Entertainment

The 'Purple Rain' Rerelease Is A Must-Have For Fans

by Mary Grace Garis
Jamie Squire/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

It's still somewhat daunting to remember that Prince has been gone for over a year now, but luckily, music from his Violet Majesty's vault is about to be released. On Friday, it was announced that NPG Records and Warner Bros. will be releasing extended reissues of Prince's Purple Rain, his masterwork 1984 album and soundtrack for the film of the same name. And when I say extended, I mean extended: Purple Rain Deluxe and Purple Rain Deluxe – Expanded Edition will be including a fair share of previously unreleased tracks, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The second disc, From the Vault & Unreleased, includes 11 never-released tracks. And in addition, you get freshly remastered and sometimes expanded version of tracks like “Electric Intercourse,” “Possessed,” “Father’s Song,” “We Can F*ck,” and “Katrina’s Paper Dolls.” And that's just all the new goodies.

What else is included in the Purple Rain Deluxe? Of course, the first disc features the original remastered album, which incidentally is sitting on my record player as I type this (my neighbor was trying to throw it out, why would anyone do that?). And if you feel like shelling out money for the Expanded Edition, you'll get a third disc featuring a series of single edits and b-sides, including different mixes of classics such as "Let's Go Crazy" and "I Would Die 4 U." You'll also get a DVD of Prince and the Revolution playing at the Carrier Dome in 1985, with performances of 19 songs.

Essentially, it's a must-have purchase for the Prince fanatic, and also a weird, sexy comfort if you're still feeling his loss. Among all the crushing blows and celebrity deaths we experienced in 2016 (what a never-ending nightmare), Prince was among one of the hardest hits. It was an out-of-nowhere passing of an icon gone far before his time (and incidentally, his time should've been never). But in the wake of that tragedy, it's beautiful that Prince's body of work is living on, and even thriving.

If you're spurred to keep the Purple One alive forever, then you can pick up Purple Rain Deluxe or Purple Rain Deluxe — Expanded on June 23. Until then, scroll down and prepare to be tempted by the massive track list below.

Disc One: Original Album (2015 Paisley Park Remaster)

  1. “Let’s Go Crazy”
  2. “Take Me With U”
  3. “The Beautiful Ones”
  4. “Computer Blue”
  5. “Darling Nikki”
  6. “When Doves Cry”
  7. “I Would Die 4 U”
  8. “Baby I’m A Star”
  9. “Purple Rain”

Disc Two: From The Vault & Previously Unreleased

  1. “The Dance Electric”
  2. “Love And Sex”
  3. “Computer Blue” (‘Hallway Speech’ version)”
  4. “Electric Intercourse (studio)”
  5. “Our Destiny / Roadhouse Garden”
  6. “Possessed (1983 version)”
  7. “Wonderful Ass”
  8. “Velvet Kitty Cat”
  9. “Katrina’s Paper Dolls”
  10. “We Can F*ck”
  11. “Father’s Song”
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Disc Three: Single Edits & B-Sides

  1. “When Doves Cry (edit)”
  2. “17 Days”
  3. “Let’s Go Crazy (edit)”
  4. “Let’s Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix)”
  5. “Erotic City”
  6. “Erotic City (‘Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive’)”
  7. “Purple Rain (edit)”
  8. “God”
  9. “God (Love Theme From Purple Rain)”
  10. “Another Lonely Christmas”
  11. Another Lonely Christmas (extended version)
  12. “I Would Die 4 U (edit)”
  13. “I Would Die 4 U (extended version)”
  14. “Baby I’m A Star (edit)”
  15. “Take Me With U (edit)”

DVD: Prince And The Revolution, Live at the Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, March 30, 1985

  1. “Let’s Go Crazy”
  2. “Delirious”
  3. “1999”
  4. “Little Red Corvette”
  5. “Take Me With U”
  6. “Do Me, Baby”
  7. “Irresistible Bitch”
  8. “Possessed”
  9. “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?”
  10. “Let’s Pretend We’re Married”
  11. “International Lover”
  12. “God”
  13. “Computer Blue”
  14. “Darling Nikki”
  15. “The Beautiful Ones”
  16. “When Doves Cry”
  17. “I Would Die 4 U”
  18. “Baby I’m A Star”
  19. “Purple Rain”

And there you have it, Purple Rain continues to pour hard for another generation.