My favorite album from that era would be Prince and my favorite song of that period would be "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad"

For me it (by miles): 1999

While Controversy seemed to built further on the sound of Dirty Mind, without really be groundbreaking, he really made a leap with this album.

Creative use of drummachines, using synthsounds that were fresh, mixing funk, rock, new-wave and dance in an eclectic way, and trading his falsetto vocals (which never worked for me on his earlier albums, apart from the ballads) with his own vocal register. All aspects that make this a groundbreaking album.

Next to that its probably the most influential Prince album (even more then Purple Rain), you can hear direct influences and/or echo's of the things Prince was doing on this album in the Minneapolis Sound (of course....).
Next to that, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis became hit-producers with a more commercial version of the sounds you can hear on 1999.
You can hear the influences in the current electrofunk (Daft Punk), the electroclash movement and an artist like Peaches for example.
R&B and hip-hop producers like Timbaland, The Neptunes and Missy Elliot owe a lot to the things Prince was trying out on 1999.

In short: 1999, a groundbreaking and truelly influential album.

Favorite pre-PR album is 1999. It's also my favorite album by Prince.

Too hard to pick a favorite song.

KingTaharqa said:

That album is so underrated it's nearly a crime in my honest opinion!

Moonbeam said:

Same here