1984 Music - 30th Anniversary

[troutman]

Bobby Z shares his Purple Rain memories on the album’s 30th anniversary

http://blog.thecurrent.org/2014/06/b...h-anniversary/

It was 30 years ago today that Prince and his band the Revolution released Purple Rain, still the best-selling album to come out of Minnesota. The record came out just over a month before the film of the same name would hit theaters, and the singles “When Doves Cry and “Let’s Go Crazy” quickly climbed to the top of the charts.

Few would argue that the album not only propelled Prince to his highest level of fame but also attracted attention to his hometown of Minneapolis, so much so that the style of music played on Purple Rain became one of the most clear-cut examples of his famed “Minneapolis Sound.” But what exactly was it about the nine tracks on Purple Rain that made the album so iconic?

“I think he was really ahead of what the ‘80s were about to become,” says Revolution drummer Bobby Rivkin, who is known on stage as Bobby Z. Rivkin was responsible for performing some of the most compelling and forward-thinking rhythms of Prince’s early compositions, and he’s helped to carry the Minneapolis Sound torch forward with his now-annual Benefit 2 Celebrate Life fundraising concert that takes over First Avenue this Saturday.

“The Minneapolis Sound is very simply Prince,” Rivkin says. “And the discovery he made of synthesizers doing horn parts—taking synthesizers and giving those horn stabs like what James Brown used to do with horns. When you think of the ‘80s, the horn stabs and the punches were done on these Oberheims and all these cool new synthesizers. Everybody else started imitating it. And that’s what we know now as the Minneapolis Sound: Prince in the studio by himself with drum machines and synthesizers.”

[troutman]

At 30, Purple Rain Is Still So Good That "Purple Rain" Isn't Even Its Best Ballad

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/...est_ballad.php

How often is the best record the most popular record?

'Purple Rain' Turns 30: Prince's Engineer Shares Majestic (And Maddening) Studio Stories

http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/pu...studio-stories

Happy 30th Birthday, 'Purple Rain'! 10 Facts About Prince's Legendary Soundtrack

https://music.yahoo.com/blogs/yahoo-...000615461.html

Prince's 'Purple Rain' at 30: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review

http://www.billboard.com/articles/re...k-album-review

[undercoverbrother]

Jesus H Christ, this is it isn't it. This is the start of the never ending string of Anniversary this, and Anniversary that, which will leave me feeling old for the rest of my life.

#### you FishBoy, #### you and your old age inducing Anniversaries!!!

[troutman]

1984 had 3 monster albums - Born In The USA, Purple Rain, Like A Virgin

[Northendzone]

and in unrelated news, prince is celebrating 29 yrs of irrelvancy.......

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

and in unrelated news, prince is celebrating 29 yrs of irrelvancy.......

He is just as prolific as ever with two albums planned for 2014. The star making machinery and methods of distribution are much different 30 years later.

http://www.factmag.com/2014/06/23/pr...s-could-be-us/

Prince has revealed details of two new albums ready for release. As well as the previously announced PLECTRUMELECTRUM, recorded with his current touring band 3RDEYEGIRL, is a fresh solo LP made with engineer and producer Joshua Welton.

In an interview with Minneapolis’ Star Tribune, Prince didn’t mention a title or release date but did reveal that one song, ‘This Could Be Us’, was inspired by a meme of him and singer Apollonia Kotero in a scene from Purple Rain.

Prince's 15 Best Post-Eighties Deep Cuts

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/li...-cuts-20140227

[habernac]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Jesus H Christ, this is it isn't it. This is the start of the never ending string of Anniversary this, and Anniversary that, which will leave me feeling old for the rest of my life.

#### you FishBoy, #### you and your old age inducing Anniversaries!!!

dude, we ARE old.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by habernac

dude, we ARE old.

Damn it you ain't helping

[nik-]

Originally Posted by troutman

1984 had 3 monster albums - Born In The USA, Purple Rain, Like A Virgin

you're forgetting this bad boy

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by troutman

1984 had 3 monster albums - Born In The USA, Purple Rain, Like A Virgin

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Wasn't The Unforgettable Fire release in 84

[Hack&Lube]

Some of my favorite tracks on my playlist are all terrible quality bootlegs and multi generational rips from the 1999 tour. Little Red Corvette, Do Me Baby, etc. My favorite track is a 25 minute long live version of Prince playing Purple Rain in Atlanta in 1985.

Prince has always sounded 100 times better live than on the released records which is a travesty. The recording mixes have always been awful and I don't know if that's from over-engineering or his interference or Warner Brothers or what.

Case in point - the actual point where Purple Rain is played in the film is actually a live recording of the band playing at the actual venue (First Avenue Club) the night before (according to interviews).

[nik-]

Prince is a criminally underrated/unknown Blues guitar player too.

[troutman]

Rolling Stone 1984 Critics

Best Album

• Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen

Runners Up

• Purple Rain - Prince
• Private Dancer - Tina Turner
• How Will The Wolf Survive? - Los Lobos
• Learning To Crawl - The Pretenders

Best Single

• What's Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner

Runners Up

• Jump - Van Halen
• When Doves Cry - Prince
• Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen
• Pride (In The Name Of Love) - U2

READERS

Best Album

• Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen

Runners Up

• Purple Rain - Prince
• 1984 - Van Halen
• Sports - Huey Lewis And The News
• Eliminator - ZZ Top

Best Single

• Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen

Runners Up

• When Doves Cry - Prince
• Jump - Van Halen
• Let's Go Crazy - Prince
• Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen

http://www.rocklist.net/rolling.htm#77

http://www.musicimprint.com/Chart.aspx?id=C000046

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by troutman

Rolling Stone 1984 Critics

Best Album

• Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen

Runners Up

• Purple Rain - Prince
• Private Dancer - Tina Turner
• How Will The Wolf Survive? - Los Lobos
• Learning To Crawl - The Pretenders

Best Single

• What's Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner

Runners Up

• Jump - Van Halen
• When Doves Cry - Prince
• Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen
• Pride (In The Name Of Love) - U2

READERS

Best Album

• Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen

Runners Up

• Purple Rain - Prince
• 1984 - Van Halen
• Sports - Huey Lewis And The News
• Eliminator - ZZ Top

Best Single

• Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen

Runners Up

• When Doves Cry - Prince
• Jump - Van Halen
• Let's Go Crazy - Prince
• Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen

http://www.rocklist.net/rolling.htm#77

http://www.musicimprint.com/Chart.aspx?id=C000046

I rocked the #### out of my Sports cassette, #### I was cool

[Senator Clay Davis]

I never realized that Michael Jackson died on the same day Purple Rain was released (not the same year obviously). Ironic because Prince kills Jackson musically.

Also when I think 1984, I think metal, what with these behemoths being released.

[habernac]

Ugh, Jump is the WORST song on 1984. How does it get nominated for anything except for the #### song that it is?

[DownInFlames]

"Purple Rain" was the first cassette I ever got for my Walkman, along with The Clash's "Combat Rock". Being able to listen to my own music on family trips was such a godsend.

[FanIn80]

I completely forgot about Sports and Eliminator. Also, I was going to post about Kill Em All, but yeah I guess that was 83 and Lightning was in 84.

Man, that was a golden year for music. Powerslave, Defenders of the Faith, The Unforgettable Fire...

83 was a really good year too.

[flizzenflozz]

Zen Arcade- Husker Du and Reckoning- REM crush that album... I'm just not in that Prince love group, sorry... Smiths, Echo, Style Council and Replacements out-slug him too IMHO in that year