- Soul Psychodelicide (12:36)
Last track on this compilation featuring Wendy and Lisa and all the members of The Revolution: "Soul Psychodelicide". Is it really a song (in the sense of verses and choruses)? Mentioned in the lyrics of "Joy In Repetition", you might think it was, but it's a 'just' jam. These twelve minutes are an excerpt from a one-hour session that can be found on a bootleg released more than ten years ago. The reasons that led to the inclusion of this session in a disc of unreleased studio are not easy to guess, especially if it is to truncate it. This jam arrives like a hair on the soup, when this place could have been given to two or three other unpublished or unpublished versions additional.
Prince will reprise this title three years later during the "Graffiti Bridge" sessions to make it a real, completely different song, on which he will put Kim Basinger and George Clinton to work.
- The Ball (4:22)
The only title planned for "Crystal Ball" that was still unpublished is finally coming out, in a version identical to that already known by other channels. Prince reworked it to make "Eye No" on "Lovesexy," which may explain why it stayed in the trunk.
- Adonis And Bathsheba (5:27)
This slow, precursor of "Adore" and "Crucial", was apparently not integrated into any project of the time. "Adonis And Bathsheba" had a similar journey to "Everybody Want What They Don't Got": publishing the lyrics in a magazine of the 1990s ('10,000' sold exclusively in NPG Stores), then offered to fans to integrate the project "Crystal Ball Volume 2" in 2000 before leaking on the Net in a version identical to that of the box set.
- Forever In My Life (Early Vocal Run-Through) (6:25)
The fourth track on the album "Sign O' The Times" offered in an alternative version in this box set is "Forever In My Life" (recorded the day after "Hot Thing"). This hitherto unknown take is less stripped down than the final version (which as "Big Tall Wall" is limited to a Linn Drum, a guitar and voices). The voluntary borrowing from "Everyday People" by Sly and The Family Stone is even more evident with the contribution of the piano (on the same day, he recorded the song "Make Your Mama Happy" also marked by the influence of Sly). Another notable difference is the positioning of the different voices. On this version, the choruses overlap or follow the main vocal part (as in all conventional songs). On the album version, the choirs precede the main song. According to Susan Rogers, this lag is due to an error at the time of the mix. Prince liked the effect of this studio 'accident' and chose to keep this mix.
By the time he records this title, Prince is at a crossroads. When asked who was the inspiration for the lyrics to "Forever In My Life," Prince quoted Susannah. She held an increasingly important place in her life, and imagined making her life with her. This happiness was counterbalanced by tensions within his group. He narrowly managed to retain Brownmark, disappointed by the way Prince took over the Mazarati group and transformed him as his foals. And the story of "Kiss" seems to be the last straw. In 1985, Prince gave Mazarati a one-minute demo on which he sang a verse and a chorus of what would become "Kiss", accompanied only by a guitar. Brownmark and David Z. Rivkin (sound engineer, producer and big brother of Bobby Z.) transform this little blues into a funk song with great potential for Mazarati. Prince, listening to this new version, feels that it is too good for this group and decides to keep it to himself. But when the song was released in February 1986, he "forgot" to properly credit the production work brought by David Z. (credited only as arranger) and that of Brownmark (absent from the credits). Rivkin is experienced enough to know that his role was not limited to arrangements. He let Prince know and did not swallow the gibberish that he replied to him about a so-called agreement with Warner. Nevertheless, he was content with this credit, without making any waves. Mark, for his part, had a hard time digesting it. His name is totally absent, except for the famous "written and produced by Prince and The Revolution" which in fact pays absolutely nothing in terms of royalties to the musicians, except Prince, who is legally registered to ASCAP (the American SACEM) as the sole author and producer of the title. It therefore collects only the full rights related to this planetary tube. Mark is close to leaving The Revolution to accept a tempting offer from Stevie Nicks to tour with her (6 months touring from April to October at $3,500 a week). But he lets himself be fooled by Prince who promises that he will make him a rich star. Result: Brownmark is hidden on stage during the next tour by three bodyguard-bodyguards-not really dancers, with few moments to shine solo.
Wendy and Lisa have also announced their intention to leave the band at the end of July. They knew they were not going to stay with him forever. Although "Purple Rain" made them stars and had been given an important role in the production and arrangements of the songs, they too suffered from the lack of recognition in the credits. The "Parade" one-month-earlier showed no realness either. Although they are credited as co-authors for "Mountains" and "Sometimes It Snows In April" at ASCAP, this mention is not on the album. This makes the public and professionals believe that they are just musicians and performers when they are not limited to that and have other aspirations. Prince had to send Bobby Z. and Alan Leeds to disaster to calm the game and convince them to stay.
The day after the recording of "Forever In My Life", Prince flew to London to launch the Parade Tour. This tour was quickly set up to accompany the release of "Under The Cherry Moon", a film that was a critical and commercial fiasco in the United States. The dates of the concerts are set on the release dates of the film in the cities visited in Europe and Japan. This will be the last tour with The Revolution.
- Crucial (Alternate Lyrics Version) (6:14)
At the end of the "Parade Tour",Prince spends the month of September at home and begins to think about another film project,absolutely not cooled by the failure of "Under The Cherry Moon" released a few weeks before. "Crucial," like the following two songs ("The Cocoa Boys" and "When The Dawn Of The Morning Comes") was planned for a film project called "The Dawn" that more or less turned into "Graffiti Bridge". This title was published in 1998 on the compilation "Crystal Ball", but three other versions with more or less significant differences exist on unofficial media. The one that is included in this box set is a fifth version, probably predates the other four and previously unknown. It is distinguished by its different verses.
Prince had already tried this exercise to completely rewrite verses for songs that had already been boxed, including "Wendy's Parade" (now Christopher Tracy's Parade) and "Old Friends 4 Sale". He did it occasionally in the 1990s on remixes, for "Space" for example.
In the days that followed, Prince recorded the song "Shockadelica" after listening in advance to a copy of Jesse Johnson's album, which bears the same name and is scheduled for release in the last quarter. He proposes it to Johnson, finding it a pity that this record does not have a song with that name that sounds so good. Johnson politely refuses. Prince then sent the track to a local radio station for play immediately, before the album was released. In doing so, he hoped to parasitize Johnson so that the public would think he had stolen this neologism. He also sent "Wouldn't You Love To Love Me?" to Michael Jackson after refusing to participate in the song "Bad" and then recording "Superfunkycalifragisexy". Madhouse's album, "8",is conceived in less than a week between late September and early October.
- The Cocoa Boys (6:06)
We continue with "The Cocoa Boys", another title from the film "The Dawn". The film was supposed to be a modern "West Side Story" with clashes between bands and the verses reveal the script. Mazarati and The Cocoa Boys were to be the names of two of these bands. According to Tony Christian, one of Mazarati's members, Prince had planned roles for the band signed at Paisley Park, Micki Free in Shalamar, as well as Tony Lemans and Lenny Kravitz. Prince had been dating Micki Free since the days of "Purple Rain" (he is one of those caricatured in the famous Charly Murphy and Dave Chappelle skit) and had an eye on the young band Romeo Blue, composed of Tony Lemans and Kravitz. Lemans was signed to Paisley Park Records, but Kravitz says he doesn't know anything about this film project in which he would have been included, unwittingly as the other would say!
Regarding the song more specifically, this version benefits from the contribution of the brass compared to what we knew before (when we thought it was called "Coco Boys"). The initial version retains its charm as Prince is heard singing the melody he wants for the brass. The synth sound will be reused on other tracks recorded in the following months ("U Got The Look," "Eight" and "Nine" by Madhouse). The beat more or less takes up that of "Shockadelica" recorded a few days before.
- When The Dawn Of The Morning Comes (6:17)
The last title planned for "The Dawn", "When The Dawn Of The Morning Comes", with its gospel tunes, was known only by its title.
- Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 2) (5:03)
"Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 2)" is actually the third version of this title (after the initial version of Prince solo, still unpublished, and the second version 'revolutionized' included in "Version 1" on the first volume of Vault Tracks). This last catch had been known for several decades but was altered by a defect in duplication. The version we had thanks to the boots was slightly accelerated (like "Extraloveable" and a few other titles that are not at the right speed), giving Prince a voice close to that of his alter-ego Camille. The version on the Super Deluxe is obviously like the tapes that were stored in Paisley Park before they leaked and were deformed. This take was not intended for a particular known project (perhaps for Deborah Allen, who was eventually entitled to "Telepathy"), but would have fit perfectly into the "Black Album".
The day after the song was recorded, Prince called Bobby Z. to announce that he would be replaced on drums in the band by Sheila E., who was better able to follow his future musical directions. He invites Wendy and Lisa to dinner at his house to tell them that they are now free to fly on their own. He offers Brownmark to stay, but tired, he prefers to leave. Relations with Jerome Benton have been strained since he dared to 'go to the enemy'. He appears in Janet Jackson's music video "Control", produced by the former members of The Time that he fired, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and with whom he has an ambivalent relationship. From the Parade Tour team, Prince guards Matt Fink, Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, Miko Weaver, Greg Brooks and Wally Safford. The announcement of the end of The Revolution was made public ten days later, on October 17.
- It Be's Like That Sometimes (3:19)
Prince often said his songs were his children. Taking this into account, we can say that "The Ball," "It Be's Like That Sometimes" and "Eye No" are triplets, with their own hallmarks though. "It Be's Like That Sometimes" was completely unknown to princely fans until this tracklist appeared. This little funk candy had indeed gone under all the radars of researchers and collectors. Message to The Estate: "Keep going, we can't get enough."
- Emotional Pump (4:59)
Joni Mitchell, a folk singer whom Prince has been an idol of since his youth, asks him for a song for his next album. He concocts "Emotional Pump", a pop-funk song (for the challenger?) that does not correspond to his style. Predictable result: she doesn't do anything about it. After "Can I Play With U?" and "Bad" earlier this year, this is the third time Prince has missed out (voluntarily?) on the opportunity to offer the public a collaboration with an artist seen as an icon. Wendy and Lisa will be featured as musicians on Mitchell's 1988 album ("Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm") and thus could have contained a princely contribution.
"Emotional Pump" has been circulating on the net for a few years in the same way.
- Rebirth Of The Flesh (Original Outro) (5:28)
"Rebirth Of The Flesh" is a classic of bootlegs. The Estate knows this well, hence the insertion of the inscription "(Original Outro)". Prince had only released a recorded version during a rehearsal session, broadcast on the NPGMC in the early 2000s. The insertion of this mention is therefore not relevant since no other studio version with a different purpose has been officially published. With regard to this outro, questions may be raised about the authenticity of the document, as the sequence is missed, not very fluid and seems to have been glued from a different source of the rest of the piece. We can mention a few cases of mishaps in the mixes on Prince's albums (on the song "Dream Factory" at 2'37 in the compilation "Crystal Ball" for example). But the context can give rise to doubt, after the alterations found on "Originals" in particular.
"Rebirth Of The Flesh" is part of a series of tracks recorded during the same period ("Shockadelica," "If I Was Your Girlfriend," "Good Love," "Rockhard In A Funky Place," "Housequake" and updated versions of "Feel U Up" and "Strange Relationship"), compiled by Prince for an album he wants to release under the name Camille (see our dedicated article). He quickly changed his mind and decided to see three times bigger.
- Cosmic Day (5:39)
For years, before a portion of this title began to circulate, "Cosmic Day" enjoyed a reputation as an 'ultimate piece', a legend maintained by a few happy few who had listened to it and had fun making it known on English-language forums. Opinions on this piece, when it was made available in full on Youtube by the Estate, varied between those who shouted genius and those who were disappointed at first listen.
The various researches did not determine for which project this title was intended. We just know that Prince asked Clare Fischer to add orchestral parts and that these are missing from this version.
In the days that followed, Prince recorded "Adore" (inspired by The Albums "Winner In You" by Patti Labelle and "Give Me the Reason" by Luther Vandross released in 1986) and "Play In The Sunshine". He also reworked "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night" with verses, a chorus and various other elements. On November 30, he finalized the triple album "Crystal Ball" which contained these last three tracks, as well as a selection of songs that were planned for "Dream Factory" and "Camille", and songs recorded on other occasions:
1: Rebirth Of The Flesh / Play In The Sunshine / Housequake / The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker / It / Starfish And Coffee / Slow Love / Hot Thing
2: Crystal Ball / If I Was Your Girlfriend / Rockhard In A Funky Place / The Ball / Joy In Repetition / Strange Relationship / I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
3: Shockadelica / Good Love / Forever In My Life / Sign O' The Times / The Cross / It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night /Adore.
- Walkin' In Glory (5:14)
"Walkin' In Glory" is one of the most surprising unknown titles in this collection.
The faithful sound engineer Susan Rogers says that Prince composed this gospel the day after the recording of "Bob George" created, as "The Grind" and "2 Nigs United 4 West Compton", to be played on Sheila E.'s birthday a few days later. He plays an anonymous psychopath who wants to kill a certain "Bob George", Prince's manager, the "skinny bastard with a high-pitched voice". The name Bob George is the contraction of Bob Cavallo, one of his managers at the time, and Nelson George, a journalist at Billboard magazine. The latter, like other black journalists and personalities, accused Prince and other cross-over artists such as Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston of forgetting their African-American roots by making pop music and for selling themselves to whites. These criticisms became increasingly persistent after the release of "Sign O' The Times", which led Prince to assemble funk tracks to the taste of the time, to show that he had not forgotten his roots and that he could still be relevant in this field, at a time when a Compton band named NWA was beginning to make serious talk of him with his virulent gangsta-rap. We know what's next. A few days before the release of the "Black Album" at the end of 1987, Prince blocked the record, realizing that it was not the best answer to critics and that he didn't have to worry about it anyway. He hastily recorded "Lovesexy" which marked a spiritual renaissance for him and was a gospel album in his own way. Surprisingly, this late 87 awareness is a large-scale reproduction of the journey that led to the creation of "Walkin' Glory" a year earlier. Taken with remorse after writing the menacing lyrics (with a touch of humor anyway) of "Bob George", Prince wants to "make amends" and records in "compensation" a piece to the glory of God.
Beyond this history, the song is one of those hidden gems of which Prince had the secret. He gives himself body and soul to offer us one of his best and too rare Gospel song. The instrumental part from "2 Nigs United 4 West Compton", which also ended its journey on the cursed album, gives an extra and confusing flavor to "Walkin' In Glory".
Following Warner's refusal to release the triple album, Prince re-sequenced "Crystal Ball", eliminated tracks and added one he had just recorded ("U Got The Look") to make a double-album. "Sign O' The Times" became the title track, opened the album and was its first single. It reached number three on the US pop singles chart (behind George Michael and Aretha Franklin with "I Knew You Were Waiting" and Crowded House with "Don't Dream It's Over"), and topped the black charts.
"U Got The Look", the final track recorded in duet with Sheena Easton for "Sign O' The Times" and inspired by "Addicted To Love" by Robert Palmer, will be the single from the album that will have the most success in the charts (second in the pop chart, behind "Bad" by Michael Jackson, and first in the black charts).
- Wally (4:45)
"Wally" is another title long seen as a Grail by collectors. Ever since Susan Rogers told the "Uptown" fanzine team the story of the song, "Wally" had become what everyone wanted to hear before they died. Rogers explains that Prince wrote this song following his breakup with Susannah. The state of deep sadness in which he was immersed and displayed in the studio, which was unusual, created a special atmosphere that surely influenced Rogers' judgment on this piece which she describes as wonderful. In the lyrics, Prince confides in his friend "Wally" (his bodyguard Wally Safford) and asks him questions, similar to those he humorously posed to "Billy" (Billy Sparks, a Detroit promoter also close to Prince) about a song played during a rehearsal session a few years earlier. But another significant and unprecedented event will occur at the end of the session, when Prince asks Rogers to erase everything. The engineer reluctantly performs, not understanding why such a work should disappear forever. Prince, however, re-recorded a less emotionally charged version of the title a few hours later.
This story by Rogers, who lived this moment live, gave this song a rather disproportionate status and generated a huge expectation. This one was not filled when the song leaked a few years ago. Admittedly this is the second version, but the expected release of emotions is not there. In the meantime, endless debates have arised about the real destruction of the first version and the potential existence of a cassette copy not found but that some, who prefer to preserve anonymity, know of those who have seen the one who saw the one who claims that he saw it once somewhere but he does not know where and that it would exist somewhere. It's not a bad title, but its appreciation has been distorted by its reputation inflated by the Internet.
- I Need A Man (5:33)
- Promise 2 Be True (3:37)
- Jealous Girl (Version 2) (4:52)
- There's Something I Like About Being Your Fool (3:48)
After seeing her live in Los Angeles in late 1986, Prince invited Bonnie Raitt, a country/blues singer and political activist, to work with her and eventually sign her on Paisley Park Records. To get their collaboration off to a good start, he gave her old songs he had written for a group of girls he wanted to produce, called "The Hookers" and for Vanity 6, another group of distinguished girls. That being said, the lyrics of these songs have been revised to be conventional and without scabrous words but may not have the maturity required by an artist of this caliber close to forty.
Raitt may have needed Prince to re-boost his career and was herself in conflict with Warner. In April 1987, she put her voice on these songs proposed by Prince but the project did not go any further. Having to prepare for the "Sign O' The Times Tour", he promises to return to her in July. Weased and wishing to sever all ties with Warner, Raitt gives up. He will also express his regret about this in an interview acknowledging that he had too many projects in progress (no kidding?) and that he did not know how to organize himself to work properly with Raitt. She eventually released her album "Nick Of Time" in 1989, without any involvement from Prince. This album will be a critical triumph, considered one of the best albums of all time according to the listings of specialized newspapers, as well as commercial with five million copies sold by becoming number one of the charts while finding itself covered with awards. Another failed act on Prince's part? To close the loop, Raitt will follow up with "Luck of the Draw", another equally successful album. Why talk about it? Simply because it contains "I Can't Make You Love Me", a song that will be covered by many artists including Prince on "Emancipation".
Let's go back to "Sign O' The Times Super Deluxe." Only "I Need A Man" sung by Raitt and an excerpt from "Jealous Girl" circulated on the Net. "Jealous Girl" is labeled "Version 2," one wonders where "Version 1" is. "1999 Super Deluxe" contained "If It'll Make U Happy" with reggae accents. This is also the case here with "There's Something I Like About Being Your Fool", indicating that he could test himself on this musical genre without necessarily making it public. It was not until 1992 and "Blue Light" that Prince put out a song in this style.
Prince prepared these tracks for Bonnie Raitt as he was rehearsing with his new band for upcoming concerts. The brass riff on "I Need A Man" was also used on the live versions of "Kiss." It was during these days that he recorded "La, La, La, He, Hee" and finalized "Sign O' The Times" with a photo shoot for the cover. The set for the play "Guys And Dolls" at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre was borrowed for this session. After the first pressings, the pouch was corrected for the U.S. market to hide a brand of cookies that appeared on a cardboard box above Prince's shoulder and avoid possible legal problems. This "censorship" was also applied to the Deluxe reissue.
The same week (in January) Madhouse's album "8" was released. Sheila E.'s self-titled album was released the following month, along with the single "Sign O' The Times". The album was released on 31 March, a year to the day after "Parade" and sold a million copies in the United States (and will be gold recorded in some European countries including France). Fans of Prince and his productions are entitled to three albums in three months at the beginning of 1987! This tour de force is comparable to what he achieved in 1982 with the successive releases of Vanity's albums, The Time and his ("1999"). A fourth Paisley Park Records-stamped delivery landed in May with Jill Jones' self-titled album.
At the end of March, the Minneapolis stage dominated the black charts with six tracks ranked in the top ten: two compositions by Prince ("Sign O' The Times" and "6" for Madhouse), a title by Sheila E. ("Hold Me" written by Constance Guzman, Eddie Minnifield and Sheila E., produced by Sheila and David Z. Rivkin), both tracks composed and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis ("Let's Wait Awhile" for Janet Jackson and "Keep Your Eye On Me" for Herb Alpert). The top song, "Looking For A New Love," was composed and produced by Jody Watley with André Cymone and David Z. Rivkin. Jill Jones' singles, which were released in the aftermath, despite their great qualities, were not successful.
The album "Sign O' The Times" will not go higher than the sixth place in the ranking of 'pop' albums in the United States (behind U2, Bon Jovi, the Beastie Boys, Poison and Paul Simon) and the fourth place in the ranking of albums 'black' (behind Luther Vandross, Freddie Jackson and Jody Watley).
"U Got The Look" was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1988 (best R and B song- won by Bill Withers with "Lean On Me" - and best R and B song performed by a duo/group - won by George Michael and Aretha Franklin with "I Knew You Were Waiting"). The album was nominated for Best Album of the Year, but lost to U2's Joshua Tree. Bono will pay tribute to him during his speech: " (...) we started making music, soul. That's what U2 wanted to do. It was soul music. It's not about being black or white, or the instruments you're playing, or whether you're using a drum machine or not. It's a decision to reveal or hide. Without it, someone like Prince would be nothing more than a brilliant singer and dancer. That's what he is. But it's much more than that." Prince will keep a bitter taste of it and declare in an interview for Rolling Stones that he will no longer go to ceremonies if it is to see U2 win in front of him, when he can reproduce their music and they are unable to make a title like "Housequake".
- Big Tall Wall (Version 2) (5:46)
- A Place In Heaven (Lisa Vocals) (2:45)
- Wonderful Day (12" Mix) (7:34)
See tracks 5.13 and 16 from disc 1
- Strange Relationship (7:07)
Last track and last surprise of this series of unreleased and unreleased versions: a remix by Shep Pettibone of "Strange Relationship". Pettibone was the popular remixer at the time, solicited by everyone, including Prince who asked him to remix "Hot Thing" and "Glam Slam". Only a few of his fans knew that a remix of "Strange Relationship" had been done by him, but no one had heard it. The 'club' versions that we know of him left us fearing the worst when we learned that he had worked on this particular title, with the risk of distorting him and making him lose his substance. But past this fear and astonishment, the exercise is rather successful and allows to conclude the Vault Tracks on a positive note after this long musical journey.
Excluding "Soul Psychodelicide" and "Crystal Ball" which are only shortened versions, this box allows us to discover 21 titles or versions that were not previously available in bootlegs as well as the full versions of nearly half a dozen others. The rest is offered with a higher quality than we could have.
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that there are still tracks out there that some of us haven't heard yet. This keeps me excited for ALL future releases! 
Or the guitar and sax versions of Crucial we all know and love. Or 'What Did I Do'.
