NPG Records and Warner Bros. Records announce the 2017 release of Prince’s Academy Award and GRAMMY Award-winning, RIAA diamond-certified masterpiece Purple Rain in new Deluxe and Deluxe – Expanded Edition formats on June 23, 2017.
A special fan pre-order goes live on Friday, April 28 and unlocks an instant grat download of the previously unreleased “Electric Intercourse.” Recorded in 1983 and heard only in its live incarnations, this marks the very first time fans will experience the studio version of this song.
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 by Prince himself before his untimely 2016 passing. The From The Vault & Unreleased disc boasts eleven gems unearthed from the heart of Prince’s storied vault. Beyond “Electric Intercourse,” the tracklist features much sought-after rarities such as 1984’s “Our Destiny / Roadhouse Garden,” the 1983 instrumental “Father’s Song” and more.
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; “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 Fuck” – 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 DVD 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 Rain can 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 Cry,” “Darling Nikki,” the title track “Purple Rain” and more. 1984’s Purple Rain remains a high watermark for Prince, 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. The album won two 1985 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 category of “Top Soundtrack/Cast Album.”
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 Fuck
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
