The amount of music left behind by groundbreaking funkmaster is, thankfully, . To that end, a newly remastered reissue box set, 鈥淒iamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Edition,鈥� offers his 13th studio album from 1991 with his backing band, The New Power Generation, once again. Out Friday, there are 47 previously unreleased tracks for Prince fans from his vaunted vault, and over two hours of live performance footage.
Sure, the lush Dolby Atmos mix of the title track 鈥淒iamonds and Pearls鈥� is there, with its gorgeous musical swells and Prince鈥檚 soulful voice. So are a handful of other versions of the track, including a longer version and audio from live tour performances.
鈥淐ream鈥� is back with its salacious delivery. But better still is 鈥淐ream (N.P.G. Mix),鈥� a version with an extra layer of stuttered percussion and a deep, melodic synth.
The unreleased tracks range from middling reworks of 鈥淒addy Pop鈥� and 鈥淕ett Off,鈥� to the torchy 鈥淚 Pledge Allegiance to Your Love,鈥� a superbly slow blues scorcher with Prince soloing skillfully on the guitar throughout.
For some Prince purists, his New Power Generation backing band beginning in 1990 and leading to this 1991 album offered a bit too much polished pop, lacking some of his 鈥檚 grittier approach. Regardless, Prince鈥檚 N.P.G. phase still delivered his evolving musical vision, as is evidenced here 鈥� particularly in the inclusion of real hip-hop influence: rapper Tony M is featured throughout.
The complete 鈥淒iamonds And Pearls Super Deluxe Edition鈥� includes 75 audio tracks across seven CDs and 12 vinyl records. It also comes with a 120-page hardback book with unseen photos and essays.
All told, this massive special release is a must-have for Prince fans who have been partying like it鈥檚 1999 since roughly 1982.
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AP music reviews:
Ron Harris, The Associated Press
