Purple Rain - Music

Prince Formed The Revolution In Minneapolis Minnesota In 1979 As His Backing Band For His First Concert Tour. The Original Lineup Consisted Of Gayle Chapman On Keyboards André Cymone On Bass Dez Dickerson On Guitar Doctor Fink On Keyboards And Bobby Z. On Drums & Percussion. The Band Went Nameless For Almost Three Years While Supporting Prince Live And Appearing In His Music Videos. Chapman And Cymone Left In The Early 1980's And Were Replaced By Lisa Coleman On Keyboards And Brownmark On Bass. The First Album On Which The Revolution Performed Was The 1982 Prince Release 1999 Which Has The Band's Moniker Written In Reverse On The Back Cover. When The 1999 Tour Ended In 1983 Dez Dickerson Left The Band For Religious Reasons And Was Replaced By Lisa's Childhood Friend And Soon-To-Be Lover Wendy Melvoin On Guitar. The First Album Officially Released As Prince & The Revolution Was Purple Rain In 1984 Which Sold Over 16 Million Copies In The United States Alone. The Band's Sound Incorporated Heavy Metal Pop Funk R&B And Hard Rock Elements. Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman Formed A Particular Creative Bond With Prince And Greatly Influenced The Band's Output During The Rest Of Their Tenure. The Band Achieved Two Number-One Billboard 200 Albums Purple Rain & Around The World In A Day Six Top Ten Singles On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart And Won Three Grammy Awards. In 1985 Members Of The Soon-To-Be-Defunct Group The Family Which In Turn Included Former Members Of Another Group The Time Joined The Revolution Along With People From Sheila E.'s Band. This Included The Addition Of Three Dancers/vocalists/comic Foils Known As The Bodyguards . The Last Lineup Of Prince & The Revolution Was Informally Known As The Counter-Revolution And Consisted Of - Jerome Benton The Bodyguards - Atlanta Bliss Trumpet - Greg Brooks The Bodyguards - Lisa Coleman Keyboards Piano And Vocals - Doctor Fink Keyboards And Vocals - Eric Leeds Saxophone - Brown Mark Bass Guitar And Vocals - Susannah Melvoin Backing Vocals - Wendy Melvoin Guitar And Vocals - Prince Lead Vocals Guitar And Piano - Wally Safford The Bodyguards - Miko Weaver Guitar - Bobby Z. Drums The Revolution Was Officially Disbanded By Prince In 1986 After The Hit N Run Tour Which Supported Parade The Soundtrack For The Movie Under The Cherry Moon. Melvoin And Coleman Went On To A Successful Career As Wendy & Lisa. read less

16 Similar Artists To Prince & The Revolution - Frogtoon Music

Prince Prince And The New Power Generation The Time Sheila E. Stevie Wonder The New Power Generation Prince & 3rdEyeGirl Rick James The Jacksons Michael Jackson Terence Trent D'Arby Sly & The Family Stone Cameo Chaka Khan The Gap Band Wendy & Lisa

"Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and the The Revolution. It was his third US single (second UK) and title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn was the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name. The song is an emotional combination of rock and roll, pop and gospel music. It reached #2 in the U.S., and is widely considered Prince's signature song. The song was recorded live at the Minneapolis club First Avenue in 1983. The performance was the live debut of Wendy Melvoin, and also netted the final three songs of the Purple Rain album, although the songs would undergo studio overdubs later. Purple Rain's original lyrics contained an extra verse about money, which was edited out, as it diluted the emotional impact of the song. "Purple Rain" opens with a lone guitar quickly followed by live drumming and a prominent organ, evoking images of church gospel music. Three verses are followed by a chorus, with a building emotional delivery. After the final chorus, a guitar-solo takes over the song. The song ends with a piano solo and orchestral strings. The emotional lyrics have multiple meanings; on the surface, they seem to be an apology from a man who has been carrying on an illicit love affair with a woman; though on a deeper level, they become more of a spiritual allegory. The song is a staple of Prince's live performances. He has played it on nearly every tour since 1984, except for a period after his name change when he avoided his older hits for a few years. At Super Bowl XLI's halftime show, in which he was the featured performer, "Purple Rain" was featured as the last song of his set and was, appropriately, played during a downpour at the stadium, which combined with the purple stage lighting created the song's signature image. Prince performed the song as the opening of a medley of his hits with Beyonce at the 2004 Grammys, and also at the 2006 Brits. In order to be released as a single, the song's duration was shortened from 8:45 to 4:05. The B-side, "God," is a much more overtly religious number (Prince's most religious to date), recalling the book of Genesis. The song also features extensive vocal experimentation. Towards the end, Prince mentions "The Dance Electric," which was a song given to former band member André Cymone. In the U.K., the 12" single also included an instrumental of "God," also known as "Love theme from Purple Rain," from which an edited portion appears in the film. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.