I have just brought my first turntable so I am looking to buy a copy of the 12 inch Maxi Single of Purple Rain.

I am debating between the 2017 issue in Purple Vinyl (UK Edition) or the original 12" 1984 edition (Australian Issue).

Has anyone here got both the original or new issues and advise which is the best issue? I am a newbie to Vinyl and have been looking for reviews on both, but Discogs doesnt have any reviews on either of these issues, so thought the best people to ask are my fellow Orgers.

Thank you to anyone who can help me out.

[Edited 10/17/19 5:06am]

I have both the reissue and an original. Soundwise, there's no difference, to me. As far as I know, those reissued maxi singles were just reissues, not remasters.

TrivialPursuit said:

I have both the reissue and an original. Soundwise, there's no difference, to me. As far as I know, those reissued maxi singles were just reissues, not remasters.

Thank you I was just wondering if the coloured vinyl made a difference. I ended up buying the original release - but shall likely get the Purple one too, unless one of the other Maxis is in Purple? Maybe that might be cool?????? I am new to Vinyl so totally "green" on this -hehhee

I reckon you should hunt up an original UK issue 12" with the poster and the instrumental version of God

gollygirl said:

TrivialPursuit said:

I have both the reissue and an original. Soundwise, there's no difference, to me. As far as I know, those reissued maxi singles were just reissues, not remasters.

Thank you I was just wondering if the coloured vinyl made a difference. I ended up buying the original release - but shall likely get the Purple one too, unless one of the other Maxis is in Purple? Maybe that might be cool?????? I am new to Vinyl so totally "green" on this -hehhee

I think colored vinyl will always sound worse than regular but I'm having trouble pulling up a definitive answer on the subject through Google.

Well you have three options. A release from 1984, 2007 and 2017.

Avoid the coloured vinyl from 2017 and never play a picture disc!

The 2007 re-issue is a facsimile and as such the sleeve isn't that great at all.

If you can find a mint version from 1984 that would be the better option.

Going from memory the USA pressing is a nice heavy weight.

WhisperingDandelions said:

gollygirl said:

Thank you I was just wondering if the coloured vinyl made a difference. I ended up buying the original release - but shall likely get the Purple one too, unless one of the other Maxis is in Purple? Maybe that might be cool?????? I am new to Vinyl so totally "green" on this -hehhee

I think colored vinyl will always sound worse than regular but I'm having trouble pulling up a definitive answer on the subject through Google.

Thank you, yes that is what i found too, searched for two hours and could not find anything - so that is why I came here to ask in the end - as I know someone here would give me the right advice - thank you.

darkroman said:

Well you have three options. A release from 1984, 2007 and 2017.

Avoid the coloured vinyl from 2017 and never play a picture disc!

The 2007 re-issue is a facsimile and as such the sleeve isn't that great at all.

If you can find a mint version from 1984 that would be the better option.

Going from memory the USA pressing is a nice heavy weight.

Thank you sooooo much, you have "made my day" in fact I found a Near Mint 1984 12 inch single (black vinyl) Australian Pressing with the original cover in excellent condtion. I have purchased this now and glad I avoided the other two - thank you for your help - I so appreciated it xxx

always buy originals, can't go wrong with that.

andrewm7 said:

I reckon you should hunt up an original UK issue 12" with the poster and the instrumental version of God

This. (Even minus the poster, this is the one.)

WhisperingDandelions said:

I think colored vinyl will always sound worse than regular but I'm having trouble pulling up a definitive answer on the subject through Google.

From all I know, which could be limited compared to an audiophile, colored vinyl usually isn't a problem with sound. It's picture disks that are the culprits that end up having a lesser sound quality. I've always stayed away from them overall. The few exceptions are Purple Rain, a Culture Club album, and possibly 1 or 2 others, at most. I do have colored vinyl, and that medium has been around for a very long time. But the schtick of a picture disk is what I stay away from.

TrivialPursuit said:

WhisperingDandelions said:

I think colored vinyl will always sound worse than regular but I'm having trouble pulling up a definitive answer on the subject through Google.

From all I know, which could be limited compared to an audiophile, colored vinyl usually isn't a problem with sound. It's picture disks that are the culprits that end up having a lesser sound quality. I've always stayed away from them overall. The few exceptions are Purple Rain, a Culture Club album, and possibly 1 or 2 others, at most. I do have colored vinyl, and that medium has been around for a very long time. But the schtick of a picture disk is what I stay away from.

Thank you, I have only just brought my first turntable so vinyl is totally new to me so I appreciate advice. I am waiting for Vinyl to arrive in the post so not played any yet - but I did buy one picture disc - Madonna The First Album - Record Store day version - then read that picture discs play like crap - so likely this will be just be kept as a novelty. I had considered buying Prince's Purple Rain Album Picture Disc - but I did find lots of reveiws that this in fact has a heap of issues with skipping and badly pressed particulary "Doves" - lots of complaints about that on Amazon. I have brought Princes Purple Rain album though - but an original 1984 US pressing - apparently that is the best version of the album? Something about the dude that mastered it at the time . As I have all the CDs and they are not as complicated - vinyl is a whole new thing.

gollygirl said:

Thank you, I have only just brought my first turntable so vinyl is totally new to me so I appreciate advice. I am waiting for Vinyl to arrive in the post so not played any yet - but I did buy one picture disc - Madonna The First Album - Record Store day version - then read that picture discs play like crap - so likely this will be just be kept as a novelty. I had considered buying Prince's Purple Rain Album Picture Disc - but I did find lots of reveiws that this in fact has a heap of issues with skipping and badly pressed particulary "Doves" - lots of complaints about that on Amazon. I have brought Princes Purple Rain album though - but an original 1984 US pressing - apparently that is the best version of the album? Something about the dude that mastered it at the time . As I have all the CDs and they are not as complicated - vinyl is a whole new thing.

Just a few side notes: Typically songs on a record aren't pressed separately, so one song not being great but others are is a rare situation. Could happen, but in general, it's not a thing. Records are pressed per side, not per song.

Second, I've found many people don't have their stylus/arm adjusted/weighted properly. If the weight on the arm is too far back, the needle is going to graze over the groove which will cause skipping, etc. If it's weighted too much, it'll distort the sound in other ways, and damage the grooves in the record causing irreparable damage to the record.

Those Crosley turntables - found in Target, Walmart and the like - are big culprits in this bullshit. Many record stores won't guarantee a vinyl purchase if the consumer has played the vinyl on a Crosley record player. They're cheaply made, the needles are cheap, and the whole thing is a retro money grab, not a good player worth of someone who wants to take care of their records. Folks are almost better off getting a turntable from the 70s or 80s and just put a new needle on it.

Also, just as an extra bit in case you didn't know, store your records properly. Always vertical, never store them laying flat. No sun on them, not near a heat source either (like a bookcase next to a fireplace sorta thing). Get the plastic bags to put your record jackets in. For me, I go a step further. I take the record and sleeve out of the jacket and store both in the plastic bag/sleeve. It keeps those white rings on the record jacket from forming over time, and also saves you taking it out, pulling the record out, etc. You really don't have to handle the jacket this way. You can simply pull it out of the sleeve from the top as intended. I actually put the records in the plastic bag outside of the sleeve, too. Those old paper sleeves can scratch a record. So it's jacket, sleeve, record in the plastic bag (unless it's just old as fuck anyway, but even then I try to store it so everything stays in the best condition as possible).

Also, to be nerdy, get an account on Discogs, and catalog all your purchases by catalog or UPC. You can find your exact version and add it to your collection. Use the mobile app when shopping in stores to reference your collection so you don't double buy something. We've all done it before.

TrivialPursuit said:

gollygirl said:

Thank you, I have only just brought my first turntable so vinyl is totally new to me so I appreciate advice. I am waiting for Vinyl to arrive in the post so not played any yet - but I did buy one picture disc - Madonna The First Album - Record Store day version - then read that picture discs play like crap - so likely this will be just be kept as a novelty. I had considered buying Prince's Purple Rain Album Picture Disc - but I did find lots of reveiws that this in fact has a heap of issues with skipping and badly pressed particulary "Doves" - lots of complaints about that on Amazon. I have brought Princes Purple Rain album though - but an original 1984 US pressing - apparently that is the best version of the album? Something about the dude that mastered it at the time . As I have all the CDs and they are not as complicated - vinyl is a whole new thing.

Just a few side notes: Typically songs on a record aren't pressed separately, so one song not being great but others are is a rare situation. Could happen, but in general, it's not a thing. Records are pressed per side, not per song.

Second, I've found many people don't have their stylus/arm adjusted/weighted properly. If the weight on the arm is too far back, the needle is going to graze over the groove which will cause skipping, etc. If it's weighted too much, it'll distort the sound in other ways, and damage the grooves in the record causing irreparable damage to the record.

Those Crosley turntables - found in Target, Walmart and the like - are big culprits in this bullshit. Many record stores won't guarantee a vinyl purchase if the consumer has played the vinyl on a Crosley record player. They're cheaply made, the needles are cheap, and the whole thing is a retro money grab, not a good player worth of someone who wants to take care of their records. Folks are almost better off getting a turntable from the 70s or 80s and just put a new needle on it.

Also, just as an extra bit in case you didn't know, store your records properly. Always vertical, never store them laying flat. No sun on them, not near a heat source either (like a bookcase next to a fireplace sorta thing). Get the plastic bags to put your record jackets in. For me, I go a step further. I take the record and sleeve out of the jacket and store both in the plastic bag/sleeve. It keeps those white rings on the record jacket from forming over time, and also saves you taking it out, pulling the record out, etc. You really don't have to handle the jacket this way. You can simply pull it out of the sleeve from the top as intended. I actually put the records in the plastic bag outside of the sleeve, too. Those old paper sleeves can scratch a record. So it's jacket, sleeve, record in the plastic bag (unless it's just old as fuck anyway, but even then I try to store it so everything stays in the best condition as possible).

Also, to be nerdy, get an account on Discogs, and catalog all your purchases by catalog or UPC. You can find your exact version and add it to your collection. Use the mobile app when shopping in stores to reference your collection so you don't double buy something. We've all done it before.

Look like I am on the right track then - I brought a Audio Technics LP1200 and I already have a discogs account and yes, have logged all of my CD collection on there already (I collect Madonna too) - and I have brought half my collection from Discogs - but vinyl is just new to me. I shall have to google how to store the records as you suggested though as I am trying to picture it. My picture disc that arrived from a record store came with a special inner sleeve as a gift that has plastic and rice paper in it (I had to ring them and ask what it was for - ha ha). I have brought an Onzlow stylus cleaner but have yet to buy a cleaning brush etc - my turntable is still not set up as I am waiting on my Marantz Amp & B&W speakers - I am going to go on Airtasker and get someone with experience to come and set the weight and anti-skate for me as that is confusing even with the You Tube Tutorials............fingers crossed I like the vinyl when it is set up - I am a little nervous about it to be honest.

As a fellow Aussie, I think I should warn you that Australian pressings of singles (12" and 7") from the 80s were not really very high quality. They were often done with lightweight recycled vinyl. On the whole the US and UK pressings were a bit better

andrewm7 said:

As a fellow Aussie, I think I should warn you that Australian pressings of singles (12" and 7") from the 80s were not really very high quality. They were often done with lightweight recycled vinyl. On the whole the US and UK pressings were a bit better

Thank you for your advice - Hugs xxx

^FMS is correct, the UK 12" verion has a "long version" of Purple Rain which is shorter than the album version. I still stand by my answer in terms of which to buy , but this should probably be part of your decision making process

[Edited 10/20/19 23:56pm]

andrewm7 said:

^FMS is correct, the UK 12" verion has a "long version" of Purple Rain which is shorter than the album version. I still stand by my answer in terms of which to buy , but this should probably be part of your decision making process

[Edited 10/20/19 23:56pm]

How interesting - I have brought the Australian & New Zealand 1984 pressing - according to Discogs should clock in at 8.45 min - so hopefully that will be OK. It being posted to me now - still got to get the Turntable set up - trying to find someone with Turntable experience to help me how to adjust the arm weight and anti-skid as that looks confusing to me - fingers crossed I will be up and running by the weekend .............

Thanks for the replies xxx

please let us know how it all goes