Prince Estate Confirms ‘1999’ Deluxe Reissue Coming Soon
A reissue of Prince’s 1982 commercial breakthrough 1999 is to be released this year, it was revealed in a statement about the future of Paisley Park.
Management of the premises will be handed over to his family – with the Comerica financial services company overseeing the work as disputes over his property continue – as of Oct. 1, when a deal with Graceland Holdings comes to an end.
The Star Tribune reported that, among other projects, a “deluxe 1999” was “due this year.” The release would come via contracts with Warners and Sony. No details were released to accompany the news.
“A new Paisley Park executive director will be named, and two longtime Prince associates, Trevor Guy and Kirk Johnson, will likely continue in their roles as creative adviser and Paisley Park estate manager, respectively,” the report said. “They had been working with Prince on the idea of converting the 65,000-square foot studios into a part-time museum.”
“It was always the intent for the family to take over,” said outgoing managing partner Joel Weinshanker, who’d helmed P Park Management Inc., a division of Graceland Holdings – which also manages the home of Elvis Presley. “It’s always been my desire for the heirs’ voice to become louder and louder.”
Prince’s oldest surviving sibling, Sharon Nelson, confirmed that the new management arrangement was as a result of the contract’s expiration date and not because of any further disagreements. A spokesperson for the estate said the organization was “committed to continued growth and development of Paisley Park, passionately presenting Prince’s life and work and connecting authentically with his fans – both old and new – each and every day.”
When the 1999 reissue arrives, it will be the second major archival reissue of Prince's catalog. In 2017, his estate put out a Deluxe Edition of Purple Rain that contained two CDs of rare and unreleased material and a DVD of a concert from that tour. It was believed that the project had been in the works before his death.
On Sept. 13, Chaos and Disorder, Emancipation and The Versace Experience: Prelude 2 Gold -- the latter a promo-only cassette -- will be re-issued on CD and, for the first time ever, vinyl.