Released on September 25, 2020, Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe contains 92 audio tracks, but only 63 recordings were previously unreleased in this edition. The difference comes from adding 16 tracks from the original album and 13 previously available single mixes, edits and B-sides to 45 vault studio recordings and 18 tracks from a previously unreleased concert. Crucially, 63 does not mean 63 newly written studio songs.
The complete count, disc by disc
The official track listings from Prince’s discography and the record label make it possible to audit each group. The CD Super Deluxe configuration has eight audio discs plus a separate video DVD; the 13-LP version spreads the same audio program across vinyl records.
| Audio disc | Material | Tracks | Previously unreleased |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD 1 | First half of the remastered original album | 9 | 0 |
| CD 2 | Second half of the remastered original album | 7 | 0 |
| CD 3 | Single edits, remixes and B-sides | 13 | 0 |
| CD 4 | Studio vault recordings, part 1 | 18 | 18 |
| CD 5 | Studio vault recordings, part 2 | 14 | 14 |
| CD 6 | Studio vault recordings, part 3 | 13 | 13 |
| CDs 7 and 8 | Live concert in Utrecht on June 20, 1987 | 18 | 18 |
| Total | Super Deluxe audio program | 92 | 63 |
There are two separate additions: 9 + 7 + 13 = 29 previously available tracks, while 18 + 14 + 13 + 18 = 63 previously unreleased audio tracks. The three vault discs contribute 45 studio recordings, and the Utrecht show contributes another 18 live recordings. Remastering or collecting the other 29 tracks for this edition does not automatically make them unreleased.
What are the 45 studio recordings, exactly?
CDs 4, 5 and 6 are labeled Vault, referring to Prince’s archive. According to the estate and Warner, the studio material in this collection was recorded between May 1979 and July 1987. “Previously unreleased” describes the particular recording included in the set, not necessarily a song being composed for the first time.
The track list makes the distinction tangible. CD 4 includes a 1979 version of I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man and a horn-enhanced The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker. Elsewhere are two versions of Witness 4 The Prosecution, an early vocal studio run-through of Forever In My Life, and separate A Place In Heaven recordings with Prince and Lisa on vocals. These are distinct recordings even when a title or composition recurs.
The vault also contains recordings such as Cosmic Day and the Miles Davis studio collaboration Can I Play With U?. A recording can be new to the public in a particular form even when the underlying song is already familiar or has circulated in another version.
Why does the Utrecht concert count as unreleased material?
CDs 7 and 8 contain 18 tracks documenting the complete audio performance from June 20, 1987, at Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Songs such as Purple Rain, Kiss and 1999 had been around for years. What was previously unreleased for this edition was that specific live performance as an issued recording, not those songs as compositions.
This resolves the most misleading interpretation of the headline figure: 18 of the 63 unreleased tracks are live. They should not be described as 18 new studio songs, and not every vault entry represents a composition Prince had never recorded in another form.
Does the DVD with 23 entries count toward the 92?
No. The DVD documents the December 31, 1987 benefit concert at Paisley Park, a previously unreleased video performance with 23 entries in its set list. It features Prince’s onstage collaboration with Miles Davis during the closing It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night medley. Those 23 video entries are not added to the 92 audio tracks, and they are not part of the 63 previously unreleased audio tracks either.
Rhino’s release information also specifies that the video content is exclusive to the physical DVD, rather than the digital audio versions. Combining the DVD’s video set list with the CDs would therefore produce a number different from the official audio total.
Why this is a 2020 reissue, not a new 2026 release
The original double album Sign O’ The Times was released in 1987 with 16 songs. The Super Deluxe edition followed on September 25, 2020, expanding that album with remastered tracks, singles-related material, archival recordings and concert performances. This is a historical expanded reissue, not a Prince album announced for 2026.
The key is to identify what is being counted: 92 audio tracks in total; 63 audio recordings previously unreleased in that form; 45 studio recordings within those 63; and 18 Utrecht live recordings. That distinction keeps songs, takes, performances and video content from being treated as interchangeable.
Sources and references
- Prince Official Discography: Sign O' The Times Super Deluxe
- Rhino / Warner Records: Prince Sign O' The Times Expanded Reissue Available On September 25
- Pitchfork: Prince Sign o' the Times Super Deluxe Edition Announced
- Stereogum: Stream Prince's Sign O' The Times Deluxe Edition Featuring 63 Previously Unreleased Tracks
