I am looking to buy a book about Prince. I am deciding between Possessed The rise and fall of Prince by Alex Hahn or Prince The first decade dancemusicsexromance by Per Nilsen. Which is the better book? Any advice would be appreciated.

DMSR is the best biography. But only goes upto 1987.

Possessed goes upto 2003 (right?), but is a little less detailed and a little more tabloid-like, although Hahn had access to some of Uptown's / Nilsen's research info, so the stuff is solid, it's just some cry-baby fans take issue with the 'negative' spin Hahn puts on Prince and his career.

The Vault is also a great chronology and research tool, but not a biography. And a new version is forthcoming (probably 2008).

I say get all 3! But if you only get one, get DMSR.

Anyone basically they're all the same

WorldCat.org

I you live in the US, go to this website and search by the names of these books, you can find out if your local library has these books. If so, you can go and browse the book(s), and then decide on which one you would like to buy.

Have you just recently become a fan?

DMSR is my favorite but Possessed is good too. I can't say much about Uptown as uptown.se felt it would be in good form to blatantly steal my money and never send me a copy of their book.

Depends on what you're looking for. If you want a detailed account of all/most of his studio recordings (released and unreleased), tours, television appearances, etc., go with The Vault.

If you want the same thing, but more of an in-depth analysis and stories about that stuff (but only up to 1987), go with DMSR.

If you're looking for more of a standard biography (but a pretty good one, I've heard, but never read it), go with Possessed.

The best book about Prince will be the one he writes himself, but we all know that won't happen.

wlcm2thdwn said:

considering his penchant for re-writing history and not wanting to discuss his past in a truthful, realistic manner, I think the one he writes himself would probably be the WORST book out there about him.

sure, it'll be entertaining. but it'll me the most inaccurate and least insightful account of his life/career you're likely to find.

Raze said:

wlcm2thdwn said:

Psst! He is from writing his biography, we know it will be BS!

wlcm2thdwn said:

I guess since they are all about the same guy doing the same things, in that sense they are the same, but they are all different in tone and all of them have their good and bad points.

Get them all. Make the business of books about Prince a profitable one. Remember... these books were written by people with a story to tell, not by someone looking to buy a mansion. Keep the market ripe for more of them if you like them by buying them all.

The Necronomicon