Sign O’ The Times

Warner Bros. Records

Prince isn’t a star, he’s an event.

The release of Sign O’ The Times heralded Prince’s first album since disbanding the Revolution in October 1986 – the result of which causing much of the original content to be reworked, although members of the Revolution still feature in the configuration of the finished album (and entirely in It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night – recorded during a live show at Le Zenith in Paris, 25 August 1986, and which would happen to be the Revolution’s final track recorded as a group).

The Sign O’ The Times album is the culmination of a project resulting from the evolution of three previous albums. The initial sessions were began in the first half of 1986, recorded predominately at his home studio at 7141 Galpin Blvd., Chanhassen, in which Prince worked on an 18-track double album named Dream Factory. Prince had been unable to record at his new home studio for nearly a year due to the filming in France for Under The Cherry Moon. On his return to the US in late November 1985, and as the home studio was still not fully fitted out he based himself in Hollywood to begin recording tracks for Dream Factory. On his return to Minnesota in March 1986, Prince threw himself to work at the new studio, recording throughout the summer. However, by the time Dream Factory was complete the Revolution had been disbanded and caused the project to be abandoned. That October, Prince completed an entirely new 8-track album named Camille, which he laid down at Sunset Sound. Yet in early 1987, Prince decided to revisit the Dream Factory material, and reconfigured the tracks of both albums into a 22-track triple LP named Crystal Ball, with all the songs credited to Prince but under his new pseudonym Camille. When passing its master tape to Warner Brothers the label felt that the sheer number of tracks proposed for the release would sell better if reduced to a double album. Prince reluctantly obliged and again reworked the configuration, which was completed in January 1987. These shortlisted songs saw the project yet again renamed, to Sign O’ The Times (stylized as Sign “☮” The Times).

Sign O’ The Times has since become Prince’s most critically acclaimed work, but sold just 1.8 million copies in the US and 1.3 million elsewhere. On 2 July 1987 the album was certified Platinum by RIAA, and was later ranked by UK The Times newspaper number 23 in its list of the top albums of all time. Rolling Stone ranked it at #45 in their version of that list. The album received three Grammy nominations in 1987 but saw no wins. Those nominations were: Album Of The Year, and Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for U Got The Look – the final song recorded for the album.

Prince | Sign O The Times — Photography by Olivier Boitet

Part of tour supporting was filmed for the concert movie Sign O’ The Times, with additional scenes staged at Prince’s newly completed and personal studio complex Paisley Park. The segment for U Got The Look was shot on stage in Paris, when Sheena Easton happened to be making a guest appearance at the live show. 1986 is considered the peak year of Prince’s creativity, in which he worked on three albums of his own plus three others for his side-projects Jill Jones, Madhouse and Sheila E. Sign O’ The Times was remastered and reissued on 25 September 2020 as a 9-disk set titled Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition.

Cover story

The eclectic and iconic cover photo of Sign O’ The Times is a shot of the stage set for the Sign O’ The Times Tour captured at Prince’s rented warehouse at 6953 Washington Avenue in Edina, Minnesota. Oddly included and positioned just above Prince’s left shoulder, at close inspection can be seen a white box of Golden Dragon Inc. fortune cookies. The background itself is a backdrop borrowed from Chanhassen Dinner Theatres production of Guys And Dolls (while this backdrop was returned, the concept was recreated with real neon lights for the tour itself). Prince is not superimposed in the foreground, but photographer Jeff Katz sat Prince on a box positioned so close to the camera he is slightly out of focus.

Performers

All Instruments: Prince
Drums: Bobby Z. ^{It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night}
Guitar: Wendy Melvoin ^{Slow Love}; Miko Weaver ^{It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night}
Keyboards: Lisa Coleman ^{It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night}; Matt "Dr." Fink ^{It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night}
Bass Guitar: Brownmark ^{It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night}
Percussion: Shelia E. ^{It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night, U Got The Look}
Saxophone: Eric Leeds
Trumpet: Matthew Blistan "Atlanta Bliss"

Data

Production

Prince

Label

Paisley Park Records

Distribution

Warner Bros. Records

Cover/Design

Jeff Katz and Laura LiPuma

Released

34 years, 0 months ago on 30 March 1987

Reissued

25 September 2020 as Reissued as Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition

Running Time

79:58

US Chart Peak

UK Chart Peak

Prince Album

Orig. Formats

Tracklist

Disk 1

Sign O' The Times (5:02) ¹
Play In The Sunshine (5:05)
Housequake [Prince as Camille] (4:34)
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker (4:04)
It (5:10)
Starfish And Coffee (2:51) ²
Slow Love (4:18) ³
Hot Thing (5:39)
Forever In My Life (3:38)

Running Time: 39:33

Disk 2

U Got The Look [Prince as Camille; duet with Sheena Easton] (3:58) ¹
If I Was Your Girlfriend [Prince as Camille] (4:54) ¹
Strange Relationship [Prince as Camille] (4:04)
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (6:31) ¹
The Cross (4:46)
It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night [feat. Jill Jones and Susannah Melvoin] (8:59)
Adore (6:29) ⁴

Running Time: 30:15

Formats

I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (6:31)
Hot Thing [Edit] (3:40)
Hot Thing [Extended Remix] (8:32)
Hot Thing [Dub Version] (6:53)

Supporting tour

Sign O’ The Times Tour

1987

34 shows from 8 May to 29 June, 1987

Sign O’ The Times – review

Sign O’ The Times provides Prince the pinnacle point of his music making career. This double album, Prince’s second, contains his most diverse work of which is really comprises his unsurpassed masterpiece. Will Prince ever emulate it? Could he? I risk discrediting this entire website had I not rained on this album considerable paeans of praise and thankfully bucketing heaps of much approval on this album could not be more easier a task. The lyrics to the title track are a work of art, serving as the quintessential time capsule of social commentary to modern day woes. Immerse yourself into the beat of It, the power of The Cross, the pop of U Got The Look, the smoothness of The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, the thoroughly electric Housequake, the sweetness of Adore, the energy of Hot Thing and end with the amazing crescendo of I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man. There are too many favorites to list here but save If I was Your Girlfriend until the early hours: listen to it loud and in complete darkness and discover its majesty. That’s not even the half of it. Sign O’ The Times is a mature, thoughtful and majestic tour de force of an album, which from the first and haunting notes cuts so deep into your soul if this is the last album you ever here your exploration is complete. To put it simply Sign O’ The Times is Prince’s finest achievement.