Sorry if this topic has been beaten to death over the years, but whilst doing the dishes this morning my mind wandered all over the place, and a chain of thoughts led me to remember how I finally drank the Purple Kool-Aid...

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I was in 10th grade when "1999" came out. I had never heard of Prince before that. Then I was out of high school and about to enter college when "Purple Rain" took the world by storm. But I wasn't really a fan. I knew the songs, but just casually.

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Then, in the summer of 1987, a friend of mine named Sam sat me down and made me listen to "Sign 'O' The Times". And I mean he made me LISTEN. Something clicked, and I never looked back.

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The funny thing is, that friend turned out to be a backstabbing liar and I haven't spoken to him in over 2 decades. But he brought something wonderful into my life, a treasure trove of music that has provided me with endless hours of enjoyment.

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Life is funny like that.

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So how did you guys get into Prince? Was he a referral like me? Or were you lucky enough to "get it" on your own?

I was actually trying to find India ...

I suppose my "story" is a pretty common one.

People kept comparing MJ and Prince back in the day. I was a big MJ fan when I was 13-14 and was intrigued by Prince (not least because MJ's solo catalog didn't consist of too many records). Prince's records were everywhere in the early-90s and you could usually pick up them for pretty cheap. It didn't take that long for me to realize that Prince's stuff was on a completely different level than MJ's. I have to say it was "a bit hard" for me to come to accept that I had actually come to prefer Prince, but for me that was all part of the "maturing process".

My sister bought the single "Soft & Wet", and I really liked it...then "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was big on radio and I really liked that, too. But I didn't make the connection to the artist, I just liked the songs.

Wasn't until I heard Controversy in college that I became a HUGE fan..."Sexuality" kicked my ass, and the entire side 2 of the album was fantastic in my eyes--so much energy and charisma in those songs. Most had not heard of Prince in college (it was only 6% black), but everyone I played the album for loved it and wanted to share it with others. I read up on everything concerning Prince after that, and bought every album/CD from that point on.

I was shitting in my bathroom, I did the "Uggh" made famous by him, my big brother said "Now you tryna sound like Prince"

Anyone in my position would be curious to know who the hell is Prince.

Through Cynthia Horner.............

My folks got the 12 inch of 1999. He looked so cool in that purple coat and the song was just mind blowing to my 7 year old ears. Hooked from the first hit

[Edited 2/24/14 14:12pm]

It was 2008 and I was 17. I was curious because I'd always been such a huge Michael Jackson fan since the age of five, and I'd always hear comparisons so I was curious. So I torrented his discography . However I've bought most of his albums during the subsequent years. I used to be the biggest MJ fan and up to that point he was 99% of my musical experience, but since then Prince has just taken over so much. Today he's by far my favourite artist.

Gett Off. Been a fan ever since but really miss the 91-96 warner brothers material. The other stuff just isnt the same to me but I still like it

girls&boys video + kiss video + parade lp

Indirectly through Chirs De Burgh. In 1984 I really wanted to go and see CDB (pre Lady in Red) at the Liverpool International Garden Festival. Did a deal with my mate that if she came with me then I would go with her to see a film she wanted to see about a bloke on a motorbike. Turned out to be Purple Rain and we were smitten by the time it reached the freeze frame at the end. Funny but have never been back to see CDB.

Back in 1982, I heard Do Me Baby for the first time and went WTF?! I fell in love with his music right then and there. Have been a fan since.

First ever movie date was Purple Rain.

Got the album and then managed to persuade a friend to share the costs to buy 1999. Was then hooked. Finally got to see him live on The Nude Tour at Wembley Arena. Have checked him out when possible ever since including five 02 arena regular shows, the amazing september 9th aftershow and the recent SBE gig.

1999 era here too ... i remember hearing "lil red corvette" on some show - soul train or something ... and thinking ... "one hit wonder" ....

and then i heard "1999" and went out and bought the single ... then i read about him ... how he played all the instruments etc .... and just came to respect him ...

then of course Purple rain hit and ... tidal wave ....

watching Batman with my brother and us replaying the gallery scene for Partyman, i think i was around 10

Watched "little red corvette" "1999" and "automatic" music videos on tv back when I was 12 years old in 1982. I liked those songs but wasnt a big music fan yet (of anyone). My sister who was a few years older was telling me rumors about a movie Prince was making and that they said it might get an X-rating. There was something a little mysterious about him, and now all these secrets and rumors floating around.

Then I saw the video for "when doves cry" on tv one night when it first came out. First time I'd heard the song too. I became a die hard fan immediately. I got to live thru the glory of 1984/purple rain summer.

Counted the days and bought countless magazines looking for news before Around the World In a Day came out. Wend back aboud bought 1999 album and started collecting 45 records for the B-sides. Heard the remix of Pop Life over the radio in a hardware store one day and almost lost my mind to learn that 12inch singles had "long versions" of songs with new lyrics!!! Began my quest to track them all down.

The 80's were a magical time for music. I only wish I had paid more attention to more artists than I did. Also, we didn't have cable tv, so we missed alot of MTV stuff, were limited to the top 10 video shows on regular tv which were limited.

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I don't know when I first heard Prince but I really got into him big style when I bought the 12" of U got the look and Housequake happened to be on the B side. That was the start of something special.

Bed time, age 4ish...peaking around the stairwell as the 1999 video played on MTV and being transfixed by what was on the screen and the music I was hearing. And feeling slightly uncomfortable with Lisa and Jill's intervoven hands upon the keys.

Oh this is a good one...

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I was only 15... At that point, I played guitar, bass, percussion, keys, and was learning to manipulate drum machines and synths... back then, factory sounds (and patterns) sucked, so you had to tweak a lot. I digress.

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MUsically, I was into Funk, eclectic Jazz, African, Blues, and several international styles of music... With regards to Funk, I was listening to the classics, like James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament, etc. Also, I listened to stuff like Jamaladeen Tacuma, Defunkt, etc.

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So my friend Russ stops by my Mom's house all excited about this double album called '1999' by Prince. At first, I sort of turned my nose up, and dismissed it, but being musically wide open, I listened... and listened. I read all of the credits, and was stunned to find that Prince was a DIYer (do it yourself), like Stevie Wonder and Peter Gabriel, but did even more than they did.

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I was so floored, that I went and got every album before and after '1999' (as I could afford to, album by album). 'Controversy' became my favorite album... spun those grooves hundreds of times. 'Parade' also got heavily played, as well as it's predecessor, 'Around The World In A Day'. Needless to say, 'Sign O The Times' and 'Lovesexy' also got massive play.

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My first Prince concert cemented my awe of this magical, musical human octopus... It was the 'Lovesexy' tour in the US. I went to two shows.

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~G

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[Edited 2/27/14 7:31am]

Like others, through MTV and music magazines like Rolling Stone, Creem and Spin. First time i ever heard of Prince was the "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" videos and I was mesmerized and went and bought that record. Then I heard "let's Pretend We're Married", "Lady Cab Driver", "DMSR" and "Automatic" and said "what elese has this guy done?" then went to the record store and found "Controversy" and "Dirty Mind" on cassette.

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See, the "M" in MTV used to stand for "Music" and they used to do things like play "music" on "TV". Hence, "MTV". I discovered a lot of bands this way (The Cure, The Cult, Prince, Love & Rockets, The Police, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, etc.)

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There also used to be things called "music stores" that solds things called "cassettes" and they had "printed" "books" with pictures for sale on the racks called "magazines".

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Damn, I'm old.

[Edited 2/27/14 9:37am]

herb4 said:

Like others, through MTV and music magazines like Rolling Stone, Creem and Spin. First time i ever heard of Prince was the "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" videos and I was mesmerized and went and bought that record. Then I heard "let's Pretend We're Married", "Lady Cab Driver", "DMSR" and "Automatic" and said "what elese has this guy done?" then went to the record store and found "Controversy" and "Dirty Mind" on cassette.

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See, the "M" in MTV used to stand for "Music" and they used to do things like play "music" on "TV". Hence, "MTV". I discovered a lot of bands this way (The Cure, The Cult, Prince, Love & Rockets, The Police, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, etc.)

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There also used to be things called "music stores" that solds things called "cassettes" and they had "printed" "books" with pictures for sale on the racks called "magazines".

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Damn, I'm old.

[Edited 2/27/14 9:37am]

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Excellent post! I was also of the MTV generation... a kid in the '80s. That feeling of rushing to the record store to get a Prince album, then rushing straight back home to open it and give it a spin... PRICELESS.