I have been buying Prince cassets and now cds for as long as I can remember. I was never much into true collectibles - I always ripped whatever I had open to listen to and enjoy the music, except the circular Crystal ball cd.

But today my husband bought me a 12" Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain 2-cut maxi single and it says limited edition pressed on purple vinyl. It includes Purple Rain (8:45 min) and God (3:59 min). It's in the original plastic and has never been opened.

Does anyone have this? Is it a rare item?

boom said:

I have it...its from my original collection i bought back in the 80's...Its the only record I have kept... Mines opened of course but i dont think they are worth a ton of money, they are just cool to have!

And how sweet was that of your husband!!

tinaz said:

He only paid $20 for it. I so badly want to open it. I don't know why, I can't play it. I just want to see it and touch it. But they say not to open these things.

tinaz said:

Yeah, he really knows how to get his brownie points.

Mine is upstairs in a trunk so i couldnt take a pic for you but here is one i found on ebay...




this pics flash makes it look a bit bright but you get the idea... If you wanna keep it as a collectible I wouldnt open it either...

tinaz said:

Aww! Thank you so much! That really calms my urge for wanting to see inside of it. That's it! The cover looks exactly the same! Thanks for sharing the pics.

Your welcome!

boom said:

It's rare to a point. There were four things from Purple Rain released on that purple vinyl:
*Purple Rain album (the packaging/poster were the same, just the record color differed, and it was usually labeled as such)
*Purple Rain 12" single (the one you have)
*Purple Rain 7" single (in a plastic jacket, one side clear, the other side w/ Prince's pic from Purple Rain singing Purple Rain on it; one side of the 45's label is just purple rain drop. The other has the labeling from WB)
*When Doves Cry 7" promo single. (This was the promo released to radio stations, not the standard 7" released to the public. It still had When Doves Cry on it, but I forget if it has 17 Days as the B-side or not. If not, it's WDC on both sides).

It's a good find. It took me a while to gather all 4 purple vinyls. The only other purple vinyl, to my knowledge, is the 12" of "1999: The New Master". It's on a translucent darker purple vinyl, opposed to the lighter opaque vinyl noted above.

ernestsewell said:

Cool! Thanks. I guess I'll be on the lookout for the others.

boom said:

I would bet that "When Doves Cry" single is going to the hardest to find. I often see the other 3 items in used record stores. There's a little shop here in Albany that I frequent, and actually rebuilt my entire Prince 12" collection from. Every single one. I just recently bought a Controversy album w/ the poster in mint condition from there. Bought all 4 purple vinyls from there. Love that place. I have no idea where they get their stuff from, but I'm all over it.

ernestsewell said:

This opens a whole new can of worms. On another note, we also saw the Rolling Stones original magazine issue with Prince and Vanity on the cover. It was open but in decent condition. What do you think? Worth having? I didn't get it but I may go back after it.

Honestly, none of these are all that rare. They were all mass produced. They are nice to have nonetheless.

boom said:

I think I have all the RS editions w/ Prince on the cover. It's an interesting chronological read to follow the articles, one to another, and see how things progressed.

It all boils down to what you want to collect, and take the time to find. When I see something like a RS or the purple vinyl, I just get it (if I don't own it already). Who knows if it'll be there later. Prince fans are everywhere, and someone will always be behind you snapping it up from you. Whatever your preference is, is what counts.

I have one more item in my stash that I always wondered about if it was rare. It's an interview picture disc, (limited edition). An audio cd of a live interview with Prince when he was about 19, I think releasing Dirty Mind or somewhere around there. Very interesting interview. It was by BAKTABAK Records in London. Sounds like it was done outdoors, you can hear cars in the background.

ernestsewell said:

Well we hid it, just in case. lol.. I'm just afraid it'll end up in shreds once it gets home. My cd's aren't in the best condition.

boom said:

There are plastic covers they make to put magazines in, just like you can buy for 12" or 7" records. Like a slip cover of sorts. Also, just invest in a $5 magazine holder that you can put on your bookshelf. It's where I have my RS, and my tour programmes. It's not something I'd just throw on the coffee table of course.

boom said:

If you have every intention of keeping it until you sell it, then it's best not to open it.

If you have every intention of keeping it and never selling it, then the value of it is very different. You'll likely never get any money for it, but it will mean the world to you because you have it and your husband wanted you to have it. So why not open it carefully, look at it, enjoy the experience, and look after it?

boom said:

Interesting but not particularly valuable.

ernestsewell said:

Good idea...

langebleu said:

Keeping the plastic wrap on a record can be very damaging overtime. If you're going to keep it, it's best to remove the shrink wrap, and store it in a plastic sleeve (you can buy 100 for like $7 at places). So yes, if you're going to just resell it, keep it sealed.

boom said:

Those Baktaback things were mass produced for almost any artist whose audio of an interview was floating around. They'd press the CD w/ the audio, and put together some book w/ run of the mill pictures, and often times misquoted or mis-stated facts.

langebleu said:

It's so interesting. It really explains a lot of P's quirkiness. I think in one part to a question about the way he dressed, he said something like if we were meant to wear clothes we would have been born wearing them and they would grow when we grow. Classic!

I don't think I'd ever sell this, I love it too much. Just wondering if it was a common item or if anyone else had it.

ernestsewell said:

I saw on the sleeve where a lot of other artists had these available. I don't have any book or pictures though. The cover is very bland. I can tell it's very generic. But the interview was great.

ernestsewell said:

I will keep this in mind, in case it gets "opened".
For fun I bought a vintage Purple Rain tshirt and button to WEAR. A girl's got to have some fun. Today was a good day.

I am very fortunate to have this record also...I think I opened it, but I never played it.

boom said:

I think I still have this too...It's at an outdoor cafe...I used to love to listen to this...

The acoustics in my antique dining room that was torn down...I cannot describe how cool it was to drink a cup of coffee and listen to this pretty loud...It was awesome.

Tame said:

Exactly! It's one of my favorite Prince items.

this great site provides info on value etc on Prince vinyl releases

http://sleevographia2.free.fr/
[Edited 11/1/09 6:57am]

ernestsewell said:

Just curious...ernestsewell, how is this so? Most of my Prince albums and 12"s still have the plastic on them. I never knew this... I do know of the plastic sleeves your talking about though...