For those with short attention spans and the “TLDR” crowd, you might want to skip this and go on to the next thread. I’m going deep here…
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A little over a month ago there was a thread discussing a listing on Amazon for Purple Rain: The Complete Soundtrack 2CD set, with most calling it out as a bootleg and questioning the claim that the material was remastered. See the following for reference:

http://prince.org/msg/7/400917

http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Rain-Complete-Soundtrack-Recordings/dp/B00COCBGQO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377804075&sr=8-2&keywords=Purple+Rain+original+soundtrack

http://www.cdsondemandonline.com/index.php/most-wanted/product/12-purple-rain-the-complete-soundtrack-2-disc-set-featuring-prince-the-revolution-the-time-dez-dickerson-apollonia-6
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After reading the Legal 101 page at CDs On Demand Online I emailed both them & Warner Bros. in an attempt to confirm the legality of the release and any details of the remastering. I did not hear back from WB, but I was contacted by a representative of Planet Music of Vicious Circle Ltd. who put the CD out through CDs On Demand Online.

She explained that the material was not remastered and pointed to the fact that the artwork was now updated to remove any mention that it was remastered. Fair enough.

As far as the legality of the release, she explained that On-Demand makes it legal to produce and release certain music on recordable media as long as it is not otherwise available in that format. She stated that as long as royalties were paid based on sales, the labels will allow such releases in an on demand format.

She graciously offered to send me a complimentary copy and, curious to check this out for myself, but, unlikely to spend money on material I already have and that has not been remastered, I happily accepted. The following is my review:

The set is packaged in a slim 2-disc DVD case. It looks nice, but, as I prefer all my CDs to fit on the same shelf, I’m not a fan. Just my personal preference. Link to the Amazon posting to see scans of the artwork.

Here’s what you get on the discs:

Purple Rain: The Complete Soundtrack (1984/2005)

CD1

01 - Let’s Go Crazy (Movie Version) - Prince And The Revolution (7:35)

This is actually the full-length uncut version of the track that was heard in the film and released as Let’s Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix) on 12“. Available on the Ultimate Prince CD.

02 - Jungle Love (LP Version) - The Time (5:30)
The album version from Ice Cream Castle.

03 - Take Me With U - Prince And The Revolution Feat. Apollonia (3:54)
The album version from Purple Rain.

04 - Modernaire - Dez Dickerson (4:03)

Released by Dickerson on The Retrospective in 2005. Except this is a few seconds shorter, fading out quicker and has a lot of tape noise, which is of course not present on Dickerson’s release. Comparing this track to a copy I had from a bootleg and to a copy of the official release, this one sounds more like the bootleg in respect to clarity & compression and the bootleg copy also was the same length with the quicker fade-out.

05 - The Beautiful Ones - Prince (5:14)
The album version from Purple Rain.

06 - Sex Shooter (12” Mix) - Apollonia 6 (6:52)

This is Sex Shooter (Long Version), taken from the 12” single, released only on vinyl. Excellent quality, there are no pops or other obvious artifacts of a vinyl>digital transfer.

07 - Computer Blue (Long Version) - Prince And The Revolution (7:29)

This is the unreleased 7½ minute mix of the Sunset Sound version, available on many bootlegs for decades now. Excellent audio quality, but, no better than many of the bootlegs. Comparing it to the copy on The Vault, I found them to be of similar quality.

08 - Darling Nikki (Uncut Garage Mix) - Prince (4:07)

The original, unreleased, full-length cut that has circulated on bootlegs for decades. Despite some tape noise, this is excellent quality, comparable to the bootlegs, except this one is 6 seconds shorter, with the first 2 seconds and last 4 seconds edited out. The 6 missing seconds all contain studio “chatter”, no music.

09 - Nikki Outro (Reversed) - Prince (0:50)

Bonus Track not listed on the cover sleeve. This is exactly what it says it is, the outro of the album version of Darling Nikki, in reverse, revealing the “secret message” in the backmasking.

10 - When Doves Cry - Prince (5:52)
The album version from Purple Rain.

11 - The Bird - The Time (7:10)
The album version from Ice Cream Castle.

12 - Purple Rain - Prince And The Revolution (8:42)
The album version from Purple Rain.

13 - I Would Die 4 U / Baby, I’m A Star (Movie Mix) - Prince And The Revolution (7:13)

From Purple Rain, this is simply the album versions of these 2 tracks combined as a single track. The only difference between this and the album is that on the album there is a track point at the start of Baby, I’m A Star, here, there is not.


CD2

01 - When Doves Cry (Single Edit) - Prince (3:45)

This is the edit originally released as a 7” single, available on the CDs: The Hits/The B-Sides, The Very Best Of Prince and Ultimate Prince. Here the last couple seconds are cut off, before the fade is complete.

02 - 17 Days - Prince And The Revolution (3:56)
The b-side to When Doves Cry, originally released on 7” & 12”, available on The Hits/The B-Sides CD set.

03 - Let’s Go Crazy (LP Edit) - Prince And The Revolution (4:39)
Not to be confused with the single edit, this is the album version from Purple Rain, which is an edit of the version found on the 12” single and disc 1 of this set.

04 - Erotic City - Prince (Feat. Sheila E.) (3:56)
The b-side to Let’s Go Crazy, originally released on 7”, available on the CDs: The Hits/The B-Sides and Girl 6.

05 - Purple Rain (Single Edit) - Prince And The Revolution (3:59)
From the 7” single, released on vinyl only, as far as I know. Excellent quality, no obvious artifacts of a vinyl>digital transfer. Unfortunately, the last few seconds are cut, before the fade is complete.

06 - God - Prince (4:01)
The b-side to Purple Rain, originally released on 7” & 12”, available on The Hits/The B-Sides CD set.

07 - I Would Die 4 U (45 Version) - Prince And The Revolution (2:57)
From the 7” single, available on the CDs: The Hits/The B-Sides, The Very Best Of Prince and Ultimate Prince.

08 - Another Lonely Christmas - Prince (4:52)
The b-side to I Would Die 4 U, originally released on 7”, available on The Hits/ The B-Sides CD set.

09 - Baby, I’m A Star (Radio Edit) - Prince And The Revolution (4:25)
This is not the 2:55 edit from the single, this is the album version from Purple Rain, again.

10 - Computer Blue (LP Edit) - Prince And The Revolution (4:00)
The album version from Purple Rain.

11 - Darling Nikki (LP Version) - Prince (4:15)
The album version from Purple Rain.

Purple Rain is one of those albums that has been “re-imagined” on mix-tapes, CD-Rs and playlists over & over again by fans who also love to discuss & argue about what should and should not be included in such a collection. This set seems more like just this sort of fanboy attempt than one compiled by the artist or label in question.

It seems planned as disc 1 having the complete soundtrack to the movie, with disc 2 containing the leftovers. If this is indeed the case, on CD1, Sex Shooter, Computer Blue & Darling Nikki should be the album versions, and, tracks like the instrumental God (Love Theme From Purple Rain) & Possessed should be included.

It would also seem that such a collection would benefit from expanding to a third disc to include all the extended versions & edits of the singles & b-sides related to the project, as the collection on CD2 seems random and is incomplete.

Since this set contains neither the “Complete Soundtrack”, nor a complete collection of tracks from the project, it is not what I would be looking for or expecting from an Expanded Edition re-release of the material.

As far as the material that is on the set, most of it is commonly available on Purple Rain, Ice Cream Castle or the various compilations, so, I’ll focus my comments on the less common tracks. The first track that I was interested in was Modernaire. I was disappointed when the comparison sounded to my ears like this was from the same source as the bootleg and not the official release. Of course I could be wrong about this, but, it’s unlikely that a copy with this much tape noise would be authorized when excellent quality copies without tape noise were readily available by Dickerson.

The next track that I was interested in hearing was the Long Version of Sex Shooter. I was very pleased with how clean this copy sounds. This is as good or better than any of the copies I have come across.

Computer Blue (Long Version) might be able to pass as an official release as the quality is excellent but it’s just as good on some of the bootlegs. Darling Nikki, while sounding great still contains some tape noise and is obviously at an unfinished stage of the recording process. Considering these tracks have never been available on an official release and sound no better here than on the best of those bootlegs, it is difficult to imagine Prince or WB authorizing their release on this set.

The next track that I was looking forward to hearing was The “Movie Mix“ of I Would Die 4 U / Baby, I‘m A Star. Discovering that it was the album versions combined as one track was a bit disappointing.

Next up, it was exciting to see the Single Edit of Purple Rain. I was thrilled with the fantastic sound quality only to be disappointed with the few seconds clipped from the fade-out. I had also been excited about the Radio Edit of Baby, I’m A Star as it has never been released on CD either. Too bad this was just another copy of the album version (this time without I Would Die 4 U) and not the single version as suggested on the artwork.

As mentioned before, since the rest of the tracks are all commonly available on Purple Rain, Ice Cream Castle or one of the compilations, there’s no need to go into them individually.

Overall, I’m not impressed with this compilation. It is not the Complete Soundtrack that it claims as it is lacking the God (Love Theme From Purple Rain) Instrumental and Possessed. I also find it strange that after replacing the album version of Let’s Go Crazy with the longer version that was in the film, the film versions of Sex Shooter, Computer Blue & Darling Nikki are replaced with alternate versions not from the film.

Furthermore the attempt to include the ancillary tracks from the project on disc 2 seems random and is incomplete. Where are: Let’s Go Crazy (Single Edit), Erotic City (12” Version), I Would Die 4 U (12” Version), Another Lonely Christmas (12” Version), the actual Baby, I’m A Star (Single Edit), Sex Shooter (Single Edit or Album Version), The Bird (Single Edit or 12” Version) or Jungle Love (Single Edit). Obviously including all such tracks would call for expanding to a 3rd disc, even without including more unreleased versions like the 2 included on this set.

The sound quality is terrific throughout the set. The two tracks that have only seen vinyl release sound surprisingly superb. It’s a shame the single edit of Purple Rain (and When Doves Cry) cut out before the fadeout is complete. The two tracks that have never been officially released also sound great and with the exception of a bit of tape noise on Darling Nikki easily blend with the quality of the rest of the material. Modernaire is the biggest disappointment in sound quality as the tape noise is much more noticeable and since Dickerson’s release sounds much better than this.

The mislabeled tracks should be corrected on the artwork. A previously unknown “movie mix” and a single edit never released on CD might be selling points for some completist fans. Since these are actually the original album versions, corrections need to be made.

I still have questions regarding the legality or official authorization of this project, but, I’m no expert on this so I’ll leave it to the legal experts on the org to address the details. I will say that I was under the impression that for 35 years (if you go by industry standards) or 30 years (if you believe what Prince reportedly told the Peach & Black podcasters), WB has the exclusive rights to release the material and can do so only in the original configuration. I understood this to be the reason why we’ve seen recent re-releases on 180gm vinyl, SHM CDs, & HD-Tracks, all in the original configuration, but no Expanded or Remastered editions. I also find it unlikely that Prince or WB would authorize a release that includes bootleg tracks which this set clearly does.

If this is indeed an officially sanctioned project, a few tweaks, additions & reconfigurations would make for an essential set. As it stands, this is not what knowledgeable Prince fans and collectors are looking forward to or expecting in an eventual Complete Soundtrack Expanded Edition of this classic LP.

In my not-so-humble opinion, of course…

[Edited 10/5/13 12:26pm]

djThunderfunk said:

As it stands, this is not what knowledgeable Prince fans and collectors are looking forward to or expecting in an eventual Complete Soundtrack Expanded Edition of this classic LP.

Cheers...that's all I needed to know!

it can't possibly be legal/legit (ok with Prince or WB) because it contains previously unreleased material. so this is a clever attmept at passing off a bootleg as official.

djThunderfunk said:

As it stands, this is not what knowledgeable Prince fans and collectors are looking forward to or expecting in an eventual Complete Soundtrack Expanded Edition of this classic LP.

One look at that trashy cover told me that. Thanks for your review though.

This is just a bootleg, plain and simple.

Bootleg or not, its one album I would want, just for Modernaire alone.

^ Modernaire has been available legally for years, no need to give bootleggers any cash, give it to Dez instead!

Anyway thanks a lot Thunderfunk for the research and review

As stated above this release IS illegal and pure bootleg. WB may allow such releases when royalties are being paid BUT no one is entitled to release unreleased material (Darling Nikki long version) without proper agreement by Prince, and it's quite obvious that he didn't give any here. I sincerely hope he's gonna sue their asses off (that would change from him shutting fansites down). These people are shameless, don't send them a bloody dime, + everything here was already available in one way or another.

databank said:

^ Modernaire has been available legally for years, no need to give bootleggers any cash, give it to Dez instead!

Dez's release is also much better quality than this.

SquirrelMeat said:

This is just a bootleg, plain and simple.

Yep.

The rep's explanation sounds like freshly squeezed bovine manure to me.

Thanks for the review though Thunderfunk, I'm glad you didn't pay for it too!

Not to mention, if they wanted to include the film version of "Jungle Love", and they're using bootleg sources anyway, they should have gotten ahold of the First Avenue '83 show from The Time, as that's where the film version of Jungle Love came from. It's available in excellent quality too.

Is the 7 minute version of "Computer Blue" segued into Darling Nikki?

Why the early fades?

Where's God (Instrumental) and Possessed, as someone else pointed out?

Total crap release. If Prince is actually recieving royalties for this, I'd be shocked to find out.

smokeverbs said:

Not to mention, if they wanted to include the film version of "Jungle Love", and they're using bootleg sources anyway, they should have gotten ahold of the First Avenue '83 show from The Time, as that's where the film version of Jungle Love came from. It's available in excellent quality too.

Is the 7 minute version of "Computer Blue" segued into Darling Nikki?

Why the early fades?

Where's God (Instrumental) and Possessed, as someone else pointed out?

Total crap release. If Prince is actually recieving royalties for this, I'd be shocked to find out.

It is? I'd always wondered if it was another studio take or what!

UPDATE:

For what it's worth, in response to my review, I have been assured that the Computer Blue (Long Version) and Darling Nikki (Uncut Garage Mix) are sourced from "dj promotional copies from Warner Bros circa 1995" and are indeed official, not bootlegs.

I think it would be extremely unusual for this to be missed by PrinceVault.com and all of the other extensive resources that have compiled this type of information. Considering the extensive tracking of all such releases, I find it unlikely that such a promo could have been issued by WB 18 years ago without becoming known by fans and collectors. Anybody ever heard of this promo?

Also of interest, the instrumental God (Love Theme From Purple Rain) will now be added to the set.

[Edited 10/8/13 9:52am]

djThunderfunk said:

UPDATE:

For what it's worth, in response to my review, I have been assured that the Computer Blue (Long Version) and Darling Nikki (Uncut Garage Mix) are sourced from "dj promotional copies from Warner Bros circa 1995" and are indeed official, not bootlegs.

I think it would be extremely unusual for this to be missed by PrinceVault.com and all of the other extensive resources that have compiled this type of information. Considering the extensive tracking of all such releases, I find it unlikely that such a promo could have been issued by WB 18 years ago without becoming known by fans and collectors. Anybody ever heard of this promo?

Also of interest, the instrumental God (Love Theme From Purple Rain) will now be added to the set.

[Edited 10/8/13 9:52am]

I can't believe that crap These people have lotsa nerve, where do they think they are, on a Taylor Dayne fan forum? No one EVER mentionned such promos, neither Uptown nor Per Nielsen nor Princevault nor BorisFishpaw nor anyone on this forum or Housequake and you can still try to find them on Discogs. I've done the most intensive research, adding all the sources above to my personnal research in order to create my online discography, I may have missed a few rarities here and there I ain't saying, but promos with long cuts of Computer Blue and Darling Nikki? And in 1995 on top of it all (why not last year while they're at it!) i.e. in the middle of the WB/Prince wars and 11 years after PR was released? This is shameless BULLSHIT, and no one here's gonna fall for it! Now it seems these dudes r reading this thread so I'm even gonna give 'em a chance in case anyone would still be fooled: if you dudes own such promotional DJ singles, please come here and post pictures of their sleeves and labels, with copyright indicias and catalogue numbers and all. I DARE you to provide pics of something. And if u're gonna fake it u better make it good, cuz people here aren't fooled so easily (fake Madhouse CD's anyone?).

Can't someone email Prine's organization and put an end to this madcarade? That's goddamn bootlegs on Amazon for chrissakes!

Yeah, they're pulling your leg.

And to think fans get their harmless stuff pulled off youtube by Prince's crack team of amazonian female lawyers, but you can buy bootlegs straight off mainstream online stores.

Welcome 2 the Dawn

databank said:

I can't believe that crap These people have lotsa nerve, where do they think they are, on a Taylor Dayne fan forum? No one EVER mentionned such promos, neither Uptown nor Per Nielsen nor Princevault nor BorisFishpaw nor anyone on this forum or Housequake and you can still try to find them on Discogs. I've done the most intensive research, adding all the sources above to my personnal research in order to create my online discography, I may have missed a few rarities here and there I ain't saying, but promos with long cuts of Computer Blue and Darling Nikki? And in 1995 on top of it all (why not last year while they're at it!) i.e. in the middle of the WB/Prince wars and 11 years after PR was released? This is shameless BULLSHIT, and no one here's gonna fall for it! Now it seems these dudes r reading this thread so I'm even gonna give 'em a chance in case anyone would still be fooled: if you dudes own such promotional DJ singles, please come here and post pictures of their sleeves and labels, with copyright indicias and catalogue numbers and all. I DARE you to provide pics of something. And if u're gonna fake it u better make it good, cuz people here aren't fooled so easily (fake Madhouse CD's anyone?).

Can't someone email Prine's organization and put an end to this madcarade? That's goddamn bootlegs on Amazon for chrissakes!

When tracks that were previously available on bootlegs have seen official release (Crystal Ball, TV:OF4S, etc..) there has always been a clear sonic difference in quality to even the best of the bootlegs. In this case, there is not. So, there's that...

And, yes, I forwarded a link to this review, so, they are indeed reading this thread.

I doubt we'll see any scans though, they don't seem too concerned with our "opinions".

[Edited 10/9/13 9:14am]

This is highly entertaining. They're adding the instrumental of God. I'm going to bet they won't be able to get ahold of the film version of Jungle Love though!

smokeverbs said:

This is highly entertaining. They're adding the instrumental of God. I'm going to bet they won't be able to get ahold of the film version of Jungle Love though!

In response to my review, she mentioned the live version of Jungle Love that was used in the film, stating, "They wouldn't let us have it". She did not address Possessed.

djThunderfunk said:

smokeverbs said:

This is highly entertaining. They're adding the instrumental of God. I'm going to bet they won't be able to get ahold of the film version of Jungle Love though!

In response to my review, she mentioned the live version of Jungle Love that was used in the film, stating, "They wouldn't let us have it". She did not address Possessed.

They just don't know what bootleg it's on

Well, to be fair, since we know this is all bullshit, that First Ave show from The Time in '83 isn't well circulated. I've got it. But they've got access to imaginary promos from '95.

Highly entertaining.

Why not the uncut version of "The Beautiful Ones"? I wonder if they will use "T"s vinyl rip of "God", or the one from "Fun With Vinyl"? That's 8 minutes, by the way. They're going to run out on space on these cd-rs soon, aren't they? Is there even time left for them to add "Possessed"? I'm guessing the early fades are them attempting to save a few secs here and there in order to fit everything they're trying to fit on these discs already.

Has anyone done a spectrum analysis on these discs to see if the bootleg material comes from 128k/s mp3s? Sorry for all the questions, they're mostly rhetorical.

Highly entertaining. I hope we get to follow this story as far as it goes.

Those in the know, please keep us updated.

[Edited 10/10/13 10:05am]

smokeverbs said:

Well, to be fair, since we know this is all bullshit, that First Ave show from The Time in '83 isn't well circulated. I've got it. But they've got access to imaginary promos from '95.

Highly entertaining.

Why not the uncut version of "The Beautiful Ones"? I wonder if they will use "T"s vinyl rip of "God", or the one from "Fun With Vinyl"? That's 8 minutes, by the way. They're going to run out on space on these cd-rs soon, aren't they? Is there even time left for them to add "Possessed"? I'm guessing the early fades are them attempting to save a few secs here and there in order to fit everything they're trying to fit on these discs already.

Has anyone done a spectrum analysis on these discs to see if the bootleg material comes from 128k/s mp3s? Sorry for all the questions, they're mostly rhetorical.

Highly entertaining. I hope we get to follow this story as far as it goes.

Those in the know, please keep us updated.

[Edited 10/10/13 10:05am]

It's legally available for streaming on a legal site we aren't allowed to mention here.

They forgot the most beautiful song of the movie...Father's Song

databank said:

smokeverbs said:

Well, to be fair, since we know this is all bullshit, that First Ave show from The Time in '83 isn't well circulated. I've got it. But they've got access to imaginary promos from '95.

It's legally available for streaming on a legal site we aren't allowed to mention here.

I didn't know that. Legally as in legally legally? That's interesting.

jazzz said: They forgot the most beautiful song of the movie...Father's Song

I forgot about that one too ... nobody else has mentioned it either! Shame on us!

[Edited 10/10/13 13:54pm]

They need to pull their finger out I want Fathers song on there, Wednesday and Syndicate as well as the end Medley.

HA. Nice, Squirrel Meat.

SquirrelMeat said:

They need to pull their finger out I want Fathers song on there, Wednesday and Syndicate as well as the end Medley.

Ooooh, The Medley....

SquirrelMeat said:

They need to pull their finger out I want Fathers song on there, Wednesday and Syndicate as well as the end Medley.

Co-sign!

UPDATE:

I haven't heard back from the contact at the label since the last update. I'm assuming my review and your reactions have burned that bridge. I did notice that the set is being altered and the track descriptions have been refined.

.

At the CDs On Demand site the listing now states: "This item will be sold starting on 18 November 2013" and,

This set was compiled intentionally for DJ promotional use in 2005 but is now only available "on demand."

They have added the single versions of Jungle Love & Sex Shooter to disc 2, but I see no sign of the promised God Instrumental. Some, but not all, of the track descriptions have been corrected.

.

There is this disclaimer at the bottom of the listing:

"Although many versions and edits of the music featured on the soundtrack have surfaced over the years, this particular set attempts to use the actual versions heard in the film (eg. Let's Go Crazy) and also extended/full length mixes that were shortened on the original release (Computer Blue, Darling Nikki etc.) The tracks are also presented in the correct running order as they were featured in the film. Original copyright holder Warner Bros. reserves the right to limit quantity."

.

None of the super collectors have chimed in here with information on any of these previously unknown "promo" releases the material is claimed to have been sourced from.

.

Over at the Amazon listing there is a review calling the release a bootleg with some nasty retalitory comments.

.

As the listings are still up, it seems Prince & WB are fine with this?!?

Just don't try to link to an official video, THAT will get a smackdown!

djThunderfunk said:

UPDATE:

I haven't heard back from the contact at the label since the last update. I'm assuming my review and your reactions have burned that bridge. I did notice that the set is being altered and the track descriptions have been refined.

.

At the CDs On Demand site the listing now states: "This item will be sold starting on 18 November 2013" and,

This set was compiled intentionally for DJ promotional use in 2005 but is now only available "on demand."

They have added the single versions of Jungle Love & Sex Shooter to disc 2, but I see no sign of the promised God Instrumental. Some, but not all, of the track descriptions have been corrected.

.

There is this disclaimer at the bottom of the listing:

"Although many versions and edits of the music featured on the soundtrack have surfaced over the years, this particular set attempts to use the actual versions heard in the film (eg. Let's Go Crazy) and also extended/full length mixes that were shortened on the original release (Computer Blue, Darling Nikki etc.) The tracks are also presented in the correct running order as they were featured in the film. Original copyright holder Warner Bros. reserves the right to limit quantity."

.

None of the super collectors have chimed in here with information on any of these previously unknown "promo" releases the material is claimed to have been sourced from.

.

Over at the Amazon listing there is a review calling the release a bootleg with some nasty retalitory comments.

.

As the listings are still up, it seems Prince & WB are fine with this?!?

Just don't try to link to an official video, THAT will get a smackdown!

It's possible that WB just missed your email and that P's organization missed that thread. WB IDK but Prince OK with this? I'd be surprised!

So now it's from a 2005 promo? What next, a 2015 promo?

I just shot them down on Amazon. I hope it gets published

Dj Thunder, thanks for the detailed review !

*duplicate post*

[Edited 11/26/13 20:53pm]