Prince's 1987 double album Sign o' the Times is getting reissued on September 25. As if its 16 tracks -- including classics "Starfish and Coffee," "U Got the Look," "If I Was Your Girlfriend," "Adore" and more -- weren't enough, there are super deluxe CD and vinyl editions featuring 63 previously unreleased tracks, 45 of those being studio "vault" tracks, as well as two live albums from 1987: a double-disc live album recorded in Utrecht; and New Year’s Eve benefit concert at Paisley Park which was Prince’s final performance of the Sign O’ The Times Tour stage show, and included his only on-stage collaboration with Miles Davis.
Of the "vault" tracks, they include a 1979 version of "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man," two versions of "Strange Relationship" (including a remix by Shep Pettibone), alternate takes of "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" and "Forever in My Life," and many songs that have never officially seen the light of day before, including tracks from three different aborted albums (The Dream Factory, Camille, Crystal Ball). Among those is "Witness 4 the Prosecution" which you can listen to below.
There are a whopping 92 tracks total on the super deluxe editions, which also come with a 120-page hardcover book featuring brand new liner notes, including entries by Lenny Kravitz, Dave Chappelle, audio engineer Susan Rogers, and Minneapolis music scene expert Andrea Swensson.
There are also three-CD / four-LP "special editions" that include single mixes, edits and B-sides in addition to the album, and there are standard two-disc remastered CD and peach-colored vinyl editions as well.
But wait, there's more! Via Third Man, there's also a 7" singles box set, also on peach vinyl, which includes a few of those "vault" tracks and is limited to a run of 1987 units.
All version of the Sign O' the Times reissue are available for preorder now. Check out the tracklist for the super deluxe, deluxe, and 7" box set editions, and listen to "Witness 4 the Prosecution," below.
SIGN O' THE TIMES REMASTERED SUPER DELUXE EDITION
CD1 / LP1: Remastered Album (Disc 1)
1 Sign O’ The Times 2 Play In The Sunshine 3 Housequake 4 The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker 5 It 6 Starfish And Coffee 7 Slow Love 8 Hot Thing 9 Forever In My Life
CD2 / LP2: Remastered Album (Disc 2)
1 U Got The Look 2 If I Was Your Girlfriend 3 Strange Relationship 4 I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man 5 The Cross 6 It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night 7 Adore
CD3 / LP3&4: Single Mixes & Edits
1 Sign O’ The Times (7” single edit) 2 La, La, La, He, He, Hee (7” single edit) 3 La, La, La, He, He, Hee (Highly Explosive) (12” version) 4 If I Was Your Girlfriend (7” single edit) 5 Shockadelica (“If I Was Your Girlfriend” B-side) 6 Shockadelica (12” long version) 7 U Got the Look (Long Look) (12” edit) 8 Housequake (7” edit) 9 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
1 I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (1979 version) 2 Teacher, Teacher (1985 version) 3 All My Dreams 4 Can I Play With U? (featuring Miles Davis) 5 Wonderful Day (original version) 6 Strange Relationship (original version) 7 Visions 8 The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (with horns) 9 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
1 Train 2 It Ain’t Over ‘Til The Fat Lady Sings 3 Eggplant (Prince vocal) 4 Everybody Want What They Don’t Got 5 Blanche 6 Soul Psychodelicide 7 The Ball 8 Adonis And Bathsheba 9 Forever In My Life (early vocal studio run-through) 10 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
1 Emotional Pump 2 Rebirth Of The Flesh (with original outro) 3 Cosmic Day 4 Walkin’ In Glory 5 Wally 6 I Need A Man 7 Promise To Be True 8 Jealous Girl (version 2) 9 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
1 Intro/Sign O’ The Times 2 Play In The Sunshine 3 Little Red Corvette 4 Housequake 5 Girls & Boys 6 Slow Love 7 Take The “A” Train/Pacemaker/I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man 8 Hot Thing 9 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
1 Sign O’ The Times 2 Play In The Sunshine 3 Little Red Corvette 4 Erotic City 5 Housequake 6 Slow Love 7 Do Me, Baby 8 Adore 9 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)
SIGN O' THE TIMES REMASTERED DELUXE EDITION
Remastered Album (Disc 1) Sign O’ The Times Play In The Sunshine Housequake The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker It Starfish And Coffee Slow Love Hot Thing Forever In My Life
Remastered Album (Disc 2) U Got The Look If I Was Your Girlfriend Strange Relationship I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man The Cross It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night Adore
Single Mixes & Edits Sign O’ The Times (7” single edit) La, La, La, He, He, Hee (7” single edit) La, La, La, He, He, Hee (Highly Explosive) (7” single edit) If I Was Your Girlfriend (7” single edit) Shockadelica (“If I Was Your Girlfriend” B-side) Shockadelica (12” long version) U Got the Look (Long Look) (12” edit) Housequake (7” edit) Housequake (7 Minutes MoQuake) I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Fade 7” edit) Hot Thing (7” single edit) Hot Thing (Extended Remix) Hot Thing (Dub Version)
SIGN O' THE TIMES LIMITED EDITION 7" VINYL SINGLES BOX SET
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)
