Prince and The New Power Generation: Diamonds and Pearls Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Prince and The New Power Generation: Diamonds and Pearls Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 7, 2023

Rhino and its various partners in the Warner Music Group are giving audiophiles some hope that Blu-ray audio isn't (to quote the inimitable Monty Python) "quite dead yet", with a number of really interesting releases in a variety of genres. Several of these look to be somewhat like Universal Music Group's now seemingly largely dormant foray into this format, with what are more or less "new, improved" representations of original albums, but in the case of Diamonds and Pearls, Rhino is releasing this standalone one disc effort along with two so-called Super Deluxe editions, one featuring 7 CDs and one featuring 12 LPs, both of which are substantially more expensive than this release. Diamonds and Pearls was Prince's first release with the then actually "new" New Power Generation, and it's a carnival ride of different approaches and sounds, and provided Prince with several charting singles.

If there are any "theory geeks" out there, they may be aware that Leonard Bernstein built much of his score for West Side Story on the interval of the tritone, that pesky augmented fourth and/or diminished fifth distance that has been called "the Devil of music" due to its somewhat abrasive sound. I won't go so far as to say Prince had something like that in mind for Diamonds and Pearls, but in listening to this album frankly for the first time in many years, I was immediately struck with how many times Prince "sneaks" tritones into the proceedings. That interval is of course part and parcel of dominant seventh structures, which often form the basis for blues in particular, but also (often altered to dominant 13th structures) for funk, and so that use is probably predictable, but for those of you, um, attuned to the sound of a tritone, just keep your ears peeled (if that's a physical possibility) to how many times Prince will pretty much just slap a tritone over some other material, as if to say, "wake up and hear something unexpected!"

I might further joke that while one inimitable British band is (probably unintentionally) alluded to in the title of Cream, the title tune on this album reminds me in passing at least of another British aggregation, namely Tears for Fears and Sowing the Seeds of Love and Woman in Chains, both of which would have been then somewhat recent when this album was being put together. ( Diamonds and Pearls is one of the tunes featuring a harsh tritone, in its introduction.) But the album itself offers enticing variety, with Prince's typical lustrous production qualities. As a devoted fan of this particular jazz titan, I also love that Prince sampled some Clare Fischer for this release.

This release offers the same track list as the original album, without any of the bonus material offered on either of the Super Deluxe editions:

1. Thunder
2. Daddy Pop
3. Diamonds and Pearls
4. Cream
5. Strollin'
6. Willing and Able
7. Gett Off
8. Walk Don't Walk
9. Jughead
10. Money Don't Matter 2 Night
11. Push
12. Insatiable
13. Live 4 Love

Prince and The New Power Generation: Diamonds and Pearls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While there is video content on this disc, as evidenced by the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, it's basically a "loop" of part of the original (international) cover of the release, which slowly zooms in and out, but which never quite reveals Robia LaMorte (I think that's LaMorte on the left). While these screenshots may at first glance appear to be more or less the same, if you examine them, you can see how things move in and out and the color scheme changes slightly. You may need to have your monitor/display working at least at disc boot up to choose which audio option you want, since this doesn't offer the "remote color button" way of accessing the audio that some audio Blu-rays do. Toggling the audio button also works. The image has flashes of blue that appear in various places (you can see some of them in some of the screenshots), as well as overall variant brightness that ebbs and flows.

Prince and The New Power Generation: Diamonds and Pearls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Prince & The New Power Generation: Diamonds and Pearls features Dolby Atmos and LPCM 2.0 options. While the stereo version is perfectly fine, I can't imagine those with the ability to play the Atmos version not choosing that one. The most immediately noticeable difference is in the midrange and low end (perhaps ironically, given Atmos" advertised "in the air" qualitites), which fairly explode with new energy when compared to the stereo version. Along with that ubiquitous use of the tritone, another thing that struck me on this listen is how artfully Prince utilizes space in his arrangements, despite the perceived density of some of the accompaniments. The Atmos track beautifully provides some sumptuous breathing room where the "jingly" bits on various keyboards blend magically with guitars, with vocals always very nicely mixed (interestingly, not necessarily as far forward as in the more "focused" stereo version, but never to the detriment of not being able to hear them). Fidelity is excellent throughout, and while a lot of the album is fairly high energy, some of the more jazz or pop inflected tunes offer nice dynamic range as well.

Prince and The New Power Generation: Diamonds and Pearls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on this edition, which may be one of the main selling points for either of the Super Deluxe versions linked to above. The DigiPack does have an insert with lyrics and a couple of stills.

Prince and The New Power Generation: Diamonds and Pearls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Longtime readers of my reviews probably already know what a champion of Blu-ray audio I have been, and it heartens me greatly to see Rhino continuing to keep the flame burning, so to speak, with any number of releases in this format. My hunch is the most diehard Prince fans are probably going to want to opt for one of the Super Deluxe editions, but for those on a budget who would like to hear this album in a rather invigorating Atmos mix, this should do perfectly well. Highly recommended.