Album: Playtime By Versace

1995: “Live” ◄

Unreleased Albums (Prince)

Unreleased Albums (Related Artists)

► 1995: New World

Playtime By Versace

Album details Intended Release Date: 1995 Label(s): NPG Records Studio(s): See also The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) (Promotional album) P. Control (Promotional single)

Playtime By Versace is an unreleased project by , worked on in 1995. The album was not widely known about until a dummy of the artwork surfaced in 2017 during an RRauction auction from the collection of Michael Van Huffel, Prince’s art director at the time of production. The auction description states: "This full package mock-up is one of only a few personally designed and hand-made by Michael Van Huffel, a member of the art department at Paisley Park and NPG Records, which were originally created as gifts of art and music for Gianni and Donatella Versace." The artwork text reads "©1995" and the project was supposedly conceived in late spring 1995, hailing from before the The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) cassette, from July 1995. Michael Van Huffel was quoted remembering to have been worked on the artwork in early June, indicating the songs on the album all hail from before June 1995. The project contained 11 songs, including four of the five collaborations between Prince and Sandra St. Victor. Sessions and compiling The album did not have its own recording sessions, but was a compilation of tracks, some of which were still intended for to be determined projects at the time. 18 & Over was recorded in Summer 1994, beginning its life as a remix of Come, including many samples from that track. I Like It There was recorded in late 1994. The original recording of The Good Life was made in December 1994 or January 1995, and was remixed with additional recording in Spring 1995 to create The Good Life (Big City Remix). It is unknown if a complete studio version of Poor Goo was ever recorded, the version included on this album is a live recording from 23 March 1995 (a.m.): The Emporium, London, England. Playtime is believed to have been recorded before mid-1995, although this is unconfirmed. It was re-recorded with Marva King in 1997. Four of the tracks were originally written or co-written by Sandra St. Victor and sent to Prince in Spring 1995, following a loose agreement for the two artists to work together. These four tracks all had alternate names when they were sent to Prince: Soul Sanctuary (co-written by T. Hammer) was originally titled Sanctuary; Stone was originally titled Nothing Left To Give; I’ll Never B Another Fool was originally titled I’ll Never Open My Legs Again; and Van Gogh was originally titled Love Is. Prince added additional lyrics and music in 1995, at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA. Da Bang was recorded in the first half of 1995, at an unknown recording studio in Los Angeles, CA. Dinner With Delores was previously believed to have been recorded in April 1996, but its inclusion on this album — identical to the released version, bare the guitar solo at the end — indicates that it was recorded before June 1995. Track Releases Most of the album’s tracks have been released in one form or another. It is interesting to note, however, that no more than two tracks were ultimately released on the same project. Poor Goo was released in a 1993 rehearsal version on The Undertaker home video in March 1995, with the same version offered as mp3 download in NPG Music Club Edition # 11 in December 2001, but the version included on this album has not been released. The Good Life (Big City Remix) was released on the maxi-single for the New Power Generation’s The Good Life in June 1995. I Like It There and Dinner With Delores were released on Chaos & Disorder in July 1996. Soul Sanctuary was released on Emancipation in November 1996. 18 & Over and Da Bang were released on Crystal Ball in 1998, although the version of 18 & Over here is the extended video version of the track, 40 seconds longer than the Crystal Ball version. I’ll Never B Another Fool was ultimately released (as ’ll Never B Another Fool) with Chaka Khan singing lead vocals, on her Come 2 My House album, in September 1998. Van Gogh was given to the band Van Gogh and released on their fourth album Album: Van Gogh in November 1998. Prince later released his 1995 version of the song as an mp3 download in July 2001, as part of NPG Music Club Edition # 6. The version included on this album is about 50 seconds shorter than the version ultimately released, however. Playtime and Stone remain unreleased in any form. Artwork The artwork by Michael Van Huffel shows the same Richard Avedon picture of Prince in a silver Versace top that was made for a GQ Magazine photoshoot in 1995. The same shot was also used on the P. Control promo cassette, but the version used here placed Prince against a pink/magenta background. The CD label includes the text "Sex Clothes 4 The New Power Generation" written in black on pink/magenta, in circles inside one another five times. That same image is printed on the inside of the inlay, seen behind the transparent tray. The back has a close up of part of the picture and the titles printed next to it in white. Track listing CD Playtime The Good Life (Big City Remix) Soul Sanctuary 18 & Over Stone I Like It There Da Bang I’ll Never B Another Fool Van Gogh Poor Goo Dinner With Delores © 1995 NPG Records Personnel Musicians Prince (as ) - all vocals and instruments (assumed) Other recording personnel information to be added. Production Prince (as ) - producer (assumed) Other production personnel information to be added.

Additional Information Trivia References RRauction

1995 “Live”

Unreleased Albums (Prince)

Unreleased Albums (Related Artists)

1995 New World