| Camille | |
|---|---|
 Rare LP copy ofCamille pressed prior to its 1986 cancellation, without cover artwork[1] | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | TBA January 1987 (withdrawn)[2] |
| Recorded | Late 1986 |
| Genre | Funk[3] |
| Label | |
| Producer | Prince |
Camille is the upcoming[4] second posthumous studio album by American musicianPrince. The album was originally recorded in 1986 under thepseudonym Camille, a femininealter ego portrayed by Prince viapitch-shifting his vocals up to anandrogynous register.[3] Prince planned to release the album without any acknowledgement of his identity.[3] The project was initially scrapped several weeks before its planned release, with rare early LP pressings eventually surfacing for auction in 2016;[3] several tracks recorded forCamille were instead included on various other projects, most prominently Prince's 1987 double LPSign o' the Times.
In March 2022,Third Man Records announced that they had received the rights to release the album, with Ben Blackwell (co-founder of the label) saying "Prince’s people agreed – almost too easy." While the label indicated plans to releaseCamille, no release date or method of release has been announced yet.[5][6][7][8] There have been no updates on the release since July 2022.[9]
After abandoning hisDream Factory LP and breaking up his backing bandThe Revolution in mid-1986, Prince entered the studio with engineerSusan Rogers in late October to begin a new project.[10] He began experimenting with his vocals in an artificiallypitched-up style, achieved either by using apitchshifter or by recording his vocals at a slower tempo and then speeding up the tape to create a higher,androgynous tone (he had previously experimented with this technique on his 1984 B-side "Erotic City").[10]
Prince began referring to this new pitched-up voice as a femininealter ego named Camille.[10][11] The sessions commenced with the recording of the dance track "Housequake"[10] and within ten days he had completed enough material for an album,[10] which he planned to release pseudonymously under Camille's name as a self-titled debut.[11] He informed Warner Bros. that his image would not appear on the cover and that he would not acknowledge the album as his own work.[11][12][13] At some point, his plans for Camille also extended to ideas for a movie.[10] It has been suggested that the name was inspired by the 19th century Frenchintersex personHerculine Barbin, who also used the alias Camille and was the subject of the 1985 filmMystère Alexina.[11][14]
By November 5, the album had reached themastering stage and a number of copies were pressed, but Prince abandoned it weeks before its intended release. His reasons for doing so are not entirely clear,[10] though it may have been in part due toWarner Bros.' unwillingness to release an album that would not be attributed to Prince's name.[12] It is unknown how many original printed copies of the album exist,[3] or whether prepared cover artwork was ever finalized, although the catalogue number 25543 was assigned to the release.[10] After shelvingCamille, Prince combined the tracks intended for that album (except "Feel U Up") with other unreleased recordings from the period into the proposed triple albumCrystal Ball.[3] Against his wishes, Warner Bros. forced him to trim the tracklist down to a double album, which becameSign o' the Times (1987). This release included theCamille tracks "Housequake", "If I Was Your Girlfriend", and "Strange Relationship".
The remaining tracks fromCamille would be released through other avenues in subsequent years. "Rebirth of the Flesh" was first released in its original form in 2020 onSign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition. The NPG Music Club made a 1988Lovesexy Tour rehearsal recording available in September 2001. "Feel U Up'" was released in 1989 as the B-side of "Partyman". "Shockadelica," originally written (unsolicited) by Prince as the title track forJesse Johnson's then-forthcoming album titledShockadelica (1986), was later included as a B-side of "If I Was Your Girlfriend". "Good Love" was later released on theBright Lights, Big City film soundtrack in 1988.
Two other songs were credited to Camille after the album project was abandoned. The first was "Scarlet Pussy", which was released as the B-side of the 1988 single "I Wish U Heaven" featuring a black label. The second was "U Got the Look", which appeared onSign o' the Times and was also released as a single. Another song was recorded using Camille vocals called "Cosmic Day", it was released alongside "Rebirth of the Flesh" on the super deluxe edition ofSign o' the Times.[15]
Prince later invoked Camille as the guiding force responsible for his next project,The Black Album (which contained "Rockhard in a Funky Place", again as the final track).[11][16] LikeCamille, this album was also shelved shortly before its intended release after Prince experienced a spiritual epiphany and became convinced it was "evil";[17] he later blamed the album on an entity named Spooky Electric, described as a demonic alter-ego to Camille.[18]
In 2016, a rare LP pressing ofCamille made before its official shelving was put up for auction.[3] The album sold for $58,787.
A super deluxe edition ofSign o' the Times was released on September 25, 2020, which includes outtakes from theDream Factory/Camille/Crystal Ball sessions as bonus tracks.
All tracks are written byPrince, except "Rockhard in a Funky Place" by Prince andEric Leeds.
| No. | Title | Other releases | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rebirth of the Flesh" | Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | 4:54 |
| 2. | "Housequake" | Sign o' the Times | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Strange Relationship" | Sign o' the Times | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Feel U Up" | B-side of "Partyman" The Hits/The B-Sides | 6:27 |
| No. | Title | Other releases | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Shockadelica" | B-side of "If I Was Your Girlfriend" The Hits/The B-Sides Sign o' the Times – Super Deluxe Edition | 6:12 |
| 6. | "Good Love" | Bright Lights, Big City soundtrack Crystal Ball (edited version) | 5:11 |
| 7. | "If I Was Your Girlfriend" | Sign o' the Times | 4:47 |
| 8. | "Rockhard in a Funky Place" | The Black Album | 4:30 |
Credits from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud[19][20][21][22][23]