So Basically Princes 3 best albums from the last 16 yrs
mine r as follows....

1.The Gold Experience
This album has 2 b one of my all time favs featurin great songs such as P Control,Now,Dolphin,TMBGW,Dolphin and Gold it is one of the only prince albums i can listen 2 all the way threw without skippin any tracks(well apart from thos annoyin shit NPG Operator segments) and also one of his most accesible albums

2.Emancipation
The album the tiny purple one stated he was born to make with 3 discs of original material varying in all differin styles of music and more notably the first time prince had done cover versions of other artists/writers songs and what great covers they r Betcha By Golly Wow is masterfully done and One Of Us is even better than the original.Ok so it may hav a few tracks that arent classics and he may not of covered any new ground,But it has plenty of gems(FLSMW,Face Down,What Gets Up,The Love We Make etc) and some great soundin melodies(Holy River,Soul Sanctuary,Saviour etc) all in all a great album from the purple one.

3.Musicology
Now here we hav it this is the album that introduced me 2 prince b4 hand i only heard 2 of his songs(Purple Rain,TMBGW)starting with a great soundin funk tune Musicology which givs a nod 2 all the great funk masters(or true funk soldiers as P says)also showcases once again what a great lyricist the purple dude is,(A Million Days,On The Couch)also it features one of my fav P Tunes Call My Name(which he won a grammy 4 best vocal) he even finds time 2 go political(Cinnamon Girl,Dear Mr Man) and hav a dig at jacko(Life O The Party)it is a nice tight album at 45 mins and As i hav stated i hold this album dear 2 my heart cuz if it wasnt 4 this i wouldnt hav become the prince fan i am 2day or bothered buyin another 24 of his albums.
[Edited 1/13/08 12:12pm]

Just official releases under his own name(s):

-
- TGE
- TRC

(Exodus would get a look in if related artists were included, and better luck next time Come, ONA and PE, so close).

1- Emancipation
Prince at his best, deeply inspired by all that was going on in his life, creating a more and more sophisticated music and offering us an amazing collection of cool grooves and romantic ballads. Maybe also the album of maturity. Anyway, a very impressive album with very clever lyrics.

2- N.E.W.S.
Prince sounds... not like Prince, 4 the 1st time in his carreer, and delivering an impressive progressive jazz funk effort, very evocative, musically more complex than anything he released b4 or since. Not 2 mention the impressive fact that it was recorded live and in one take.

I can't really choose a 3 cuz i don't know how 2 choose between
Come 2 My House (such a great, smooth, collaboration with Chaka)
Newpower Soul (maybe Prince's "blackest" and funkiest studio album)
Rave In2 The Year 2000 (a definitive testimony of Prince live, with the greatest guest stars and an impressive diversity of musical styles)
The Chocolate Invasion/The Slaughterhouse (both featuring Prince back doing minimalist electrofunk, updated 2 the standards of the 2000's with that rough, wild attitude reminiscent of his early years)
Goldnigga (a unfairly 4gotten early jazz/hip-hop effort that was as visionnary as Guru's Jazzmatazz, released the same year and still considered an instant classic)
and i won't even mention O+> or Come or The Gold Experience, which we all love...
[Edited 1/13/08 14:12pm]

1.gold experience
2.new power generation
3.musicology

there are just so many to choose from but i love all of them their all great!

-The Hits: B-Sides

-

-Black Album.

-Chaos & Disorder

Those are my choices for best 3 albums of that period.
Bitches.

Yeah, and The Vault and Crystal Ball and Xpectation r so cool, too

Illustrator said:

They like, totally, SO don't count and stuff.

Gold Experience
Rainbow Children
3121

1. Gold
2. Come
3. 3121

Come
Rainbow Children
Gold


those maybe

1. The Gold Experience
2. Emancipation (due to the amount of material)
3. (It might be a tie with ) Come or NPG - New Power Soul

1) the gold experience
2) diamonds and pearls
3) 3121

The Gold Experience
Chaos And Disorder

NouveauDance said:

Yuh-huh, they do.

-Chaos & Disorder
-The Rainbow Children
-3121

The Gold Experience
Emancipation
Crystal Ball

01. the rainbow children
02. the truth
03. the gold experience/come

i really have a difficult time narrowing down to 3, i really really do, however here is my list of 3:

EMANCIPATION
RAVE UN2 the JOY FANTASTIC
THE VAULT

The Rainbow Children
The Gold Experience
3121

Oh and I have to include The Truth too
[Edited 1/14/08 6:39am]

That's easy


The Gold Experience
3121

Gold Experience
The Rainbow Children
3121

The Truth
Emancipation

NouveauDance said:

u might as well count exodus since people still belive NPS is a prince release instead of a related artist album

purplecam said:

i'll agree with the same 3 albums but in this order 4 me

the gold experience

3121

with the rainbow children at number 4

Controversy said:

Those would be my three, as well.

I think TRC is amazing, musically. But I can't get past the lyrics, so I can't put it in the top tier.

Wait - are we just talking official releases here? Cuz if we're including everything, ONA Piano has to be in my top three.

I knew this would happen...

Can't narrow it down 2 only 3.

Genesia said:

ONA piano is an official release, isn't it?

Efan said:

It was an NPGMC release, as far as I know.

Genesia said:

Right. I feel a little dense for asking this, but doesn't that count as an official release?