Tourbook: Nude

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Prince


Tour Book details


Designer Concept: Jill Willis & Mark Adelman, Design: Roger Gorman, John Campagna/Reiner Design Consultants Inc.
Photograph Credits Jeff Katz, Matthew Rolston, Bob MacNamara, Joel Bernstein, Paul Natkin, Dave Brewster (Star Tribune)
Country England
Printed in 1990
Pages 32
Dimensions 278 x 350 mm
Price
Refers To Nude Tour

Content


The 1990 Nude Tour was promoted as a Greatest Hits showcase and the tour book comprises a range of photographs, mostly of Prince from throughout his career, together with a biographical commentary, quotations from the media, musicians and others, pictures of instruments, costumes and Paisley Park Studios, a discography and tour credits. The content attempts to present Prince’s career through a variety of styles, images and changes that he had embraced. This is complemented by varying layouts, colors, fonts and typographic sizes. Running through the tour book are a series of adjectives, also used to reflect different sides to his artistic image.

The pages are all printed in glossy format apart from the centerfold section which is on transparent paper.

The front cover simply has the title, Prince, in the logo style used for the Nude Tour. Three different poses of Prince from the same photo shoot are used, the central image being reversed, to suggest from the outset the theme of an artist presenting different, contrasting and sometimes opposite images.

Pages 2 and 3 are emblazoned with the single word, dark, (in an opposing white font) across recent images of Prince in moody, atmospheric settings. The subsequent pages use different fonts, font sizes and alignments, a mixture of upper and lower case, varying colors, graphic and text layouts, and images from throughout Prince’s recording, performing and acting career set against other adjectives. An uncredited biographical commentary begins on page 4, accompanied by quotations from different sources including the media, Peter MacDonald (Executive Producer of the film, Graffiti Bridge, which was released later in 1990), and musicians who had contributed to the musical documentary, Prince: Musical Portrait, which had first been broadcast in 1989.

The center spread of photographs has a portrait of Prince wearing black and white, with only the left half of his face bordering the edge of the left page and set against a black background. The entire opposite of this appears on the facing page. The middle of the double page spread shows an inset circular photograph of various guitars played by Prince over the years. The adjectives featured throughout the book (dark, compelling, electrifying, enchanting, enlightening, illuminating and light) are also printed across the foot of these two pages.

The transparent paper centerfold pages have an album discography, including release dates, printed across the top, and lists of songs written by Prince (including under various pseudonyms officially acknowledged for the first time), but given to and released by other artists. These are displayed in purple and radiate from the underlying circular photograph, which is visible through the paper.

The commentary text on pages 20 and 21 is bordered by an array of different stage costumes and footwear from throughout his career, and pages 24 and 25 show different shots from Paisley Park Studios. Pages 28 and 29 display a montage of uncredited tour band member photographs.

The descriptive words used throughout the tour book conclude with the word, light, on pages 30 and 31 - the opposite of the first word - and suitably the colors used are progressively and generally brighter and lighter through the book. Although the tour was promoted as a Greatest Hits showcase, it also included a number of songs from the Batman motion picture soundtrack album from 1989, which had previously never been played in concert. The concept of duality in the tour book also reflects ideas explored in the film, Batman album release, and accompanying musical videos, of dual personality and good versus evil, from the previous year.

Extensive tour credits surrounding a picture of the Graffiti Bridge from the film of the same name are included on the inside back cover page. Contact details of Controversy, the officially acknowledged fan club and magazine at that time, are also supplied.

The back cover is the version of the combined male/female symbol used by Prince in 1990 in gold against a black background, and also incorporated into the set design on the Nude Tour.


Additional Information


Binding Staples (two external)



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