Foreword by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson CHAPTER 1: January 1983 CHAPTER 2: February 1983 CHAPTER 3: March 1983 CHAPTER 4: April 1983 CHAPTER 5: May 1983 CHAPTER 6: June 1983 CHAPTER 7: July 1983 CHAPTER 8: August 1983 CHAPTER 9: September 1983 CHAPTER 10: October 1983 CHAPTER 11: November 1983 CHAPTER 12: December 1983 CHAPTER 13: January 1984 CHAPTER 14: February 1984 CHAPTER 15: March 1984 CHAPTER 16: April 1984 CHAPTER 17: May 1984 CHAPTER 18: June 1984 CHAPTER 19: July 1984 CHAPTER 20: August 1984 CHAPTER 21: September 1984 CHAPTER 22: October 1984 CHAPTER 23: November 1984 CHAPTER 24: December 1984 Epilogue
Duane Tudahl has worked in entertainment for over twenty-five years and has produced and/or directed documentary programming for the History Channel, CBS, GTV, Fox, Discovery, Pax, the Gospel Music Channel, the Food Channel, Tru-TV, and HGTV, among others. He has also been an editor on multiple Emmy-nominated programs, including Intervention, Unsolved Mysteries, and Cops. He is a former stand-up comic and has been writing about Prince and the Minneapolis music scene for two decades.
Documentary producer and director Tudahl draws on unlimited access
to studio archives and interviews with Prince's music associates
and friends to produce this meticulously detailed chronicle of
Prince's rise from local Minneapolis celebrity to one of the
world's biggest rock stars. Tudahl presents a day-by-day
description of Prince's live shows and his studio work from the
release of his album 1999 in late 1982 to the making and release of
the album and movie Purple Rain in late 1984. Tudahl opens the
doors at L.A.'s Sunset Sound studios and provides insider glimpses
into Prince's recording processes. According to the original work
order for the session for 'When Doves Cry,' Prince recorded the
song in a single day; it became his first number one hit. Producer
Peggy McCreary, interviewed here, says Prince knew exactly what he
was doing and knew he had a hit. For each recording session, Tudahl
lists the studio and some elements of the song being laid down, as
well as the names of the producers and engineers. Prince fans will
most enjoy Tudahl's thorough archival work; his fascinating book
offers a portrait of an artist continually seeking to grow
creatively and maintain control over his musical identity. *
Publishers Weekly *
The Beatles and Apple Records. Elvis and Sun Records. Musicians and
their iconic works are often associated with a particular studio.
Prince expert Tudahl points out that although most people link
Prince with his Paisley Park home studio in Minnesota, his biggest
albums were in fact recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Los
Angeles. Tudahl's granular study of Prince during his 1983 and 1984
recording sessions covers the production not only of Purple Rain
and Around the World in a Day as well as 'Little Red Corvette,'
'When Doves Cry,' 'Raspberry Beret,' and many B-sides but also
recordings by the Time, Sheila E., the Bangles, Sheena Easton, and
Stevie Nicks. Tudahl also describes more than 100 live performances
and rehearsals by Prince during this fruitful two-year period and
discusses the Purple Rain film soundtrack and the origins of the
movie. Tudahl conducted hundreds of hours of interviews with
Prince's former band members, studio engineers, and others.
Although he did not interview Prince before his untimely death for
the book, he does include copious quotations from the Purple One to
create a fly-on-the-wall effect. A revealing behind-the-scenes
glimpse of a musical genius. Prince fans will savor the details. *
Booklist *
Die-hards and casual Prince fans, alike, will find the book to be a
worthy contribution to an already vast body of knowledge. Tudahl
hopes this book is the first in a series that explores, in depth,
each album in Prince's extensive repertoire.... In the end, there
is no single definitive expert on Prince and no one person's ego
should be so great as to think there is. The stories shared by
those whom Tudahl interviewed is a testament to this fact. Prince
was Prince.... In reading Tudahl's book, it is clear the Purple
Rain Era Studio Sessions of 1983 and 1984 started with love. It is
also painfully clear that the story we attempt to understand ended
the same way-- with love and a tinge of sadness-- on April 21,
2016.... No matter how many books are written, and stories told, we
will still be left trying to figure him and his genius out 30 years
from now; and that's what you take from this book, from the
stories, and from the puzzle that was Prince. Tudahl gives you a
piece, maybe seven, but not the whole puzzle; that you must seek on
your own by listening to the message in the music and the music in
the message. And even then, you will never be quite sure his
meaning; you will never know all the answers or all the sides to
him. Perhaps, the not knowing is exactly what he wanted for us,
after all. * The Huffington Post *
Though it covers just two years in Prince's life, Prince and the
Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions is, hands-down, the most exhaustive
study of the most crucial period in Prince's career. It also sets
the scene for what looks set to become a series of books that,
depending on how much ground they up covering, will likely
obliterate the need for another serious critical study of the
Purple One's work. In over 20 years of graft, Duane Tudahl has
interviewed almost anyone who recorded with, helped facilitate the
dreams of, or got a perfumed whiff of Prince during his time coming
off the cult-level success of 1999 and gearing up for the
globe-shattering triumph of Purple Rain.... With Prince now unable
to ever tell his own story, Tudahl and his interviewees are lifting
the veil with love, in order for the rest of the world to
understand what a genius he was. In doing so, a bar has been set
that, frankly, it looks like only he himself will be able to reach.
The next volume can't come soon enough. Five Stars. * Record
Collector *
Prince insiders eagerly anticipate Duane Tudahl's book for the
thoroughness and diligence he has brought to his investigation. His
work has the rare qualities of a good reporter's objectivity
coupled with an insider's instinct for the true story. -- Susan
Rogers, Prince's recording engineer (1983-1988)
An amazing work. Valuable research and a terrific perspective --
Alan Leeds, tour manager, production manager for Prince
Duane Tudahl has uncovered the hard work and real time hours behind
the genius that was Prince. An awesome lifetime task that will
hopefully lead to future volumes. -- Steve Parke, Paisley Park
artist and author of 'Picturing Prince'
Duane Tudahl's meticulously researched work is truly remarkable. It
shows how closely Prince's work was intertwined with his life.
Providing unique insights into Prince's creative process and
personality, this book is a must for anyone wanting to understand
this exceptionally talented and driven artist." -- Per Nilsen,
author of 'DanceMusicSexRomance' and 'The Vault'
Archivist, interviewer, and discerning fan Duane Tudahl has
delivered a fly-on-the-wall account of some of Prince's most
important and productive years in the studio. This book bristles
with energy, passion, and knowledge, and stands as an essential
documentation of Prince's work and artistic process. -- Alex Hahn,
author of 'Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince and The Rise of
Prince'
The level of detail in the book is phenomenal. PrinceVault will be
forever in debt to the research that Tudahl did. --
PrinceVault.com
A labor of love over 20 years in the making, Tudahl's meticulous
day-to-day chronicle of Prince's creative output during his most
commercially popular era is one of the most comprehensive works
ever crafted about the Purple One.... While there has been a lot
written on the Purple Rain era because of its popularity, the
genius of this book lies in its attention to detail. Simply put,
the work Tudahl has done on this book is astounding. It is truly a
mix of a recording log and a memoir.... This book ranks right up
there with the likes of Per Nilsen's DanceMusicSexRomance and
Uptown Magazine's The Vault as indispensable pieces of the literary
Prince canon. The fact that the one and only Questlove, a
self-professed Prince scholar, contributed the Foreword tells you
how important and vital this book (the first volume in a potential
Studio Sessions series) is. Books like these help keep Prince's
legacy alive and remind us what a special artist he was. Tudahl
should be applauded for his exhaustive effort. * True Funk Soldier
*
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