Thunder

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Thunder

from the album Diamonds And Pearls single art for Thunder Song details Performer: Prince and the New Power Generation First Released: 1 October 1991 - Diamonds And Pearls album Album(s): Diamonds And Pearls Writer(s): Prince Producer(s): Prince Live Appearances First and last live appearance: 11 January 1992, Glam Slam, Minneapolis, Minnesota 7 September 1993: Wembley Arena, London, England (pre-recorded as part of medley) Performed regularly on tour: Diamonds And Pearls Tour Act II (pre-recorded as part of medley) Performed occasionally in shows: 1992

Thunder is the first track on Prince’s 13th album Diamonds And Pearls, the first album to be credited to Prince and the New Power Generation. Eight months after the album’s release, Thunder was released as a 12" single in the UK, as the album’s sixth and final single. A tape photographed in Prince’s vault at Paisley Park Studios lists it as 24 January 1991, suggesting the exact date for the recording at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. This can not be correct, however, as Prince and the New Power Generation performed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Rock In Rio II festival that same day. It is likely the track was recorded in late January after their return (possibly even on January 25) and simply mislabeled. Alternatively, it could have been recorded prior to the South America trip, and only filed on January 24. It was included as the first track on 1 March 1991, and 8 May 1991, configurations of Diamonds And Pearls, where it remained for release. Additional recording took place on 5 October 1991 (four days after the release of Diamonds And Pearls and the recording of Do U Wanna Rock?, Sweet Baby and Allegiance), to turn the song into a suite suitable for ballet; this version, known as The Thunder Ballet was given to the Joffrey Ballet company for use in their Billboards production (which exclusively used Prince music), released on home video in 1994. Recording Information Recording Sessions Date Studio Additional info Mid to Late January 1991 (see notes above - likely 25 January 1991) Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA Tracking 5 October 1991 Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA Additional recording Recording Personnel Prince - all vocals and instruments Versions Released Versions Title Length Released Version Additional info Thunder 5:45 Diamonds And Pearls Thunder single Studio Thunder (DJ Fade) 3:20 Thunder promo Edit X-cerpts From The Songs: Thunder, Daddy Pop, Strollin’, Jughead, Money Don’t Matter 2 Night, Push, Live 4 Love 5:04 Diamonds And Pearls single Edits Edits of each song; Thunder edit is 0:15 Video Versions Title Length Released Version Additional info Thunder 1:32 Diamonds And Pearls Video Collection VHS/DVD Live April / May 1992 (exact date unknown), Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia. See Diamonds And Pearls Video Collection video for more details The Thunder Ballet 10:50 Billboards VHS/laserdisc Ballet video Broadcasts/streaming (only) Title Length Released Version Additional info The Thunder Ballet ?? Act I TV-special Studio Excerpts used as background music The Thunder Ballet 10:50 NPG Music Club Reflection Room stream Studio Taken directly from the Billboards video, including audience clapping and other noise

Additional Information See also Trivia Diamonds And Pearls album Thunder single Strangely, for the opening track of the first album to be credited to Prince and the New Power Generation, Thunder was a solo recording by Prince, and is credited as such on the album (the Thunder single as a whole is credited to Prince and the New Power Generation, however). A 3-minute video for the song with footage from the Insatiable video has been aired on some music channels, but it likely wasn’t provided by Prince or Paisley Park Records. References The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004)

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