Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain" [Soundtrack]

Prince | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: July 27, 1984
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002L68
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (194 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #943 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > R&B > Funk > General
  • #23 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > General
  • #28 in Music > Pop > Dance Pop > General AAS

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Maybe this music by Prince & the Revolution will never quite sound as, well, revolutionary as it did in 1984 (and nothing else has ever sounded like the extraordinary cooing and fluttering of "When Doves Cry"), but it's a pop landmark in Prince's Artist-ic career. The hit movie was really just a big-screen showcase for Prince to perform these songs (some of them in tear-the-roof-off "live" versions set in a Minneapolis club). I don't know why that warped sermonette introduces "Let's Go Crazy" (one thing you've got to love about Prince: he's always been weird), but somehow I'm glad it's there. Other highlights include the sexual scorcher "Darling Nikki" (with its crazy backwards coda) and that anthemic title tune. Don't you miss Wendy and Lisa, too? --Jim Emerson

Product Description

PRINCE PURPLE RAIN

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Soundtrack (5/5), August 1, 2005

By 

M. Starr "Amneziak" (Kansas City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain" (Audio CD)

I was in seventh grade the year Purple Rain came out. It was a time of making out with girls, riding my bike around the neighborhood after dark, hanging out with my best friends in our clubhouse, and just generally trying to gain more freedom from my parents. But the one thing that really stands out about this formative year is how much my friends and I utterly loved Purple Rain and its accompanying soundtrack. Stretching an extension chord from the garage to our clubhouse, my friends and I would watch the movie and listen to the soundtrack just about every Friday night for that summer. While probably somewhat of a bizarre thing to admit now, it was truly a great time which I'll never forget.

As it stands today, the Purple Rain Soundtrack is still one of the best albums I've ever heard. The nostalgic qualities it possesses after just a few notes into "Let's Go Crazy" are very powerful to me and remind me of those days camping out in the backyard on weekends. And I could even care less if Prince ever made another album after Purple Rain. It's the one! Sign of the Times was a fair effort, granted, and his first couple albums have charming appeal, but everything after Sign of the Times just missed the boat or ventured too far into insipid R&B territory.

So what exactly is it that makes Purple Rain so much more enjoyable than the rest of his catalog? What makes it the indisputable stand-out? For me, I think it has a lot to do with the Revolution's sound. They had a huge influence on the aesthetic of Prince's early albums, particularly from the input of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman (a/k/a Wendy & Lisa). Furthermore the production and instruments used by this group of musicians were less polished than what you'd hear from Prince today. And therein lies the primary reason for his decline over time.

The moment "Let's Go Crazy" opens with its funeral-esque keyboards and Prince's dialogue about life, there's a certain prevailing darkness. It remains until the ending moments of "Purple Rain," which I'll get to in a moment. And even though this is a pop record by design, there isn't the sugary sweet coating typically associated with this sort of music.

"Computer Blue" is another Purple Rain highlight. With a solo from Prince and an unobtrusive rhythm section, we get to hear the intricacies of his guitar skills. The song leads directly into the infamous "Darling Nikki." It's usually a favorite among the female crowd, but I find it to be one of the best due to the screeching vocals that have become synonymous with Prince. "When Doves Cry" is self-explanatory. "I Would Die 4 U" shows the same keyboard flair Prince possessed when writing the music for Stevie Nicks' "Stand Back." It glides along effortlessly and stands as one of the best tracks to grace this 40-minute experience.

Ending with Prince's most recognized song, "Purple Rain," I can't help but declare this one of the most perfect pop songs ever recorded. It's been played to death and just about everyone knows it, but that doesn't mean a thing to me. I'm talking about a song that should never be mentioned without words like iconic, transcendent, or epic attached to it. It also happens to be a gripping part of the film, in which Prince dedicates its lyrics to his father who has just committed suicide. Very few songs have since matched its beauty or timelessness.

Ultimately, I'd admit that it's inconsequential to review an album like the Purple Rain Soundtrack. It had such a huge impact on '80s culture and is still one of the most highly respected soundtracks in the history of our generation. It doesn't need press and it certainly doesn't need justification from me, but it's certainly worthy of celebration from time to time. And really, that's all I'm here to do. Well, that and maybe to relive my past a bit.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After hearing Purple Rain, may U live 2 C The Dawn, January 26, 2003

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain" (Audio CD)

If 1999 was a warmup for Prince's stardom, it hit him like a bolt of purple lightning from the heavens, followed by an earthshattering thunderclap, for Purple Rain was Prince's supreme moment. And Prince introduced a sound that incorporated a snarling guitar that owed a nod to Jimi Hendrix.

The organ and Prince's monolgue heralds "Let's Go Crazy", then comes the drum machine and that snarling guitar. The song goes into full drive here and like "1999", is a song that brings life to any party. The fiery guitar solo at the end is well worth the song. There's a stab against psychiatrists who prescribe pills to their patients instead of real solutions. "Instead of asking him how much of your time is left, ask him how much of your mind."

The lush string-oriented "Take Me With U" is a mid-paced duet between Prince and his Purple Rain co-star Apollonia. Her vocals are really prominent when the two sing "I don't care if we spend the night at your mansion" and the other four verses of the bridge, as well when they repeat the title line toward the end of the song. Unless one has a copy of Apollonia 6 and her solo album, this is the closest one'll have of hearing her.

"The Beautiful Ones" about how the most beautiful women aren't necessarily the happiest, starts out as a slow ballad in Prince's falsetto, before he raises the power adrenaline several notches when screaming out "Do you want him, or do you want me, 'cause I want you." Matt Fink's piano- and later organ-sounding synthesizers provide a lush backing to this wonder. It comes to a quiet close, with only Fink's and Bobby Z's drums. Mariah Carey covers this on her Butterfly album to no avail.

"Computer Blue" starts out with a suggestive conversation between Wendy and Lisa. "Wendy?" "Yes Lisa?" "Is the water warm enough?" "Yes Lisa." "Shall we begin?" "Yes, Lisa." What actually takes place is a hard-pounding track featuring the lyrics at first, then fiery guitarwork throughout, climaxing in Prince's falsetto screams. Bobby Z's percussion provides a strong backbeat throughout. Love this one!

The grinding "Darling Nikki" has its notoriety about the title character and her house of eroticism, and is also the song that inflamed Tipper Gore. And yes, it has another killer guitar solo and passionate Prince screams. I wonder, are the last lyrics of that song the ones played backward at the end?

"When Doves Cry", which zoomed up to #1 to the charts in six weeks, punctuated by the percussion and keyboards, is yet further proof of premier songwriting and sound.

"I Would Die 4 U" which has a rippling fuzzy sound throughout, seems to be about God: "I'm not a human/I'm a dove/I am your conscious/I am love." Then again, it might be Prince, as he's for love and peace. It segues into "Baby I'm A Star", which rivals "Let's Go Crazy" in energy level. It's simultaneously a declaratory statement by Prince to his audience of what he is and an assertion by the common person that an engaging personality will make him shoot to the stars.

The apocalyptic title track is one of the loveliest compositions Prince has done. To hear it in anything other than its full 8:45 is sacrilege. The lyrics come in up to 3:45, the song then becomes a thundering symphonic rock instrumental with a fusion of guitar, cello, violin, and viola. For the last minute and three-quarters, the strings carry it through to its conclusion.

Every song on this album is so entwined together in Prince's unifying theme and sound that it's sometimes jarring to hear any of these songs on anywhere else but this album. Anyone wanting to know why Prince made the impact he did should get this album, which is the first ever piece of music I bought sung by one artist. A personal favourite and all-time classic.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let It Pour, October 15, 2008

By 

Benjamin Mcsheffrey "Rael Iak" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain" (Audio CD)

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to get through this thing called life". My personal handbook I use to get through life, is this album. Clocking in at a ballsy 45 minutes, the album takes you--whether you're ready for the ride or not--on a journey of unprecedented scale. Prince holds no punches musically or lyrically on this tour de France of an album. Head bashing riffs, toe tapp'n beats, and tear jerking melodies collide here in a musical harmonic convergence. Simply put: you can go no wrong with Purple Rain. Now go, shower in its glory.