Prince REFLECTIONS VOLUME 2 1998 ESSENCE AWARDS : 10th APRIL 1998 INTRO / AWARD ACCEPTANCE / THE CHRIST THE TODAY SHOW : 29th MAY 1998 INTRO / FREE / SWEET THING / RELEASE YOURSELF VIBE : 8th JUNE 1998 LET'S WORK / DELIRIOUS - ROCK & ROLL IS ALIVE (OUTRO) / INTERVIEW / FREE / SWEET THING / JUST BE MY LADY / SPOON / THE ONE THE TONIGHT SHOW W/ JAY LENO : 24th JULY 1998 COME ON / COME ON (REMIX) CNN : 29th JULY 1998 INTERVIEW BET TONIGHT W/ TAVIS SMILEY : 27th OCTOBER 1998 INTERVIEW / COME ON (PROMO VIDEO PREMIERE) / INTERVIEW COMMENT Dedicated to the memory of one of the most well-respected members of the Prince community who passed away in 2005, this is the third (and appears to be the final) volume in the "Reflections" series (the previous releases can be found here Volume 1 & Volume 2). This is a slightly different approach on two levels - firstly the focus is far more concentrated on one particular era in this release (1998), and secondly it features no mention at all of 'Chaos' who has put this release together and released it posthumously. The fact it features no mention of Chaos means I have listed it simply as a ServeItUpFrankie release, however it does bear all the hallmarks of a Chaos release. The most striking are the stunning menu's which are unique and exceptionally clever. The sub-menu (not the one I have pictured below) is utterly fabulous and extremely cute. The content of this release is not exactly the pinnacle of Prince's career and is very undemanding for the viewer, however there are plenty of moments which grab your attention and overall it is very enjoyable. The picture quality throughout is of a very high standard with barely a visible flaw throughout the 2 hours. If I were to allow myself to pass comment, I would say that the picture has a slightly "soft focus" feel throughout, and small sections of the Tavis Smiley interview appear to be minimally out of synch. Both the Vibe and Tavis Smiley interviews have also been slightly edited and do not include the Larry Graham / Chaka Khan portions of either interviews (no big deal in my opinion). I'm led to believe the complete broadcasts from 1998 will follow in a future release, along with the complete Vibe and Tavis Smiley interviews, so in the meantime this will do very nicely. Highlights include the performance of 'Let's Work / Delirious' to open up the Vibe broadcast, along with a very rare performance of the remixed version of 'Come On' on the Jay Leno show. The closing Tavis Smiley interview is very lengthy and whilst the majority is pretty straightforward fare for a Prince interview (record company slavery / master recording ownership / name change issues), it's perhaps one of the most unscripted with a number of excellent questions posed to Prince. It's also the only time I have taken slight offence to a statement he makes in regard to "the lighter persuasion" and their reaction to his name change. Anyways - content and quality are the main attraction of a DVD and there is nothing worth criticising on here. Add to that the exquisite menu's and you have a release which I'm sure the person who it is dedicated to would be proud of.