Album: The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold)

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2019: His Majesty’s Pop Life All Prince Albums All Related Artists Albums 2019: Originals
The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold)


Album details


Released: 8 July 1995 (Promotional cassette given to attendees of the Versace collection of Paris Fashion Week)

13 April 2019 (Special release for Record Store Day)
13 September 2019 (Worldwide commercial release)

Length: 32:50
Label(s): NPG Records / Warner Bros (1995 Promotional release)

NPG Records / The Prince Estate / Legacy Recordings (2019 Reissues)

Studio(s): Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA; Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA, USA

Charts, Certifications & Awards


Charts
iTunes
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
USA: 13 Sept. 2019 5 3 (days)
Canada: 13 Sept. 2019 83 2 (days)
Australia: 13 Sept. 2019 33 2 (days)
UK: 13 Sept. 2019 40 2 (days)
Germany: 13 Sept. 2019 87 2 (days)
France: 13 Sept. 2019 78 3 (days)
Italy: 13 Sept. 2019 89 2 (days)
 
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
USA: Billboard R&B Album Sales 27 Apr. 2019 (Record Store Day release) 1(1) 13
USA: Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Album Sales 27 Apr. 2019 (Record Store Day release) 2 8
USA: Billboard Top Album Sales 27 Apr. 2019 (Record Store Day release) 39 1
USA: Billboard Tastemaker Albums 27 Apr. 2019 (Record Store Day release) 6 4
USA: The Billboard 200 28 Sept. 2019 (General release) 170 1
USA: Billboard Top Current Albums 28 Sept. 2019 (General release) 12 3
USA: Billboard Top Vinyl Albums 28 Sept. 2019 (General release) 6 1
USA: Billboard Top R&B Albums 28 Sept. 2019 (General release) 17 1
USA: Billboard Internet Albums 28 Sept. 2019 (General release) 5 1
USA: Billboard Top Current Albums 28 Sept. 2019 (General release) 12 3
USA: Billboard R&B Album Sales 28 Sept. 2019 (General release) 1(1) R 8
USA: Billboard Top Album Sales 28 Sept. 2019 (General release) 12 1
R indicates re-entry of an album that had already charted.
Certifications
This album has not received any certifications in the USA
Awards
This album has not received any awards in the USA

Singles released


See also


The Gold Experience
(Album)
24
(Unreleased Madhouse album)
The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) is a compilation album of Prince’s studio work, initially given away as a promotional cassette to attendees of the Versace collection of Paris Fashion Week over the course of three consecutive days, beginning 8 July 1995.

It was re-released worldwide (on cassette) in limited quantities (11,000 copies) for the Record Store Day on 13 April 2019, and six months later on all formats and regular commercial release (with reissues of two other albums by , Chaos And Disorder and Emancipation) on 13 September 2019. The 2019 editions became Prince’s ninth compilation album and the sixth posthumous release.


Initial 1995 release

The 1995 cassette was mostly a promotional tool for ’s then upcoming album The Gold Experience, but also contained tracks from other planned projects, the New Power Generation’s second album Exodus (which had already been released in Europe), Madhouse’s third album 24 (which was ultimately left unreleased) and The NPG Orchestra’s Kamasutra (which was released in early 1997).

Unlike other NPG Records sampler cassettes of the era, many tracks were remixed or edited specifically for this release to make listening to the cassette a complete listening experience. In addition, several tracks feature overdubbed vocals by of either "Versace" or "The Versace Experience". As such, many of the tracks are not available in the same form elsewhere.

Also unusually for NPG Records sampler cassettes, The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) was released in conjunction with Warner Bros. This is likely due to the links with The Gold Experience, which was planned for release by NPG Records and Warner Bros. on 12 September 1995, as indicated on the cassette insert, although the release was later postponed to 26 September 1995.

Only 300 copies of the cassette were made. Artwork for a CD-version was also made, but it is unlikely that any promos were actually pressed on CD at that time.


2019 reissues

With only 300 copies pressed and distributed only to attendees of Versace collection of Paris Fashion Week, the 1995 edition of The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) became a collectible item. The Prince Estate made replicas of this cassette available to the public for the 2019 edition of the Record Store Day in the USA, Europe and Japan. A special ‘purple edition' edition, limited to 1,000 copies was offered for sale from Minneapolis music store Electric Fetus on 25 April 2019. Interestingly, the 2019 reissues by NPG Records/The Prince Estate were released in conjunction with Sony’s Legacy Recordings while the original 1995 cassette bears was offered by NPG Records and Warner Bros. The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) is the fifth release by The Prince Estate with Legacy Recordings after the 2018 Anthology: 1995-2010 compilation and the reissues of the Musicology, 3121 and Planet Earth albums earlier in 2019.


Promotion

The first 2019 reissue was a special release for the Record Store Day (on the same day as a reissue of His Majesty’s Pop Life). The general September release was preceded by a “digital single” of Pussy Control (Club Mix Edit) on 23 August 2019 followed by Rootie Kazootie (Edit) on 6 September 2019.

The compilation reached number 2 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and 170 on The Billboard 200.



Track listing
CD Cassette

The compact disc version is a reissue from the promotional cassette.

  1. Pussy Control (Club Mix) (Edit) (3:04) -
  2. Shhh (X-cerpt) (3:55) -
  3. Get Wild In The House (2:15) 1 - The NPG
  4. Hate U (Remix) (3:29) -
  5. 319 (X-cerpt) (1:28) -
  6. Shy (X-cerpt) (2:23) -
  7. Billy Jack Bitch (2:31) -
  8. Sonny T. (X-cerpt) (0:28) 2 - Madhouse
  9. Rootie Kazootie (Edit) (2:38) 2 - Madhouse
  10. Chatounette Controle (2:25) -
  11. Pussy Control (Control Tempo) (Edit) (1:23) -
  12. Kamasutra Overture # 5 (0:44) - The NPG Orchestra
  13. Free The Music (1:44) - The NPG
  14. Segue (0:50) -
  15. Gold (X-cerpt) (3:34) -


LP

The LP is a reissue from the original promotional cassette

  • Side 1:
  1. Pussy Control (Club Mix) (Edit) (3:04) -
  2. Shhh (X-cerpt) (3:55) -
  3. Get Wild In The House (2:15) 1 - The NPG
  4. Hate U (Remix) (3:29) -
  5. 319 (X-cerpt) (1:28) -
  6. Shy (X-cerpt) (2:23) -
  • Side 2:
  1. Billy Jack Bitch (2:31) -
  2. Sonny T. (X-cerpt) (0:28) 2 - Madhouse
  3. Rootie Kazootie (Edit) (2:38) 2 - Madhouse
  4. Chatounette Controle (2:25) -
  5. Pussy Control (Control Tempo) (Edit) (1:23) -
  6. Kamasutra Overture # 5 (0:44) - The NPG Orchestra
  7. Free The Music (1:44) - The NPG
  8. Segue (0:50) -
  9. Gold (X-cerpt) (3:34) -

The cassette is the original format

  • Side A:
  1. Pussy Control (Club Mix) (Edit) (3:04) -
  2. Shhh (X-cerpt) (3:55) -
  3. Get Wild In The House (2:15) 1 - The NPG
  4. Hate U (Remix) (3:29) -
  5. 319 (X-cerpt) (1:28) -
  6. Shy (X-cerpt) (2:23) -
  • Side B:
  1. Billy Jack Bitch (2:31) -
  2. Sonny T. (X-cerpt) (0:28) 2 - Madhouse
  3. Rootie Kazootie (Edit) (2:38) 2 - Madhouse
  4. Chatounette Controle (2:25) -
  5. Pussy Control (Control Tempo) (Edit) (1:23) -
  6. Kamasutra Overture # 5 (0:44) - The NPG Orchestra
  7. Free The Music (1:44) - The NPG
  8. Segue (0:50) -
  9. Gold (X-cerpt) (3:34) -


Digital

  1. Pussy Control (Club Mix) (Edit) (3:04) -
  2. Shhh (X-cerpt) (3:55) -
  3. Get Wild In The House (2:15) 1 - The NPG
  4. Hate U (Remix) (3:29) -
  5. 319 (X-cerpt) (1:28) -
  6. Shy (X-cerpt) (2:23) -
  7. Billy Jack Bitch (2:31) -
  8. Sonny T. (X-cerpt) (0:28) 2 - Madhouse
  9. Rootie Kazootie (Edit) (2:38) 2 - Madhouse
  10. Chatounette Controle (2:25) -
  11. Pussy Control (Control Tempo) (Edit) (1:23) -
  12. Kamasutra Overture # 5 (0:44) - The NPG Orchestra
  13. Free The Music (1:44) - The NPG
  14. Segue (0:50) -
  • See individual tracks and related albums for credits.


All songs written by except where noted.
1 Written by and Sonny T.
2 Written by , Eric Leeds, Michael Bland, Sonny Thompson and Levi Seacer, Jr.



Personnel
Musicians


Production
  • See individual tracks and respective albums for credits.


Thanks
  • Special Thanks to Versace. Welcome 2 The Dawn



Releases
LP, CD, Cassettes and Other versions
Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2

USA Cassette None Given to attendees of the Versace collection of Paris Fashion Week in July 1995

Variants, Special Editions and Reissues
Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2

Record Store Day 2019 release
USA Cassette 19075-91832-43 Record Store Day 2019 Exclusive Release limited to 4,000 copies. The J-card features a New York address with regards to the distribution.
USA Cassette 19075-93120-4 9 "Purple Electric Fetus Exclusive" limited to 1,000 copies
Europe Cassette 19075-91832-43 Record Store Day 2019 Exclusive Release limited to 4,000 copies
Japan Cassette 4547366-396935 Record Store Day 2019 Exclusive Release limited to 2,000 copies
September 2019 release
USA LP 1-9075-91831-1 3 Release includes a card with unique code for redeemable MP3 download through wearevinyl.com.
Japan LP 4547366419344
USA CD 1-9075-91830-2 1
Europe CD 1-9075-91830-2 1 Label Code: "LC02361"
Japan CD 4-547366-419313

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Additional Information

Promotion (at time of release) Trivia

  • Some newspapers stated that Prince offered to Donatella Versace, two months before his passing, the 11-minute instrumental that was played at the Milan Fashion Week in June 2016. Since the reports were confusings and mixed different stories with the previous Versace Experiences, it is unclear if that was really the case and if the instrumental that was aired was really composed by Prince.

References
2019
His Majesty’s Pop Life
All Albums All Related Artists Albums 2019
Originals