frazetta said:

The release of Purple Rain - both the soundtrack and movie.

Nothing has compared since.

This

Musicology Era and his induction into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Winning the Oscar for in '85. He should've been nominated again for "The Song of the Heart" from "Happy Feet".

KoolEaze said:

1. 1982-1985 and everything he did during those years. He had the Midas touch back then.Everything he touched turned to gold, and artistically, it was my favorite era, too. Although I must say there are some gems on SOTT and Lovesexy but those albums were not as cohesive as the 1982-85 releases. Fans here love to downplay that era because they deem it as "commercial" but Prince was at his creative peak. I love the music of that era as a whole. The later stuff had moments of greatness (If I Was Your Girlfriend, Adore, I Wish U Heaven, Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, SOTT), but 1999, Purple Rain and Around the World In A Day plus all those b-sides and outtakes are still my favorite music to this day.

2. The Academy Awards/winning an Oscar

3.The Superbowl performance

4.The Syracuse concert

5.Lovesexy shows in Europe

6.The American Music Awards in 1985

7.The Musicology era..though musically, it didn´t do much for me but it was nice to see the masses appreciate Prince again.

I totally agree with your number 1. Both with the opinion (the preferrence for the 82-85 era and its motives) and the argument. Your argument, that people sometimes deem as commercial that period is nonesense to me. You CAN be commercially successfull and artistically at the same time. There are hundreds of examples. I'm not saying it's necessary to be commercial, or perhaps, to certain extend, it is, since even the simpler it can be it's still an industry and money's needed, but this thing of dislinking something if it becomes successful is totally nonsense.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

SoulAlive said:

1982/1983---This was such a thrilling time to be a Prince fan.He released his best album '1999',the singles crossed over,his videos were being played on MTV,and then there were the great albums by his proteges Vanity 6 and The Time.This is my favorite Prince era...a time when he was just becoming a superstar.It was alot of fun just watching it all unfold.

can agree with this also. But a short year after that he was gone 4ever...

It's like he was OUR little secret,huh? Once the mainstream found out about him,it just wasn't the same.I miss the days before he reached superstardom.Artists make their best music when they are hungry for success and are out to prove something.

SoulAlive said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

can agree with this also. But a short year after that he was gone 4ever...

It's like he was OUR little secret,huh? Once the mainstream found out about him,it just wasn't the same.I miss the days before he reached superstardom.Artists make their best music when they are hungry for success and are out to prove something.

Yea! he was our lil secret(Private Joy) liked him when he was considered underground also. But to me after PR(which to me wasn't his best album). The after PR fans came along & always felt they we're not real fans. That is why think Prince made ATWIAD. To get rid of them.

But still like his music 2day unlike others.

Prince will probably say the year before the release of Emancipation.

Prince has had many great moments in his career. It's very hard to think of one, but I'm going to say when he performed "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on the RRHOF. I'm choosing this one as I believe there were many people in attendance that evening and watching on tv that had no idea he could play guitar like that. I think he showed what he was capable of and how he should rank right up there with the best of the best.

I feel he has been overlooked greatly in the rock music genre and I know his performance that evening opened a lot of eyes and made him many new fans. I still watch that performance with awe and I still love seeing Dhani Harrison's reaction to Prince. Makes me smile everytime.

Every time he's been "in the zone" when performing live.

Plus PR, RRHoF, Superbowl.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

SoulAlive said:

It's like he was OUR little secret,huh? Once the mainstream found out about him,it just wasn't the same.I miss the days before he reached superstardom.Artists make their best music when they are hungry for success and are out to prove something.

Yea! he was our lil secret(Private Joy) liked him when he was considered underground also. But to me after PR(which to me wasn't his best album). The after PR fans came along & always felt they we're not real fans. That is why think Prince made ATWIAD. To get rid of them.

But still like his music 2day unlike others.

I remember the phony fans of Purple Rain era.All these people ignored Prince's previous albums and now,all of a sudden,they considered themselves "diehard fans" Many of these people were just bandwagon fans,jumping onto what was "hot" at the time.That was so annoying to those of us who were fans *before* he became a superstar.

The entire Lovesexy era from 1988 through to 1992. He had found his path, everything was clear and it all made sense you could see how happy he was.

SoulAlive said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Yea! he was our lil secret(Private Joy) liked him when he was considered underground also. But to me after PR(which to me wasn't his best album). The after PR fans came along & always felt they we're not real fans. That is why think Prince made ATWIAD. To get rid of them.

But still like his music 2day unlike others.

I remember the phony fans of Purple Rain era.All these people ignored Prince's previous albums and now,all of a sudden,they considered themselves "diehard fans" Many of these people were just bandwagon fans,jumping onto what was "hot" at the time.That was so annoying to those of us who were fans *before* he became a superstar.

For me it was;

1. When Doves Cry

2. Purple Rain the movie\album

3. SOTT/Parade

4. When he STOPPED writing Slave on his face

5. When back to being called PRINCE

6. When he stopped doing REALLY, REALLY, REALLY Weird Interviews (the 90's-cringeworthy 4 me)

7. Musicology

8. Super Bowl Performance

PurpleRayven said:

For me it was;

1. When Doves Cry

2. Purple Rain the movie\album

3. SOTT/Parade

4. When he STOPPED writing Slave on his face

5. When back to being called PRINCE

6. When he stopped doing REALLY, REALLY, REALLY Weird Interviews (the 90's-cringeworthy 4 me)

7. Musicology

8. Super Bowl Performance

So basically, some of his BEST moments were when he stopped having his WORST moments.

artist76 said:

PurpleRayven said:

For me it was;

1. When Doves Cry

2. Purple Rain the movie\album

3. SOTT/Parade

4. When he STOPPED writing Slave on his face

5. When back to being called PRINCE

6. When he stopped doing REALLY, REALLY, REALLY Weird Interviews (the 90's-cringeworthy 4 me)

7. Musicology

8. Super Bowl Performance

So basically, some of his BEST moments were when he stopped having his WORST moments.

Basically yes. Pretty much left the Prince fold (not 100%) around 93 and came back in the "00"s. It was a crazy time 2 b a Prince fan. Kind of regret not sticking it out, but I was young and he was "weirder"

He is kicking butt now, so kudos 2 him

PurpleRayven said:

artist76 said:

So basically, some of his BEST moments were when he stopped having his WORST moments.

Basically yes. Pretty much left the Prince fold (not 100%) around 93 and came back in the "00"s. It was a crazy time 2 b a Prince fan. Kind of regret not sticking it out, but I was young and he was "weirder"

He is kicking butt now, so kudos 2 him

The '90s was my favorite era, I liked it.

Your POV is valid, and I know he lost fans during that time. But just want to point out that Prince was acting weird and giving cringeworthy interviews since at least the Dirty Mind era, and that the fans who got hooked in the late '70s/very early '80s liked it (or least didn't let it bother them and focused on the music).