Tchisaii said:

I already posted about this on THE French forum but it didn't stir up much reaction.

After long hours and weeks hunched over my computer, I decided to sort all the bootlegs we have by their production dates. This was something I’d been wanting to do for a long time.

So, with the help of info I gathered here and there (big thanks to Princevault, Duane Tudahl, & co), I managed to organize the bootlegs we’ve got (shoutout to Eye Records, Thunderball, & co) by Year / Month / Day, with relative accuracy.

To me, this has a ton of benefits. It lets you dive into his work chronologically while immersing yourself in the inspiration that was driving him at that exact moment.
It can also surprise you sometime, like when you realize that only 2 weeks separated the production of Ice Cream Castle and Manic Monday, or that Mutiny was taking shape in his mind before Around The World In A Day.
Don’t you think that’s wild?!
Or even noticing how some years were insanely productive (based on the bootlegs we have, which is a bit of a biased sample).

For example, just for 1986, I’ve got folders with over 100 files.

I’ll admit, it took me months of research, editing, and making sure I had the best-quality versions available.

I paid special attention to the 1980–1992 period, which, to me, is the absolute peak of Prince’s work.

Am I the only one who’s done this? You should give it a try, it’s so fascinating.
I’m rambling about my life here, but not just that, feel free to DM me, I’m always happy to share.

I miss u Prince.

Tchisaii said:

I already posted about this on THE French forum but it didn't stir up much reaction.

After long hours and weeks hunched over my computer, I decided to sort all the bootlegs we have by their production dates. This was something I’d been wanting to do for a long time.

So, with the help of info I gathered here and there (big thanks to Princevault, Duane Tudahl, & co), I managed to organize the bootlegs we’ve got (shoutout to Eye Records, Thunderball, & co) by Year / Month / Day, with relative accuracy.

To me, this has a ton of benefits. It lets you dive into his work chronologically while immersing yourself in the inspiration that was driving him at that exact moment.
It can also surprise you sometime, like when you realize that only 2 weeks separated the production of Ice Cream Castle and Manic Monday, or that Mutiny was taking shape in his mind before Around The World In A Day.
Don’t you think that’s wild?!
Or even noticing how some years were insanely productive (based on the bootlegs we have, which is a bit of a biased sample).

For example, just for 1986, I’ve got folders with over 100 files.

I’ll admit, it took me months of research, editing, and making sure I had the best-quality versions available.

I paid special attention to the 1980–1992 period, which, to me, is the absolute peak of Prince’s work.

Am I the only one who’s done this? You should give it a try, it’s so fascinating.
I’m rambling about my life here, but not just that, feel free to DM me, I’m always happy to share.

I miss u Prince.

I maintain a spreadsheet like this but with the rule that the first release date replaces the first recording date. This is because the first released version is treated as the orginal release mix and it will often have more than minor differences with demos etc.

I use an index number for each song based on the year of release (or recording) and the number of the release eg 184.01 is Purple Rain & 202.03. One Night Alone ... Live. The Beautiful Ones is song 18401.03 where the Album mix is 18401.0300. The demo is 18401.0301 despite being a 1983 demo. Syracuse live version is 18401.0302. The ONA Live version also refers beck to the orginal studio album release date, so is 18401.0303 (all bootleg live versions are excluded).

Also I try to split bootlegs between those attributable to an album release and those with no such connection eg one of demo versions of I would Die 4 U is song 18401.0135 as an unreleased song related to track 1 of Purple Rain (release .0101 to .0134 being the various different single, EP, CD singles by content). Feline is 18403.0300 because it has no associated release.

Few years back I did a similar venture. My goal was to contrust a boxset of every available First Avenue concert that I had. Turned out pretty good, maybe time for a revisit.

IanRG said:

Tchisaii said:

I already posted about this on THE French forum but it didn't stir up much reaction.

After long hours and weeks hunched over my computer, I decided to sort all the bootlegs we have by their production dates. This was something I’d been wanting to do for a long time.

So, with the help of info I gathered here and there (big thanks to Princevault, Duane Tudahl, & co), I managed to organize the bootlegs we’ve got (shoutout to Eye Records, Thunderball, & co) by Year / Month / Day, with relative accuracy.

To me, this has a ton of benefits. It lets you dive into his work chronologically while immersing yourself in the inspiration that was driving him at that exact moment.
It can also surprise you sometime, like when you realize that only 2 weeks separated the production of Ice Cream Castle and Manic Monday, or that Mutiny was taking shape in his mind before Around The World In A Day.
Don’t you think that’s wild?!
Or even noticing how some years were insanely productive (based on the bootlegs we have, which is a bit of a biased sample).

For example, just for 1986, I’ve got folders with over 100 files.

I’ll admit, it took me months of research, editing, and making sure I had the best-quality versions available.

I paid special attention to the 1980–1992 period, which, to me, is the absolute peak of Prince’s work.

Am I the only one who’s done this? You should give it a try, it’s so fascinating.
I’m rambling about my life here, but not just that, feel free to DM me, I’m always happy to share.

I miss u Prince.

I maintain a spreadsheet like this but with the rule that the first release date replaces the first recording date. This is because the first released version is treated as the orginal release mix and it will often have more than minor differences with demos etc.

I use an index number for each song based on the year of release (or recording) and the number of the release eg 184.01 is Purple Rain & 202.03. One Night Alone ... Live. The Beautiful Ones is song 18401.03 where the Album mix is 18401.0300. The demo is 18401.0301 despite being a 1983 demo. Syracuse live version is 18401.0302. The ONA Live version also refers beck to the orginal studio album release date, so is 18401.0303 (all bootleg live versions are excluded).

Also I try to split bootlegs between those attributable to an album release and those with no such connection eg one of demo versions of I would Die 4 U is song 18401.0135 as an unreleased song related to track 1 of Purple Rain (release .0101 to .0134 being the various different single, EP, CD singles by content). Feline is 18403.0300 because it has no associated release.

@guitarman81 As I said, I'd be happy to share my files with anyone.

I do this all with the stuff not on formal albums. Like all the B-sides and one-off tracks on random comps, or random songs he gave away, NPGMC exclusives without an LP.

I also try to adjust the LP order in my folders closer to recording date.

Like all fans agree 'The Black Album' should be placed after SOTT even though it wasn't released officially until 1994, but stuff like 'The Chocolate Invasion'/'The Slaughterhouse' being placed after 'Rave' is more controversial...

However, most all those NPGMC tracks are from 1999-2000, they got no business being sandwiched between 'Musicology' and '3121', I'd argue that placement is why fans kind of unfairly malign them.

[Edited 4/16/25 22:28pm]

WhisperingDandelions said:

I do this all with the stuff not on formal albums. Like all the B-sides and one-off tracks on random comps, or random songs he gave away, NPGMC exclusives without an LP.

I also try to adjust the LP order in my folders closer to recording date.

Like all fans agree 'The Black Album' should be placed after SOTT even though it wasn't released officially until 1994, but stuff like 'The Chocolate Invasion'/'The Slaughterhouse' being placed after 'Rave' is more controversial...

However, most all those NPGMC tracks are from 1999-2000, they got no business being sandwiched between 'Musicology' and '3121', I'd argue that placement is why fans kind of unfairly malign them.

[Edited 4/16/25 22:28pm]

good point! I never thought of that because I assumed most fans already heard the track way before Musiclolgy and 3121 were released, but if people heared the tracks after Musicology and 3121 then I can understand people thinking they are a step down from those albums

Only he knew.

Ha ha ha! La la la! He he hee!

Germanegro said:

Only he knew.

No.
More like- Prince recorded and others documented.

nayroo2002 said:

Germanegro said:

Only he knew.

No.
More like- Prince recorded and others documented.

Probably--like the best investigative guess-ti-mators.

WhisperingDandelions said:

databank said:

WhisperingDandelions said:

I do this all with the stuff not on formal albums. Like all the B-sides and one-off tracks on random comps, or random songs he gave away, NPGMC exclusives without an LP.

I also try to adjust the LP order in my folders closer to recording date.

Like all fans agree 'The Black Album' should be placed after SOTT even though it wasn't released officially until 1994, but stuff like 'The Chocolate Invasion'/'The Slaughterhouse' being placed after 'Rave' is more controversial...

However, most all those NPGMC tracks are from 1999-2000, they got no business being sandwiched between 'Musicology' and '3121', I'd argue that placement is why fans kind of unfairly malign them.

[Edited 4/16/25 22:28pm]

I can't go too much into details regarding my source because I don't think they'd want me to, but I recently got confirmation that most, if not all of those overdubs and edits on some TCI and TS songs were made in 2003 when Prince decided to compile those NPGMC tracks. So strange as it is, those albums actually go between NEWS and Musicology.

Maybe I have bad ears, but the tracks don't seem extensively reqworked/overhauled from what they were in 99-00. Am I wrong about that?

skywalker said:

Maybe I have bad ears, but the tracks don't seem extensively reqworked/overhauled from what they were in 99-00. Am I wrong about that?

My favorite of the era: "SexMe?SexMeNot" is DEFINATELY remixed/rearranged.
So is "Vavoom".

skywalker said:

databank said:

skywalker said:

Maybe I have bad ears, but the tracks don't seem extensively reqworked/overhauled from what they were in 99-00. Am I wrong about that?

Nothing radical, no. Just a few things here and there.

Like i said many times before, if you are a true fan, put every officially released song (Prince, side projects, one offs, all remixes, all 12"s, all b-sides, all protegé singles/remixes/b-sides, everything besides bootlegs)
into one playlist and let it play on random.
You will be amazed at all the ideas from that little dude...

When you start compiling chronolocially, the output is outstanding.

I'm currently dating every recording (with an unknown day of the month being 00/XX/XX), but I'm standing on the shoulders of giants, notably Vault Creator and Scififilmnerd, who have documented the recordings brilliantly.

I love the fact that Holly Rock, Kiss and All My Dreams all came out in just 3 days of back to back recordings. 1985 output is incredible.

It didn't really click for me until reading Duane's book, the Purple Rain Studio Sessions. Seeing all the dates so densely packed together, tracking really iconic songs that we all love day after day, all around the same time, it's so amazing.

Also you can see the connection between... these periods of hyper productivity, leading to way too much music being created, to everything being trimmed down to fit on an LP or two, and just how that process produced his best albums (1999, Purple Rain, SOTT). It must have been a brutal process to leave so much work unreleased but it really was the best thing for album quality in those days.