"This beautifully designed photographic essay flows from Prince's sensational, unprecedented, record-breaking, sold-out 21 concerts in 21 nights at London's O2 Arena in 2007. Juxtaposing his dueling worlds of music and solitude, it will incorporate Prince's evocative poetry and lyrics to new songs and other selections, and 124 full-color, sumptuous, never-before-published images by celebrated photographer Randee St. Nicholas. As part of the dimensional experience, it will also feature Indigo Nights, a CD capturing Prince's speak-easy, after-hours, raw, live after-show sessions of pure unadulterated jams. For the first time in 21 NIGHTS, Prince is seen behind the scenes. Randee St. Nicholas, renowned for her rich visuals, deft touch, and distinctive style, was given access to Prince's life and career, providing a nuanced and unparalleled view of the artist, accompanying him onstage, backstage, and into his sleeping quarters. Indigo Nights, which includes the live version of the song 3121, will not be available in any other format."
Looking at two of Australia's biggest book retailers shows two very different pre-order prices, however when asked in-store A&R had it priced in the "$50 range" as well.
Release date is now earmarked for 30/9/08 for Australia.
7/8/08 -Prince mention in Darren Hayes interview (Herald Sun)
Q: You just released a live DVD of The Time Machine tour, which featured Prince songs. But he's made you remove them... A: I stupidly assumed doing a cover version would be flattering. Cascada did a hideous cover of my song, Truely Madly Deeply, but i ddin't think i had any say over that. I offered Prince the entire songwriting credit for the DVD, becasue i love him and the song. And he said no. We had to cut one song, Popular, which i sang over (Prince's) Baby I'm A Star, and completley re-edit where I'd used When Doves Cry on Darkness.
Q: Is it actually Prince saying "No"? A: Yeah, it is. I'm a massive fan. I've spent years paying tribute to him. But it's not like i did a cover version, i used elements of his songs. It's your right as a songwriter to say no to that. That's part of growing up in this business. You assume because you love your idols they might love you too. I didnt't take it too personally. He was mean to Radiohead and they're way cooler than i am.
Q: Prince won't let his songs appear on Youtube either. Is it a blanket ban on everyone?
A: It's crazy. He's a law unto himself, be he's also a genius. I still love him. It was so strict. Not only can you not do it, but you must destroy all copies.
Q: Was there a ritual burning? A: Totally. We burnt it, mixed the ashes into a paste with bird seed and fed it to a virgin seagul.
3/8/08 -Prince in Sunday Herald Sun
In celebration of the big 3's 50th Birthdays, the Herald Sun's "PLAY" lift-out has a double page spread on the trio, here is the blurb on Prince:
"...Prince's career is still going strong. He's riding on a high after a standout performance at California's trendy Coachella music festival in April and is just as popular and relevant today as Prince was 20 years ago."
"Prince is just phenomanal as a musician and as a creative mind and I don't think any amount of time diminish that" - Rolling Stone Australia editor Dan Lander says.
"Obviously, he has had his ups and downs with various odd incarnations of what he does and who he is, but he has always been an odd man so that makes sense to people."
Prince is regarded by many as a musical genius and his music continues to find new fans. He produces, composes, arranges and performs nearly all of the songs on his albums.
His last release, Planet Earth, was first distributed
as a free offering with Britain's The Mail On Sunday newspaper, followed by a traditional rollout through his record label. And he is still regarded as a sex symbol to many of his fans. In 2006, the multiple Grammy winner was voted the "worlds sexiest vegetarian" in PETA's annual online poll." - Jonathon Moran
1/8/08 -Chat's back!
Chat away fellow FDU-ers!
23/6/08 -Social networking a go-go!
FaceDownUnder proudly presents two of the coolest spaces on the net to join!
Our MySpace: "AustralianprinceFansite"
Join or new Facebook group: "Prince Australian Fansite facedownunder.com"
17/6/08 -Songs That Make You Dance
Prince comes in at #4 with 1999 in Bert's top 10 "Songs That Make You Dance", proving that in Australia, like Michael Jackson, Prince is seen as a nostalgia act...here's the full (terrible) list:
10. 'Let Me Entertain You' by R. Williams
9. 'Mamma Mia' by ABBA
8. 'Nutbush City Limits' by Tina Arena
7. 'Play That Funky Music' by Wild Cherry
6. 'Time Warp'
5. 'I Will Survive' by Gloria Gaynor 4. '1999' by Prince
3. 'I Go To Rio' by Peter Allen
2. 'Celebration' by Kool and Gang
1. 'YMCA' by The Village People
30/5/08 -Maximum Prince!
To celebrate Prince's 50th birthday, Music Max (available on Aus Star and Foxtel) is running a Prince marathon on Saturday 7th of June. Here is a the listing lifted from their website (times are AEST):
12:00PMArtist Special
02:00PM Prince of Paisley Park
03:00PM Purple Rain
14/5/08 -21 Nights in London : The Book UPDATE: Australian RRP has been confirmed to be $59.95 with an early September release date. Rumors that the new book/CD combo from Prince will actually hit Australian retail have been confirmed by two seperate sources at Angus & Robertson. You can now pre-order the book in-store. Details on prices and exact dates are sketchy at the moment, but it looks to be inline with the US release date.
What's known so far: "Masterful composer, multi-faceted musician, international megastar and cultural icon Prince presents his first book, 21 NIGHTS, a stunning multi-media volume offering a rare glimpse into the life, lyrics, and mystique of one of the most notable and prolific performers of our time.
This beautifully designed photographic essay flows from Prince's sensational, unprecedented, record-breaking, sold-out 21 concerts in 21 nights at London's O2 Arena in 2007. Juxtaposing his dueling worlds of music and solitude, it will incorporate Prince's evocative poetry and lyrics to new songs and other selections, and 124 full-color, sumptuous, never-before-published images by celebrated photographer Randee St. Nicholas. As part of the dimensional experience, it will also feature "Indigo Nights," a CD capturing Prince's speak-easy, after-hours, raw, live after-show sessions of pure unadulterated jams.
For the first time in 21 NIGHTS, Prince is seen behind the scenes. Randee St. Nicholas, renowned for her rich visuals, deft touch, and distinctive style, was given access to Prince's life and career, providing a nuanced and unparalleled view of the artist, accompanying him onstage, backstage, and into his sleeping quarters. "Indigo Nights," which includes the live version of the song "3121," will not be available in any other format. [source: official press release Atria Books] The book jacket is printed with a black and silver duotone paper-over-board. It will be elegantly sealed in a purple slip case with foil stamping and then shrink wrapped for protection."
14/4/08 - The Age article on Prince's 50th b'day (which he dosent even celebrate)
"Of this trio of semi-centennial pop stars, Prince comes a distant third in sales figures and chart statistics, but, career-wise, has an arguable claim to the best position of all. The era of purple-tinged blockbuster albums, indulgent feature films and confusing monikers are decades gone, but Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958) makes his own rules these days.
Arranging a series of one-album deals, or just releasing records via his own label, NPG, Prince may only have reached the charts once this decade, with his 2004 "return to form" album Musicology, but he now can release whatever he wants, whenever he wants, in whatever form he wants. Thus the last decade of three-disc concept albums and instrumental records.
For at least one of his fans, Prince outstripped his contemporaries decades ago. "I was a massive Michael Jackson fan as a kid," says Joe Peruzzi, the 28-year-old moderator of Australia's only online Prince fan forum, Facedownunder. "But one day my sister came into my room and said, 'What the hell is this you're listening to? You should listen to Prince!' So the Michael posters came down, and up went the Prince ones."
Through his forum, Peruzzi has met fans who are far more obsessive than he, with love-symbol tattoos and houses bedecked in purple. But still, his passion for the small, hairy genius runs deep.
"It's all about the music for Prince," Peruzzi says. "With Michael Jackson and Madonna, it's all about the image or the video clips. When you watch Prince live, it's just flawless, but you know it's not overly rehearsed, like a Madonna concert. Michael Jackson will come on, do Billie Jean, do a moonwalk and leave. With Prince, it's always something different: never the same set list, never the same show."
It's in this way that Prince's star will endure until his 50th birthday is a distant memory. Famed around the world for the spontaneity and generosity of his live performances, Prince sells out huge tours regularly and often heads to smaller venues, once the main show is over, to play on until the wee hours - something it's hard to imagine Madonna and Jackson ever doing.
The only sticking point for Peruzzi and his virtual fan network is that right now Prince is attacking all they stand for, suing forums around the world for copyright breaches in hosting images of his record covers, photos and music videos. Perversely, though, this attack just seems to make Peruzzi like him more. "No one really understands Prince," he laughs. "Even his fans can't figure what he's doing. Which is actually half of his appeal."
The next generation In the '80s, female collaborators such as Sheila E, Wendy & Lisa and Vanity 6 basked in Prince's reflected glory, while '90s neo-soul artists such as Maxwell and Bilal owe Prince a considerable debt. But, these days, his most devoted followers come from a white, indie rock background. Many Beck tracks are little more than Prince impersonations, while the likes of Jamie Lidell and Har Mar Superstar appropriate his feline sensuality, either sincerely or for comic effect."
14/4/08 - Grab graffiti Bridge DVD for under $5!
Thanks for the heads up anc!
4/4/08 - Prince feature in upcoming Sunday Age (Victoria) Gearing up for the 50th birthdays of the three biggest 80's superstars, Prince, Madonna & Michael Jackson, Melbourne's Sunday Age is running a feature on each artist in the upcoming issues of the Sunday Age.
I was recently interviewed by the Age for the Prince article, hopefully its all positive and not just focusing on lawsuits and crazy name changes!
Stay tuned for the full article!
3/4/08 - What was once purple is now blue... Thats right folks your favourite 80's Prince nostalgia trip is going HD, with the release of Purple Rain on Blu Ray. Click here for details.
4/3/08 - Special Feature We here at FDU have taken the roadwork out of driving, by compiling, what we reckon, are Prince's greatest driving tracks. Check out our list, do you agree?
1. We Gets Up (Emancipation)
2. I Rock, Therefore I Am (Chaos & Disorder)
3. Loose! (Come)
4. The One U Wanna C (Planet Earth)
5. Alphabet Street (LoveSexy)
6. Human Body (Emancipation)
7. Raspberry Beret (ATWIAD)
8. Take Me With You (Purple Rain)
9. Let's Work (Controversy)
10. Uptown (Dirty Mind) Don's agree? Give us a shoutout here or in the forum!
4/2/08 - Bargain alert! Guys check out this site, based in Australia, for cheap prices on, Planet Earth, Come, Ultimate Prince, Emancipation & 3121! All between $10 and $15 NEW! Thanks to anc for the heads up!
26/1/08 -Happy Australia Day!.
Slow news month so here's a video for y'all to watch (again)!
Chelsea Rodgers Video: (may have an advertisment before clip)
10/1/08 - Seeing spots!
Happy new year every1! Thought i'd give the site a small facelift...hope ya like!
28/12/07 - whats that lovely smell? Perfume Empire is now stocking the famous fragrance across our wide brown land! Its currently on sale at $109.00, for those of you interested in this collectors item...
24/12/07 - MERRY CHRISTMAS YO! Christmas and end of year thoughts:
mood: tired...zzzzz...
Well its that time of year again, and like most of you, im exhausted.
So what has Prince done for us in 07? Well we got a new album, Planet Earth.
I've grown to like 80% of the trax, after my intial only digging about 3 songs...which makes me think, did i force myself to like it just cuz im a Prince fan or is it actually good? I may never know...we've also seen snippets of new Prince videos in support of Planet Earth, but thats it, just snippets. I think Prince is anti-video clips now...lol...no wait, he's fine filming them and paying for all that, just not releasing them so anybody can see them...what a champ!
Overseas we saw him deliver 21(!) nights in London's O2 arena...lucky bastards over there!
We also saw all videos and audio stripped from the internet in a herculean effort to control his image and who sees what when...which lead to the whole PFU debacle, which earned us a new song hehehe! Perhaps we should complain more often huh?
We also saw faint glimmers of hope regarding a possible Australia tour in 08, with his official website running a poll (see above), asking where's the next stop on his "Planet Earth" tour (funny, its only been to London, we must have different maps of Earth him and i), along with several aussie ticket sellers listing Prince on their "waitlists"..crossing toes (fingers are busy typing)
with hope!
Mr. Blackwell paid us a visit down under with some drum clinics, of which some members attended and wrote about in the forums...sounded fun, regretting not going now :(
And last but not least! Australia got its very own Prince fansite! YAY! Now im onto v2.0, and will keep updating it as it gets older. We have a quite a few members now, and even pulled off our first fan meet in Melbourne.
Hopefully more good stuff to report on in the new year!
So Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year, don't get too pissed, well ok, get pissed and if sum1 has a problem, they can lay FaceDown!
Peace,
Joe Peruzzi - Webmaster.
4/12/07 New look forums launched! Go chat people! :-)
9/11/07
Prince article in todays Herald Sun - gallery updated.
9/11/07
Prince responds to PFU by releasing a new song called PFUnk!
7/11/07
FaceDownUnder joins the PrinceFansUnited cause. Please support it by visiting the site and updating your avatars and/or websites.
3/11/07
3121 voting update, Australia creeps in on Holland...not! Well it looks like its a battle for 4th place, but dont give up yet Aussies!!!
2/11/07
Prince Mention in todays Melbourne Herald Sun - updated in gallery 2/11/07
More Aussie Tour speculation! Prince's official website, www.3121.com is running a poll asking visitors to nominate where you want Prince to tour next! Australia is option #1 but coming in last in overall votes :-( :-(
1/11/07 Prince coming back down under? After being on the rumor mill for a while now, ive been notified by two seperate websites that i now able to "waitlist" tickets for a Prince concert here in Aus! I've taken some screenshots below:
First up is Optus "YES" tickets (not sure if you need an optus account to access this):
and below is Visa preferred seating: Please note these are only "waitlists" but the fact that two websites notified me on one day is very suspect!
21/10/07 Danicing...with...err Prince?
A snippet of Chelsea Rodgers was played on channel 7's "Dancing With The Stars" on Tuesday night. -Thanks to Nefretiri for letting us know!
21/9/07 *UPDATE*
The special night has been booked for Oct 12th @ mama lisa's! Our first Melbourne fan meet is on the way!
If you're in Melbourne and want in on what is sure to be
a great night out with fellow fans, please click here to
register your interest!
17/8/07 Prince and the Twinz feature on the front page of Melbourne's MX newspaper, attending
the London premier of the new Bourne Ultimatum movie. 8/8/07 Prince is the feature artist in nineMSN's entertainment section, allowing visitors to stream Planet Earth
1/8/07 Brisbane's Courier Mail Planet Earth review (thanks to toejam for the scan!)
30/7/07 Planet Earth makes its Aussie debut at #38 on the Australian Aria album charts:
Prince is also featured in the chartifacts for this week: "Musical icon, Prince returns to the ARIA Albums Chart with his latest studio offering, Planet Earth, which features collaborations with former members of the New Power Generation. Since making his musical debut in the late 70s, Prince has been a fixture on the world pop music charts. The singer/songwriter landed his first Australian #1 in July, 1984 with the Purple Rain Motion Picture Soundtrack. Since then, the musical genius has had an array of chart-topping albums including, Diamond & Pearls (#1 Jan. ’92), which has been accredited 4x platinum, (Love Symbol) (#1 Oct. ’92) and Come (# 2 Aug. ’94)."
26/7/07 Download the lyrics to Planet Earth Courtesy of 3121.com
Direct link: (PDF file)
26/7/07 iTunes Australia updates: Planet Earth finds itself at #28 on Australia's iTunes store The following singles / EP's /albums have been listed for pre_order on aussie iTunes:
1999 (single)
For You (album)
I Wanna Be Your Lover (EP)
I Would Die 4 U (EP)
Kiss (single)
Let's Go Crazy (EP)
Parade(album)
Prince (album)
Purple Rain (single)
Raspberry Beret (single)
Sign O' The Times (EP)
When Doves Cry (single)
Tracks/album re-releases due approx July 30 on your Aussie iTunes!
20/7/07 Spread the word! Banners! Cut and paste the code under your banner of choice !
20/6/07 Observant Prince fans have noticed that channel 10's "9am with David & Kim"
seems to have a Prince fan or two on-staff, regularly playing obscure Prince tracks when
fading into and from ad-breaks...
NEW PAGE! Go chat in real time with other Prince fans!
