After the Gold Glitter has Fallen

So what's changed? "The Gold Experience" has been released,but is the dispute over? No, 0(+> still sports the word "Slave" on his face and is tied to a contract he wants no part of.The dispute was never about "Gold"-the album was just a bargaining tool, a glimpse of what we would be missing if Warners didn't play ball.

It can't be about the name on the dotted line,so if Warners relented and gave Princes master recordings back,we must assume that 0(+> still wishes to become more prolific,releas ing more than one official album per year.Great say the fans who've always said they will buy whatever he releases.Yet in November 1994 fans became unhappy with the quality of releases "1800-newfunk" and "come",ringing the official Controversy hotline in protest.Since then we've had the independent release of "Exodus",by anyone's standards no classic.The album could easily have been condensed down to a "Gett Off" style maxi-single, saving on the release of the "Get Wild " single and the ugly remixes of "The good life".Similarly "The Beautiful Experience" minialbum was a great song stretched way too thin and The Purple Medley was probably the worst idea ever. The best idea of recent months was to release "The Undertaker" straight to video,allowing fans the choice to buy the "accompanying " bootleg should they wish.The " Ill do anything " project had some good tunes on it too,but like the Undertaker the majority were too short and not fully constructed enough# to warrant an official release.

An alternative way to release more material officially is via double-A sides and maxi-singles.We have had very little in the way of an original b-side on a single since "Call the law" way back in 1992 and this is an outlet 0(+> should utilize once again like he did in the 80s,instead of the endless similar 'remixes' we tend to get.

If 0(+> would compromise( not a regular occurrence granted) and continue to release albums annually, Warners would really have nothing to complain about. He has shown that he can be both prolific and commercial though he has said that he doesn't care how his albums sell.This was shown when he released " ATWIAD" so soon after "Purple Rain".With their contrasting musical styles (and sales),the consecutive release was a brilliant exercise in showing how fickle the modern music buyer is.Since 1984 most of his albums have sold between 3-7 million copies each,a very respectable figure for an artist to sell each year.Janet Jacksons record company publicly celebrated the fact that her last album had sold 6 million ,2 years after its release. "Diamonds and Pearls " only sold half a million less after one year on release. Like most artists, his albums sell most during their first year on release.

Whether 0(+> intends to album with the compete 'polished' songs of the past and present is unsure.He has said there are Prince and the Revolution/ NPG songs in the vaults which he ensures us are brilliant.It seems likely that he has set his mind on releasing the best of "Prince"s albums now before the newer 0(+> material. Maybe he felt the need to create an elaborate reason to do this, in which case this "dispute" with Warners has been his biggest 'tease' yet!