Crystal Ball (box set)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2021) |
| Crystal Ball | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Box set by | ||||
| Released | January 29, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1983–1996 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 149:10 | |||
| Label | NPG | |||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The A.V. Club | favorable[2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
| Rolling Stone |  [4] |
| Yahoo! Music | (favorable)[5] |
Crystal Ball is a box set by American recording artist Prince. It includes Crystal Ball, the artist's twentieth studio album, which is a three-disc set of "previously bootlegged" material, together with a fourth disc, The Truth, the twenty-first studio album by Prince.
The box set was initially only available through direct orders by phone and internet. The direct order edition included a fifth disc, an instrumental studio album by The NPG Orchestra titled Kamasutra. Shipment of this limited edition 5-CD version started on January 29, 1998, approximately two months before the release of the 4-CD version to retail stores on March 21, 1998.
The album Crystal Ball is Prince's second triple album in succession, following Emancipation. Each of the three CDs contain ten tracks and last fifty minutes, resembling Emancipation's 12-song, sixty-minute disc lengths.
In 2018, NPG Records released Crystal Ball and The Truth digitally on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, and Apple Music.[6]
In 2021, a special limited vinyl edition of The Truth was released on Record Store Day.[7]
Crystal Ball[]
| Crystal Ball | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | January 29, 1998 |
| Recorded | 1983; 1985–1986; 1992–1996 |
| Genre | |
| Label | NPG |
| Producer | Prince |
Track listing[]
All tracks are written by Prince, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crystal Ball*" (recorded 1986) | 10:28 | |
| 2. | "Dream Factory*" (recorded 1985) | 3:07 | |
| 3. | "Acknowledge Me*" (recorded 1993) | 5:27 | |
| 4. | "Ripopgodazippa" (recorded 1993) | Prince, Sonny T., Michael Bland | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Love Sign (Shock G's Silky Remix)‡" (recorded 1994) | 3:53 | |
| 6. | "Hide the Bone" (recorded 1993) | Prince, Brenda Lee Eager, Hilliard Wilson | 5:04 |
| 7. | "2morrow" (recorded 1996) | 4:14 | |
| 8. | "So Dark‡" (recorded 1994) | 5:14 | |
| 9. | "Movie Star*" (recorded 1986) | 4:26 | |
| 10. | "Tell Me How U Wanna B Done‡" (recorded 1992) | 3:16 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Interactive" (recorded 1993) | 3:04 |
| 2. | "Da Bang" (recorded 1995) | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Calhoun Square*" (recorded 1993) | 4:47 |
| 4. | "What's My Name" (recorded 1993) | 3:04 |
| 5. | "Crucial*" (recorded 1986) | 5:06 |
| 6. | "An Honest Man*" (recorded 1985) | 1:13 |
| 7. | "Sexual Suicide*" (recorded 1985) | 3:40 |
| 8. | "Cloreen Baconskin" (recorded 1983) | 15:37 |
| 9. | "Good Love†" (recorded 1986) | 4:55 |
| 10. | "Strays of the World" (recorded 1993) | 5:07 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Days of Wild (Live)*" (recorded 1995) | 9:19 |
| 2. | "Last Heart*" (recorded 1986) | 3:01 |
| 3. | "Poom Poom" (recorded 1996) | 4:32 |
| 4. | "She Gave Her Angels" (recorded 1996) | 3:53 |
| 5. | "18 & Over*" (recorded 1994) | 5:40 |
| 6. | "The Ride (Live)*" (recorded 1995) | 5:14 |
| 7. | "Get Loose‡" (recorded 1994) | 3:31 |
| 8. | "P Control‡" (recorded 1993) | 6:00 |
| 9. | "Make Your Mama Happy" (recorded 1986) | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Goodbye" (recorded 1991) | 4:35 |
Notes
- * – denotes song edited/revised for this album & can be found in original form on unofficial bootlegs.
- ‡ – denotes remix of already released song.
- † – Found in full form on Bright Lights, Big City soundtrack.
The Truth[]
| This section does not cite any sources. (March 2021) |
| The Truth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | January 29, 1998 |
| Recorded | November 1996 |
| Genre | Acoustic |
| Length | 43:25 |
| Label | NPG |
| Producer | Prince |
| Singles from The Truth | |
| |
The Truth is the twenty-first studio album by Prince. It was the fourth CD in the Crystal Ball box set. The arrangements are mainly based around the acoustic guitar, augmented with elaborate production effects, multi-layered vocals, and occasional percussion and percussive effects. A CD single was released prior to the album, consisting of the record's first two tracks. In 2018, NPG Records released The Truth digitally on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, and Apple Music.[6] In 2021, a special limited vinyl edition of The Truth was released on Record Store Day.[8]
Track listing[]
- "The Truth" – 3:34
- "Don't Play Me" – 2:48
- "Circle of Amour" – 4:43
- "3rd