Now that the remaster has sunk in .. what version will you listen to when you want to listen to just the classic purple rain album?

Will it be the new remaster, an older remaster, a bootleg remaster, your own homemade remaster, the old original non remastered, the vinyl remaster, the vinyl non remastered?

Which do you consider the best version? Which will you likely never put on your stereo again?

For me its the purple tinted cassette that came out last year.

(i feel like this post needs some ketchup to go with all this remastered)

The one I bought years ago.

when listening to it on spotify, probably the 2015 remaster

.

when listening to it on vinyl, probably the original 1984 pressing that my mom bought in '84

.

considering getting the 2011 vinyl remaster though

[Edited 7/4/17 9:14am]

[Edited 7/4/17 9:15am]

If I'm at home, the 1984 or 2009 vinyl re-issue. If I'm in the car, a rip of the original CD with the volume adjusted in iTunes.

Josh Welton can suck it.

I was all for prince empowering musicians to take a solo (if it was a short one) but empowering someone with little experience an dletting them mix such a landmark album? Dudes mixes are hard to listen to, their not worthy of being released period end of story.

The "Homemade Deluxe Version" has been flac'd from a Rhino Vinyl remaster, I think from around 2004/2005. Rhino is a subdivision of Warner Bros., and they usually do a really great job at remastering classics.

Here's a simple test :when the drums start to kick in in "Let's Go Crazy", there are actually 3 different snare sounds playing in alternation, and they're set on a slightly different amplitude/volume each. So this shit is really pumping, like a frantic heartbeat or something. It comes and goes. It's a breathing pulse.

The way Josh brickwalled it, it just sounds like a single snare with variations in the timbre, and every beat is at the same volume. So there it is, not even a minute through the album, Josh's remaster becomes worthless.

Which ever version comes up when I grab my iPhone and tell my male Siri to run MY personal Purple Cloud.

The HD Tracks version downconverted to CD quality for use on my iPod, the mastering of that is the best digital version in my opinion

Out and about in the car, an MP3 rip of the original CD. At home, either the original version on Apple Music, or the Rhino vinyl remaster. I don't play my 1984 vinyl copy so often, trying not to wear it out.

I can't think of any reason to listen to the Deluxe remaster.

ian said:

Out and about in the car, an MP3 rip of the original CD. At home, either the original version on Apple Music, or the Rhino vinyl remaster. I don't play my 1984 vinyl copy so often, trying not to wear it out.

I can't think of any reason to listen to the Deluxe remaster.

There is ONE REASON..We can FUCK

Go on..you know you want to..t0

ian said:

Out and about in the car, an MP3 rip of the original CD. At home, either the original version on Apple Music, or the Rhino vinyl remaster. I don't play my 1984 vinyl copy so often, trying not to wear it out.

I can't think of any reason to listen to the Deluxe remaster.

There is ONE REASON..We can FUCK

Go on..you know you want to.

There is a good discussion about the different releases (prior to the current one) on Steve Hoffman's forums.

Here's a quote:

The Rhino Europe 081227-99149-4 is mastered by Kevin Gray (it seems to have KG @ATM in the dead way, though it's faint), and is said to be pressed at Optimal in Germany. It's nice and flat and has the colour insert poster/lyric sheet with the disc in a separate poly lined sleeve (nice touch). And it's sealed of course.

I think I just prefer my original purple Bernie Grundman Alsdorf (Germany) pressing. They do sound different to me.

I'm very glad Germany pressings are often quoted on SH, because we europeans had the chance to get incredible dynamic vynil releases.
Vynil mastering is an audio sub-process of its own, the low frequencies are difficult to get just right, and Lawd knows how much bass is pivotal in Prince's work. Almost everything that came out from the eighties WEA Germany factory sounds like Technicolor 3D Cinemascope with odorama.

If you never experienced the dirt and sleaziness of "Shockadelica" on the original WEA Germany pressing, you miss half of the experience, trust me. And that's just one example.

I understand the convienence, but why some of you who have the alternative keep on listening to the PR CD (or sourced from) is beyond me...

[Edited 7/5/17 4:04am]

Lovejunky said:

ian said:

Out and about in the car, an MP3 rip of the original CD. At home, either the original version on Apple Music, or the Rhino vinyl remaster. I don't play my 1984 vinyl copy so often, trying not to wear it out.

I can't think of any reason to listen to the Deluxe remaster.

There is ONE REASON..We can FUCK

Go on..you know you want to.

We're talking about which version of the original album.

Duh, we'll listen to discs 2 and 3 of the deluxe. They were mastered by Bernie Grundman - not Josh, the hack.

I'll listen to anything besides the brickwalled remaster CD.

BanishedBrian said:

I'll listen to anything besides the brickwalled remaster CD.

Thank u. I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Lovejunky said:

ian said:

Out and about in the car, an MP3 rip of the original CD. At home, either the original version on Apple Music, or the Rhino vinyl remaster. I don't play my 1984 vinyl copy so often, trying not to wear it out.

I can't think of any reason to listen to the Deluxe remaster.

There is ONE REASON..We can FUCK

Go on..you know you want to.

Ha, I was just talking about the remaster. Disc 2 is a different story

luvgirl said:

I'll listen to the Purple Rain Deluxe re-master. I like the way it sounds. Now, if I still had the first Pruple Rain album I bought, that would be different due to sentimental reasons, but I don't, so re-master it is...

Co-sign. My original CD is barely audible in my car. I have to turn the sound all the way up until it can't go any higher, and I STILL can't really enjoy it.

I'm no audiophile, so I don't hear the stuff with the 2015 remaster that you hear. It sounds fine to me. And, most importantly, it bumps in the car.