The Revolution (band)
The Revolution was the backing band of the American musician Prince in the period from 1982 to 1986, the time when the music label Warner Bros. Records was under contract, and from 1985 on Warner Bros. Records / Paisley Park. Prince and The Revolution won an Academy Award and three Grammy Awards.
- 5.1 Studio albums
- 5.2 Singles
Development (1982-1983)
The name The Revolution appeared for the first time in October 1982 on the cover of the double album in 1999. At that time was still guitarist Dez Dickerson ( born 1955 ) thereby, but left mid-May 1983, Prince's backing band; Dickerson started a solo career. Wendy Melvoin and replaced him on August 3, 1983 The Revolution gave their live debut in the music club First Avenue in Minneapolis. At that time Prince was a benefit concert for the Minnesota Dance Theatre, and Melvoin played live for the first time in his band. The concert was record Prince; he first played the then unreleased songs Let's Go Crazy, Computer Blue, I Would Die 4 U, Baby I'm a Star and Purple Rain. The songs mentioned were published in June 1984 on the album Purple Rain.
The Revolution was from 1983 to 1985 the following members:
- Mark Brown (born: Mark Brown; * 1962 ) - E -Bass
- Wendy Melvoin (born Wendy Melvoin Ann, born January 26, 1964 in San Fernando Valley, California ) - Acoustic Guitar
- Lisa Coleman ( born August 17, 1960 in San Fernando Valley, California) - Keyboard
- Doctor Fink (born Matthew Robert Fink, born February 8, 1957 in St. Louis Park, Minneapolis -Saint Paul metropolitan area ) - Keyboard
- Bobby Z. ( née: Robert B. Rivkin, born January 9, 1956 in St. Louis Park, Minneapolis -Saint Paul metropolitan area ) - drums
The success (1984-1985)
The single When Doves Cry was released in May 1984 in the U.S. as first single of the album Purple Rain and remained at number one on the U.S. singles chart five weeks. To date, the song is Prince's most successful single in their home country; about two million copies were sold at that time in the United States. In June, the album Purple Rain, which could last for 24 weeks at number one on the U.S. album charts appeared. It was only on January 19, 1985 sparked the album Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen Purple Rain on the first place of the U.S. album charts.
The premiere of the musical film Purple Rain took place on July 26, 1984 held in Hollywood at Grauman 's Chinese Theatre, and a day later the movie was released nationwide in 917 cinema. In the second week the film presented another 100 U.S. theaters. Purple Rain played a nearly 70 million U.S. dollars and in 1984 was the tenth most successful film of the year in the United States. In addition, Prince and the Revolution were honored with an Oscar for Best Film Music.
The third single release in the U.S. was the song Purple Rain in September 1984. It peaked at number two on the U.S. singles charts. Internationally, the single Purple Rain was in various countries Prince ' first Top Ten hit. I Would Die 4 U was released as the fourth single in November in the U.S. and was eighth place in the U.S. singles chart, the sixth top ten hit for Prince within the past year and a half.
The Purple Rain tour started on November 4, 1984 in Detroit at Joe Louis Arena and ended on April 7, 1985 in Miami at the Orange Bowl Stadium. The 98 concerts were attended by a total of around 1.75 million people. Never before had given more Prince concerts on a tour, and to this day the purple rain tour is the most successful tour of his career. The concert on 30 March 1985 in Syracuse ( upstate New York) in the Carrier Dome was then broadcast live on European television as Prince and the Revolution not made guest appearances with the Purple Rain tour in Europe. The concert was later also on the video cassette Prince and The Revolution - Live published worldwide. The tour Sheila E. acted with her band as the opening act. She and members of her band were during the song Baby I'm a Star Prince live together on. However, Sheila E. was the band The Revolution never officially.
Immediately after the end of the Purple Rain tour turned Prince in April 1985 for the song 4 The Tears In Your Eyes a music video in Los Angeles, at the of The Revolution Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman only participated. 4 The Tears In Your Eyes was released on 12 April 1985, the album We Are The World by USA for Africa music project. The premiere of the music video was on July 13, 1985, the Live Aid day. 1993 4 The Tears In Your Eyes also released on the album The Hits / The B- Sides by Prince.
The second album by Prince and the Revolution appeared on 22 April 1985 in the USA and is called Around the World in a Day. It was on June 1, 1985, for three weeks number one on the U.S. album charts and then repressed No Jacket Required by Phil Collins from the top spot. 2.5 million albums have been sold at that time of Around the World in a Day in the USA. This could not be achieved the sales figures of the previous album Purple Rain. Nevertheless, the album of music magazines was positively evaluated because Prince is not even copied and produced no similar album like Purple Rain.
Separation (1986 )
The song Kiss was released in February 1986 in the United States as an advance single from the album Parade and reached number one on the U.S. singles chart. So Prince and the Revolution When Doves Cry and could by Let's Go Crazy land their third and last number-one hit single in the U.S..
On March 3, 1986 was a Prince concert in the Music Club First Avenue in Minneapolis. This concert was announced only by a local radio station; Prince presented the audience the night before The Revolution, which now consisted of the following members:
- Brown Mark - bass guitar
- Wendy Melvoin - Acoustic Guitar
- Lisa Coleman - keyboards
- Doctor Fink - keyboard
- Bobby Z. - drums
- Miko Weaver ( born March 11, 1957 Berkeley, California) - guitar
- Eric Leeds (born Eric Jeffrey Leeds, born January 19, 1952 Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - saxophone and flute
- Atlanta Bliss ( née: Matthew Blistan, school friend of Eric Leeds ) - Trumpet
- Jerome Benton ( born September 19, 1962) ( or: born August 19, 1957), Omaha, Nebraska) - dancer and background singer
- Greg Brooks (born Gregory Allen Brooks, * Detroit, Michigan) - dancer and background singer
- Wally Safford (* Detroit, Michigan) - dancer and background singer
Susannah Melvoin, twin sister of Wendy Melvoin, stepped up to the April 1986 occasionally as a background singer for the hit - and -run on tour with. The Hit- & -Run tour were live concerts that were announced spontaneously and sometimes took place on the evening of the announcement. The tour was played only in the United States and debuted on March 3, 1986 in Minneapolis. The last concert of the tour was on August 3, 1986 in New York City at Madison Square Garden.
Parade, the last album recorded Prince in collaboration with The Revolution, was published on March 31, 1986 in the United States. It reached number three on the U.S. album charts and was able to then sell nationally 1.6 million times.
The film Under The Cherry Moon celebrated on 1 July 1986 in the small town of Sheridan in the U.S. state of Wyoming its premiere. One day later the Schwarweiß film ran nationwide in 941 U.S. theaters. The budget of Under The Cherry Moon was twelve million dollars, but the film only played ten million U.S. dollars in the United States. The film also got very bad reviews and was repeatedly " honored " with the anti - price Razzie. The members of The Revolution play - unlike in the film Purple Rain - only small supporting roles in Under The Cherry Moon.
On 2 July 1986, coupled with ANOTHERLOVERHOLENYOHEAD the third single from Parade in the U.S. that was from that album, the last extraction. In Europe, the song Girls & Boys was selected as the fourth and final single to kick off the Parade tour in August 1986. Girls & Boys was therefore also the world's last single release of Prince and the Revolution.
The European part of the hit - and -run tour was - according to the latest album by Prince and the Revolution - Parade tour called. It began on August 12, 1986 in London at Wembley Arena on August 31 and found in Hamburg Alster Sporthalle graduate. The song It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night was recorded live on August 25th in Paris and published in March 1987 on the Prince album Sign o 'the Times. After the concert in Hamburg Prince flew with The Revolution to Japan to perform there for the first time live in his career.
Concert opener in Japan was on September 5, 1986 in Osaka in the Festival Hall, and the opening act of the Japan tour was again Sheila E. and her band. The Parade tour ended on September 9 in Yokohama in Yokohama Stadium. This was also the last live concert by Prince and the Revolution. On October 17, 1986, the former management of Prince announced the release of The Revolution.
Awards (selection)
Grammy Awards
Oscar
Discography
Studio albums
- DE: 1x platinum ( 500,000 )
- CH: 1x platinum ( 50,000 )
- UK: 2x platinum ( 600,000 )
- U.S.: 1x Diamond U.S.: 13x platinum ( 13 million )
- UK: 1x Gold (100,000)
- U.S.: 2x Platinum ( 2,000,000 )
- DE: 1x Gold ( 250,000 )
- AT: 1x Gold ( 10,000 )
- UK: 1x platinum ( 300,000 )
- U.S.: 1x platinum ( 1,000,000 )
Singles
- UK: 1x Silver ( 200,000 )
- U.S.: 1x platinum ( 2,000,000 )
- U.S.: 1x Gold ( 1,000,000 )
- U.S.: 1x Gold ( 1,000,000 )
- Not coupled in Europe
- Coupled only in Europe, Australia and New Zealand
- Non coupled world
- U.S.: 1x Gold ( 1,000,000 )
- Coupled only in Europe
( - = Could not place it) ( na = not published)