Prince sings "A case of you" by Joni Mitchell

[MarathonMike]

Very cool interpretation. I always liked this Joni Mitchell song and didn't realize Prince covered it:

 

[waltky]

Who's yer daddy?...

Prince death: Judge snubs claims by 29 would-be heirs
Fri, 29 Jul 2016 - A judge in the US state of Minnesota dismisses claims by 29 people who said they were Prince's heirs, including five men who said they were his father.

The singer died in April from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl, but he did not leave a will and did not have any children. Reports in Minnesota say his estate may be worth at least $300m (£227m). A judge has now ordered genetic tests to be carried out on six people with claims to be relatives of the singer. Four siblings or half-siblings, as well as two women believed to be a niece and a grand-niece, will be tested. Genetic tests had already ruled out the claim of a man in jail in Colorado who said he was Prince's son.

And, as part of the latest ruling, Judge Kevin Eide decided a claim by a Georgia woman, who said she and Prince were once married, was not valid. She had said the CIA was keeping their marriage record secret. Minneapolis' Star Tribune newspaper said the case was thrown out against five men who said they were Prince's father. Prince was found unresponsive in a lift at his Paisley Park Studios on the morning of 21 April, local officials said. First responders tried to revive him with CPR but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Prescription painkillers were in the 57-year-old's possession following his death, officials told US media in May. He is believed to have suffered from knee and hip pain from years of performing. According to the autopsy report, Prince self-administered fentanyl, an opioid many times more powerful than heroin. A singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, Prince recorded more than 30 albums. His best known hits include Let's Go Crazy and When Doves Cry.

Prince death: Judge snubs claims by 29 would-be heirs - BBC News

 

[waltky]

Prince left behind a treasure trove of unreleased music...

Prince's vault of unreleased music on sale for $35m
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 - Pop star Prince's much-vaunted "vault" of unreleased music is offered for sale, according to US reports.

The trove contains songs like Rebirth of the Flesh, Electric Intercourse and Extraloveable - which have been widely bootlegged, but never formally issued. It also contains hundreds of hours of live recordings and concert footage. All three major labels are understood to be in talks over the material, according to Billboard magazine. Quoting an unnamed source, the magazine said a deluxe edition of Purple Rain - which was announced in 2014 but never materialised - was now likely to be released in 2017.

A new greatest hits compilation is also due before the end of the year. The infamous vault is tucked away in the basement of Prince's Paisley Park home in Minneapolis. Accessible by lift, it is a climate-controlled room hidden behind a steel door, complete with a combination lock and large spinning handle. The late singer was the only person with the code to open the safe. When he died in April, it had to be drilled open by the company responsible for his estate.

'Comical songs'

According to the singer's former recording engineer Susan Rodgers, who started the vault for Prince during the 1980s, the facility was almost full when she left in 1987, with songs in there that pre-date his legendary Purple Rain album. She said the tapes contained everything from late-night jam sessions to intensely personal songs that the artist felt uncomfortable releasing. "If he wasn't taking care of conducting business... or if he wasn't dating or seeing someone socially, which would be less often than you might think, for the most part, Prince had an instrument in his hands and he was playing music," she said. Brent Fischer, who composed string arrangements for the star alongside his father Clare, said the archives were vast. "I think over 70% of the music we've worked on for Prince is yet to be released," he told the BBC. "There are lot of songs that were sent to us clearly with the idea that they would never be released. They were almost comical songs that he would work out with his horn players. There was lot of wild horn parts and experimentation with samples."

However, the ownership of the music is unclear. Much of the material was recorded when Prince was under contract to Warner Bros, and he subsequently signed one-off deals with every other major label, several independents and Jay-Z's Tidal streaming service. The musician died from an overdose of the painkiller fentanyl in April without leaving a will. Courts have still to decide how to divide up his estate, with several potential heirs coming forward in the months after his death. A tribute concert to the star will take place in St Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday, featuring performances from Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Chaka Khan, Tori Kelly and Prince's first wife Mayte Garcia, among others.

Prince's vault of unreleased music on sale for $35m - BBC News