When I was a teen there was a certain "process" of enjoying the next Prince album/project that I definitely missed the later years.

1) Announcement of a new album being worked on or pending future release (along with perhaps a mention of some of the tracks expected on the upcoming album. The first time I recall was a Rolling Stone article (david lee roth cover) back in 1985 describing that Prince had completed and submitted a new album entitled Around The World In A Day and a description of the listening session at Warners. I recall articles in RS announcing the Batman project (eddie murphy on the cover) or the Lovesext project with mention of the Black Album. Or around this time too a new movie project announced as well This is how we got our latest Prince news before the internet or even the fanzines.

Needless to say ... super exciting and the anticipatation for the new project was officially ON! Your imagination would take off as to what to expect

2) Next there was usually an announcement on radio advising of a new Prince single that was to debut say that week! More anticipation! For me this was the single KISS that I was glued to the radio to get a first listen to and ready to hit "record" on the cassette tape as the radio premiered the single! I recall the same for Sign O The Times, Alphabet St, Thieves In the Temple

I think the first time I heard Batdance was the music video premier with was given a preliminary write up and review in USA Today

3) Next was usually the official release of the physcial single 45, which meant the anticipation of the cover art/photo signalling the next Prince era "look" as well as a much anticipated B-Side

4) Soon thereafter a music video premier on MTV (more reveals as to the next Prince era look)

5) Perhaps soon after a 12" remix or extended version that would hit record stores

6) Next an influx of reviews of the album (many times in the Sunday paper just prior to the official album release that next Tuesday in record shops. Or in the USA Today paper the Friday before the album dropped. I remember this for Parade/ Sign O The Times/ Lovesexy/ Batman...etc.

and more anticipation!!!!

7) Next the big day arrived and the album official dropped in record stores in glorious vinyl with usually an amazing cover (photo or artwork) - go home and place the needle on the record or insert the disc and go over the lyrics and photos

8) Next 2nd single time and next music video ... and next 45 and 12" remix and cover art

9) a tour that focused on the new music with a new look and new band /players !

then since we were Prince fans ..... really just months later usually the announcement of the next project and the anticipation would start all over again in similiar process.

What an excitiing time to be a Prince fan

!!!!!!

I'm in my 50's, so can definitely relate to most of this.

Exciting indeed.

I would get most of my Prince news from the music weeklies in the UK. MM, NME, Sounds etc, or news from magazines like the crystal ball publications, which at that time you could purchase from HMV or Virgin music shops in the UK.

Happy days.

Old fogey nostalgia...

purplethunder3121 said:

Old fogey nostalgia...

Perhaps but it was more exciting than rollouts today. The album cycle comes and goes too quick. The days of releasing a new single every 8-12 weeks is gone for the most part.

homesquid said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Old fogey nostalgia...

Perhaps but it was more exciting than rollouts today. The album cycle comes and goes too quick. The days of releasing a new single every 8-12 weeks is gone for the most part.

I know. I'm

purplethunder3121 said:

homesquid said:

Perhaps but it was more exciting than rollouts today. The album cycle comes and goes too quick. The days of releasing a new single every 8-12 weeks is gone for the most part.

I know. I'm

I'm reliving it all over again the way you describe it.

Not alone that, in most record stores there were posters, sometimes also flyers, buttons, cut-out ad boards, stickers (Batman era)...

I went nearly every day to local record stores, just to look at it and ask for it in a shy way to get it when it was taken down.

I was lucky many times, as a was one of the clients spending loads of money on Prince and related music.

I had many posters. They're all long gone. Some nicely folded back into the album cover.

I don't want to be a 50+ year old with a wall full of posters and a silly man cave.

One of the reasons I didn't like the CD releases at first... no posters anymore.

But then came the import the longboard CD wrappings. An extra to collect. I have all of 'm!

But, I still do have my SOTT cut-out lifesize ad/stand from that SOTT single release!

Boy I was so thrilled when my local record store gave it to me. Proudly I walked home.

Remember many people putting up their thumbs on the street when they saw me walking with this.

Can't get rid of it. It's Cat holding that black (mirror) heart. It took ages before I found out it wasn't Prince.

I also had a Batman cut-out board, but that was more Movie related than Prince.

-

For me, also the same anticipation feeling started with the proteges releases, singles, maxi singles, albums, etc.

After Purple Rain became huge, suddenly all Prince's previous albums were available (her ein Europe, no import.)

They had a sheet inside including all the Prince and related releases info.

The first single of Prince i ever bought was ''When Doves Cry'', a purple 45rpm.

Same for the first album i purchased; ''Puple Rain'' on purple vinyl.

Another highlight was the transparent releases of the Lovesexy singles, also amazing.

Even ''I wish U Heaven'' came in a poster format (45rpm), and the (CD-)maxi had that great long version.

Then from the D&P era on, the CD-singles were released with hologram effects, and the 45rpm's.

I am so happy i all collected them from the early days on.

I'm in my 50s, so this is bringing back wonderful memories for me as well.

When did this stop? The last time I remember the rollout of a Prince ablum faithfully following this pattern was Lovesymbol. After that, things were more haphazard... at least in my memory. I could be mistaken.

I assume that's because Prince's approach to releasing music changed so drastically in the mid-'90s: i.e. his rush to get out of his contract with Warner Bros., his experimentation with releasing music online, his growing impatiences with promoting records and desire to constantly pump out new music, etc. None of that lent itself to the 1980s' methodological model of releasing and promoting music. By the time Prince got back to releasing albums a bit more conventionally in the 2000s, the music industry had changed so much that an '80s model wouldn't have worked them.

But maybe I'm misremembering all of that...

Old...maybe However I got each of his releases the same day they were available throughout his career and I just was appreciating the almost methodical ANTICIPATION and EXCITEMENT genererated by this slower process. Now a new release is almost instantaneously in my ear buds.

Technology is always sold on either safetly or convenience and I do appreciate the convenience ( I do) however waitng for the record store to open on the day of a release and the actual delivery and holdinbg the album in your hands before getting back home to listen was one of those things perhaps yes a generation now cannot releate to...but it was... glorious!! (ha)

Now everything is just about instantaneous I know.

rgt17 said:

When I was a teen...

What an excitiing time to be a Prince fan

!!!!!!

SAME!!!

the good ol' days I,too,remember the news section in Rolling Stone magazine....seeing exciting headlines like "New Prince album 'Lovesexy' due in May'.In those days,it seems like a new album was always on the way.We never had to wait very long.

I clearly remember being a teenager and cutting school to go to the record store to get the Alphabet Street maxi-single the day it was released.

I just looked at PV and it says the single and maxi-single were released on April 23, 1988. I'm not sure that this is correct. April 23, 1988 was a Saturday. I don't believe singles were released on Saturdays. I thought they came out on Tuesdays? I suppose it's possible my local shop only got their shipments on Tuesdays, a few days after the official release?

Yes, great memories

thanks for posting this

lurker316 said:

I'm in my 50s, so this is bringing back wonderful memories for me as well.

When did this stop? The last time I remember the rollout of a Prince ablum faithfully following this pattern was Lovesymbol. After that, things were more haphazard... at least in my memory. I could be mistaken.

I assume that's because Prince's approach to releasing music changed so drastically in the mid-'90s: i.e. his rush to get out of his contract with Warner Bros., his experimentation with releasing music online, his growing impatiences with promoting records and desire to constantly pump out new music, etc. None of that lent itself to the 1980s' methodological model of releasing and promoting music. By the time Prince got back to releasing albums a bit more conventionally in the 2000s, the music industry had changed so much that an '80s model wouldn't have worked them.

But maybe I'm misremembering all of that...

The mid-90s are when I started cutting school to buy new releases.

This is how it was... adding that the day the record was officially released, I could not wait to get out of school - headed home for lunch - and then off to the record store in the city centre to buy the album. And man in these days it was properly displayed - lots of vinyl LPs available, and some posters / cut-outs...