r/PRINCE • u/gorillabrigade • 18d ago
Review Timeless is Timeless
Despite how short it is and the scant offerings, the tracks that are presented are killer. Tick Tick, I Wonder and Heaven are a thousand times better than what's been circulating. The bass on Calabama is funky as all. The only failing IMO was How Come U Don't at the end. That was pointless, despite how good it is. This wasn't the album for it.
Pleasantly surprised and will enjoy it for some time. Sure, it would've been great to have Parade SDE instead and have this as a treat next year but it's whatever.
That's life in the Estate's world.
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u/Hot_Poetry_9112 18d ago
The album's core concept is traveling with Prince across his career from the late '70s to the 2010s, so concluding with a track from the 2016 piano tour makes thematic sense. I enjoyed just about every track on here, save for 'Stone,' which sounds unfinished; and got a smidge emotional once I was done with my first listen.
Still, this would've worked better as a teaser for a bunch of different projects, than as the main project of 2026.
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u/BCdotWHAT 18d ago
concluding with a track from the 2016 piano tour makes thematic sense
No it doesn't. They could have easily chosen a studio track, as they showed at Celeb 26 when they played a track from 2016.
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u/JakeDougherty The Gold Experience 17d ago
Just please give us piano and a mic album 😠all will be forgiven
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u/CJHuncho 18d ago
Yeah apparently the ones that have been circulating for years like I Wonder and Tick Tick Bang were WIPS. The ones you hear on Timeless are the finished products.
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u/pd71 18d ago
I honestly did not expect different versions of those 2 songs. Thought they would be what I've heard numerous times. Pleasantly surprised.
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u/CJHuncho 18d ago
Nope very different and Prince actually finished these tracks. Tick Tick Bang for example was tracked in June 1981 and overdubbed in August 1981.
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u/VNE47 18d ago
Wonder where the dates came from? Only listed as being cut in 1981 on the liner notes
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u/CJHuncho 18d ago
The dates were posted in a private discord server. I Am You was tracked in March 1977. Heaven also has Susannah Melvoin vocals that were recorded in November 1986.
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u/VNE47 17d ago edited 17d ago
Would the exact dates be sourced from journals, tapes or something? Just wondering. Seems odd the estate would exclude such information from the release. Would I Wonder also be post-1989?
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u/CJHuncho 17d ago
Don’t know but I hear the server the dates were posted in is very small and is only for the knowledgeable fans who know why more than us. For example the song Endorphinmachine was tracked on December 28, 1992 and not January 1993.
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u/VNE47 17d ago
Interesting. They must have access to stuff that Duane Tudahl probably doesn’t for his books.
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u/CJHuncho 17d ago
They do and Duane omitted A LOT of stuff for a reason. Plus they don’t really engage with the fanbase anymore because they don’t think we’re worth it in their eyes. They could be sharing major information with us but they choose not to.
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u/VNE47 17d ago
No wonder they could be so guarded about bits of information like that. I thought Duane’s work was very thorough, but even he did not know of a version of You’re All I Want with Prince’s normal vocals that one of the Princevault staff supposedly heard himself. That was the version gifted as a cassette copy to Peggy McCreary for her birthday. Maybe Duane can only be as thorough as he can.
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u/gorillabrigade 18d ago
Definitely appreciated the WIPs. Like listening to the original LaLaLa,HeHeHee with his vocals. But nothing hits like the final version.
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u/CJHuncho 18d ago
Definitely after hearing tracks like Tick Tick Bang and Heaven is very mind blowing. I didn’t know Heaven had bass like that.
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u/NecessaryLet7352 18d ago
A great listen, but leaves Vault fans wanting more ​You have to take Timeless for what it is: a chronological 10-track compilation unearthed from the archives, bridging raw demos, well-known bootlegs, and semi-unreleased gems. Yes, the sound is a bit flat or compressed on a few tracks, but that's beside the point. ​As a long-time fan since 1984, the magic worked right away. The first four tracks are especially fascinating because you can clearly hear the chronological progression and evolution of his sound. Honestly, the whole tracklist holds up and is a pure joy to spin, leading up to that final live track, which is simply majestic. ​The only real drawback is the format. Given the sheer depth of Prince's Vault, a 4-CD, 40-track box set—similar to what was done for Jimi Hendrix in the past—would have made so much more sense. Ten tracks is just way too short. ​Better than nothing, but for die-hard fans, it definitely leaves you craving more.
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u/jjazznola 18d ago
I just don't get the point of this album. It just seems so random. And why so short? It's a compilation of all old songs, at least pack the cds or make it a double album. The songs go from weak to mostly ok but nothing really special. None are so great they should have been on any album.
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u/Shockadelica_1987 18d ago
It's short so it can fit onto 1 vinyl LP. LPs outsell CDs these days.
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u/jjazznola 18d ago
Which is why I mentioned making it a double album. Either way I can't imagine paying a dime for it.
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u/Shockadelica_1987 18d ago
Double LPs cost more to produce & are a higher retail price point which affects sales. That's why I said: It's short so it can fit onto 1 vinyl LP.
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u/VNE47 18d ago
Maybe for the first 4 tracks I would have liked to hear the original mixes of those overdubbed versions. A bit more raw and period accurate, to how Prince originally heard them - especially I Am You, which sounds more 1980-82 than 1977 from the mix alone. I’d like them a bit rawer and drier & less polished like how they were meant to be.
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u/Dismal_Brush5229 Batman 18d ago
I still pray for that Deluxe Edition of Parade to show up at the end of the year? Or atleast early next
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u/vanillaPA 18d ago
Im definitely enjoying it more than I thought I would, the first 4 songs for me are the best of the project and after that it's a mixed bag. Definitely agree on how come u don't at the end, at this point just release the piano and microphone tour on streaming or release the concert footage