Purple Rain (2017

I'm not sure I'll be saying anything that hasn't been said elsewhere, and perhaps more eloquently, but will at least add to the critical mass of opinion that says this is an outstanding album.Its sheer brilliance has been slightly overshadowed by its commercial success, but listening back to it, over twenty years later, I am struck by how adventurous and indeed avant-garde it is - very few mainstream albums have deviated more from the traditional verse chorus structure we associate with popular music.The most striking example of this is what was the first single from the album, "When Dove's Cry". The first twenty seconds of this are an utterly blistering salvo from Prince's guitar - effortlessly demonstrating beyond all doubt we are in the presence of a master. Incredibly heavy, the thread is taken up by a brief chanting type vocal, followed by the sparsest of keyboard riffs, and then just the sound of Bobby Z's drums and Prince saying "Dig if you will, a picture ...". There is no chorus , and there is possibly very little by the way of melody. Nevertheless, the track packs an incredible punch, and with lines like "maybe I'm just like my father, too bold, maybe you're just like me mother, she's never satisfied" the sense that this is something very real heightens the power of the song. It finishes with a keyboard line spiralling into the upper register and Prince telling his lover "don't cry". It shouldn't work, it doesn't sound like anything else, but work it does.The title track, intended as the finale, again breaks all the rules. Clocking in at over eight minutes, it is the power ballad shredded and reconstituted by Prince's fertile imagination. Stunningly it was recorded live, but the playing is impeccable, and the song is as complex as anything else you will hear in the world of popular music. The beautiful intro, and Prince's opening lines "I never meant to cause you any sorrow / I never meant to cause you any pain" are a wonderful start, but what truly takes the song into greatness is the long coda, with it's simple guitar motif, but underpinned by a bass line of irresistible force. Prince's vocal interjections lift the slow fade that little bit more, but the final phase, where the cellos search for the final chord without finding it make this track an entirely original triumph.The much discussed "Darling Nikki" - one rude word giving it international notoriety, is if anything an update on Norwegian Wood. A casual encounter gives rise to a brief tryst, with the girl vanishing in the morning. Slightly less coy admittedly, it's swaggering sexual charge provided by Prince's powerful guitar work, and devastating wordless vocals make it a powerful piece of work.Computer Blue is another example of Prince's confidence in simply ignoring standard forms. The song starts with some potentially steamy dialogue, some squalling keyboards and Prince asking "Where is my love life?". After some heavy riffing and vocal digressions the track segues into something quite different, again without verse or chorus. Prince ties it all back in at the end by repeating the initial riff, fading out with a great scream.Let's Go Crazy is another high point. A great spoken word intro, starting off as if Prince were leading a pentecostalist marriage service, and finishing with with one of the all time great incendiary slashes of power guitar.The Beautiful Ones boasts one of the finest and most convincing vocal performances on the album up against impressive competition some great guitar playing, fine lyrics - "The Beautiful Ones, they hurt you every time" with Prince sounding in real plausible spiritual anguish - "Do you want him, or do you want me, cos I want you", swelling crescendos, a mysterious intro and again no real chorus.Take me with you is another wonderful song, and Baby I'm a Star is a declaration of intent.Prince has it all on this album, amazing guitar, drums like you've never heard before, truly emotional lyrics, sounding like a man who knew that very shortly he would have the world at his feet. Arguably it's not his greatest album, but what the hell. A great album it is. A stunningly original piece of work.

I have to say this LP on vinyl is brilliant the remaster from 2017 does the album justice and it's a joy to play, I'm playing it on a Technics SL BD 22 turntable with a Audio Technica AT81CP Cartridge and stylus and I love it, money well spent.

This is one of Prince's outstanding albums. Having it in CD format I have been building up my vinyl collection, so it was a no brainer to get this in vinyl. There isn't one track I don't like, they are all good in their own way. The title track is the last track on side 2 and it sounds awesome on the turntable. An amazing artist who sadly is no longer with us but his fantastic music lives on.

This was bought to replace an old original cassette . Item as described and quick delivery.

A classic album which is over 40 years old and stands the test of time. Written and performed by a musical genius sorely missed.

Excellent. If you like Prince you will love this. An amazing live concert. Absolutely brilliant.

Do you remember how good this sounded back in 1984? That's how good it sounds now.Prince was a frustrated creative genius, looking for an outlet. In 84 he got into a flow state, and pumped out this whole album of winners. And made a movie around them. He never did anything comparable again.There's so much here to enjoy. From the unhinged sermon at the start of Let's Go Crazy, to the red-hot guitar solo at its end. The simple, youthful freshness of Take Me With You. The smouldering, gritty heat of When Doves Cry, with its arresting opening soundscape. The pained, neurotic falsetto of The Beautiful Ones. We could go on and on...In an era when everyone else was making synth pop, Prince was doing something much, much earthier, more creative and original. There is real diversity of styles here, and yet the album is a convincing unity. The title track is an extremely ambitious ballad - whether on not you think it a success. Personally I do.It's hard to compare Prince here to other artists, he's so individual. I reckon his main influences are his own earlier work!I like to listen to this album right through. By the end, I feel completely satisfied.

Love this CD album. Invokes a rush of memories from my younger days and takes me right back to 80s and 90s. Delivery didn’t take long at all