The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale

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. 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.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the studio is thick with the smell of ozone and old tape reels. A young producer sits at the mixing board, headphones on, listening to a track that was never meant for the public ear. The guitar riff is jagged, the vocals raw and unpolished, yet there is an undeniable spark of genius in the chaos. 'This one,' he whispers, 'this one stays in the vault.' Decades later, that same tape spins again, bridging the gap between a forgotten moment and a timeless legacy.

Reader's Guide

The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics. In a fairly positive review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it 'an unassuming, jazzy little record that's damn near irresistible.' Entertainment Weekly's Marc Weingarten stated it 'sounds more committed than a lot of his indie releases.' Mixed reviews noted a lack of cohesive musical theme and criticized the selection of material. Commercially, the album peaked at number 85 on the US Billboard 200 and at number 47 in the UK, becoming his highest charting album there since Emancipation (1996). It was somewhat successful in the Netherlands, peaking at number 16.

Did You Know?

• The album was recorded over an 11-year period, from 1985 through 1996.
• It was Prince's first release with Warner Bros. since Chaos and Disorder (1996).
• The promotional single 'Extraordinary' was occasionally performed during his 2002 One Nite Alone... Tour.
• Four promotional singles were released: 'Extraordinary', 'The Rest of My Life' (Japan), '5 Women' (Germany), and 'It's About That Walk' (Germany).