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Three of Prince’s ’00s-era albums to be reissued by Sony in February

Two of Prince’s best album of the 2000s and one more will be reissued in February by Sony Legacy Recordings, another extension of the deal struck this summer between Sony and the late Minnesota music icon’s estate to oversee much of his post-Warner Bros. music.
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FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2007, file photo, Prince performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XLI football game in Miami.(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)

Two of Prince’s best album of the 2000s and one more will be reissued in February by Sony Legacy Recordings, another extension of the deal struck this summer between Sony and the late Minnesota music icon’s estate to oversee much of his post-Warner Bros. music.

The fairly well-received records “Musicology” and “3121,” from 2004 and 2006, respectively, will each be issued on vinyl for the first time Feb. 8 —including a collectable purple vinyl edition —alongside new digital and CD releases. These new editions won’t feature any remastering or bonus tracks but will serve as reminders he still made some excellent albums into this millennium.

“Musicology,” in particular, was a retro-soulful and timelessly funky collection with such key tunes as the romantic gem “Call My Name” and the title track, each of which earned a Grammy Award. Named after his address in Los Angeles at the time, “3121” landed the minor hit “Black Sweat” and became his first record to go No. 1 in Billboard since 1989’s “Batman” soundtrack.

The third title in the reissue trio will be “Planet Earth,” which Prince famously gave out for free with editions of the national U.K. newspaper in 2007 ahead of his 21-night run at O2 Arena in London. The record was never really given a proper release as a traditional album and included appearances by the Revolution’s Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman as well as Sheila E.

Sony is moving rather swiftly and creatively to promote its portion of Prince’s catalog. Warner Bros. instead focused this year on the previously unreleased “Piano & a Microphone 1983” album. Word is the Warners team is now working toward an expanded reissue edition of the classic “1999” double-album from 1982, but no official announcement has been made.