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All those who weren't able to get tickets to any of Prince's recent concerts will be happy to hear that "Prince and the Revolution Live" will be in the stores July 29. It should be one of the year's home video blockbusters and could even match the extraordinary success of the cassette of his movie "Purple Rain."
Warner Music Video has priced "Prince Live" inexpensively, at $29.98. Considering that this is a two-hour video, it's a bargain-at that price, fans will be buying rather than renting. Available in both Beta and VHS Hi-Fi, the cassette was recorded at a concert last March in Syracuse, N.Y.
This video will be even more attractive to Prince fans since it's the only source of live music from the "Purple Rain" tour; so far, there's been no concert album. Though this concert video has been telecast in foreign markets, it hasn't been shown on American television, so there's no way for U. S. fans to get a home-taped version.
Another reason for the cassette's commercial appeal is that Prince has retired indefinitely from touring. So having a video of a concert on his "last" tour will be a must for Prince fans.
Surprisingly, there wasn't much advance notice for such a hot item. Usually, home video titles are announced as far ahead as two months before release, allowing advertising campaigns to whet customer appetites. But Prince fans won't need to be coaxed into buying this one. The only problem that Warners will have is keeping up with the demand.
"PINOCCHIO": The big new movie of the month will be a cartoon that's nearly half a century old. "Pinocchio," the 1940 full-length animated movie about a cuddly marionette, was released this week by Disney Home Video at $79.95.
According to spot checks at assorted video outlets, it's selling briskly. All the publicity focused on the 30th anniversary of Disneyland should help sales and rentals. Disney executives won't divulge how many copies were...