Let's Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain

I have been a Prince junkie since I could crawl. The movie and soundtrack have always been in my top 10 of all time. This book was awesome in that it delves deep into the inner workings of creating the film and the soundtrack and the dilemmas and issues faced by everyone involved. I found it fascinating to be able to go behind the scenes 30 years later & discover the technical details, the personal stories, the disagreements, the empowered moments. Great read for any true Prince fan. I was a little surprised that Light talked about the famous "Let's Go Crazy" guitar solo and how Public Enemy successfully sampled it for their song "Welcome to the Terrordome", it was Enemy's "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" that used the sample, not Terrordome. Nitpicking, but facts are facts.

The book concentrates on the era of Purple Rain - the album sessions, the movie, and the tour afterwards. But yet it also digs into the history before and what came after that project as well. The best thing is that several interviews are the source material here, so it's not just conjecture or speculation. You get bits and pieces of the stories from people who were there including Prince himself when he was available to talk. Alan Light also analyzes the cultural landscape of the time period - Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and the world MTV had created. All of this comes together to make your appreciation of Prince's career grow, and you realize how much the artist contributed to making music what it is today. This is a great read for fans! Now that Prince has left us, it's a nice look back at the years when he was at the top of his game creatively and financially.

After Prince's death I wanted to read a significant book of his life. This really fit the bill: the summation of how Purple Rain was made. When you read this book you realize that this album/movie was probably the highlight of his career with his later work controversial and not as commercially successful.But the movie was a significant event that Prince pushed through. Can you really believe some studio executive offered to buy the story but only if John Travolta could play the part? It's interesting that Roger Ebert, who reviewed based upon likability instead of pretentious "in the club quality" ranked this movie very highly.There are many side stories by the supporting characters but particularly the girls in the band. And of course who can forget Jungle Fever by Morris Day who was slated for a great movie career that never materialized probably due to drugs.Great book. Great story. And a worthwhile climax on the life of Prince.

I was eager to read this book from the moment I first heard about it last year. But of course, after the tragic death of Prince this Spring, I moved it up to the top of my list. This is a very well written look at the creative genesis of "Purple Rain" both the album and motion picture. While Prince did not agree to be interviewed for the book, members of the Revolution, Prince's management at the time, and key creative members of the film were interviewed extensively, which helps illustrate the picture of how Prince essentially willed the movie "Purple Rain" into existence, all while pushing himself musically to create the most perfectly distilled collection of his musical essence. Anyone with even a passing interest in Prince and his music would find this book interesting, but as a super fan, I was riveted. I had read quite a bit about Prince and his work, but still learned an impressive amount I hadn't known about the performer and his collaborators and protégées. Towards the end of the book, a little bit of light is shed on subsequent projects, vis-a-vis how they were affected by "Purple Rain." It certainly made me wish for additional volumes from Alan Light about other periods in Prince's life and career. Worth a read from anyone interested in Prince's work, and mid-80's pop culture.

One of my favorite movies growing up. I finally have the backstory to the film. I feel sorry for Prince's band, the Revolution. Seems like Prince wrote all the music, played all the parts and then just told his band to do what he had already recorded. Doesn't seem like there was much for the band to do. The movie's story of the Kid feeling threatened by his band's input apparently was all too real.

Excellent book for any Prince fan! Although the book seemed to drag at times, overall it was very insightful & eye opening. This book should be mandatory reading for ANYONE that was a Prince fan & graduated high school in 1984!

I liked the book. The info about the movie, attitudes, personality, band mate interjections, references to all things music, specific songs, the minutia even- I enjoyed immensely. However, I was not too fond of the author’s pondering about why Prince remains famous, or that his best work was only during the Purple Rain(or Reign, for that matter.). Prince was pure musical genius.His ability to reinvent his music and yet stay true to his bent, and his sheer love of music is something we are likely not going to see in our lifetime.Still a good read if you are a fan.

With the exception of Per Nilsen's "Prince: the first decade (DMSR)" (http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Sex-Romance-Prince/dp/0946719640), this is, without question, the most detailed and insightful Prince book I have ever read. With new interviews from literally EVERYONE involved in this period of his career except, of course, Prince, you truly come to realize what a gamble this movie was, how everything aligned to make it work, how it pushed Prince to the pinnacle of his musical creativity, and how Purple Rain's success ultimately changed his personality and his relationships with everyone who helped get him to this point (for the worse, sadly). Written by an author who experienced the phenomena of the Purple Rain movie, album, and tour while still a teenager (as I was when it came out), this is a page turner even if you only have a passing interest in Prince. An absolute MUST READ for any Prince fan.

The book cover was faded and had creases. It looks shabby and cannot be gifted.

Fantastic read. Very entertaining and well writen. A Purple Rain fan must. Give it a go. Read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

Well worth a read. Warmly and engagingly written by someone who obviously was a true fan. It conjured up some great images of the time. Can't say I agree with his throwaway and somewhat disparaging opinions on the 90's music. This view is not surprising as the author revers the 80s 'genius' period above all else. Probably no new info for hardcore fans but ideal for a more casual fan like me, or someone new to Prince, to get a snapshot of the time and background to the creation of P's best known work. Highly recommended.

Item indispensável para os fãs de Prince, o livro de Alan Light é, igualmente, uma leitura interessante para aqueles que gostam de música e tem curiosidade de saber à respeito de um dos artista que mais influenciou o mundo pop nas últimas décadas. Jornalista experiente, Light passou pela redação de várias revistas especializadas no meio.musical, e a oportunidade de ter entrevistado Prince ao longo dos anos, torna sua narrativa mais enriquecedora. Além de trazer algum entendimento sobre a personalidade do recluso artista, detalha de forma interessante a feitura de seu icônico filme e a criação de sua excêntrica e controversa "persona pública".

Très intéressant pour tout FAN de Prince!On y apprend pas mal de choses et anécdotes sur la création de cet album mythique.