Customer Reviews

Purple Reign: The Artist Formerly Known As Prince

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After reading this book, I wonder if Ms. Jones has to pay any penalties for ripping off other people who interviewed Prince and didn't give credit. She made it sound as though she was interviewing Prince even though there are direct quotes from other interviews made by others. Incredibly tacky! If you want to know more about Prince, read Per Nilsen's book "DanceMusicSexRomance." Even though it only works up to the end of 1987, it is absolutely incredible. Stay away from "Purple Reign." I felt truly ripped off.

I found Purple Reign to be a very interesting read, especially considering my interest in The Artist Formerly Known As Prince. Interviews done for the book in addition to interviews taken from previous magazine gave excellent insight to the personality and talent of O(+> in addition to the circumstances in which he writes his music. A great deal of information was given to me of which I was previously unaware and it was a very comprehensive book.

However, I find it doubtful that much of this information is completely accurate. In any unauthorized biography, one must be aware of the fact that interviews and information from vindictive ex-employees is probably not all that reliable. There seems to be a polarity in the book: one group of people raved about how fantastic a person Prince is, while the other group of people couldn't stop talking about how much of a jerk he was. There were some believable sources (Wendy & Lisa, Alan Leeds, Eric Leeds, etc.), but many seemed to be doubtful.

Which brings me to by fart the weakest quality of the book (and the reason I only gave it 3 stars). The book is absolutely terribly written. Liz Jones convolutes many paragraphs in such a way that the reader has no idea who she's talking about by the time the paragraph has ended. Jones manages to use the words 'he' and 'she' over ten times in one 15 line paragraph without once mentioning exactly who she was speaking of. Jones rarely introduces her interviewees, making it very difficult for readers not familiar with O(+>'s associates to follow the book. I find it incredible that Jones is a regular magazine columnist in England and currently editor of a major magazine; perhaps a creative writing course is warranted!

All in all, a very easy and fascinating read. I recommend it. I do, however, look forward to Per Nilson's Dancemusicsexromance for additional insight into Prince's music and less focus on 'dirt'.

This is not a trashy tell all biography of Prince's life, but rather a book that uses quotes from the man himself as well as articles and interviews with former band members and management to present an intelligent, informative look into the world of Prince/O(+>. Although much of the information presented here is common knowledge to diehard fans, it is still fascinating to read about the evolution of "black" music, funk, and the Minneapolis sound as it relates to Prince's music. This is definitely a must-read if you are new to the jams and want to get a handle on what the addiction is. Excellent discography and reviews of all commercial releases up to Emanicipation.

COMPARED TO PER NILSEN'S DANCEMUSICSEXROMANCE this is Worthy of The Star MAGIZINE.very ORdinary.THe Family Picture is the only New thing Of Interest.She Doesn't Explore THe MAN's Music Enough For Me.That's All that Really Matters In THe End.She Should Have Said More About the Music what She Liked or Didn't.It's very UNFocused.More Tabloid than SUbstance.

It's all too obvious that you-know-who wanted to have the final say on this book--after all, we're talking about the guy who has done all he can to have other books about him which he considered "too revealing" vanish. What is amazing, though, is some of the details which the book does bring up (such as in the notorious "epilogue") which I'm surprised he allowed the author to get away with. What I also think would be REALLY fascinating would be if a new "updated" version of this book were released featuring a whole new chapter on the way Prince handled what is now known as "The Crystal Ball Fiasco" and his threatening other websites on the internet. Even better, to hear him say something about those actions himself and see if he either simply didn't care or did care but just made some serious blunders without knowing how to apologize. I wish I knew.

There's some good information here. However, Jones' writing is stylistically poor, making for a frustrating read (and not in a productively challenging way). Her citations (or lack thereof) are also frustrating not only in terms of the interviews (as others have mentioned), but even in her other sources. For example, she quotes bell hooks, yet the hooks texts in her bibliography do not have said quote.

I could write a better book about Prince. Definitely go for the Per Nilsen book instead.

As a long time listener and follower of the "Artists". I was really surprised at the second hand information and the many reaccounts from old and dated news articles. I believe if the author had full cooperation of Paisley Park, she would have concentrated on the subject. Not the perceptions of other people. There is nothing that get's into the psyche of such a gifted man. Like or dislike him, you must respect the gift he has been given.

I was disapointed in the book from the very beginning. Although there was a lot of information about the artist himself and the music industry, the writing style was that of an eight grader. She jumps from subject to subject, not even in chronoligical order. It appeared that she got more information from magazines and television rather than from her "long awaited" interview. She talks about so many people like we've known them for years. She adds a lot of, what seems like, inside joke humor. Unless you've worked with The Artist, you would have no idea what she's talking about. All in all, if you would like lot's of information on The Artist, read the book. But be prepared for being confused.

I read Ms. Jones book recently and found it to be full of errors. There are so many mistakes, I found myself more angry than entertained by the end of the book. Dates, names, events etc were out of place. The book give good info on the record industry as a whole, but her layout of the story of Prince's life is jumbled and confusing. Any real Prince fan would find more than a couple of errors in her attempt at a biography. She quoted Prince from when he was on the Oprah show (and quoted Oprah herself) and NEVER gave credit to the show. 25% of the book wouldn't be there if she hadn't have used Oprah's show as a base. My advice as a writer (published more than a few times) do your research and then do it again then to be sure.....do it once more.

If you are a huge fan of the Artist, do not rush out and buy this book. The majority of this book is a rehash of interviews, print and television, that the Artist has already given. There is little dirt and inside info. Most of the information in this book is already known. Next book about the Artist that I buy will hopefully be his autobiography.