Prince: Purple Rain- 1984
 

http://66.147.244.212/~rushmus1/wp-c...urple-Rain.jpg
Prince Purple Rain- 1984
RMR Album Rating- 9
http://66.147.244.212/~rushmus1/wp-c.../10/9-Star.gif

Let’s start with the stats on this album:

—13x platinum (which mean’s it has sold over 13 million copies)
—Voted Rolling Stone’s 2nd best album of the 80’s (1st “London Calling” by the Clash)
—2 Grammy Awards
—An Oscar (Best score for the movie “Purple Rain”)

Those are just a few pieces of praise around this album; there are many more, and it deserves every one because every song is great. The mega hits were the opener “Let’s go Crazy,” the side two opener “When Doves Cry,” and the almost 9-minute album closer “Purple Rain,” which in my opinion is one of the greatest ballads every written, and it received radio play even at its running time of 8:41, which is unheard of for almost any song, especially an R&B/ Pop ballad

The other songs are fantastic as well, especially Prince’s duet with Apollonia on “Take Me With You,” and the penultimate track “Baby I’m a Star”. There’s also Tipper Gore’s favorite song from the album “Darling Nikki,” which was the catalyst for her “PMRC” campaign. The PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) was the committee that lashed out against rock music in the 80’s, and it resulted in the “Parent Advisory” sticker that still comes on albums to this day. The song does feature some edgy content, but there is no real derogatory language. I think the vibe and mood that Prince creates in the song is what makes it seem inappropriate to some people.

One final note on “Darling Nikki.” The plot of the song mirrors the plot of The Beatles’ hit “Norwegian Wood” exactly. Prince just creates a more vivid picture, but the stories are exactly the same, with one small exception. At the end of “Darling Nikki,” Prince leaves quietly with Nikki’s number like a true gentleman. On the other hand, once Lennon’s evening has come to an end on “Norwegian Wood,” he burns down the woman’s apartment. So, I wonder if Tipper has “Rubber Soul” in her collection, and if so, maybe we can look forward to her creating a campaign for parents against songs about arson.

“Purple Rain” is undoubtedly my favorite R&B/rock/pop/dance album; it is completely timeless, and even if you don’t own it, you should at least hear it.

Are we allowed to share links on here?

I want to listen to this but don't know where to get it and I'm not paying for something I haven't heard.

Check out this video from when Prince he was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame. His solo starts at about 3:28 in the song... awesome. (One of my favorite Beatles songs- by the way)

I'd normally direct you to YouTube for some samples, but there are no Purple Rain clips due to Prince's problems with Warner Brothers.

Check your PM

Got it, cheers mate. :)

Prince is a great musician. He is someone that a lot of people don't realize because he is not a fame whore like many of his colleagues.

Well, it's a very debatable subject. I think his whole gay-transvestite-pretending persona is build to draw attention and controversy. What is more, he didn't like Michael Jackson at all (Michael even invited him to do the song "Bad" together, Prince refused). Considering the fact that Jackson is more famous but worse as a musician, Prince most likely was jealous and that's the main reason he didn't like him.

I wouldn't say Mike is a worse musician, they're just pretty different. Both experimented with styles, but Prince actually experimented with the sound, giving it a more artful flavor, where Mike was more about great, straight ahead pop music. Prince may have also hated comparison to Mike he may have received as a great pop songwriter, as when you write great pop you're likely going to be compared to Mike, one of the Beatles (Paul, really), or Brian Wilson (in my universe).

RMR, i definitely still need to listen to this masterpiece (i love all the singles), but I just wanted to say that "Norwegian Wood" tip is fascinating, especially since its one of (if not the) best Beatles songs, as well as a lovely, well written piece in any pop or rock context.

Well, Prince is a better songwriter, a better guitar, keyboards, etc., etc. player, a better vocalist (in my opinion) and the only thing that Jackson is better is the live choreography. But after all it's all about personal preferences. I love Michael, don't get me wrong, but for me Prince is a way better musician. And my point was that Prince actually IS a "fame whore".