Space Cowboy i Whould Die 4 u

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.

Purple Rain remains one of history’s most important, indisputable, and influential albums, but you’ve never heard it like this before. Purple Rain Deluxe boasts the official 2015 Paisley Park Remaster of the original tapes overseen by Prince himself in addition to a new “From The Vault & Previously Unreleased” disc with 11 unheard gems from the storied vault. This is Prince’s final word on his definitive masterpiece.