TheVoid said:

Frankly my dear, no. But 'poutput' is genius, especially if it was a mistake.

Before you say "any age", let me explain myself.



When I was 12 years old, I heard Computer Blue for the first time. Although I had liked Prince mildly since 1999/Little Red Corvette less than 2 years before, I was not a 'fan'. This is due in large part because I had never actually heard the entire 1999 album, which I would have immediately become a fan based on DMSR and Lady Cab Driver alone.

I had also just recently heard Let's Go Crazy and When Doves Cry on the radio, and it was announced that Prince would be touring in my city. It's probably difficult for young fans to understand this, but for one hot minute in the 80's Prince was bigger than Michael Jackson. Purple Rain was his year, and the halo effect from MJ's Thriller album was wearing thing. People were looking for more mature subject matter introduced by Prince by way of explicit content and Bruce Springsteen by way of social commentary. Punk and Gen-x was giving way to post modern and college music. The underground 80's was in full swing (and we would see much of that blossom during the supposed 'alternative music' revolution of the early 90s).

There simply was NOTHING like the songs of Purple Rain on the radio at the time. In one hour I would hear at least 2 Prince songs and maybe another 2 or 3 songs from The Time and Appolonia 6. The radios were saturated with Prince. He was EVERYWHERE.

I saw Purple Rain that year, and just about fell out of my chair when Prince humped the stage while singing about masturbation, sex, etc. Remember, I was 12 years old at the time---I was fucking horning ALL. THE. TIME. I couldn't even get up to go pee without risking an obvious hardon pushing through my trousers. If it moved, I wanted to fuck it (thank goodness household pets are so hard to catch and pin down :shew: ).

I was then made privy to to 1999 and Controversy, his two previous albums, and I was blown away. It's hard for me to believe now, but I was mesmerized... even hypnotized by the spoken word solo at the end of Do Me Baby. Remember that? I feel s-s-s-s-s-s-s-so c..coc.cocl.ccooooold



So here's the conundrum. I'm not a new-world grownup. I don't believe that kids should be exposed to sexuality at very young ages before they understand the ramifications of such behavior (emotional, psychical, financial, etc.). Although I acknowledge '18' as an arbitrary distinction for adulthood and therefore maturity, I still subscribe to the notion that 18 year olds are the true starting point for adulthood. 12... not so much.

HOWEVER, it's not Warner Bros's responsibility to censor such music. It should be available. It's the parents and grownup's responsibility to moderate and observe what their children are listening to. Far more likely that the early Prince material is harmless to kids than some of the music out today that glamorizes all the wrong virtues in people (avarice, jealousy, violence, etc.).

But that being said, I don't a new fan, even a young new fan, should break away from the chronology of Prince's career.

Part of the reason why it's so important to do his 80's releases in a sequence is because he was obviously growing as a musician and song writer in the 80's. From his debut to Dirty Mind, you see a real heavy shift in the way he expresses himself. Also his style changes from derivative (and yes, his first two albums were derivative in my opinion of disco and funk) mimicry to wildly fresh (Dirty Mind), to insanely unique (Purple Rain) to absolute genius (SOTT). With each subsequent release he grows a little. The subject matter matures. The palette upon which he paints expands. To listen to his albums in a sequence is to experience this growth as a musician. To be a fan back in the 80's and eagerly await the lead single with the words inscribed on his cassette single "Music from the forthcoming album..." was a thrill I can hardly describe. It was an exciting time. And I think new fans should try and experience it that way.

The issue of course arises from the fact that the older material was ballsy and raw. He didn't censor himself due to any external influences (no cursing so as not to offend families) or religious reasons. If he thought about it, he wrote and sang about it, and it was up to you to either tune him out or to listen and blush. ERGO , I don't know what my stance is with underage or very young 'new fans'. On the one hand, I would recommend you listen to everything from Rave Un2 and after as it is all safe (for the most part), but on the other, you're missing out on what it really means to experience Prince the musician.


Today's Prince has said and done things which, if I was a new music listener, would have immediate caused me to not even bother picking up his music. So if you're a new fan who's been able to cut through that bullshit, congratulations in the name of the Purple and Gold.

Some folks are never old enough.

My kids both started at birth. They're 16 and 13 now. Of course, there are still some songs I won't let them hear.

RodeoSchro said:

Exactly. My 3-year old loves Prince. But I figure it'd be bad if he broke into a verse of "Head" in the middle of nursery school--or worse yet--Sexy MF. . .

If that happens, there goes my mother of the year award. Sigh.

Is anyone... I mean ANYONE actually reading the original post?


I understand that the vast majority of Prince's work is ok. I also understand that you can pick or choose what your child can listen to from his vast collection of music.


But my question was based on the premise that my personal belief is that to experience Prince you really should do so sequentially (at least for his 80's poutput) so you can see how he's changed and evolved. The sticky situation is that his early material primarily has the objectionable content which parents would discourage.

But isn't skipping songs like "sister" and "head" sort of diminishing the overall impact of the music? Wasn't experience those songs for the first time while we ourselves were growing up part of the allure and shock value of listening to prince?

For You: 12
Prince:16
Dirty Mind: 18
Controversy: 16
1999: 18
Purple Rain: 16
AtWIAD: 16
Parade: 12
Sign: 12
Black Album: 18
Lovesexy: 16
Grafittie Bridge: 16
Batman:12
1990-2000: 16
2001-2009: 70