Difference between revisions of "Album: The Vault - Volumes I, II and III"

The albums, to be credited to Prince, were to serve as the fulfillment of his contract, which intended to follow by releasing Emancipation. They are believed to be three separate single-disc albums, but as they were only mentioned once on a press release, with no distinction between the three volumes, they are listed here together.

As both Chaos And Disorder and The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale were submitted to Warner Bros. in April 1996, the common assumption has been that these albums made up two of the volumes of The Vault - Volumes I, II and III.

Seven tracks included on the two releases (Dinner With Delores, I Rock, Therefore I Am, Into The Light, I Will, Dig U Better Dead, Had U and Sarah) were recorded between February and April 1996, however, after the press release announcing The Vault - Volumes I, II and III, indicating that some changes took place before the formation of Chaos And Disorder and The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale.

Tracks believed to have been included on The Vault - Volumes I, II and III include Chaos And Disorder, I Like It There, The Same December, Right The Wrong, Zannalee, The Rest Of My Life, It's About That Walk, She Spoke 2 Me, 5 Women, When The Lights Go Down, My Little Pill, There Is Lonely, Old Friends 4 Sale and Extraordinary.

It is likely that several more tracks were included, but no details are known. It is possible, however, that the project was announced in the press release without any corresponding albums completed (indicated by the generic title The Vault - Volumes I, II and III), and that the project was never completed before work on Chaos And Disorder and The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale took over.

The specific sequence of tracks is unknown (see notes above for possible tracks)

All songs written by Prince/ except where noted.

• Prince/ - all vocals and instruments, except where noted
• Michael B. - drums (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Sonny T. - bass guitar (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Levi Seacer, Jr. - guitar (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Mr. Hayes - keyboards (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Tommy Barbarella - keyboards (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Rosie Gaines - keyboards (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Michael B. Nelson - trombone (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Kathy Jensen - baritone saxophone (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Dave Jensen - trumpet (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Brian Gallagher - tenor saxophone (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Steve Strand - trumpet (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Sheila E. - percussion (unknown tracks, assumed)
• Clare Fischer - orchestration (unknown tracks, assumed)

• See individual songs for production information.

• The press release mentioning The Vault - Volumes I, II and III, issued on 22 December 1995:
  

" has officially given notice to Warner Bros. Records (WBR) of his desire to terminate his recording agreement with the company. Over the course of their nearly two decade long relationship, The Artist and WBR have developed irreconcilable differences. Most recently, the unstable and ever changing management structure within WBR has made it impossible for the company to effectively market and promote its flagship artists, including . The Artist is prepared to deliver the three (3) remaining albums under his former name Prince which will fulfill his contractual to WBR. Currently, the albums are titled: Prince: The Vault – Volumes I, II and III. will release a new recording entitled Emancipation once he is free from all ties with Time Warner."

• further elaborated on this press release on TheDawn.com when it opened in February 1996:
  

"The press release wasn't very detailed, but it outlined my feelings as the Holiday week approached. While it was a message to everyone, it was more for the ears of the entertainment industry, and specifically it was geared towards the music industry and its musicians – both young and old, green and seasoned, struggling and successful. These words from Paisley Park are from me. My ultimate message is a cry for solidarity amongst artists and a reprieve from the greed of entertainment executives.

My message stems from a lifetime of development as an artist and as a businessman, and my increasing awareness of a greedy structure within the music industry that unjustly rewards large, slow corporate management teams, while overlooking and not protecting its bread and butter – the artists.

As difficult as it is to admit now, when I began my career with Warner in 1978, I had a lot to learn. The transition into the artist I am now hasn't been a smooth one. I don't want other young artists to be mislead in the same way. I'm expressing my feelings so that others will learn from my mistakes. I also want all established artists to understand the issues and know that there should be a better way and to join with me to create that new path.

At 37 years old, I have been a recording artist for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros._Records

• The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince by Per Nilsen & jooZt Mattheij, with the UPTOWN Staff (Uptown, 2004)
• http://new.prince.org/msg/3/351553?&pg=3