Sony/Legacy Reissuing Three Out-of-Print Prince Albums

Posted August 5th, 2019 by eric

Harkening back to the mid-90s, Sony/Legacy is reissuing the first batch of albums released just after Prince had changed his name to the Love Symbol (O(+>) for the first time ever on vinyl. These albums have been out of print for decades and come with exorbitant prices on the collector’s market.

The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) was originally handed out as a cassette mix-tape for Paris Fashion Week back in 1995 and served as a preview of The Gold Experience. It was reissued on cassette earlier this year as a Record Store Day exclusive. Hopefully, the sound issues on that cassette reissue have been addressed for this vinyl edition.

Next up is Chaos and Disorder, which was Prince’s middle finger to Warner Bros.- a contractually obligated compilation of “vault” tracks that were “originally intended for private use only” and that Prince famously refused to promote (although he did play “Dinner with Delores” on the Today Show in summer 1996). Long considered a throwaway album, Chaos and Disorder is criminally underrated. It’s Prince’s angriest, most rocking, guitar-centric album of the 90s.

And rounding out the reissues is Emancipation, Prince’s official debut as a “free man” from the confines record contracts and, specifically, Warner Bros. Records. It’s a triple album spread across six pieces of vinyl that showcases every aspect of Prince’s songwriting prowess. Despite its obvious need for an editor and some production variance, Emancipation stands as one of Prince’s defining moments.

You can sample Pussy Control (Club Mix) from The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) below now, and pre-order the records here.

Tags: news · reissue