Crystal Ball (album set)
| Crystal Ball | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Prince | ||||
| Released | January 29, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1983–96 | |||
| Genre | Pop, funk, rock | |||
| Length | 2:29:10 | |||
| Label | NPG | |||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The A.V. Club | favorable |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| Rolling Stone |  |
| Yahoo! Music | (favorable) |
| The Truth | |
|---|---|
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| Studio album by Prince | |
| Released | March 3, 1998 |
| Recorded | 1996–1997 |
| Genre | Acoustic |
| Length | 43:25 |
| Label | NPG |
| Producer | Prince |
| Singles from The Truth | |
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| Kamasutra | |
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| Studio album by The NPG Orchestra | |
| Released | February 14, 1997 (cassette) January 29, 1998 (box set) |
| Recorded | 1995 |
| Genre | Classical, jazz |
| Length | 40:57 |
| Label | NPG |
| Producer | Prince |
Crystal Ball contains the twentieth and twenty-first studio albums by American recording artist Prince. It was released on January 29, 1998 by NPG Records. The album contains Crystal Ball, the twentieth studio album by Prince, which is a three disc set of "previously bootlegged" material, together with a fourth disc containing an album of 12 new acoustic songs titled The Truth, the twenty-first studio album by Prince.
The box set was initially only available through direct orders by phone (1-800-NEW-FUNK) and Internet. The direct order edition included a fifth disc: an instrumental studio album by The NPG Orchestra titled Kamasutra. Shipment of this edition started on January 29, 1998, approximately two months before its official release.
Crystal Ball is the second triple album in succession following Emancipation. Each of the album's three CDs contains 10 tracks and lasts almost exactly 50 minutes, mirroring Emancipation's 12-song, 60-minute disc lengths.
Prince once planned to release a 3-LP album around 1986, also called Crystal Ball. That album was edited down to a 2-LP and renamed Sign o' the Times. Eleven years later its title track became the title track for this album.
The set opens with "Crystal Ball". The over 10-minute-long number begins with 2 minutes of a lone drum machine and various sound effects before the vocals start. The experimental, suite-like song contains somewhat depressing lyrics and changes musical directions several times — touching on funk, rock, jazz and even classical strings (which were later sampled in "The Future" from the Batman soundtrack). The 1986 track was originally part of the Dream Factory project. Next up is the aforementioned "Dream Factory". Like the previous track, Prince's voice is pitched up an octave in the vein of Camille. "Dream Factory" was reportedly written about Paul Peterson when he decided to leave The Family project. The loud choruses of the song are alternated with jazzy subdued verses. Following "Dream Factory" are two tracks originally intended for The Gold Experience: "Acknowledge Me" and "Ripopgodazippa". "Acknowledge Me" opens with a shouted sample from former band member, Boni Boyer. The song has a new jack swing feel and Prince sings about a woman who "gives her body to another" while her mind is with him. In the song's coda, Prince delivers an extended rap. Interestingly, "Acknowledge Me" begins and ends with samples from 2 unreleased Prince songs: the opening sample is from "The Line", a 1988 track while the end contains a slowed-down vocal originally from "All My Dreams", a Parade leftover from 1985. "Ripopgodazippa" has a slinky reggae beat and describes a sexual encounter. Prince even tries to affect a Jamaican accent for the number. Mayte provides additional vocals. The "Love Sign" remix is a version of the duet with Nona Gaye, originally on the 1-800-NEW-FUNK compilation album; it samples Prince's 1983 track "D.M.S.R." "Hide the Bone" is a funk-rock number originally intended for The Gold Experience. A heavy drumbeat drives this sexual request for Prince to hide his "bone". "2morrow" was written during the Emancipation sessions and samples the chorus from "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". The track takes advantage of Prince's multi-tracked vocals and piano work, recalling some of his jazz-inspired material. "So Dark" is a remix of "Dark" from the Come album, stripping out the horns, organ and live drums and laying the lyrics over a simple drum machine pattern. "Movie Star" was originally a Dream Factory track and according to liner notes, inspired by Morris Day. The jazzy number is filled with humor and pokes fun at Prince's celebrity. The first disc ends with "Tell Me How U Wanna B Done", a remix of "The Continental" from 1992's Love Symbol Album. Remixed by NPG band member Kirk Johnson in 1995, this version adds a repetitive keyboard riff and scratching to the original song's coda section.
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