None really, every album is different. Prince has such a wide ranging scope of songs its impossible to categorise albums in groups, but if I had to say one album, it would be the Gold experience, straight rock and dance with a bit of porn in it. Pussy Control= Darling Nikki, Gold = Purple Rain (especially guitar loops) Shh= Computer Blue, Now! = Baby I 'm a star, Dolphin = When doves cry.

I was also gonna say TGE for lack of a better example(Honorable mention to ATWIAD though).They way I'd see it the closest examples could be..


Eye Hate U/ When Doves Cry(heartbreaking expression)

Shy or 319/Darling Nikki(fictional/carnal expirience)

Dolphin/I Would Die 4 U (pop song with spiritual overtones)

Now/Baby I'm A Star(uptempo dance track)

[Edited 11/5/05 9:54am]

sitruk7 said:

i personally think gold just shouldn't be compared and when it is it just looks worse. i find eye hate you just a ballad. the link between shy or 319 and darling nikki doesn't fit for me. and now is a 90's rap beat while baby i'm a star is pop funk

monte said:

I'm not saying they sound alike per se. I'm trying to find what I feel best answers the question.That's why I used the term "for lack of a better example".

The Gold Experience.
The sound/production is completly different but
still it has that same"feel'2 it.

sorry. i don't mean to critisize you both.

i guess i have a problem with gold. the whole album annoys me and i don't understand why people like it so much. i guess if there never was a purple rain i could appreciate it alot more. purple rain and gold seem so similiar in their idea but in practice i find gold stinks.

i am coming round though. i like pussy control, endorphinmachine shhh and now alot

toejam said:

1999 (1982) has songs in a vein of "When Doves Cry", "Computer Blue" and "Let's Go Crazy", but they're less 'rock' and more 'cold/electronic/funk' sounding.

On the other side, Around The World In A Day (1985) eleboartes on 'live/warehouse' sound of Purple Rain and it takes it a little further adding a 'psychedelic/world music' influence. "The Ladder" is probably the closest sounding song to "Purple Rain".

Yeah ditto, Monte listen to that album and it really grows on u, I actually listened to Sign o the times for the first and didn't like it, but by the 5th listen I realised it was the Rosetta stone of Prince

I don't understand the comparison either, 'Gold Experience' is no 'Purple Rain'. I can listen 2 'Purple Rain' all the thru, but there R just 2 many songs on 'Gold' that I can't get into like 'We March' & 'Shy'. Songs like 'Now', 'Billy Jack Bitch', 'Gold' and 'P Control' have great potential but still lack something (maybe a slammin' remix). And the original version 4 'The Most Beautiful Girl' is superior 2 this album version. As a matter of fact, it seems as if P wasn't trying 4 a hit album, 'cuz the same goes 4 'Come' and 'Chaos & Disorder'. But U can hear hits all over 'Exodus' and 'Emancipation'.

BEAUGARDE said:

But TMBGITW was a massive hit for Prince... I think P did try and make a hit album with TGE, albeit somewhat different to his original plan what with all the supposed configurations that we were meant to get. Come was an odd album, it seemed more of an after thought. And in hidsight knowing what we know now, many tracks on that album have much better versions gathering dust which must
have been deliberate.

But I have to say, now that the early to mid 90's have a nostalgic feel to them I am finding it his most experimental kickass period of all. There is so much around that time that never saw the light of day. Its just a shame that all he really blessed us with from that whole sound was TGE and Come... Then it all went pear shaped...

As for emancipation... well, you say it is full of hits but I have to disagree. Its rubbish and was the beginning of Prince's wilderness years which in my opinion he has not yet returned from. His creativity and experimentation have never really recovered from the whole symbol shambles...

Incidently, I think the closest sound to PR would have to be ATWIAD. They are the closest in terms of production and it is the production which gives a song/album its sound and feel. TGE is a million miles from PR in terms of sound.