Maps of Music

Xpectation (2003)

Where the lyrics of Xpectation take you, and where it was really made.

Xpectation was announced with no notice and released with no formal artwork, as an MP3 download to members of a fan club.

Key places

Recording site: Paisley Park (2003)

Recording site Paisley Park Studios — The album's recording location is listed as Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The point marks the studio area of the site. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Xpectation (subtitled "New Directions in Music By Prince"): Prince's twenty-sixth studio album
• Released 1 January 2003 by NPG Records
• First instrumental album released under Prince's own name
• Released as an MP3 download with no formal artwork

Background

• Previously unannounced
• Released on New Year's Day 2003 to members of the NPG Music Club
• Came only two weeks after the commercial release of the previous album, One Nite Alone... Live!
• All songs written by Prince

Recording

• Musicians: Prince on keyboards and guitar, John Blackwell on drums, Rhonda Smith on bass guitar, Candy Dulfer on saxophone, Vanessa Mae on violin
• Recording location listed as Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota

Cover

• Artwork by Sam Jennings
• The artwork was not part of the 2003 release and was first officially released in September 2015

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Prince Rogers Nelson, born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota; died April 21, 2016 at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
• Signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1977 at age 18; first album For You released April 7, 1978.
• Career spanned funk, rock, R&B and pop, with estimated sales over 100 million records.

Career

• Breakthrough with Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982).
• Purple Rain (1984) made him the first singer to hold the number-one film, album and single in the US at the same time.
• Sign o' the Times (1987) is widely considered his greatest work.
• Changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993, becoming known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince; reverted to Prince in 2000.
• Won seven Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released as an MP3 download to NPG Music Club members on New Year's Day 2003
• Came with no formal artwork
• Came two weeks after the commercial release of One Nite Alone... Live!
• Critical reviews of the album are not listed in the source

Reappraisal

• In 2004 the album was released through the NPG Music Club's Musicology Download Store
• In September 2015 a digital lossless version was made available through the streaming service Tidal, with the artwork by Sam Jennings officially released at the same time

Records

• No chart positions, sales figures, certifications or awards are listed in the source
• The release history is the main documented record of the album's distribution

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was previously unannounced and first reached listeners as a download for fan club members.
• It was released with no formal artwork, and its cover art by Sam Jennings only became officially available in 2015.
• Five musicians are credited: Prince, John Blackwell, Rhonda Smith, Candy Dulfer and Vanessa Mae.
• The album was made available again in 2004 through the NPG Music Club's Musicology Download Store.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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