Prince (November 18, 1987) The Black Album – Promo Cassette UK

Extremely rare 1987 promotional cassette of Prince’s legendary withdrawn album The Black Album, featuring the original Paisley Park / Tape Gallery pressing dated November 18, 1987.

RELEASE / PUBLICATION DETAILS Artist: Prince

Title: The Black Album

Date: November 18, 1987 (Promo Cassette)

Label: Paisley Park / Warner Bros. Records

Format / Type: Cassette, Album, Promo Country: United Kingdom Catalogue: None

TRACK LIST Side One

1. Le Grind

2. Cindy C.

3. Dead On It

4. When 2 R In Love

Side Two

1. Bob George

2. Superfunkycalifragisexy

3. 2 Nigs United 4 West Compton

4. Rockhard In A Funky Place

THE STORY This chrome cassette was produced in November 1987 as a promotional item for the planned December release of The Black Album. It was made at The Tape Gallery in London for Paisley Park just before Prince ordered the entire project withdrawn and destroyed.

CONTEXT & NOTES These original 1987 promo cassettes are among the rarest Prince artifacts in existence. They pre-date the official 1994 release and represent one of the very few surviving copies from the initial aborted rollout. The insert is printed on high-quality paper with the classic minimalist design.

PERSONNEL

• Prince – vocals, instruments, production

PRODUCTION Produced, Arranged, Composed and Performed by Prince

CHARTS Weekly Charts N/A (withdrawn promo)

PACKAGING / ARTWORK HIGHLIGHTS

• Clear cassette shell with white paper label

• Fold-out J-card insert with “The Tape Gallery” branding

• Chrome tape stock

• Dated November 18, 1987

WHAT THE SLEEVE SHOWS The J-card features clean black text on a light background listing the tracks for both sides under the title “THE BLACK ALBUM” and “PAISLEY PARK”. The spine reads vertically “THE BLACK ALBUM”. The cassette itself has matching printed labels.

RELATED MATERIAL See tags at foot of page.

SOURCES Original 1987 promo materials, collector references, The Tape Gallery documentation and Sleevographia2.

All album artwork, photographs, labels, 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.