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is the fourteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, released October 13, 1992 on Paisley Park and Warner Bros. Records. Due to its official title being an unpronounceable symbol, which Prince later adopted as his name, the album has been referred to as the Love Symbol Album, or simply Symbol. It is Prince's second album to feature his backing group, The New Power Generation, which received co-billing for the release. The album contains elements of musical styles including funk, R&B, hip hop, jazz, reggae, and synthpop.
The album's first two singles, "My Name Is Prince" and "Sexy MF", achieved modest success on the US pop charts, though both made the top ten in the UK. Conversely, the third single, "7", was not as successful as the first two singles in the UK, but was a top ten hit in the US. The album was originally conceived as a "fantasy rock soap opera" with various spoken segues throughout. However, in a last-minute attempt to add an additional song ("I Wanna Melt with U", which was originally considered to be a B-side to the "7" maxi-single, and which contains several sampled sounds also present in "7"), most of the segues had to be cut for album length. The few that remained were somewhat confusing in context. The album debuts Mayte Garcia, who plays a part in the album's storyline and would become Prince's wife in 1996. Early pressings of the album featured an embossed gold love symbol on the jewel case, while later editions feature it printed on the booklet or not present on either.
3 Chains o' Gold, a direct-to-video film produced and directed by Prince, was released in 1994. The film is based on the plotline and songs of the Love Symbol Album and contained some of the original segues which were planned to be on the album.
User Album Review
The unpronounceable The Artist Formally Known As Prince or Love Symbol Album was the second and last album Prince co-credited to the New Power Generation. Like the preceding Diamonds And Pearls album it takes in many musical genres, however for the Love Symbol Album Prince wrote all the songs and centred them around a theme of his relationship with a princess (played by Mayte).
This is Prince’s first album released under his record-breaking $100m five-,album contract with Warner Brothers. On the initial pressing of the CD the jewel case version is unusual, being embossed with a gold Prince love symbol, the unpronounceable name of the album, which Prince would later also adopt in replacement to his own birth name, due to an on-going dispute with Warner Brothers over the terms of Prince’s contract and the control it placed on his music. The Love Symbol Album was also released as a alternative gold slip-case limited edition. It is certified Platinum by the RIAA.
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