Best: Purple Rain

Worst: I don't know, but I would have liked to see Prince start the Lovesexy tour in the U.S., where the album needed more promotion, rather than Europe, where the album was already big.

BEST: Without a doubt, Purple Rain. They got it all right. The lead single "When Doves Cry" was the perfect (but risky) choice. The whole "see the movie, hear the soundtrack now see the live show" worked well. Prince became a mega star, but was able to keep his "mysterious" vibe intact. I think Prince (and his record company) made a great "less is more" decision. The 1999 album and tour had given him a solid audience base and everyone was kind of waiting to see what he would do next. I think the lack of TV spots and interviews probably helped the success of Purple Rain.

WORST: Without a doubt, The Gold Experience. By the time it came out in Sep '95 had already moved on and saw it as just another contract filler. I maintain that if it were released in late '93/early '94 (with the original configuration including "Days Of Wild") and with "TMBGITW" as the lead single it would have been a HUGE success for him.
[Edited 7/27/05 21:21pm]

toejam said:

Nice!