So, it's coming up on March, and here in America, we have a little thing called March Madness. 65 college basketball teams get it on in a knockout tournament and decide who's the best. But first, the teams have to be selected by an elite committee.

What I'm proposing here is a March Madness of our own for the online Prince fan community. And y'all get to be the elite selection committee. This is going out to three different Facebook groups, one on MySpace, and also the discussion board at prince.org.

When you ask how we do this, I would say it was simple...but I'd be kinda lying. It might take some thought and deliberation, but here goes.

What you need to do is choose your favorite songs (at least one, preferably, and no more than three) from each proper Prince album. And by proper, I mean mass-released in America. Take these three songs and rank them in order. Obviously, if you only chose one, it should be your absolute favorite from that album. At the end, you can choose 10 other "wildcard" songs that merit consideration.

1st-place songs get 5 points, 2nd gets 3, 3rd gets 2, and wildcards get 1. Top 64 (or so...we may have more if there are ties) songs go right into a knockout bracket to go head-to-head, so for example, you might have to vote for your favorite between "U Got the Look" and "Let's Go Crazy." The song which wins 6 head-to-head battles will prevail as the champion.

For easiest use, copy and paste the list of albums below into Notepad so you can consult later if you need to. As an example, I'll post my ballot next, and mine took over an hour to compile.



Now, if you've never heard, say, Crystal Ball, for example, there's no need to rank tracks from it, just go with what you know. But more tracks getting votes gives us a broader range for discussion. Please vote for each track only once...for example, no picking a track from The Hits AND from its original album or choosing "When 2 R In Love" from both Black Album and Lovesexy. Again, if you can't choose 3 tracks that deserve to run in this kind of elite company, that's fine as well.

Comps like "The Vault" and "The Hits/The B-Sides" are here because they contain material that many may not have had access to before. "The Very Best" and "Ultimate" have little more than previously released tracks and remixes. "The Hits" votes are pretty much open to just Disc 3 and the four unreleased tracks on the first 2 discs (Nothing Compares 2 U, Pink Cashmere, Peach, and Pope).

Hope you're willing to help me discuss and celebrate the wildly diverse work of a legendary artist, while also getting a chance to campaign for some favorite tracks that sometimes don't get the publicity you feel they should. Once you start looking back at the catalog in question, I think you'll find this quite a fun little endeavor. I know I did. Thanks to all...and "May U live 2 see the Dawn."

My ballot, given as an example:

I love this kind of threads. I'll give it a go now!

Thanks for putting so much work into this.

I decided to count them, and there are 28 albums...
Prince has made an album every year I have been alive

but I haven't heard all the albums so I don't know if I should rank the ones I have heard

For You
- Soft and Wet
- I'm Yours
Prince
-Bambi
-I Wanna Be Your Lover
-Sexy Dancer
Dirty Mind
-Sister
-Head
-Partyup
Controversy
- Let's Work
- Controversy
- Do me Baby
1999
-All the critics love you in New York
-DMSR
-Little red Corvette
Purple Rain
-I Would Die 4 U
-The Beautiful ones
-When Doves Cry
Around the World in a Day
-America
-Around the World in a Day
-Tambourine
Parade
-Mountains
-Anotherloverholeinyohead
-Girls and Boys
Sign o' the Times
-Forever in my Life
-The Cross (not The Christ)
-U Got the Look
The Black Album
-Bob George
-Cindy C.
-Le Grind
Lovesexy
-Positivity
-I No
-Anna Stesia
Batman
-Lemon Crush
-Trust
-Partyman
Graffiti Bridge
-Thieves in the Temple
-Joy in repetition
-Graffiti Bridge
Diamonds and Pearls
-Diamonds & Pearl
-Gett Off
-Willing and Able
O-+->
-My Name is Prince
-Sexy MF
-The Morning Papers
The Hits/The B-Sides
-200 Balloons
-I Love U in Me
-Shockadelica
Come
-Letitgo
-Come
The Gold Experience
-Endorphinmachine
-Shhhhh
-Dolphin
Chaos and Disorder
-I rock Therefore I am
-Zannalee
-Had U
Emancipation
-Jam of the year
Crystal Ball
-Cloreen bacon Skin
-What's my name?
-Dream Factory
New Power Soul

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale
-Old Friends 4 Sale
-Sarah
-Extraordinary
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
-Undisputed
-Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
-So Far So Pleased
The Rainbow Children
-1+1+1 is 3
-The everlasting now
-The Works
Musicology
-Illusion, Coma, Pimp and Circumstance
-The marrying Kind
-Musicology
3121
-Love
-3121
-Black Sweat
Planet Earth
-Chelsea Rodgers
-Planet Earth
-The one U Wanna See

fun! I'm on it.

Wheres

News
One night alone ?

mplsmike said:

Or especially The Truth. I think that one should be included since it was released in stores.

NEWS would be a little boring to pick 3 out of the 4 songs though.

I'm working on mine, but this is tough!

What I'm finding is that I've been a fan for so long, that it's hard to be objective about lists like these.

I know so many extended, outtake, rehearsal and live versions that sometimes the merit of the original recording is somewhat lost to me now.

And some of the more played out, familiar hits that are obviously some of his greatest songs for a reason, I've come to love the longer versions from the 12" singles SO much more than their album counterparts, that it's hard to include them in my list. So things like "Little Red Corvette", "Let's Go Crazy", "Erotic City", "Raspberry Beret", "Kiss", "Anotherloverholenyohead", "U Got The Look", and most of the b-sides get overlooked in favor of more obsure album tracks that still have some teeth and mystery to them.

What can I say? I'm a Prince snob and I find something like this almost impossible to be fair about.

"Life Can Be So Nice" might just make my list and I ain't apologizing for it!

TRON said:

Yeah, that's why NEWS is off the list. And I never had any idea that The Truth was released in stores. I was just including it in with Crystal Ball. Everyone can make a separate entry for The Truth if they like, since that album was also quite good.

One Night Alone is primarily a compilation of stuff from other albums, and I only saw three songs that I hadn't seen on other albums. So, no, there's not really a case to include it.

I do have to agree with you, though, TRON, some remixes do improve on the original (a couple on the Beautiful Experience leap to mind)...but in my experience, those have been the ones that change the lyrics and essentially make it a different song. The one that leaps to mind there is one of the mixes from the Good Life maxi-single. The Big City Mix, I think it was called, the one where Prince is rapping lines like "keep my dollars fuckin' and hope they have a son."

And finally...who the hell would demand an apology for "Life Can Be So Nice"? That song rocked, but unfortunately for it, so did most of the rest of Parade!

jstarr99 said:

I think they were referring to maybe the studio album given away with the box set to club members. But it was never available in stores.

k, here goes. It's been quite awhile since I've listened to most of this - probably a couple years. So these are some older impressions of his music. I might feel differently if I was listening to it all now, which I will be soon with his new albums coming out. I'm extremely non-committal when it comes to lists, so this is as close as it gets for me.

For You
1. In Love
2. Just As Long As We're Together
3. Soft & Wet

Prince
1. When We're Dancing Close and Slow
2. Bambi
3. Sexy Dancer
(and I love all the hits! I just love these more)

Dirty Mind
1. When You Were Mine
2. Dirty Mind
3. Partyup

Controversy
1. Private Joy
2. Controversy
3. Sexuality

1999
1. All The Critics Love U In New York
2. Automatic
3. Lady Cab Driver
(I love the dark shit)

Purple Rain
1. The Beautiful Ones
2. Purple Rain
3. Computer Blue

Around the World in a Day
1. Paisley Park
2. Condition of the Heart
3. Pop Life

Parade
1. Mountains
2. Sometimes It Snows In April
3. Life Can Be So Nice (NYAH!)

Sign o' the Times
1. If I Was Your Girlfriend
2. I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man
3. The Cross

The Black Album
1. Le Grind
2. Rockhard in a Funky Place
3. Cindy C.

Lovesexy
1. I Wish U Heaven
2. Lovesexy
3. Alphabet St.

Batman
1. The Future
2. Vicki Waiting
3. Electric Chair

Graffiti Bridge
1. Joy In Repetition
2. The Question of U
3. Elephants & Flowers

Diamonds and Pearls
1. Gett Off
2. Willing and Able
3. Insatiable

O-+->
1. Love 2 the 9's
2. 7
3. And God Created Woman

The Hits/The B-Sides
1. 17 Days
2. Power Fantastic
3. Pink Cashmere
(all close to top 10 Prince faves)

Come
1. Space
2. Papa
3. Come

The Gold Experience
1. Dolphin
2. P Control
3. Billy Jack Bitch

Chaos and Disorder
1. Into The Light
2. Dinner with Delores
3. I Will

Emancipation
1. The Love We Make
2. Dreamin' About U
3. Sleep Around

Crystal Ball
1. Crucial
2. Sexual Suicide
3. Dream Factory

The Truth
1. Welcome 2 the Dawn
2. Don't Play Me
3. Comeback

New Power Soul
1. Come On
2. Wasted Kisses
3. The One

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale
1. When The Lights Go Down
2. Old Friends 4 Sale
3. Extraordinary

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
1. Tangerine (yeah, I know!)
2. Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
3. I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore

The Rainbow Children
1. Last December
2. Everlasting Now
3. Digital Garden

Musicology
1. Reflection
2. Musicology
3. Cinnamon Girl

3121
1. The Dance
2. The Word
3. 3121

Planet Earth
1. The One U Wanna C
2. Somewhere Here On Earth
3. Lion of Judah

Wild Card: This is the toughest part yet.

Eye No
Play in the Sunshine
Forever in my Life
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
Crystal Ball
Sexy MF
New Position
Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)
D.M.S.R.
When Doves Cry

I think!

This was what, close to 100 Prince songs I chose?

It's a fun competition. But if I were to compile a list of my favorite released recorded Prince moments, nearly half of them would come from the extended 12" single A and B-Sides from the 80's and early 90's. I really miss including stuff like that on the list and the short album versions of songs like "Erotic City", "Little Red Corvette" and "I Would Die 4 U" just don't cut it when I'm used to the extra awesome long mixes.

Dave1992 said:

Well my site has been online all day even while I was at work. How about I forgot to get out of it. Huh. Oppss

imrickjamesbitch said:

I have not gotten to those on the list I was wanting to work with what I have been studying and trying too really listen to in order for me to play catch up with your music backwards and in spurts. Here is my report for now: Betcha by Golly Wow; I really like this one it really brought you out in the video. It was very professionally designed and created it was talented. It was not your normal type of musical, but it was very GOOD. I Love It. Lisa

The Holy River was very good also I thought maybe you should use it within a movie. I thought that it was very professionally designed and it had many kinds of scenic views within it. I see that you are working on your voice a lot more than what you did too in the past of your other records rock and roll man. I was really excited to hear your voice come out more clearly than ever. It is very beautiful then Prince. You should not be shy to come out with many different kinds of musical styles. I think that would put more value into your music through the use of variety although, my words do not really mean a thing any ways though. I am just a fan then. Love it Lisa.

Somebody’s; which was very professional also Prince you should come out with more jazz, mellow along with rock rap have you ever heard of that then. It would be a good deal to mix it up known as your style and different kinds of music, is that not a good deal. It was something that I had to play catch up on. I have not been on your site for a very long time since college and all kinds of things that had occurred within my life imagine that. I missed you though, but I wished that I was with you from the beginning of the new style Prince then, which is VERY CREATIVE with my emotions to interpretative them along with my own school studies that I have been within to help me be that critic and my own passionate type of writing skills in order to be up with my own personal reviews of the musicals Love Lisa whom use to Antonette who was just like you SHY all Up expressively Way UP.

For You
--Crazy You
--I'm Yours
--My Love Is Forever

Prince
--I Wanna Be Your Lover
--It's Gonna Be Lonely
--Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?

Dirty Mind
--When You Were Mine
--Uptown
--Head

Controversy
--Do Me, Baby
--Controversy
--Annie Christian

1999
--Let's Pretend We're Married
--Little Red Corvette
--1999

Purple Rain
--I Would Die 4 U
--Purple Rain
--The Beautiful Ones

Around the World in a Day
--Pop Life
--Around The World In A Day
--Condition Of The Heart

Parade
--Sometimes It Snows In April
--Anotherloverholenyohead
--Mountains

Sign 'o' the Times
--If I Was Your Girlfriend
--Forever In My Life
--The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker

The Black Album
--Superfunkycalifragisexy
--Le Grind
--When 2 R In Love

Lovesexy
--I Wish U Heaven
--Glam Slam
--Eye No

Batman
--Scandalous
--Electric Chair
--The Future

Graffiti Bridge
--Joy In Repetition
--Elephants & Flowers
--Love Machine

Diamonds and Pearls
--Money Don't Matter 2Night
--Insatiable
--Diamonds And Pearls

O-+->
--My Name is Prince
--7
--Damn U

The Hits/The B-Sides
--She's Always In My Hair
--I Love U In Me
--17 Days

Come
--Papa
--Come
--Loose!

The Gold Experience
--I Hate U
--Shhh
--Endorphinmachine

Chaos and Disorder
--Chaos And Disorder
--The Same December
--I Like It There

Emancipation
--Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife
--I Can't Make U Love Me
--In This Bed I Scream

Crystal Ball
--Days of Wild
--Last Heart
--Dream Factory

New Power Soul
--The One
--Wasted Kisses
--Come On

The Vault
--Old Friends 4 Sale
--5 Women
--She Spoke 2 Me

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
--The Greatest Romance Ever Sold
--Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic
--I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore

The Rainbow Children
--Family Name
--She Loves Me 4 Me
--Last December

Musicology
--Call My Name
--If I Was The Man In Ur Life
--Musicology

3121
--The Dance
--3121
--Love

Planet Earth
--Guitar
--Planet Earth
--Future Baby Mama

Plus 10 "wildcard" songs
--P Control (The Gold Experience)
--The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (The Gold Experience)
--Hide The Bone (Crystal Ball)
--What's My Name (Crystal Ball)
--Partyup (Dirty Mind)
--One Kiss At A Time (Emancipation)
--White Mansion (Emancipation)
--Slow Love (Sign O' The Times)
--Something In The Water (Does Not Compute) [1999]
--Shy (The Gold Experience)

That was so damn hard! Especially with albums like Emancipation and Crystal Ball, because there are just so many songs to chose from...

Still I enjoyed doing it. Hopefully we'll have some more results!

An update:

Already, we have 67 songs that would make the cut, out of 216 that have already gotten votes.

Prince, Purple Rain, Chaos and Disorder, and Lovesexy have all drawn votes for all but one song each (With You, Darling Nikki, Right the Wrong, and Dance On, respectively, are the ones with no votes yet).

The big sets, Emancipation and Crystal Ball, are splitting their votes pretty fine, as each has had 12 different songs draw votes, but only 1 of those 24 would currently be in the tourney field, that being Days of Wild.

And, following TRON's example, I'll add in my votes for The Truth:



Glad to see some more votes, I was starting to get nervous. I'll keep taking votes until the first weekend of March, so no big hurry...plenty of time to think about these difficult choices.

For You
1. Just As Long As We're Together
2. In Love
3. Soft & Wet

Prince
1. Bambi
2. Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?
3. It's Gonna Be Lonely

Dirty Mind
1. Uptown
2. Head
3. Dirty Mind

Controversy
1. Controversy
2. Private Joy
3. Do Me, Baby

1999
1. Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)
2. 1999
3. All the Critics Love U in New York

Purple Rain
1. Computer Blue
2. Let's Go Crazy
3. The Beautiful Ones

Around the World in a Day
1. America
2. Raspberry Beret
3. Paisley Park

Parade
1. Mountains
2. Girls and Boys
3. Anotherloverholenyohead

Sign o' the Times
1. The Cross
2. Sign o' the Times
3. Starfish and Coffee

The Black Album
1. Le Grind
2. Rockhard in a Funky Place
3. Cindy C.

Lovesexy
1. Anna Stesia
2. Positivity
3. I Wish U Heaven

Batman
1. Trust
2. The Future
3. Batdance

Graffiti Bridge
1. The Question of U
2. Still Would Stand All Time
3. We Can Funk

Diamonds and Pearls
1. Cream
2. Live 4 Love
3. Willing and Able

O-+->
1. 3 Chains o' Gold
2. Love 2 the 9's
3. And God Created Woman

The Hits/The B-Sides
1. Peach
2. Hello
3. She's Always in My Hair

Come
1. Papa
2. Race
3. Come

The Gold Experience
1. Now
2. 319
3. Billy Jack Bitch

Chaos and Disorder
1. Chaos and Disorder
2. Dinner with Delores
3. Zannalee

Emancipation
1. Emale
2. The Love We Make
3. The Human Body

Crystal Ball
1. Crystal Ball
2. Calhoun Square
3. Movie Star

The Truth
1. Don't Play Me
2. The Truth
3. Comeback

New Power Soul
1. The One
2. Wasted Kisses
3. Come On

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale
1. She Spoke 2 Me
2. Old Friends 4 Sale
3. There Is Lonely

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
1. Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
2. Tangerine
3. So Far, So Pleased

The Rainbow Children
1. Last December
2. Everlasting Now
3. 1 + 1 + 1 is 3

One Nite Alone
1. One Nite Alone
2. Have a Heart
3. Pearls B4 the Swine

Musicology
1. A Million Days
2. Musicology
3. Cinnamon Girl

3121
1. 3121
2. Love
3. Fury

Planet Earth
1. Lion of Judah
2. Planet Earth
3. The One U Wanna C

Wild Card:

Moonbeam Levels
Loveleft, Loveright
Neon Telephone
Chocolate
Lisa
Power Fantastic
Automatic
Delirious
Strange Relationship
Empty Room

This is a cool idea. I don't know if I'll participate but it's very interesting.

purplecam said:

Come on, Cam, give it a go!

Dave1992 said:

It's so time consuming but I might do something.

purplecam said:

More time consuming than spending all day on the org anyway?

Moonbeam said:

I love you!

But I didn't think we could include outtakes in our wild card list or else mine would've been much different, probably.

TRON said:

Oh well. Those are my wild cards, damn it!

Tix?

Moonbeam said:

rebel!

Moonbeam said:[quote]For You
1. In Love
2. Im Yours
3. Soft & Wet

Prince
1. Sexy Dancer
2. I wanna be your lover
3. Bambi

Dirty Mind
1. Uptown
2. Sister
3. Do it all night

Controversy
1. Do Me Baby
2. Private Joy
3. Lets work

1999
1. DMSR
2. Lets Pretend we're married
3. Automatic

Purple Rain
1. The Beautiful ones
2. When Doves Cry
3. Baby Im a star

Around the World in a Day
1. Pop Life
2. Raspberry Beret
3. Condition of the Heart

Parade
1. Mountains
2. Girls and Boys
3. Anotherloverholenyohead

Sign o' the Times
1. Forever in my life
2. adore
3. It

The Black Album
1. When 2r in Love
2. superfunkicalifragisexy
3. Cindy C.

Lovesexy
1. Anna Stesia
2. Glam Slam
3. Eye know

Batman
1. Partyman
2. Electric Chair
3. Batdance

Graffiti Bridge
1. Still Would Stand All Time
2. Round and Round
3. The Question of u

Diamonds and Pearls
1. Cream
2. Thunder
3. Diamonds and Pearls

O-+->
1. Seven
2. Sexy Motherfucker
3. The Continental

The Hits/The B-Sides
1. 17 Days
2. Erotic City
3. Power Fantastic

Come
1. Dark
2. Space
3. Letitgo

The Gold Experience
1. Gold
2. Dolphin
3. Billy Jack Bitch

Chaos and Disorder
None are good enough to elicit ranking

Emancipation
1. One of us
2. The Holy River
3. I cant make u love me


New Power Soul
1. The One
2. Wasted Kisses
3. Eye like funky music


Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
1. Every day is a winding Road
2. So far so pleased
3. Hot with u

The Rainbow Children
Not good enough to be ranked


Musicology
1. Illusion Coma pimp and circumstance
2. The Marrying Kind
3. If I was the man in yo life

3121
1. The Dance
2. Love
3. Black Sweat

Planet Earth
1. Lion of Judah
2. Chelsea Rodgers
3. The One U Wanna C

Wild Card:

Dirty Mind
Controversy
Sexuality
Free
Kiss
Housequake
Sign o the Times
Pheromone
Lolita
Rocksteady (Indigo Nights)

Thanks to Moonbeam, whose template I borrowed to eliminate hours of typing

Also absolute 5 favourites

1. When 2 R in Love (Erotic soft porn perfection)
2. Adore (Greatest ever example of soul and funk)
3. Dark (The smoothest and catchiest R and B ballad made by Prince, superb horns also help this song, along with the bonus it came out in the middle of his most self indulgent and troubled period)
4. Do Me Baby (Erotic majesty where the voice just tears off the clothes, clever, sexy, dirty funky)
5. Annastesia (Deepest, most poetic and possibly gayest song ever made)
[Edited 2/26/09 15:57pm]

Another update (and shameless bump):

250 jams have gotten votes, and right now, 69 would make the cut. The cut currently stands at 10 points.

Our surprising #1's so far: Mountains, Le Grind, Controversy, and The Beautiful Ones.

Surprising ones that are currently missing the cut: Diamonds and Pearls, When 2 R In Love, Purple Rain, Dirty Mind, Little Red Corvette, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, 1999, She's Always In My Hair, When Doves Cry, Erotic City, Sign 'o' the Times, Thieves in the Temple, I Feel For You, Let's Go Crazy, Kiss, and The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. If this bothers you, I guess you'll just have to vote, eh?

1999 now has all but one track drawing votes, that being International Lover. Batman has votes for all except The Arms of Orion. Sign 'o' the Times has votes for all but It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night and Hot Thing. The only track off The Gold Experience with no votes is We March. So maybe the system is weighted more toward the best tracks on weak albums, but the only way to "right the wrong," as the song says, is to vote. Still a week left.

jstarr99 said:

Its Ironic a lot of those songs missing the cut, are ones I voted for, I agree lets all make When 2 R in Love the grand winner!!!!