Review Summary: Every subject, any key, Purple music can't be judged, it happens naturally - Prince
Usually, critics and fans are divided between this and
Sign O The Times as Prince's best album. Half will go with Sign, whilst the other half sides with this being his magnum opus. You can definitely see the case with this, even on first listen it's instantly accessible, yet at the same time a statement of art.
Purple Rain is an epic adventure traversing a blend of genres in such a unique way that even Frank Zappa complimented Prince as being one of the only newer musicians he respected. Mixing R&B, Funk, Rock, Metal, and Pop and even a dash of orchestral arrangements. If I'm not enough to convince you of its greatness, it's in the U.S Congress' National Recording Registry list of sound recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" alongside the movie.
At its heart,
Purple Rain is a soundtrack album, but you don't have to see the movie in order to hear the cohesiveness and masterful mixing of the album as a whole in itself. He rode his talent and his natural charm to the point where he was being favorably compared to Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and Sly Stone by people who knew the originals well, similar in vein to the way Hendrix did, by being himself and playing what he felt, not giving a damn about the critics or naysayers. If
1999 had gotten him large in the U.S and top 30 in the U.K, this got him global superstardom level and cemented him as a main player in Pop and Rock music for sure. This one has a heavy reliance on full band performances, and multiple layers of synthesizers, guitar, drum machines, and cool effects.
Out was Dez Dickerson, and in was Wendy Melvoin, Lisa's girlfriend and childhood friend, and they helped push Prince to expand even more than before. "Let's Go Crazy", "Take Me With U", "Computer Blue", "I Would Die 4 U", "Baby I'm a Star", and "Purple Rain" feature the full band, the other three are Prince solo songs.
Lisa Coleman co-conducts with Prince the string sections on "Take Me With U", "Baby I'm a Star", and "Purple Rain", and the orchestra adds a layer of flavor and pure brilliance to the already insanely good tracks, and fun fact about the last three tracks on the album is that they were actually recorded live at First Avenue, so the versions on the album are overdubbed editions of those versions. Almost every song is a blast here, and some of the best music ever made, bursting at the seams with talent from each musician, and of course Prince's brilliant writing and composing. "Let's Go Crazy" which is a wonderous, whimsical party rocker with fiery guitar licks, starlight-swirling synthesizers, and ends with a complete changeup in the guitar solo at the end which breathes fire at you, being similar to "1999" in partying and enjoying life in the face of the end of the world, getting you prepared for the ride.
"Take Me With U" is beautiful, and Apollonia's vocals work well alongside Prince's, with the classically-influenced violins and is more orchestral with the snare tuned to the same tuning as the violin which is neat, and gives it a unique touch that only Prince would think to do. It never loses that eclecticism and charm that sets The Revolution and Prince himself apart from their peers, keeping the authenticity and being a demonstration of rare use of finger cymbals in mainstream rock music.
"The Beautiful Ones" is one of the greatest and most beautiful ballads of all time, with Prince's soulful vocals taking the forefront guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings, it was written for Wendy's twin sister Susannah Melvoin who was seeing someone else at the time, in an attempt to woo her and for Prince to get with her. Prince's heavenly falsetto eases into shrieking and demonstrates his phenomenal range with genuinely touching piano playing and soft drums until the song gets heavy and it all kicks in demonstrating the urge and need for a lover.
"Computer Blue" is the greatest cut on this album, and was initially made to be a 14 minute magnum opus, with some incredible lyrics comparing love to a computer in a sensual, smart way, with it dipping its way into Metal with Prince's shrieking solo and masterful riff, hard rock, funk, and a full on jam secton. Sadly it was cut down in order for "Take Me With U" to be added on at the last minute but nonetheless it still remains mindblowing as a cross-genre opus despite its short length. "When Doves Cry" is an impressive song for the guitar riff and the unique composition where it lacks any abss whatsoever yet still sounds eargasm-worthy with its unique use of synthesizer and Linn-M1 drumbeat driving the song along with some short hard rock licks.
"I Would Die 4 U" is beautiful and written from the viewpoint of the messiah with genuinely genius lyrics that echo those of Joni Mitchell's poetry and takes you on a journey through heaven. It leads into the charming "Baby I'm a Star" which is a great hard rock jam. Lastly, the album closes with one of the most tear-jerking emotional power ballads, and easily the greatest ever made, "Purple Rain" which is one of his magnum opuses. Prince's soulful vocals combined with Wendy's astonishing rhythm work and the guitar solo that is a feeling all on its own with no vocal input, the synthesizer work from Dr. Fink and Lisa, while Prince sings about regret of not spending enough tiem with a loved one in the face of the end of the world, (Purple rain = red + blue, armageddon, the end of times).
Not everything works though, "Darling Nikki" may have inspired the explicit content rating on songs from parents concerned about music's effect on their children which is funny, but its sparse and unnerving psychedelia attempt comes off as misguided and sloppy.
Overall, easily one of the best albums of all time and holds a special place in the hearts of many. A Must hear, and a demonstration of genius and creativity. However do I think it is his best album? No. That would go to either
Sign O' The Times or the much jazzier, artsier, yet still beloved
Parade.
Track by Track:
1. Let's Go Crazy: ★★★★★
2. Take Me With U: ★★★★
3. The Beautiful Ones: ★★★★★
4. Computer Blue: ★★★★★ (listen to the Hallway Speech version for the full uncut track!) 🎖️
5. Darling Nikki: ★
6. When Doves Cry: ★★★★★
7. I Would Die 4 U: ★★★★★
8. Baby I'm a Star: ★★★★
9. Purple Rain: ★★★★★
