New Power Generation

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New Power Generation (a.k.a Bold Generation)

from the album Graffiti Bridge (as New Power Generation) from the album 1999 Super Deluxe Edition (as Bold Generation) single art for New Power Generation Song details Performer: Prince First Released: 20 August 1990 - Graffiti Bridge album / 29 November 2019 - 1999 Super Deluxe Edition album Album(s): Graffiti Bridge (New Power Generation) 1999 Super Deluxe Edition (Bold Generation) Writer(s): Prince (music, lyrics), T.C. Ellis (rap) Producer(s): Prince Live Appearances First and last live appearance: 3 June 1991: The China Club, Hollywood, CA, USA (based on written setlist) 23 August 1991: Hilton Atlanta & Towers Hotel (Grand Ballroom), Atlanta, GA, USA (based on reports) Performed regularly on tour: none Performed occasionally in shows: 1991 (based on written setlist only)

New Power Generation is the second track on Prince’s twelfth album Graffiti Bridge, and, two months after the album’s release, New Power Generation was released as the album’s second Prince single and fourth single overall (Round And Round by Tevin Campbell and Melody Cool by Mavis Staples had also been released). The track is also featured in the movie Graffiti Bridge. New Power Generation (Pt. II) is the seventeenth and final track on the album, and was featured as the b-side of the New Power Generation single. The maxi-single featured several tracks which could be considered remixes of the track, but are different enough that they are listed here as separate tracks. Only one, T.C.’s Rap, is included here; information about Brother With A Purpose, Get Off, The Lubricated Lady and Loveleft, Loveright can be found on their individual song pages. The song started out as Bold Generation, which was recorded on 12 January 1982 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California, during recording sessions that yielded tracks for The Time’s second album What Time Is It?. Although it’s not clear if the song was initially intended for the group, it features only Prince and Morris Day, like the majority of The Time’s tracks. Bold Generation in its early incarnation was not kept for What Time Is It?, but was released in 2019 as the sixth track on the Vault Tracks part 1 disc of a Super Deluxe Edition edition of the 1999 album. The song was sourced from a cassette to be included on this release as the original master tape was so damaged that it become unusable (a box photographed in his vault at Paisley Park Studios listing Bold Generation and Gigolos Get Lonely Too was made public after Prince’s passing). In December 1989, the song was taken from the vault and reworked as New Power Generation at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota (during the same sessions that produced Round And Round). It was considerably overdubbed but retained the original drum track of Morris Day, buried in the mix. The lyrics and the melody stayed more or less intact. As New Power Generation, the song was included as the second track on a late 1989 configuration of Graffiti Bridge, with a shorter Reprise as the 14th and final track. It was kept as the second track on a 1990 configuration, with Pt. II as the 17th and final track, where they stayed for the final release. Among others it uses a keyboard part that had appeared earlier in Flesh And Blood recorded in the Summer of 1989 at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, for use on the proposed second album by Jill Jones. The track was remixed in September or October 1990 at Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood, California, creating N.P.G. (Funky Weapon Remix) and T.C.’s Rap, during recording sessions for the New Power Generation maxi-single (during the same set of sessions as Tony’s Iggnant Mix, Get Off, The Lubricated Lady, Loveleft, Loveright, a segue later included in the N.P.G. (Funky Weapon Remix), Oobey Doop, Play, Heaven Is Keeping Score, Insatiable, additional recording on My Tree and A Positive Place and a remix for The Latest Fashion). The Segue recorded at the same time (beginning "Are there really angels?") was later incorporated into N.P.G. (Funky Weapon Remix) and Loveleft, Loveright, and is included here as a result. New Power Generation (Pt. II) and T.C.’s Rap include the rap True Confessions, by T.C. Ellis, which was later developed into a full track for inclusion as the title track of his album True Confessions; the rap and the fully developed track have no input by Prince, however. Recording Information Recording Sessions Date Studio Additional info 12 January 1982 Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA Tracking of Bold Generation December 1989 Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA Reworking and overdubs September - October 1990 Larrabee Sound Studios, North Hollywood, CA, USA Remixing and additional recording Recording Personnel Bold Generation Prince - all vocals and instruments, except where noted Morris Day - drums New Power Generation Prince - all vocals and instruments, except where noted Rosie Gaines - background vocals (credited for "vocal icing") Morris Day - drums Levi Seacer, Jr. - distortion samples New Power Generation - background chant (personnel unclear) New Power Generation Pt. II Prince - all vocals and instruments, except where noted Morris Day - drums Tevin Campbell - background vocals Mavis Staples - vocals Robin Power - background vocals T.C. Ellis - rap Elisa Fiorillo - vocals (uncredited, sampled loop from Oobey Doop) Versions Released Versions Title Length Released Version Additional info New Power Generation 3:39 Graffiti Bridge New Power Generation single Studio New Power Generation (Pt. II) 2:57 Graffiti Bridge New Power Generation single Controversy single (1993 reissue) Studio N.P.G. (Funky Weapon Remix) 5:01 New Power Generation single Remix Remix containing pieces from original and Pt. II N.P.G. (Funky Weapon Remix) 5:06 New Power Generation promo Remix Remix containing pieces from original and Pt. II, omits 'angels' intro, but has full ending T.C.’s Rap (featuring T.C. Ellis) 3:11 New Power Generation single Remix Remix focused on rap from Pt. II with additional vocals by Prince Bold Generation 5:54 1999 Super Deluxe Edition Studio Video Versions Title Length Released Version Additional info New Power Generation ?:?? Graffiti Bridge film Studio Released on VHS and DVD New Power Generation (Pt. II) ?:?? Graffiti Bridge film Studio Released on VHS and DVD New Power Generation 3:00 Graffiti Bridge (2004 DVD release) Promo video See New Power Generation for details N.P.G. (Funky Weapon Remix) 4:00 Promotional release only Promo video See N.P.G. (Funky Weapon Remix) for details Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in... Title Length Released Version Additional info Soul Psychodelicide Studio Unreleased 1989 track Brother With A Purpose (featuring Tony Mosley) 4:18 New Power Generation single Studio See Brother With A Purpose for more details Get Off 4:41 New Power Generation single Studio See Get Off for more details Loveleft, Loveright 5:00 New Power Generation single Studio See Get Off for more details The Lubricated Lady 2:39 New Power Generation single Studio See The Lubricated Lady for more details Heaven Is Keeping Score Studio Unreleased 1990 track; See Heaven Is Keeping Score for more details My Tree Studio Unreleased 1990 track; See My Tree for more details Oobey Doop Studio Unreleased 1990 track; See Oobey Doop for more details Daddy Pop Studio 'lay down your funky weapons' sample in unreleased mid 1990 version Unreleased Versions Title Version Additional Info New Power Generation Studio 1989 recording without backing vocals New Power Generation (Reprise) Studio Pt. II 1989 recording without T.C. Ellis rap and backing vocals New Power Generation (Pt. I & II) Studio Full version incorporating guitar solo from Prince joining two parts (title unconfirmed) Segue Segue "Are there really angels?" segue, later incorporated into N.P.G. (Funky Weapon Remix) and Loveleft, Loveright

Additional Information See also Trivia Graffiti Bridge album Graffiti Bridge movie New Power Generation single New Power Generation video Jill Jones unreleased 1990 album 1999 Super Deluxe Edition album The Beautiful Ones (2019) The name "New Power Generation" has been re-used by Prince for many products over the years, most notably his band, the New Power Generation, his record company NPG Records and his retails stores, branded as The New Power Generation Store. In a notebook where Prince wrote his (undated) synopsis for what would become the movie Purple Rain and included in The Beautiful Ones book (released posthumously in 2019), Bold Generation is listed as one of the songs to be included in the film (along with Baby I’m A Star, I Would Die 4 U, Moonbeam Levels, I Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got, Too Tough, Wouldn’t U Love To Love Me and I Just Wanna Be Rich). References The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004) The Beautiful Ones (2019)

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