bkw said:

Indeed!

Diva said:

Get a room you two!

2the9s said:

Don't start 2the9s!

1982. i used to hear head and dirty mind on WBCN boston. saw an ad in billboard for controversy and it scared the daylights outta me. what's with this guy? is he for real? i got to find out more...i was 15.

1982... I think. It was the year he came out with the 1999 album. Aah, those were the days when The Man could get his videos wore out on MTV.

(I miss those days...)

I first became a fan when I heard "I'll Jack U Off". I thought what kind of artist is this that has the balls to sing about this topic and make it seem cool. One of my favorites.

1983. I was 4 when I heard 1999 & LRC and I liked what I heard. The stuff from Purple Rain made me want the album but I knew that my mom wouldn't go for it when I couldn't go see the movie. I didn't get my first Prince album till I was 7 when Parade came out. I knew that I would stay a fan for a long time.

1983

In 1984 I thought 1999 and When Doves Cry were the best songs I ever heard.I played these singles over and over.
Than I saw the vedio with Prince in the bathtub and I was hooked.

1990, when I was 7. Prince on SNL15 blew my fragile little mind.

spelled video wrong, sorry

In 1984, when I was only 2 and a half years old!! I bullshit U not. I went 2 see "Under the Cherry Moon" at the movies when I was 4 yrs. old and "Sign O the Times" when I was 5. When I turned 5 in November of 1986, I had a Prince birthday party, with a picture of Prince on my birthday cake. My mother and the rest of my family thought it was just a faze, but I've been a hardcore fan at an early age. Growing up in Detroit, I had alot exposure 2 him, since this is the city with the strongest Prince fan base. I would actually cry when my mother would rather listen 2 Freddie Jackson than Prince, because I thought that she didn't like Prince anymore, therefore meaning I would have 2 stop listening 2 him. I had it bad, and I still do at 20 years old!

I became a fan in 1982 when I was 11 years old, but I remember singing "I Wanna Be Your Lover" when I was 8 or 9 years old, but I didn't know it was Prince at the time. I also remember in 1980 when I was 10 in 5th grade a friend of mine had the "Dirty Mind" album on the school bus. When I saw the cover, I was like "what the hell?", but he played the music during some free time in school and I was thinking this shit is funky as hell and the lyrics were so dirty for the time. You know when something's bad for you and you want it anyway. That's what that time was like. But I became fully aware of Prince during "1999" in 1982.

I must say it's great to actually grow up during all of Prince's eras. For those who became fans in the 1990's, I feel bad because you missed some great times and musical changes. You can listen to the albums, but you guys could never experience Prince mania during the 80's. I hope that 90's experience is as good for you as it was for us who grew up in the 80's.

Good thread, Vag. I'm glad the meds are working.
I became a full-fledged fan in 1988 after I heard the Black Album... A BOOTLEG!!!

I bcame a fan of his during the 1980's.

2002 with The Rainbow Children.I've always been familiar
with his music growing up in the 80s,but only lately did
I start paying attention to it.I listen to R&B music, and
many singers count Prince as one of their influences.

TRC brought me onto the NPG side, and I haven't stopped
buying albums since.

IceNine said:

Ok, that would be a big-ass

T.M.I!

Since Soft & Wet... '78, right?

CalhounSq said:

You talkin' about the year the song came out, Calhoun, or something more "personal"?...lol

CalhounSq said:

I thinks so, Cal.

It's been since the Prince album for me...

that would be 1991, just before D&P hit, it was a great time to be a Prince fan, but I am sure it can't compare to back in the day ...

The last weekend in May in 1987 to be exact. I was on my way to take my SAT college enterance exams and I was riding with 2 buddies of mine. One of my friends popped in a copy of the SOTT album that he got in Canada (a cassette mind you because this was long before the advent of the player in a car ). Ive been hooked ever since. DAMN IM GONNA GO LISTEN TO SOTT RIGHT NOW. By the way; BellBeyond your not related to WellBeyond are you?

1989. Was a Batman fan first. Then along came the movie. Bought the soundtrack and that was that.

327465 Before JC...

Older than Moses He said...
hehehehe

In 1995, just after the Gold Experience tour hit Holland. So I just missed that.

A friend made me a tape with Prince songs, mostly bootleg songs for some reason. In the weeks after that, I bought Diamonds & Pearls and LoveSymbol.

I was 13 then.

1982. i was 11, and saved pennies to go to record bar to buy 1999.

Even though the 1999 album was released in 1982, I'm going to be honest and say I became a fan in 1983. The lp was released in November and it took several months for it to gain radio recognition -- that's when I took notice. I was HOOKED by the end of summer '83 for sure!

1985, 15 at the time

'84
10 yrs old

I've been a fan since 1984. I was 12 years old.