Sign O’ The Times

Warner Bros. Records

Prince isn’t a star, he’s an event.

The release of Sign O’ The Times marks Prince’s first album release since his disbanding of the Revolution in October 1986 – the result of which causing much of the content to be reworked, although members of the Revolution still feature in the final configuration of the album (and entirely in It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night – recorded during the live show in Paris, is also their final track recorded as a group).

In 1986 Prince planned to release an 18-track double album named Dream Factory, which later that year became an 8 track album named Camille. By early 1987 this configuration evolved into a 22-track triple album and was again renamed, Crystal Ball, and with all the songs credited to Prince but under the pseudonym Camille. When passing the master tape to Warner Brothers the label felt that the scale proposed for the release would do better reduced to a double album and those shortlisted songs formed this yet again renamed project, Sign O’ The Times (stylized as Sign “☮” The Times).

Sign O’ The Times has since become Prince’s most critically acclaimed work, but it sold just 1.8 million copies in the US and 1.3 million elsewhere. It is certified Platinum by RIAA and is ranked by UK The Times newspaper at number 23 in its list of top albums of all time. Rolling Stone ranked it at #45 in their best albums of all time.

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 his newly completed and personal studio complex Paisley Park, formerly ‘Flying Cloud Warehouse’. The segment for U Got The Look was shot on stage in Paris, as Sheena Easton happened to be making a guest appearance at the live show. The album marks the peak of Prince’s creativity. The album has been remastered and on 25 September 2020 reissued as part of a 9-disk set titled Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition.

Cover story

This eclectic and iconic cover photo is the stage set of the Sign O’ The Times Tour shot at Prince’s rented warehouse. 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 the backdrop borrowed from the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre’s production of Guys And Dolls (while this backdrop was returned, the concept was recreated with real neon lights for the tour). Prince is not superimposed in the foreground, but photographer Jeff Katz had Prince sit on a box and 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

Producer

Prince

Label

Paisley Park Records

Distribution

Warner Bros. Records

Cover/Design

Jeff Katz and Laura LiPuma

Released

33 years, 9 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.