Album of the Day

On this day in 1984, Prince made his big screen debut in PURPLE RAIN, starring as a Minneapolis musician on his way to the top. Recorded with his band the Revolution, the album of the same name serves as a soundtrack to that film but easily stands on its own, with such classic Top Ten singles as “When Doves Cry,” “Let's Go Crazy,” “I Would Die 4 U” and the title track. The audacious mix of sexy funk, dance pop and guitar-driven rock earned Prince a pair of Grammys and an Oscar, and has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. The collection topped the Billboard chart upon release, and when Entertainment Weekly made its list of the best albums of the last quarter-century in 2008, PURPLE RAIN was #1 again.