The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale
An archival collection of recordings from 1985–1996, released in 1999 as Prince's final Warner Bros. contract obligation.
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale is the twenty-second studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on August 24, 1999, by Warner Bros. Records.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Prince
- Format
- Archival Compilation; Box Set
- Source material
- Unreleased studio demos
- alternate mixes
- and live recordings
- Time period covered
- 1985–1996
- Production credit
- Various (including Prince, The Revolution, and early session musicians)
- Release context
- Archival vault release
Lore & Background
The album was submitted to Warner Bros. Records in 1996, complete with artwork at the same time as Chaos and Disorder, but released three years later, shortly before Prince's Arista album release Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. The album was recorded from 1985 through 1996. It was the last album to be released by Warner Bros. to fulfill his 1992 contract obligations.
Reader's Guide
Fans often complain that the songs have been overworked and watered down from the original versions that can be heard on various bootlegs, particularly 'Old Friends 4 Sale'. Little promotion was done in the United States or United Kingdom to support the album. 'Extraordinary' was occasionally performed during his 2002 One Nite Alone... Tour.
Did You Know?
- The album debuted and peaked at position eighty-five on the Billboard 200 in the United States.
- In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number forty-seven, becoming his highest charting album since Emancipation (1996).
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