In 1986, Prince completed work on the album Camille. The LP was originally set to be released under the name of Prince’s feminine alter-ego Camille. He would embody the character by using pitched-up vocals and androgynous fashion. After a test pressing, however, it was decided that Camille would be shelved.
Now, thanks to Third Man Records, the long-lost album will finally see the light of day. Speaking with Mojo, label co-founder Ben Blackwell said, “We’re finally going to put it out. Prince’s people agreed—almost too easy.”
Over the years, the eight tracks that make up Camille have been released, although they can be hard to find. “Feel U Up” was released as the B-side to “Partyman” from the Batman soundtrack. “Good Love” was included in the Bright Lights, Big City soundtrack. “Rebirth of the Flesh” came out in 2020 as a part of the super deluxe reissue of Sign o’ the Times. “Rockhard in a Funky Place” landed on The Black Album. “Shockadelica” was the B-side on “If I Was Your Girlfriend.” And finally, the tracks “Housequake” and “Strange Relationship” were included on the original release of Sign ‘o the Times.
Speaking of Sign ‘o the Times, the Alamo Drafthouse is set to screen a 4K restoration of the film next month. After the premiere, the concert film will see a limited theatrical run. The movie captures the band that toured with Prince in support of the album. Most of the filming took place at Paisley Park Studios.
In 2020, the super deluxe reissue of Sign ‘o the Times was issued with unreleased material from Prince’s archives.
Originally released in theaters in the ’80s, it has since been hard to come across, just like Camille.
Are you as excited as we are to get a new Prince album released? Do you think there will be any surprises released with Camille?