✦ The Gold Experience – Album US/UK: Sept. 1995

An Artist’s explosive rebirth — a blazing fusion of funk, rock, and digital psychedelia from the dawn of the Symbol era.

✦ — SUMMARY

Released September 26, 1995 in the US (NPG Records / Warner Bros., catalogue 9 45999‑2) and in October 1995 in the UK, The Gold Experience marked the first full studio album credited to Prince’s unpronounceable Love Symbol, 0(+>. Arriving amid legal battles with Warner Bros., the album nonetheless became a major success, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top R&B Albums chart. Its singles included the global hit “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” (US #3), “I Hate U” (US #12), and “Gold” (US #88).

On June 18, 2022, the album received its first full reissue for Record Store Day, including a translucent gold vinyl edition modeled after the rare 1995 promo pressing, alongside a CD reissue released the day prior — the first complete reissue since the long‑running legal dispute over “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”

✦ — HIGHLIGHTS

• First full studio album credited to 0(+>

• Released during Prince’s battle with Warner Bros.

• US Billboard 200 peak: #6

• Includes the hit “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World”

• 2022 RSD reissue: translucent gold vinyl + CD rerelease

• Original US catalogue: 9 45999‑2

• A defining work of the mid‑90s NPG era

✦ — TRACK DETAILS

2×LP – NPG Records / Warner Bros. – 1995

(All songs written by Prince as 0(+> except where noted)

Side 1

P. Control — 5:59

NPG Operator — 0:10

Endorphinmachine — 4:06

Shhh — 7:16

Side 2

We March — 4:49 (written by 0(+> and Nona Gaye)

NPG Operator — 0:16

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World — 4:25

Dolphin — 4:59

Side 3

NPG Operator — 0:18

Now — 4:30

NPG Operator — 0:31

319 — 3:05

NPG Operator — 0:10

Shy — 5:04

Billy Jack Bitch — 5:32 (written by 0(+> and Michael B. Nelson)

Side 4

I Hate U — 5:54

NPG Operator — 0:44

Gold — 7:23

Total length: ~67 minutes

✦ — REISSUES & GLOBAL VARIANTS

(Verified via Prince Vault, Discogs, Warner Records)

1995 Original Releases

• CD — NPG / Warner Bros. 9 45999‑2 — US

• CD — NPG / Warner Bros. — UK/Europe

• Cassette — US/Europe

• Vinyl — extremely limited promo‑only translucent gold 2×LP (1995)

2022 Reissues

• 2×LP — Translucent gold vinyl — Record Store Day 2022

• CD — Worldwide rerelease (June 17, 2022)

• Digital — Full album restored to streaming platforms

✦ — PRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

• Produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince (as 0(+>)

• Recorded 1993–1995 at Paisley Park and various studios

• Themes: identity, liberation, sexuality, spirituality, digital culture

• Released during Prince’s name‑change era and label conflict

• “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” originally released independently in 1994

• Album structured with recurring “NPG Operator” segues

✦ — SINGLES RELEASED

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World — 1994 (US #3)

I Hate U — 1995 (US #12)

Gold — 1995 (US #88)

✦ — CHART PERFORMANCE

United States

• Billboard 200 — #6

• Top R&B Albums — #2

• “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” — #3 Hot 100

International

• Strong charting across Europe

• UK: Top 10

✦ — DISCOGRAPHY SIDEBAR

Come — 1994

The Gold Experience — 1995

Chaos and Disorder — 1996

✦ — PRINCE ERA MINI‑TIMELINE

1993 — Prince adopts the Love Symbol name

1994 — “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” becomes a global hit

1995 — The Gold Experience released

2022 — First full reissue since legal disputes resolved

✦ — GLAM FLASHBACK

The Gold Experience is Prince at his most electrifying — a neon‑lit fusion of rock, funk, and digital swagger. It captures the defiance of the Symbol era, the brilliance of the NPG, and the creative fire of an artist refusing to be contained.

✦ — COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All images, artwork, logos, and related materials referenced or displayed in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. They are included strictly for historical, educational, and archival purposes under fair‑use principles.

✦ — SOURCES

Prince Vault Discogs Warner Bros. / NPG Records catalogue data Billboard archives Record Store Day documentation