Parade: Music from the Motion Picture "Under the Cherry Moon" [SOUNDTRACK]

Prince

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: July 2, 1986
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002L9B
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,476 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Calling this one of Prince's most interesting albums doesn't do justice to how kicky and playable it is. The soundtrack from his failed romantic comedy Under the Cherry Moon, the disc often sounds like a preview of the supremely surefooted quirkiness of its follow-up, the classic Sign o' the Times. Marrying lean funk grooves to over-the-top orchestrations and trying his hand at Parisian balladry and a hushed, Pet Sounds-style instrumental, he triumphs as few other record makers did in 1986. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Triumphant, Full flowering of His Genius., August 22, 2000

By	WILLIE A YOUNG II "willow" (Houston, TX.) - See all my reviews

This 1986 release is not only a soundtrack to my favorite Prince movie, but stands as the most cohesive work he ever produced with The Revolution. The addition of guitarist Mico Weaver and horn players Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss is a touch of pure brilliance that lends the album a jazzy sophistication. The opening triumvirate of "Christopher Tracy's Parade", "New Position" and "I Wonder U" will hook even casual fans, but the treasures only begin there! The slow, almost somber title track is one of Prince's most effortless ballads, in which he wonders if he'll 'die young, like heroes die', and sports a lovely piano solo courtesy of Lisa Coleman. One of my personal favorites has always been the funky jazz of "Girls And Boys" with the most insistently catchy sax line ever put on a pop record, it'll have you pressing rewind several times! The remainder of "Cherry Moon..." is an adventurous grab bag of brittle, jittery funk (the classic "Kiss" comes to mind), light pop ("Life Can Be So Nice", "Mountains",) cabaret ("Do U Lie?") classical ("Venus De Milo"), bottom-heavy soul ("Anotherloverholeinyohead") and spare, acoustic balladry (the almost unbearably lovely "Sometimes It Snows In April") that is unabashedly eclectic, but works as a suite of songs versus a collection of singles strung together. There's not a bad song to be found here, and it will probably have you longing for the days when Prince was this diplomatic with his band members and let everyone join the fun. The joy of their collaboration is evident on this joyous album. A Classic.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rain on Prince's Parade? No way!, August 21, 2002

By	Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Upon hearing the lush opening track, "Christopher Tracy's Parade," one might think Parade is a continuation and slight variation of Around The World In A Day. Well, that assessment is accurate, as evidenced by the lush backing vocals by Wendy And Lisa, who figure more prominently in accompanying vocals than in any Prince album, strings, and psychedelic sounds.

It's on songs like "New Position" that the is accompanied by a funky bass beat along with the bell-like synthesizers. The beat slows down towards the end, with the sounds of laughter seguing into "I Wonder U."

"Under The Cherry Moon," also the title to Prince's second movie, is a slow ballad with piano accompaniment. While it's not bad, Prince would record a similar but improved cousin on Sign 'O' The Times, "Slow Love."

Things get more upbeat with the next two songs: "Girls & Boys" and "Life Can Be So Nice." The first incorporates funk elements on a synthesizer and beat while maintaining the thematic lushness introduced on the first song. The chorus is accompanied by a catchy rhythm: "I love u baby, I love u so much/Maybe we can stay in touch/Meet me in another world, space and joy/Vous etes tres belle, mama, girls & boys." Sheila E. helps out on backing vocals and cowbells on "Life Can Be So Nice." It features the lyric, "Nobody plays the clarinet the way you play my heart."

Following the piano instrumental interlude "Venus De Milo" comes the best song on the album: "Mountains." That underrated classic begins with a heavy synth drums, followed by a gaggle of instruments and a majestic horns towards the end. Prince sings in his falsetto here, accompanied by backing vocals by Wendy and Lisa, who sing, "It's only mountains/there's nothing greater/you and me." Fantasy images come into mind with the psychedelic sound.

After the slow leisurely stroll of "Do U Lie?" comes "Kiss." Now don't get me wrong--"Kiss" is arguably one of Prince's best singles. I mean that tight funky synthesizer's so irresistible, but its presence here is somewhat oddball, considering the other songs. It's like finding a chocolate Easter egg among one's jelly babies--different but good all the same. That is followed by the third single, "Anotherloverholenyohead," a piece of strident and mid-paced funk-psychedelia.

And "Sometimes It Snows In April," accompanied by piano and mellow guitar, is one of the saddest and best ballads Prince has ever performed. In it, the character of Tracy has died. It's tragic beauty is such that its 6:50 running time is not a debit. It might as well be a somber postscript to the "Purple Rain" song. The chorus goes: "Sometimes it snows in April/sometimes I feel so bad, so bad/sometimes I wish that life was neverending/but all goods they say never last."

Part of what makes this album appealing is its closeness to Around The World In A Day. The psychedelia from that album has been mixed with the funk of Dirty Mind. Most of the songs are laid-back so nothing like Controversy or 1999 here, which means it wasn't that radio-friendly, but sometimes, albums like this can be great without pandering to radio.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The FUNK, February 2, 2003

By	Robert Bokkon "vikipants" (Bowling Green, Ky United States) - See all my reviews

In an era when a whole lot of bad music was being flung at the listening public, Prince stood out as one of a handful of artists who consistently and ferociously delivered. Parade is one of his two best albums, the other of course being 1987's Sign 'O' The Times. The record features the best of the soundtrack of his incredibly funny, utterly unappreciated, and beautifully filmed second movie, Under the Cherry Moon. The songs jump from lean tight funk to lush orchestration, all with playful and intelligent lyrics that are a far cry from his hackneyed recent work (Rainbow Children, et. al.). Everyone's favorite single, "Kiss", is here of course, but its chicken-scratch guitar and shoutable chorus are, despite their brilliance, totally overshadowed by the hot sexuality and true musicianship of the rest of the album. "New Position" makes the steel-drum seem sophisticated, "Christopher Tracy's Parade" flits and flirts with psychedelia without descending into head-trip nonsense, and "Mountains" stuns the listener with its blasting horn arrangement and slithery bassline. If you love funk and don't yet own this album, there's something wrong with you.