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Rock N’ Roll Is Alive! (And It Lives In Minneapolis)
2019
His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club
His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club Prince album
Warner Records
albumPaisley Park is in your heart.
His Majesty’s Pop Life was originally released in 1985 under Warner Bros Record’s Japan arm Warner Pioneer, as a very limited run of 500 promotional copies available only to DJs, in support of Prince’s then newly released LP Around The World In A Day. The compilation was reissued and given a worldwide release on 13 April 2019 by The Prince Estate and titled His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club to mark the annual Record Store Day, limited to 14,000 vinyl copies, distributed by the rebranded Warner Records. That day also saw the commercial release of another sought after promo, a tape that dated from 1995 titled The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold), distributed by Sony Legacy. The RSD release found His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club peak in the US at number 184 in the Billboard Hot 100.
His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club received a commercial CD release on 8 July 2020 under the newly rebranded Warner Records but again only for the Japanese market. This occasioned the first publication in CD format for Pop Life [Fresh Dance Mix] and Paisley Park [Remix]. Anecdotally, Pop Life [Fresh Dance Mix] was mixed by Sheila E and is titled in this compilation as given in the original 1985 Japan release, albeit the correct name of this 9-minute version is Pop Life [Extended Remix].
The compilation comprises of the 12-inch extended versions and remixes of tracks previously issued as B-sides to singles of the three original albums from these extended versions supported. Those albums are 1999, Purple Rain and Around The World In A Day. The 2019 vinyl reissue of His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club packages two discs, with tracks 1-4 playing at 45RPM as disc 1, and tracks 5-10 at 33RPM comprising disc 2.
Recording
Pop Life [Extended Version] was the second remix made of the track, created at Sunset Sound studios, Hollywood, in 1984. America is the album cut of the track, recorded at Prince’s Flying Cloud Warehouse studio in 1984. Raspberry Beret [New Mix] was likewise produced at the warehouse in 1984 and was released as the A-side to the 12in version of the single. Paisley Park [New Mix] was created at Sunset Sound in 1984 and released as the A-side to the 12in version. Let’s Go Crazy [Special Dance Mix] is actually the full version of the track, which edited down for Purple Rain, it was recorded live at First Avenue on 3 August 1983 and released as a 12in maxi single. Little Red Corvette [Dance Remix] was produced at Sunset Sound in January 1983 and too was released as a 12in maxi single. 1999 is the original album version of the track recorded at Prince’s Kiowa Trail home studio in 1982. I Would Die For You [Extended Version] was mixed at Sunset Sound in 1983, it was released as a maxi single along with the extended version of Another Lonely Christmas. The extended version of Erotic City was mixed at Sunset Sound in July 1984 and released as Erotic City (“Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive”) B-side to the extended version of Let’s Go Crazy. When Doves Cry is the album version from Purple Rain, created at Sunset Sound in March 1984 and became Prince’s biggest hit single.
Data
- Producer
- Prince
- Label
- NPG Records
- Distribution
- Warner Records
- Cover/Design
- Doug Henders
- Released
- 7 years ago on 13 April 2019
- Running Time
- 72:20
- US Chart Peak
- 184
- US R&B Peak
- 19
- UK Chart Peak
- No release
- Orig. Formats
-
Tracklist
Disc 1: 45RPM
- Pop Life [Fresh Dance Mix] (9:07)
- (3:40)
- (6:33)
- Paisley Park [Remix] (6:56)
- Running Time
- 26 min, 16 sec
Disc 2: 33RPM
- (7:35)
- (8:22)
- (6:22)
- (10:15)
- (7:24)
- (5:52)
- Running Time
- 45 min, 50 sec
His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club review
His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club is a little-known vinyl from 1985, a promo floated to DJs by Warner Music Japan to showcase the array of extended mixes supporting Prince’s latest LP. Fast forward to 2019, Warner Records finally give His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club a commercial release both in vinyl and CD formats. There are complaints the remixes are sourced from vinyl pressings than original master tapes, which will distress audio aficionados; but take the silver lining approach and rejoice that two more long out of print remixes make their long awaited and much appreciated CD debut. Keep them coming.
His Majesty’s Pop Life: The Purple Mix Club is rated 4 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.
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