✦ The Black Album – Withdrawn: Dec. 1987

Prince’s legendary “lost” funk record — pressed, recalled, destroyed, and mythologized.

✦ — SUMMARY

Scheduled for release in Europe on December 7, 1987 by Warner Bros. Records (catalogue 925 677‑1 / WX 147), The Black Album was withdrawn at the last moment when Prince abruptly cancelled the release, citing a spiritual crisis. The album — issued in an unmarked black sleeve with no artist name — was fully pressed and ready to ship before Prince ordered all copies destroyed.

Recorded 1986–1987, the album’s raw, dark, and aggressive funk stood in stark contrast to the spiritual tone of Lovesexy, which replaced it in 1988. Surviving European copies with barcode/legal sticker and embossed Warner “W” are among the rarest and most valuable vinyl records in existence.

The album circulated heavily as a bootleg for years until its first official release in 1994.

✦ — HIGHLIGHTS

• Scheduled for release December 7, 1987 — cancelled days before shipping

• Withdrawn European LP pressings are the rarest originals

• Anonymous black sleeve with no credits

• Recorded 1986–1987 during Prince’s darkest, funkiest period

• “When 2 R In Love” later reused on Lovesexy

• Official release delayed until 1994

• One of the most famous “lost albums” in music history

✦ — TRACK DETAILS

LP – Warner Bros. Records – Withdrawn Pressing – Europe – 1987

Catalogue: 925 677‑1 / WX 147

Side A

Le Grind — 6:42

Cindy C. — 6:14

Dead On It — 4:35

When 2 R In Love — 4:12

Side B

Bob George — 5:36

Superfunkycalifragisexy — 5:55

2 Nigs United 4 West Compton — 7:00

Rockhard In A Funky Place — 4:30

Total length: ~45 minutes

✦ — REISSUES & GLOBAL VARIANTS

(Verified via Prince Vault, Discogs, Warner Records)

1987 Withdrawn Release

• LP — Warner Bros. 925 677‑1 / WX 147 — Europe

• Black sleeve, no text

• Barcode/legal sticker on shrink

• Embossed Warner “W” on back

• Nearly all copies destroyed

1994 Official Release

• CD — Warner Bros. — Worldwide

• Cassette — Select markets

• Digital — Later added to streaming platforms

Bootlegs (1987–1993)

• Numerous unofficial vinyl and CD editions circulated globally

✦ — PRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

• Written, produced, arranged, and performed by Prince

• Recorded 1986–1987 at Paisley Park and Sunset Sound

• Cancelled December 1, 1987 after a sudden spiritual awakening

• Prince deemed the album “evil” and replaced it with Lovesexy

• “When 2 R In Love” was the only track salvaged

• Original withdrawn LP is considered the “holy grail” of Prince collecting

✦ — SINGLES RELEASED

• None — album cancelled before release

✦ — CHART PERFORMANCE

• No chart entries — withdrawn before distribution

✦ — DISCOGRAPHY SIDEBAR

Sign “O” The Times — 1987

The Black Album — 1987 (withdrawn)

Lovesexy — 1988

✦ — PRINCE ERA MINI‑TIMELINE

1987 — The Black Album pressed, then cancelled

1988 — Lovesexy released

1994 — The Black Album officially issued

✦ — GLAM FLASHBACK

The Black Album is Prince at his most unfiltered — a gritty, sinister, Minneapolis‑funk detour that he tried to erase from history. Its withdrawal only amplified its legend, turning the surviving LPs into the crown jewels of Prince collecting.

✦ — 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. Records catalogue data

Collector documentation and auction records