NPG Records & Warner Bros. Records Release Prince's Purple Rain Deluxe Editions

By: Jun. 23, 2017
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Today, NPG Records and Warner Bros. Records release Prince'sAcademy Award® and GRAMMY Award®-winning RIAA diamond-certified masterpiece Purple Rain in new Deluxe and Deluxe - Expanded Edition formats.

Upon going live last night, Purple Rain Deluxe and Deluxe - Expanded Edition immediately soared to the Top 10 of iTunes Overall Top Albums, Top Soundtrack Albums, and Top Pop Albums charts worldwide. It's currently holding strong in the Top 10 of iTunes charts in XX countries.

Get Purple Rain Deluxe and Purple Rain Deluxe - Expanded Edition.

The Deluxe and Deluxe - Expanded Edition were preceded by the release of three previously unheard anthems-"Electric Intercourse," "Our Destiny / Roadhouse Garden," and "Father's Song." In just a month, "Electric Intercourse" quickly approached 1 million Spotify streams. Meanwhile, each respective track would immediately draw critical praise right out of the gate.

About "Electric Intercourse," Pitchforkwrote, "The studio version is Prince in his prime, striding between lanes like it's nothing at all," and Spin claimed, "It's worth it just for the pristine escalation of Prince's falsetto."Meanwhile, Rolling Stone praised how "['Our Destiny'] deftly segues into Prince's 'Roadhouse Garden,' an upbeat track that sports a gentle synth melody, a simple programmed beat and a call-and-response chorus."Varietyadds, "'Our Destiny,' sung by keyboardist Lisa Coleman, is a string-driven romp that sounds like a song from a musical, with a playful, flowery melody and a whimsical middle section. At the three-minute mark, the familiar electronic drumbeat from Prince's early '80s material kicks in and the group shifts into 'Roadhouse Garden,' sung by Prince with an almost gospel flavor."

The two-CD Purple Rain Deluxe set includes the official 2015 Paisley Park Remaster of the original tapes from the soundtrack, presenting an unheard vision of the album overseen and sanctioned by Prince himself. The From The Vault & Unreleased disc boasts eleven gems unearthed from the heart of Prince's storied vault.

Six tracks that have never been released or distributed in the collector or bootleg community include: "Possessed" - the '83 Prince solo version, never heard before; "Electric Intercourse" - the studio version not known to exist before it was discovered at Paisley Park; "Father's Song" - a full, five plus minute version that prior to this fans could only find a minute and half snippet of in the movie; "We Can f" - a track that has never circulated as the full, 10 minute version with these lyrics; and "Katrina's Paper Dolls" - a finished master of the song, which has previously only circulated as a demo. Additionally, all of the material is taken from the source and mastered by Bernie Grundman, the mastering engineer who worked on the original album.

In addition to the Original Album (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) and From The Vault & Unreleased, the Purple Rain Deluxe - Expanded Edition presents a third disc of Single Edits & B-Sides, as well as the concert DVDof Prince and The Revolution Live! at the Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY March 30, 1985. With audio and video restored from the original production master tape, it offers an exclusive vignette into the passion and power of his legendary live performances during one of the artist's most celebrated eras.

The DNA of Purple Raincan be felt throughout pop culture at large. It is a timeless body of work with an immortal resonance exemplified by smashes such as "Let's Go Crazy," "When Doves Track," "Darling Nikki," the title track "Purple Rain," and more. 1984's Purple Rain remains a high watermark forPrince, changing the worlds of film and music. In its initial run, the theatrical musical generated over $220 million worldwide at the box office against an estimated $7.2 million budget, while receiving the Academy Award® for "Best Original Song Score." Minted Diamond by the RIAA for sales exceeding 13 million, the record stands out as the sixth best-selling soundtrack album in history, moving more than 22 million copies. Hailed by Vanity Fair as "the best soundtrack of all time," Time Magazine placed it as the 15th greatest album ever. Posthumously, it was honored as "Favorite Soundtrack" at the 2016 American Music Awards. The album won two 19985 GRAMMY Awards® in the categories of "Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" and "Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special." Posthumously, it was honored as "Favorite Soundtrack" at the 2016 American Music Awards. It was also recently nominated for a 2017 Billboard Music Award in the Top Category of "Top Soundtrack/Cast Album."

The ultimate vision of Prince's Purple Rain arrives today.

Below is the complete tracklist for both editions

PURPLE RAIN DELUXE

Disc One: Original Album (2015 Paisley Park Remaster)

1. Let's Go Crazy

2. Take Me With U

3. The Beautiful Ones

4. Computer Blue

5. Darling Nikki

6. When Doves Cry

7. I Would Die 4 U

8. Baby I'm A Star

9. Purple Rain

Disc Two: From The Vault & Previously Unreleased

1. The Dance Electric

2. Love and Sex

3. Computer Blue ("Hallway Speech" version)

4. Electric Intercourse (studio)

5. Our Destiny / Roadhouse Garden

6. Possessed (1983 version)

7. Wonderful Ass

8. Velvet Kitty Cat

9. Katrina's Paper Dolls

10. We Can f

11. Father's Song

PURPLE RAIN DELUXE - EXPANDED EDITION

Includes Disc One and Disc Two as Listed Above

Disc Three: Single Edits & B-Sides

1. When Doves Cry (edit)

2. 17 Days

3. Let's Go Crazy (edit)

4. Let's Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix)

5. Erotic City

6. Erotic City ("Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive")

7. Purple Rain (edit)

8. God

9. God (Love Theme From Purple Rain)

10. Another Lonely Christmas

11. Another Lonely Christmas (extended version)

12. I Would Die 4 U (edit)

13. I Would Die 4 U (extended version)

14. Baby I'm A Star (edit)

15. Take Me With U (edit)

DVD: Prince And The Revolution, Live at the Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, March 30, 1985

1. Let's Go Crazy

2. Delirious

3. 1999

4. Little Red Corvette

5. Take Me With U

6. Do Me, Baby

7. Irresistible Bitch

8. Possessed

9. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?

10. Let's Pretend We're Married

11. International Lover

12. God

13. Computer Blue

14. Darling Nikki

15. The Beautiful Ones

16. When Doves Cry

17. I Would Die 4 U

18. Baby I'm A Star

19. Purple Rain

ABOUT PRINCE: Prince endures as one of the most important, influential, and impactful artists in history.Selling 100 million records worldwide, he remains one of the best-selling artists of all time.

A 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, he garnered a 1985 Academy Award® in the category of "Best Original Song Score" for the film Purple Rain, a total of seven GRAMMY Awards®, a 2006 Golden Globe Award for "Best Original Song" in Happy Feet, and an American Music Award, among countless other accolades. He holds #27 onRolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists. 1984's Purple Rain remains a high watermark for Prince, changing the worlds of film and music. Minted Diamond by the RIAA for sales exceeding 13 million, the record stands out as the sixth best-selling soundtrack album in history, moving more than 22 million copies.

Known for his marathon shows, he delivered countless historic performances such as theSuper Bowl XLI Halftime Show. Enchanting the modern era, he headlined festivals such as Coachella and Montreux Jazz Festival in addition to selling out arenas and stadiums everywhere. Along the way, he collaborated with everyone from Michael Jackson, James Brown, Beyoncé and Amy Winehouse to Tom Petty, Madonna, and Mary J. Blige. In 2016, Prince passed, but his spirit continued to shine in the hearts and minds of fans worldwide. President Barack Obama lauded his legacy as his music blared from every corner of the globe. Ushering his talent to the forefront of the digital age for a new generation, Warner Bros. Records along with NPG Records re-introduced some of his legendary catalog to streaming platforms in early 2017.



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