Early in his career, Prince was notoriously known for having a hard time sharing the spotlight, as his semi-autobiographical movie “Purple Rain” illustrated. With 1991’s “Diamonds and Pearls” — his thirteenth studio album and the first featuring his new band, The New Power Generation (NPG), that all changed.
A strong departure from the pop-rock leanings of his previous group, The Revolution, The NPG seemed to have no musical bounds — their universe was an amalgamation of funk, rap, R&B, jazz, blues, whatever suited them on that particular day.
While listeners got a taste of this on the original, multi-platinum album, the newly released reissue’s Super Deluxe Edition featuring 75 songs across seven CDs or 12 vinyl records, and available via all download/streaming platforms, offers a treasure trove of audible treats, and Prince seems thrilled to showcase his band’s laudable talents.
Rosie Gaines’ powerhouse pipes percolate throughout “Diamonds and Pearls (Long Version)” and “Jughead,” while rapper Tony M commands the mic on “Things Have Gotta Change” and “Call The Law.” Meanwhile, the whole band is prominently featured on “Gangster Glam” and the seven-minute juicy jam “Something Funky (This House Comes),” with the Minneapolis maestro content to hang in the shadows.
The NPG included some of the best musicians Prince ever worked with: Levi Seacer Jr. (bass, guitar), Sonny Thompson (bass), Tommy Barbarella (keyboards), Michael Bland (drums), and Kirk Johnson and Damon Dickson on percussion. On this musically diverse edition, the tight, eight-piece band shows their versatile prowess across genres — from instrumental jazz (“Letter 4 Miles”) to blues (“I Pledge Allegiance To Your Love”) to the pop confection “Standing At The Alter,” which sounds like it easily could have been included on 1999’s “Runaway Bride” soundtrack.
But make no mistake: there’s also a good dose of The Purple Wonder throughout this meticulously crafted package, which includes an astounding 47 previously unreleased songs from his legendary vault. While many are alternate versions of popular album tracks (from a 12-inch single mix of “Daddy Pop” and second take of “Cream” to a “damn near 10-minute” version of “Gett Off”), there’s also a Princely sum of previously unheard material.
Standouts among the many ear worms include the hypnotic “Alice Through The Looking Glass”; danceable B-side “Horny Pony” (which, you may have guessed, has nothing to do with the equestrian scene); “The Voice,” a smooth groove featuring Prince’s trademark layered vocals; the colorful, thumping “Violet the Organ Grinder”; and irresistibly beautiful “Open Book.”
In addition to all the new studio music, the Super Deluxe Edition includes 14 live tracks from Prince & The NPG’s 1992 concert at his Minneapolis club, Glam Slam; a Blu-ray disc featuring unreleased footage from that performance, a soundcheck and short set from The Special Olympics, and the long-out-of-print “Diamonds And Pearls Video Collection”; and a 120-page hardback book featuring unseen images by longtime photographer Randee St. Nicholas.
This Super Deluxe Edition, available here for $159.98 on CD or $349.98 on album, would make a generous holiday gift for the Prince fan in your life. For those on a more modest budget or less interested in the deep dive, consider the newly remastered album ($12.98) or two-CD / four-LP Deluxe Edition ($16.98 / $79.98), which includes 15 B-sides, mixes and edits.
Donovan Roche, a San Diego-based writer/editor, has covered the music and entertainment scene for more than 30 years. Send your story ideas to droche17@cox.net.