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Prince’s ‘Musicology,’ ‘3121,’ ‘Planet Earth’ to be reissued on purple vinyl

by Lydia Moran

December 10, 2018

Sony Legacy and the Prince estate have announced the first physical re-release of three major records from the Purple One's mid-2000s output. The records will not contain any unreleased tracks, but they will be pressed on "highly collectible" limited-edition deep purple vinyl.

August saw the streaming release of 23 albums from Prince's NPG Records catalog, this is the first physical re-release (available on both CD and, for the very first time, LP) the estate has produced from a collection of post-1995 titles including 2004's Musicology, 2006's 3121, and 2007's Planet Earth.

Why start with the mid-2000s? Sony Legacy explains, "These three albums marked Prince’s return to the top of the popular mainstream, while simultaneously pushing the industry envelope." The label also notes that this was the era of iconic performances including a duet with Beyoncé at the 2004 Grammys, his induction at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame the same year, and of course 2007's stunning Super Bowl XLI halftime performance.

Musicology, 3121, and Planet Earth are due to be released Feb. 8, and are available for pre-order here.

Lydia Moran is a music and arts writer in Minneapolis.

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