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Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse

Far cheaper to hiring conventional studios as had been doing at Sunset Sound in LA, Prince began renting a warehouse at 9025 Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, from May 1984. This single floor, wood-panelled building with tin roof was Prince’s second such facility, providing a sufficient space to conduct rehearsals with his band for their upcoming tour. From here throughout from May to November 1984 Prince and The Revolution prepared their Purple Rain Tour.

For the purpose of recording these rehearsals, Prince had a API/DeMedio soundboard and MARA MCI JH24 – 24-track recorder installed to have the warehouse operate additionally as a fully functioning studio – set up by his recording engineer Susan Rogers. This equipment had been transferred from Prince’s previous warehouse, an ageing former dog food distribution store, at 6651 Highway 7, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, which he rented since May 1983 (built 1945, demolished 2007). The walls were lined with a heavy black theatre curtain. Highway 7 famously received studio credit as The Warehouse for the recording of Computer Blue and Let’s Go Crazy in 1983 for Purple Rain – The Revolution taking full advantage of the building’s echo to produce the live feel for the songs. Prince and the band underwent acting lessons at Highway 7 for the Purple Rain movie, under the tutorage of Don Amendolia.

Prince and The Revolution rehearsed and recorded continuously at Flying Cloud Drive throughout the remainder of 1984, and was during these sessions tracks were laid down for Prince and The Revolution’s second album Around The World In A Day, as well as recording the debut for his side-project The Family; Andre Cymone’s debut Mazarati was also recorded here. The property’s tin roof created a harder sound than can be heard in Prince’s other albums. The key songs recorded here include Roadhouse Garden, Mutiny, Nothing Compares 2 U, Paisley Park, Raspberry Beret and The Dance Electric.

Prince later bought the property outright for $450,000, paid in cash, and engaged the architectural firm BOTO Design of Santa Monica to submit various plans to redevelop the site into a full-blown studio complex. The warehouse was demolished in the spring of 1985 in preparation of this work, however the site proved too small for purpose and its busy surroundings raised privacy as another concern. A new location was therefore required and Prince purchased a plot of land at Chanhassen, where he built Paisley Park Studios. During the construction of Paisley Park, between July 1985 and early 1987, Prince rented his final warehouse, 6953 Washington Avenue, Edina, Minnesota, which he fitted out with the console transferred from the Flying Cloud Drive facility.

Albums recorded at Flying Cloud Drive warehouse

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