BabyBlue said:

Chile, EVERY Prince show is worth going to!!! As for the albums, get 1999, SOTT &... oh hell, Dirty Mind to get started (contradicting myself from the last "what do I buy next" thread, lol)... Happy listening & write up a nice review of the concert, kay?

Any of the 1st 4 albums, black album, or definately The Rainbow Children should be avoided until you you have a strong taste for his music, It might be a little overwhelming.

After Purple Rain, go to
The Gold Experience
Sign of the Times
0+>

These are safe and will make anyone a fan

sign of the times
lovesexy
1999

[quote]

LouieLaFunk said:

I agree 100%.

I'd really recommend the Hits box set. It's pure class with incredible liner notes. Also, its one of the only legit ways to get some of those unreleased gems.

Also, keep an eye out for Small Club...

The Hits
Lovesexy
The Gold Experience.

i kno u said three but i gotta give u 4...hehehehe
The Hits.
The Gold Experience.
Lovesexy
Controversy.

Forgot the Hits...

Get these:

1999
SOTT
The Hits/The B-Sides

Purple Rain
SOTT
The Gold Experience


The problem is that each of his 80's albums where so different, that if you skip one, the story is incomplete.

You should just go out and buy them all. Then listen to them in order. It will confound and confuse you-- pure genious.

Sign of the times
The gold experience
Musicology

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

er okay, sorry DUDETTE

Sign of the Times(#1 by far)
Emancipation
Controversy
Graffiti Bridge
The Gold Experience
Chaos and Disorder
[This message was edited Fri Jul 16 8:17:55 2004 by cincykent]

DIRTY MIND
CONTROVERY
1999

Sign O' The Times
1999
Purple Rain

then:

Dirty Mind
Parade
The Black Album
Lovesexy
The Truth

1999
SOTT
Musicology

1999
p.rain
SOTT
Musicology

cincykent said:

?????

Emancipation
Graffiti Bridge
The Gold Experience
Chaos and Disorder

?????

Are you serious? .... those are about the worst albums you can get!
Didn't know opinions could differ this much .....
[This message was edited Fri Jul 16 11:44:27 2004 by ThataintFunky]

87 - Sign "O" The Times
91 - Diamonds And Pearls
01 - The Rainbow Children

If U like these three albums, then U will b a hardcore fan!

Avoid the rainbow children until you are at least 7 albums into his music. It will be an ender for a non diehard.

DarkKnight1 said:

I agree but I would start with Controversy going back to For you then 1999 forward

BabyBlue said:

bassmaniac said:

ditto

DarkKnight1 said:

?????SAFE?????
Since when is anything Prince "safe"
Controversy, 1999 and Diamond and Pearls

PurpleKittyKat said:

"Safe" meaning you dont have to listen to it several times to get a feel for it. Unlike TRC, Lovesexy, most of Parade, 4U..... If you didnt grow up listening to Prince, you may not have the patience to absorb all of these cd's . I speak from experience. I became a fan in 93 and Lovesexy (especially the cover) threw me for a loop. Some folks might get into TRC and Lovesexy right off the bat without being a diehard, but they would be in the minority. I mean safe as in his most fan friendly and less diehard fan favorite titles. hope I cleared up my crazy little theory

j7isapunk said:

this is a joke right?

enjoyniki said:

AMEN

depends on what kind of a fan u are, or hope to be

if ur casual and just starting out

1-Purple Rain
2-1999
3-Hits 1/2/bsides

if u want 2 know a lil more about the phreak

1-Sign o' the times (will be refered to in here as SOTT)
2-Around The World In A Day (will be refered to in here as ATWIAD)
3-Gold Experience (will be refered to in here as THE LAST ALBUM THAT MADE SENSE)

muh humble opinions

BabyBlue said:

Prince is definitely worth going to-you'll kick yourself later if you don't go. Floor seats are even better.

I like POOK's idea of The Hits/B-Sides really, especially if it's so close to going to a show. I'd get that. Now for albums-if you're going from Purple Rain, for now I'd stick around those same times for now:

Dirty Mind

Controversy

1999

ATWIAD

Parade

Those first. Prince and For You (his first album), are both great albums, but for someone just getting into it after Purple Rain, I think it'll be harder for you to like them. Get them after you get these.

Then check out Sign 'O' The Times (a classic), and get the rest, in order if you can. Some are hard to find. For now these will be easier to find and remember you'll be getting Musicology at the show if you don't have it already. I get a lot of my stuff at Overstock.com by searching for "Prince music" (it's broken up into Prince and his Revolution work seperately so you may have to search a little.)

Also, check out circuitcity.com or amazon.com as they have 30 second per track album samples online, and maybe you can get an idea of what you want to get first. Also if you get The Hits/B-Sides as said above you can base which one you're getting next from that.

Really it all boils down to your own taste, your own favorites, you can't go wrong with what your ear loves, but get some more albums before the concert-you'll enjoy it more.

The big thing to remember is on here, everybody has their own favorite album/era, so you'll build your own taste as well. Hope you find your future favorites!