i was at a Lena Lovich concert at the Rainbow Music Hall in Denver, CO - Think it was 1982 . . . The pre-show music was the entire Dirty Mind album. This was back when the pre-show music was as important as the opening act.

Lena was great, but what i took away from that night was what a vivid memory of Prince's Dirty Mind masterpiece. It's almost like it just happened yesterday.

That's was the moment that i became a Prince fan.

Controversy

-

When I watched Purple Rain in June 2005

JoeyLondon said:

I love Ur avatar

Lake Minnitonka!

exact moment? no, exact date I first saw him live was on a Thursday, March 3, 1983

luv4u said:

me too...hooked!

When the video to Automatic originally aired way back when.

I don't know the exact moment, but I wasn't a fan until I went to college and had a roommate who was an annoying diehard who only listened to Prince and Depeche Mode. I couldn't escape him!
But the I found myself sneaking her stuff when she wasn't home....
So I'd say somewhere around late 1986 or so... SOTT was the 1st album I bought on my own- actually for my sister, but took it back.

Okay, now I'm the annoying diehard- my roommate's married with kids and has since "outgrown that".

I was off School with a made up stomach ache. Home alone I went Into my older brothers room and started going through his records. I came across 1999 and Loved it. That sameday I went through his video tapes and came across Barbarella and also fell in love with that film.

I was pleased to later find out it was one Prince's Favorite films too.

And what cemented it for me was when I went shopping to buy a live Madoona video but they didn't have it but I noticed they had the Prince And The Revolution 1985 Video so I bought that as I had loved the 1999 album. And That was my first Prince Purchase.

I also remember Raspberry Beret being on a Hits album and It was my favorite song on there.

My First album was Around the World In A day. Then for Christmas 1985 I got Purple Rain on cassette and 1999 on vinyl. I remember it having an insert advertising a load of albums that I wasn't aware of such as Dirty Mind and Controversy. I soon got everything else and Parade was the first album I bought on the day of release.

I'm an old school fan since his 1st record was released. I was at the mall and saw his poster on the wall of the record store. It was the one he released with For You...the one with the awesome fro and those piercing eyes. One look and I was beginning a journey of a lifetime. For You was out and Soft and Wet was playing on the radio. I've been a fan from his first release and am loving the trip.

Casual fan: Watching a Prince video special on TV during the ad breaks of a rugby match. Slowly but surely, the next thing I knew, I was watching the rugby during the ad breaks of the Prince special . Went out and bought The Hits Vol.1 soon after.

Hooked: Probably hearing the synth solo on "Strange But True" ...

I was a "mild" fan of hits such as Little Red Corvette and Controversy, but didn't really know who the guy was.

I became a fan early one morning in 1984 while preparing for school and listening to the radio... WCAU 98.1 FM in Philadelphia. When Doves Cry came on.

The intro and overall sound was so new... so different... so hot... so unique. I was only about 12, but I remember being captivated! I just had this immediate "This is it!" feeling. "This is the song to end all songs!" lol

When I got home from school, I scoured the stations looking for that song... and waiting to press the RECORD button on my cassette deck.

I then went back and realized that Prince was the same guy who did Little Red Corvette and Controversy and 1999... and from that moment on, I was hooked.

Mom didn't like his music, and thought it wasn't for a 12 or 13 year old, and would buy me anything, so I signed up for one of those BMG 12 LPs for 1 cent deals where I was obligated to buy something like 8 more LPs in the next 2 years. lol I ordered all PRINCE and Morris Day stuff... and when the package came in the mail, my mom was like... LOL (Of course, I didn't buy another LP from BMG once I got what I wanted. They're probably still looking for me! lol)

Mom took the albums away, but I snuck them back into my room.

YOU CAN'T STOP ME DAMMIT... I thought to myself! heheheeee

Since then... I've been a fan. I've tapered off a bit because of work and life responsibilities... but when Prince is in town, I'm there. When a new CD comes out, I'm gettin' it. I'm not waiting outside of the record store an hour before the place opens so I can say "I GOT THE FIRST ONE in NEW JERSEY" anymore, but I'm still a casual fan.

I've got everything. But yeah, When Doves Cry did it for me.

Sorry for the novel.
[Edited 2/25/07 6:45am]
[Edited 2/25/07 6:47am]

seeing Prince get out of the bath tub naked, in When Doves Cry

Negritaluvyu said:

Horny child

theodore said:

Oh yeah!

I can't even remember when.

Negritaluvyu said:

It was a cold cold day close to Christmas. Purple Rain was huge at the time and everyone was talking about Prince and all his protoge's and supposed female concubines.

I had heard from a friend of mine that Prince concerts were 17+ years, and that the material was really racy. Naturally being 12 or 13 years of age, I totally wanted to hear his music because of this.

So a buddy of mine, whose mom bought him the cassette sat down with me in his mom's minivan and played the album in the Mini-van. Mind you, at this time in my life, I didn't (nor did my parents) own a proper stereo, so this was one of my first exposures to "Stereo sound" with real bass and so forth. He forwarded to Computer Blue, and as soon as I heard "Wendy, is the water warm enough" I was hooked.

I also tripped out on how the song changes in the middle. It was very melodic and very hard hitting. There wasn't anything on the radio that sounded like it. Then of course it went into Darlin Nikki and that was a trip.

From that day on, I was obsessed with Prince and continued to be up until he started suing all his fans during the symbol years.

Imago said:

those 2 songs hooked me 2 Prince... only that 21 years later

theodore said:

JAYSUS CHRIST, How does a 16 year old get turned on to Prince? I'm stunned.

Tell me--WHAT made you become a fan? Especially with the so-so stuff he's been pumping out lately.

From the 1st moment I saw him!

sexxydancer said:

Negritaluvyu said:

OK why was I yelling at my TV like "SHOW THE REST! SHOW THE REST!!!"

Imago said:

Because I watched Purple Rain... and I was and then I bought the record and I was

Then I bought "Sign "o" the Times" and that was it... I was obsessed with the man...

Then he released 3121 and I was and then I bought Musicology

I just thought he is incredible... a true genious.
And now-a-days music doesn't satisfy me that much. Only like 6 artists.
So Prince came along like a cool breeze on a summer's day and he truly changed my life

Prince
[Edited 2/25/07 19:26pm]

theodore said:

If you haven't already picked up all his CDs, try:


The Gold Experience (may need to get it on ebay--hard to find)
LoveSexy
and Parade

Imago said:

u make me sick

JoeyLondon said:

Mine is easy. It wasn't Purple Rain, it wasn't some movie, or whatever. It was a small track on a small LP.

I owned a K-Tel LP called Soundwaves that housed many great songs. Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious, Diana Ross - Upside Down, Lipps, Inc - Funkytown....the list goes on. But tucked away on side 1 of my piece of polyvinylacetate was "I Wanna Be Your Lover" from someone named Prince. I've been hooked ever since.

By the way, I own 2 copies of that LP on vinyl (it was never issued on CD) now. I found them at an antique shop and a garage sale.
[Edited 2/25/07 19:53pm]