Prince

Prince

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Prince's Paisley Park Memories Go To London For 21-Day Exhibit

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London's O2 Arena will commemorate Prince's 21 days of sold-out concerts from 2007 with "My Name Is Prince" exhibit in October
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Aug 21, 2017 - 3:48 pm

London's O2 Arena will commemorate Prince's 21 days of sold-out concerts in 2007 — a record that stands to this day — by hosting a unique exhibit of his personal belongings "Direct from Paisley Park" for 21 days this October.

Prince's GRAMMY memories

My Name Is Prince: The Official Exhibition is designed to give visitors "a unique insight into the life, creativity and vision of one of the most naturally gifted recording artists of all time" and will include guitars, famous outfits, handwritten lyrics and other memorabilia from the iconic singer's career, such as Prince's third-eye sunglasses.

"The word 'icon' only scratches the surface of what Prince was and what he remains to me," wrote Beyoncé in the foreword to the forthcoming book Prince: A Private View. Like other master artists, his major works invite us to return again and again to experience greater depth, as we did a few months back revisiting his 1987 album, Sign 'O' The Times.

Tyka Nelson, Prince's sister, said, "This is the first time we've taken any items out of Paisley Park." With Prince, as with other musical legends, their private objects invite us to spirit ourselves into their artists' solitude, the place where mortals create the immortal. Tears of mourning and inspiration are expected, and VIP 90-minute guided tours are available.

Learn More About The GRAMMY Museum At L.A. Live's Exhibits

 

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

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Legacy Recordings To Drop Live Performances From Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley & More For Record Store Day

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Upcoming Legacy Recordings titles for Record Store Day 2019 also include Sly & The Family Stone, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Prince, and Dennis Wilson
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 1, 2019 - 1:07 pm

Janis Joplin and Sly & The Family Stone's Woodstock performances and Elvis Presley, Live At The International Hotel, Las Vegas, NV August 23, 1969 are just a few of the unique and collectible titles coming from Legacy Recordings in time for Record Store Day 2019 on April 13. The cultural riches offered on RSD tempt vinyl listeners steadily, and these provide a good example.

Other delectable collectibles include Bob Dylan Blood On The Tracks – Original New York Test Pressing, a reproduction of the influential original which has been bootlegged but never before released. The Prince cassette The VERSACE Experience: PRELUDE 2 GOLD is an RSD-exclusive reproduction of the rare originals, which Prince distributed as gifts during 1995 Paris Fashion Week. 

Pink Floyd's second album, A Saucerful Of Secrets, has been remastered from the 1968 original's mono mix and is released as an RSD limited edition with a reproduction of the album's original sleeve. The Dennis Wilson 7" single of "Holy Man" has the original by Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys on one side and a revitalization on the other by Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins with Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Legacy Recordings' website has additional details. Their RSD 2019 announcement is rounded out by a Jeff Buckley retrospective on his album Grace and by Billy Joel's Live At Carnegie Hall 1977.

Pearl Jam Named Record Store Day 2019 Ambassadors

David Bowie, 1974

David Bowie

Photo: Terry O'Neil/Getty Images

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Vinyl Box Set Of David Bowie Home Demos Announced By Parlophone

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The spring release's nine tracks are all drawn from Bowie's "Space Oddity" period
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Jan 8, 2019 - 5:41 pm

On Jan. 8, Parlophone announced the spring release of a 7" vinyl box set of nine David Bowie demos and rarities titled Spying Through A Keyhole. The title is taken from the lyric to "Love All Around," in which Bowie said, "I see a pop tune spying through a keyhole from the other room."

The collection includes what is believed to be the first demo of "Space Oddity" — which turns 50 this year — as well as an accompanied version with alternate lyrics. "Angel, Angel, Grubby Face" also appears in two versions alongside "Goodbye 3d (Threepenny) Joe," "In The Heat Of The Morning," "Love All Around," "London Bye, Ta-Ta," and "Mother Grey" — all from the "Space Oddity" period. The announcement was made on what would have been the legendary singer/songwriter's 72nd birthday.

None of the tracks have been previously released except for a brief period of availability on streaming services last month. The audio quality is casual at best and becomes saturated at times by Bowie's enthusiastic strumming, providing a very real look through the keyhole of time back to his rough sketches of these songs.

As recounted by Pitchfork, this represents the fifth annual Bowie box set from Parlophone. Like Prince, Bowie's extensive catalog and style-changing creativity are coming to life in new ways now that he is gone. Spying Through A Keyhole is an apt title for the up-close-and-personal look we are gaining on both artists, and thanks go out to both aritst's estates for making more of their legacies available.

"David Bowie Is" Mobile App Makes Museum Exhibit Virtual

Prince

Prince 

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc

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Prince 2004–2007 Albums To Be Re-Released—And That's Just The Beginning

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As promised, CDs, first-time vinyl and special merch coming for 'Musicology,' '3121' and 'Planet Earth'
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 10, 2018 - 5:05 pm

On Dec. 10, The Prince Estate and Sony's Legacy Recordings announced the first wave of physical reissues from their comprehensive consolidation of Prince's historic musical legacy. His 2004–2007 albums Musicology, 3121 and Planet Earth will be re-issued on CD on Feb. 8, 2019, accompanied by their first-time release on vinyl as well as exclusive merchandise themed to the albums.

The Prince Estate's latest news follows the partnership's first announcement this past June. The roll-out heated up back in August with the 37-track compilation Anthology: 1995-2010 and 300 digital tracks added to online streaming and download services. Video rarities were added online in November, making it hard to imagine a more enjoyable form of time-travel for Prince fans.

Musicology originally appeared in April 2004, just months after Prince's memorable medley with Beyoncé at the 46th GRAMMY Awards including his classic "Purple Rain." In addition to more nominations he received in this time-period, his title track "Musicology" won Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance at the 47th GRAMMY Awards and "Call My Name" won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. At the 50th GRAMMY Awards, Planet Earth's "Future Baby Mama" won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

Prince's Masterpiece 'Purple Rain': For The Record

It was February 2007 that Prince's Super Bowl half-time show was a triumph, despite the fact—or perhaps because— he performed in the pouring rain. Of course these highlights from his 2004–2007 period are just some of the purple one's crown jewels. While each period has its own distinct gems, the 2006 release of 3121 became his first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on the April 8 chart. Its title remains a topic of speculation.

Thanks go out to The Prince Estate and Legacy Recordings for making Prince's place in history more accessible than ever. The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inducts selected works more than 25 years old and three of Prince's albums are already inducted: 1999, Purple Rain and Sign "O" The Times.

Spike Lee Releases Music Video For Prince's "Mary Don't You Weep"

Prince

Prince

Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

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Prince Estate Releases Video Rarities With More To Come Weekly

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Little-seen videos from 1995–2010 are scheduled for weekly release through Dec. 14, part of his Estate's ongoing effort to deepen awareness of Prince's body of work
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Nov 5, 2018 - 1:20 pm

Last week three rarely seen Prince music videos received new wide release, delighting millions online. The videos represent the first taste of a weekly album-by-album schedule detailed by the Prince Estate on Nov. 5, so more excitement and inspiration is in store.

"The Prince Estate in partnership with Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment continue efforts to reunite the artist's music on all digital services, turning attention to unavailable music videos from the 1995–2010 era," is how the estate announced their lineup.

The first three recently added videos are rarities from Prince's 1995 GRAMMY-nominated album The Gold Experience, appearing on Prince's official YouTube channel. In September 1994, preceding the album's release, "Dolphin" was the first-ever music video played when VH1 Europe made its debut. The video for "Endorphinmachine" had been released on a CD-ROM video game as a reward for completing its challenge. "Rock And Roll Is Alive! (And It Lives In Minneapolis)" was a 1997 B-side aired only on VH1 in 1997 — in response to the 1995 "Rock And Roll Is Dead" track released by Lenny Kravitz. Online for only a few days now, each has already garnered more than 16 million views.

The three new tracks join recent video releases from the 1996 Prince album Chaos And Disorder. Nov. 9 will see the addition of four rarities from his later 1996 three-CD set of 36 tracks Emancipation.

This reuniting and consolidation of these Prince treasures is a powerful testimony both to Prince's unique output and range as well as for American popular music history. Now that popular music figures are academic subjects in their own right, enriching the Prince online archive offers opportunities for greater appreciation whether listening, watching or writing an academic thesis on his creative work. Thanks are in order for these artistic gems unearthed from the vault, and their appreciation is only beginning.

Listen: Prince's 'Anthology: 1995-2010' & 22 Other Albums Released Digitally