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Prince: Before The Rain
Photographer Allen Beaulieu worked with Prince from the late 1970s into the early '80s, capturing the musician’s progression from rising star to his ultimate purple superstardom. Always at Prince's side with camera in hand, Beaulieu helped Prince carry forward his vision with legendary album cover images and promotional photos during the groundbreaking Dirty Mind , Controversy , and 1999 era, while also capturing live performances on tour with Prince.
Before the Rain puts into focus the hallmark imagery—including behind-the-scenes, candid, and casual shots—with recollections from Beaulieu on his personal and professional relationship with Prince. Accomnpanying text will take the readers deeper into the context of these crucial years, with reminiscences from former bandmates, including Bobby Z., Dez Dickerson, André Cymone, and more.
Before the Rain paints another important picture in the mythology of the celebrated, influential, and endlessly invigorating performer while providing an intimate portrait of the Minnesota artist about to take over the world.
Before the Rain puts into focus the hallmark imagery—including behind-the-scenes, candid, and casual shots—with recollections from Beaulieu on his personal and professional relationship with Prince. Accomnpanying text will take the readers deeper into the context of these crucial years, with reminiscences from former bandmates, including Bobby Z., Dez Dickerson, André Cymone, and more.
Before the Rain paints another important picture in the mythology of the celebrated, influential, and endlessly invigorating performer while providing an intimate portrait of the Minnesota artist about to take over the world.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
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107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 18, 2018
5 PURPLE STARS...
🌟🎼🌟🎼🌟🎼🌟🎼🌟🎼
Either you loved him or hated him, but respect is due to the prolific artist and icon: Prince Rogers Nelson. There will never be another like him.
The photos that Allen Beaulieu shares in Prince: Before the Rain shows that early on, Prince not only was talented individual, musically, he was someone with an innate ability to know how to grab the public's attention and eventually redefine the record industry. The newest addition to the Prince bibliography focuses on the time between the release of his first album, For You, and the inception of Purple Rain. There are also bonus references to The Time and Vanity 6. The '80s are alive and in full color in Beaulieu's book.
The pictures are incredibe!! Many of them, including some album covers, are truly iconic. The corresponding articles may not provide new information to true Prince fans, but they definitely help put everything into context. You will not be disappointed.
🌟🎼🌟🎼🌟🎼🌟🎼🌟🎼
Either you loved him or hated him, but respect is due to the prolific artist and icon: Prince Rogers Nelson. There will never be another like him.
The photos that Allen Beaulieu shares in Prince: Before the Rain shows that early on, Prince not only was talented individual, musically, he was someone with an innate ability to know how to grab the public's attention and eventually redefine the record industry. The newest addition to the Prince bibliography focuses on the time between the release of his first album, For You, and the inception of Purple Rain. There are also bonus references to The Time and Vanity 6. The '80s are alive and in full color in Beaulieu's book.
The pictures are incredibe!! Many of them, including some album covers, are truly iconic. The corresponding articles may not provide new information to true Prince fans, but they definitely help put everything into context. You will not be disappointed.
February 21, 2019
An amazing collection of photos of Prince. Allen Beaulieu clearly had a direct influence on the way Prince was portrayed in pictures at that time and, I would argue, forever more.
July 6, 2023
As a huge Prince fan, I have all the coffee table books: the good, the bad, and the dreadful cash-grab ones. All of them show Prince at various eras of his career, and even bad Prince photography is good because it’s, well...it’s PRINCE!
Allen Beaulieu’s “Prince: Before the Rain” is up there with Afshin Shahidi’s “Prince: A Private View” as being truly great photography. With Shahidi’s photography we see a polished Prince, a well-established musical icon. With Beaulieu’s we see a Prince that’s on the cusp of superstar dome: he’s raw. He’s hungry. And he knows it.
Prince is at his most natural in “Before the rain,” and the photography reveal Prince’s sexy moments, and moments he spent a lifetime trying to forget, like him getting pelted every which way at the Stone’s concert. Prince was at his most low, with a looking of wanting to run from the stage, yet defiant enough to stay. That defiance’s lets us know that in a few years, those macho, redneck fans will be HIS fans, and he’s sure of it.
The most intimate portraits are the ones with his mirror-image protege, Vanity. He’s playfully coy, yet he’s deadly serious in his passion for her. She’s the most beautiful girl in his world, and probably always was. A few months after Vanity’s passed, death would befall our Prince, which made the early 80s aesthetic photography all the more sad. My favorite portrait is of Prince, circa Dirty Mond era. He’s behind a beige tile wall, dressed in black bikini briefs, his signature trench coat, and a red bandana on his chest. Oh...and he’s wearing sunglasses. The presence of Prince. Was awe-inspiring.
Diehard, hardcore fans will love “Before the Rain.” Impress your friends with this coffee table book, and let them see how bold he was in his early career.
Allen Beaulieu’s “Prince: Before the Rain” is up there with Afshin Shahidi’s “Prince: A Private View” as being truly great photography. With Shahidi’s photography we see a polished Prince, a well-established musical icon. With Beaulieu’s we see a Prince that’s on the cusp of superstar dome: he’s raw. He’s hungry. And he knows it.
Prince is at his most natural in “Before the rain,” and the photography reveal Prince’s sexy moments, and moments he spent a lifetime trying to forget, like him getting pelted every which way at the Stone’s concert. Prince was at his most low, with a looking of wanting to run from the stage, yet defiant enough to stay. That defiance’s lets us know that in a few years, those macho, redneck fans will be HIS fans, and he’s sure of it.
The most intimate portraits are the ones with his mirror-image protege, Vanity. He’s playfully coy, yet he’s deadly serious in his passion for her. She’s the most beautiful girl in his world, and probably always was. A few months after Vanity’s passed, death would befall our Prince, which made the early 80s aesthetic photography all the more sad. My favorite portrait is of Prince, circa Dirty Mond era. He’s behind a beige tile wall, dressed in black bikini briefs, his signature trench coat, and a red bandana on his chest. Oh...and he’s wearing sunglasses. The presence of Prince. Was awe-inspiring.
Diehard, hardcore fans will love “Before the Rain.” Impress your friends with this coffee table book, and let them see how bold he was in his early career.
July 10, 2023
As a huge Prince fan, I have all the coffee table books: the good, the bad, and the dreadful cash-grab ones. All of them show Prince at various eras of his career, and even bad Prince photography is good because it’s, well...it’s PRINCE!
Allen Beaulieu’s “Prince: Before the Rain” is up there with Afshin Shahidi’s “Prince: A Private View” as being truly great photography. With Shahidi’s photography we see a polished Prince, a well-established musical icon. With Beaulieu’s we see a Prince that’s on the cusp of superstar dome: he’s raw. He’s hungry. And he knows it.
Prince is at his most natural in “Before the rain,” and the photography reveal Prince’s sexy moments, and moments he spent a lifetime trying to forget, like him getting pelted every which way at the Stone’s concert. Prince was at his most low, with a looking of wanting to run from the stage, yet defiant enough to stay. That defiance’s lets us know that in a few years, those macho, redneck fans will be HIS fans, and he’s sure of it.
The most intimate portraits are the ones with his mirror-image protege, Vanity. He’s playfully coy, yet he’s deadly serious in his passion for her. She’s the most beautiful girl in his world, and probably always was. A few months after Vanity’s passed, death would befall our Prince, which made the early 80s aesthetic photography all the more sad. My favorite portrait is of Prince, circa Dirty Mond era. He’s behind a beige tile wall, dressed in black bikini briefs, his signature trench coat, and a red bandana on his chest. Oh...and he’s wearing sunglasses. The presence of Prince. Was awe-inspiring.
Diehard, hardcore fans will love “Before the Rain.” Impress your friends with this coffee table book, and let them see how bold he was in his early career.
Allen Beaulieu’s “Prince: Before the Rain” is up there with Afshin Shahidi’s “Prince: A Private View” as being truly great photography. With Shahidi’s photography we see a polished Prince, a well-established musical icon. With Beaulieu’s we see a Prince that’s on the cusp of superstar dome: he’s raw. He’s hungry. And he knows it.
Prince is at his most natural in “Before the rain,” and the photography reveal Prince’s sexy moments, and moments he spent a lifetime trying to forget, like him getting pelted every which way at the Stone’s concert. Prince was at his most low, with a looking of wanting to run from the stage, yet defiant enough to stay. That defiance’s lets us know that in a few years, those macho, redneck fans will be HIS fans, and he’s sure of it.
The most intimate portraits are the ones with his mirror-image protege, Vanity. He’s playfully coy, yet he’s deadly serious in his passion for her. She’s the most beautiful girl in his world, and probably always was. A few months after Vanity’s passed, death would befall our Prince, which made the early 80s aesthetic photography all the more sad. My favorite portrait is of Prince, circa Dirty Mond era. He’s behind a beige tile wall, dressed in black bikini briefs, his signature trench coat, and a red bandana on his chest. Oh...and he’s wearing sunglasses. The presence of Prince. Was awe-inspiring.
Diehard, hardcore fans will love “Before the Rain.” Impress your friends with this coffee table book, and let them see how bold he was in his early career.
October 15, 2019
Se sei un estimatore di Prince, questo libro deve far parte della tua collezione!
Baulieu è stato il fotografo ufficiale di Prince nei primi anni della sua lunghissima carriera, ritraendolo sulle copertine degli album dall’omonimo Prince al famosissimo 1999.
Foto intime, curiosi scorci sul palco e nei backstage di quei prolifici anni di formazione artistica.
Before The Rain è un prezioso documento che ritrae un Prince talvolta inedito, ottimo per riscoprire questo Artista dalle mille sfaccettature.
Baulieu è stato il fotografo ufficiale di Prince nei primi anni della sua lunghissima carriera, ritraendolo sulle copertine degli album dall’omonimo Prince al famosissimo 1999.
Foto intime, curiosi scorci sul palco e nei backstage di quei prolifici anni di formazione artistica.
Before The Rain è un prezioso documento che ritrae un Prince talvolta inedito, ottimo per riscoprire questo Artista dalle mille sfaccettature.
October 31, 2018
A fascinating book for Prince fans, focusing on a critical phase of his rise to superstardom. I reviewed Prince: Before the Rain for The Current.
October 6, 2019
GREAT BOOK TO READ FOR PRINCE FANS (such as mein the early 1970)
Beautiful pictures. There were some that I have never seen before.
Photographer Alan Beaulieu worked with Prince in the late 1970s (when Prince began) into the early 1980s.
Beautiful pictures. There were some that I have never seen before.
Photographer Alan Beaulieu worked with Prince in the late 1970s (when Prince began) into the early 1980s.
November 7, 2018
not my fav era but one of the nicest picture books ever not a ton of text just enough
August 17, 2019
I always like to read the stories from people who worked with him. Beautiful photo’s and nice stories !
October 22, 2019
Awesome picure quality. The best i've seen.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews