I'm wondering because so many of them are different, I do have a favorite but what is the most Important Album he has made?

My 3 most favorite Albums
1.1999
2.Parade
3.Lovesexy

But What's his Most Important one

Purple Rain.

GCS 2000..no really!

"For You" was good enough to get stepped on.

Not Planet Earth.

Thats a heck of a question. my opinion is this....

1. The family
2. sign o the times
3. prince - 2nd album

thats my two bits, and in that order.

For You.

3121

Parade.

i would say musicology cuz it reminded people tht even at this time in his career he still had it & it was a catalyst 4 the great stuff he's done since.

1999 hands down!!!

It set everything else up. While he had some success with Controversy, Dirty Mind, etc....1999 the album and tour got him on MTV, was a crossover hit and set everything up for Purple Rain the album, the movie, the tour.

At the time even Dr. Fink said 1999 set up Purple Rain perfectly. For better or worse, 1999 was Prince's springboard into superstardome.

Sowhat said:

Yup!

It was the 1999 videos playing on MTV (1999 and LRC) that really broke him out to a mass audience, so that when Purple Rain came along, the pump was primed for him to become a huge star.

SOTT!!!

They're all important.

Depends from which angle...

For establishing him as a fearless envelope-pusher: "Dirty Mind"

For cross-over and commercial appeal:"1999"

For reminding us he could still be original and funky after all these years: "Rainbow Children"

For reminding the masses he could still be commercial: "Musicology"

Sowhat said:

Couldn't agree more with that.

johnart said:

I like that list. Very on point.

johnart said:

Yep.

ATWIAD cause it set up that he was going on a new direction and making music that his muse created and not following what the trend should b

L4OATheOriginal said:

But what allowed him the flexibility to do that???? The enourmous success of Purple Rain. An what allowed Purple Rain to be made....the success and crossover of 1999.

The best and most successful thing the man has ever done.

Dirty Mind or 1999. Both showed controversy with an edge & good songwriting, which was part of his earlier career. Now...not so much.

I would say 1999.

NWF said:

I won't disagree with you, but was it his most important album????

I believe 1999 was his most important album because it set everything up for Puprle Rain. It gave him enough clout with Warner Bros. to get Purple Rain made.

1999 was a great success, established him as a cross-over artist, got him on the the all important MTV at that time and the 1999 tour knocked the door down for him to make Purple Rain.

johnart said:

I like that list too and just to add one:

for showing he could be an ABSOLUTE artistic genius: ATWIAD (NOT SOTT!), although that should be partly contributed to Wendy and Lisa.....

Snake said:

I totally agree with your favourite albums - with the addition for me having to be SOTT and Gold, but as far as the most important ones.....

Definately 1999 initially, followed by ATWIAD - for reasons already stated.

Well, I think the attempt to say one album is the most important is reductive. Seriously there have been many; mainly because life as is history, is punctuated by important events which drastically impact upon the next and how you evaluate the past.For example, try picking the most important out of these?

1. Dirty Mind - The emergence of the real 'Prince', which had only been hinted at on previous albums and his first classic.

2. 1999 - The start of crossover success into the MTV world.

3. PR - Superstar, Rock Status.

4. Parade - Artistic highpoint/era of his career.

5. SOTT - The Critics album.

6. LoveSexy - The beginning of the end?

MrVortex said:

No, not the beginning of the end - just the beginning of inconsistency!

Actually no again - Batman is actually quite good!

Graffitti Bridge - The begining of inconsistency!!!
[Edited 1/23/08 4:13am]

mentalist said:

Well I agree with you, hence the question mark.

MrVortex said: