1997 July 7: Crystal Ball Era

This Japanese limited edition 4CD set compiles the massive Crystal Ball collection along with the full The Truth album, released with a special OBI strip and additional booklet. Artist: Prince O(+> Label: NPG Records / Nippon Crown Date: August 26, 1998 Catalogue: CRCL-80005~8 Format: 4CD Limited Edition (w/ OBI & Booklet) Country: Japan Written by: Prince Produced by: Prince TRACK LIST Disc 1 Crystal Ball Dream Factory Acknowledge Me Ripopgodazippa Lovesign Hide The Bone 2mo

Crystal Ball is Prince’s twentieth studio album (credited to ), his second triple album in succession, and the first to be released and distributed completely independently. It is a vault collection of previously unreleased material spanning 1983–1997, originally available via direct mail order in January 1998, with retail following in March. RELEASE DETAILS Artist: Prince (as ) Label: NPG Records Catalogue: 9362-46314-2 (retail) Format: 3×CD (mail order included bonus Kamasu

This monumental 5CD box set is Prince O(+>’s first fully independent release, compiling a vast collection of previously unreleased “vault” material along with the acoustic album The Truth and the instrumental Kamasutra. Artist: Prince O(+> Label: NPG Records Date: January 29, 1998 Catalogue: none (direct order) Format: 5CD Box Set Country: USA TRACK LIST Disc 1 (Bootleg One) Crystal Ball (10:28) Dream Factory (3:07) Acknowledge Me (5:27) Ripopgodazippa (4:39) Lovesign (Shock

The 5 August 1997 edition of the Star Tribune reprints a New York Times feature examining how Prince is using the internet and telephone orders to release and market his music independently. Publication: Star Tribune Date: August 5, 1997 Country: United States Written by Neil Strauss, the article discusses Prince’s plan to release a four-CD live collection called “Crystal Ball” only after receiving 100,000 orders via telephone and website. It details his desire for greater co

This Brainerd Daily Dispatch article from July 1997 reports on Prince’s announcement to build a school in his hometown of Minneapolis. Speaking at a New York press conference, the artist outlined his plans to fund the project through his Love 4 One Another charity, linking the initiative to his lifelong commitment to education and community uplift. Publication: Brainerd Daily Dispatch Date: July 23 1997 Country: United State THE STORY The article describes Prince’s intent

This Star Tribune article, published on Thursday, July 17, 1997, covers legal and cultural developments surrounding Prince Rogers Nelson during his “Artist Formerly Known as Prince” era. The piece humorously titled “No Symbols in Court” reports on a Chicago copyright case involving a guitar maker suing Prince over a glyph‑shaped instrument design. Publication: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) Date: July 17 1997 Country: United States Title: No Symbols in Court Judge

At the 16th annual Minnesota Music Awards the Emancipation is in the category Best R&B Recording. This Star Tribune article, published on Friday, July 18, 1997, highlights the winners of the Eighth Annual Minnesota Music Awards, held at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Written by Jon Bream, the piece celebrates the dual triumph of Jonny Lang, the 16‑year‑old blues‑rock prodigy, and Barbara Cohen, the electronic‑pop innovator from Brother Sun Sister Moon. Publication: Star Tribune

The NPG Dance Company was a short‑lived dance ensemble conceived, led, and directed by Mayte in 1997. Inspired after seeing the Joffrey Ballet perform Billboards — a ballet set entirely to Prince’s music — Mayte envisioned a dedicated troupe performing original choreography built around Prince’s work. Prince supported the project and contributed ideas, but Mayte retained full artistic control, overseeing direction, choreography, stage coordination, staging, and lighting. Prin

“Face Down” was released in April 1997 as the third promotional‑only single from Emancipation, Prince’s 19th album and the third credited to the unpronounceable symbol. Issued in the USA and UK only, the promo arrived five months after the album’s release and featured three exclusive remixes unavailable elsewhere.

A rare direct‑order acoustic statement — Prince’s first and only single from the intimate album The Truth…. RELEASE DETAILS Date: February 14, 1997 Catalogue: None assigned (Direct Order Only) Format: CD Single Country: United States Label: NPG Records Album: The Truth… (1997) A-Side: The Truth THE STORY Released exclusively through the 1-800-NEW-FUNK phone line and website on Valentine’s Day 1997, “The Truth” b/w “Don’t Play Me” was the only single issued from Prince O(+>’s

A substantial 16-page special feature in the February 1997 issue of Mojo magazine titled “Prince: The Truth,” offering an in-depth look at The Artist Formerly Known As Prince during a pivotal and mysterious period at Paisley Park. Publication: Mojo – The Music Magazine Date: February 1997 Country: United Kingdom Section / Pages: 16-Page Special Insert / Feature Title: Prince: The Truth THE STORY While the main cover features Nick Drake, the magazine includes a dedicated 14-pa

Released January 31, 1997 exclusively through Prince’s 1‑800‑NEW‑FUNK store, this cassette‑only EP captured two raw live cuts from the Roseland Ballroom in New York. Marketed tongue‑in‑cheek as a “4th generation bootleg,” it became one of the rarest official NPG‑era releases.

This was the second commercially released single from Prince O(+>’s 19th studio album Emancipation, the third album credited to , and formed part of a two-disc CD set that included exclusive ♀ prints for collectors. Released two months after the album, it was available primarily in the UK and Japan, with only promotional copies in the US. Artist: Prince O(+> Label: NPG Records / EMI Date: January 13, 1997 Catalogue: 72438 83765 2 5 (Part 1) Format: CD Single (Part 1 of 2CD Se

“Somebody’s Somebody” was released on January 13, 1997 as the second promotional‑only single from Emancipation, Prince’s 19th album and the third credited to the unpronounceable symbol. Issued exclusively in the United States, the promo arrived two months after the album’s release.