1999: The New Master is an EP of newly recorded versions of Prince's 1982 hit "1999". The EP was released in the year 1999 to take advantage of the song's namesake year. Using the original tracks, Prince added additional music, as well as contributions from a new lineup suspiciously resembling the New Power Generation, including Rosie Gaines, Larry Graham and Doug E. Fresh. The EP was released in the US on CD, as well as a rare purple vinyl 12-inch.
| 1999: The New Master | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by Prince and the Revolution | ||||
| Released | February 2, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||
| Studio | Paisley Park | |||
| Genre | Rock, pop, funk, soul | |||
| Length | 34:12 | |||
| Label | NPG | |||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince and the Revolution chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[2] |
Although Prince was still going by his unpronounceable, symbolic moniker at the time, he released the EP as "Prince and the Revolution", with the word Revolution written in reverse, as it had been on the original 1999 album cover. The Revolution members on the original track (Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson) did not participate in the re-recording, however. In fact, "The Inevitable Mix" of the track cut out the original members altogether and replaced them with Graham and Gaines. Three of the tracks had very little to do with "1999" at all: "Keep Steppin'" and "Rosie & Doug E. In a Deep House" were little more than opportunities for Fresh to rap and Gaines to scat, and the track titled "Rosario" features actress Rosario Dawson performing a political spoken word over the chords of "Little Red Corvette".
The original track has since been released on two hits compilations by Warner Bros.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "1999" (The New Master) | 7:09 |
| 2. | "Rosario" (1999) | 1:19 |
| 3. | "1999" (The Inevitable Mix) | 5:46 |
| 4. | "1999" (Keep Steppin') | 4:33 |
| 5. | "1999" (Rosie & Doug E. In a Deep House) | 6:23 |
| 6. | "1999" (The New Master: Single Edit) | 4:30 |
| 7. | "1999" (a cappella) | 5:11 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[3] | 150 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4] | 58 |
References
edit- ^ 1999: The New Master at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ Tom Sinclair (1999-02-12). "1999: The New Master Review". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-23. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ "Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
External links
edit- Press Release for 1999: The New Master Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine at The Free Library