Originals

When Prince died in 2016, he left behind a huge amount of unreleased music—a literal steel vault so private and tightly guarded it had to be drilled open. Following on the heels of 2018’s unprecedentedly intimate Piano & a Microphone 1983, Originals is a collection of highly polished demos for songs ultimately gifted to other artists. As exciting as it is to hear Prince’s initial vision for now-ubiquitous hits like “Manic Monday” and “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the most revelatory tracks here tend to be the raunchy ones: “Sex Shooter,” originally for Apollonia 6 (“Come on, kiss the gun”); “Jungle Love,” originally for The Time (and complete with monkey-howl backing vocals); the sex-doll synth-pop of “Make-Up,” for Vanity 6. Not that it isn’t exciting to hear him sing “Manic Monday” (adopted by The Bangles) and “Nothing Compares 2 U” (reportedly inspired by a departed housekeeper before being rendered immortal by Sinéad O’Connor)—it is. But what better testament to Prince’s genius than his ability to lay our nastiest, basest impulses over a funk beat and elevate them to high art?

Tracklisting

  1. Sex Shooter (3:06)
  2. Jungle Love (3:04)
  3. Manic Monday (2:51)
  4. Noon Rendezvous (3:00)
  5. Make-Up (2:27)
  6. 100 MPH (3:31)
  7. You’re My Love (4:24)
  8. Holly Rock (6:39)
  9. Baby, You’re A Trip (5:52)
  10. The Glamorous Life (4:12)
  11. Gigolos Get Lonely Too (4:41)
  12. Love… Thy Will Be Done (4:09)
  13. Dear Michaelangelo (5:52)
  14. Wouldn’t You Love To Love Me? (5:57)
  15. Nothing Compares 2 U (4:39)
  16. Sex Shooter
  17. Jungle Love
  18. Manic Monday
  19. Noon Rendezvous
  20. Make-Up
  21. 100 MPH
  22. You’re My Love
  23. Holly Rock
  24. Baby, You’re A Trip
  25. The Glamorous Life
  26. Gigolos Get Lonely Too
  27. Love… Thy Will Be Done
  28. Dear Michaelangelo
  29. Wouldn’t You Love To Love Me?
  30. Nothing Compares 2 U

Apple Music


Videos

Prince - Nothing Compares 2 U (Official Music Video)


More Videos

Release Images

Release Information

Key Value
Wikipedia URL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Originals_(Prince_album)
Format Vinyl 2× LP Album (Purple, 180 Gram), CD Album, All Media Deluxe Edition Limited Edition
Label NPG Records
Catalog Number 603497851768
Notes Red hype sticker on shrink: Limited-Edition Deluxe Set CD + 2 LP 180G Purple Vinyl 14 Previously unreleased recordings + “[m=1354092]” Includes 24-page booklet with handwritten lyrics, rare photos, and new essays by Susannah Melvoin, Nelson George & Peggy McCreary 603497851768 [Barcode] 6-panel gatefold cover, back: [The Prince Estate ‘Love Symbol’ logo] [NPG Records ‘NPG’ logo] Warner Bros. Records Inc., a Warner Music Group Company, 777 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90021. This Compilation ℗ & © 2019 NPG Records, Inc., under exclusive license to Warner Bros. Records Inc. Printed in U.S.A. Manufactured in E.U. LC02982 · 603497851768 [Warner Bros. Records ‘WB-shield’ logo] PRINCE.COM Spine: R1 591459 Prince Originals NPG Records/Warner Bros. LP sized booklet: R1 591459
Discogs URL Prince - Originals