Album of the Week: Prince, '1999'
December 09, 2019
Your Album of the Week is the Super Deluxe reissue of Prince's 1999. In addition to remastering Prince's original double album, 1999, the new Super Deluxe reissue of his iconic, breakthrough album includes 35 tracks from Prince's vault, making it the biggest posthumous release of his work to date.
This box set highlights such a pivotal moment for Prince, who experienced his first taste of crossover fame with 1999. To get there, he churned through reams of material for his own album - and in the process, discovered several new voices that he knew he needed to get out.
My favorite tracks are the ones that capture unguarded moments in the studio - like when Prince can barely contain his laughter while running through the monologue on International Lover for the first time... Or when he sat down alone at the piano to pour his whole entire heart out on a stunning, 7-minute long version of his B-side "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore?"
In lieu of a traditional Album of the Week review, this week we're bringing you a 4-part audio documentary series about the album.
You're going to hear stories from the people who were working alongside Prince in this wildly prolific era, when Prince was writing songs at a feverish pace for his own album, his funk side project the Time, and his new all-woman trio Vanity 6. And you'll get your first taste of this incredible material from the vault, which includes live recordings, emotional alternate takes in the studio, and long-lost songs -- like "Purple Music," which Prince recorded back in 1982 and had just started playing live on his final Piano & a Microphone Tour in 2016.
Find the first three episodes below, and hear the final episode on -air at 9 p.m. on Tuesday December 9:
Episode 1: My Mind Says Prepare to Fight
Episode 2: Rearrange
Episode 3: The Idolmaker
Episode 4: Tune in to The Current Tuesday December 9 at 9 p.m. CT to hear the final episode.
Prince: The Story of 1999 is a four-part audio documentary series brought to you by The Current in collaboration with the Prince Estate, Paisley Park, and Warner Records. The series is also available as a podcast on multiple platforms.
