Prince's career is littered with abandoned projects and unreleased albums. When you're as prolific as he is, it is inevitable and thankfully for fans, many of those recordings found their way out from his Vault through various means. Collectors are of course familiar with such unreleased albums as "Camille", "The Dream Factory" and the original 1986 "Crystal Ball", but less is known about 2000's "High".
Prince announced the completion of "High" in August of 2000 on his now abandoned official website, but even though speculated tracklists have emerged, there is no definitive agreement on what the final tracklist of the album would have been. Most of the tracks that would have made up the album are known however, and after Prince scrapped the project, the "High" songs became key to help launch his NPG Music Club download service.
Starting with the first edition of the NPG Music Club in February 2001, Prince sprinkled songs off "High" into the "NPG Ahdio" shows and as individual downloads throughout the first year of the club. In fact, all of the songs believed to make up the album saw release through the NPGMC, there is just not a consensus as to what running order they would have had on the album. Most of the tracks were then also included between the two download only albums Prince released in 2004, "The Chocolate Invasion" and "The Slaughterhouse".
Here we have a bootleg release called "High", but it needs to be clear this is just a compilation of a lot of the songs believed to make up the album. This is in no way the official tracklisting. It still makes for a very enjoyable listen for one reason. Most of this material was very strong and it sadly was really only heard by the diehard fans who joined the music club. And since these were all officially released as downloads, the sound quality is excellent as well.
The artwork is designed to look like an official release. It even claims to be put out by NPG Records, but some of the mangled English on the back cover gives away its true origin. Still, if you have never heard any of this material it makes a great starting point given the sound quality. And with Prince's Music Club long since shut down, bootlegs or fans who have the original files and are willing to send them are about the only way to get ahold of these tracks anymore.
Going back and revisiting these songs for the first time in years has been quite a treat. Prince was definitely on to an updated sound during this period. Rock and guitar was definitely out, and there was a heavy emphasis on grooves, beats, electronics and bass. He seemed to be making a concerted effort to reclaim his R&B and funk roots with the "High" material and it is a real shame it was not more widely released. Also of note is the explicitness of some of the material. Prince was right in the middle of his conversion to the Jehovah's Witness faith ("The Rainbow Children" would see release in October of 2001), but a number of the tracks here contain lines he definitely would not release today. Here is a look at the tracks that make up this bootleg version of "High":
"High" - A shuffling beat and a boastful Prince claiming his music will "Get U High", surely intended to be a single. The chorus is unquestionably catchy and radio friendly.
"My Medallion" - A funny, funky track about "1 of those girls that's just bad" who snatches his medallion, calls him a bitch and runs off prompting Prince to track her down to get his precious jewelry back. The story is hilarious and I long to hear Prince this loose on record again. A stop start beat and booming bassline carry this one. It is believed this track would have been on the "High" album.
"Vavoom" - A much more standard rock/pop track, this one calls to mind elements of a song like "Cream". One of the more guitar heavy songs on here, although this likely would not have been on the official "High" album.
"Sexmesexmenot" - An electronic groove, Prince instructs his female target to "leave ur sister & ur underwear at home" before telling her to "make a brother happy...on your knees." As I mentioned, these type of lyrics became few and far between once Prince embraced the Jehovah's Witness faith.
"Golden Parachute" - A laid back, jazzy groove featuring Najee on flute. This is Prince taking on the record company executives he had been battling with for years. "Here's 50 million dollars, go and leave us alone/In appreciation 4 all the creations we now own" he bitterly sings before touching on intellectual property rights and the entire, in his view, corrupt music business.
"When Will We B Paid?" - This intense cover of the Staple Singers song was released on a CD single in 2001. Prince is in full outrage mode here, with some stinging guitar work and an emotional vocal performance.
"Gamillah" - Released in 2001 on a very limited CD single, this is basically Prince doing smooth jazz. Najee is again featured, while Prince leads the way on guitar and piano.
"Supercute" - No doubt in my mind, this should have seen wide release as a single. As catchy a chorus as Prince had done in years, it was relegated to another limited CD single sold only at concerts. The last verse about the sex toys his girl uses and the line "bzzzz goes the toy against her curly hair" probably would have kept this off the radio though in this form.
"Underneath The Cream" - There is little room for imagination as to what this song is about. Prince sings "thinking about ur thighs, wishing I was somewhere in between" in the second line of the song, then proceeds to continue the seduction from there. Another laid back, slow groove, this was also released on a limited, concert only, CD single.
"The Daisy Chain" - Originally credited to the New Power Generation on another limited CD single, this track features Larry Graham on bass, and the annoying white rapper DVS that Prince clearly hoped was his own personal Eminem. It's still an incredibly funky groove, if only DVS' contributions could be edited off.
"Silicon" - Opening with the line "Welcome 2 The Slaughterhouse", this is an absolute highlight. His vocals are often electronically altered, over a fierce Linn drum beat mixed with a keyboard that almost sounds like the line from "Controversy". The lyrical content can be tough to follow, although he takes clear shots at eating meat and dietary choices in general, but don't let that deter you from this one. A classic from this period.
"U Make My Sun Shine" - A duet with Angie Stone that was released as a commercial single, and seems to have been the planned first single from "High". Although it does boast a pretty melody and is very much in the gospel realm, this is a rather ordinary ballad when stacked up against Prince's catalog of classic ballads.
"When Eye Lay My Hands On U" - A dark, guitar heavy rock track, again indicative of the refreshing sounds Prince was dabbling in during this time. This is another song that deserved wider release, although it was given away for free as the first introduction to the NPG Music Club. Prince still performs this live on occasion.
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