Description
“I feel that we’re on the brink of something. It is going to be strict and wild and pretty.” — Prince, 1986

More than any other release in his four-decade-long recording career, Prince's iconic double album Sign O' The Times captured the artist in a period of complete reinvention.

Primarily recorded between the end of 1985 and beginning of 1987, the era saw the dissolution of his band The Revolution, the end of his engagement to Susannah Melvoin, and the creation (and ultimate abandonment) of the albums Dream Factory, Camille, and Crystal Ball. By the end of that period of transformation, Prince emerged with one of his most urgent and wide-ranging releases to date — an epochal double album that would be hailed as a creative, critical, and commercial triumph.

The Super Deluxe Edition includes all the audio material that Prince officially released in 1987, as well as 45 previously unissued studio songs recorded between May 1979 and July 1987, and a complete live audio performance from the June 20, 1987 stop on the Sign O’ The Times Tour at Stadium Galgenwaard in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Also included is a brand-new DVD containing the complete, previously unreleased New Year’s Eve benefit concert at Paisley Park on December 31, 1987, which was Prince’s final performance of the Sign O’ The Times Tour stage show and his only on-stage collaboration with jazz legend Miles Davis.

The Super Deluxe Edition set also features a 120-page hardcover book containing Prince’s previously unseen handwritten lyrics for many of the songs from the era, including the hits “U Got The Look,” “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man,” and “Hot Thing,” iconic unseen images from the era taken by Prince’s primary photographer in the mid-1980s to early 90s, Jeff Katz, plus images of archive assets including original analog tape reels and studio tracking sheets.

The Super Deluxe Edition book is completed with brand-new liner notes by Prince’s creative peers and friends Dave Chappelle (in conversation with photographer Mathieu Bitton) and Lenny Kravitz; Prince’s longtime engineer Susan Rogers; Daphne A. Brooks, Professor of African American Studies, American Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Yale University; Minneapolis radio host and author.

[tracklisting][CD1: Remastered Album]
1. Sign O’ The Times
2. Play In The Sunshine
3. Housequake
4. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
5. It
6. Starfish And Coffee
7. Slow Love
8. Hot Thing
9. Forever In My Life

[CD2: Remastered Album]
1. U Got The Look
2. If I Was Your Girlfriend
3. Strange Relationship
4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
5. The Cross
6. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
7. Adore

[CD3: Single Mixes & Edits]
1. Sign O’ The Times (7” single edit)
2. La, La, La, He, He, Hee (7” single edit)
3. La, La, La, He, He, Hee (Highly Explosive) (7” single edit)
4. If I Was Your Girlfriend (7” single edit)
5. Shockadelica (“If I Was Your Girlfriend” B-side)
6. Shockadelica (12” long version)
7. U Got the Look (Long Look) (12” edit)
8. Housequake (7” edit)
9. Housequake (7 Minutes MoQuake)
10. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (fade 7” edit)
11. Hot Thing (7” single edit)
12. Hot Thing (extended remix)
13. Hot Thing (dub version)

[CD 4: Vault, Part 1 – All tracks previously unreleased]
1. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (1979 version)
2. Teacher, Teacher (1985 version)
3. All My Dreams
4. Can I Play With U? (featuring Miles Davis)
5. Wonderful Day (original version)
6. Strange Relationship (original version)
7. Visions
8. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (with horns)
9. Witness 4 The Prosecution (version 1)
10. Power Fantastic (live in studio)
11. And That Says What?
12. Love And Sex
13. A Place In Heaven (Prince vocal)
14. Colors
15. Crystal Ball (7” mix)
16. Big Tall Wall (version 1)
17. Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A
18. In A Large Room With No Light

[CD5: Vault, Part 2 – All tracks previously unreleased]
1. Train
2. It Ain’t Over ‘Til The Fat Lady Sings
3. Eggplant (Prince vocal)
4. Everybody Want What They Don’t Got
5. Blanche
6. Soul Psychodelicide
7. The Ball
8. Adonis And Bathsheba
9. Forever In My Life (early vocal studio run-through)
10. Crucial (alternate lyrics)
11. The Cocoa Boys
12. When The Dawn Of The Morning Comes
13. Witness 4 The Prosecution (version 2)
14. It Be’s Like That Sometimes

[CD6: Vault, Part 3 – All tracks previously unreleased]
1. Emotional Pump
2. Rebirth Of The Flesh (with original outro)
3. Cosmic Day
4. Walkin’ In Glory
5. Wally
6. I Need A Man
7. Promise To Be True
8. Jealous Girl (version 2)
9. There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool
10. Big Tall Wall (version 2)
11. A Place In Heaven (Lisa vocal)
12. Wonderful Day (12” mix)
13. Strange Relationship (1987 Shep Pettibone Club Mix)

[CD7/CD8: Live In Utrecht – All tracks previously unreleased]
1. Intro/Sign O’ The Times
2. Play In The Sunshine
3. Little Red Corvette
4. Housequake
5. Girls & Boys
6. Slow Love
7. Take The “A” Train/Pacemaker/I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
8. Hot Thing
9. Four (with Sheila E. drum solo)
10. If I Was Your Girlfriend
11. Let’s Go Crazy
12. When Doves Cry
13. Purple Rain
14. 1999
15. Forever In My Life
16. Kiss
17. The Cross
18. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night

[DVD: Live At Paisley Park, December 31, 1987 – All tracks previously unreleased]
1. Sign O’ The Times
2. Play In The Sunshine
3. Little Red Corvette
4. Erotic City
5. Housequake
6. Slow Love
7. Do Me, Baby
8. Adore
9. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
10. What’s Your Name Jam
11. Let’s Pretend We’re Married
12. Delirious
13. Jack U Off
14. Drum Solo
15. Twelve
16. Hot Thing
17. If I Was Your Girlfriend
18. Let’s Go Crazy
19. When Doves Cry
20. Purple Rain
21. 1999
22. U Got The Look
23. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night Medley (featuring Miles Davis)[/tracklisting]

8CD/1DVD Super Deluxe Edition (shown above)
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BMSF4XT/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08BMSF4XT/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BMSF4XT/?tag=imwan-21

3CD Deluxe Edition
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BN4TDQY/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08BN4TDQY/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BN4TDQY/?tag=imwan-21

2CD Standard Edition
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BN7M2ZM/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08BN7M2ZM/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BN7M2ZM/?tag=imwan-21

13LP/1DVD Super Deluxe Edition
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BMXT2SK/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08BMXT2SK/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BMXT2SK/?tag=imwan-21

4LP Deluxe Edition
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BMQL3PF/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08BMQL3PF/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BMQL3PF/?tag=imwan-21

2LP Standard Edition (Peach Vinyl)
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BN2HSXX/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08BN2HSXX/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BN2HSXX/?tag=imwan-21

More details to come. In the meantime, pre-orderable from the Amazon USA links above.

Just placed my order for the set. Thanks!!

Me too. There is a track list now for the 9 disc super deluxe.

Warner has pulled the listings (they didn't want to promote this release quite yet), but the links are correct, and all configurations will become pre-orderable again soon. (If you've already pre-ordered, you should be fine.)

Stay tuned!

Press release should go out tomorrow.

In the first post, UK pre-order links are now coming to life. I'm sure the USA links will return in due course.

Rhino announced on FB right around 12pm today.

The full description and tracklist are now in the first post, and while you're there, the USA pre-order links are becoming available again -- enjoy!

We have an audio sample, too:

There is apparently going to be a hi-res dl that will NOT include audio of the dvd.

I ordered a copy at Amazon.ca, hope they get their allotment. $161.74 Canadian at the moment ($123 US dollars).

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08BMSF4XT/?tag=imwanca-20

Sounds great!

Pre-ordered as well. Thanks!

The 3CD Deluxe Edition is all I need.
In fact I need to listen to the original CD set to make I like this music enough to splurge again

I figured I would lock in the price and watch for better deals if they come along, I also might switch to your strategy. Lots of time to change the mind.

Is it common for .CA to not get the releases? If so it is something one will not know till release? I opted to pre order both U.S. And .CA as I like the price. Just wondering?

I have not had any issues yet, this one should be in demand though. Some sites have already stopped taking orders.

These Rhino Super Deluxe boxes for Prince seem to be limited to a single pressing. Last year's 1999 box is going for anywhere from $150-$250 on Amazon, Discogs and eBay. Purple Rain Super Deluxe is over $100 most places. I have read some conjecture that it is because the Warner/Rhino deal is expiring next year, and then the rights for all the non-soundtrack Warner-era material revert to Prince's estate. Which of course leaves the estate open to licencing out all that material to a new label and we can get newly curated boxes to spend our money on.

Hopefully the new owner will be more concerned with sound quality. Warner was actually the best on this until a few years ago (might it correspond with when Warner was purchased....)?

The sound on Purple Rain was compressed, but I like the sound of the 1999 set. Nothing ruins my enjoyment of the music. (But then, I don't let the compression on Purple Rain bother me either).

I thought the 1999 box sounded great, including the original album and all the bonus discs. I hope this set will be more like this than Purple Rain, which I despised the sound of the original album in the reissue.