Gold Experience

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Lore & Background

The Gold Experience was released during a turbulent period in Prince's career, as his contractual dispute with Warner Bros. Records overshadowed the album's promotion. According to biographer Jason Draper, the album may have undersold because Prince was losing touch with younger listeners and because the label dispute hurt promotion, which he had done well before release. Nonetheless, critics embraced it. Melody Maker called it Prince's best record in years, while Vibe said it was his best since Sign o' the Times in 1987. Robert Christgau wrote in The Village Voice that it showcased not only unbridled artistry but also "a renewal. It's as sex-obsessed as ever, only with more juice—'Shhh' and '319' especially pack the kind of porno jolt sexy music rarely gets near and hard music never does." He believed its best songs, specifically "Endorphinmachine" and "P Control", "funk and rock as outrageously and originally as anything he's ever recorded". Jon Pareles was less enthusiastic in The New York Times, calling it "a proficient album, not a startling one; most of its songs are variations and retreads of previous Prince efforts." The Gold Experience was voted the 30th best album of 1995 in the Pazz & Jop poll. In a retrospective review, Keith Harris from Blender cited it as the best album Prince recorded in the 1990s, "a mix of newly stripped-down funk and delicate balladry that reasserts his dynamic range".

In Their Own Story

Several people speculated that the song "Billy Jack Bitch" was written about a Minneapolis Star Tribune gossip columnist known as "CJ". Prince denied the song was about the columnist when CJ herself interviewed him. The Japanese broadcast of the K-1 World Grand Prix kickboxing tournament on the Fuji Television network used "Endorphinmachine" as its theme song from 1995 to 2020, and "Gold" as its ending theme. On June 18, 2022, The Gold Experience was reissued for Record Store Day 2022. The reissue on vinyl is a replica of the original translucent gold expanded, limited promo album from 1995. The day prior, the album's CD version was rereleased. This marked the first time the complete album had been reissued following the legal battle over "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World".

Reader's Guide

The Gold Experience sold 500,000 copies in the United States and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200, failing to meet the record label's commercial expectations. The album features Prince on lead vocals, rap, backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, bass, drums, percussion, synthesizers, piano, Fender rhodes piano, and programming. Key collaborators include Mayte (spoken vocals, moans, choruses), Tommy Barbarella (synthesizers), Michael B. (drums), Mr. Hayes (Hammond organ, synthesizers), Sonny T. (bass, vocals), Nona Gaye (co-lead vocals, backing vocals), and a horn section including Brian Gallagher, Kathy Jensen, Dave Jensen, Steve Strand, and Michael B. Nelson. The singles from the album: "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (#3 US, #2 US R&B, #1 UK, #1 Australia), " Hate U" (#12 US, #3 US R&B, #20 UK), and "Gold" (#88 US, #92 US R&B, #10 UK). Another track, "Shhh", charted from a live version performed on The Beautiful Experience TV special in 1994, peaking at #62 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

Did You Know?

• The album was credited to Prince's stage name at the time, an unpronounceable symbol also known as the 'Love Symbol'.
• The song 'Billy Jack Bitch' was speculated to be about a Minneapolis Star Tribune gossip columnist named 'CJ', but Prince denied it when she interviewed him.
• The Japanese broadcast of the K-1 World Grand Prix kickboxing tournament used 'Endorphinmachine' as its theme song from 1995 to 2020.
• The Gold Experience was reissued for Record Store Day 2022 on translucent gold vinyl, a replica of the original limited promo album from 1995.
• Every use of the pronoun 'I' in song titles and liner notes is represented by a stylized '👁' symbol, commonly transliterated as 'Eye' among fans.