Crystal Ball

Right after Prince signed the 100 million dollar contract, an amount which was inflated significantly, he proposed a set of outtakes from his vaults. Warner Brothers declined the idea, which may have started the feud between the two parties. It was not until was on his own that he had the opportunity to release from his vaults. The first volume of previously bootlegged material was aptly titled Crystal Ball, a possible nod to the original name of a set that was paired down to become Sign O' The Times. This however, has little to do with the extra tracks that were to make up that album, as most have already been released officially on other albums. What Crystal Ball signifies is a dream come true for any avid listener. Or, it could be their worst nightmare. The set was primarily targeted toward the listener with everything and initially only sold via 's 1-800-NEW-FUNK merchandise line, along with his acoustic The Truth... album thrown in. However, some retail outlets expressed an interest in carrying Crystal Ball and once a couple of outlets were given the set to sell more followed. Eventually, any chain who wanted to carry Crystal Ball were allowed. This left those who originally orded through the merchandise line stuck with a shipping fee and in most cases a wait. To compensate, threw in a compact disk of the Kamasutra, credited to the NPG Orchestra, as well as a Jam Of The Year concert T-shirt. The Truth... was sold at retail outlets, without the extras thrown in for those who ordered through 1-800-NEW-FUNK. Still, many avid listeners were upset that the set showed up at retail at a better price and in many cases sooner than their mail order packages. Unfortunately, all the fuss surrounding the complications of 's first major album release via mail order overshadowed the music itself. Crystal Ball does not include every avid listeners favorite circulating outtake, but it does have a number of them. After all, if emptied his vaults for this one release, he would have little left for future outtakes sets. The quality of the set has a great deal to do with the perspective one brings when they listen to it. Every track on the set was left off a release initially for a reason. It could be assumed that this would leave a set of sub par material, which is a wrong opinion. What it leaves is a quirky set which spans Prince's career right into and beyond. There is some excellent material on the set and of course some material that may be considered filler. What is filler on Crystal Ball has a lot to do with taste. The set spans some genre extremes has taken. For instance, "Da Bang" borders on a bluesy hard rock sound that some may not enjoy. For others, however, it may be perfect. Some avid listeners, who had heard nearly all the material on the set already, initially complained about the track listing. There were several remixes and tracks that they did not enjoy. The remixes are somewhat filler, but in all fairness the set was marketed with a bootleg theme. Nearly every outtake bootleg in circulation has it's share of remixes, often unofficial ones. knows this as he did some research before compiling the package. Sometime during the early Summer months of 1997 he visited a New York City record store that was previously known as a haven for bootlegs. He walked in and took one copy of every bootleg they had in stock and walked out. In addition, some material is misunderstood. The title track has been attacked by many as a rambling number that searches for a hook. That is not the point of the song. At the time, Prince was listening to a lot of jazz artists such as Miles Davis. "Crystal Ball" has a long instrumental section that is a brilliant jazz cross-over, which features Shiela E. prominently on drums. The song is a suite number with lots of tempo changes. This should make it more appealing, but for some reason critics expect Prince, and now , to rattle off four minute pop tracks that will sell multi-platinum. That is not what this musician is about, though. "Crystal Ball," which was originally the title track of Sign O' The Times before it was paired down and revamped, is as complex as a number can get. It highlights the loose jam sound that Prince mastered back in 1987. Perspective. That is the draw-back in listening to the set. One has to appreciate the mastery shown in the outtakes. They are like works of art, paintings that were long lost and just now discovered. What is amazing is that virtually none of the songs sound dated. That is what makes one of the most important musicians of our lifetime. Like most famous artists, the distribution of 's work has been limited. Nearly every song on the set reflects that. The reason why many the tracks are here now and not already released is that at one point in time during this artist's time span they have been held back by the powers that be. Warner Brothers decided that he would flood the market with his material if too much was released and it would not sell. Thus, Sign O' The Times was condensed from its original 3 album format; Dream Factory and countless other projects were not given the green light by Warner Brothers for release; Come and The Gold Experience were pushed back and drowned in controversy so much that the albums were revamped by the time of their releases and a few brilliant songs were just forgotten. Perspective is what makes or breaks an album from an artist such as Prince, or whomever. Crystal Ball, however, is not just an album. It is the story of a true artist. One that without proper study may be lost. Each track should be taken in it's context, listened to several times and understood. Sure, there are still going to be duds in the bunch, but a bulk of the music is top notch. Some of it is just meant to be fun and that is one aspect of that the public does not relate to well. He does not fit well in a box. is not R&B, he is not rock and he is not country. Moreover, he is not a serious singer, he is not a fun novelty act and he is not an angry center for adolescent youth. He is .

Track Listing

DISK I Crystal Ball Dream Factory Acknowledge Me Ripopgodazippa Love Sign (Shock G.'s Silky Remix) Hide The Bone 2morrow So Dark Movie Star Tell Me How U Want 2 B Done	DISK II Interactive Da Bang Calhoun Square What's My Name Crucial An Honest Man Sexual Suicide Cloreen Bacon Skin Good Love Strays Of The World
DISK III Days Of Wild Last Heart Poom Poom She Gave Her Angels 18 & Over The Ride Get Loose P. Control Make Yo Mama Happy Goodbye

General Data

United States
Release Date	February 1998 (Soft Release Date)
Cat. Number	?
Peak Position	--
Status	?
Singles	--

Europe
Release Date	February 1998 (Soft Release Date)
Cat. Number	?
Peak Position	--
Status	?
Singles	--

Japan
Release Date	February 1998 (Soft Release Date)
Cat. Number	?
Peak Position	--
Status	?
Singles	--

Additional Information

Crystal Ball was not released with a list of personel. However, the following likely appear on the recordings, along with others. In addition, the personel and locations that the tracks were recorded probably vary significantly from the list below.

Time: 150 Minutes (each disk is exactly 50 minutes)
Musicians:

/ Prince (vocals, various instruments)

Guest Musicians: Morris Day
Producers: , Prince, The New Power Generation and The Revolution .
Engineers: Airiq Anest, Joe Blaney, Gary Brandt, Mark Forrester, Arne Frager, Dave Friedlander, Tom Garneau, Mic Guzauski, Ray Hahnfeldt, Coke Johnson, Michael Koppelman, Rolly Ladd, David Leonard, Peggy McCreary, Eddie Miller, Bob Mockler, Steve Noonan, Ross Pallone, Brian Poer, Prince, David Rivkin, Susan Rogers, Jamie Starr, David Tickle, Tommy Vicari and David Z.
Recorded At: Alpha Studios, Burbank; Hollywood Sound, Hollywood; Paisley Park, Chanhassen; Olympic Studios, London; Record Plant, Sausalito; S.I.R. Studios, Los Angels; Sunset Sound and Uptown, Minneapolis and The Warehouse.