Simple question, as suggested by DreamyPopRoyalty in the "the org currently sucks" thread.

Right now I have the following:
1. The Very Best of Prince
2. The Hits/B-sides - discs 2 and most of 3 (Erotic City, Irresistible Bitch, Feel U Up, Horny Toad)
3. Most of Prince (I Feel For You, Bambi, Sexy Dancer, I Wanna Be Your Lover, Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad)
4. Dirty Mind
5. Purple Rain
6. Parade
7. Sign 'o' the Times (currently in the mail on its way to me!)
8. 1999

I figure that I should mention that I'm a slow burner when it comes to albums, especially ones that I really enjoy. I like to get an album and completely absorb and enjoy them, especially for artists like Prince.

So, what's next?
[Edited 3/6/08 20:43pm]

cassingle said:

I'm not the most well acquitted fan either, but I just bought Around the World in a Day and didn't really enjoy it. It's only been a day, so maybe give me some more time, but I'd say go for Lovesexy, the Love Symbol album or 3121.
[Edited 3/6/08 20:35pm]
[Edited 3/6/08 20:35pm]

I'm glad someone decided to take the bait

I see you have some of the essientals and my personal favorites
Parade, SoTT and of course, Purple Rain (an album that's a must have 4 ALL Prince fans, I don't care how commerical it is ).

SOTT is the ultimate for me, so good u already got it coming. Make sure to take plenty of time to digest it.

I just came off the Album and thoroughly enjoyed it. Probably some of the best of Prince in the 90's.
The Gold Experience is also another personal favorite of mine.

Good luck with your search and enjoy listening
[Edited 3/6/08 20:35pm]

I would definitely have to say, "The Rainbow Children.." This album is wonderful, as they all are...No one I have played it for has been anything but impressed and wanting to own the record themselves.

The Rainbow Children & The Vault-Old Friends For Sale

keep going with the big guns: get 1999!

but if you get it on CD, make sure you get the version with DMSR included...early pressings of the CD didn't include it!

Anxiety said:

OOPS! I actually have that one as well...can't believe I forgot to include it as one of my favorites, guess I've just been in a Parade daze all week! Thanks for the reminder!

Anxiety said:

Of course, how could I forget 1999. I always assume everyone owns it already

cassingle said:

aha. well, i'd keep going with the old stuff, then. i think when you have all the classic 80s albums digested and under your belt, then you can start attacking more of the 90s output, like "the gold experience" and "come" - both great albums, but even better if you're familiar with all that came before them.

1) Sign "" The Times
2) Diamonds & Pearls
3) LoveSexy
4) Emancipation
5) Parade

Lovesexy
Crystal Ball
The Gold Experience
Controversy
Planet Earth

Oh yes - and Come

jstar69 said:

jstar69 said:

I was going to say Come too

cassingle said:

For You, Controversy and Lovesexy.
Oh, and the rest of 'Prince'

FuNkeNsteiN said:

What is the deal with Come? According to AMG it is Prince's worst album and was made purely to fulfill his conractual obligations. Yet over here I see constant acclaim for it

All of them.

underthegraffitibridge said:

You shouldn't believe everything you read over at AMG

I personally am not too fond of 'Come'. Some people here absolutely love it, though.

Lovesexy.

underthegraffitibridge said:

his worst album?

Ah no... no way is anyone labeling "Come" Prince's worst album. I don't know who these guys are, but they don't know nothing from nothing PE, I understand why they call it his worst, but I'd accept that b4 "Come"... I'd accept that either Graffiti Bridge or C&D is Prince's worst because I hear the jeers about them the loudest (why else don't I own them? )

Actually, Come & The Gold Experience are like :%: between the 2 albums because the material's been swapped back and forth a couple of times when Prince was dying to release them both at the same time.

They're opposites like night and day. TGE is commerical, Come is raw/experimental sounding. TGE is very upbeat and happy (except for maybe a song or two), and Come is a bit more depressing (though one could argue that the most depressing material on Come is "Dark" and "Solo").

A lot of people could propose a track or two from "Come" that make it worth buying for those particular tracks. My favorite tracks are Loose!, Space, Dark and Letitgo... but truthfully, this is an album that I take as a whole, so I really can't say that its worth it for those tracks. It's worth it for the whole package.

Although written at a frustrated time in Prince's life, the material is still deserving of his name, I believe In fact, other than a couple of songs, you can't even tell he's going through hard time since he disguises it so well.

I'm listening to the album currently, so I'll be around to add to my arguement as much as I can.

In the end, cass, you gotta get whatever you can get your hands on. Go down to ur local FYE or Best Buy or w/e electronic stores you have lying around and BUY THEM OUT! take the Prince albums u can offer. That's what I did the first 4-5 "wrecka stow" trips. Chances are you will find some little gems lying around and no matter what you get, you'll find something enjoyable within all of them
But remember 2 enjoy the hunt.

Anxiety said:

1999 would be my pick, as well. It is the album that positioned him for megastardom.

An absolute must.
[Edited 3/7/08 6:50am]

...
[Edited 3/7/08 6:49am]

The Rainbow Children.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Yeah...I feel split on this as well. Most things I've read about it are not very positive, but lots of orgers seem to be wild for it. I'm not sure who to trust...

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

Good advice! Unfortunately, I'm a college student with a lack of spare cash, which is why this advice is so valuable...I need to make all the money worth my time. I think I'm going to go with getting the rest of Prince next and maybe Controversy? I'm not sure...Dirty Mind is so fabulous, and I've read that Controversy is not quite as good...

cassingle said:

I've heard that as well and I know where you're coming from. I listened to Dirty Mind and was simply blown away... it was simplistic, old-school, but it was a lot better than I expected
"Controversy" is worth it for "Do me baby" alone, I'll say that much for it. Some say it's like the continutation of Dirty Mind. In some ways it is and some it isn't. That's something you have to decide for yourself.

As for Come, I'd go for it just because I have it. When I was album-shopping, I was getting advice from all the people here and it really helped. I figured that I'd just confine myself to a few albums and let "The Very Best of..." cover the rest of the bases. That didn't work, though. Then I said 12 would be my max, but people kept saying that wouldn't be enough.
I wasn't really considering "Around the world in a Day" and "Come" at first, but they were at my local FYE after I scrounged up 3121 and The Gold Experience (used, but in MINT condition). Sometimes you just have to make due with what's available.

I just kept asking questions about certain albums I was curious about. This is just me, but I trust the actual listeners/enthusiasts here a lot more than some article/review from a critic. The actual fans know the albums better than anybody, so their advice is more valuable to me than any other. Plus, you get a variety of opinions and viewpoints, not just one, so you can see for yourself which opinions make more sense to you.

I'm a college student as well... but I'm spoiled my tuition is being paid for and I actually had some cash stashed away for something... and ended up contributing to my Prince collection

Get either Controversy or Around The World in A Day or Lovesexy next.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

I second that motion!

Sowhat said:

Now if u want alot of tracks "Emancipation" is a gem...

Get Around the World in a Day, then Come both are favorites of mine.

Around The World in A Day, Controversy, and Lovesexy are essentials. I'd also like to recommend the Black Album...but this one polorizes...people either love it or hate it. Its also kinda hard to find.