FEATURE: Diamonds and Pearls: New Life and Expansion of Prince and The New Power Generation’s Underrated 1991 Gem

FEATURE:

 

 

Diamonds and Pearls

  

New Life and Expansion of Prince and The New Power Generation’s Underrated 1991 Gem

_________

THE fourteenth studio album from Prince…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Prince performing in Minneapolis, MN in 1991/PHOTO CREDIT: Ken Regan

and the first with his new band The New Power Generation, this never got the credit it deserves. Diamonds and Pearls remains one of the late genius’s most underrated works. Following 1990’s Graffiti Bridge – where there are songs called New Power Generation and Part 1 and New Power Generation, Part 2 -, it started a great run that would then lead to 1992’s immortal Love Symbol. I feel like Diamonds and Pearls has been overlooked and seen as an album with only a couple of great songs. We all know singles like the title track, Gett Off, and Money Don't Matter 2 Night, and yet there are some incredible deep cuts. Prince’s legendary Vault keeps offering an inexplicably large amount of music. You wonder if the man ever took a day off in his life! I will come to my thoughts about an album, why Diamonds and Pearls deserves more attention, and what might come next from the late legend’s archive. A new reissue has been confirmed. It offers a treasure trove of unreleased material and concert footage. You can pre-order it here, but I wanted to drop in some extensive detail about a release every Prince fan should investigate:

PAISLEY PARK ENTERPRISES, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT AND WARNER RECORDS

ANNOUNCES EXPANDED REISSUE OF

PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION’S

MULTI-PLATINUM ALBUM DIAMONDS AND PEARLS

SUPER DELUXE FORMATS FEATURE 47 PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED AUDIO TRACKS AND OVER TWO HOURS OF LIVE FILMED CONCERT FOOTAGE IN HIGH DEFINITION

PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS

“ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS”

“INSATIABLE (EARLY MIX – FULL VERSION)”

AVAILABLE NOW VIA ALL DIGITAL DOWNLOAD / STREAMING PLATFORMS

LISTEN HERE

NEW DOLBY ATMOS MIX OF DIAMONDS AND PEARLS TO BE RELEASED ON

AUDIOPHILE BLU-RAY.

STRICTLY LIMITED EDITION, NUMBERED 7” SINGLES BOXED SET,

AVAILABLE NOW EXCLUSIVELY FROM THE OFFICIAL PRINCE STORE

SUPER DELUXE EDITION / DELUXE EDITION / REMASTERED ALBUM

AVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 27

PRE-ORDER ALBUM HERE

“You have a lot of artists today that have the ability to release four or five albums in the span of 18 months. Prince was already there decades ago.”

Chuck D, 2023

August 24, 2023 (Minneapolis, MN) – Diamonds And Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by Prince, and was the first with his new backing band, The New Power Generation. Featuring six massive international singles, including the hits “Gett Off”, “Cream”, and the iconic title track, the album was a worldwide smash reaching multi-platinum status in the USA and the UK, where it remains his best-selling album.

This October 27, Paisley Park Enterprises, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Records, will reissue Diamonds And Pearls via all physical, digital, and streaming partners, with the classic album remastered for the very first time, and featuring 47 previously unreleased tracks, as well as a previously unreleased 2+ hours of video concert performances from Prince’s legendary vault. Pre-order HERE

The reissue suite will be comprised of the following formats:

Super Deluxe Edition (7CD+Blu-ray / 12LP+Blu-ray / audio-only download and streaming)

Deluxe Edition (2CD / 4LP 180g vinyl)

Remastered album (1CD / 2LP / 2LP 180g clear “Diamond” vinyl / download and streaming)

Following the successful release of the 1999 Super Deluxe Edition (2019), and Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition (2020), the Diamonds And Pearls Super Deluxe Edition represents the third deep dive into Prince’s vault. It includes a total of 75 audio tracks across 7x CDs and 12x 180g vinyl records.

The set offers a newly remastered version of the album, plus 15 of the incredible remixes and B-sides from the era, including the never commercially released “Gett Off (Damn Near 10 Min.)” mix. The Super Deluxe Edition also features 33 previously unheard studio gems from Prince’s Illustrious vault, ranging from alternate versions of album tracks, to numbers Prince gave away to other artists, and songs recorded while on the road in 1990.

 Prince & The NPG previewed the Diamonds And Pearls Tour at Prince’s Minneapolis club, Glam Slam, on January 11, 1992. The sweaty, sold-out, last-minute show captures the sheer joy and sense of endless possibility that came to define this era. This previously unreleased live concert performance has been mixed from the 24 track master and rounds out the audio content of the 7CD and 12LP sets.

This same previously unreleased concert is also presented in stunning 2K video on the Blu-ray disc that accompanies both Super Deluxe Edition formats, in Stereo, 5.1 Dolby True HD, and Dolby ATMOS audio formats. The Blu-ray also features Prince & The New Power Generation’s performance at The Special Olympics at the Metrodome in Minneapolis in July 1991 (also in Stereo, 5.1, and ATMOS), as well as a previously unseen soundcheck. The Blu-ray is completed by the long out of print Diamonds And Pearls Video Collection, originally released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1993.

The 120-page hardback book which accompanies the SDE set features unseen photos by Randee St. Nicholas, and essays by: author & broadcaster Andrea Swensson; Archivist and Senior Researcher for the Prince Estate Duane Tudahl; British music critic and Prince expert Jason Draper; De Angela L. Duff, an Industry Professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn; Social Media Personality KaNisa Williams; and an introduction from Public Enemy founder, Chuck D.

The Diamonds And Pearls Super Deluxe Edition holds a magnifying glass to the prolific output of this truly unique musician, songwriter, producer, and performer who started the 1990s writing and recording at such a rapid pace that his next album would be practically complete by the time the Diamonds And Pearls Tour debuted in Tokyo that April.

In addition, there will be a brand-new Dolby ATMOS mix of Diamonds And Pearls. This marks the very first time a Prince studio album has been mixed in ATMOS, and it will feature on an audiophile Blu-ray, featuring the album in Dolby ATMOS and HD Stereo (24bit / 44.1kHz) formats.

As a companion collector piece, fans have the opportunity to order a numbered 7” singles boxed set, strictly limited to 1,991 units. Containing remastered audio for six official singles released in 1991 & 1992, the set contains a brand new 7” single comprising two previously unreleased tracks, “Alice Through The Looking Glass” and “Horny Pony (Version 2)”. The set is available to order now, exclusively via the official Prince Store.

“Alice Through The Looking Glass” is now available on all digital download and streaming platforms. Featured on the Super Deluxe set, the track was recorded on May 28, 1991 at Larrabee Sound Studios, Studio A. Listen HERE

Also available now on all digital download and streaming platforms is “Insatiable (Early Mix – Full Version)”, which also appears on the Diamonds And Pearls Super Deluxe Edition. This previously unreleased 8'02" mix features lyrics that were ultimately edited out and reveals how “Insatiable” originally sounded on its initial mix, since it contains a variety of instruments that were eliminated in the final version. Listen HERE

#PrinceDiamondsAndPearl

Official website: prince.com

Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter: @prince

BACKGROUND

Unlike previous Prince albums, the majority of Diamonds And Pearls was recorded with The New Power Generation, a group he had assembled largely from the Twin Cities area. They shared cultural backgrounds and localised experiences, and helped Prince connect his past influences to the present creating a new uplifting blend of hip-hop, dance, gospel, and pop that would bring him to the top of the charts worldwide.

The New Power Generation was a band that Prince believed in so wholeheartedly that he gave them co-credit on the cover of Diamonds And Pearls, something he’d only done previously with one other band, The Revolution. The group consisted of Sonny Thompson (vocals & bass), Damon Dickson (vocals & percussion), Rosie Gaines (vocals & keyboards), Michael Bland (drums), Kirk Johnson (vocals & percussion), Tony M (vocals), Levi Seacer, Jr. (bass, guitar & vocals), and Tommy Barbarella (keyboards).

Diamonds And Pearls was unveiled to the world on October 1, 1991, and it instantly had a huge commercial and cultural impact, becoming the biggest selling non-soundtrack album of Prince’s career. Over the past three decades, the reasons for its enormous success have been discussed extensively. Not least of these was Prince’s decision to finally engage with major television exposure and an extensive tour of Europe, Japan and his first trip to Australia. The album also offered a diverse collection of sounds that could appeal to a wide variety of listeners. Diamonds And Pearls had something for everyone.

PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION

DIAMONDS AND PEARLS

SUPER DELUXE EDITION

(7CD+Blu-ray / 12LP+Blu-ray / Digital *)

CD1 / LP1&2: DIAMONDS AND PEARLS (REMASTERED)

Thunder

Daddy Pop

Diamonds And Pearls

Cream

Strollin’

Willing And Able

Gett Off

Walk Don’t Walk

Jughead

Money Don’t Matter 2 Night

Push

Insatiable

Live 4 Love

CD2 / LP3&4: SINGLE MIXES & EDITS (REMASTERED)

Gett Off (Damn Near 10 Min.)

Gett Off (Houstyle)

Violet The Organ Grinder

Gangster Glam

Horny Pony

Cream (N.P.G. Mix)

Things Have Gotta Change (Tony M Rap)

Do Your Dance (KC’s Remix)

Insatiable (Edit)

 Diamonds And Pearls (Edit)

Money Don’t Matter 2 Night (Edit)

Call The Law

Willing And Able (Edit)

Willing And Able (Video Version)

Thunder (DJ Fade)

CD3-5 / LP5-9: VAULT I, II, III

VAULT I

Schoolyard

My Tender Heart

Pain

Streetwalker

Lauriann

Darkside

Insatiable (Early Mix - Full Version)

Glam Slam ’91

 Live 4 Love (Early Version)

Cream (Take 2)

Skip To My You My Darling

Diamonds And Pearls (Long Version)

All tracks previously unreleased

VAULT II

Daddy Pop (12" Version)

Martika’s Kitchen

Spirit

Open Book

Work That Fat

 Horny Pony (Version 2)

Something Funky (This House Comes) (Band Version)

Hold Me

Blood On The Sheets

The Last Dance (Bang Pow Zoom And The Whole Nine)

Don’t Say U Love Me

All tracks previously unreleased

VAULT III

Get Blue

Tip O’ My Tongue

The Voice

 Trouble

Alice Through The Looking Glass

Standing At The Altar

Hey U

Letter 4 Miles

I Pledge Allegiance To Your Love

Thunder Ballet

All tracks previously unreleased

CD6&7 / LP10-12: LIVE AT GLAM SLAM, 1992

Thunder

Daddy Pop

Diamonds And Pearls

Willing And Able

  Jughead

The Sacrifice Of Victor

Nothing Compares 2 U

 Thieves In The Temple

Sexy M.F.

 Insatiable

Cream/Well Done/I Want U/In The Socket (Medley)

 1999/Baby I’m A Star/Push (Medley)

Gett Off

Gett Off (Houstyle)

All tracks previously unreleased

BLU-RAY

LIVE AT GLAM SLAM, 1992

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, JANUARY 11, 1992

Thunder

Daddy Pop

Diamonds And Pearls

Willing And Able

Jughead

The Sacrifice Of Victor

Nothing Compares 2 U

Sexy M.F.

Insatiable

Cream/Well Done/I Want U/In The Socket (Medley)

1999/Baby I’m A Star/Push (Medley)

Gett Off

Gett Off (Houstyle)

All tracks previously unreleased

SPECIAL OLYMPICS, METRODOME, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, JULY 1991

SOUNDCHECK – JULY 19, 1991:

Let’s Go Crazy/Baby I’m A Star/Push (Medley)

All tracks previously unreleased

SHOW – JULY 20, 1991:

Diamonds And Pearls

Let’s Go Crazy/Baby I’m A Star/Push (Medley)

All tracks previously unreleased

DIAMONDS AND PEARLS VIDEO COLLECTION

Introduction

 Thunder (Live)

Gett Off

 Cream

 Diamonds And Pearls

 Dr. Feelgood (Live)

Call The Law

Willing And Able

Jughead (Live)

Insatiable

Strollin’

 Money Don’t Matter 2 Night

Live 4 Love (Live)

Blu-ray is presented in: Stereo, 5.1 Dolby True HD (Special Olympics show and Glam Slam only) and Dolby ATMOS (Special Olympics show and Glam Slam only).

* N.B. video content is exclusive to the physical Blu-ray and will not appear on digital download or streaming versions of the Super Deluxe Edition set.

PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION

DIAMONDS AND PEARLS

DELUXE EDITION

(2CD / 4LP)

CD1 / LP1&2: DIAMONDS AND PEARLS (REMASTERED)

Thunder

Daddy Pop

 Diamonds And Pearls

 Cream

Strollin’

Willing And Able

 Gett Off

Walk Don’t Walk

Jughead

Money Don’t Matter 2 Night

 Push

 Insatiable

Live 4 Love

CD2 / LP3&4: SINGLE MIXES & EDITS (REMASTERED)

 Gett Off (Damn Near 10 Min.)

Gett Off (Houstyle)

Violet The Organ Grinder

Gangster Glam

Horny Pony

Cream (N.P.G. Mix)

Things Have Gotta Change (Tony M Rap)

Do Your Dance (KC’s Remix)

 Insatiable (Edit)

Diamonds And Pearls (Edit)

 Money Don’t Matter 2 Night (Edit) 

Call The Law

Willing And Able (Edit)

Willing And Able (Video Version)

Thunder (DJ Fade)

PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION

DIAMONDS AND PEARLS

REMASTERED

(1CD / 2LP / 2LP clear “Diamond” 180g vinyl / Audiophile Blu-ray * / Digital Download / Streaming)

CD1 / LP1&2 / Audiophile Blu-ray *: DIAMONDS AND PEARLS (REMASTERED)

 Thunder

Daddy Pop

Diamonds And Pearls

Cream

Strollin’

Willing And Able

 Gett Off

Walk Don’t Walk

Jughead

Money Don’t Matter 2 Night

Push

 Insatiable

Live 4 Love

* Audiophile Blu-ray presented in Dolby ATMOS and HD Stereo (24bit / 44.1kHz) audio formats

PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION

DIAMONDS AND PEARLS

RELEASED OCTOBER 27th

AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW HERE”.

Past Prince’s purple/golden run of the 1980s, not that many people give a lot of love to albums like Diamonds and Pearls and his ‘90s work. I really love the album. On the strength of the singles alone, it is hard to beat! Even taking out the title track, which a lot of people aren’t hot on, there are some awesome classics - which sit alongside some experimental pieces. Pitchfork were positive towards the album, yet so many other reviews are mixed. There is an air of disappointment and a common feeling: Diamonds and Pearls is not up there with the iconic Purple Rain (1984) and Sign ‘o’ the Times (1987). Still early into his career, Diamonds and Pearls showed that Prince still had plenty of golden tunes and innovation in him. With some album packages and merchandise available for Diamonds and Pearls, I hope that it puts a spotlight on a remarkable album. Seven years after his death, and we are still getting music from him. Ensuring that he would have this legacy and relevance after he died – there was never any doubt about that! -, he stored up all this material. Whether he planned to release it all one day or whether it was there in case of his death, there is no telling how much more is in there. We could see Prince music coming for decades more. It leads to that question many might ask after the reissue of Diamonds and Pearls arrives in the autumn: What is next in terms of reissues or unheard material? Purple Rain – perhaps his peak as an artist -  is forty next year. Will there be a new release with demos and unheard songs?! I think we will get some unreleased songs - although something relating to Purple Rain is probably going to come this or next year.

I am going to round up now. I think it is bittersweet that a deluxe and brilliant reissue of Diamonds and Pearls is coming out. It means we have Prince’s music very much in the world. It also highlights an album that has never got its due credit. Hopefully these new tracks will get people to revisit and reassess the 1991 classic. It is sad because it reminds us that this genius and pioneer is not here. What he could have given us. It is also sad that he cannot see how his music is impacting people. I am sure Prince would have released this Diamonds and Pearls material soon enough. Maybe played some of it live. One of my favourite of his studio albums, I know that this is something every Prince fan will want to own. Sometimes, when you get reissues rammed with unheard songs and extras, it can be hard wading through and a bit of a slog! The fact there are different versions available, so that you get everything, a bit extra, and various amounts of new stuff, means there are options (and the prices can vary quite a bit!). In the case of this reissue, it is all really fascinating stuff! I think we will get years more where Prince’s Vault reveals some pure magic and wonder. I predict Purple Rain might get an expanded edition soon. Beyond that, I think his late-period career is worth exploring (rather than exploiting). Some of the songs he was working on before his untimely death in 2016. The great Prince is gifting us with brilliance seven years after he left us. With this reissue of Prince and The New Power Generation’s first album together, this banquet is absolutely…

STUFFED full of diamonds and pearls.