Purple Rain Review: The Soundtrack to a Superstar
9.5/10 — Prince and The Revolution - Purple Rain (1984)
Pros
- 'When Doves Cry' and the title track
- Prince's guitar and vocals
- Bold, varied songwriting
Cons
- Explicit content on 'Darling Nikki'
- A couple of weaker tracks
Purple Rain accompanied Prince’s semi-autobiographical film and made him a global superstar. It was recorded with his band the Revolution and includes live-recorded tracks.
What works
‘When Doves Cry’ is a startling, bass-free pop single, ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ is joyous, and the title track is a majestic guitar ballad. Prince’s guitar playing, vocals and songwriting are all superb.
Where it falters
‘Darling Nikki’ is explicit and a couple of tracks, like ‘Computer Blue’, are slighter.
Verdict
A thrilling, confident pop-rock landmark.
