Prince – Diamonds and Pearls Record Release Party at Paisley Park, Chanhassen MN (2023-10-27)

“This will be the day, That you will hear me say That I will never run away, I am here for you…”

This was the day, as the Purple faithful from near and far, descended into the confines of Prince’s studio/museum, the 65,000 sq ft. Paisley Park in suburban Chanhassen, to celebrate the much-anticipated release of the Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Edition with a celebratory party.

The box set editions offer the original Oct 1991 album remastered (on CD or 2LP vinyl), a CD (or 2LPs) of single remixes and edits, three CDs (or 5LPs) of ‘Vault’ songs, all 33 of which are previously unreleased, and a live concert from January 1992 at Prince’s former Minneapolis club, Glam Slam, which served as a local rehearsal preview of the Diamonds and Pearls tour (on 2CDs / 3LPs), all newly mixed from the 24-track master.

The Blu-ray included includes the Glam Slam concert shot in high definition with sound mixed to Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or stereo. It also features Prince & The New Power Generation’s performance at The Special Olympics at the Metrodome in Minneapolis in July 1991 along with the soundcheck. It’s completed by the inclusion of the Diamonds And Pearls Video Collection, originally released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1993.

Like the previous Sign ‘o the Times set, this represents a massively expanded edition, crafted with care and due diligence in the track selections, and for fans both casual and diehard, those precious unreleased recordings that give further insight into this era of his career that are a veritable treasure trove of unheard songs.

The evening itself began with with casual intermingling in both the larger soundstage and more intimate NPG Club areas, and brief comments by key personnel representing the Estate. A panel discussion gave further depth to the making of the album, as engineer Chris James moderated a conversation that included era New Power Generation band members Tony Mosely and Tommy Barbarella, who reflected on those years, and told stories of being in the middle of a whirlwind trip, as one of Prince’s band members.

Both still area residents, Barbarella reminisced about his earliest days in the band, saying his first proper gig was in a Brazilian soccer stadium for Rock in Rio in front of 60,000 people after Prince noticed his playing with area family band, The Steeles.

Mosely related stories of his growing up in North Minneapolis and joining fellow dancers Kirk Johnson and Damon Dickson to form the Game Boyz before he was brought more center stage, to employ his skills as a rapper, a genre Prince had initially resisted against, but eventually saw its large and growing influence in urban music and popular culture.

With the panel concluding and after a short break, lights dimmed and the formidable Paisley Park audio and visual system was turned up for a unique screening of the 1992 Glam Slam show, more immersive in nature than anyone could experience in own homes, due to the pro level equipment in the main soundstage.

Following, chairs were cleared to make way for a dance floor for longtime DJ Lenka Paris (who was very active at Paisley while Prince was alive) to spin mixes and play both familiar and more deep cut selections, to get, and keep, the well-dressed crowd dancing until the end.

As for the original album itself, it signified both a return to commercial success and musical style shift for Prince– the leader of a relatively new band and moving to a sleeker, guitar and percussion heavy sound, with dashes of New Jack, Rap, House, and pure Pop, which would result in his most commercially successful album, following Purple Rain.

Bay Area singer-songwriter and keyboardist Rosie Gaines would prove to be the band’s strongest weapon, with a booming and distinct voice, musicianship skills, and an on-stage persona that even Prince would make way for, and let her have the lead.

Singles from the original album included the Grammy-nominated title track, "Gett Off” (nominated as well), "Insatiable" and the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping hit "Cream." Mosely admits that by the time the album was released, Prince and the band already had three more albums completed.

For the most loyal Prince fans (or “fams”), it would take thirty-two years for Diamonds and Pearls to shine as a fully complete picture. The dozens of unreleased recordings and the release of an early warm up gig would help set the template for the arena tour to come (which never played the US, by the way), and from the care given to the final product and the gleeful reaction to the release (especially on this night), it was all worth the wait.

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