"The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold)" is a compilation album of Prince's studio work, initially distributed as a promotional cassette to attendees of the Versace collection at Paris Fashion Week over three consecutive days, starting on 8 July 1995.
It was re-released worldwide on cassette in limited quantities (11,000 copies) for Record Store Day on April 2019, and six months later on all formats and for regular commercial release, along with reissues of two other albums, Chaos And Disorder and Emancipation, on 13 September 2019. The 2019 editions became Prince’s ninth compilation album and the sixth posthumous release.
The 1995 cassette was primarily promotional tool for the upcoming album The Gold Experience. However, it also included tracks from other planned projects, such as the New Generation's album Exodus (already released in Europe), Madhouse's third album 24 (which remained unreleased), and The NPG Orchestra's Kamasutra (released early 1997).
Unlike other NPG Records sampler cassettes of the era many tracks were remixed or this release to provide a comprehensive listening experience. Additionally, several tracks feature overdubbed vocals announcing either "Versace" or "The Versace Experience." Consequently, many of the tracks are not available in the same form elsewhere.
Unusually for NPG Records sampler cassettes, The Versace ExperiencePrelude 2 Gold) was released in conjunction with Warner Bros. This collaboration was likely due to its connection with The Gold Experience, which was initially scheduled for release by NPG Records and Warner Bros. on 12 September 1995 as indicated on the cassette insert. However, the release was later postponed to 26 September 1995.
Only 300 copies of the cassette were produced. Artwork for a CD version was also created, but it is unlikely that any promotional CDs were actually pressed at that time.
2019 reissue
With only 300 copies pressed and distributed exclusively to attendees of the Versace collection at Paris Fashion Week, the 1995 edition of The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) became a collectible item. The Prince Estate made replicas of this cassette available to the public for the 2019 edition of Record Store Day in the USA, Europe, and Japan. A special "purple edition," limited to 1,000 copies, was offered for sale by the Minneapolis music store Electricetus on April 25, 2019. Interestingly, the 201 re by NPG Records/The Prince Estate were released in conjunction with Sony’s Legacy Recordings, while the original 1995 cassette was offered by NPG Records and Warner Bros. The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold) is the fifth release by The Prince with Record, following the 2018 Anthology: 1995-2010 compilation and the reissues of the Musicology, 3121, and Planet Earth albums earlier in 2019.
The initial 2019 reissue was a special release for Record Store Day, coinciding with the reissue of His Majesty’s Pop Life. The general release in September was preceded by a "digital single" of Pussy Control (Club Mix Edit) on August 23, 2019, followed by Rootie Kazootie (Edit) on September6, 2019.
The compilation reached number 2 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and 170 on The Billboard 200.
CD Cassette
The compact disc version is a reissue from the promotional cassette.
Pussy Control (Club Mix) (Edit) (3:04) -
Shhh (X-cerpt) (3:55) -
Get Wild In The House (2:15) 1 - The NPG
Hate U (Remix) (3:29) -
319 (X-cerpt) (1:28) -
Shy (X-cerpt) (2:23) -
Billy Jack Bitch (2:31) -
Sonny T. (X-cerpt) (0:28) 2 - Madhouse
Rootie Kazootie (Edit) (2:38) 2 - Madhouse
Chatounette Controle (2:25) -
Pussy Control (Control Tempo) (Edit) (1:23) -
Kamasutra Overture # 5 (0:44) - The NPG Orchestra
Free The Music (1:44) - The NPG
Segue (0:50) -
Gold (X-cerpt) (3:34) -
LP
The LP is a reissue from the original promotional cassette
Side 1:
Pussy Control (Club Mix) (Edit) (3:04) -
Shhh (X-cerpt) (3:55) -
Get Wild In The House (2:15) 1 - The NPG
Hate U (Remix) (3:29) -
319 (X-cerpt) (1:28) -
Shy (X-cerpt) (2:23) -
Side 2:
Billy Jack Bitch (2:31) -
Sonny T. (X-cerpt) (0:28) 2 - Madhouse
Rootie Kazootie (Edit) (2:38) 2 - Madhouse
Chatounette Controle (2:25) -
Pussy Control (Control Tempo) (Edit) (1:23) -
Kamasutra Overture # 5 (0:44) - The NPG Orchestra
Free The Music (1:44) - The NPG
Segue (0:50) -
Gold (X-cerpt) (3:34) -
CASSETTE
The cassette is the original format
Side A:
Pussy Control (Club Mix) (Edit) (3:04) -
Shhh (X-cerpt) (3:55) -
Get Wild In The House (2:15) 1 - The NPG
Hate U (Remix) (3:29) -
319 (X-cerpt) (1:28) -
Shy (X-cerpt) (2:23) -
Side B:
Billy Jack Bitch (2:31) -
Sonny T. (X-cerpt) (0:28) 2 - Madhouse
Rootie Kazootie (Edit) (2:38) 2 - Madhouse
Chatounette Controle (2:25) -
Pussy Control (Control Tempo) (Edit) (1:23) -
Kamasutra Overture # 5 (0:44) - The NPG Orchestra
Free The Music (1:44) - The NPG
Segue (0:50) -
Gold (X-cerpt) (3:34) -
DIGITAL
Pussy Control (Club Mix) (Edit) (3:04) -
Shhh (X-cerpt) (3:55) -
Get Wild In The House (2:15) 1 - The NPG
Hate U (Remix) (3:29) -
319 (X-cerpt) (1:28) -
Shy (X-cerpt) (2:23) -
Billy Jack Bitch (2:31) -
Sonny T. (X-cerpt) (0:28) 2 - Madhouse
Rootie Kazootie (Edit) (2:38) 2 - Madhouse
Chatounette Controle (2:25) -
Pussy Control (Control Tempo) (Edit) (1:23) -
Kamasutra Overture # 5 (0:44) - The NPG Orchestra
Free The Music (1:44) - The NPG
Segue (0:50) -
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