The Prince estate has produced a new video for ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ featuring previously unreleased footage from 1984.
The video sourced rehearsal footage with Prince’s band The Revolution from the summer of 1984. The video was shot inside Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse six years before Sinead O’Connor covered the song and made it a hit.
‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ was recorded by Prince’s engineer Susan Rogers. The backing vocals were from Susannah Melvoin and Paul ‘St Paul’ Peterson. Sax on the track is by Eric Leeds.
Long-time industry A&R executive, Prince expert and the Prince Estate’s official Vault Archivist Michael Howe, remembers: “I spotted the 2″ multitrack reel in the Vault some weeks back while doing a 1984-era inventory. After retrieving my jaw from the floor, we took the reel upstairs, analysed it, put it up on the Studer 24 track machine, and digitized it to 24/192. Even our ‘faders up’ rough mix was compelling enough to indicate that this was something very special indeed.”
Howe continued, “No Prince-penned song performed by another artist has enjoyed more chart success (#1 in 20+ countries) and overall cultural impact than Sinead O’Connor’s 1990 recording, so hearing the song in its original context performed in its entirety by the author makes it particularly noteworthy.”
The Prince Estate has also launched a new site for fans to showcase what Prince means to them. Prince2Me is an interactive fan experience that explores what Prince means, individually and collectively to his fans. The Prince Estate has also announced that this will be the first of many online experiences to come; each will shine a new light on his artistry. When fans visit the Prince2Me site they will be able to craft their own message using Prince vocabulary, an array of images and videos provided by the Estate. Once a fan creates their desired message they can share their post across social media and spark the conversation of who Prince is to them. Fans that use Twitter to share their Prince2Me messages using #Prince2Me or #NothingCompares2U will be able to activate an exclusive Prince Love Symbol Twitter emoji:
In addition to the Prince2Me site, the Estate has launched an immersive annotated discography website highlighting the incomparable breadth and depth of Prince’s recorded catalogue. Featuringaudio previews, photos, videos, quotes and editorial commentary, the discography site provides a rich platform for fans old and new to immerse themselves in the creative genius of Prince.
Limited Edition 7” picture disc and black vinyl tracklisting and credits:
A. NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (EDIT VERSION)
B. NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (FULL LENGTH VERSION)
Recorded in July 1984 at Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN
Mixed by Tony Maserati at Mirrorball Studios, North Hollywood, CA
Assistant mix Engineer: Tyler Scott
Written, Arranged, Performed and Produced by Prince
Saxophone by Eric Leeds
Backing Vocals by Susannah Melvoin and Paul Peterson
Engineered by Susan Rogers
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