Everything that’s old is new again and that is even more so if we are talking about vinyl, Prince and David Bowie.
Bowie, who died on January 10, 2016, held the title for the most expensive vinyl sold when a rare first press copy of his self-titled album sold for $6,826, according to music and marketplace Discogs. Prince, who died on April 21, just beat Bowie when an original 1987 promo copy of The Black Album sold for $15,000.
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“Prince shelved the Black Album just a week before the intended ’87 release date, resulting in the destruction of about half a million copies that were already pressed and waiting to be shipped,” blogger Grippo explains in a blog post. “Promos that had already been sent to clubs and DJs were also recalled and destroyed. That’s where the story would have ended, but a limited number of those promos made it into the hands of collectors and served as the source of bootlegs until the album was officially released in 1994. This double 12-inch DJ version of the Black Album from the US is one of the great rarities a vinyl collector could ever hope to find.”
Thanks to the history behind the album as well as how few copies still exist is what drove the price so high for this specific title. It went on to be released on November 22, 1994, by Warner Bros. Records as Prince’s 16th studio album.
