| Prince And The Revolution: Live is a digital live album of remastered audio from the Purple Rain Tour concert in Syracuse, on 30 March 1985.
This release is not counted as a posthumous album as it was an accompanying piece to an event and that no particular work was done on this recording (sequencing, editing, overdubs ...) which was already widely available in other forms before. The full show had been broadcast live (or semi-live) worldwide and later released on home video (initially as Double Live with the same artwork, before receiving a DVD release as part of the 2017 Purple Rain Deluxe (Expanded) Edition set). This album is referenced here for the sake of completeness.
Prince And The Revolution: Live was available to purchase and stream on 15 May 2020 (six months after the previous posthumous release, 1999 Super Deluxe Edition), and was released to coincide with a four-day video stream of the full show on YouTube to raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts. The press release for the stream stated:
- "In collaboration with YouTube and Google, the streaming event will run in support of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization (powered by UN Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation). Any viewer donations will include a matching component from Google (Google.org will match $2 for every $1, up to $5 million)."
Despite the album title and the live recording, the album itself was not officially released as a "Prince and the Revolution" album, and is listed on streaming and download sites as a "Prince" album titled "Prince And The Revolution: Live".
2022 Re-release
The album was pulled from platforms when a physical release was announced and available to pre-order on 30 March 2022. The audio of this release has been remixed from the original 2" master reels, and the film (already released on Home Video format in 1985 and on the DVD included on Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition in 2017) has been digitally enhanced onto Blu-ray video.
The more elaborate edition of this re-release was available for purchase only from the official Prince Store and at Paisley Park Studios during the 2022 Prince Celebration. This Collector’s Edition Box Set contains 3 LP, 2 CD, the Blu-ray, a 44-page book with detailed liner notes, a poster and a digital audio download card (which oddly leads to the 2020 audio version of the album).
Promotion
The YouTube stream of the show’s video received wide press attention in 2020, with the audio album mentioned briefly in places. No separate promotion has been done for the album. The album reached position 19 on the American iTunes Chart.
For the 2022 reissue, The Prince Estate and The Current radio-station produced an two-part podcast series, presented by Minneapolis Music journalist Andrea Swensson titled “The Story of Prince And The Revolution: Live”. In this audio-documentary Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Brownmark, Dr. Fink, Bobby Z., Eric Leeds and manager Bob Cavallo, share stories about the Purple Rain era (album, film and tour) and the Syracuse show in particular. The live concert film was broadcast on some TV-channels around the time of re-release and available for digital purchase and rental starting 7 June 2022 and broadcast.
This re-release debuted at position 22 on The Billboard 200 and 11 on The Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums.
|
|
Track listing
|
| CD
|
Digital
|
|
The compact disc version (+ Blu-ray) is a remastered re-issue in conjuction with Legacy Recordings (in 2022) of the original digital audio release (2020).
- Let’s Go Crazy (6:03)
- Delirious (2:51)
- 1999 (5:51)
- Little Red Corvette (3:38)
- Take Me With U (4:56)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (6:46) 1
- Do Me, Baby (2:00) 2
- Irresistible Bitch (1:52)
- Possessed (4:24)
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore (5:01)
- Let’s Pretend We’re Married (4:26)
- International Lover (1:55)
- God (7:43)
- Computer Blue (4:27) 3
- Darling Nikki (5:02) (contains I'm So Confused - unlisted)
- The Beautiful Ones (5:16)
- When Doves Cry (9:28)
- I Would Die 4 U (3:26)
- Baby I’m A Star (11:33)
- Purple Rain (19:25)
- Let’s Go Crazy (6:03)
- Delirious (2:51)
- 1999 (5:51)
- Little Red Corvette (3:38)
- Take Me With U (4:56)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (6:46) 1
- Do Me, Baby (2:00) 2
- Irresistible Bitch (1:52)
- Possessed (4:24)
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore (5:01)
- Let’s Pretend We’re Married (4:26)
- International Lover (1:555)
- God (7:43)
- Computer Blue (4:27) 3
- Darling Nikki (5:02) (contains I'm So Confused - unlisted)
- The Beautiful Ones (5:16)
- When Doves Cry (9:28)
- I Would Die 4 U (3:26)
- Baby I’m A Star (11:33)
- Purple Rain (19:24)
References:
US: B09P5QPP1L
3 LP Vinyl Box
The 3 LP Vinyl Box is a remastered re-issue in conjuction with Legacy Recordings (in 2022) of the original digital audio release (2020).
- Let’s Go Crazy (6:03)
- Delirious (2:51)
- 1999 (5:51)
- Little Red Corvette (3:38)
- Take Me With U (4:56)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (3:52) 1
- Do Me, Baby (2:00) 2
- Irresistible Bitch (1:52)
- Possessed (4:24)
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore (5:01)
- Let’s Pretend We’re Married (4:26)
- International Lover (1:55)
- God (7:43)
- Computer Blue (4:27) 3
- Darling Nikki (5:02) (contains I'm So Confused - unlisted)
- The Beautiful Ones (5:16)
- When Doves Cry (9:28)
- I Would Die 4 U (3:26)
- Baby I’m A Star (11:33)
- Purple Rain (19:25)
References:
US: B09P5RS352
Collector’s Edition Box Set (3LP + 2CD + Blu-ray)
The Collector’s Edition Box Set is a remastered re-issue in conjuction with Legacy Recordings (in 2022) of the original digital audio release (2020). Available for purchase only from the official Prince Store
- Let’s Go Crazy (6:03)
- Delirious (2:51)
- 1999 (5:51)
- Little Red Corvette (3:38)
- Take Me With U (4:56)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (6:46) 1
- Do Me, Baby (2:00) 2
- Irresistible Bitch (1:52)
- Possessed (4:24)
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore (5:01)
- Let’s Pretend We’re Married (4:26)
- International Lover (1:55)
- God (7:43)
- Computer Blue (4:27) 3
- Darling Nikki (5:02) (contains I'm So Confused - unlisted)
- The Beautiful Ones (5:16)
- When Doves Cry (9:28)
- I Would Die 4 U (3:26)
- Baby I’m A Star (11:33)
- Purple Rain (19:25)
- Let’s Go Crazy (6:03)
- Delirious (2:51)
- 1999 (5:51)
- Little Red Corvette (3:38)
- Take Me With U (4:56)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (3:52) 1
- Do Me, Baby (2:00) 2
- Irresistible Bitch (1:52)
- Possessed (4:24)
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore (5:01)
- Let’s Pretend We’re Married (4:26)
- International Lover (1:55)
- God (7:43)
- Computer Blue (4:27) 3
- Darling Nikki (5:02) (contains I'm So Confused - unlisted)
- The Beautiful Ones (5:16)
- When Doves Cry (9:28)
- I Would Die 4 U (3:26)
- Baby I’m A Star (11:33)
- Purple Rain (19:25)
- Let’s Go Crazy (6:03)
- Delirious (2:51)
- 1999 (5:51)
- Little Red Corvette (3:38)
- Take Me With U (4:56)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (6:46) 1
- Do Me, Baby (2:00) 2
- Irresistible Bitch (1:52)
- Possessed (4:24)
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore (5:01)
- Let’s Pretend We’re Married (4:26)
- International Lover (1:55)
- God (7:43)
- Computer Blue (4:27) 3
- Darling Nikki (5:02) (contains I'm So Confused - unlisted)
- The Beautiful Ones (5:18)
- When Doves Cry (9:28)
- I Would Die 4 U (3:26)
- Baby I’m A Star (11:33)
- Purple Rain (19:25)
References:
US: 5QLPPR077
|
The album was initially released in digital format in conjuction with Warner Records in 2020. This version was pulled from platforms in March 2022.
- Let’s Go Crazy (6:02)
- Delirious (2:51)
- 1999 (5:51)
- Little Red Corvette (3:38)
- Take Me With U (4:57)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (3:52) 1
- Do Me, Baby (4:51) 2
- Irresistible Bitch (1:56)
- Possessed (4:24)
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore (7:19)
- Let’s Pretend We’re Married (2:11)
- International Lover (2:01)
- God (7:46)
- Computer Blue (4:14) 3
- Darling Nikki (3:30) (contains I'm So Confused - unlisted)
- The Beautiful Ones (6:50)
- When Doves Cry (9:29)
- I Would Die 4 U (3:26)
- Baby I’m A Star (10:56)
- Purple Rain (19:25)
Digital 2022 re-release
The digital 2022 version is a remastered re-issue in conjuction with Legacy Recordings of the original digital audio release (2020).
- Let’s Go Crazy (6:03)
- Delirious (2:51)
- 1999 (5:51)
- Little Red Corvette (3:38)
- Take Me With U (4:56)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (6:46) 1
- Do Me, Baby (2:00) 2
- Irresistible Bitch (1:52)
- Possessed (4:24)
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore (5:01)
- Let’s Pretend We’re Married (4:26)
- International Lover (1:55)
- God (7:43)
- Computer Blue (4:27) 3
- Darling Nikki (5:02) (contains I'm So Confused - unlisted)
- The Beautiful Ones (5:16)
- When Doves Cry (9:28)
- I Would Die 4 U (3:26)
- Baby I’m A Star (11:33)
- Purple Rain (19:25)
|
|
All songs written by Prince except where noted.
1 traditional, standard, ca. 1775
2 Written by André Cymone (music) & Prince (lyrics) (uncredited)
3 Written by John L. Nelson, Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin and Prince
|
|
Personnel
|
| Musicians
|
|
|
| Production
|
- Prince - producer and arranger
- Steve Fargnoli - video producer
- Paul Becher – director
- David Hewitt - audio consultant
- David Tickle - audio engineer, original audio mixer (1985)
- Rob "Cubby" Colby - monitor engineer
- Chris James - audio engineer and Dolby Atmos music mixer (2022)
- Tristan Dolce - music mix assistant
- Brad Blackwood - audio mastering
- Henry Santos - scanning
- Greg Filkins - digitizing consultant
- Thomas Galyon - colorist, restoration & preservation
- Nancy Jundi - finishing producer
- Ramy Katrib - restoration executive
- Dylan Chudzynski - motion graphics restoration
- Mathieu Bitton - menu photo montage design (Blu-ray), art direction and design (booklet)
- Alan Leeds - tour manager
- Craig Rice - road manager
- Paul Chavarria - stage manager
- Roy Bennett - production designer
- Richard Bratcher, Bob Brown, Gary Epstein, Danny Huffman, Randy Huston, Donnie Kretzschmar, Chris Lantz (Showco, Inc) - sound technicians
- Bernie Grundman - mastering (A&M Records)
- Kirk Johnson - archival production / A&R
- Michael Howe - archival production / A&R
- Trevor Guy - archival production / A&R, art direction and design
- Nancy Bundt - Purple Rain Tour photography (1984-85)
- Andrea Swensson - liner notes
|
| Thanks
|
- Special Thanks to: Alfred Jackson (in memoriam), John R. Nelson, Norrine P. Nelson, Omarr Baker, Sharon L. Nelson, Tyka, and all Prince fams (and fans) worldwide.
- Thanks to: Richard Alcock, Vic Anesini, Roald Bakker, Paul Becher, Roy Bennett, Gretchen Brennison, Mark Brown, Angelina Capodanno, Sam Casey, Bob Cavallo, Shaun Cohen, Lisa Coleman, John Conroy, Tony Faske, Matt Fink, Franck Harkins, Bill Hilferty, Zack Hochkeppel, Eric Leeds, Wendy Melvoin, President Nelson, Craig Rice, Susan Ricketts, Angelo Schifano, Kelly Sipos, Studio 34, Henry Towns, Duane Tudahl and Bobby Z..
- A Very Special Thanks to: Sheila E. And Her Orchestra
Possessed is dedicated to James Brown
You have just witnessed Prince and the Revolution
All thanks 2 God – Prince and the Revolution
May U Live 2 See The Dawn
|
|
2019: 1999 Super Deluxe Edition ◄
