The landmark album marks its 40th anniversary with a new audiophile release
NPG Records and Paisley Park Enterprises, in partnership with Warner Records, will release a new audiophile Blu-ray featuring 2024’s Dolby Atmos mix of Prince and the Revolution’s iconic 1984 album, Purple Rain, as well as Prince’s original 1984 stereo mix, in high-definition 24bit / 96kHz audio. The Blu-ray will be available on April 25th.
Prince shattered all expectations and made music history when he released the album Purple Rain, followed by the hit movie of the same name weeks later. The nine-track LP went on to win two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Group and Best Album of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture, two American Music Awards, a Brit Award, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. In 2012, the Library of Congress added the album to the National Recording Registry, which only accepts sound recordings that “are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.” Purple Rain spent 24 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts, sold over 25 million copies worldwide, and appears on countless Best Of polls, most recently achieving the No. 4 spot on Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums Of All Time.
The 2024 Atmos presentation of Purple Rain was meticulously mixed from the original multi-track master tapes by Prince’s protege and Best Engineered Grammy nominee Chris James. It was released digitally on June 21, 2024.
“In 2024 we started our year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of Purple Rain, we are thrilled to present Prince’s masterpiece in Atmos, providing an immersive, surround auditory experience of Prince’s legendary album. This highly crafted release will present Prince’s iconic work with more space and depth while preserving the beautiful songs that have shaped music and popular culture, and touched the lives of countless fans around the world,” shares Paisley Park Enterprises.
Warner Bros. Discovery also reissued a newly restored 4K version of the Purple Rain motion picture on June 25, 2024, with a limited theatrical run. Last night, the film was brought back exclusively to Dolby Cinema at AMC Theatres in the US and Dolby Cinema at ODEON locations in the UK for one night only with a stunning restoration that offered elevated visuals and transcendent audio.
In addition to these Purple Rain reissues, Prince’s catalog is also now available in full on Snapchat and other social media for the next generation of Prince fans to engage, discover, and enjoy.
