Crystal Ball

Japanese edition of 4CD set released in 1998 and currently out of print domestically. Thirty one tracks in all including 'Dream Factory', 'Lovesign', 'Da Bang', 'Crucial', '18 & Over', 'Get Loose' & 'Goodbye'. Packaged in a standard double jewel case

Call him what you want--Prince, O(+>, TAFKAP, or the Artist: If this massive collection--three archival CDs and a fourth "unplugged" disc--proves anything, it's that music, not his name, is the reason we should still care about Funkytown's most famous musical exponent. Crystal Ball contains moments of unfettered brilliance, including furious jams ("Acknowledge Me," "Interactive," "Da Bang"), sexadelic funk ("Tell Me How U Wanna B Done") and unexpected hilarity ("Movie Star"). There's filler, too, like the mindnumbing vamp "Cloreen Bacon Skin" and the Broadway miscue "Strays of the World," but overall, this set is valuable if only as a rare glimpse inside the little guy's throne room during the height of his purple reign. --Daniel Durchholz