SoulAlive said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

When doves cry

When doves cry

When doves cry

Don't cry

Don't cry

I never get tired of seeing this video This is Prince's best music video

The first gif is a very beautiful scene, really.

Purple Rain fan art I

Purple Rain fan art II

Purple Rain fan art III

ROLLING STONE

REVIEWS

PURPLE RAIN
PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION
Warner Bros.

The spirit of Jimi Hendrix must surely smile down on Prince Rogers Nelson. Like Hendrix, Prince seems to have tapped into some extraterrestrial musical dimension where black and white styles are merely different aspects of the same funky thing. Prince's rock & roll is as authentic and compelling as his soul and his extremism is endearing in a era of play-it-safe record production and formulaic hit mongering. "Purple Rain" may not yield another smash like last year's "Little Red Corvette," but it's so loaded with life and invention and pure rock & roll thunder that such commercial considerations become moot. When Prince sings "Baby I'm a Star," it's a simple statement of fact.

The Hendrix connection is made overt here with the screaming guitar coda that ends "Let's Go Crazy," with the manic burst that opens "When Doves Cry" and in the title song, a space ballad that recalls "Angel" with its soaring guitar leads and a very Hendrixian lyrical tinge ("It's time we all reach out for something new -- that means you, too"). There are also constant reminders of Sly Stone in the ferocious bass lines and the hot, dance-conscious mix. But like Jimi and Sly, Prince writes his own rules. Some of his effects are singularly striking - note that eerie, atonal synthesizer touches that creep in at the end of "The Beautiful Ones" and the otherworldly backward-vocal montage in the frankly salacious "Darling Nikki" -- and his vocals continue to be among the most adventurous and accomplished on the current scene. Prince also does wonderful things with string-section sounds, and his band -- if it's not actually him playing all the parts -- burns throughout.

Anyone partial to great creators should own this record. Like Jimi and Sly, Prince is an original; but apart from that, he's like no one else.

-- KURT LODER

(RS 426/427)

June 4, 1984 the Glamorous Life w/Sheila E. drops
June 7, 1984 1st Avenue Birthday show with Prince & the Revolution

June 25, 1984 Purple Rain w/Prince & the Revolution drops

Purple Rain movie premiere 7.29.1984

July 9th, 1984 Ice Cream Castles w/Morris Day & the Time drops

Jul 27 2009 10:07 AM EDT

Prince Takes Over MTV For 1984 'Purple Rain' Premiere
We take a look back at the premiere (and afterparty) of Prince's groundbreaking film.
By Eric Ditzian

You need to see this. On Friday, July 27, 1984, MTV headed to Hollywood for the A-list red-carpet premiere and booze-fueled afterparty for Prince's seminal rock film "Purple Rain." Eddie Murphy showed up sporting a leopard-print blazer, a bare chest and a leather bandana tied around his neck. Pee-wee Herman drove up in a hot-rod-flamed clown car and busted into a nasally version of "When Doves Cry." And Prince himself — his "royal badness," as the VJ Mark Goodman declared — arrived in a purple stretch limo and, flanked by beefy bodyguards, sashayed down the carpet carrying a single rose.

Today, on the 25th anniversary of the "Purple Rain" premiere, we have unearthed MTV's two-hour-long special since it is an unparalleled window into our pop-culture past, because Prince is a timeless rock god and because the footage is, pure and simple, freaking amazing. (Read what Kurt Loder had to say about Prince's landmark album and movie.)



Why had everyone gathered a quarter-century ago beneath the sweltering California sun to celebrate this man and his operatic movie loosely based on his own life?

" 'Cause Prince is bad!" Murphy said.

We couldn't have put it better ourselves. By '84, the singer had already established himself as one of the most talented, charismatic and unpredictable pop stars on the planet. But with "Purple Rain" — and the album that accompanied it — Prince was set to reach an entirely new level. The disc hit the top Billboard spot, spawned two #1 singles and went platinum a staggering 13 times. And the movie, which saw Prince portray a Prince-like character trying to succeed as a musician and a lover while avoiding the alcoholic failings of his father, won an Oscar and grossed nearly $70 million at the box office.

The 1984 premiere featured appearances by some of the music world's biggest stars at the time: Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, Lionel Richie, Little Richard, John Mellencamp, Sheila E., "Weird Al" Yankovic and Morris Day.

On the carpet, Day commandeered Goodman's mic and announced to the crowd, "I wanna see the movie and then I wanna see some lovely young ladies, so y'all hang around, OK?"

The entire special had an endearing, basic-cable rawness to it, a compelling contrast to the slickly produced, highly professional nature of so many contemporary TV events. The sole set-decoration at the afterparty was a purple sign with shimmery silver ribbons hanging underneath. Interviews took place around unadorned cocktail-party tables and were interrupted with calls for more champagne. Goodman read from note cards clutched in his hand as he attempted to guide the live event.

And yet both the premiere and the film were part of a new beginning, a fresh way of approaching pop culture that brought together artists, celebrities, technology and, increasingly, the inclusion of fans in the entire process.

"It now becomes an extension," Richie said. "What we've been doing for a long time is taking each song and making a video out of it. What [Prince] has made now is a motion picture out of his album. It's a very important step."

One story that comes to mind took place in a limo en route to the Hollywood premiere of PURPLE RAIN. Big Chick was riding up front with the driver and I was in the back with Prince who was holding a single flower he had impulsively plucked from a garden in front of our hotel. The ride was tensely quiet. Remember this was a movie nobody thought would ever get made. "Who is this singer Prince who thinks he's all that to make a movie", said most in the industry and much of the media. We all knew this was either going to turn Prince into a major star or be one of the most embarrassing flops of all time.

We had carefully plotted a caravan of limos so as to orchestrate the arrivals of the various figures in the movie. One by one, limos deposited Billy Sparks, Morris Day and Jerome, The Time, Apollonia 6, Wendy & Lisa, Bobby Z, Dr. Fink and Brownmark. And they each worked their way up the red carpet, stopping for waves to fans, quick TV interviews and hundreds of photographers. The idea was, of course, that Prince would be the last to arrive and be met at curbside by a group of our security guys with whom we were in touch via walkie talkies (remember, this was before everyone had cell phones).

We had pre-arranged a spot a block behind the theatre where we would temporarily park and wait for the cue to pull around and make the "grand entrance". At that point I would also jump out of the car and run ahead to make certain everything at curbside was just the way we wanted and then give the driver the final "go". When we reached the appointed spot and parked, Chick turned on the walkie-talkie as Prince anxiously asked him, "What's going on there? Can we go yet?"

Chick turned around toward us and reported, "the guys say there's a traffic jam 2 blocks long, more fans than the police can handle and more cameras than a photography store!"

At that point Prince suddenly lost it. Just for a flash, but like any mortal human being, he lost it. He suddenly gripped my hand in a desperate vice and his voice broke as he strained to whisper in a tone that sounded like a petrified ten year old, "Whhh..aa..tttt d-diid he saayy?"

I was stunned too, but instinct took over and I hung onto his hand firmly and said calmly, "He said we're gonna have a day to be proud of and it's gonna be fun. Now let me get to theatre and I'll meet you there."

It was touching and revealing - probably the only moment through the whole, tedious making of the movie that he showed any doubt or vulnerability. And just as quickly, he caught himself....probably frustrated that he had let his guard down....and said, "Yeah, hurry up over there. And don't let them mess this up!"

-Alan Leeds

Thanks, the 80s we're the best!

Purple Rain’ Turns 30: Prince’s Engineer Shares Majestic (And Maddening) Studio Stories

Susan Rogers

What was it about Prince that made you want to work with him, and what was your role on the Purple Rain project?
I was riding a city bus in Hollywood and there was a kid who was sitting in the back of the bus with a boombox. I heard the song “Soft & Wet,” and I remember thinking, “I got to find out who this is…this is great!” I became a Prince fan immediately. By the time [1980’s] Dirty Mind came out, my mind was completely blown. It was everything I wanted music to be: It was R&B, rock, soul, and funk. And it was art music. Prince was bold, creative and he was making a statement and he had original thought.

I knew I would do anything to work with Prince. So then in 1983 I heard through the grapevine that Prince was looking for a technician. And then I went right to Glen Phoenix, who is the President of Westlake Audio, the studio where Prince recorded, and told him I would be perfect for him. I’m female and Prince likes working with females. I am completely well-trained as a technician so I knew I could do the work and I was a huge fan. Glenn asked me a lot of questions and then he sent me over to Prince’s management.

That had to be very surreal for you, right?
It was. They made me an offer right then and there. At the time I was just joining Prince I didn’t know what he was like and what he was thinking going into Purple Rain. But I can say that it was clear that he had momentum. When I first met Prince he was just coming off the 1999 tour. He had already done some of the recording for Purple Rain and there was more to be done. At this time, I wasn’t hired as his engineer. I was his maintenance tech. But you got the sense from being around him that he felt empowered. Prince was aware that with this new power he could do even more than what he had achieved with 1999. It was a big deal for such a young artist to go to his record label and say, “I want to make a movie.” This is an artist who created his own competition with the Time, Vanity 6, Sheila E, and others. Prince was going to try to see how far he could go with all of his artistry.

Were you around when they initially recorded parts of Purple Rain at August ’83 First Avenue gig?
No. But I was hired in August of 1983, around the time the First Avenue songs were [premiered]. I was planning the transition from moving from Los Angeles to Minnesota. There was a mobile truck at First Avenue and David Rivkin, Bobby Z’s brother, did the recording during the live gig. But I did arrive in time to do a lot of the overdubs for the Purple Rain album. The first thing Prince had me do was work on his home studio. I had to tear out an old console and install a new one. He had just brought a new API console. I repaired his tape machine, which was an Ampex MM 1200. I got a lot of stuff done. One of the first songs we worked on was “Darling Nikki.” We did a lot of work for the Purple Rain album in his home studio.

“Darling Nikki” is a hell of a song to have as your first project. Did you press play and think to yourself, “What have I gotten myself into?”
[Laughs] You have to remember I was his new employee. So Prince had me put up the tape of “Darling Nikki.” I pushed up the faders and I remember thinking, “Holy shit!” “Darling Nikki” wasn’t even finished yet, but you could tell it was something special. I would hazard to guess he did it all by himself; he played everything. The song “Let’s Go Crazy” was recorded live at a rehearsal. That was one of the first things I did with Prince. He rehearsed the song and the arrangement of the song with his band The Revolution. At that time, St. Louis Park was the city where Prince rehearsed. Now typically, the recording studio is isolated from the musicians, but not in this case. We had the recording equipment right in the middle of the floor. We recorded the band live and then Prince and I stayed there late, late late to do the guitar solo and the additional instrumental parts. That was the first song I recorded with him from beginning to end. It was crazy.

You talk about recording with Prince so nonchalantly, but from all the stories about his recording exploits he was known for wearing out engineers. How were you able to keep up?
Let me tell you. At that time, four hours of sleep was a good night’s sleep for Prince. I would usually get a phone call at 9 a.m. and it’s from Prince. When he would call that meant come to the studio immediately. Prince would tell me what kind of set up he wanted. The most important thing was to never hand Prince an instrument that wasn’t in tune. His technicians taught me how to tune his piano, drums, bass, and guitar. And this included setting up a vocal mic as well. Prince would come downstairs and usually have a lyric sheet written in long hand. And he would tape it up on a stand in front of the drums. I’d hit record and he would play the entire drum track from beginning to end without a click with the song in his head. He was a musical genius, especially on the drum machine.

Show off…
That’s how talented he is. Prince wanted to be able to walk from the drum booth into the control room, pick up the bass and play the bass parts. Next he might do the keyboard or pick up the guitar. He’d get half of the instrumentation done and then by himself he would record his vocals. Once it was time for vocals, I would leave the room. He always had to do his vocals alone because he needed that concentration. We could finish an entire song and have it printed and mixed in one day and have copies made. And then a few hours later, the phone would ring again and it’s Prince [laughs]. And I would come back and do the whole thing again. But that’s just so extremely rare. Most people don’t or can’t work like that.

...

What was a typical recording session with Prince like during the Purple Rain era?
A typical session for Prince was when we started a song from scratch we typically didn't leave the studio until it was mixed and printed. No one else did that. But Prince did that for every song. So if we came in and we started a song from scratch we would either do the drum machine or live drums first. Then we might bring in members of his band. But usually he would finish an entire song without any help. We would not leave until everything was overdubbed. When I officially became Prince's engineer I would usually be mixing it as we went along. He changed his method of recording after Paisley Park was built because he could finally use automation. But most of the time I was with Prince it was very old school.

The only time we would remix something after the fact is when the original track was cut live like in the case of "Let's Go Crazy" and subsequent records like "Mountains." And of course we would remix tracks that were recorded live by the mobile truck. We would bring it back in the studio, fix it and mix it. That was the case with "Purple Rain" and a few other tracks on that album.

Did you have a hand at recording Purple Rain's film score as well?
Even though I came in late on the project, I was doing quite a bit of work on the album and the movie. In addition to sequencing Purple Rain and taking it to mastering, I helped with recording the incidental music for the film. I was hearing it all as it was coming together.

Was there a sense that you were working on a game-changing project?
There was definitely a sense that the Purple Rain soundtrack and entire project was noteworthy. We had no idea that this thing was going to sell how many millions of copies that it did. But there was a sense that if they hadn't noticed Prince before they would notice him now. And he had songs that didn't make it on the album like "Wonderful Ass," which was on a tape that was just sitting there in his room when I joined him as an employee. He had those great [Purple Rain b-sides] like "17 Days," a song I loved! He had so much material. That was probably his most fertile period. And really good stuff. I was disappointed that his funk songs like "17 Days" didn't make it onto Purple Rain.

You engineered on the Purple Rain tour as well. What's your fondest memory?
We had a mobile recording truck at the Superdome in Louisiana. Imagine being a single-named artist and selling out two nights at a place that holds 60,000 people. That's where we recorded "4 The Tears In Your Eyes." This was an astonishing moment for me. I was on the side as the band was taking the stage and was hit by the sound of 60,000 people. I have never heard anything like that before. Prince and the stage looked so small in a place of that size. It was great just to realize what this guy had accomplished. After that we played Los Angeles, which was a big deal because you would see all of these celebrities backstage. I'm looking at Prince like, "Wow, you are the guy I go to work for everyday."

That had to be a humbling experience for everyone involved, right?
It really was. Prince was an output for recording and performing. That's all he did. But he didn't want to be backstage, and yet something remarkable happened at the Forum. Prince was held captive by Elizabeth Taylor! He didn't want to be talking to Elizabeth Taylor... not there; not after a sold-out show. But there he was. My ex-boyfriend John was also backstage. So I'm running around because we have the mobile truck there, too. John looked at Prince being talked to by Elizabeth Taylor and he saw a brother in trouble [laughs]. And John thought to himself, "I'm going to fall on the sword." So John jumped in between Prince and Elizabeth Taylor and did his best Quincy, Massachusetts, nutcase kid. He's screaming, "Prince, the show was wicked awesome! I took two hits of acid and smoked a big joint!"

That should have been a Dave Chappelle sketch.
It was hilarious! That was enough of a distraction where Prince could look at Taylor and go, "Well, nutcase in the room...what are you gonna do?" and make his escape. I never heard this until Prince told me that story afterwards. He was laughing when he told what happened. He said, "Man, that dude saved my life...I love that guy!"

MIAMI HERALD

PRINCE PACKS A PUNCH

Prince and the Revolution
Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain"
(Warner Bros.)

While his previous albums established Prince's musical creativity, driving sense of syncopation and passion for sexual lyrics, Purple Rain serves as an affirmation of his versatility and substance as a performer and composer. This finely produced album, which doubles as a soundtrack for the film Purple Rain, pulses with rhythm and sizzles with steamy sensuousness.

From the hot licks and throbbing rhythms of the erotic When Doves Cry and the compelling rockers Let's Go Crazy and I Would Die, to the heartrending beauty of the dreamy, soulful The Beautiful Ones and the title cut Purple Rain, this album delves beneath Prince's flashy sex-symbol image and shows us the heart and soul underneath.

Purple Rain is much more than just a dance album or a soundtrack, though it does possess the best of both styles. There's no fluffy filler here; every song stands strongly on its own as another majestic offering from the Prince. PICK

-- LINDA R. THORNTON

I Would Die 4 U ~ Prince & the Revolution 11.28.1984

I Would Die 4 U is the seventh track on Prince's sixth album Purple Rain, (Prince.org correction the second album to be credited to Prince and the Revolution. Five months after the album's release, I Would Die 4 U was released as the album's fourth single. The track is also featured in the movie Purple Rain.

Prince and the Revolution recorded the song live on 3 August, 1983 at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA (at the same concert where Baby I'm A Star and Purple Rain were also recorded). The song dated back to at least 18 months earlier when it was tried out in soundcheck during a Controversy Tour show.

It was included as the seventh track on the 7 November, 1983 configuration of the album, and the sixth track on the 23 March, 1984 configuration, but became the seventh track on the final 14 April, 1984 configuration after some tracklist changes to the album.

A tour rehearsal version of the song was recorded in late 1984 for release on the single's 12". The single version of the track was included as the eleventh track on the first disc of an early configuration of the compilation album Ultimate before the album was reworked for release.

-PrinceVault

"I Would Die 4 U"

Once again, this is all Prince. At first he wanted me to play the bassline on "I Would Die 4 U" manually. So we tried it during rehearsal first, which I could pull it off, but it was not easy. And sometimes I would get off rhythm a little bit because you had to be so spot on, and you had to play it with two hands! So Prince says, "Well, Matt, why can't you play it with one hand and play the chords with the other hand?" And I said, "You try it." But neither one of us could do it. So I told Prince, "I got an idea. Let's try to sequence this one." Unfortunately, nothing in our arsenal could sequence it properly, so we created a way to put that bassline part in the sequencer and then have it lock up to the Linn drum machine with MIDI. But the Linn drum didn't have MIDI so Prince's tech guy created a MIDI interface for it. So I would have the sequencer ready to go during the live show and then all Bobby Z would have to do is hit the play button. We did some groundbreaking technological things that day.

-Dr Fink

Dr Fink with Taj Sevelle

the BRIT Awards show 2.11.1985

When “Purple Rain” Came Falling Down

At the apex of his success, Prince made a high-profile decision that damaged his reputation for years

Each of these shows offered a new opportunity for Prince to make an international impression, which he took full advantage of. At the Grammys, his onstage entourage included a little person. At the Brit Awards, hulking bodyguard Big Chick joined him onstage. Prince wore a pink feather boa, and his entire acceptance speech was “All thanks to God. Good night.”

Are there any orgers who were there at any of these shows?

Jill Jones on the set of Purple Rain

Jerome Benton & Morris Day on the set of Purple Rain

OldFriends4Sale said:

Poetic masterpiece!!!

I love the 12" of this song, just put it on a mix cd for my friend...

Talk about timeless!

Thx Old Friends for this thread!

Your gifts to us are immeasurable in the amount of love you put into your threads

Such intimate insight!

OldFriends4Sale said:

And the MUSIC continues...forever...

Let's Go Crazy, Take Me With U, the Beautiful Ones, Computer Blue, Darling Nikki, When Doves Cry, I Would Die 4 U, Baby I'm A Star, Purple Rain

17 Days, Erotic City, God the Dance Electric, Another Lonely Christmas

God the Love Theme, Possessed, Modernaire, Sugar Walls,

Traffic Jam, Wonderful Ass, Cold Coffee & Coccaine, Lust U Always, Electric Intercourse, G-Spot, Fathers Song, Wednesday, Our Destiny, Roadhouse Garden...

Prince: the music, the Purple Rain album Singles Bsides extended versions & outtakes

the Revolution: Bobby Z Dr Matt Fink Lisa Coleman Brown Mark Brown Wendy Melvoin
Susan Rogers, Jill Jones, Novi Novog, Suzi Katayama

Dez Dickerson & the Modernaires

Albert Magnoli & William Blinn Alan Leeds

Clarence Williams, Olga Karlatos, Kim U

Dig If U Will the Picture...
Erotic City, can't U see?

Come on and touch the place in me
A world of never ending happiness
Bring 2 life a vision in one's mind

He gave us light 2 rule the day

Lookin 4 my sunshine
U are the one that makes my love shout

Is the water warm enough?

Your dirty little Prince wanna grind

Make U happy when U're sad
Tell me do U like what U see?
I only wanted 2 see U bathing in the purple

The Starr ★ Company

http://prince.org/msg/7/422477 Prince & the Time Ice Cream Castles 1983-1984

AND THEN CAME THE RAIN

http://prince.org/msg/7/422517 Prince and Apollonia 6 -1984-1985

http://prince.org/msg/7/422538 Prince Sheila E. & the Glamorous Life 1984-1985

"Would you like to play with my timbales?"

BAR NONE. My absolutely favorite Prince years for all. I lost count how many times I watched Purple Rain in the theater, on VHS and lets not even get into the soundtrack lol. Lets just say, I always had more than one copy on standby Gosh, I miss those days Quick, get me Doc Brown on the line! I need his Delorean Time Machine, set to the year and date, July 27, 1984 delivered to me STAT! We're taking a ride backwards

[Edited 5/27/16 18:11pm]

OldFriends4Sale said:

Jill Jones on the set of Purple Rain

Gosh, Jill was beautiful. Still is in fact. Another thing I liked about Jill was her unique friendship with Prince. It intrigued me. The next comment I will make about Jill, won't be the popular opinion, do to all the apparent forever Vanity shippers on this site. Not to say, I'm not a Vanity fan. I liked Vanity just fine. It's just, back in the day, I wasn't feeling the whole Vanity is the "ONE" for Prince. For the long haul, I secretly shipped Jill with Prince. So, there you have it. All I can say is, fact or fantasy, we ship, what we ship, for our own reasons

[Edited 5/27/16 18:13pm]