Smillan said:

Good question??? Anyone!?

geo4you said:

I once read that Times Squared is a Prince album under Eric Leeds name, like a Madhouse album. Although in the actual booklet it lists the songs to different musicians.

I would include "Exodus, because at the time it was released IT WAS somehow the "new p album" for us fans.
During the WB war this was the only way for him to release any new stuff.
Same goes for "NPS"! He wrote all the songs, he's on lead vocals... Produced, Composed, Arranged, Performed by bla bla... So it's a real P album imho (although not his best for sure... )
[Edited 4/14/09 10:53am]

In my opinion, he's released 28 official studio albums. And don't include the greatest-hits packages, instrumentals, live albums or NPG releases.

1 For you 1978
2 Prince 1979
3 Dirty mind 1980
4 Controversy 1981
5 1999 - 1982
6 Purple rain 1984
7 Around the world in a day 1985
8 Parade, music from the motion picture Under the cherry moon 1986
9 Sign o’ the times (2 disc set) 1987
10 LoveSexy 1988
11 Batman original motion picture soundtrack 1989
12 Graffiti bridge 1990
13 Diamonds and pearls 1991
14 1992
15 Come 1994
16 The black album 1994
17 The Gold Experience 1995
18 Chaos and disorder 1996
19 Emancipation (3 disc set) 1996
20 Crystal ball / The truth (4 CD set) 1997
21 The vault: Old friends 4 sale 1999
22 Rave un2 the joy fantastic 1999
23 The rainbow children 2001
24 One nite alone... 2002
25 Musicology 2004
26 3121 2006
27 Planet Earth 2007
28 Lotusflow3r / MPLSound / Elixer (Bria Valente) (3 CD set) 2009.
[Edited 4/23/09 15:04pm]

Smillan said:

It's more or less that.

Prince, Eric, Sheila and Levi started 2 work on what was supposed 2 b a 3rd Madhouse album (after the original "24" had been recorded), then Prince told Eric "Just do what u want with that and finish it" because he was busy with other things. Eric reworked the recordings and when it was finished he had Prince listen 2 it and Prince said "it doesn't sound like Madhouse at all" and Eric said "no it doesn't" and he thought it was over with it and that it would just end up in the vault. Then Prince spontaneously said "ok, we're gonna release it under ur own name" and that was it.

So "Times Squared" is more of a collaboration between Prince and Eric than "just" a Prince album, but it should be considered part of Prince's discography.

geo4you said:

No because Eric had the lead vocals

Uneducated people think that who sings decides whose album an album is, don't u know?

madcapxtc said:

Look at you just making your own set of rules! So, by your logic, should we also count the albums by The Time, The Family, Shelia E, and Vanity 6 as part of his discography as well?

TwiliteKid said:

Of couse we should (at least the 3 first Time albums and the first 2 Sheila albums when it comes 2 these two side-projects).

When a guy records 95% of an album, it should b included in his discography: it's definitely part of his work.
A few Teena Marie, the Stone City Band and the Mary Jane Girls albums are definitely part of Rick James' discography, the same way Vanessa Paradis' album with Lenny Kravitz is in every way a Kravitz album, etc.

Eric Leeds himself said that he consider "The Family" a Prince solo albums as much as "Parade". No matter who sings, it's who generated the concept, composed, arranged & recorded what's on the record that matters.

.
[Edited 4/29/09 17:38pm]

madcapxtc said:

I understand what you're saying, but I still don't agree. Prince may have been the mastermind, but fact that these albums aren't credited to Prince says it all. Prince is very careful about what he releases under his name. If he didn't see fit to credit himself on an album, why should we?

This gives me a headache.

TwiliteKid said:

And there we have it.

The CORRECT way to list albums in discographies etc. is the way they're
credited. Which is also the way the artist intended. Prince made it very clear
who an album is credited to on the respective covers. He also confirmed
this by the way he listed them on his OWN websites.

So the right way of listing Prince's discography is to stick to FACTS and
not start entering the muddy world of "opinion". So to correctly list
Prince's releases, you should ONLY include the albums that are actually
credited to him.

Simple really.


...And to pre-empt the usual complaint of "well, I think you should include
Newpower Soul cuz it's really a Prince album and he sings on it"... NO, we
shouldn't. Prince himself doesn't consider it a "Prince" album and it's NOT
credited to "Prince" or "", therefore it doesn't belong in his discography.
It belongs in the "New Power Generation" discography. Just like the
Madhouse albums belong in the Madhouse discography and The Time
albums belong in The Time discography. It's as easy as that! No 'maybe's
no 'opinions'... just FACTS. It doesn't matter who played on it, or that
Prince practically recorded the whole thing himself... We know that. Prince
knows that. It still doesn't change the fact that it's NOT credited to 'Prince'.

BorisFishpaw said:

I c ur point Boris & that's y i've always agreed that "Newpower Soul" should not b included in the "Prince" albums.

Now a comprehensive discography of one artist isn't complete imo if u won't include "side-projects" (& Prince isn't the only one 2 have had "side-projects": 4 exemple Bill Laswell's discography would b a weird one if u only included the "Bill Laswell" albums, which r maybe what? 10% of his discography?)

Now what do we do with the fact that Prince owns even the master 2 "GCS2000" even though he didn't write the songs? Or about the fact that even Jill Jones isn't allowed 2 post a video of "Mia Bocca" on her own Myspace page? Prince clearly considers his side-projects 2 b "his", not the credited artist's own music.

So there actually should b TWO discographies: one with just the "Prince " and "O+(>" albums in order 2 stick 2 the "offical" aspect and one which would include the side-projects.because they're just necessary 2 apprehend Prince's work as a whole.

.
[Edited 4/30/09 1:55am]

SCORPI09 said:

[Edited 4/30/09 1:56am]
[Edited 4/30/09 1:57am]

madcapxtc said:

That, I totally agree with.

You don't see the whole picture if you don't look at 'both' discographies.
The core "Prince / " discography AND the side project albums credited
to other artists or collectives. Often (especially in the 80's) Prince would
pretty much conceive, record, arrange and produce a side project himself.
To the extent that the credited artist did little more than come in and sing
the lead vocals (usually mimicking closely the guide vocal Prince had
already laid down).

IMO he has 51 studio albums


1. For You
2. Prince
3. Dirty Mind
4. Controversy
5. The Time
6. 1999
7. What Time is it?
8. Vanity 6
9. Purple Rain
10. Ice Cream Castle
11. The Glamorous Life
12. Apollonia 6
13. Around the World in a Day
14. The Family
15. Romance 1600
16. Parade
17. Sign o the Times
18. Jill Jones
19. 8
20. 16
21. The Black Album
22. Lovesexy
23. Batman
24. Graffiti Bridge
25. Diamonds and Pearls
26.
27. Come
28. The Gold Experience
29. Exodus
30. Child of the Sun
31. Emancipation
32. Chaos and Disorder
33. Crystal Ball
34. The Truth
35. Kamasutra
36. New Power Soul
37. The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale
38. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic
39. The Rainbow Children
40. One Night Alone
41. Xpectation
42. C-Note
43. N.E.W.S.
44. The Chocolate Invasion
45. The Slaughter House
46. Musicology
47. 3121
48. Planet Earth
49. Elixer
50. Lotus Flow3r
51. Mplsound

P2daP said:

If u put The Black Album in 1994, u should put The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale in 1996.

U might also want 2 add "Time Waits For No One", "Times Squared", "The Undertaker", "Come 2 My House" & possibly "GCS2000" 2 ur list.
[Edited 4/30/09 5:02am]