"Camille" was one of the many projects Prince left unpublished. Realized in a moment of change of the singer, surrounded of mystery as far as his conception, because for it Prince resorted to the magic and the spiritism in search of a new identiti as artist
Apparently this work was inspired by the 19th century French intersex spirit: "Herculine Barbin", who also used the alias "Camille" and was the subject of the 1985 film Mystère Alexina.
Years later, with the artist (Prince) deceased, a few copies were distributed promotionally without any type of artwork, with only eight his ten original songs with the setlist slightly altered. Here´s the original and complete project.
On August 1986 Prince abandoning his double Lp “Dream Factory”, shortly after breaking up his backing band “The Revolution”. Between September & October, at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California with the engineer: Susan Rogers, recorded a new project. In it, Prince experimenting with his vocals in an artificially pitched-up style, achieved either by using a pitchshifter or by recording his vocals at a slower tempo and then speeding up the tape to create a higher, androgynous tone.
At the end of October he had completed an album which he planned to release pseudonymously under Camille's name as a self-titled debut with next setlist:
Side A: (22:17)
1.- Rebirth of the Flesh.(4:57)
2.- Housequake.(4:29)
3.- Scarlet Pussy.(4:15)
4.- Shockadelica.(3:29)
5.- Good Love.(5:05)
Side B: (21:30)
1.- U Got The Look.(4:16)
2.-If I Was A Girlfriend.(4:47)
3.- Strange Relationship.(4:21)
4.-Feel U Up.(3:42)
5.- Rock In A Funky Place.(4:22)
But a few days later, on November 5, Prince edit the album once again leaving it with only eight songs, removing: “Scarlet Pussy", which was released as the B-side of the 1988 single "I Wish U Heaven" and “U Got the Look”, also released later in 1987 as a single from double LP “Sign o' the Times”:
Side A: 1.-Rebirth of the Flesh. 2.-Housequake. 3.-Strange Relationship. 4.-Feel U Up.
Side B: 1.-Shockadelica. 2.-Good Love. 3.-If I Was A Girlfriend. 4.-Rock In A Funky Place.
With this new set list, the project with catalogue number 1-25543, was planned for January 1987, preceded by the single: “Shockadelica / Housequake”, But was canceled. Why?. It seems that there were several reasons, one of them tell us: Prince informed Warner Bros. that his image would not appear on the cover and that he would not acknowledge the album as his own work; something that Warner´s executives did not like to and everything indicates this could be the main reason.
Although there is another version that says: Prince had gotten involved in somewhat dark matters of spirits and magic, Camille Bit.ly/88PCC was really a spirit that had possessed the singer, but this entity had abandoned it before that he finished the project, when Prince returned to himself, he had lost interest in publishing this new work dictated from another dimension.
Prince later invoked, once again to Camille for new future project, but the singer this time was possessed by a more demonic entity named “Spooky Electric”. Which led him to a new project:“The Black album” (released in 1994).
Or maybe the solution is simpler than all of the above, without that nothing said was not true: Prince instead decided to expand on the project by incorporating new tracks, resulting in the three-disc set “Cristal Ball”.
Whatever it was,"Camille" was suspended and when the project was developed into "Crystal Ball", (1st sequenced on 30 November 1986), seven of the eight tracks were kept, only "Feel U Up" was removed. But when Warner forced to Prince to reduce the content of the project to two discs, only four tracks were survived: "Housequake"; “If I Was Your Girlfriwnd” & “Strange Relationship” recorded in 1982; with “U Got The Look”. This new work was renamed as: “Sign o' the Times”.
Others songs from this unreleased project, (I speak of “Camille”), as: "Shockadelica," was later included as a B-side of "If I Was Your Girlfriend". "Good Love" was later released on the "Bright Lights, Big City" film soundtrack in 1988. "Feel U Up'" recorded in 1981,was released in 1989 as the B-side of "Partyman". The opening track "Rebirth of the Flesh,", released: 28 August 2001 - NPG Music Club Edition # 8 mp3 download.
Photo: Although "Camille" never had a final cover, if there were several sketches, one of them a stick figure with X's for eyes or the model (Cat Glover) - professional choreographer, backing vocalist and dancer on "the Sign o' the Times Tour" and "Lovesexy Tour" - with a head of heart, photos later used in the video "U got the look", or in the double Lp: “Sing O´The Times”. Here I used the second.
That´s all. Enjoy a very good album that Prince should have published officially, in its full version that I bring here.
See you soon.