Prince (August 24 1999) The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale - Album

The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale is Prince’s twenty-second studio album and the final album of previously unreleased material released by Warner Bros. under his 1992 contract. It is a collection of vault tracks recorded between 1985 and 1996.

RELEASE DETAILS

Artist: Prince

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Catalogue: 9362-47372-2

Format: CD

Country: Worldwide

Released: August 24, 1999

Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul, Pop

Length: 39:17

THE STORY

A compilation of unreleased songs and alternate versions spanning over a decade, showcasing Prince’s prolific vault. Highlights include the extended “She Spoke 2 Me,” the soulful “Extraordinary,” and the playful “It’s About That Walk.”

Submitted to Warner Bros. in April 1996 alongside Chaos and Disorder, this album was held until 1999. Prince referred to it as a contractual obligation. Many tracks originated from abandoned projects, including the I’ll Do Anything movie soundtrack. It was released just before Prince’s return to major-label work with Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic

TRACK LISTING (1999 Original CD)

1. The Rest Of My Life — 1:38

2. It’s About That Walk — 4:26

3. She Spoke 2 Me (Extended Remix) — 8:19

4. 5 Women — 5:12

5. When The Lights Go Down — 7:10

6. My Little Pill — 1:08

7. There Is Lonely — 2:29

8. Old Friends 4 Sale — 3:27

9. Sarah — 2:52

10. Extraordinary — 2:27

Total Length: 39:17

PERSONNEL Musicians Prince — all vocals and instruments (except where noted)

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS AND BACKGROUND

• Michael B. — drums

• Sonny T. — bass guitar

• Levi Seacer, Jr. — guitar

• Tommy Barbarella — keyboards

• Rosie Gaines — keyboards

• Mr. Hayes — keyboards

• NPG Hornz (Michael B. Nelson, Brian Gallagher, Kathy Jensen, Dave Jensen, Steve Strand) — horns

• Sheila E. — hand drums

• Clare Fischer — orchestral arrangements

• Kirk Johnson — additional contributions

Production

• Prince — producer, arranger, horn arrangements

• Various engineers including Ray Hahnfeldt, Steve Durkee, Peggy Mac, Susan Rogers, Michael Koppelman

• Mastering: Steve Durkee, Stephen Marcussen, Kirk Johnson

• Photography: Claude Gassain

• Art Direction & Design: Parke

PACKAGING HIGHLIGHTS

• Standard jewel case with striking cover photo of Prince seated against a brick wall

• Liner notes emphasize the tracks as “originally intended for private use only”

• Minimalist contractual-obligation presentation

CHARTS 

• America 

  USA: Billboard 200 | 11 Sep. 1999 | 85 | 5 weeks

  USA: Billboard Top R&B Albums | 11 Sep. 1999 | 33 | 8 weeks

  Europe 

• Belgium: Ultratop Albums Flanders | 4 Sep. 1999 | 31 | 4 weeks

• France: SNEP Top Album 75 | 28 Aug. 1999 | 64 | 2 weeks

• Germany: MusikWoche Top 100 Albums | 6 Sep. 1999 | 44 | 5 weeks

• The Netherlands: Album Top 100 | 28 Aug. 1999 | 15 | 9 weeks

• UK: UK Albums Chart | 4 Sep. 1999 | 47 | 1 week

After its release, The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale received generally mixed reviews from music critics. In a fairly positive review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "an unassuming, jazzy little record that's damn near irresistible." Erlewine suggested that the tracks were comparable to the material found on Graffiti Bridge (1990). Entertainment Weekly's Marc Weingarten appreciated the album, stating that it "sounds more committed than a lot of his indie releases"; however, Weingarten noted that Prince fans would enjoy the album more.

In a mixed review, Mark Zeltner of PopMatters enjoyed songs "Extraordinary" and "It's About That Walk", but criticized the record's "lack of a cohesive musical theme", also calling the track listing "a series of songs that were forgotten or discarded long ago by their creator." A reviewer from Mojo was more mixed with the album, calling it "pleasing though predictable". Keith Phipps, writing for The A.V. Club, was disappointed by the album, blaming Warner Bros. for the "none-too-generous selection of material". Similarly, a critic from NME found the songs to be "mediocre", also noting that Warner Bros. takes "revenge on their erstwhile slave".

Commercial performance

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale was moderately unsuccessful after its release, peaking at the lower positions of most record charts. In the United States, the album debuted and peaked at position eighty-five on the Billboard 200. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number forty-seven, becoming his highest charting album since Emancipation (1996). The album was somewhat successful in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number sixteen. Elsewhere, the album was unsuccessful. In France and Germany, it peaked at positions sixty-four and forty-four, respectively.

SOURCES Album liner notes, official discography, Discogs, 45cat, Official Charts, Wikipedia, Prince Vault.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE All album artwork, photographs, logos, and original text excerpts remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference.