On June 25, 1984, “Warner Bros” label released “Purple Rain”, the sixth Prince studio album, and the first with his band The Revolution. It was the soundtrack of the 1984 movie with the same title. The album was recorded August 1983 – March 1984, at “First Avenue” in Minneapolis, “The Warehouse” in St. Louis Park,”Record Plant’ in Los Angeles, “Sunset Sound” in Hollywood, and was produced by Prince, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Marr Fink, Brown Mark and Bobby Z. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “Purple Rain” at number 70 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”; in 1993 “Time” magazine ranked the album at number 15 on its list of “Greatest Albums of All Time”. “Purple Rain” was certified 13 x Platinum in the US by the “RIIA”. In 1985, the album won two “Grammy Awards” for “Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or TV Special” and “Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group”.In 1985, ”Purple Rain” won an “Oscar” for “Best Original Song Score”.
Personnel:
- Prince – lead vocals, various instruments
- Wendy Melvoin – vocals, guitar
- Lisa Coleman – vocals, keyboards
- Matt Fink– keyboards
- Brown Mark– bass
- Bobby Z.– drums, percussion
- Novi Novog– violin, viola
- David Coleman – cello
- Suzie Katayama – cello
- Apollonia– co-lead vocals
- Jill Jones– backing vocals
Track listing:
All tracks by Prince except where noted.
- Let’s Go Crazy
- Take Me With U
- The Beautiful Ones
- Computer Blue – Prince, John L. Nelson, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman and D. Fink
- Darling Nikki
- When Doves Cry
- I Would Die 4 U
- Baby I’m a Star
- Purple Rain