Ok, since I made that "terrible albums" thread I thought it'd be fair enough to make an opposite thread

So basically which album did you buy only because it contained a Prince song and ended-up falling in love with, and which artists that u didn't know of did you discover thanks to a Prince song on their album, and fell in love with?

Personnally there are a lot of albums I really enjoyed, including most Paisley Park releases but here I'll stick to my real favorites:

- André Cymone's albums, Living In The New Wave which I consider being a new wave masterpiece (not sure if I should mention him here anyway because his connection to Prince goes beyong P giving him The Dance Electric, so this is a bit off-topic as this thread ain't about ex-bandmembers' albums).

- Nona Hendryx: I'm not so much into Female Trouble which is decent but not really original, but I fell in love with her 1989 album Skin Diver: almost trip-hop before trip-hop was created, real intimate and deep stuff, very odd actually.

- Taja Sevelle: Her first album is OK in my book, the second I really dislike, but the third... OMG! Toys Of Vanity is a real intimate album with beautiful lyrics and clever arrangements, nothing silly or dancey: only sophisticated midtempo songs. A pity that this new departure in her career was also her last album ever

- Chaka Khan: I guess I'd have discovered her sooner or later anyway, but I fell in love with C.K. and that was the start of a deep passion for Mrs. Khan's voice and discography. Later, Come 2 My House was like dream come true: a full-lenght Prince/Chaka collaboration!

- Dale's Riot In English: OK, laugh at me if you will but I always loved silly, romantic synthpop: everything from Scritti Politti to The Vels and, more recently, that whole synthpop revival from Goldfrapp to extremes such as Hyperbubble. So yeah, fuck it: if u're into that kinda shit, Riot In English is a damn masterpiece!

- Kid Creole And The Coconuts: this one is funny! I always dug Private Waters In The Great Divide but it took me almost 20 years to try and download more of August Darnell's band. And when I did... Oh Wow, I mean OH WOW! Now Kid Creole And The Coconuts, and the numerous side-projects Darnell had in the late 70's and early 80's, are among my favorite artists ever. Clever music, lyrics that tell real stories, very imaginative sounds landscapes and a very idiosyncratic style overall... Darnell and Coati Mundi were possibly as talented as Prince in their own ways... but it didn't go as well for them, unfortunately

- Ingrid Chavez: I like the new album but the 1991 thing, including the non-Prince tracks, was a visionnary work of genius IMHO. Nuff said.

- Lois Lane: Precious didn't do much for me even if I like it OK, but I really tripped a LOT on their 1995 album Fireflight back when it was released. Lenny Kravitz kind of 70's retro thing, really cool.

- Ani DiFranco: I bought To The Teeth just because P was on it and... wow! I discovered a real artist there! I then bought Revelling/Reckoning and had to admit she's one of the greats. Saw her on stage in 2001 and was astonished by her energy. She ain't pretending: she's as real as an artist can be, and that deserves respect.

- Common: not so much into his other albums but Electric Circus is one of my favorite hip-hop albums ever! Just like Blackalicious' The Craft, it goes beyond mere hip-hop and flirts with every possible root of Afro-American music, while being innovative at the same time. It's really like a trip when listened from beginning to end. Fasten ur seatbelts!

Technically I also discovered George Clinton and Larry Graham through Prince, but that was before they recorded stuff together. Kate Bush, Madonna and Stevie Wonder are also artists I deeply appreciate, but I knew 'em before they had any connection to Prince.

There are also a few albums that I like very much because I listened to them so much when I was 15 years-old and they're definitely not that good but u know, they're like old friends to me now: Taja's aforementioned first album, T.C. Ellis' album (yes, I know...), Paula Abdul's Spellbound, Martika's Martika's Kitchen...

What r YOUR stories?

The only artists I discovered through Prince of whom I would have been a fan even without the Prince connection are Wendy & Lisa and maybe André Cymone. I like André's first two albums which I had bought after A.C. more than that one. All of Wendy & Lisa's albums are a joy to hear.

The first Kate Bush album I bought was The Red Shoes, because of Prince's lame-o contribution. However, it lead me to get more of her music and love mostly all of it

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[Edited 10/30/12 9:37am]

thekidsgirl said:

The first Kate Bush album I bought was The Red Shoes, because of Prince's lame-o contribution. However, it lead me to get more of her music and love mostly all of it

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[Edited 10/30/12 9:37am]

I already liked Kate Bush at the time and didn't buy that album because I heard the Prince song wasn't good.

sexton said:

thekidsgirl said:

The first Kate Bush album I bought was The Red Shoes, because of Prince's lame-o contribution. However, it lead me to get more of her music and love mostly all of it

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[Edited 10/30/12 9:37am]

I already liked Kate Bush at the time and didn't buy that album because I heard the Prince song wasn't good.

You let his one stinker hold you back! Did you like the rest of the album?

thekidsgirl said:

sexton said:

I already liked Kate Bush at the time and didn't buy that album because I heard the Prince song wasn't good.

You let his one stinker hold you back! Did you like the rest of the album?

I heard a few other songs from the Red Shoes I didn't like either at the time. I didn't get it until the remastered version came with the Director's Cut deluxe edition last year. That one is actually pretty good, but I have no idea how different the remastered version is from the original so it's possible I still might not like the original Red Shoes.

sexton said:

thekidsgirl said:

You let his one stinker hold you back! Did you like the rest of the album?

I heard a few other songs from the Red Shoes I didn't like either at the time. I didn't get it until the remastered version came with the Director's Cut deluxe edition last year. That one is actually pretty good, but I have no idea how different the remastered version is from the original so it's possible I still might not like the original Red Shoes.

I need to get this version. Maybe it will make me completely dislike the original

thekidsgirl said:

sexton said:

I heard a few other songs from the Red Shoes I didn't like either at the time. I didn't get it until the remastered version came with the Director's Cut deluxe edition last year. That one is actually pretty good, but I have no idea how different the remastered version is from the original so it's possible I still might not like the original Red Shoes.

I need to get this version. Maybe it will make me completely dislike the original

It's also very likely that the two versions sound very similar and my tastes have simply changed in 18 years.

thekidsgirl said:

sexton said:

I heard a few other songs from the Red Shoes I didn't like either at the time. I didn't get it until the remastered version came with the Director's Cut deluxe edition last year. That one is actually pretty good, but I have no idea how different the remastered version is from the original so it's possible I still might not like the original Red Shoes.

I need to get this version. Maybe it will make me completely dislike the original

The remaster is absolutely similar to the original (save being remastered of course).

Director's Cut is an new album entirely, made of songs from both The Red Shoes and The Sensual World. Some tracks (in the sense of multitracks) have been kept from the original recordings while others have been entirely rerecorded, thus making each song quite different from its original counterpart.

I bought Like A Prayer because it had Love Song.

I delved into Sinead O'Connor because of "Nothing Compares 2 U", butI just didnt dig her.

Other than that, I went the other way. I discovered "old" musicians because of Prince. He made me appreciate all the music my dad listened to (mainly James Brown), and when I read the Rolling Stone review for "Around the World in a Day", I went searching for "Sgt Pepper"...opened my eyes to a whole new world.

The best was when Rolling Stone compared "The Cross" to Velvet Underground's "Heroin". Again...opened my eyes to a whole new world.

SuperSoulFighter said:

Johnny Lang covered I Am on his Wander This World cd and at the same time he performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival and I really liked it. And yes, I started listening to Kate Bush in ernest because she did a song with Prince even though Why Should I Love You isn't even one of my favorites off that album. And I never bothered to listen to Morris Day's and Andre Cymone's solo albums, so I guess they also count.

I checked this out and I like it a W H O L E LOT!...(I know I'm late.) Prince is my all time favorite artist ever and that's not going to change-NOT EVER, but Jonny Lang has become another favorite when I decide to squeeze an artist in between listening to Prince. I also love Jonny Lang's cover of "Dying To Live"....well, actually, I LOVE a LOT/MOST of his music.

[Edited 12/15/12 18:57pm]

[Edited 12/15/12 19:01pm]