We don't need a pop culture rag mag to tell us where Prince stands in musical history.

kpowers said:

kinda like you're picking your favorites right now!

Anxiety said:

Well I remember when it came out how much critics loved the album. So you don't think it should be on the list. Yeah "ray of light" really inspired pop culture.

kpowers said:

i LOVE SOTT...it would be on MY list. but sometimes i have to remember, not everyone in the world is an orger.

Anxiety said:

i know... but that so hard...

1p1p1i3 said:

HELL 2 THE YIZZAW!!!

pr brought me 2 the party but SOTT sealed it! if there wasn't a movie 2 go with the music, would it have been looked at the masterpiece? SOTT was and is a classic from the time the needle dropped and the concert film showed 2 the world that he was a bad mofo that didn't need the revolution

Anxiety said:

sure about that anx? cause a lot of artists pinpoint 2 sign o the times as the masterpiece and it's what made their artistic stamp as the foundation. purple rain is hardly mentioned in that vein

InsatiableCream said:

i agree with the xception of marshal mathers ..beyuckce, kelly clarkson higher than PE is a shame

L4OATheOriginal said:

purple rain opened the door for prince to being SOTT into the world and give it notice. that's my point. the impact of SOTT was dependent on the immense popularity of purple rain on several levels. it doesn't make SOTT a lesser album. it's just very hard for someone to have such an immense success like PR and not have subsequent work not be in its shadow.

to the average EW reader, prince = purple rain. to the average schmoe on the street, prince = purple rain. to you or me, prince might = witness for the prosecution or the grand progression or moonbeam levels. the average schmoe has no freakin clue what we're talking about.

and that's my point - in terms of mainstream pop culture, purple rain has been his biggest success, clearly.

Anxiety said:

and we also know that just because it's popular doens't = the best

L4OATheOriginal said:

some of the most popular art in the world is not necessarily the most technically proficient. it just happened to strike the right chord at the right time. prince hit it out of the park with purple rain. it's undeniable.

Anxiety said:

true but still give me sott over purple rain any day of the week and the electic bag of music that's on it

Anxiety said:

Sign o' the times and Purple rain should be on the list

I hear what many are saying about Parade and SOTT.

However,-and despite the undeniable quality of said meisterworks - Purple Rain struck the right chord with the zeitgeist at precisely the right time.

Also, Purple Rain remains Prince's most perfectly conceived album.

L4OATheOriginal said:

hell, give me come over purple rain any day of the week. but i know 50% of the reason i'm saying that is because i burned myself out on PR from playing it at least once every day from the day it came out to the day ATWIAD came out.

1p1p1i3 said:

I agree, but remember that the average listener isn't as refined when it comes to Prince as we (his fans) are. They just took the most popular album of his and put it as #1.

Congratulations!!!!

[Edited 6/23/08 14:29pm]

Congrats to Prince, but this is probably the worst "Best of" list I have ever seen. Crap like Kanye West in the top 5 but Public Enemy #55? Garbage Beyonce #19 but "Rhythm Nation" #54?? Timberlake and Clarkson even being ON this list??
NIN is too low, Hole is too low, where the heck is "In Utero" or "Sign o the times"?? The only thing I liked was they stuck that overrated crap "The Chronic" in the mid 60's...

Anxiety said:

well i'll take the post 80's material cause of the same reasons u mentioned ..i'm burned out of the 80's stuff

That is really impressive. It seems that as time passes, Prince's music is increasingly appreciated for the genius it is.

Purple Rain, although often discounted on these boards, is truly a masterpiece and recently back on top of my fav albums by P. Commercially successful albums are often poo-pooed bu the "purists" but damn, this album is just so solid.

I watched the 83, 1st Ave concert the other day and was blown away. I loved the fact that this was pre- mega fame, and the music was just so incredibly...unique for that time - and still holds up. Prince on stage was raw, dangerous, buff and hungry.

Congrats Prince. It has been a long time coming but your work is finally getting the love it deserves.

Like most of you, I was delighted to see this, and shocked that he didn't have other mentions.

But what really bugs me is that, since Thriller was out of the running, we don't get the satisfaction of seeing PR top it. Probably for the best, since what usually happens is that the man ends up being the runner-up.

EDIT: Also, I wonder what impact the Super Bowl performance had on this. I think it definitely helped with Rolling Stone's recent list of guitar songs (PR was #18, I think).
[Edited 6/25/08 13:15pm]

Nice to see Prince at #1, but I have to say, that is one peculiar list. Consider Radiohead - In Rainbows is inferior to both OK Computer and The Bends. Stankonia is not close to being Outkast's best album, and in my opinion, Amy Winehouse's debut Frank is much better than Back To Black.

i was just reading this. i'm so happy for him, and that amy winehouse made it. i love her despite all her issues. once she gets herself together, a collaboration between them would be amazing.

ChaosDisorder said:

I think the list must be viewed in the context of the source. Popularity amongst the masses probably factored in a little more heavily than if the list was created by music snobs.

That said, I think despite its incredible popularity in 84, Purple Rain is, on its own merits, the best album of that time.

2funkE said:

Without a doubt it was the best album of 84 and 85.

Entertainment Weekly got it right!

With no disrespect to EW, any true fan of Prince will tell you Sign "O" The Times is by far his best album and for EW not to even put it on the list is a shame. True, Purple Rain did do a lot for "pop culture" but musically Sign "O" The Times is far and away superior.

ldguerrero said:

I always knew that!

oldmanjohnson said:

the whole list is a mess..