I read along time ago when 'Around the World in a Day' came out that he always has his next album in the bag before he releases anything current...that way he never gets stuck creatively and always stays ahead of the pack artisticly...it makes sense when you consider why each album sounds different from the next...but it's all still Prince!!!
He has a follow up album to 1999 that he won't release because he never wants to sound the same from one album to the next...to me that's what makes him so unique he never takes the same road twice.
You Are Beautiful Loved & Blessed,

PaTricK

BigEasyPokerman702 said:

I remember in the 90's WB saying that one of the problems was by the time WB got the Masters and printed started printing the disks P was already starting a new album. Then when the promotion and release date came P was already done with another album and by the time the tour started and ended he already recorded one to two more albums.

I think (JMO) that if P would have chilled a little between '86-'90 he wouldn't have taken such a hit. I think People were still loving Purple Rain and The Kid when the market was being flooded with new music. I was happy with the new music but if he did something every two years like now he might be still on top or surpass MJ (This is all in a marketing/music suits look at it).

The brotha is fast...

Peace

I remember Prince saying this back in the 80s in an interview. He was talking about the importance of not repeating himself with each new album but he did admit that he tended to release albums, at least in his mind, in pairs. Controversy was the extension of Dirty Mind. With Purple Rain he said was expanding on what he built with 1999. ATWIAD and Parade are a pair in that they were both from way out in left field - nothing at all like anything he's done before (or since). SOTT is a double album so it is what it is though you can say that it pairs with Crystal Ball. The Black Album and Lovesexy are flip sides of the same coin. After that.....?

I always understood it that 1999 and Purple Rain were meant to be one album but he had to split it in two, I read it somewhere me thinks. At the time I think its cos there was too much material for one album. And I believe that Lovesexy amd The Black Album were meant to be compadres to.

other than that I have no idea

I consider the 'pairs' thing a bit too rigid, but i think most people will recognisize certain periods in Princes output, for me these are:

The early years: Prince still looking for his signature sound, holding himselve back a bit
- For You
- Prince

The rise to stardom: Prince creating his own trademark sound (the Minneapolis sound) and becoming a megastar with it
- Dirty Mind
- Controversy
- 1999
- Purple Rain

The creative years: Prince trying out everything he wants and desires, being playfull and innovative
- Around the world in a day
- Parade
- Sign of the Times
- Lovesexy

The hit and miss years: Prince has achieved the things he wanted, commercially and creatively, and is in search of a new direction and new challenges, but he seems not very sure what he really wants to achieve
- Batman
- Graffiti Bridge
- Diamonds and Pearls
- The symbol album
- The Gold Experience

The underground years: 'Slave'Prince turning himselve back from WB and 'the mainstream public', mostly praying to his 'hardcore' fans on the NPG musicclub
- Emancipation
- New Power Soul
- Crystal Ball
- Rave
- The chocolate invasion
- The slaughterhouse
- The Rainbow Children (the subperiod of JW and jazz-rock)
- One Night alone (idem)
- NEWS (idem)

Back into the mainstream again: Prince trying to focus on what made him a popular artist once, in a retro-fashion, trying to be not too eccentric
- Musicology
- 3121

I've always said
Dirty Mind & Controversy
were two of a kind

you really can't take
one without the other

yeah dirty mind and controversy, but i always felt gold expierience was the progression to symbol maybe coz i heard them sequentially

Diamonds and Pearls
and
Symbol album

It seems he has the same band and similar look for two albums.

clarityman said:

yeah I can see what your saying!