Prince And The Revolution
Purple Rain
1984, Warner Bros. Records
The important thing to stress right off the bat [for the few possibly uninitiated who walk among us] is that there is not an ounce of irony in calling this album 'essential.' You will not read cliches such as "cover art that is more 80's than Miami Vice" or "synth parts so cheesy they're good." The truth is that this album just plain rocks, and has my vote for all time greatest soundtrack.
Though only 8 tracks long, the album has a dizzying array of sounds. From the gospel/preacher opening and segueing into guitar freakout of "Let's Go Crazy" to the synth/drum machine panic that turns into pure Sunday afternoon bliss on "Take Me With U" to the NOTES HE HITS ON "The Beautiful Ones" and the ode to singular female exploration on "Darling Nikki" which leads into (probably) the closest thing that Prince has ever come to an autobiography (right?) in "When Doves Cry" to the pop celebration of "I Would Die 4 U" -- it all leads up to the title track! THE TITLE TRACK.
Yes, this is an album for album purists. For [or I mean 4] those of us who think of a record as a film without video to distract us. It condenses so many genres that the Paisley One has touched upon into 45 minutes of incredible vocal delivery, guitar work and studio trickery -- part studio/part live recording really. Brilliant.