🔘 Parade: Music from the Motion Picture Under The Cherry Moon – Album: Mar. 1986

Released: March 31, 1986 (US/UK)

Catalogue Number: US: 1‑25395 / UK: WX 39

A baroque‑funk masterpiece — Prince and the Revolution’s final bow, wrapped in Parisian cool.

Released on March 31, 1986, Parade arrived as both the soundtrack to Prince’s black‑and‑white film Under the Cherry Moon and the final studio album credited to Prince and the Revolution. Following the psychedelic swirl of Around the World in a Day, Prince pivoted sharply into a refined, European‑inflected sound: baroque pop, jazz, French chanson, orchestral miniatures, and minimalist funk.

Recorded between 1985 and early 1986 at Sunset Sound and Paisley Park, the album features lush orchestral arrangements by Clare Fischer, intricate contributions from Wendy & Lisa, and some of Prince’s most elegant production. Critics hailed Parade as a creative resurgence — NME named it Album of the Year (1986) — and its reputation has only grown, with modern retrospectives calling it one of Prince’s most sophisticated works.

Commercially, the album was a global success, powered by the No. 1 hit “Kiss.” It reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, No. 4 in the UK, and topped charts across Europe. Today, Parade stands as a pivotal moment: the Revolution’s final masterpiece and a bridge to the experimental freedom of Sign O’ The Times.

🔘 Track List

(LP — Paisley Park / Warner Bros. — 1‑25395 US / WX 39 UK)

Side One

Christopher Tracy’s Parade — Prince

New Position — Prince

I Wonder U — Prince

Under the Cherry Moon — Prince

Girls & Boys — Prince

Life Can Be So Nice — Prince

Venus de Milo — Prince

Side Two

Mountains — Prince & the Revolution

Do U Lie? — Prince

Kiss — Prince

Anotherloverholenyohead — Prince

Sometimes It Snows in April — Prince & the Revolution

Produced by: Prince

Engineers: Susan Rogers, Coke Johnson, Peggy McCreary, others (verified)

🔘 Variants (Discogs‑Verified Only)

🇺🇸 USA – Paisley Park / Warner Bros. – 1‑25395 (1986)

Format: LP

Country: USA

Year: 1986

Notes:

• Standard US pressing

• Black‑and‑white cover photography

• Custom inner sleeve

• Matrix variants include MASTERDISK cuts

🇬🇧 UK – Paisley Park / Warner Bros. – WX 39 (1986)

Format: LP

Country: UK

Year: 1986

Notes:

• UK/Europe pressing

• Same artwork as US

• “WX 39” spine identifier

• Warner Bros. labels

🇺🇸 USA – 4‑25395 (1986)

Format: Cassette

Country: USA

Year: 1986

Notes:

• Standard US cassette

• Fold‑out J‑card

• Same track order as LP

🌍 US/Europe – 9 25395‑2 (1986)

Format: CD

Country: US/Europe

Year: 1986

Notes:

• Early CD issue

• Silver disc with black text

• No bonus tracks

🇯🇵 Japan – WPCR‑13133 (1990s reissue)

Format: CD

Country: Japan

Year: 1990s

Notes:

• Japanese booklet

• Warner Pioneer pressing

🔘 Chart Performance

🇺🇸 Billboard 200

Peak Position: #3

Weeks on Chart: 30+

Label: Paisley Park / Warner Bros.

Catalogue Number: 1‑25395

🇺🇸 Top R&B/Hip‑Hop Albums

Peak Position: #2

🇬🇧 UK Albums Chart

Peak Position: #4

First Chart Date: April 12, 1986

Weeks on Chart: 22

🌍 International Peaks

• Netherlands — #1

• Switzerland — #2

• Germany — #6

• Sweden — #5

• Austria — #7

• New Zealand — #7

• Finland — #3

• Canada — #11

2016 Re‑Entry

• Billboard 200 — #50

• Soundtrack Albums — #3

🔘 Context & Notes

Personnel (Verified)

• Prince — vocals, instruments, production

• Wendy Melvoin — guitar, vocals

• Lisa Coleman — keyboards, vocals

• BrownMark — bass

• Dr. Fink — keyboards

• Bobby Z. — drums

• Eric Leeds — saxophone

• Atlanta Bliss — trumpet

• Clare Fischer — orchestral arrangements

Recording Notes

• Recorded 1985–1986 at Sunset Sound & Paisley Park

• Orchestral arrangements recorded separately by Fischer

• Stylistic palette: baroque pop, jazz, funk, chanson

• Bookended by songs referencing Christopher Tracy, the film’s protagonist

Press Reception

• NME Album of the Year (1986)

• Praised for elegance, cohesion, and experimentation

• Retrospective acclaim: Pitchfork 9.1, The Guardian “effortless and assured”

Legacy

• Final album by Prince and the Revolution

• “Kiss” became one of Prince’s signature hits

• Seen as a creative high point bridging ATWIAD and SOTT

• Continues to influence neo‑soul, art‑pop, and orchestral funk

🔘 Related Material

Previous Album: Around the World in a Day (1985)

Next Album: Sign O’ The Times (1987)

Related Artists: The Revolution, Wendy & Lisa, Clare Fischer

🔘 Discography

• Around the World in a Day (1985)

• Parade (1986)

• Sign O’ The Times (1987)

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

1985: Recording begins

Mar. 31, 1986: Album released

1986: Under the Cherry Moon film released

Late 1986: The Revolution disbands

🔘 Glam Flashback

Parade is Prince at his most elegant — a Paris‑soaked swirl of funk, orchestral pop, and cinematic romance. The Revolution’s final masterpiece, and one of the most inventive albums of the 1980s.

🔘 Closing Notes

A daring stylistic pivot and a creative triumph, Parade remains one of Prince’s most sophisticated and influential works — a soundtrack that transcends its film and stands as a jewel of his catalogue.

🔘 Sources & Copyright

Discogs (1‑25395, WX 39, 4‑25395, 9 25395‑2, WPCR‑13133)

45cat (US/UK singles)

Prince Vault

Warner Bros. Records documentation

Official Charts Company

Contemporary & retrospective reviews

All artwork and text remain the property of their respective copyright holders.

🔘 Tags

#Prince #Parade #UnderTheCherryMoon #TheRevolution #1986 #PaisleyPark #NowSpinning #VinylCommunity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WmPeLOLDnA