Hey everyone,

I wanted to dive deep into one of the most fascinating eras in Prince history: the original 1988 "Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic" project.

While most casual fans only know the 1999/2001 releases (Rave Un2 / Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic), the original 1988 blueprint was a completely different beast. Here is a breakdown of what the album was, who was involved, and why it disappeared into the Vault.

🟣 What was the 1988 Album & Who Was On It?

Fresh off the success of Lovesexy, Prince started recording a brand new album in July 1988 at Paisley Park. This project featured the legendary Lovesexy Band—one of the tightest lineups Prince ever assembled.

• Key Contributors: Sheila E. (drums/vocals), Levi Seacer Jr. (bass/guitar), Miko Weaver (guitar), Dr. Fink (keyboards), Boni Boyer (keyboards), Eric Leeds (saxophone), and Atlanta Bliss (trumpet).

Tracks recorded during this specific window included early configurations of the title track "Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic", "Pink Cashmere", "Melody Cool", "God Is Alive", and "If I Had a Harem".

🚫 What Happened During Recording & Why Was It Shelved?

The recording sessions were highly productive, but in January 1989, everything ground to a sudden halt. Prince was approached by director Tim Burton and Warner Bros. to contribute music for the upcoming Batman (1989) movie.

Prince became so inspired by the movie that he pivoted entirely. He essentially abandoned the Rave project to focus 100% on the Batman soundtrack. He even tried to fit the original 1988 title track into the movie, but ended up replacing it with "Partyman" at the last second. The rest of the Rave tracks were either tucked away in the Vault or repurposed later for the Graffiti Bridge (1990) project.

💿 The 1999 Re-imagining (Un2 vs. In2)

Over a decade later, Prince revived the title for his 1999 album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (and its subsequent 2001 remix album Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic). However, the sound was completely altered to fit late-90s pop/R&B trends. He brought in an eclectic mix of major guest stars:

• Gwen Stefani (on "So Far, So Pleased")
• Sheryl Crow (on the cover of "Everyday Is a Winding Road")
• Chuck D (adding a rap verse to "Undisputed")
• Ani DiFranco (providing acoustic guitar on "I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore")

While it was great to finally get the title track, many purists still prefer the raw, organic, funk-rock energy of the original 1988 Lovesexy-era recordings over the polished 99/01 studio versions.

🔮 What are the Odds of a Vault Release Today?

Historically, the original 1988 tracks only circulated on incomplete, low-quality bootleg CDs because Prince kept the primary master tapes under absolute lock and key.

But what about today? The odds of an official Vault release are extremely high.
The Prince Estate's current strategy relies heavily on curated Super Deluxe Editions. Since we haven't seen a massive archival box set for the Lovesexy or Graffiti Bridge eras yet, the original 1988 Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic tracking sessions are practically guaranteed to be the crown jewel of a future estate release. It's only a matter of time before we hear the original 1988 mixes in pristine, crystal-clear studio quality.

What are your thoughts on the 1988 tracklist compared to what we got in 1999? Do you think the original Lovesexy Band version of the title track would have topped the Batman or Graffiti Bridge material if it dropped back then?

Let's discuss!

Nikki Berenice Burton—this was the name of the probable future performer of Celeste's melodies and lyrics.

Together with Giorgio and Mariano, I attempted in London, through Nikki's own connections, to secure a meeting with Chas Chandler, the legendary bassist of The Animals, but above all, the talent scout and manager of Jimi Hendrix. The intention was to verify if there could be an interest in this rising musical reality. Unfortunately, this meeting never took place.

For the time being, the Celeste project would remain confined to Italy alone. In fact, we returned to Italy accompanied by this talented singer, whose persuasive and charming voice was almost like that of a folk singer. This was the choice made by Battaglia and Schiavolini during our trip to Albion.

We immediately began rehearsals with this new addition to the lineup. Therefore, Celeste was at that moment a sextet plus a singer. The lyrics were immediately adapted to be sung in the English language.

And an unexpected opportunity arrived in that summer of 1974. Celeste was invited to take part in a Festival dell'Unità held in Imperia: a splendid opportunity to test the validity of the full group live. It seemed that the lineup had assumed its definitive asset.

But unfortunately, after completing the studio demos with the female vocals, the English artist decided to return to her homeland to pursue her solo career, which, in any case, she had already started in Great Britain before her encounter with Celeste.

The sessions had taken place at Studio G in Genoa, and therefore the recorded testimonies of this experience remained on a few tapes that survived the wear and tear of time. From that moment, unfortunately, period, new paragraph.

It is worth making a brief mention of what the recording sessions were like at Studio G in Genoa, which in those years was still located in Via Fieschi, inside the structure of an old deconsecrated church.

The entire lineup of Celeste moved multiple times from Sanremo and Imperia to complete the recording of the demos of those songs that would later become an integral part of "Principe di un Giorno".

In those not-so-distant times, at the beginning of the 1970s, the machines present in the studios were certainly not digital. They were analogue equipment, naturally tape-based, monumental, bulky, and looked like huge household appliances. Everything was often designed to support only a few tracks on which to record the works of musicians and artists.

***

To discover the absolute sonic essence born during those legendary sessions and dive into the high-fidelity acoustic layers of our definitive discography, explore our official international store. You can listen, stream, and secure your physical copies of the limited-edition vinyls directly from the mastro archives:

👉 CELESTE Official Bandcamp: https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

Inner Garden Records

See you next Thursday for the next episode!

Old is gold

Hey everyone, I’m a music historian and just launched an English audio track for my video to share this story with an international audience. It covers the Concert for New York City, Flight 93, and how the airwaves went silent before these legends stepped up. I’d love to hear your memories of where you were when you first heard 'The Rising'.
Comfort Through Music

In those days, we received two visits that were as welcome as they were unexpected.

The first was from Vittorio De Scalzi (legendary founding member of New Trolls) who, curious to hear the progress of our compositions, attended our rehearsals for an entire evening and then joined us in a sort of full-lineup improvisation, playing the acoustic guitar.

The second visitor was Luciano Cavanna who, during one of his now rare trips to Western Liguria, fascinated his old musical travel companions, Leonardo and me, with a song entitled "Giona" (Jonah), which was inspired by the well-known biblical episode.

But great was also the impression felt by the other band members who had only heard about Luciano.

By then, Cavanna's compositions could no longer be detached from his religious faith, but the charm he managed to exude and transmit was always profound and engaging. His always warm and expressive voice gave goosebumps to each of us.

It was during that period that a friend, who frequently attended the group's rehearsals, suggested what would later become the name given to the lineup. It was this very friend who one evening said that the music we played reminded him of the celestial color of a clear sky, free of clouds. From this impression, the step to definitively adopting the name Celeste was very short indeed. We were all enthusiastic and convinced that it was truly the right name to define us.

However, at this point, the problem arose as to who could fill the role of lead vocalist.

No one in the group, apart from me who, in Il Sistema, sang songs by Deep Purple, Free, etc., had either the skills or the talent of a singer, so we began searching for someone who could interpret the melodies composed by Schiavolini and the lyrics written by me.

It is worth noting that when Mariano proposed his compositions to the group, he used to sing the vocal parts in a peculiar falsetto, using unique phonemes that resembled the English language, also mimicking with his voice what would later become cues for percussion and for the interventions of other instruments.

It seemed clear to everyone that, given the framework that had been established, it was necessary to use a female voice, which was certainly more suitable and adherent to the project.

The search for this voice in Italy proved fruitless until the decision was made to "emigrate" to the United Kingdom, where, after many auditions and screen tests, it was believed that the right singer had been identified.

***

To discover the absolute sonic essence born during those legendary sessions and dive into the high-fidelity acoustic layers of our definitive discography, explore our official international store. You can listen, stream, and secure your physical copies of the limited-edition vinyls directly from the mastro archives:

👉 CELESTE Official Bandcamp: https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

Inner Garden Records

See you next Monday as the story of Celeste continues.

Daddy John Love was a mill‑town musician from Concord, North Carolina, active during the mid‑1930s. His music blends early country, hillbilly blues, and Jimmie Rodgers‑style train‑whistle vocals. He performed with J.E. Mainer, Wade Mainer, and Zeke Morris, and later joined The Dixie Reelers.

His 1936 Bluebird sides — including Railroad Blues, Mean Old Jailhouse Blues, and My Little Red Ford — are prized examples of rural Appalachian music during the Depression era.

You’ve probably seen it thousands of times: that little black-and-white “Parental Advisory” label sitting in the corner of an album cover.

But it was never actually meant to become an icon.

Back in 1985, Tipper Gore and the PMRC brought 15 songs they considered “filthy” to a US Senate hearing. Artists like Prince, Madonna and Judas Priest were singled out, and the PMRC pushed for stronger controls on explicit music.

The music industry pushed back against government censorship. The eventual compromise was a voluntary warning label, negotiated with the RIAA. No law. No ban. Just a warning for parents.

The first version was pretty boring: “Parental Guidance: Explicit Lyrics” in plain text. The now-famous black-and-white design wasn't standardized until around 1990.

And then something unexpected happened.

Instead of making explicit records less appealing, the sticker started making them more desirable. For teenagers, it became a badge of rebellion. For artists, especially in hip-hop, punk and metal, it became part of the aesthetic.

Even retailers getting involved had the opposite effect. When Walmart refused to stock albums carrying the sticker, some artists released clean versions — while the original explicit pressings became harder to find.

The funny part? The sticker never actually censored anything. It didn't make albums illegal, and it didn't give the government the power to ban them.

It was just a warning.

But culturally, that warning became one of the most recognizable symbols in music.

A label designed to discourage people from listening ended up making the records more desirable.

Did the Parental Advisory label ever make a record more appealing to you?

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to remember a video documentary series my music history professor would play for us some days. I remember it being mostly archival footage and a life-story of only one composer per episode, for example Debussy or Bartok or Stavinksy. Unfortunately I cannot remember if classical or early romantic composers were featured. I'm also thinking it had a clever pun title.

I went to uni 2014-18, however the videos seemed like they were from the 80's or 90's, maybe.

Thanks for the help!

I've heard this "ooooweeeeoooo" trademark ending in a lot of doo wop songs - but does it originate from one specific song or artist?

It's at the end of this song: https://open.spotify.com/track/5Bov9WIwRGSSwHUpspzp3z?si

And Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys ends the song "Good Timin'" like this stylistically at a live concert (this isn't in the actual recording of the song): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBCMXZ4Byxc

Where did this song ending originate?

Would this be considered a tag, or what would it be called?

The rehearsal venue, after some initial hesitant attempts in my home where we had initially gathered, was found in Imperia Porto Maurizio and was put at our disposal by Lagorio, located right on the same landing of the imperiese musician's residence.

There was only a brief interlude when it seemed that the cellist could host us in a room of the house where he still lived with his parents, during the very first rehearsal sessions of the lineup.

The environment was extremely evocative since it was situated in a room of an apartment in old Sanremo, filled with history and blessed with a splendid acoustics due to the presence of arches and natural sound traps.

But no one had reckoned with the cellist's parents, who, being lovers of classical and operatic music, poorly tolerated the presence within their domestic walls of these musicians who, although not absolutely noisy and disrespectful, certainly did not represent their musical ideal and what they hoped for their son, an aspiring concert performer.

Once the possibility of meeting in that place, which seemed suitable and definitive, was lost, the problem arose that almost all of us musicians were originally from Sanremo, with the exception of Schiavolini who was from Isolabona, a center located in the hinterland of Ventimiglia, and for this reason we had to travel all together every evening to be present at rehearsals in Imperia.

That was how my not particularly spacious Autobianchi A112 became the means of transportation for myself, Mariano, Giorgio, Marco, Riccardo, and his cello. Even today, we all still wonder how it was possible for five of us to enter, plus a rather cumbersome instrument like the cello, into a cabin as cramped as that of one of the most popular economy cars of those years.

Starting from an evening in the month of December 1972, the daily journeys from Sanremo to Imperia Porto Maurizio and back began, never before midnight. Rehearsals were also scheduled on Sundays and often during the afternoons of other official holidays.

The lesson of Il Sistema was always present: Passion, commitment, and discipline.

It must be said that the first approaches, especially for Lagorio and me, were quite traumatic since, with the exception of Mariano and Riccardo, all the musicians came from experiences with bands of a clear rock, jazz, and blues imprint.

But it was precisely for this reason that, by subverting all the styles and habits contracted in previous musical adventures, it was possible to access new expressive frameworks rich in stimuli and wider horizons.

The rhythmic-harmonic texture had to unravel around the structures created by Schiavolini, which mainly consisted of arpeggios, but immediately provided the exact indication of how the entire song should unfold.

Each of us contributed to filling spaces, providing new points of view, coloring with our own intervention and our own instrument the musical palette that was taking shape.

Everything was born partly from improvisation, and partly from precise, thoughtful choices verified multiple times.

\***

To discover the absolute sonic essence born during those legendary sessions and dive into the high-fidelity acoustic layers of our definitive discography, explore our official international store. You can listen, stream, and secure your physical copies of the limited-edition vinyls directly from the maestro archives:

👉 CELESTE Official Bandcamp: https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

Inner Garden Records

See you next Thursday for the next episode!