What is your favorite song on Purple Rain?

[Trotskie]

voted for I Would Die 4 U because, as a kid, I thought he was saying "ah-bble dah-bble do". 

[buffcoat]

Avalanche.

[mcphee from the forum]

I voted Beautiful Ones but I was torn between that and Purple Rain and also between that and every song that isn't Computer Blue.

[akaJudge]

Take Me With You

[jamesp]

2 votes for "Darlin' Nikki"? I assume one of these must be from Larry D. Pervison.

[Christina]

My favorite Prince album is Parade. 

I've been super into the dirty early eighties Prince lately. I keep going back to Controversy on the old iPod.

[daveB from Oakland]

I voted for "The Beautiful Ones" ... but I'm like YesNo, if I really think about it, I'd probably have to admit that "When Doves Cry" would be the desert-island song. If I was forced to choose one song.

But having said that, "Beautiful Ones" is a pretty amazing showcase for Prince the vocalist. I like how it begins with the fruity, breathy falsetto ... and ends up on the opposite end of the spectrum, super growly (like Eddie Murphy's impersonation of Teddy Pendergrass).

I like almost all of this album, but it's got to be Baby I'm a Star. Seems like the sort of thing that could go on 10+ minutes in the right live setting.

Around the time Purple Rain came out, MTV was heavy-rotating an extended live-performance clip of Prince and the Revolution doing a medley of "I would Die 4 U" leading into "Baby I'm a Star". I think it was in that order. Sort of re-creating the end sequence of the movie, but the MTV thing was more of a real-deal live performance.

... in any case it was fucking great. I would get super-psyched whenever MTV showed this thing. It was that live clip that really illuminated Prince's greatness to me. I'd love to see it on YouTube or somewhere ... but unfortunately the Purple One is super-fanatical about banning any YouTube clips of his music. Like many geniuses, he's a fairly annoying person.

[daveB from Oakland]

So hey, this is a good podcast episode to listen to if you wanna Nerd Out on Purple Rain

"Show 191: Prince's Purple Rain Album Dissection"    http://www.soundopinions.org/shownotes/2009/072409/shownotes.html

direct link to the show: http://audio.soundopinions.org/podcasts/sooppodshow191.mp3

Jim and Greg (aka "The Fat Guy and the Other one") talk about the album, and also have a chat with Wendy and Lisa.

[masterofsparks]

So hey, this is a good podcast episode to listen to if you wanna Nerd Out on Purple Rain

"Show 191: Prince's Purple Rain Album Dissection"    http://www.soundopinions.org/shownotes/2009/072409/shownotes.html

direct link to the show: http://audio.soundopinions.org/podcasts/sooppodshow191.mp3

Jim and Greg (aka "The Fat Guy and the Other one") talk about the album, and also have a chat with Wendy and Lisa.

I thought about listening to that show but then I remembered that Jim & Greg drive me crazy. I'm not sure why, but anytime I try listening to that show, I usually end up mad.

[Steve of Bloomington]

'I Would Die 4U' only has one note in the vocal part. I noticed this when I was at some restaurant, and there was a muzak version of the song playing.

[jamesp]

So hey, this is a good podcast episode to listen to if you wanna Nerd Out on Purple Rain

"Show 191: Prince's Purple Rain Album Dissection"    http://www.soundopinions.org/shownotes/2009/072409/shownotes.html

direct link to the show: http://audio.soundopinions.org/podcasts/sooppodshow191.mp3

Jim and Greg (aka "The Fat Guy and the Other one") talk about the album, and also have a chat with Wendy and Lisa.

I thought about listening to that show but then I remembered that Jim & Greg drive me crazy. I'm not sure why, but anytime I try listening to that show, I usually end up mad.

I can't stand fat guy Chicago voices. Jim has that fat guy sound that Patton Oswalt jokes about on his new special. I've also noticed that the guys adopt a "cool" voice when they'll talk to musicians, especially when they have in-studio guests.

That said - I love everything Purple Rain so thanks for the link.

[crumbum]

I've also noticed that the guys adopt a "cool" voice when they'll talk to musicians, especially when they have in-studio guests.

I like that show a lot but the thing that always bugs me is when they interview someone who they have harshly criticized in the past and then say something about 'some critics' giving that person a hard time. Jim especially will put on a very fake-sympathetic tone. I've heard them do this a number of times but the best example is when they interviewed DJ Shadow about two weeks after tearing his last record to pieces.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand -- 'I Would Die 4 You' all the way. One of my favourite songs ever though I'm not sure I can articulate why at the moment.

[yesno]

I still listen to that show because they do turn me on (bad phrase) to some good music now and again.  I really don't like just reading about music I've never heard before.  The show also has decent production values.

I almost always skip past their interviews.  And in some areas (hip hop, female-led bands) Jim has just the worst taste. 

[masterofsparks]

And in some areas (hip hop, female-led bands) Jim has just the worst taste. 

Fixed. Actually, I think Greg has the worse taste of the two. He's a sort of "lyrics critic," where he's willing to forgive all kinds of awful music if the lyrics are good, so you get him trying to justify his praise for horrible things like Randy Newman and recent Bruce Springsteen albums by pointing to nice turns of phrase. I dunno, it's just a pet peeve of mine.

[Matthew_S]

This poll closes today!

Happy to see that every song got at least one vote.

Surprised that over 35 people voted.  Way more than I expected!

Touching on some subjects mentioned...

Sound Opinions - ugh.  I LOVE the idea of the show; I hate the execution...

Prince Albums -- Parade, underrated!  Controversy, overrated!  And I agree with Jesse Thorpe who recently blogged that Dirty Mind is  potentially best of the bunch vs. Sign O'The Times.



Do this again?  Every Picture Tells a Story?  Doolittle?  London Calling?  Rush's Moving Pictures? Liquid Swords?