Genesia said:

Exactly. I, and others, offered this suggestion to DreamyPop when she posed this question. If you're really planning to stick around, you must eventually own all the albums so why not start from the beginning. IMO, buying them randomly is like picking up a book, and reading random chapters all over the place instead of beginning to end. Which is fine, if you don't really want to understand the book. When I became a hardcore fan in 1984- I immediately went back and bought the first 4 albums I did not own. I realize that with the size of his catalogue now, it's much tougher due to the expense, but still neccessary. It will just take longer. Recently, I've struggled myself over which albums to replace first (things I only had on vinyl or cassette) and finally realized just to start from the beginning again.

And don't forget, you'll eventually have to move on to the "associated artists" as well! That'll really kill you since many of them haven't been re-released!! But I couldn't imagine being without Sheila's albums, The Family, The Time, Jill Jones, etc. His side projects from the 80's have almost as much "good" Prince on them as his own albums. And offer up yet another side of him that's not to be missed by a true fan.

And, we won't even get into outtakes, internet releases, one offs for other artists....

Enjoy the trip!!! It's wonderful!

Newpower Soul

I'm going to have to call shenanigans on that. Of all 8 songs TBA, only a single track - Bob George - can be considered literally "dark" in subject matter. Where's the darkness in the rest of it?

Le Grind, Superfunkycaligragisexy, Rockhard In A Funky Place - simple party songs with a sexual nature. If these are "dark" then the Dirty Mind and 1999 albums are the work of Satan.
Cindy C. - Another simple party song, possibly inspired by Cindy Crawford
Dead On It - a humorus parody of rap music.
When 2 R in Love - a tender, gentle love song
2 Nigs United 4 West Compton - is an instrumental with no apparent hidden agenda.

The bottom line is that TBA is NOT a dark album. It's no more dark than anything else that came before it. What is most unusual about it, is that it's a rather mindless party album. This makes sense because many of the tracks were intro'd at one of Sheila E.'s birthday parties... certainly not a "dark" occasion.

All the hype about it being dark was just part of the mystique created by Prince in order to point out how spiritual and positive LoveSexy was supposed to be. Prince is back to writing the same style songs by D&P but no one goes around saying how dark that album is...




Well, that just boils down to opinion. If someone likes the overly polished production of TGE or tracks from D&P then is a perfect fit. People who weren't there from the beginning generally don't have a problem with Tony M. and the Game Boyz on .[/quote]

not going to jack the newbees thread. I'll start a new topic. Simply this is all opinion based. Yours is no more informed or correct.

Rev said:

Your quoting was all messed up there...

At the moment my opinion is more informed because I've illustrated why it's not a dark recording. You aren't offering up any reason as to why it is. Anyway, see you on the new thread.

paisley16 said:

Excellent analogy.

paisley16 said:

Interesting analogy you have there and I understand it. Since becoming a serious fan (and bought my first 3 albums and made the mistake of mixing/matching them in the same week), I've left my decisions on what I listen to 2 fate. Everything happens for a reason. I still believe it was fated 4 me to find TGE as easily as I did, though I've yet to determine why. Its on its lonesome cuz it has nothing in common with my other albums (thus, conflicts can erupt). I find it very addictive, when I start, its hard to get off it for a few days.
I basically have the spectrum of his career covered... in the basic sense.
I have basically everything in the present (although someone probably will argue with me that there's more to this current era in addition to Musicology & 3121). I gave myself a sample of the pre- period with "The Very Best of..."

PR is all I need from the 80's at the current time. I already have the important trax from 1999 on disc, so the album can wait for a while. I'm in no rush, even though several have claimed it to be the one of the best. I saw ATWIAD at FYE, so if its still there, I might pick it up... but Sign O' The Times has gotten rave reviews as well.
Which leads me to this question: what is the overall feel of it? Are the songs similar to the title track or U Got the Look? I've heard similar songs in 'The Word' as I do in the title track, which prompts me to ask if any songs like 'The Word' exist in this album.

There are still many conflicts erupting around TGE becuz nothing comes close to it (musically and chronologically), meaning that D&P, Emancipation & Rave have to come next (and most likely will follow, but I've got mixed reviews on it, so I'm not quite sure about it as of yet).

In the albums I have now, I look at the pieces and try to find a common bond or a unity between them. (Musicology does so musically, while the others I own take me on a journey through Prince experimenting with different genres (this excludes PR) and comes to an overall conclusion in the end. I label PR as a journey of maturity for Prince (lyrically, musically & attitude-wise).
Where I'm basically going with this is that I think I'll need to focus on a particular era b4 moving onto another. Eventually, I will be able to see the journey from start to finish, but I need to fill in a few gaps first to eliminate further conflicts of interest. Here's my "wish list" as of present.
1. Diamonds & Pearls
2. Emancipation
3. Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
4. Come and/or [w/e I find first]

Based on what I have, I need to take things from a particular direction to smooth things over. I've created a big plot hole for myself with TGE and to better enjoy and understand it, I'll need the albums that surround it chronologically. It's also an era I'm very curious about and once I have a better picture, I can compare it to the present as well as the past.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

CoolTarik1 said:

SOTT - don't even think about it, just go buy it!!

My bad - at least you got it, so buy Parade now~
[Edited 4/5/07 10:07am]

Empress said:

Is that so?

All I know is if I find a CD that's supposedly hard to find, I'll grab it at the first opportunity I get.
That's why I snagged TGE... plus, who could resist?

how would u compare ATWIAD to SOTT?
How are they different? How is one better than the other?

I've heard a great deal about SOTT being one of the best he's done, so it's only natural for me to be curious.

Those who are curious about my attitude towards TGE, I've yet to decide where it stacks up to say, PR. Supposedly it's the "Purple Rain of the 90's". I do see the similarity in the fact that they both take me on Prince's journey to come to an overall conclusion about himself.
PR I say is Prince gradually maturing and becoming "a man". I guess you could say, he grows up throughout and it's evident in the arrangements of music & how cryptic the lyrics get further on (drastic difference between "Let's Go Crazy" and the title track).
TGE I can break down to the 3 aspects: sexual, love & spirituality
Sexual growth is evident thru: P. Control, Endorphinmachine, Shh, 319 & Shy
Love (his heart): TMBGITW & Eye Hate U
Spirituality: We March, Dolphin & Gold (where he finds enlightenment)
Billy Jack is the oddball cuz I don't know where that fits in this scheme. I knock out Now completely cuz it just doesn't go for me (plus im not crazy about it).

TGE is an album that grows on you and once it rushing thru your veins, it's hard to think/do much else.

Very hard to compare ATWIAD and SOTT. They have different bands and he was going through different things. ATWIAD musically hass a lot of string arrangements SOTT doesn't. SOTT has definate studio (Prince solo) feel to it. I think this is why "it's gonna be a beautiful night" stands out so much. Both are top notch albums.
I'm not sure about the comparison between PR TGE, but TGE is the best album of the 90's.

I would bridge between PR and TGE. It sounds like it what you're looking for.

earth planet....Who knows maybe it is a new album with a tour. YEAH!

Rev said:

That's something I plan to work on.

TGE has been labeled as the "Purple Rain of the 90's", so I want to see if there's any truth to that. Prince also called Gold the "new Purple Rain", so I want to see if there's any truth to that. Right now, I can kinda see the comparsion, but when it comes to the songs, I really don't know how to compare the two. They're both very strong ballads, but Gold has reached me in way PR has yet to. I like both of them a whole lot, so it's hard for me decide if they're alike, let alone if I like one better than the other.

Are there any "must-have" songs on SOTT or ATWIAD that make them worth getting?

I've heard a great deal about 'Adore' on SOTT, which I've yet to hear. But I already had Raspberry Beret on my hits CD.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

yes, all of them! But seriously, I mean that. You must have both those albums. SOTT is so impressive for a few reasons, but for me one of the most important is how for a double album, there's no filler. The only song on there I could do without is Slow Love, (it's just not my bag personally, some love it). But some of my favorite tracks of all time are that album. ATWIAD you have to have as well, hopefully you'll love it as I do, but either way you should know it to "round out that era" for you. You must remember he wrote most of that album when Purple Rain was in full gear- the biggest time of his career, yet it sounds so different. The title track is amazing and wait until you hear Condition of the Heart, you'll be back here crying again, lol!

paisley16 said:

Thanx for the tip. With that in mind, I'm more curious about those two. But I guess I'll have to see what fate deals me. I want to try to focus on one era at a time. So it'll be either those 2 along with PR, or Come/Emancipation/Rave along with TGE.

Right now, I seriously doubt that anything can make me bawl my eyes out like Gold. At its "worst", I was a wreck for 15-20 after listening to it and it wasn't just becuz of the song. But I think I can attribute it to the connection we have, so it basically made me cry my eyes out until I came to a realization (I still believe that Prince spoke to me that day).

If you want to cry, get The Truth (although you need to but the entire 4 disc Crystal Ball set to get it.) I can't listen to Comeback without getting teary.


The rest of Crystal Ball is good too. I highly recommend the whole thing. I liked it better than Emancipation.
[Edited 4/5/07 17:04pm]

Come just got bumped up a few spots on my priority list. I just watched "The Beautiful Experience" and I definitely like what I hear.

But it really comes down to what hand fate deals me. If that $8.99 copy of Come is still at FYE next time I come into more money, I'm picking it up.

i love this thread. its helping me decide which albums i want too. but i don't have alot of $$ cause i have to import CDs of my fave italian singers and they cost mucho money.

so the Prince albums on my list are:
Parade
Sign O' The Times
Diamonds and Pearls
and Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic

are there any other albums that I have to have immediately that it can't wait?

tznekbsbfrvr said:

If you don't already have TGE, get it! Other than that, I can't be of much help.

Of the albums I own, TGE is definitely my favorite as of yesterday. Nothing in the past competes with it... PR is great and all, but there's a special quality about TGE that surpasses it.

So my own priority list is:

1. Come
2. Diamonds & Pearls
3. Emancipation
4. Rave/Sign O' The Times
5. Rave/Sign O' The Times

I watched "The Beautiful Experience" yesterday and have been raving about the music ever since... and I've heard its the perfect companion for TGE. Jt has reminded me several times that he wrote the material for both around the same time and wanted to release them together, but couldn't (due to WB).
The era is becoming more and more interesting to me as I find more, so I definitely want to focus on it b4 going to the other end of the spectrum (the 80's).

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

If you don't want to go in chronological order, that's not a bad selection considering what you already have. I might make two suggestion, though. Buy Rave before Emancipation, if you find it cheaper. Rave essentially sounds like it could be disc 4 of Emancipation. So, if you don't like that album very well, you may not appreciate E (unless you find it nice and cheap. ). I happen to like both albums but the sound of each is very "sterile plastic", if you know what I mean. Where TGE has a glowing, energetic arrangement that almost sounds like a live band performance, E and Rave sound VERY much like a deliberate studio production. Some great songs, but quite a few people hate the production of them.

...and I really, truly would recommend over D&P. It's closer to the layered arrangement and production of TGE and the rapping is more integrated into the whole. D&P is very uneven and for every great track (Cream, Gett Off) there's something really horrid (Jughead, Daddy Pop).

ok, let's start at the beginning.



Do you own a Stereo with a CD player or an MP3 player?

jtfolden said:

Deliberately or not, Prince had a certain narrative going on in his career at the time. There was a real momentum driven by very quick output and constant reinvention that just energized and charged Prince fans. You never had to sit through years of waiting like MJ fans or other fans.

I loved 1999, but I always grouped it in with Contreversy, sort of like a bridge between the first 3 albums (which I heard actually after SOTT ) and his later stuff.

It was PR, ATWIAD and Parade that solidified my absolute adoration of Prince. All imperfect albums. All brilliant despite.

So... what r U going 2 buy next?

jtfolden said:

I'm feeling more and more like my posts are blog entries... I wish this site had a blog... or one of us should start a website like "blogs of Prince fans". But I seriously feel like every day brings something new with him.

I picked a few albums that I would give me a basic idea of what I'm looking at.
I picked up "The Very Best of..." just because I wanted a sample of everything b4 the name change. But I ended up creating plot holes for myself.. D&P has 4 tracks on it that I like quite a lot (Gett off, which I didnt like at first, grew on me)... this brings me back to why I bought CD's in the first place, I like a handful of songs I heard on the radio so I buy the whole based on that.

I bought 3121 with that in mind. I got that and Musicology simply becuz I wanted to know where he was now and with the interviews during 2004, I got more curious about what he meant about "bringing real music back". I find it pretty valuable because thru it, Prince teaches me what true music is supposed to be about... I find today's music lacking that kind of "wholesomeness". 3121 has gems, but I find it weak as a whole.

Everyone kept suggesting TGE so I grabbed it as soon as I saw it. Now after hearing it thru about 5-7, I'm very glad I did. It touches on a certain level that is simply amazing. I can barely describe it. I was listening to "The Very Best of..." today and got lost in the PR section and found it hard to get out of that state of mind. Then the D&P portion came and all I could think about was picking up TGE again... it might be premature to say this, but I think its my favorite of my 4 albums (3121, Musicology & Purple Rain).

The era is really interesting me right now, so I feel like I need to buy more from it. Everyone suggesting I go in chronological order, I can't really do that now because my mind only wants to go to 's material. I'd be distracted and wouldn't be able to get the full experience of it. A few weeks ago, conflict erupted when I watched "Purple Rain" after listening to TGE. I just couldn't concentrate on the movie or its music because TGE was on my mind. Right now, I almost feel the need to listen to it... I feel like there's something deep inside that Prince wants to show me. I just need to figure out what it is.

Jt, I cannot tell you how helpful you've been supplying me with this information. I mean yesterday was incredible, watching 'Love 4 One Another' & 'The Beautiful Experience', I feel like I'm getting to know a diff. side of Prince I never knew and I really like what I see. Plus, the fact remains that I dreamt about "Rave Prince"... my first dream about him since I became a serious fan, that's gotta be telling me something.

I'm starting to believe more and more that I found TGE so easily becuz this was the next path I was meant to take on my journey as a Prince "follower". (I'm now officially disgarding the word "fan" from my Prince-talk vocab). That era is surrounded with so many mysteries that I'm just dying to solve. Not to mention Prince went through a great amount of personal growth, I'm dying to get to know him thru his music in the era.

Then probably after I get the essiental albums, I'll go to the opposite end of the spectrum and get to the 80's... then I could connect that end with the present to discover the differences in Prince b4 & after he was "reborn", I guess you could say. Once I've started on one area, I can't leave it until I have all the pieces, that's just how it is.

DreamyPopRoyalty

Imago said:

Sh*t I knew I was forgetting something!

paisley16 said:

Wow. I kind of know what you mean. I really started to get involved in listening to music when I heard about some blind guy named Steveland Morris
I didn't realize how extensive his back catalog was, especially with songs he's done for other artists as well as his own albums. I imagine from just the list you made Prince is even worse. But yes, I will take my sweet time and enjoy the purple ride

theodore said:

What?

How can I put this?

I think has some kind of hold on me. I feel like deep inside, he's trying to teach me something important... kinda like in the period where he was trying to figure how he was, getting in touch with himself... I feel like he's trying to do the same for me.

Gold has a grasp on my soul. Check my siggy. It's the expression was what TGE was trying to get across in a single song. I gotta surround myself with albums from that time period to piece together the puzzle, both about Prince himself, but about what he's trying to teach me. I cannot ignore that.

An hour ago, I felt like he wanted me to listen to TGE, but I've passed my quota of music 4 today, so I really can't w/o completely losing my mind. TGE clashes with everything else because it stands out on its own and its just piece of a puzzle dying to be solved.

Prince and Diry Mind.

jtfolden said:

I agree

DreamyPopRoyalty- all i can say is . amazing.

lol- lord, i'm trying to buy Prince's music and stuff for my research at the same time. this is so hard! sometimes i feel like a ban fan b/c i don't have all the "essentials". i'm going on a HUGE online shopping spree realllly soon.