Listening to this Purple Rain-era live show from Syracuse in 1985, you’re reminded how introverted Prince was. Does he dazzle? Yes. Does he dance? Yes—and shred, and sweat, and offer you his most carnal love. But he also creates a sense of interiority that, if not at odds with how physical the music is, at least feels remarkable when you remember there were 50,000 people there with him. God and Satan (“Let’s Go Crazy”), Mom and Dad (“When Doves Cry”), U and Me (“Let’s Pretend We’re Married”): He sees the lines and he blurs them. The funniest banter comes on “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” when he asks, “Does your man have an ass like mine?” But the one that gets under your skin is on “God” because when he says, “I know you better than you think I do,” he says it like he might.
This 3-CD/1-DVD Expanded Edition is a true collector’s item and the ultimate vision of Purple Rain. In addition to the 2015 Paisley Park Remaster and “From The Vault & Previously Unreleased,” it includes “Single Edits & B-Sides” and a never-seen on DVD of Prince and The Revolution Live! in 1985…
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It is the first to feature the billing of his band the Revolution, and is the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. The album was released on June 25, 1984, by Warner Bros. Records. In the United States the album debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 the week of July 14, 1984 with approximately 1.5 million copies sold. After four weeks on chart, it reached No. 1 on August 4, 1984. The first two singles from the album, "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy", topped the US singles charts, and were hits around the world, while the title track went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Purple Rain was present on the Billboard 200 for a total of 122 weeks.