Today will feel a lot like Christmas for Prince fans, thanks to the massive new reissue of his seminal album Sign O’ the Times. Hear it in full down below via Apple Music or Spotify.
Along with a newly remastered version of the funk icon’s 1987 double LP, the expanded set boasts 63 unreleased songs retrieved from the vault, many of which were originally recorded between May 1979 and July 1987. One of those is “Cosmic Day”, a track that dates back to 1986. According to a statement, the song is possibly “the most revered recording” of the entire reissue, as it features Prince fantastically singing about Mermen while using his “Camille” alter-ego, pitched-up vocals and all.
The new collection also comes with a complete live audio performance from his “Sign O’ The Times Tour”, recorded at his June 20th, 1987 concert at the Stadium Galgenwaard in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
If that’s not enough, CD and vinyl bundles of the Sign O’ the Times reissue touts a DVD containing Prince’s complete, previously unreleased New Year’s Eve benefit concert at Paisley Park on December 31st, 1987. This show marked The Purple One’s final performance on the “Sign O’ The Times Tour” and featured his only on-stage collaboration with Miles Davis.
Completing the Super Deluxe Edition box set is a 120-page hardcover book with previously unseen handwritten lyrics, photographs, studio material, and other rarities from the era, along with new liner notes penned by Dave Chappelle, Lenny Kravitz, and longtime engineer Susan Rogers, among others. Grab your copy here.
In further celebration of this reissue, Jack White’s Third Man Records put out a special 7-inch singles box set as a companion collector’s piece. Limited to just 1,987 copies, it sold out quickly.
Sign O’ the Times Super Deluxe Edition Artwork:
Sign O’ the Times Super Deluxe Edition Tracklist:
CD1 / LP1: Remastered Album (Disc 1)
01. Sign O’ The Times
02. Play In The Sunshine
03. Housequake
04. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
05. It
06. Starfish And Coffee
07. Slow Love
08. Hot Thing
09. Forever In My Life
CD2 / LP2: Remastered Album (Disc 2)
01. U Got The Look
02. If I Was Your Girlfriend
03. Strange Relationship
04. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
05. The Cross
06. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
07. Adore
CD3 / LP3&4: Single Mixes & Edits
01. Sign O’ The Times (7” single edit)
02. La, La, La, He, He, Hee (7” single edit)
03. La, La, La, He, He, Hee (Highly Explosive) (7” single edit)
04. If I Was Your Girlfriend (7” single edit)
05. Shockadelica (“If I Was Your Girlfriend” B-side)
06. Shockadelica (12” long version)
07. U Got The Look (Long Look) (12” edit)
08. Housequake (7” edit)
09. Housequake (7 Minutes MoQuake) (12” edit)
10. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Fade 7” edit)
11. Hot Thing (7” single edit)
12. Hot Thing (Extended Remix)
13. Hot Thing (Dub Version)
CD4 / LP5&6: Vault, Part 1
01. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (1979 version)
02. Teacher, Teacher (1985 version)
03. All My Dreams
04. Can I Play With U? (featuring Miles Davis)
05. Wonderful Day (original version)
06. Strange Relationship (original version)
07. Visions
08. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (with horns)
09. Witness 4 The Prosecution (version 1)
10. Power Fantastic (live in studio)
11. And That Says What?
12. Love And Sex
13. A Place In Heaven (Prince vocal)
14. Colors
15. Crystal Ball (7” mix)
16. Big Tall Wall (version 1)
17. Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A
18. In A Large Room With No Light
All tracks previously unreleased
CD5 / LP7&8: Vault, Part 2
01. Train
02. It Ain’t Over ‘Til The Fat Lady Sings
03. Eggplant (Prince vocal)
04. Everybody Want What They Don’t Got
05. Blanche
06. Soul Psychodelicide
07. The Ball
08. Adonis And Bathsheba
09. Forever In My Life (early vocal studio run-through)
10l Crucial (alternate lyrics)
11. The Cocoa Boys
12. When The Dawn Of The Morning Comes
13. Witness 4 The Prosecution (version 2)
14. It Be’s Like That Sometimes
All tracks previously unreleased
CD6 / LP9&10: Vault, Part 3
01. Emotional Pump
02. Rebirth Of The Flesh (with original outro)
03. Cosmic Day
04. Walkin’ In Glory
05. Wally
06. I Need A Man
07. Promise To Be True
08. Jealous Girl (version 2)
09. There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool
10. Big Tall Wall (version 2)
11. A Place In Heaven (Lisa vocal)
12. Wonderful Day (12” mix)
13. Strange Relationship (1987 Shep Pettibone Club Mix)
All tracks previously unreleased
CD7&8 / LP11-13: Live In Utrecht – June 20, 1987
01. Intro/Sign O’ The Times
02. Play In The Sunshine
03. Little Red Corvette
04. Housequake
05. Girls & Boys
06. Slow Love
07. Take The “A” Train/Pacemaker/I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
08. Hot Thing
09. Four
10. If I Was Your Girlfriend
11. Let’s Go Crazy
12. When Doves Cry
13. Purple Rain
14. 1999
15. Forever In My Life
16. Kiss
17. The Cross
18. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
All tracks previously unreleased
DVD: Live At Paisley Park – December 31, 1987
01. Sign O’ The Times
02. Play In The Sunshine
03. Little Red Corvette
04. Erotic City
05. Housequake
06. Slow Love
07. Do Me, Baby
08. Adore
09. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
10. What’s Your Name Jam
11. Let’s Pretend We’re Married
12. Delirious
13. Jack U Off
14. Drum Solo
15. Twelve
16. Hot Thing
17. If I Was Your Girlfriend
18. Let’s Go Crazy
19. When Doves Cry
20. Purple Rain
21. 1999
22. U Got The Look
23. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night Medley (featuring Miles Davis)
All tracks previously unreleased
Sign O’ the Times 7-Inch Singles Boxed Set Tracklist:
1A. Sign “O” The Times (Edit)
1B. La, La, La, He, He, Hee (Edit)
2A. If I Was Your Girlfriend (Edit)
2B. Shockadelica
3A. U Got The Look
3B. Housequake (Edit)
4A. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Fade)
4B. Hot Thing (Edit)
5A. Hot Thing (Edit)
5B. Hot Thing (Edit)
6A. The Cross
6B. Adore
7A. Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)
7B. Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 2)
Tracks 7A and 7B previously unreleased
