Prince Purple Rain Soundtrack CD

Prince & The Revolution: Prince (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Wendy Melvoin (vocals, guitar); Lisa Coleman, Matt "Dr." Fink (vocals, keyboards); Brown Mark (vocals, bass); Bobby Z (percussion).
Additional personnel: Apollonia (vocals); Novi Novog (violin, viola); David Coleman, Suzie Katayama (cello).
Engineers include: Susan Rogers, Peggy Mac, David Riukin.
Prince designed Purple Rain as the project that would make him a superstar, and, surprisingly, that is exactly what happened. Simultaneously more focused and ambitious than any of his previous records, Purple Rain finds Prince consolidating his funk and R&B roots while moving boldly into pop, rock, and heavy metal with nine superbly crafted songs. Even its best-known songs don't tread conventional territory: the bass-less "When Doves Cry" is an eerie, spare neo-psychedelic masterpiece; "Let's Go Crazy" is a furious blend of metallic guitars, Stonesy riffs, and a hard funk backbeat; the anthemic title track is a majestic ballad filled with brilliant guitar flourishes. Although Prince's songwriting is at a peak, the presence of the Revolution pulls the music into sharper focus, giving it a tougher, more aggressive edge. And, with the guidance of Wendy and Lisa, Prince pushed heavily into psychedelia, adding swirling strings to the dreamy "Take Me With U" and the hard rock of "Baby I'm a Star." Even with all of his new, but uncompromising, forays into pop, Prince hasn't abandoned funk, and the robotic jam of "Computer Blue" and the menacing grind of "Darling Nikki" are among his finest songs. Taken together, all of the stylistic experiments add up to a stunning statement of purpose that remains one of the most exciting rock & roll albums ever recorded. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
A soundtrack to a movie so appalling that it is infinitely wiser to let the record stand on its own merits. While Prince cavorted in purple kitchen foil and rode his Harley in high heels, the real star of the film, the music, was doing all the talking. A knit of funk and rock, a heavily stylized Hendrix guitar lick here and there, and a wilfully danceable backbeat all made for a huge commercial smash, and the first real international introduction for many people to a star-in-waiting. 'Darling Nikki' accidentally set the PMRC ball rolling, but the heady lilt of the title track and the crushing 'When Doves Cry' can pardon him that.Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.114) - Ranked #72 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...[The album] showcases Prince's abilities as a guitarist..."
Rolling Stone (11/89) - Ranked #2 in Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums Of The Eighties" survey.
Entertainment Weekly (10/12/01, p.29) - Ranked #9 in EW's "100 Best Movie Soundtracks" - "...A genre-bending smorgasbord...a monument to mad ambition..."
CMJ (1/5/04, p.14) - Ranked #15 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1984"
Vibe (12/99, p.162) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century