This Tuesday (April 22) will mark 40 years since Prince and the Revolution dropped, "Around The World In A Day". It was a radical departure from Purple Rain, giving a more late 60s, psychedelic vibe. What was your fave memory from this album?

Around The World In A Day

Pasiley Park

Condition Of The Heart

Raspberry Beret

Tamborine

America

Pop Life

The Ladder

Temptation

[Edited 4/22/25 12:20pm]

Prince and The Revolution...nniversary

(Link to https://albumism.com article on 'Around The World In A Day 40th Anniversary article)

I remember the 14 year old me was a bit confused on the first listenings - I loved Purple Rain, and had then bought 1999, so that was my Prince exposure at that time... (the other older albums I hadn't yet bought). ATWIAD was soooo different, and while I loved Rasberry Barret, America and The Ladder immediately, I did not know what to make of the rest of them - where was the funk and rock? ...

But it very quickly grew on me, and I loved all the extended versions and killer b-side tracks (She is Always in My Hair...). America on the LP was great, but the long version did nothing for me back then - and still does not do much, I think it is just waay too long

And looking back, of course this is a great album, a cool part of one of music's greatest runs (1999 to Lovesexy)

And it is really timeless - and makes me wish popular artists today would be so multi-faceted musically as Prince back then

11 year old me totally missed this album when it came out. I liked the 1999 and Purple Rain albums but wasn't immersed in the Prince-verse as it was. I was still mostly into rap at the time. In my mid 20's I discovered this album but in reverse order. Diamonds and Pearls and The Gold Experience piqued my interest in Prince at the time. Parade was the album that really got me into Prince and let me know he was on another level. I was actually searching for AnotherLoverHoleInYoHead and bought the album... it was like magic and after I digested that album I went to ATWIAD then Lovesexy and the rest is history as they say.

Always loved this one, in my Top 2 Prince albums for decades.

Maybe it's because I wasn't "there" in '85, or maybe it's because when I was a teenager in the 00s I was a bit of a pretentious art snob, but I've always been down with this.

Like 'Purple Rain' I loved it, catchy album, played it over and over, but when it was time to explore the rest of his catalogue this one hit me on a completely different level. I wasn't getting into some pop dude, some R&B dude, some rock dude, I was exploring the work of a true artiste with a capital A. Even the stuff I wasn't really into like "Tambourine" was unique, original, and respectable.

One of my favorite moves in art history. If this was 'Purple Rain II' honestly I might have zoned out on the rest of the discog.

This was the first Prince album I ever bought on vinyl! This album has such a cool vibe to it I love the tambourines! I think a highlight off the album for me would be Paisley Park and America

( live version of America is AMAZING)

nayroo2002 said:

What cool visual arts, right? I loved it

nayroo2002 said:

The art on this Album is so COOL

Ramzoo said:

An example, the Estate should follow... https://superdeluxeedition.com/video/inxs-listen-like-thieves-3cdlp-super-deluxe-unboxed/

a friend of mine is a huge INXS fan and she is thoroughly disapointed and she claims the set missed A LOT of session things they could have put on there.
so to me this is probbaly just like the Prince SDEs exept that INXS has the remaster on vinyl included in one box

Like someone from a previous post, I was 11 when this came out and was not yet a Prince fan. At the time, Raspberry Beret did not speak to me. I became a Prince fan several years later when I was in high school. Part of my love for this particular album is the circumstance under which I purchased it in the spring of 1991. A friend of mine and I cut school one day - we were both in a production of “The Crucible” and were supposed to wear our puritan era costumes to school to promote the show. I didn’t want the shame and scorn that would bring. A bunch of the cast, like me, abstained from wearing our costumes and our director was furious. He taught two of my classes and, rather than face his wrath, my friend and I skedaddled for a trip to the mall (where I purchased ATWIAD on cassette), our favorite pizza joint, and back home for a marathon session of nerf basketball. Being a rule follower, this act of minor rebellion felt amazing. My partner in crime that day is still one of my best friends, and he helped make the day all but perfect.

I was very surprised by the psychedelic vibe of this album. Paisley Park just sounded exactly like that day felt: wondrous and joyful. On top of that, Pop Life was a song I had heard before and had forgotten about - still one of my favorite songs of all time. Raspberry Beret, which I did grow to love, contains my favorite Prince line: “Thunder drowns out what the lightning sees.” What an incredibly creative and evocative way to conjure a thunder storm! ATWIAD doesn’t quite reach the heights, for me, of some of his masterpieces during his 80’s run, but it is overall a wonderful album, warts and all. But it has a little extra magic for me personally because it has remained entwined with that day from my youth.

I was listening to the tape on my Walkman backstage that night during our first performance. I was rocking out and didn’t realize that I was humming loudly enough for people in the first few rows to hear me. The stage manager had to slap me on the arm to get me to shut up.

Ramzoo said:

When I first heard "America" on cassette (day of its release !): at the beginning of the song, I thought that the tape was stuck in the mechanism. 😂 I love the album and glad that it was different from "Purple Rain". Prince (RIP) was so prolific at the time (the 3 B-sides of the album). A SDE would be so much appreciated and deserved...

I had bought the vinyl and had the same experience, thinking the vinyl was skipping!

nayroo2002 said:

One of the few Prince albums where the B-sides was better than the actual album. ATWIAD had some decents tracks but very Beatles-esque

guitarman81 said:

One of the few Prince albums where the B-sides was better than the actual album. ATWIAD had some decents tracks but very Beatles-esque

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ATWIAD has zero in common with the Beatles. What exactly is Beatles-like on this album in your opinion? When will this stupid connotation ever die?

Kares said:

FrankieCoco1 said:

Kares said:

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ATWIAD has zero in common with the Beatles. What exactly is Beatles-like on this album in your opinion? When will this stupid connotation ever die?

David Coleman played the oud (an Arabic lute-like instrument) and the darbuka (a goblet-shaped drum, I think Egyptian origin) the title track, Around The World In A Day. The Beatles also were known to use these instruments, later on. Doug Henders has also said his cover artwork was inspired by Sgt Pepper. So perhaps I can see a tenuous link between ATWIAD and The Beatles but to be honest, I’m not bothered if there is or not.

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I know, the Beatles also were known to use guitars and drums too. Okay.

Kares said:

FrankieCoco1 said:

Kares said: David Coleman played the oud (an Arabic lute-like instrument) and the darbuka (a goblet-shaped drum, I think Egyptian origin) the title track, Around The World In A Day. The Beatles also were known to use these instruments, later on. Doug Henders has also said his cover artwork was inspired by Sgt Pepper. So perhaps I can see a tenuous link between ATWIAD and The Beatles but to be honest, I’m not bothered if there is or not.

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I know, the Beatles also were known to use guitars and drums too. Okay.

Was just gonna say. It's like saying the original Strange Relationship is Ravi Shankar-esque because he used a sitar (or sitar synth)

I have always love ATWIAD. I have maintained that it is too short, and doesn't end well.

I would love an SDE for this album. B-sides, extended tracks, unreleased and alternates included.

TheBigBang said:

I have always love ATWIAD. I have maintained that it is too short, and doesn't end well.

I would love an SDE for this album. B-sides, extended tracks, unreleased and alternates included.

It would B awesome ! Fingers crossed till Celebration ?

It must be Miles Davis on "Six And ½" because, you know, there's a muted trumpet there.

olb99 said:

It must be Miles Davis on "Six And ½" because, you know, there's a muted trumpet there.

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actually, many fans (and bootleggers) used to think Crucial was a Miles-Prince collaboration just because of the Harmon mute.

Ramzoo said:

The mosaic hills in the background are very interesting....Especially than on on the right...what it that on the very top?

OnlyNDaUsa said:

The mosaic hills in the background are very interesting....Especially than on on the right...what it that on the very top?

I don't want to shock you, but I think it's a naked lady