Purple Rain (Deluxe) [Expanded Edition]

Editors’ Notes Purple Rain—both the semiautobiographical No. 1 film and its No. 1 soundtrack—marks the moment that Prince became Prince, the most complex pop mastermind of his generation. After inviting his “dearly beloved” to the opening frenzy of “Let’s Go Crazy,” he leads us on a synth-driven, psychosexual odyssey that never lets up. Hits like “When Doves Cry” and the soulful title ballad (which was intentionally modeled after the stadium-filling anthems of Journey and Bob Seger) became pop monuments. But the more eclectic moments—like the menacing fantasy of “Darling Nikki” and the pleading desperation of “Baby I’m a Star”—give shape to this wildly adventurous and irrepressibly freaky masterpiece.

The deluxe expanded edition includes the 2015 Paisley Park remaster of the original soundtrack overseen by Prince himself, 11 previously unreleased tracks from the vault, plus single edits, extended versions, and B-sides.