It looks as though the acoustic version of Free that was teased during the recent announcement from the estate is streaming in full and excellent quality.

i prefer this version to the1999 album version

https://tidal.com/browse/...39072049?u

[Edited 6/5/25 14:46pm]

andrewm7new said:

Jesus christ, this is self-parody at this point. The best they can give us is an acoustic version of his worst 80s song

Not just that, but they teased this with their #TheVaultIsFreed post and then waited 4 whole months to actually release it. The bar gets lower every fucking year

I'm sorry, did I miss a press release or anything? Not a word here: https://prince.com/news? Nothing on X or Instagram? They won't tell us when this version is from? We have to guess? Seriously?

It is kinda great though. I wonder what year it was made.

I haaaate the original album track, too much cheese. But I dig this version a lot!

nothing on Spotify (in the UK).

MattUK said:

nothing on Spotify (in the UK).

(says it releases June 6th. I guess that's the closest Friday to his birthday.. but why this track?!)

databank said:

lustmealways said:

Folks, I get this isn't the most exciting thing ever but try to keep the bitching to a minimum as they are actually finally doing SOMETHING. If this upcoming "vault future plans" panel is a bust, I'll start the complaining again but for now just wait and see.

I've heard the rumors that the Estate considers us a bunch of ungrateful brats and will "punish" us by not giving a fuck about the hardcore fanbase and only aiming at the masses. Fine, what can I say? There's a new song, it's cool. How hard can it be to just drop us a word letting us know when this was recorded? Isn't giving a little context good PR anyway? Give a story to tell to the media. Now IDK, maybe they'll do it tomorrow and then they can have my apology for being impatient, that's cool.

.

[Edited 6/5/25 16:29pm]

oh dear, oh dear...
.
Why wasn't this track included on 1999 SDE?
Why is it drenched in reverb? (a solo acoustic piece should sound more intimate, in my view)
Why is it the one chosen to be released now?
How many new fans will this release result in? (Zero.)
Why does the Estate still think it's OK not to disclose any info on a recording?
And why release a demo where Prince sings slightly out of tune (a rare occasion) at the end of the pre-release snippet? ("...what you got...")
.

.
update, after hearing the entire song:
okay, I see now that this is definitely not a 1999-era demo, but a much later (probably 2011) recording, so it wouldn't have fitted the 1999 SDE. The reverb is still too much to my tastes but I can see P mixing it this way deliberately.

.

It's a cool version and of course it's great to have it – though I'm not sure what message the Estate's trying to put across by releasing it in today's political climate of the US. I mean there must be a reason they released this while their they still seem to be stuck on Purple Rain related activities.

[Edited 6/6/25 7:26am]

databank said:

lustmealways said:

Folks, I get this isn't the most exciting thing ever but try to keep the bitching to a minimum as they are actually finally doing SOMETHING. If this upcoming "vault future plans" panel is a bust, I'll start the complaining again but for now just wait and see.

I've heard the rumors that the Estate considers us a bunch of ungrateful brats and will "punish" us by not giving a fuck about the hardcore fanbase and only aiming at the masses. Fine, what can I say? There's a new song, it's cool. How hard can it be to just drop us a word letting us know when this was recorded? Isn't giving a little context good PR anyway? Give a story to tell to the media. Now IDK, maybe they'll do it tomorrow and then they can have my apology for being impatient, that's cool.

.

[Edited 6/5/25 16:29pm]

.

on "only aiming at the masses":

by releasing a demo of an old song that wasn't even popular back in its time? Yeah, that's going to turn millions of teens onto Prince...
.
(Not directed at you, Databank, of course, but at the Estate)

love2thenines2003 said:

databank said:

I'm sorry, did I miss a press release or anything? Not a word here: https://prince.com/news? Nothing on X or Instagram? They won't tell us when this version is from? We have to guess? Seriously?

My guess ..even he mentions in His lyrics on this one 2008 ..2009....this version in style and production is close from the Truth songs...The Truth/don't play me but this song might be too from the early 2000's....but definitely not from the eighties to my ears...he uses his mature Voice here not the youthful one from the 80's

It's really hard to tell. IDK if this is close to any later live rendition that could give us a clue? I can't quite decypher everything he says after the years he mentions (maybe native speakers can?) so IDK if there's a clue there.

.

OK, one nice word for the Estate anyway: it was good curation. It's a very interesting take, it's not a mere rehash of the studio version, it gives the song a new dimension.

Kares said:

oh dear, oh dear...
.
Why wasn't this track included on 1999 SDE?
Why is it drenched in reverb? (a solo acoustic piece should sound more intimate, in my view)
Why is it the one chosen to be released now?
How many new fans will this release result in? (Zero.)
Why does the Estate still think it's OK not to disclose any info on a recording?
And why release a demo where Prince sings slightly out of tune (a rare occasion) at the end of the pre-release snippet? ("...what you got...")

Your ears being better than mine, and me not understanding for sure what you meant: do you mean this is the same take as on the Instagram snippet or a different one?

databank said:

Kares said:

oh dear, oh dear...
.
Why wasn't this track included on 1999 SDE?
Why is it drenched in reverb? (a solo acoustic piece should sound more intimate, in my view)
Why is it the one chosen to be released now?
How many new fans will this release result in? (Zero.)
Why does the Estate still think it's OK not to disclose any info on a recording?
And why release a demo where Prince sings slightly out of tune (a rare occasion) at the end of the pre-release snippet? ("...what you got...")

Your ears being better than mine, and me not understanding for sure what you meant: do you mean this is the same take as on the Instagram snippet or a different one?

.
I don't have the link to the one on Insta I'm afraid – I was just listening to the Quobuz-snippet released today:

https://www.qobuz.com/au-...ex68810eca

Kares said:

databank said:

I've heard the rumors that the Estate considers us a bunch of ungrateful brats and will "punish" us by not giving a fuck about the hardcore fanbase and only aiming at the masses. Fine, what can I say? There's a new song, it's cool. How hard can it be to just drop us a word letting us know when this was recorded? Isn't giving a little context good PR anyway? Give a story to tell to the media. Now IDK, maybe they'll do it tomorrow and then they can have my apology for being impatient, that's cool.

.

[Edited 6/5/25 16:29pm]

.

on "only aiming at the masses":

by releasing a demo of an old song that wasn't even popular back in its time? Yeah, that's going to turn millions of teens onto Prince...
.
(Not directed at you, Databank, of course, but at the Estate)

I honestly don't know what marketing studies say about this, but I remember being very confused at the choice of preview "singles" for the 1999 and D&P SDEs. Don't let Him Fool Ya and Alice Through The Looking Glass were among the most demoish songs on their respective sets: not exactly what I'd think would seduce new audiences, but what do I know? Maybe kids today listening to that minimalist stuff they listen to, maybe they like demos better than fully produced songs?

.

Either way I'm not sure what they could release that would bring new fans to the table. I don't think there's another When Doves Cry, Kiss or Cream in the vault. Except for the rare exception (Bob Marley with Iron Lion Zion comes to mind, but this was a very different time), dead artists don't have hits. I'm sure there's a lot of casual fans who'd think "oh, this is nice!" while listening to this acoustic rendition of Free. I don't see why not.

Kares said:

databank said:

Your ears being better than mine, and me not understanding for sure what you meant: do you mean this is the same take as on the Instagram snippet or a different one?

.
I don't have the link to the one on Insta I'm afraid – I was just listening to the Quobuz-snippet released today:

https://www.qobuz.com/au-...ex68810eca

There it was: https://www.instagram.com...EcF/?hl=en

databank said:

Kares said:

.

on "only aiming at the masses":

by releasing a demo of an old song that wasn't even popular back in its time? Yeah, that's going to turn millions of teens onto Prince...
.
(Not directed at you, Databank, of course, but at the Estate)

I honestly don't know what marketing studies say about this, but I remember being very confused at the choice of preview "singles" for the 1999 and D&P SDEs. Don't let Him Fool Ya and Alice Through The Looking Glass were among the most demoish songs on their respective sets: not exactly what I'd think would seduce new audiences, but what do I know? Maybe kids today listening to that minimalist stuff they listen to, maybe they like demos better than fully produced songs?

.

Either way I'm not sure what they could release that would bring new fans to the table. I don't think there's another When Doves Cry, Kiss or Cream in the vault. Except for the rare exception (Bob Marley with Iron Lion Zion comes to mind, but this was a very different time), dead artists don't have hits. I'm sure there's a lot of casual fans who'd think "oh, this is nice!" while listening to this acoustic rendition of Free. I don't see why not.

.
In my experience of talking to people who are not into P, their most common complaint is that they just can't stand his falsetto singing. Releasing a solo demo of falsetto singing isn't going to work for those folks.
.
I might be naive but I do believe there are several potential, yet unkown hits in the vault. Sure, they'll need promotion (or inclusion in a popular movie, for example), but I don't see why wouldn't be any songs in there that have the potential. We all know P never thought twice about discarding great tracks whenever he felt they wouldn't fit on the next album.

databank said:

I honestly don't know what marketing studies say about this, but I remember being very confused at the choice of preview "singles" for the 1999 and D&P SDEs. Don't let Him Fool Ya and Alice Through The Looking Glass were among the most demoish songs on their respective sets

.
To be honest I never considered those online pre-release tracks to be 'singles' in the classical sense. They weren't marketed to radio hoping they'd be hits – they were simply teasers or carrots for us fans. At least that's how I took them.

seems like 2010/2011. it sounds like that. plus he even mentions 08/09/10 counting up to 12 in the lyrics.

it has that andy allo vibe to it, the things he did with her in the studio. seems to me like this is one
of those tracks he vibed on at the time.

Kares said:

databank said:

I honestly don't know what marketing studies say about this, but I remember being very confused at the choice of preview "singles" for the 1999 and D&P SDEs. Don't let Him Fool Ya and Alice Through The Looking Glass were among the most demoish songs on their respective sets: not exactly what I'd think would seduce new audiences, but what do I know? Maybe kids today listening to that minimalist stuff they listen to, maybe they like demos better than fully produced songs?

.

Either way I'm not sure what they could release that would bring new fans to the table. I don't think there's another When Doves Cry, Kiss or Cream in the vault. Except for the rare exception (Bob Marley with Iron Lion Zion comes to mind, but this was a very different time), dead artists don't have hits. I'm sure there's a lot of casual fans who'd think "oh, this is nice!" while listening to this acoustic rendition of Free. I don't see why not.

.
In my experience of talking to people who are not into P, their most common complaint is that they just can't stand his falsetto singing. Releasing a solo demo of falsetto singing isn't going to work for those folks.
.
I might be naive but I do believe there are several potential, yet unkown hits in the vault. Sure, they'll need promotion (or inclusion in a popular movie, for example), but I don't see why wouldn't be any songs in there that have the potential. We all know P never thought twice about discarding great tracks whenever he felt they wouldn't fit on the next album.

Yeah but I mean IDK. Those people who don't like his falsetto singing sound to me like those rock fans who got upset whenever his music went too "black" or too "electronic". Jesus... Yeah, Prince was primarily a Black artist who primarily used synthesizers and drum machines and sometimes made rock music. Those people can happily listen to whatever it is they listen to, but we can't turn Prince into Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen just to please them (Prince gave them the bloody Superbowl and When My Guitar Gently Weeps anyway, what more do they want?). I mean seriously, we funkateers and clubbers don't go and cry that there aren't enough James Brown samples or Roland 808 in the last U2 album or whatever, do we?

Plus, I think there's a lot of other people (babes or otherwise) who do wet their panties each time they hear Prince's falsetto

the more important question right now is: will this be it for the year?

is this going to have to tide us over another year of nothing?

or is this the first domino in a roll out of a long string of vault releases they have lined up?

i know what my money is on but i hope i'm wrong.

FJODOR said:

databank said:

lustmealways said:

Folks, I get this isn't the most exciting thing ever but try to keep the bitching to a minimum as they are actually finally doing SOMETHING. If this upcoming "vault future plans" panel is a bust, I'll start the complaining again but for now just wait and see.

you feeling alright? did Londell get to you?

FREE isn't the worst song ever .. yeah it almost doesn't sound right on the 1999 record but neither would How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore? .. the latter is the better of the 2 but FREE is decent. Most casual listeners can't stand his Camille voice. I don't think his fasetto has the same effect. Consider KISS is a huge hit. ... and this lil demo would fit right in with those Teri Gross NPR coffee house vibe style marketing .. which is the audience Prince SHOULD be marketed to. It may not gain traction with Beyonce Taylor Swift crowd but they should market to mature music obssessives with money to spend and an appreciation for quality over pop diarhea. I like the original better but this is good. It sounds earlier than the Truth era and much better than anything on that album. I am happy to add this to my collection and if this is any indication that they are working on another release then I will be excited. Do I trust that this is anything more than a one off like that Celebration USB last year? NO .. something is always better than nothing with Prince and always an interesting listen.

Kares said: