Overflowing with musical ideas and topical lyrics that sound just as relevant today as they did when they were initially released, the Prince iconic double album Sign O’ The Times captured the artist in a period of complete reinvention.
The final 16-track album included just some of the countless songs Prince recorded in the prolific period of 1985-1987, which saw the dissolution of his band The Revolution, the construction of his innovative recording complex, Paisley Park, and the creation (and ultimate abandonment) of the albums Dream Factory, Camille, and Crystal Ball.
This September 25, The Prince Estate, in partnership with Warner Records, will reissue Sign O’ The Times via all physical, digital and streaming partners, with the classic album remastered for the very first time, and featuring 63 previously unreleased tracks, as well as a previously unreleased 2+ hour video concert performance from Prince’s legendary vault that illuminate his wide-ranging and prolific creativity in this era. Pre-order here.
The reissue suite will be comprised of the following formats:
Super Deluxe Edition (8CD+DVD / 13LP+DVD / audio-only download and streaming)
Deluxe Edition (3CD / 4LP 180g vinyl / download and streaming)
Remastered album (2CD / 2LP 180g peach vinyl / download and streaming)
Following the successful release of the 1999 Super Deluxe Edition in the fall of 2019, the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition represents the deepest dive to date into Prince’s vault, and includes a total of 92 audio tracks across eight CDs and 13 180g vinyl records.
The Super Deluxe Edition brings fans 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.
In addition, both CD and vinyl sets also boast 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, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of African American Studies, American Studies and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Yale University; Minneapolis radio host and author Andrea Swensson, host of the Official Prince Podcast; and Prince scholar Duane Tudahl.
The Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition shines a forensic light on the creative output of this truly unique musician, songwriter, producer, and performer at a pivotal point in his career and demonstrates why his unsurpassed body of work continues to generate so much love and passion around the world.
As a companion collector piece, fans have the opportunity to order a numbered 7” singles boxed set, strictly limited to 1,987 units, and manufactured by Third Man Pressing in Detroit. Containing remastered audio for all four official 7” singles released in 1987, as well as the two official Warner Records promo singles, the set contains a brand new 7” single comprising two versions of the previously unreleased track “Witness 4 The Prosecution”. The set is available to order now, exclusively via the official Prince Store and Third Man Records Store, and is expected to ship on or before August 14.
“Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)” is now available on all digital download and streaming platforms. Featured on the Super Deluxe set, the track was recorded on March 14, 1986 at Prince’s Galpin Blvd. home studio and was originally intended for inclusion on the halted Dream Factory album. Listen here.
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Official website: prince.com
