Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on great albums and the reissues they could someday see. One of the biggest-selling albums of all time. A rock and roll classic. Soon to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Still un-reissued in any way, shape or form. This is Purple Rain.

With the Grammy Awards on Sunday, there's been some thought at Second Disc HQ regarding some of the Grammy Hall of Fame inductees. While there are more single recordings on the list than actual albums, one LP sticks out: Prince and The Revolution's Purple Rain.

You know the story (we've even told it before): a new band, new ambitions, a film project, the top single, album and film of the week in the same week; four Top 10 hits, two Grammys, an Oscar and a place in pop cultural history from now until forever. You likely also know that, in spite of basing his current live reputation off of hits, Prince "doesn't like to look back," the classic excuse for not revisiting a lauded music catalogue. There have been reports to the contrary, but as of now, it doesn't look like WB is going to honor Purple Rain's legacy (or Grammy HoF accolade) with a reissue.

But if they did...

The idea of a deluxe Purple Rain would be pretty ridiculously easy to put together. I've often said the majority of outtakes in Prince's fabled "Vault" would be better utilized for its own box set, and bonus material should largely stick to the great, largely out-of-print material on vinyl singles and the like. But in the case of an instant classic like Purple Rain, a mix of both approaches would work best.

Of course, we start with the first disc, the original album remastered. Not remixed, not re-recorded, not edited to take the swears out. Just a simple, non-brickwalled remaster.

Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain: Music from the Motion Picture

Disc 1: Original LP (released as Warner Bros. 1-25110, 1984)

1. Let's Go Crazy
2. Take Me with U (Duet with Apollonia)
3. The Beautiful Ones
4. Computer Blue
5. Darling Nikki
6. When Doves Cry
7. I Would Die 4 U
8. Baby I'm a Star
9. Purple Rain

There are six major tracks from the Purple Rain singles cycle that would warrant an appearance on the bonus disc. But what do you do with the rest of the disc? Fortunately, bootlegs are copious and can point us in the direction of where to go. We know that "Computer Blue" (and possibly "The Beautiful Ones") had to be cut down when "Take Me with U" was added to the LP at the last minute, so it'd make sense to restore those songs to their full length (including the glorious "hallway" interlude for "Computer Blue").

As for the other outtakes, there's always some question as to where certain outtakes fit in, chronologically. (This is where departed Prince fansite Housequake, which used essays from the great Prince cataloguer Per Nilsen, would come in handy.) But this track list singles out six tracks that always pop up among the great outtakes of this era in Prince's career. ("Wednesday" and "Father's Song," the latter of which is heard in the film as a heartbreakingly beautiful piano instrumental that later turns up in the bridge to "Computer Blue," were allegedly slated for an early test pressing of the album.)

Disc 2: B-sides, Remixes and Outtakes

1. Let's Go Crazy (Special Dance Remix)
2. The Beautiful Ones (Extended Outtake)
3. Computer Blue (Full-Length Version)
4. I Would Die 4 U (Extended Version)
5. 17 Days (The rain will come down, and U will have 2 choose. If U believe, look 2 The Dawn, and U shall never lose.)
6. Erotic City (Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive)
7. God (Love Theme from "Purple Rain")
8. Another Lonely Christmas (Extended)
9. Possessed
10. Climax
11. Electric Intercourse
12. Lust U Always
13. Wednesday
14. Father's Song

Disc 2, Tracks 1 and 6 from Warner Bros. 12" single 0-20246, 1984
Disc 2, Tracks 2-3 and 9-14 previously unreleased
Disc 2, Tracks 4 and 8 from Warner Bros. 12" single 0-20291, 1984
Disc 2, Track 5 from B-side of "When Doves Cry" 7" single - Warner Bros. 7-29286, 1984
Disc 2, Track 7 from B-side of "Purple Rain" 12" single - Warner Bros. 0-20267, 1984

Purple Rain is a classic, but two discs seems too small, wouldn't you say? It would be a godsend for collectors to see a third disc of Prince and The Revolution live. The most obvious date would be the band's first-ever show as the band we'd fall in love with in the film. (That would be Prince, Wendy Melvoin replacing Dez Dickerson on guitar, Lisa Coleman and Matt Fink on keyboards, Brownmark on bass and Bobby Z. on drums.) The band's first show (also Melvoin's first with Prince - talk about trial by fire!) was a benefit for the Minnesota Dance Theater held at First Avenue, the club that would be immortalized in the film, and featured recorded performances that would later feature on the album and film (audio-wise, not the actual filmed concert - and most of the final album versions, particularly "Baby I'm a Star" and "Purple Rain" - were edited and overdubbed).

Such a live disc would bring a worthy deluxe edition to a satisfying close.

Disc 3: Prince and The Revolution Live at First Avenue, Minneapolis - 8/3/1983

1. Let's Go Crazy
2. When You Were Mine
3. A Case of You
4. Computer Blue
5. Delirious
6. Electric Intercourse
7. Automatic
8. I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm a Star
9. Little Red Corvette
10. Purple Rain
11. D.M.S.R.