Collective,
In those early misty mornings when we were dreaming up what would one day become the ATL Collective, thinking of what albums we wanted to present, what artists we wanted to feature, what drink hooks we wanted to tie in, we often heard a soft drumming on the tin roof, on the window panes, on the door posts. Micah thought it was branches or possibly birds. David assumed it was the neighborhood kids tossing pebbles, or perhaps coins. Both were wrong. It was actually the subliminal drumming of Purple Rain. Yes, it’s been there from the start, though it took a couple years to properly materialize. And how could it not have been there from the start? Prince’s 1984 release is nothing short of a masterpiece, and we are thrilled to announce that it is our next featured album. We will bring this beauty to you at the Sound Table – Space2 on Cupid’s day, February 14th at the romantic hour of 9pm. Our featured drink: why, it will be a sprightly blend of Old Overholt Rye, Sombra Mezcal, Cardamaro, lemon, grapefruit and sugar, of course. A whisper to the bar keep of these five words: “I Would Rye 4 U” are all you will need.
MailChimp is our fine presenter this evening, a relationship we couldn’t be happier about. The brilliant Shadowboxers will be our curators, that is, they will be our hosts – hand selecting the acts who will deliver the songs, painstakingly considering the arrangements and every bit of the spectacle that will leave you feeling, well, like you’re standing in a purple rain.
If you weren’t alive to see it happen in the mid-eighties, this album was and still is a pretty big deal. It won 2 Grammies and an Oscar. It’s gone platinum over 13 times. It spent 24 consecutive weeks as atop the Billboard charts. It’s sold over 20 million copies. Entertainment Weekly calls it the best album of all time. “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “I Would Die 4 U,” “Purple Rain.” Enough?
This was the first record Prince recorded with (or at least credited) his and backing unit the Revolution. It was also the only record cover where he wore that purple velvet leisure suit we’ve all had nightmares (and maybe fantasies) about.
What we’re trying to say is that this is an epic record that we’ll be presenting on an epic night with an epic partner and an epic curator. So if you’ve got a special someone, well now you have a special evening basically laid out for you. If you don’t yet have a special someone, you’ve got a couple weeks to find that person. But that’s all you have to worry about. We’ve got the entertainment under control.
