Product Description

A soundtrack to a movie so appalling that it is infinitely wiser to let the record stand on its own merits. While Prince cavorted in purple kitchen foil and rode his Harley in high heels, the real star of the film, the music, was doing allthe talking. A knit of funk and rock, a heavily stylised Hendrix guitar lick here and there, and a wilfully danceable backbeat all made for a huge commercial smash, and the first real international introduction for many people to a star-in-waiting. 'Darling Nikki' accidentally set the PMRC ball rolling, but the heady lilt of the title track and the crushing'When Doves Cry' can pardon him that.

Track Listing

1. Let's Go Crazy
2. Take Me With U
3. Beautiful Ones
4. Computer Blue
5. Darling Nikki
6. When Doves Cry
7. I Would Die 4 U
8. Baby I'm A Star
9. Purple Rain

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1406 in Music
• Released on: 1984-08-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack

Amazon.co.uk Review
Maybe this music by Prince & the Revolution will never quite sound as, well, revolutionary as it did in 1984 (and nothing else has ever sounded like the extraordinary cooing and fluttering of "When Doves Cry"), but it's a pop landmark in Prince's Artistic career. The hit movie was really just a big-screen showcase for Prince to perform these songs (some of them in tear-the-roof-off "live" versions set in a Minneapolis club). It's unclear why that warped sermonette introduces "Let's Go Crazy" (one thing you've got to love about Prince: he's always been weird), but somehow it works. Other highlights include the sexual scorcher "Darling Nikki" (with its crazy backwards coda) and that anthemic title tune. Don't you miss Wendy and Lisa, too? --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews

Purple Reign, Not Purple Rain!
1. Let's Go Crazy. 10/10
2. Take Me With U. 10/10
3. The Beautiful Ones. 8/10
4. Computer Blue. 9/10
5. Darling Nikki. 10/10
6. When Doves Cry. 10/10
7. I Would Die 4 U. 10/10
8. Baby I'm a Star. 10/10
9. Purple Rain. 8/10

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10
Prince's 2nd best album, behind "Sign "O" the Times". Just edit "Purple Rain" a little bit and it would rise from 8/10 to 9/10, because at 8.41, it is too long. (and "Purple Rain's" outro is more than 5 mins!)

Tribute to Genius
Coming back to this album twenty years later, I still can't fail to be swept away by the breadth, energy and brilliance of this work. Five stars just aren't enough. The initial evangelical address exhorts the listener to celebrate life and this music is a celebration of live, love and sex. The energetic funk-rock of Let's Go Crazy getting you off your chair, before collapsing into a scream of a guitars and a pounding drum performance to be followed by the uplifitng catchiness of Take Me With U, one of those songs that makes you smile wherever and whenever you hear it.
The Beautiful Ones strikes a more melancholy note. Prince's vocal performance is the thing of beauty as he appeals to his lover to stay with him, reflecting on the transcience of beauty, he asks her to marry him, demanding that she makes a choice, his voice reaching out for ever greater heights as his desperation increases. It is a great dramatic performance and demonstrates his sense of theatre.
The sexy voices of Wendy and Lisa introduce Computer Blue, the song most similar to some of Prince's earlier works. Although, it is perhaps the least memorable track on the album, the excellence of the band means that is is far from filler and repays repeated listening.
The growling guitar of Darling Nikki and Prince's relaxed delivery announces the song to sing to all the Nicolas and Nicoles of the world, but one that only Prince can really get away with. His bemused and bewildered tone is indicative of the great humour of his work, a quality that critics often seem to choose to ignore.
When Doves Cry is a classic, the lyrics beautiful. We imagine ' the ocean of violets in bloom' , we imagine the lovers trying to repair their relationship but not sure why they have argued, asking themselves' why do we scream at each other'. It is an anthem that expresses the pain of disagreement with someone you love and is touching and powerful.
It is quickly succeeded by the joyful funk of I would die 4 U and the pounding energy of Baby I'm a star- two great songs unlucky enough to be sandwiched between two masterpieces.
The opening chords of Purple Rain grabs your attention and stirs your feelings- how I wept when I heard him play it last year. The beauty of his voice again sweeps you away, the agony of his loss and the beauty of the imagery.
It's difficult to be objective about music of such quality, such drama and such power. There can be few albums which mix such magical music with such sense of drama and such epic power.

Masterpiece! Prince in his best era in my opinion.
This is a classic and includes alot of singles. Before he turned to poppy aswell and had an awesome look. I would have liked to see a few more tracks on there though but oh well. The track Purple Rain is probably one of the best from the 80's, really unique but then again he is. It is also his highest selling album selling nearly 20 million units sold but he's sold over 100 million so don't think his other ones are bad and unsuccesful too. Other highlights for me were "Lets Go Crazy" (a great opening to) I may grow on you, "When Doves Cry" which is beautiful, "I Would Die 4 U", "Baby I'm A Star" is pretty good to and then obviously the perfect ending to a great album. The instrumental is at a very high standard and I love Prince's guitar and hopefully will get to see him live someday. He is a great preformer.

Although I'm sure Prince is not everyones taste this album will give you a good taster of the musical icon, then a phycodelic pop/rock, great guitar player, genious song writer lyrics-wise and a bit of a nutter before he had a downfall and changed is name to a symbol. Anyway he's back now. If your looking for more poppy stuff than the samples if there are any, then look at his later stuff. By the way I would like to add he seems like a cross between Micheal Jackson and Pink Floyd. I like many big artists in different groups like Micheal Jackson to Marilyn Manson to Eminem (3 favourites in different groups) and I can say we have another king. I hope we see some more material like this in the future from you Prince.