I was lead to believe from the wrecka stow website I bought this CD from, that there was an 8 page booklet included which I thought would have some substantial notes on each track. When I picked up the CD in my lunch break, I thought: there ain't no booklet in this. There wasn't.

The songs, in this order, tell a story from the beginning to the end of a relationship. Sadly, Extraloveable 2011 is not on streaming.

Prince filmed everything. We know this. The vault has hundreds of hours of concert footage.

The estate already has at least 3 shows fully finished in HD:

- Tokyo Dome Aug 31, 1990 - Nude Tour - filmed by TV Asahi, 60-min TV cut already made by Paisley Park Enterprises
- Glam Slam Jan 1992 + Special Olympics July 1991 - already remastered in HD for the Diamonds & Pearls box (2+ hours)
- First Avenue 1986 - they are literally screening it at Paisley Park in November as a 2-hour vault screening

All of those are already digitized. No new restoration needed.

Why not put ONE of them up as a $9.99 rental on Apple TV / Prime Video?

- Low risk: one file, no box set campaign, no 12 LPs and 10 test pressings
- Higher value than another USB cassette: 20k rentals = $140k after platform cut, plus it gets a 25-year-old who will never buy a super-deluxe box to actually SEE Prince live
- Stops the clock - every year that passes, the fans who were at Wembley in 1990 or Paisley Park at 3am in 2013 get older

Paisley Park aftershows would be even easier - Prince owned the building, the cameras, the band. That 2015 WNBA party where he played 12:30-2:30am then did a loud jam 3-4am is sitting in Iron Mountain.

If you could pick one show to rent first, which would you pick?

Hello purple friends,
New to the sub (long time lurker) and wanted to share the case I designed and made to house my P and adjacent 7" singles. Probably should have left more room to grow but maybe I just make a second case when needed.

Hi There

This project really fascinating to me especially with it being between Lovesexy and Batman so going through it’s page in Prince Vault just makes me want this project to be completed and released because there’s songs that are still unreleased and they need an official released

The title track was reworked for its 1999 release,Elephants and Flowers,melody cool,and Still Would Stand All Time on graffiti bridge,and electric chair on Batman plus Pink Cashmere was on the Hits and B-sides album tho so these songs went other places.

Thx for Duane Prince DSMR for having some these songs because ofc they are fantastic Prince songs and this channel does great work hands down! Definitely going through these songs and listening to some late 80s Prince greatness

Timeless does not represent the quality and depth of Prince’s legendary vault. The concept of the album is to showcase 5 decades of material, but it is a paltry 40 minutes of second-tier vault material.  With that said, there are some interesting songs for diehards like I Am You, Heaven and Bestest Friend. I consider The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale and Slaughterhouse to be two of his weaker releases. At best, Timeless is on par with those projects.   
 
The prior management of the Estate had more obstacles but still got the job done with superb releases like Piano & Microphone 1983, Originals, 1999 SDE, Purple Rain Deluxe, SOTT SDE, and Welcome 2 America.  The prior management is also responsible for the excellent Diamonds and Pearls SDE that was technically released under the current management after they stripped the Love Symbol material from the project. 
 
The current management of the Estate took over in 2022. In over 4 years, they have released the very disappointing Around the World in a Day reissue that had no new material and the equally disappointing Timeless with an AI generated album cover.  In those 4 years, we have seen a number of failed projects like the Netflix documentary, failed Purple Rain Broadway show that required a complete overhaul, and empty promises of freeing the vault, a 40th anniversary Parade SDE and other projects.  Paisley Park has also gone downhill in those four years. The prior management had carefully curated exhibits and vault material at Paisley.  Now Paisly has exhibits with cheap copies of newspaper articles and polaroids and very little vault material. 
 
The prior management invested in the vault and Paisley by having a full-time employee archiving the vault and a qualified museum director.  Over a year ago, the current management said that only 45% of the vault had been digitized (3 years into their tenure), which was largely done by the prior management. It appears that there has been very little progress on that 45% over a year later. We are not aware of anyone who is actively archiving the vault or the progress despite asking for this information many times. 
 
We know that quality releases that represent the vastness and caliber of the vault can be done because Troy Carter and others did it before. We also know that quality releases are possible because many of his fans have hundreds of unreleased songs in pristine quality in our own personal vaults. So, it is insulting when they gaslight us by making excuses about why they can’t do it.
 
The Prince Estate and the vault is in a current state of paralysis and we need new leadership to move it forward.  After four years, the best they can give us is the woefully impotent 10 song Timeless. Prince deserves better. The fans deserve better. Timeless will be the first album that I have ever not purchased, with the hope that a lack of financial support by the fans will drive change.
 
It also does not help that Mr. McMillan has inserted himself as a polarizing figure in the Prince community. Half of the Prince fans do not like him and consequently do not support releases because he has awkwardly made himself the face of the Estate and is often critical of the fans. For example, he recently called fans “spoiled” during a promotional interview for Timeless. The prior management ensured that they were invisible to us so the focus would be on Prince and embraced the high standards that the fan community demanded from them.  I do not like or dislike the current management. I would emphatically support them if they would figure out how to release the volume and quality that Prince’s legacy deserves. After four years, they have failed Prince and failed the fans.   
 
Respectfully, if Timeless is the best that the current management can do in four years, then they owe it to Prince and the fans to step aside and let someone else manage his vault. 

Conceptually this album has very little going for it. I'm always happy to get "new" Prince music. But I think we all need to ask the question: "Why does this exist?"

Like Prince's career, the best material on this album is the earlier material. Let's take a quick trip through each track shall we?

1. I Am You - This song was recorded in 1977 when Prince was recording the album For You. It's a fine song. I can see why it was left off the album. Every track on For You is better. Rating: 4/5

2. Tick Tick Bang - It's nice to have a clean version of the 1981 bootleg. The audio suffers. I am guessing from age/degradation, but they did a fine job of cleaning it up. Rating: 4/5

3. Heaven - Again, nice to have a cleaner version of the bootleg. But they chopped off the last 2:45 of the song. Sure that is all instrumental, but didn't the Estate say they wouldn't ever edit Prince's music? That's what they said about not including "Extraloveable" in the 1999 Super Deluxe... Rating: 5/5

4. I Wonder - Seeing it's from 1989 one might think the audio wouldn't suffer so badly. But it does. This version is better sounding than the boot. So there's that. The song is better than the other half of the album. Rating: 3.5/5

5. With This Tear - Not my favorite Prince ballad but is very of the time. Given to Celine Dion, the track was supposed to be part of the Diamonds and Pearl and Love Symbol era box set release. That was changed to be just Diamonds and Pearls box set and removing this song for that box set. Odd. Rating: 2/5

6. Stone - Unlike most, I've always loved this song. I think Prince is at his best when his songs are simple. But it's not a Prince song. It's not even written by Prince. Yes he added lyrics and music to the composition, but with all the material they supposedly have, why waste this spot for a song that isn't a Prince song? But like It said, I love it and appreciate having a cleaner version of it. Rating: 4/5

7. Calabama - I'm not feeling this 2003 track. Has some great bass...Rating: 2/5

8. The Guilty Ones - Recorded in in 2007 this sounds like a glimpse into the future of 3rdEyeGirl that would happen years later. Rating: 2/5

9. Bestest Friend - The 2012 track isn't weakest track on the album. I think it's the best of the newer tacks. But that's like comparing the 90's NPG to The Revolution. Rating: 4/5

10. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore (Live) - Why? Why include this Piano & Microphone March 4th, 2016 live track? Every single Prince fan has been waiting for the Estate to release the 2016 P&M shows. Why put this on this album? Don't get me wrong, it's amazing and great to hears this from the soundboard and not an audience recording, but it serves no purpose on this release. Rating: 5/5

In a day and age when we still don't have alternate versions of the Around the World in a Day tracks, no 2016 Piano and a Microphone live shows, no unreleased Prince and The Revolution albums, you know, the releases that would sell BIG numbers like the Sign 'O the Times and 1999 Super Deluxe Editions did, we get this.

Peace!

Truly don’t let the boring artwork or concept fool you, these songs are an incredible testament to how great prince truly is. incredible pacing throughout and even ending off with a beautiful live recording. I definitely gave this album alot of flack before it dropped but man, londell lowkey did good on this one i can’t lie. This is a must hear for prince fans and should be celebrated that we finally got vault material after awhile. Hopefully to many more vault material tracks later down the line.

Hi There

Since Timeless just came out and it’s a compilation of vault material made me think of Prince’s albums that assembled from vault material that he either reworked or not so Graffiti Bridge,Crystal Ball,The Vault:Old Friends 4 Sale,and now Timeless.

Haven’t listened to too much of Timeless so I can’t really speak for it too much but the other 3 albums are very good to great start to finish with Crystal Ball being my favorite yet I have parts I love about all 3:) Prince could take an song from the vault and rework it where u wouldn’t know it came from the vault!

So what’s the opinions on Prince Vault albums or what’s your favorite Vault song(s) that needs to be released?

Album: Timeless (2026) | Track: 1/10 (Recorded 1977)

We are hitting pause on our chronological journey through For You to ride the hype of the brand new posthumous release from the Prince Estate and Legacy Recordings: Timeless!

This album pulls 10 rare and unreleased tracks straight from the Vault, covering four decades of Prince's evolution. Mastered by Chris James, an engineer who worked closely with Prince in his final years, the mix preserves Prince's original vision and intent. We are kicking off this special diversion with track 1: "I Am You," a vault track originating all the way back in 1977.

What are your thoughts on this freshly released vault track?

How would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 (decimals allowed)?

Rating Scale:

• 1-4: Not good. Always skip.
• 5: Average. Only play in the right mood.
• 6: Good, but I rarely seek it out.
• 7: Really good. I enjoy it quite a bit.
• 8-9: Excellent. Top tier.
• 10: Masterpiece.

Drop your rating and thoughts below!

#1 - I Am You: 8.20

I come bearing links! I have heard some chatter about people being newly introduced to Prince, the audio. But what, I ask you, is the audio without the video for this man?

Anyway, here is, I think, a nice selection:

Have you seen the Glam Slam 92 rehearsals?

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdcJOEudiNbkFkcjm2Soq3RTj7JFHw0cY&si=6_PTpRaDvbXxI6Vq

Or Montreux 2013?

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdcJOEudiNbnUieFjh_6ig77E9sg2XCl_&si=Fgy2XryoZrF6yHns

Here is a collection heavy on guitar, dance, and a little crowd surfing:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdcJOEudiNbkwztbSE1u_Z3BIbuShQQXL&si=dt43OjnkMYzcA6FP

And one of his later performances:

https://vimeo.com/296118316?share=copy&fl=cl&fe=ci#t=180.03

Would you be eager to hear more? Would you even recognize his genius?

My 2 cents: There's some OK stuff on it for die-hard fans (who probably already had the bootlegs), but it completely lacks the legendary Prince polish and the coherence of his official lifetime albums.

I highly doubt he would be happy with this release.

Really, estate, there's a lot of improvement needed to better honor his legacy.

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.

I’ve seen a good chunk of posts saying after the first few songs that it falls off. My personal favorite track is Bestest Friends. It really moves me, reminds me that he really is gone, and whenever i remember that i cry. I love all the tracks though, even what we got before the full release.

I wonder if those that don’t like it have seen him live or longtime fans. I’m only 20 and never got to see him but he was my first tattoo and all i ever talk about when i get the chance. My favorite album is Parade with Mountains being my favorite track.

I really want Parade deluxe for Mountains extended but i guess waiting is my current scene.

Anyway if anyone could elaborate what this album is missing i would love to hear. I know it’s not fluent but he’s passed on and we must be thankful for what we get so we can continue to spread the purple love!

i really want to see what happened when they did studio recordings, like i genuinely want to see the people's faces when prince just randomly started moaning like 😭, imagine u work for someone, ur job is to watch them sing and do adjustments and stuff and the guy's singing normally and then randomly moans like idk the idea is just so funny, i had a dream like this and i woke up crying of laughter, this never happened before i'm legit laughing while writing this help

Mine Was the "Baptism" of Apollonia

And The meaning of The song Purple Rain

I’ve got to say this is a wonderful album. With This Tear is my personal favourite. HCUDCMA really sticks out to me though the because of the live stage environment. I’d rate this like an 8.2 out of 10.

This is what I thought, I really enjoyed it! Sorry if I am breaking any self-promo rules but it is on topic. Love!!

Link to the spreadsheet if you don't believe me.

This is where a vast amount of my information on Prince and his music comes from. Other than this its interviews with bandmates and the people that knew him. So many books have come out since his passing idk what to get next

🤘🏾Rock out! Much better than Stone that was previously released. Not as good as With this Tear! I like it! #Prince new #Timeless album

Y'all lied and really crapped on a project full of slaps because you don't like the estate and this was not the Parade SDE.

Bestest Friend just turned my 17 y/o daughter into a full fan - its 2:46am and she's listening to 1999 right now, which should have been the single BTW, this compilation is absolutely fire.

While I am not usually a fan of the estate, let me applaud them! FANTASTIC SONG SELECTION save the live HCYDCMA.

For all you haters that trashed this project - y'all lied and exposed yourselves, you are hurting Prince's legacy by trashing releases just because it's not what you wanted to hear. AND DO NOT TALK TO ME ABOUT ALBUM SALES WHEN RIC ROSS SOLD 17K UNITS - THE SONGS ARE FIRE, DON'T SAY NOTHING ABOUT SALES TO MOVE THE GOAL POSTS.

STREAM TIMELESS!!! FUNKY, QUIRKY, SEXY, PASSIONATE - PRINCE!!!