Dream Factory (album)

History

Prince's band, The Revolution, were invited to the studio to contribute to a majority of the material for the planned album, with the notable exceptions of "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" and "Starfish & Coffee" (co-written by Susannah Melvoin). Prince had not had this level of collaboration before with the band; he and the Revolution by 1983 began working together increasingly. Some tracks included one or two band members, some tracks none, others were full band or included many other extra musicians. By the end of June 1986, Dream Factory had expanded to a 19-track double album that now included solo recordings by Prince, while previously recorded tracks such as "Sexual Suicide", "Big Tall Wall", and "Teacher, Teacher" were removed. The Revolution was dissolved in October 1986, after which many of the album's tracks were incorporated into what was now a planned solo three LP project entitled Crystal Ball. However, Prince's record distributor at the time, Warner Bros., balked at a three LP release, so the project was reduced to a two LP set and retitled Sign o' the Times.

In March 2009, Vibe magazine featured the album on its "51 Albums That Never Were," calling it a "coulda-been classic," and even streaming "All My Dreams" for a limited time. Vibe also interviewed former Revolution members Wendy and Lisa on the project.

April 1986 - Demonstration cassette

Side A

1. "Visions" (piano solo by Lisa Coleman)
2. "Dream Factory"
3. "It's a Wonderful Day"
4. "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker"
5. "Big Tall Wall"
6. "And That Says What?"

Side B

1. "Strange Relationship"
2. "Teacher, Teacher"
3. "Starfish and Coffee"
4. "A Place in Heaven"
5. "Sexual Suicide"

June 3, 1986

Side A

1. "Visions"
2. "Dream Factory"
3. "It's a Wonderful Day"
4. "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker"
5. "It"

Side B

1. "Strange Relationship"
2. "Teacher, Teacher"
3. "Starfish and Coffee"
4. "Interlude"
5. "In A Large Room With No Light"
6. "nevaeH ni ecalP A"
7. "Sexual Suicide"

Side C

1. "Crystal Ball"
2. "Power Fantastic"

Side D

1. "Last Heart"
2. "Witness 4 the Prosecution"
3. "Movie Star"
4. "A Place in Heaven"
5. "All My Dreams"

July 18, 1986 - Final configuration

Side A

1. "Visions"
2. "Dream Factory"
3. "Train"
4. "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker"
5. "It"

Side B

1. "Strange Relationship"
2. "Starfish & Coffee"
3. "Interlude"
4. "Slow Love"
5. "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man"

Side C

1. "Sign 'O' the Times"
2. "Crystal Ball"
3. "A Place In Heaven"

Side D

1. "The Cross"
2. "Last Heart"
3. "Witness 4 the Prosecution"
4. "Movie Star"
5. "All My Dreams"