Maps of Music

The Rainbow Children (2001)

Where the lyrics of The Rainbow Children take you, and where it was really made.

Prince returned to his old name for this album, a year after dropping his symbol, and the album did not return to vinyl until the 2020 Legacy release.

Key places

Recorded at Paisley Park Studios (2001)

Recording site Paisley Park Studios — The album's credits list Paisley Park Studios as the place where the album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Rainbow Children: the 24th studio album by American recording artist Prince
• Released 20 November 2001 by NPG Records and Redline Entertainment
• Also released through Prince's website earlier in the same year
• First album released outside the NPG Music Club under the name Prince again
• Prince had reverted to his previous stage name a year earlier, dropping his symbolic moniker
• Released on double vinyl with a glossy colour booklet
• Not available on vinyl again until the Legacy release in 2020
• Concept album covering spirituality, human sexuality, love and racism
• Told through a fictional story of a social movement toward a Martin Luther King Jr.-inspired utopian society
• Egyptian monotheism and New Age concepts such as the Akashic records are used as metaphors
• Jazzier than any of Prince's previous work

Background

• The album seems to allude to Prince's recent conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses denomination
• Released through the independent distributor Redline Entertainment
• Received minimal promotion at Prince's decision, as he wanted to focus on the music and avoid commercialism
• A dedicated promotional website was set up for the album

Recording

• Credits list Paisley Park Studios as the recording location
• Larry Graham plays bass on tracks 4 and 14
• John Blackwell plays drums, and Najee plays soprano saxophone and flute

Cover

• The cover features Cbabi Bayoc's "The Reine Keis Quintet"
• Prince favoured a painting of a women's band, as he was backed by an all-female ensemble

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Prince Rogers Nelson, born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota; died April 21, 2016 at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
• Signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1977 at age 18; first album For You released April 7, 1978.
• Career spanned funk, rock, R&B and pop, with estimated sales over 100 million records.

Career

• Breakthrough with Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982).
• Purple Rain (1984) made him the first singer to hold the number-one film, album and single in the US at the same time.
• Sign o' the Times (1987) is widely considered his greatest work.
• Changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993, becoming known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince; reverted to Prince in 2000.
• Won seven Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critical reaction was mixed, with the album described as jazzier than any of Prince's previous work
• Some fans saw the album as a musical and spiritual evolution for Prince
• Prince chose minimal promotion, wanting to focus on the music and avoid commercialism
• Distributed through the independent distributor Redline Entertainment
• A promotional website offered "She Loves Me 4 Me" and "Mellow" as free MP3 downloads

Reappraisal

• The album seems to allude to Prince's recent conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses denomination
• Egyptian monotheism and New Age concepts such as the Akashic records are used as metaphors
• Spirituality, human sexuality, love and racism are woven into a fictional story of a social movement toward a Martin Luther King Jr.-inspired utopian society

Records

• Sold 158,000 copies in US stores as of summer 2007
• Estimated 560,000 copies sold worldwide

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Tracks 15 to 19 are silent tracks of 4 seconds each, followed by another 8 seconds of silence before an unlisted reprise slowly fades in.
• Tracks 15–21 are hidden tracks, and only track 21 has sound: a fade-in of the word "one" being sung.
• A promotional website offered "She Loves Me 4 Me" and "Mellow" as free MP3 downloads.
• The promotional domain is currently for sale.
• Prince favoured the painting of a women's band because he was backed by an all-female ensemble.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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