Kamasutra is the first and only studio album by The NPG Orchestra, and was released in February 1997 on cassette through direct order from 1-800 New Funk (with the full album repeated on each side). A CD release was included with the direct order edition of Prince’s 20th full-length studio album Crystal Ball, the fourth to be credited to  .
Sessions and compiling
All eleven tracks were written by Prince, and all contain him playing most of the non-orchestral instruments, with Eric Leeds playing saxophone, horns by the NPG Hornz, and orchestra added by Clare Fischer's orchestra. The album is entirely instrumental, with repeated musical themes throughout, and was recorded between Spring 1994 and mid-to-late 1995 by Prince (as ) at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA, and by Clare Fischer’s orchestra at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA, USA.
The album’s title is taken from the Kama Sutra, considered to be the most important work in a long line of Indian erotic literature, written by the Hindu philosopher Vātsyāyana (the Kama Sutra was previously mentioned by Prince in We Can Fuck (later released as We Can Funk).
An early version of the artwork (done in 1996) shows the album (before being included as a bonus disc to Crystal Ball) was originally to be released as a stand-alone album credited to Prince (as ), which would have made that Prince’s 20th album and the the fourth to be credited to instead of Crystal Ball. The original artwork contained paintings by artist Chad Attie in the booklet, which were discarded when the album was released as part of the Crystal Ball set.
Promotion
No singles were released from the album, but The Plan had been released in edited form on Emancipation, with liner notes noting the forthcoming release of Kamasutra. As a direct-order release, the album was not eligible for entry in any charts.
A stage adaptation of the album in the form of a ballet, featuring a troupe of dancers and an orchestra, was conceived as a preview to the album’s release. An initial performance was planned in Puerto Rico in December 1995, followed by a date in New York, NY, USA. The project was later postponed to the summer of 1996 before being cancelled. However, in late 1997, the NPG Dance Company (led by Mayte) performed the entire Kamasutra album during the second act of their three-act Around The World In A Day Tour.
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Personnel
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- Prince (as ) – all instruments, except where noted
- Eric Leeds – tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute on Kamasutra and Kamasutra/Overture #8, baritone saxophone on Promise/Broken
- Michael B. Nelson - trombone on Kamasutra and Kamasutra/Overture #8
- Kathy J. - baritone saxophone on Kamasutra and Kamasutra/Overture #8
- Dave Jensen - trumpet on Kamasutra and Kamasutra/Overture #8
- Brian Gallagher - tenor saxophone on Kamasutra and Kamasutra/Overture #8
- Steve Strand - trumpet on Kamasutra and Kamasutra/Overture #8
- Clare Fischer - orchestral arrangements on Kamasutra, At Last… "The Lost Is Found", The Ever Changing Light, Cutz, Serotonin, Promise/Broken, Barcelona, Kamasutra/Overture #8, Coincidence Or Fate? and Kamasutra/Eternal Embrace
- Unidentified vocalist(s) - background vocals on The Ever Changing Light
- Orchestral players on Kamasutra, At Last… "The Lost Is Found", The Ever Changing Light, Cutz, Serotonin, Promise/Broken, Barcelona, Kamasutra/Overture #8, Coincidence Or Fate? and Kamasutra/Eternal Embrace: Morris Repass, Assa Drori, Isabelle Daskoff, Edward P. Greene, Harry Scorzo, Francine Walsh, Robert Lezin, Norma Leonard, Anita A. Thompson, Pamela Gates, Russel Cantor, Betty Byers, Robert Sushel, Don Palmer, Ross Shub, Pamela Tomkins, Yvette Devereaux, Calabria McChesney, Marshall Daniel Thomason, Marilyn Baker, Harry Shirinian, Hershel Wise, Peter Hatch, Suzanna Giordano, Benjamin Simon, James V. Ross, Gladys Secunda, Frederick Seykora, Raymond Kelley, Marie Fera, Douglas Davis, Judith Johnson, Cecilia Tsan, David Randall Stone, Morton Klanfer, James D. Hughart, Don Shelton, Daniel L. Higgins, Lisa Edelstein, James R. Walker, C. Terry Harrington, Jack Mimitz, Charles Boito, Charles A Coker, Jenice Rosen, Robert D. Carr, Dave Duke, Joseph Meyer, Marilyn L. Johnson, Alexander P. Iles, Leslie K. Benedict, Brent Fischer, Gerald Vinci, Mari Tsumara, Israel Baker, Yoko Matsuda, Murry Adler, Jorge Moraga, Carole Mukogawa, Margot MacLaine, Nancy Roth, Anne Karam, Judith Johnson, Arni Egilson, Richard Mitchell, Jon C. Clark, John F. Reilly, John J. Mitchell, Robert Tricarico, Yvonne Moriarty, Andrew M. Martin, Richard Hamilton, Larry Bunker, Thomas John Ranier, Dennis Budimer, G. Levant (full breakdown of instruments to follow)
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1995: Child Of The Sun ◄
