✦ The Black Album – Album US: Nov. 1994

The once‑forbidden funk record Prince buried in 1987 — resurrected briefly in 1994, then vanished again.

✦ Summary

The Black Album was originally scheduled for release on December 8, 1987, with no artist name, no title, and a stark black sleeve. Days before shipping, Prince contacted Warner Bros. chairman Mo Ostin and demanded the album be withdrawn, citing a profound spiritual shift. He described the record as embodying “anger” and “licentiousness” he needed to leave behind. The entire 500,000‑copy pressing was ordered destroyed, though a handful escaped, fueling years of bootlegging.

Prince later attributed the album to Spooky Electric, a dark alter ego born from the Camille era. He referenced the withdrawal in the “Alphabet St.” video (“Don’t buy The Black Album, I’m sorry”) and recounted the moment of clarity that led to its cancellation:

“Eye was in a club and they were playing the album… I decided at that moment not 2 release the album.”

After circulating underground for nearly seven years, the album finally received an official, extremely limited release on November 22, 1994 (US) and November 21, 1994 (Europe). It charted modestly but quickly disappeared again, never reissued and never made available on streaming platforms.

✦ Highlights

• Withdrawn in 1987 after Prince’s spiritual epiphany

• 500,000 copies destroyed; a few survived, creating massive bootlegging

• Associated with Prince’s alter ego Spooky Electric

• Only “When 2 R In Love” survived onto Lovesexy

• Officially released for a limited window in late 1994

• Never streamed by Prince or the Estate

✦ Track Details

Vinyl LP – Warner Bros. – 1994

Side A

Le Grind — 6:44

Cindy C. — 6:15

Dead On It — 4:37

When 2 R In Love — 3:59

Side B

Bob George — 5:37

Superfunkycalifragisexy — 5:56

2 Nigs United 4 West Compton — 7:00

Rockhard In A Funky Place — 4:31

CD – Warner Bros. – 1994

Le Grind — 6:44

Cindy C. — 6:15

Dead On It — 4:37

When 2 R In Love — 3:59

Bob George — 5:36

Superfunkycalifragisexy — 5:55

2 Nigs United 4 West Compton — 7:01

Rockhard In A Funky Place — 4:31

Cassette – Warner Bros. – 1994

Side A: Le Grind / Cindy C. / Dead On It / When 2 R In Love

Side B: Bob George / Superfunkycalifragisexy / 2 Nigs United 4 West Compton / Rockhard In A Funky Place

✦ Reissues & Global Variants

Vinyl (1994)

• LP, Limited Edition, Peach Spine — Europe

• LP, Limited Edition, Red Spine — Europe

• LP, Promo — US

• LP, Numbered Marbled — US

• LP, Test Pressing — US

CD (1994)

• Limited Edition — Australia

• Slipcase Edition — Australia

• Limited Edition — Canada

• Limited Edition — Europe

• Limited Edition — Japan

• Limited Edition — South Korea/Taiwan

• Limited Edition — US (SRC/ARC)

Cassette (1994)

• Limited — Argentina/Europe/UK

• Limited — Canada

• Album — India/Poland/Thailand/Turkey

• Limited — US

✦ Production and Context

• Written, produced, arranged, and performed by Prince (1986–1987)

• Withdrawn due to spiritual concerns and the influence of Spooky Electric

• “When 2 R In Love” repurposed for Lovesexy

• Bootlegged heavily from 1988–1993

• 1994 release included Warner’s “bootleg amnesty” program

• Limited worldwide availability until January 1995

✦ Singles Released

No commercial singles.

Promo video: “When 2 R In Love” (lyric‑only, all‑black visual).

✦ Chart Performance

United States

• Billboard 200 — #47

• Top R&B Albums — #18

Europe

• Germany — #9

• Netherlands — #35

• UK — #36

✦ Discography

Era‑related releases:

Sign “O” the Times — 1987

The Black Album (withdrawn) — 1987

Lovesexy — 1988

✦ Prince Era Mini‑Timeline

Dec 1987 — The Black Album withdrawn

May 1988 — Lovesexy released

Nov 1994 — The Black Album officially issued for a limited run

✦ Glam Flashback

Few albums in pop history carry the mythic weight of The Black Album. Its darkness, its secrecy, its destruction — all of it fed into the legend of an artist wrestling with his own shadow. When it finally surfaced in 1994, it felt less like a release and more like a ghost returning to the world for one brief, electric moment.

✦ Image & Artwork Copyright Notice

All images, photographs, and artwork referenced or displayed in this post remain the property of their respective copyright holders. They are included strictly for historical, educational, and archival purposes under fair‑use principles. No ownership is claimed.

✦ Sources

Prince Vault

Discogs

Warner Bros. Records documentation