Prince may not be on this mortal realm with us, but he left behind an immense archive of work that is still being released to the public, reminding us of the limitlessness of his creativity. Last week, his estate released the album Timeless, which has sparked some controversy with its album credits.
Timeless was advertised as a collection of original recordings from 1977 to 2016, which implies that these tracks were untouched or unfinished following Prince's death. But, trombonist Greg Boyer shared on Facebook that he contributed his horn part to the song “Calabama" this year. (Prince recorded the original version of "Calabama" in 2003.) This new information contradicted the Prince estate's claim that these tracks are all original recordings.
On Tuesday, Charles Spicer Jr., coprincipal of Prince Legacy LLC, released an apology. “I want to correct something I stated earlier,” he wrote. “I stated that nothing had been edited or added to ‘Calabama.’ I’ve since confirmed that the released version includes additional horns, so that statement was not accurate, and I will take responsibility for what I stated.”
Now, Prince's label has released a longer statement regarding the whole scenario, confirming that the horns were dubbed over an initial synth filler and that "Calabama" is the only song on Timeless that used overdubs.
Read the full statement below:
Dear Friends, Fams and All,
As concerns have arisen regarding the credits, timing and arrangement of Prince's song "Calabama," which appeared on Timeless, we are respectfully responding to provide more context and clarity.
At the bridge of "Calabama," Prince's vocal calls out twice for "horns," but the archived multitrack featured a synthesizer filling that space, which horn players later dubbed. Consistent with Prince's songwriting and production approach on numerous previous recordings, a group of horn players who played with Prince were assembled to overdub Prince's synthesizer track with the intended horn line, and this version was released on Timeless.
All of Prince's original recorded parts remain intact, with trombone, saxophone, and trumpet added by Greg Boyer, Adrian Crutchfield, and Lynn Grissett. These musicians had close ties to Prince and were credited on the album packaging, despite some claims to the contrary. Except for "Calabama," no overdubs were used on any other recording for Timeless, posthumously. Of course, no Al was used on any Prince music.
Going forward, we plan to provide even more details regarding the release of the music. Prince's Vault is an archive of massive size and historical depth. The recordings come in a variety of forms, many of which are simply unfinished. This should not prevent them from being released.
Some may object to the completion of the unfinished portion of "Calabama" (even using Prince's hand- picked musicians and aligned with his creative intent) while others have been very supportive of it and the music overall (which we thank you). We understand not everyone will agree on every decision made regarding Prince music and business matters yet your passion, knowledge, and thoughtful questions are appreciated.
In closing, no one or two individuals are responsible for the business of Prince and we all wish to foster healthy communications within the Prince community. While it is fair to ask probing questions and assert your sentiments and perspectives on matters related to Prince, it is best done with kindness and respect along with Prince's well known values of "Love For One Another."
Stay tuned; more to come and soon.
