Crystal Ball (box set)

''Crystal Ball'' is a box set by American recording artist Prince. It includes ''Crystal Ball'', the artist's 21st studio album, which is a three-disc set of "previously bootlegged" material, together with a fourth disc, '' The Truth'', the twenty-first studio album by Prince.

The box set was initially only available through direct orders by phone and internet. The direct order edition included a fifth disc, an instrumental studio album by The NPG Orchestra titled '' Kamasutra''. Shipment of this limited edition 5-CD version started on January 29, 1998, approximately two months before the release of the 4-CD version to retail stores on March 21, 1998.

The album ''Crystal Ball'' is Prince's second triple album in succession, following ''Emancipation''. Each of the three CDs contain ten tracks and last fifty minutes, resembling ''Emancipation''s 12-song, sixty-minute disc lengths.

In 2018, NPG Records released ''Crystal Ball'' and ''The Truth'' digitally on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, and Apple Music.

In 2021, a special limited vinyl edition of ''The Truth'' was released on Record Store Day.

''Crystal Ball''

Track listing

Notes
* * – denotes song edited/revised for this album & can be found in original form on unofficial bootlegs.
* ‡ – denotes remix of already released song.
* † – Found in full form on '' Bright Lights, Big City'' soundtrack.

Charts

''The Truth''

''The Truth'' is the twenty-first studio album by Prince. It was the fourth CD in the ''Crystal Ball'' box set. The arrangements are mainly based around the acoustic guitar, augmented with elaborate production effects, multi-layered vocals, and occasional percussion and percussive effects. A CD single was released prior to the album, consisting of the record's first two tracks. In 2018, NPG Records released ''The Truth'' digitally on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, and Apple Music. In 2021, a special limited vinyl edition of ''The Truth'' was released on Record Store Day.

Track listing

# " The Truth" – 3:34
# "Don't Play Me" – 2:48
# "Circle of Amour" – 4:43
# "3rd 👁" – 4:53
# "Dionne" – 3:13
# "Man in a Uniform" – 3:07
# "Animal Kingdom" – 4:01
# "The Other Side of the Pillow" – 3:21
# "Fascination" – 4:55
# "One of Your Tears" – 3:27
# "Comeback" – 1:59
# "Welcome 2 the Dawn" (acoustic version) – 3:17

Charts

''Kamasutra''

''Kamasutra'' is an instrumental studio album by The NPG Orchestra. It was first released on cassette on February 14, 1997, and later in the limited edition ''Crystal Ball'' box set as the fifth CD on January 29, 1998, by NPG Records. The album was written to be played during Prince's wedding to Mayte Garcia in 1996. The tracks range in style from classical music, jazz, and experimentations with various sounds. For example, the track "Cutz" uses the sound of scissors snipping as its basis. Another track, "The Plan", was previewed in an excerpt on the 1996 3-CD set ''Emancipation''.

Track listing

# "The Plan" – 2:02
# "Kamasutra" – 11:49
# "At Last... The Lost Is Found" – 3:38
# "The Ever Changing Light" – 3:00
# "Cutz" – 3:03
# "Serotonin" – 0:46
# "Promise/Broken" – 3:45
# "Barcelona" – 2:17
# "Kamasutra/Overture #8" – 3:13
# "Coincidence or Fate?" – 3:22
# "Kamasutra/Eternal Embrace" – 4:02

Personnel

* Airiq Anest – programming
* Michael Bland (as Michael B.) – drums, background vocals
* Tommy Barbarella – guitar, recorder, background vocals, engineering
* Joe Blaney – engineering
* Bonnie Boyer – voices
* Hans Buff – engineering, mastering
* Keith "KC" Cohen – programming
* Morris Day – drums
* Steve Durkee – engineering
* D.K. Dyson – percussion, vocals, vox continental
* Carmen Electra – vocals
* Clare Fischer – arranger, conductor, orchestration
* Dave Friedlander – engineering
* Brian Gardner – mastering
* Tom Garneau – engineering
* Ray Hahnfeldt – engineering
* Heidi Hanschu – engineering
* Fred Harrington – engineering
* Tim Hoogenakker – engineering
* Kimm James – engineering
* Kathy Jensen – clarinet
* Femi Jiya – engineering
* Kirk Johnson – percussion, programming, production, beat programming, vox continental
* Kirk "KjustinJ" Johnson – percussion, vocals, production, beat programming
* Kaj – programming
* Shane T. Keller – engineering
* Kirky J. - mixing
* Michael Koppelman – engineering
* Eric Leeds – horn, saxophone
* David Leonard – engineering
* Peggy Mac – engineering
* Mayte – vocals, background vocals
* Susannah Melvoin – vocals, background vocals
* Mr. Hayes – guitar, background vocals
* Steve Noonan – engineering
* Original – bass
* Parke – design, concept, package concept
* Ricky Peterson – programming, production
* Brian Poer – engineering
* Prince – arrangements, vocals, multi-instruments, noise, production, mixing, FX vocals, instrumentation, vox continental
* Susan Rogers – engineering
* Mike Scott – guitar
* Shock G – mixing
* Rhonda Smith – bass, percussion, vocals
* Sonny T. – guitar, horn, vocals, background vocals, engineering
* David Tickle – engineering
* Tom Tucker – engineering
* Ric Wilson – mastering
* Yo Grandma – guitar, claves
* Yo Mama – guitar, vocals
* David Z – engineering
* Chuck Zwicky – engineering

References

External links

''Crystal Ball'' online booklet

{{Authority control

1998 albums
Prince (musician) albums
Albums produced by Prince (musician)
NPG Records albums