This to me would seem like a bit of a shady move by WB considering the timing, and the Prince Estate’s staying out of WBs way for the last year and now kind of talking over them on the same day as the ATWIAD singles set is announced.

Their approach seems odd as well, billing this as “one step” from the master, but in their own description stating unequivocally that the release is sourced from a high bit rate digital dub of the master. Isn't this what mobile fidelity were criticized for doing?

Prince PURPLE RAIN (ONE STEP) 180g LIMITED NUMBERED GATEFOLD

https://store.warnermusic...amp;_v=1.0

It is interesting that it is billed as “Old Style” single pocket gatefold tip-on jacket with original artwork, including the original inner sleeve and poster.“ and I have been trying to figure out what they mean. Is it a gatefold artwork version of Purple Rain, or is it the old style jacket with a slipcase?

[Edited 10/4/25 13:23pm]

[Edited 10/4/25 13:24pm]

[Edited 10/4/25 13:36pm]

andrewm7new said:

This to me would seem like a bit of a shady move by WB considering the timing, and the Prince Estate’s staying out of WBs way for the last year and now kind of talking over them on the same day as the ATWIAD singles set is announced.

WB can't do anything without the Prince Estate's permission. Prince got his masters back, in full, before he died. Dirty Mind had been remastered (I have the vinyl). The first two albums I have on vinyl are from after that transfer of ownership.

On those two albums, and on any subsequent release, it says "NPG Records, under exclusive license to Warner Bros. Records."

So part of the deal of him getting his masters back was that he would only license the printing etc of those masters back to Warner Bros.

In broad strokes, the slave became the master, and the master became the slave.

Prince (and the Estate) still has control of what comes out. That didn't just get printed, which makes it not some shady thing by Warner. The Estate isn't "staying out of the way" of WB. WB can only put things out with the Estate's permission via that licensing agreement.

They work in tandum, but the Estate has the upper hand. For instance, if they suddenly didn't want Lovesexy printed, it wouldn't be. They could pull that (in theory) and disallow any future pressings by WB. The Estate's only outlet for pressing is WB per the agreement, so it's worthy of both to continue to work together to keep Prince's music out there.

Now - them whipping a dead horse by released 352 releases of Purple Rain is another thread in itself.

Dupe thread: https://prince.org/msg/7/471661

andrewm7new said:

This to me would seem like a bit of a shady move by WB considering the timing

.

This was announced at the end of August.

a less-than-favorable review of this new One Step Purple Rain vinyl

I Was Crushed! A HUGE Vin... - YouTube

Purchased it today, listened to it all the way through and it is absolutely THE BEST sounding copy of Purple Rain I have ever owned (and the highest quality). What do I have to compare it to? My original pressing from 1984 (second best sounding) original cassette, original CD release, Prince-approved ultimate collector's edition CD set from 2017 (not great, but ok), purple Target vinyl release (absolutely HORRENDOUS-worse than the original cassette or original CD version). Great soundstage, I'm not sure what that lady in the YouTube video who blathered on and on about her childhood bedroom was listening to, but the dynamic range and clarity of Princes vocals is STUNNING. I have fairly high-end equipment, so that might have something to do with it (maybe she listens on a Crosley or something). I cannot recommend it more and if you don't want to take my word for it, vinyl audiophile extraordinaire Michael Fremer gave the sound quality a 10/10 on The Tracking Angle. My only complaint is the shade of purple they used for the slipcover, but the Stoughton Tip-On Jacket is BEAUTIFUL and the vinyl is thick, black and quiet.

His review:

https://trackingangle.com...aster-tape

This is not a cynical cash grab from the estate, this is an amazing release for audiophiles, not for wannabes with Victrola, Audio Technica or Crosley all in one turntables. If you have inferior equipment, this is frankly not for you, in fact, it would be obscene for this record to be played on junk like that.

Best,

Brad

BSonmor said:

Purchased it today, listened to it all the way through and it is absolutely THE BEST sounding copy of Purple Rain I have ever owned (and the highest quality). What do I have to compare it to? My original pressing from 1984 (second best sounding) original cassette, original CD release, Prince-approved ultimate collector's edition CD set from 2017 (not great, but ok), purple Target vinyl release (absolutely HORRENDOUS-worse than the original cassette or original CD version). Great soundstage, I'm not sure what that lady in the YouTube video who blathered on and on about her childhood bedroom was listening to, but the dynamic range and clarity of Princes vocals is STUNNING. I have fairly high-end equipment, so that might have something to do with it (maybe she listens on a Crosley or something). I cannot recommend it more and if you don't want to take my word for it, vinyl audiophile extraordinaire Michael Fremer gave the sound quality a 10/10 on The Tracking Angle. My only complaint is the shade of purple they used for the slipcover, but the Stoughton Tip-On Jacket is BEAUTIFUL and the vinyl is thick, black and quiet.

His review:

https://trackingangle.com...aster-tape

This is not a cynical cash grab from the estate, this is an amazing release for audiophiles, not for wannabes with Victrola, Audio Technica or Crosley all in one turntables. If you have inferior equipment, this is frankly not for you, in fact, it would be obscene for this record to be played on junk like that.

Best,

Brad

Check out her channel she absolutely does not use a Crosley. Everyone's ears are different.

The thing is, the original pressing still sounds really great.

Sure, it's not an audiophile version and was never intended to be, given that the original recording was pretty messy even by Prince standards. It's still one of his best albums tho and it sounds wonderful even on the original vinyl pressing.

Personally I'm not in a huge hurry to spend €150+ on yet another copy of the same record. Of course I'm interested to hear what they've done with it (I have good ears and a decent hifi) but I don't really expect it to be consistently better than the original that we're all so attached to, and I don't really consider vinyl to be the ideal medium for audiophiles anyway, it's a bit of a folly isn't it.

[Edited 10/10/25 7:41am]

I also still have my original Purple Rain vinyl album that I bought in 1984.Still sounds great.

I'd be more interested in getting all the outtakes and demos from this era.The previous Purple Rain deluxe edition was lacking.

I've seen her videos, she does a lot of complaining about vinyl, enough for me to stop watching. I find her insufferable. User opinions on Discogs all seem to agree with my assessment, that it's a great release. Do you own it? Have you heard it? https://www.discogs.com/r...urple-Rain

Raevene said:

BSonmor said:

Purchased it today, listened to it all the way through and it is absolutely THE BEST sounding copy of Purple Rain I have ever owned (and the highest quality). What do I have to compare it to? My original pressing from 1984 (second best sounding) original cassette, original CD release, Prince-approved ultimate collector's edition CD set from 2017 (not great, but ok), purple Target vinyl release (absolutely HORRENDOUS-worse than the original cassette or original CD version). Great soundstage, I'm not sure what that lady in the YouTube video who blathered on and on about her childhood bedroom was listening to, but the dynamic range and clarity of Princes vocals is STUNNING. I have fairly high-end equipment, so that might have something to do with it (maybe she listens on a Crosley or something). I cannot recommend it more and if you don't want to take my word for it, vinyl audiophile extraordinaire Michael Fremer gave the sound quality a 10/10 on The Tracking Angle. My only complaint is the shade of purple they used for the slipcover, but the Stoughton Tip-On Jacket is BEAUTIFUL and the vinyl is thick, black and quiet.

His review:

https://trackingangle.com...aster-tape

This is not a cynical cash grab from the estate, this is an amazing release for audiophiles, not for wannabes with Victrola, Audio Technica or Crosley all in one turntables. If you have inferior equipment, this is frankly not for you, in fact, it would be obscene for this record to be played on junk like that.

Best,

Brad

Check out her channel she absolutely does not use a Crosley. Everyone's ears are different.

nxx said:

The thing is, the original pressing still sounds really great.

Sure, it's not an audiophile version and was never intended to be, given that the original recording was pretty messy even by Prince standards. It's still one of his best albums tho and it sounds wonderful even on the original vinyl pressing.

Personally I'm not in a huge hurry to spend €150+ on yet another copy of the same record. Of course I'm interested to hear what they've done with it (I have good ears and a decent hifi) but I don't really expect it to be consistently better than the original that we're all so attached to, and I don't really consider vinyl to be the ideal medium for audiophiles anyway, it's a bit of a folly isn't it.

[Edited 10/10/25 7:41am]

I agree, if that's your opinion of vinyl that it's "a bit of a folly" it's not for you. Stick to your original pressing and enjoy it.

BSonmor said:

nxx said:

The thing is, the original pressing still sounds really great.

Sure, it's not an audiophile version and was never intended to be, given that the original recording was pretty messy even by Prince standards. It's still one of his best albums tho and it sounds wonderful even on the original vinyl pressing.

Personally I'm not in a huge hurry to spend €150+ on yet another copy of the same record. Of course I'm interested to hear what they've done with it (I have good ears and a decent hifi) but I don't really expect it to be consistently better than the original that we're all so attached to, and I don't really consider vinyl to be the ideal medium for audiophiles anyway, it's a bit of a folly isn't it.

[Edited 10/10/25 7:41am]

I agree, if that's your opinion of vinyl that it's "a bit of a folly" it's not for you. Stick to your original pressing and enjoy it.

That's not quite it. I love vinyl, been collecting for 45+ years. Huge record collection.
It's just not where I look for audiophile quality.

The gatefold cover with the flowers is excellent!

another interesting review

Prince - Purple Rain Viny... - YouTube

So I do have a Japanese pressing of "Purple rain" of 1984. It´s a bit strange for me to see an expensive audiphile "pressing" of the record being released due that the fact that there are so many versions around. But there is something else: there is also the movie (and so just conditionally comparable to MO FIs release of "THriller") - it´s a movie soundtrack. We are not here in "Jazz enthusiasts" territory where sound is everything ( one of the few audiophile recordings i own is "head hunters"). It´s pop album and I think a decent original pressing will do the same for me as most of listeners. I don´t see any added value for myself.

Well maybe, there are some guys who will play the Mobile Fidelty recording watching the movie without sound in 4 K.

jazzz said:

peedub said: