Prince O(+>(November 9 1999) Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic- Album

Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic is Prince’s twenty-third studio album and the sixth released under his symbol name. It was his only album on Arista Records and features high-profile guest appearances aimed at mainstream commercial success

RELEASE DETAILS

Artist: Prince (as )

Label: NPG Records / Arista Records

Catalogue: 07822-14624-1

Format: 2×LP

Country: Worldwide

Released: November 9, 1999

Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul, Pop

Length: 69:52

THE STORY

The album blends original Prince funk and rock with pop-oriented production and notable collaborations. Standouts include the lead single “The Greatest Romance Ever Sold,” the rocking “Undisputed” with Chuck D, and guest turns from Gwen Stefani, Sheryl Crow, Eve, and Ani DiFranco.

CONTEXT & NOTES

Overseen by Clive Davis, this was Prince’s attempt at a commercial comeback. Many tracks were new recordings from 1998–1999, while the title track dated back to 1988. A companion remix album, Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic, followed later. The album was supported by heavy European TV promotion and the Rave Un2 the Year 2000 pay-per-view special.

Side A

A1 Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic — 4:19 A2 Undisputed — 4:20 A3 The Greatest Romance Ever Sold — 5:30

Side B

B1 Segue — 0:04 B2 Hot Wit U — 5:11 B3 Tangerine — 1:31 B4 So Far, So Pleased — 3:24 B5 The Sun, The Moon And Stars — 5:16

Side C

C1 Everyday Is A Winding Road — 6:13 C2 Segue — 0:19 C3 Man‘O’War — 5:15 C4 Baby Knows — 3:19

Side D

D1 Love U, But Don’t Trust U Anymore — 3:36 D2 Silly Game — 3:30 D3 Strange But True — 4:13 D4 Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do — 3:16 D5 Segue — 0:44 D6 Prettyman — 4:25

Total Length: 69:52

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

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS AND BACKGROUND

• Chuck D — rap on Undisputed

• Eve — rap on Hot Wit U

• Gwen Stefani — co-lead vocals on So Far, So Pleased

• Sheryl Crow — co-lead vocals & harmonica on Baby Knows

• Ani DiFranco — acoustic guitar on Love U, But Don’t Trust U Anymore

• Maceo Parker — saxophone on Prettyman

• Larry Graham — background vocals on Everyday Is A Winding Road

• Kip Blackshire — vocoder vocals

• Rhonda Smith — bass

• Kirk Johnson — drums, percussion

• The Hornheadz — horns

• Clare Fischer — string orchestration

Production

• Prince — producer, arranger, engineer

• Various engineers including Hans-Martin Buff, Steve Mandel

• Tony Dawsey — mastering

• Steve Parke — art direction, photography, design

PACKAGING HIGHLIGHTS

• Double vinyl in gatefold sleeve

• Reflective digipak-style design elements on accompanying CD version

• Enhanced CD content with website links (on CD edition)

CHARTS 

America 

• USA: Billboard 200 | 27 Nov. 1999 | 18 | 15 weeks

  USA: Billboard Top R&B Albums | 27 Nov. 1999 | 8 | 16 weeks

  Europe 

• Belgium: Ultratop Albums Flanders | 20 Nov. 1999 | 30 | 4 weeks

• France: SNEP Top Album 75 | 13 Nov. 1999 | 37 | 3 weeks

• Germany: MusikWoche Top 100 Albums | 22 Nov. 1999 | 39 | 5 weeks

• The Netherlands: Album Top 100 | 13 Nov. 1999 | 17 | 13 weeks

Certifications

• RIAA (USA): Gold – 10 Dec. 1999 (500,000 units)

Development of the album began in 1988, under the working title Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic. However, when the recording and writing sessions proved fruitless, the entire project was abandoned. A majority of the songs written for the album were originally made for Prince's previous works, such as Lovesexy (1988) and Graffiti Bridge (1990). In June 1998, Prince resumed the project, creating a "reworked" version of the title track, and enlisting help from other musicians, such as Gwen Stefani, Eve, and Sheryl Crow. Recording sessions took place in Chanhassen, Minnesota, at Paisley Park Studios, as well as at Electric Lady Studios, New York City, and O'Henry Sound Studios, in California. The production for the record concluded in September 1999, nearing two months to its scheduled release date. A digital version of the album was released exclusively to both of Prince's official website (1800new-funk.com and love4oneanother.com) and features enhancements that are not included on the physical edition. Prince described his decision to wear a blue jacket made out of faux wool instead of actual fur for the cover artwork:

If this jacket were real wool, it would have taken seven lambs whose lives would have begun like this ... Within weeks of their birth, their ears would have been hole-punched, their tails chopped off and the males would have been castrated while fully conscious. xtremely high rates of mortality r considered normal: 20-40% of lambs die b4 the age of 8 weeks: 8 million mature sheep die every year from disease, xposure or neglect.

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.