heres my list.no particular order
1.i wanna be your lover.-classic prince
2.y do u wanna treat me so bad.-my fav song from prince albulm.killer guitar solo.great albulm
3.when u were mine.-cult classic for many die hard prince fans.killer bass.
4.dirty mind-in my daddys car its u i wanna drive.
5.little red corvette-pocket full of horses trojans abused.just classic
6.jack u off-nasty and funky
7.controversy-great funky song
8.party up-so addictive and fun 2 dance too
9.automatic-absolutely adore this song.
10.uptown-another great dance song.black white puerto rican everybody just a freaking.
1.dirty mind-my fav pre purplerain albulm as u can see.
2.1999-just classic and dreamy
3.prince-making his mark with this great albulm.
4.controversy-great record
5.for you-good record.

I like everything pre-PR.

NouveauDance said:

The only thing i don't really like is Ronnie talk to Russia, thats really because when Let's Work starts it outclasses it spectacularly.

NouveauDance said:

Hell yeah!! Everything pre-Purple Rain was great! Prince was hungry back then.

In this order

1999
Contreversy

A few songs fron Dirty Mind


(that's it. THe rest of his early catalogue just doesnt' do it for me. The songs are too simple sounding, and his falsetta is a bit much to take). And I absolutely hate his first album. I like NPS better than that.

His debut album may be impressive historically (youth, his producing it, his being african american with so much power entrusted in him, etc), but it's formulaic and reveals an artist not yet coming into his own.
[Edited 4/4/06 5:04am]

I like all of the pre-PR albums but my personal highlights are, in no particular order:

Bambi

Something In The Water ( I LOVE THIS SONG, in all its incarnations )

Automatic

Lady Cab Driver

DMSR

I Wanna Be Your Lover

Party Up


WHEN YOU WERE MINE ( one of my all time favorite songs )

Controversy

I´m Yours

Personally, I think Dirty Mind is perfect in every way. Certainly my favourite pre PR album - perhaps my favourite Prince album of all.

NouveauDance said:

Co-sign!

Well, my fave album of ALL, pre-Purple Rain or no, is 1999.

Songs?

DMSR
Controversy
Automatic
When U Were Mine
Party Up
For You
Let's Work
I'm Yours
In Love
Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad
Ronnie, Talk 2 Russia
Jack U Off

In the following order:
1.1999
2. Dirty Mind
3. Controversy

IN LOVE - FOR YOU
SOFT AND WET - FOR YOU
WHEN U WERE MINE - DIRTY MIND
HEAD - DIRTY MIND
1999 -''
LITTLE RED CORVETTE - 1999
DMSR
LADY CAB DRIVER
CONTROVERSY - ''
DO ME BABY
SEXUALITY
PRIVATE JOY
JACK U OFF
[Edited 4/4/06 20:29pm]

I love most of it, my favourite albums

1. Dirty Mind, the absolute trail blazer, a mish mash of styles and hooks. The lyrics steal it though, non stop hardcore shock rock with the falsetto. Dirty Mind dosent let up, every song is a jaw dropper. I could spend a year singing the praises of Dirty Mind but, won't here, I will say just get into it. Prince was rocks new dileantte. Prince the raconteur.

2. Controversy, almost as good as above and Controversy, Do Me Baby and Lets Work are as good, the rest is not so good. Sexuality and Private Joy are OK but not magic. The other 3 songs are fluff, still Controversy was easily the best album on the market that year and it oozed star quality, Prince as rocks newest upsetter. Having Dirty Mind and Controversy in your dossier would do any artist well. I just love these records.

3. 1999 Still very good, but very self indulgent in parts. Still its very dancy and its more complex and deeper sounding than all his previous records. However sometimes we want feel good music with pretensiousness and here in some instances 1999 dosent deliver. Still its 1999, and its absolutely brilliant!!! The first four songs, Free and International Lover are of Dirty Mind quality. Lets pretend were married is the Prince of the future, sexy as hell and funny. Also theres the superior Bsides of the period, How come u don't call me anymore, Horny Toad and Irresistable bitch, also some Demos of the period like Extra Lovable (Whats the matter Dez, don't u like my band?)

4. The Jamie Starr/ Starr Company, I mean here the Times first two albums and Vanity 6. Introduced amore street sound, sort of a funkier DM, here Prince cretes characters and turns them into stars. The albums if nothing else show cased his versatility and ability to craft first cllass lyrics. I love these records too.

5. Prince, the second albuma braver sweep into rock and Disco, the cuts are catchier and u can se his brilliance is developing, absolute tracks are Bambi and Sexy Dancer, also not to be missed is the extended I wanna be your lover where he funks it up.

6. For You, Still a good record, but just a beginning, For You is good and has already an alchemy of styles from funk "I'm Yours, Disco mush In Love sexy RAND B Soft and wet, Acapella/Gospel 4U, laid back folk So Blue and catchy soul singing in Baby and excellent ballad about a shy and careful boy realising hes done the deed, and now the baby will make an honest man of him yet.

As you can see his early stuff is close to my heart and I sometimes wish Prince could return to this period. It was where his music was focussed, accomplished and innovative.

Absolutely everything. That's when Prince was at his very best. He had a sound of his own that not only could fit in but was very competitive to what was going on in the R&B world at the time. He was living in the present and was busy being Prince instead of trying to bring back The Beatles or James Brown eras.

vainandy said:

I remember reading a post where you stated Prince died after "Purple Rain" and he became a reincarnation of James Brown and the Beatles. Thought it was an interesting description of where he headed musically.

Anyway, pre-"Purple Rain," I like "LRC," "Do Me, Baby," "Private Joy," "When You Were Mine." I prefer his personal songs in that era over his manifesto-type anthems. "Uptown," "1999," "DMSR," "Controversy," were all announcements of his arrival, and perfect for an up and coming talent. With "Let's God Crazy," "Erotic City," and "Baby I'm a Star," he sort of summed it all up. After "Purple Rain" there was no longer any need to write songs about blowing up and making it.

Maybe that's why he turned to 60s and 70s sounds and themes, to fill that void.

Anything with that beautiful rhythm guitar ("Uptown," "I Wanna Be Your Lover," etc.)

The ballads really kill me too, especially from the first two albums, just so innocent and raw. I love "It's Gonna Be Lonely" and "Crazy You" and "When We're Dancing Close and Slow" and all that.

1999 is my favorite album for a lot of reasons. The blueprint.

I like all the pre-PR albums too, but don't the Head and Let's Work drum pattern sound almost identical???

Dust in the wind.
Don't fear the reaper.
Stairway to Heaven.
Sister Golden Hair

MickG said:

MickG said:

Wrong forum.

sextonseven said:

It wasn't the wrong forum, because the question didn't say they had to be Prince particular.

well damn. obviously for album the answer would be 1999 since its essentially the blueprint for Purple Rain.

but..like someone said before, a great pre-purple rain track is 'its gonna be lonely'..looking back, its obviously one of those 'whoooooa this kids got talent' tracks. killer slow song with a bigtime hooky chorus..u know what i'm sayin?

MickG said:

It's against org rules to talk about non-Prince artists in the Prince forum and vice versa. You could go to org-jail for this.