I never knew that some of the songs on this album were actually recorded live, like "I Would Die 4 U," "Baby I'm a Star," and "Purple Rain." That in itself is incredible since the performances are so tight and this was a newly formed band that Prince had put together just for this recording and the movie to go with it. Though I think the last two songs drag a bit they fit perfectly into the movie.
Another odd thing about this album is that it seems to have come from nowhere. There was certainly no sign of this ability in Prince's previous records and perhaps joining up with a real band helped to expand his sound and his reach. He would never again put together an album so tightly structured around pop melodies, but here he seems to have done it with such ease every song having its own weird pop sound.
I actually think this is one of the best rock albums ever made. On one album he is able to incorporate components of psychedelia, funk, rock, r&b, electronica and he makes it all work together to create a very tightly structured concept album. It is extremely hard to create a concept album, but to then make it a pop/experimental album and have every song be exceptionally good is almost impossible.
