Released April 29, 2001 | Length 64:09 Release date 29 April 2001 | |
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Studio VariousPaisley Park Studios(Chanhassen, Minnesota)Electric Lady Studios(New York City, New York)O'Henry Sound Studios(Burbank, California) Genres Funk, Pop music, Rock music Similar Prince albums, Funk albums | ||
Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic is the first remix album by American recording artist Prince, under the unpronounceable "Love Symbol", as shown on the album cover. It was released on April 29, 2001 by NPG Records and contains remixes of songs found on Prince's twenty-third studio album, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999). It was issued via mail exclusively through the NPG Music Club, an Internet subscription service; due to this circumstance, the album was not able to chart.
Contents
The album is an alternative version of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, containing 13 of the album's tracks, plus a previously unreleased track entitled "Beautiful Strange". Besides remixes of the mentioned tracks, Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic also contains several extended songs, plus a trimmed version of "Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do". The album also does not contain "Segue" tracks, that were used several times in the previous album.
Background and release
Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic is an alternative version of Prince's 1999 studio album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. Unlike Prince's previous efforts, the album was not released commercially. Instead, an internet subscription service co-founded by Prince, NPG Music Club, issued the album via mail through the NPG Music Club. Due to this, Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic also was not able to chart anywhere. Recording sessions for the parent album took place in Prince's hometown of Chanhassen, Minnesota, at Paisley Park Studios, plus at Electric Lady Studios in California and O'Henry Sound Studios in New York City.
The album was released on April 29, 2001, exclusively through the NPG Music Club. A limited number of CDs were made available to members; Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic is no longer in production and has since became unavailable for purchase. The album was only released in one format, consisting of fourteen tracks, with four of them being remixes, four others being extended versions, five being Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic tracks, and a previously unreleased track, "Beautiful Strange".
Composition
Almost the entire album consists of the songs from Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, minus "Beautiful Strange", which was a previously unreleased recording. Unlike the former album, Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic does not include any "Segue" tracks. The album opens with "Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic", similar to the opening song on the parent album. "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" also includes a verse from Eve, along with an additional three minutes of production; the album's fourth song is the Nasty Girl remix of "Hot Wit' U", however, this version does not include the Eve verse.
An extended version of "Tangerine" occurs, followed by "So Far, So Pleased", a duet with Gwen Stefani created to cater to modern radio. The aforementioned track and "The Sun, the Moon and Stars" both appear in their untouched versions on the album. A remix of promotional single "Man'O'War" is the eighth recording, immediately by a lengthier version of other promotional single "Baby Knows". "I Love U, but I Don't Trust U Anymore" is also the original track, and includes a verse from folk rock singer Ani DiFranco, who plays an acoustic guitar.
The album's eleventh song is "Beautiful Strange", a previously unreleased track, which was later the name of a DVD released by Prince in 2010. The following recording is "Silly Game", which is the album's final untouched song. Alternative versions of "Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do" and "Prettyman" close the album, while the latter song is also a hidden track.
Track listing
All tracks written by Prince.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.