Chaos and Disorder
Chaos and Disorder is the eighteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on July 9, 1996, by Warner Bros. Records. The album reached number 26 in the United States—his poorest performance with an album of new material since his debut album For You—and number 14 in the United Kingdom. Prince refused to promote the album, still engaged in his fight against his Warner Bros. contract, and it was released simply to fulfill his contractual obligations. The inlay sleeve carries the message: "Originally intended 4 private use only, this compilation serves as the last original material recorded by (love symbol) 4 warner brothers records - may you live 2 see the dawn".
| Chaos and Disorder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Prince | ||||
| Released | July 9, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | May 1993; October 1993; Late 1994; Late 1995–early 1996; February – April 1996 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:13 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Chaos and Disorder | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A− |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+ |
| The Guardian | |
| NME | 2/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Select | 1/5 |
| Tom Hull | B+ |
The single "Dinner with Delores" was released in the United Kingdom only, and despite the low-key promotion, became a Top 40 hit, albeit a minor one by his previous standards. Despite having been out of print for years, the album was released digitally on Tidal in 2016, and on iTunes in 2018. It was reissued on CD and vinyl in September 2019. The inlay sleeve shows a bloody hypodermic needle with a dollar bill inside it, and a human heart sitting in a toilet bowl.