Andrea Swensson – författare

Authoritatively written and including rare photography and memorabilia, this sumptuous slipcased hardcover is the only illustrated gift book to examine Prince’s most iconic album and film, Purple Rain.In 1984, Prince, along with his band, The Revolution, released what would become his best-selling album and a touchstone of 1980s pop culture. Purple Rain has gone on to sell 25 million copies and counting. In Prince and Purple Rain, Andrea Swensson, a Minneapolis-based journalist and host/co-producer of Prince | Official Podcast, takes a deep dive into the legendary musician’s most famous album on its 40th anniversary.The book features:A lush purple velvet slipcase with gold-foil letteringA foreword by Prince superfan Maya RudolphStunning performance and off-stage photographyInterviews with musicians who worked with PrinceImages of memorabilia from top collectors Chapters cover:Prince’s youth and early music career in Minneapolis, as well as each of the five studio albums that preceded Purple RainPrince’s backing band, The Revolution, and the backgrounds of each of its individual members, with an emphasis on the Purple Rain studio and touring members: drummer Bobby Z, bassist Brown Mark, guitarist Wendy Melvoin, keyboardist Lisa Coleman, and keyboardist Matt FinkTrack-by-track analyses of each sideA look at the groundbreaking film of the same name and its multiplatinum soundtrackAwards, accolades, and critical receptionPrince’s legacy post–Purple Rain, up to his untimely death in 2016Prince and Purple Rain is a definitive and beautifully produced tribute to a legendary album from a legendary performer and artist.The Great Albums series presents authoritative explorations of rock’s most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon, The Who & Quadrophenia, Bruce Springsteen and Born to Run, and Queen & A Night at the Opera, with more to come.

Discover the untold stories behind Fleetwood Mac’s masterpiece album in this expertly written and beautifully presented deep dive.Released in February 1977, Rumours transformed Fleetwood Mac from a veteran British-American rock act into a global phenomenon. On the album’s 50th anniversary, music journalist Andrea Swensson revisits the creation of this cultural landmark through insightful writing and more than 200 photographs and pieces of memorabilia.Tracing a tale of heartbreak, harmony, and enduring brilliance, this richly illustrated volume explores:Fleetwood Mac’s evolution before 1977 – from the Peter Green blues years to the Buckingham-Nicks era that made historyThe making of Rumours – recording at the Record Plant and the tension-fueled sessions that birthed classics like “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams,” “Don’t Stop,” and “The Chain,” as well as the concurrent Universal Amphitheater shows in August 1976Track-by-track insights – thoughtful and knowledgeable examination of the songs captures the album’s musical and emotional depthThe band’s legacy – in addition to the reunion tours and accolades, Swensson underscores how Fleetwood Mac’s personal drama, artistry, and chemistry turned private pain into universal songsIn addition, the book covers the tour to support Rumours and sidebars address topics like the album artwork, later reissues, and each individual member. Presented as a slipcased hardcover, this is both a visual celebration and a comprehensive chronicle of an album that continues to define pop-rock perfection half a century later.For fans of rock history, design, and storytelling, Fleetwood Mac and Rumours: 50 Years is an essential tribute to the music, the musicians, and the myths behind one of the greatest records ever made.The Great Albums series presents authoritative explorations of rock’s most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon, Bruce Springsteen and Born to Run, Prince and Purple Rain, Queen & A Night at the Opera, Run-DMC and Raising Hell, The Who & Quadrophenia, and Eagles and Hotel California: 50 Years … with more to come!

Beginning in the year of Prince's birth, 1958, with the recording of Minnesota's first R&B record by a North Minneapolis band called the Big Ms, Got to Be Something Here traces the rise of that distinctive sound through two generations of political upheaval, rebellion, and artistic passion.Funk and soul become a lens for exploring three decades of Minneapolis and St. Paul history as longtime music journalist Andrea Swensson takes us through the neighborhoods and venues, and the lives and times, that produced the Minneapolis Sound. Visit the Near North neighborhood where soul artist Wee Willie Walker, recording engineer David Hersk, and the Big Ms first put the Minneapolis Sound on record. Across the Mississippi River in the historic Rondo district of St. Paul, the gospel-meets-R&B groups the Exciters and the Amazers take hold of a community that will soon be all but erased by the construction of I-94. From King Solomon's Mines to the Flame, from The Way in Near North to the First Avenue stage (then known as Sam's) where Prince would make a triumphant hometown return in 1981, Swensson traces the journeys of black artists who were hard-pressed to find venues and outlets for their music, struggling to cross the color line as they honed their sound. And through it all, there's the music: blistering, sweltering, relentless funk, soul, and R&B from artists like Maurice McKinnies, Haze, Prophets of Peace, and The Family, who refused to be categorized and whose boundary-shattering approach set the stage for a young Prince Rogers Nelson and his peers Morris Day, André Cymone, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis to launch their careers, and the Minneapolis Sound, into the stratosphere. A visit to Prince's Paisley Park and a conversation with the artist provide a rare glimpse into his world and an intimate sense of his relationship to his legacy and the music he and his friends crafted in their youth.