being released on Crystal Ball '98, there is something magical about the Dream Factory version. The intro is haunting and infectious, plus the girl's backing vocals add a lot of flavour to the ensemble. I like both mixes and wouldn't want to see the Dream Factory version to get overlooked.

A Place In Heaven (Lisa's vocal ideally) (Apr-86)
A Place In Heaven is a truly beautiful piece of composition. I'm convinced the only reason Prince never released it after the Revolution broke up was because it sounds so much better with Lisa's vocals. This song has been long overdue a release.

Big Tall Wall (Apr-86)
Only appeared on the earliest configuration of Dream Factory, however it's simple structure of vocals and drum machine shares DNA with songs that made it onto 'Sign' such as 'Forever In My Life'.

In A Large Room With No Light (04/05/1986)
This one of two tracks that is a deal breaker for me. If this isn't on 'Sign Deluxe' I hope we can all agree that there will be riots.

Girl O’ My Dreams (17/06/1986)
Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got (17/06/1986)
We Can Funk (17/06/1986)
Not strictly from the 'Sign' project, but an all time fan favourite and the embodiment of how amazing Prince was throughout 1986. This suite of three tracks played in quick succession deserve a place at the table.


Disc Two:

Data Bank (18/06/1986)
A fun little piece with a lot of emphasis on the band with call outs, solos and Prince's brand of Morris Day style humour.

Eggplant (08/07/1986)
It's rare to hear Wendy take lead vocal so I'd love to see Eggplant included. Not a serious track by any means and probably wasn't intended for anything outside of private use, but I still like it. "SHE'S RETARDED!" lol

The Ball (26/07/1986)
One of the few unreleased tracks from the Crystal Ball configuration. It came so close to being on the final release that I think this deserves a place on this set, despite its similarities with Eye Know.

It Ain’t Over ‘Til The Fat Lady Sings (Aug-86)
Only a couple of minutes of this piece have leaked so I'd like to hear if there is any more of it. This was a leftover piece from Prince's tentative musical project. It's just an instrumental piece, but I kind of like it.

Crucial (full length) (Sep-86)
Too damn good to only exist as an edit. A song Prince had considered to end the Sign 'O' The Times album before replacing it with Adore. I'm desperate to hear this fully mastered and uncut, ideally with Eric Leeds saxophone playing if I had my way.

Rescue Me (05/10/1986)
An unreleased cover version of the track by Fontella Bass that he later sent to Dolly Parton. I'm aching to hear what he did with this one.

Rebirth Of The Flesh (28/10/1986)
This is track number two in the 'deal breaker' department. The only Camille studio recording and one of the last Crystal Ball tracks not to see the light of day. I'm confident this one couldn't possibly be overlooked, but if it turns out not to be on 'Sign Deluxe' I will genuinely be devastated. I'm banking on this one making the cut, otherwise it's going to be 'Extra Loveable' all over again!

Bad (Late 1986)
Prince's cover that he sent back to Michael Jackson when he was offered the duet gig. If you are not at least a little bit curious to hear this then there must be something wrong with you.

Walkin’ In Glory (07/12/1986)
Recorded on the same day as Bob George. From the first known recording session after Crystal Ball was configured and presumably reject by Warner Brother. This song has too much history to be excluded.

Wally (29/12/1986)
As tragic as it is that we will never hear the original version, I'm grateful that Prince didn't leave Wally alone. The re-recording is still a great song and one of a handful of legendary tracks inspired by Susannah Melvoin.

101 (10/01/1987)
Again, another track inspired by Susannah Melvoin, but this time a lot darker in tone. As good as Sheena Easton's version is, it's a personal song to Prince and as such I'd prefer to listen to it out of his mouth.

3 Nigs Watchin’ A Kung-Fu Movie (Early 87)
I'm just really curious to see how this compares to '2 Nigs United For West Compton'.


There were a lot more tracks I wanted to include, but I wanted to be realistic about how much space will be available in the set. Here are some tracks I included on my original shortlist before having to scale it back.


Honourable Mention:

All My Dreams
A song I would have been adamant about including if it wasn't for the fact that it was also originally included on Parade. Providing it's included on one of them, I don't really mind which. Maybe 'Parade' would be better suited for space reasons.

Train, Pride And The Passion, Telepathy, Baby Go-Go
Dropping these four from my list was hard, particularly Train as it was included on the final configuration of Dream Factory. However they were all released by other people so at least there is a chance of them appearing on a future volume of Originals.

Power Fantastic (with intro)
As much as I like Power Fantastic uncut, I can't justify leaving a complete song out of the set when all that remains unreleased is the intro. Maybe the Estate will feel differently.

Adonis And Batsheeba, Come Home, Everybody Want What They Don’t Got,
Jaguar, Rough, Witness For The Prosecution (Re-recorded), When The Dawn Of The Morning Comes
All interesting or note worthy pieces from the era. I just couldn't squeeze them within my top 24.


That was my wish list, but what is on yours? What are the 'Sign' era outtakes that you think are most essential or just your personal faves?

Have a good weekend everyone.


  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 02/07/20 8:44am

homesquid

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THIS?:

[Snip - luv4u]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 02/07/20 9:15am

Farfunknugin

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Walkin in glory? never heard of it, anywhere. what's the backstory?

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Reply #3 posted 02/07/20 9:27am

VaultCurator

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Farfunknugin said:

Walkin in glory? never heard of it, anywhere. what's the backstory?


Hi Farfunknugin. There's an entry on PrinceVault.com but it's only a paragraph. It sounds interesting though.

"Walkin' In Glory is an unreleased gospel track recorded on 7 December 1986 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California (on the same day as Bob George). Engineer Susan Rogers said he may have recorded Walkin' In Glory that day "to compensate" for Bob George. It is unknown if the song was intended for his next album, Sign O' The Times, or any other project."

Link: http://princevault.com/in...7_In_Glory

By the way Homesquid. crysball I see a "[snip]" in your future. Neat collection though. It's a shame the sound quality is a little dated.

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Reply #4 posted 02/07/20 10:12am

nayroo2002

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"Dream Factory"- "black album" is one long-ass record!

"Whatever skin we're in
we all need 2 b friends"
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Reply #5 posted 02/07/20 11:30am

sulls

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homesquid said:

THIS?:

[Snip - luv4u]

Saw before the snip. I like that one for sure!

"I like to watch."
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Reply #6 posted 02/07/20 11:31am

sulls

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I'd like to get the clean, studio version of Crucial that is on the 'Crucial' boot. LOOOOVE that one!

"I like to watch."
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Reply #7 posted 02/07/20 11:32am

sulls

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VaultCurator said:

Hi everyone.

So, the rumour floating around at the moment is that 'Parade: Super Deluxe' has been bumped in favour of 'Sign 'O' The Times' (which will be all my Christmases if true), but this has got me thinking. There are so many songs recorded during the making of this album that it's very likely some of my favourites are not going to make the cut. '1999 Super Deluxe' had 2CDs (4LPS) of vault tracks, and realistically I don't think that's going to be nearly enough for Sign 'O' The Times (the album itself already being 2CDs before we even get to Vault tracks).

Since the final track list may not be set in stone I figured now would be a good time to suggest and prioritise which tracks you think should make the cut and why? Since '1999' included 24 vault tracks I decided to make a short list of the same length.


Disc One:

Strange Relationship (Summer 85)
Chronologically this one probably belongs on 'Parade Deluxe' as the Revolution version was recorded in mid-85, but I hope an exception is made on this occasion as spiritually it belongs on 'Sign' deluxe.

Teacher, Teacher (Early 86)
After including Prince's solo version on '1999', it would be great to listen to the final mix with the Revolution's input.

It’s A Wonderful Day (30/01/1986)
A sensational Revolution track and what I consider to be the spiritual genesis of 'It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night'.

And That Says What? (20/03/1986)
A funky instrumental and the only track in the Dream Factory project yet to leak into the public domain. Was originally placed at the end of 'Side A' of the first known Dream Factory configuration.

Witness 4 The Prosecution (15/04/1986)
Since Crystal Ball '98 included 'Last Heart' and 'Moviestar' it would be great to finally see 'Witness' get a proper release.

Crystal Ball (Dream Factory version) (17/04/1986)
Despite the Clair Fisher version being released on Crystal Ball '98, there is something magical about the Dream Factory version. The intro is haunting and infectious, plus the girl's backing vocals add a lot of flavour to the ensemble. I like both mixes and wouldn't want to see the Dream Factory version to get overlooked.

A Place In Heaven (Lisa's vocal ideally) (Apr-86)
A Place In Heaven is a truly beautiful piece of composition. I'm convinced the only reason Prince never released it after the Revolution broke up was because it sounds so much better with Lisa's vocals. This song has been long overdue a release.

Big Tall Wall (Apr-86)
Only appeared on the earliest configuration of Dream Factory, however it's simple structure of vocals and drum machine shares DNA with songs that made it onto 'Sign' such as 'Forever In My Life'.

In A Large Room With No Light (04/05/1986)
This one of two tracks that is a deal breaker for me. If this isn't on 'Sign Deluxe' I hope we can all agree that there will be riots.

Girl O’ My Dreams (17/06/1986)
Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got (17/06/1986)
We Can Funk (17/06/1986)
Not strictly from the 'Sign' project, but an all time fan favourite and the embodiment of how amazing Prince was throughout 1986. This suite of three tracks played in quick succession deserve a place at the table.


Disc Two:

Data Bank (18/06/1986)
A fun little piece with a lot of emphasis on the band with call outs, solos and Prince's brand of Morris Day style humour.

Eggplant (08/07/1986)
It's rare to hear Wendy take lead vocal so I'd love to see Eggplant included. Not a serious track by any means and probably wasn't intended for anything outside of private use, but I still like it. "SHE'S RETARDED!" lol

The Ball (26/07/1986)
One of the few unreleased tracks from the Crystal Ball configuration. It came so close to being on the final release that I think this deserves a place on this set, despite its similarities with Eye Know.

It Ain’t Over ‘Til The Fat Lady Sings (Aug-86)
Only a couple of minutes of this piece have leaked so I'd like to hear if there is any more of it. This was a leftover piece from Prince's tentative musical project. It's just an instrumental piece, but I kind of like it.

Crucial (full length) (Sep-86)
Too damn good to only exist as an edit. A song Prince had considered to end the Sign 'O' The Times album before replacing it with Adore. I'm desperate to hear this fully mastered and uncut, ideally with Eric Leeds saxophone playing if I had my way.

Rescue Me (05/10/1986)
An unreleased cover version of the track by Fontella Bass that he later sent to Dolly Parton. I'm aching to hear what he did with this one.

Rebirth Of The Flesh (28/10/1986)
This is track number two in the 'deal breaker' department. The only Camille studio recording and one of the last Crystal Ball tracks not to see the light of day. I'm confident this one couldn't possibly be overlooked, but if it turns out not to be on 'Sign Deluxe' I will genuinely be devastated. I'm banking on this one making the cut, otherwise it's going to be 'Extra Loveable' all over again!

Bad (Late 1986)
Prince's cover that he sent back to Michael Jackson when he was offered the duet gig. If you are not at least a little bit curious to hear this then there must be something wrong with you.

Walkin’ In Glory (07/12/1986)
Recorded on the same day as Bob George. From the first known recording session after Crystal Ball was configured and presumably reject by Warner Brother. This song has too much history to be excluded.

Wally (29/12/1986)
As tragic as it is that we will never hear the original version, I'm grateful that Prince didn't leave Wally alone. The re-recording is still a great song and one of a handful of legendary tracks inspired by Susannah Melvoin.

101 (10/01/1987)
Again, another track inspired by Susannah Melvoin, but this time a lot darker in tone. As good as Sheena Easton's version is, it's a personal song to Prince and as such I'd prefer to listen to it out of his mouth.

3 Nigs Watchin’ A Kung-Fu Movie (Early 87)
I'm just really curious to see how this compares to '2 Nigs United For West Compton'.


There were a lot more tracks I wanted to include, but I wanted to be realistic about how much space will be available in the set. Here are some tracks I included on my original shortlist before having to scale it back.


Honourable Mention:

All My Dreams
A song I would have been adamant about including if it wasn't for the fact that it was also originally included on Parade. Providing it's included on one of them, I don't really mind which. Maybe 'Parade' would be better suited for space reasons.

Train, Pride And The Passion, Telepathy, Baby Go-Go
Dropping these four from my list was hard, particularly Train as it was included on the final configuration of Dream Factory. However they were all released by other people so at least there is a chance of them appearing on a future volume of Originals.

Power Fantastic (with intro)
As much as I like Power Fantastic uncut, I can't justify leaving a complete song out of the set when all that remains unreleased is the intro. Maybe the Estate will feel differently.

Adonis And Batsheeba, Come Home, Everybody Want What They Don’t Got,
Jaguar, Rough, Witness For The Prosecution (Re-recorded), When The Dawn Of The Morning Comes
All interesting or note worthy pieces from the era. I just couldn't squeeze them within my top 24.


That was my wish list, but what is on yours? What are the 'Sign' era outtakes that you think are most essential or just your personal faves?

Have a good weekend everyone.


Good list, VC. I agree with your comments on In A Large Room! lol

"I like to watch."
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Reply #8 posted 02/07/20 11:42am

Strive

Emotional Pump is probably one of my favorites from the leaked Closer 2 God set. It deserves a wide release.


And my personal 'give me or I riot' song would have to be Cosmic Day. Give me the full version of that without the fade. It should also be the first single out of the gate.




VaultCurator said:

Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got (17/06/1986)
We Can Funk (17/06/1986)
Not strictly from the 'Sign' project, but an all time fan favourite and the embodiment of how amazing Prince was throughout 1986. This suite of three tracks played in quick succession deserve a place at the table.


I doubt WB will release a Deluxe edition of Grafitti Bridge any time soon but these should be saved for that. Just to free up space.

[Edited 2/7/20 11:43am]

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Reply #9 posted 02/07/20 12:50pm

tritoncin

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I think there should be a compilation of the last songs where The Revolution participated, between Parade and SOTT (included in Parade or in SOTT deluxe, but well identified. As the end of the Revolution era.
"America is a continent..."
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Reply #10 posted 02/07/20 1:39pm

jfenster

where'd this rumour come from?

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Reply #11 posted 02/07/20 2:02pm

lennyc

A Place In Heaven (Lisa's vocal ideally) (Apr-86)
A Place In Heaven is a truly beautiful piece of composition. I'm convinced the only reason Prince never released it after the Revolution broke up was because it sounds so much better with Lisa's vocals. This song has been long overdue a release.

'A Place in Heaven' with Prince on Vocals sounds so much better than the version with Lisa!! I think it was intend to release with Lisa on Vocals but her Version was to worse!!!!

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Reply #12 posted 02/07/20 2:28pm

mushmackalenta

Cosmic Day is a must.

Where did you hear this rumor?
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Reply #13 posted 02/07/20 2:59pm

RJOrion

Coco Boys
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Reply #14 posted 02/07/20 8:21pm

luv4u

Moderator

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NO TROLL THREADS! NO SOLICITING FOR BOOTLEGS! Discussion is fine, so long as the bootleg is not being promoted e.g. pre-release; requests/offers to share or copy, and links to download or bootleg sites are not. Posting Prince and associated artist videos from sites such as YouTube is also not allowed. Posts of this nature will be deleted and repeat offenders will be first warned, and then banned. Troll threads, fake tracklists, and attention seeking rumor threads will be also be swiftly dealt with. These rules are strictly enforced!


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