Album: I'll Do Anything (1994)

1989: Flash ◄

Unreleased Albums (Prince)

Unreleased Albums (Related Artists)

► 1994: 24

I'll Do Anything

Album details Intended Release Date: 1994 Label(s): Varèse Sarabande (assumed) Studio(s): Studio information needed See also Girl 6 The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale

I'll Do Anything is a planned soundtrack with songs written by Prince for the James L. Brooks movie I'll Do Anything. The album contained eight tracks sung by the actors Nick Nolte , Albert Brooks, Tracey Ullman, Julie Kavner, Whittni Wright who all had a role in the movie and singer Melissa Etheridge. The project began when Prince was approached in 1992 by James L. Brooks to write original songs for his planned movie musical. Carole King and Sinead O'Connor were also asked to contribute. Prince wrote and recorded ten new songs between mid-late March 1992 at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota and mid-April 1992, in Australia while on the Diamonds And Pearls Tour. I'll Do Anything, Make Believe, My Little Pill, Don't Talk 2 Strangers, Poor Little Bastard, The Rest Of My Life, There Is Lonely, Be My Mirror, Wow and I Can't Love U Anymore. Empty Room was pulled from the vault and re-recorded for the soundtrack. Of those eleven songs, eight were considered for the movie by James L. Brooks and re-recorded by actors and unknown musicians for the soundtrack and musical scenes : Wow, Make Believe, My Little Pill, There Is Lonely, Be My Mirror, I Can't Love U Anymore, Don't Talk 2 Strangers, I'll Do Anything. Wow was re-recorded by the ensemble cast for the movie, basically as a solo vocal performance by Tracey Ullman (who also sings lead on Don't Talk 2 Strangers) and was weaved into the movie at six different points during a rough cut of the movie. Make Believe was re-recorded both by actor Nick Nolte and by the ensemble cast for the movie, and was weaved into the movie at three different points during a rough cut of the movie. Nick Nolte also re-recorded Be My Mirror as a duet with Whittni Wright who played the role of his young daughter in the film. My Little Pill was sung by Julie Kavner as was an early version of I Can't Love U Anymore. After a first test screening and negative reactions to her vocals, a second version of I Can't Love U Anymore was made with Melissa Etheridge. There Is Lonely and I'll Do Anything were sung by Albert Brooks. Prince was not involved in those re-recording sessions which also included a medley and a track called DNG Groove (containing no input by him) which was placed as an intro for I Can't Love U Anymore. Two other songs which featured no input by Prince (« This Lonely Life » by Sinead O'Connor and « You Are The Best » by Carole King) also appeared in the first cuts of the movie but were not planned for the soundtrack album. After different test-screenings, and overwhelmingly negative reactions to the music, all production numbers from the film were cut, and the album was abandoned. James L. Brooks shot new scenes and I'll Do Anything was released in 1994 as a satirical comedy-drama film and not a musical. Despite the new editing, the film was a commercial and critical failure. None of the songs Prince wrote for the movie were used in the film or the released original motion picture score released which is made of four instrumentals composed by Hans Zimmer and a track («You Are The Best») written by Carole King and sung by Whittni Wright. None of the re-recorded Prince tracks by I'll Do Anything the cast saw the light of the day. Prince will later release his own versions of some of the songs planned for this project however: Don't Talk 2 Strangers would be used for another soundtrack, Girl 6 in 1996. Another version, sung by Chaka Khan would be included on her Come 2 My House album, produced by Prince and released by NPG Records. My Little Pill and There Is Lonely would be included in The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale, as was The Rest Of My Life. In 1995, Prince made a video for Empty Room using the original 1985 version of the song. A live version recorded during a soundcheck in 2002 was released as a download by the NPG Music Club and later included on the C-Note album. A rehearsal take with 3rdEyeGirl was streamed on 3rdEyeGirl YouTube in 2014. The 1992 version of Empty Room, Be My Mirror, Wow, I Can't Love U Anymore, I'll Do Anything, Make Believe, and Poor Little Bastard remain unreleased. Track listing CD Wow Make Believe My Little Pill There Is Lonely Be My Mirror DNG Groove1 I Can't Love U Anymore Don't Talk 2 Strangers I'll Do Anything All songs written by Prince except where noted. 1DNG Groove (author unknown) Personnel Musicians Tracey Ullman - lead vocals on Wow and Don't Talk 2 Strangers Nick Nolte - lead vocals on Make Believe and co-lead vocals on Be My Mirror Julie Kavner - lead vocals on My Little Pill Albert Brooks - lead vocals on There Is Lonely and I'll Do Anything Whittni Wright – co-lead vocals on Be My Mirror Melissa Etheridge - lead vocals on I Can't Love U Anymore Other recording personnel not known. Production production details unknown

Additional Information Trivia References *The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004) PRINCELY BOOTLEG : Some People'll Do Anything to Hear These Songs by Chris Willman (LA Times: 20 February 1994) Cinema obscura: James L. Brooks' "I'll Do Anything" (1994) - The Unseen Musical Version by Joe Baltake, (thepassionatemoviegoer.blogspot: 6 March 2016)

1989 Flash

Unreleased Albums (Prince)

Unreleased Albums (Related Artists)

1994 24