The Rainbow Children

First, the vinyl release sounds fantastic. Another amazing job by Sony legacy. Now, the music:I'm a lifelong Prince fan for over thirty years and bought this album at midnight of release, ran home, popped on the cd.... and then promptly turned it off half way through. I hated it. 19 years later though, I can finally look past the questionable lyrics and misguided narration running over the top of most of these songs and enjoy the music. Because musically, at least, this thing is a thunder clap of genius. One of his best musical works. Sadly the awful narration promoting Jehovah's Witness beliefs just never ever gets any easier to swallow. You should own at least 15 Prince albums before buying this one I think, not because it's not sonically amazing but rather because any casual fan will turn it off within the first ten minutes due to the narration. Still, I'm glad to have it on vinyl and it is a great addition to anyone who wants to hear just how strange and brilliant this guy was. Rainbow Children shows off both traits more clearly than most albums. The fact that it is still the most divisive Prince album almost 20 years after release though should give a buyer pause. Stream it first and then see if you're up for this odd, wonderous, crazy, misguided and ingenious journey into Prince's uncompromising world view.

This is easily the most controversial of Prince's albums to fans. It is jazzy and guided by his faith in as public a way as he had ever done. I contend he was always spiritual and this jazzy effort contains some songs that are very dear to me. Last December is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. The album is worth it just for that song. That said there is so much more.

Terrible pressing quality. There’s just no quality control on the vinyl. None. I’ve been through multiple copies from more than one retailer. All were bad. Only one copy out of the 7-8 I’ve had came with an LP #2 that wasn’t warped, and that one sadly had a constant “whooshing” noise throughout both sides. This is a Prince Classic, and it deserved a better vinyl pressing.

After almost 20 years this album has been re-released on clear vinyl. The bonus is the rainbow patterned Prince slipmat. Put down the slipmat, set down the record, sit back and listen. It sounds amazing! One of the cleanest vinyl playbacks I've heard in a long time. Glad to see that the Prince Estate is releasing these albums with a little extra something. I have the original vinyl release and the clear vinyl and slipmat made me get the reissue. Well done!

Lifelong Prince fan (since 85). This one was a big deal because it marked his return to using the name Prince (after the symbol years). Did NOT like this one much at the time, though I tried HARD to enjoy it. Maybe I was expecting more a return to more conventional pop songs, which this is NOT. Anyway, this album is MUCH MUCH MUCH better than I thought it was when it first came out. I broke down and bought the LP for the slipmat more than anything- but the album being so much better than I remembered was a treat.

This album was where Prince decided to do what HE wanted. He made a Jehovah's Witness album. This may turn people off, but this is some of the most challenging and exciting MUSIC from Prince in years. He sounds new and freehand revitalized. I am not a JW, but I still can appreciate the message and the music.

My review is for the 2020 vinyl reissue. The music is great, Prince really pushes the envelope here. One concern on the pressing, on the first A&B side disk the needle is really moving back and forth within the grooves. It didn't skip but it clearly has a pressing issue. The second disk, with the C&D sides had no such issue.

Prince and the NPG are at their funkiest. This album takes a few listens and it’s essentially a concept album about finding the positive power within yourself. Long jams with a touch of jazz fusion.

So, one of Prince's more challenging, but ultimately rewarding albums, joins the Estate's vinyl reissue bandwagon.And hooray say all of us! A quick search of Discogs or Ebay over the last few years (since he passed away) has shown sellers have been asking obscene prices for vinyl originals of this ! And I'll let you in on a secret.... that original pressing wasn't the best quality-wise !This however, pressed on crystal clear vinyl, sounds amazing. If you're used to hearing the CD then this is going to be a real treat (unless you're using a cheapy crosley-style turntable! In which case, stick to the CD!)For the un-initiated...….Music-wise, this is a jazz/funk fusion treat! Like I said, it is challenging, but give it a chance! To be honest, you're better off trying to even forget it's Prince! (impossible, I know!) If you've got Purple Rain, Kiss or any other hits in your head then your gonna struggle to get into this. Think of the 2nd side of Bowie's "Low" compared to say... "Hunky Dory". Different, but equally impressive ! I'll admit it, this was a real slow burner for me. My initial reaction nearly 20 years ago was "WTF ?!", but now it's a favourite. The deep vocoder droning/story telling can understandably be off putting, but it helps to tie everything together.I would think that everybody who really LOVES Prince & his music will admit that most of his albums have the odd "dodgy" track, and this album is no exception, in this case it's the easily forgettable "Wedding feast". But we'll gloss over that one!Overall, a rewarding, jazz club-style way to spend an hour. If you are willing to accept the spiritual message that inspired Prince for most of this project.Finally, as I purchased the vinyl edition of this, just a quick word on that. Quality wise, it's top notch. There's always wriggle room with vinyl, dependant largely on the equipment you're listening on. But I've got no complaints with my copy.Buy it, & listen to it with an open mind.Thanks for reading my review :-)

Firstly note, although lack of information does not show that this is the Clear Vinyl with the Rainbow slipmat on initial copies. The same product although labelled as an "import" is priced at £80 on Amazon.This a fine addition to Prince's catalog and I can remember its original release. Having its re issue is great due to it being discontinued shortly after release.My only negative point is that the track listing is done as a sticker stuck to the outer shrink. This wouldn't be an issue usually as a keep shrink wrap on and cut but with this being gatefold you want to open it up.

Record one looks and plays fine except for a couple of marks in the clear vinyl. Record two looks like it's ready to start imploding in on itself as all new vinyl does.I also bought the cd but the tray is coming away from the outer cardboard cover. It hasn't been glued together very well. Another bunch of let downs from the Prince estate.

Sony needs to move away from MPO, the pressing faults on this latest batch of reissues are numerous, for Rainbow Children this includes stitching (crackle caused by an incorrectly pulled from the mother stamper), and swooshing on the second disc. I've had numerous copies all with the same issues and others have too (other records play fine). Avoid until quality control is sorted.

I own up to being a Prince fan so I'm probably biased, but this is a great album. It's just special in every way, from the meticulous attention to detail, to the small little in-jokes, nothing is left to chance. When you expect something to happen it will, but be better than expected, and if you don't know what may come next, you will be surprised more than you woud ever have considered. Dare I say his best album?