In light of recent shocking events!, I took my car for a spin and put on my 'Old Funk' section on my pod consisting of 18 killer trax from the first 5 albums [For You - 1999]. Holy cow, if you need to drown your sorrows and relive the greatness then wack on some of these tracks, the hunger of the man just seeps through the speakers.
My top 3 are:

Lady cab driver - a mix of styles .....with purpose and creativity!
Head - stripped down and funky.
Lets work - has he actually played a bass line as funky as that since?

Has anyone noticed how the drumming drove the trax during this period?.

all of them there are a few bits on controversy that i don't care
for all that much but beyond that, i can put any of those records on
and listen to them all the way through and enjoy them start to finish
eventhough i must have heard them at least 300 times each.

funkyhead said:

Yes, that's one think I like about earlier drum work, it was simple beats yet very pronounced

I listen 2 the Beautiful Ones all the time, just a wave of sounds that take over you, and the drum work is the same from beginning 2 end, just seems to get louder, but if the drumming got 2 showey it would mess the song up. And it's like that on most of Prince songs then.

Lady Cab Driver, Let's Work, Soft n Wet Sexy Dancer Controversy I could go on

Side 2 of "Controversy" is his most underappreciated work from that 5 album era.

Hmmm.


1. When U were Mine
2. Sexy Dancer
3. I wanna B Ur Lover
4. Head
5. Dirty Mind
6. Controversy
7. Let's Work
8. Jack U Off
9. Little Red Corvette
10. Delirious



I like quite a few more (at least 10 or 15 more songs), but these are my top ten.

I don't like his first album, and I actually find his second album so-so, but think Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 start showing you a bit of his genius.


For me his 'fierce' golden era was 1999, Purple Rain, Parade, SOTT, and LoveSexy.

and The Gold Experience represented a minor resurgence of that genius.

Impossible,

For You to 1999: > all those albums / tracks are excellent!

StonedImmaculate said:

Fuck yeeeeeaaahhhhh.

Those 5 albums only

1. Do Me Baby
2. Uptown
3. Dirty Mind
3= Little Red Corvette
4. Sexy Dancer
5. I wanna be your lover
6. Lets Pretend were married
7. International Lover
8. In Love
9. Sexuality
10. Soft and wet

But I like nearly every song. Of the 5, 1999 is the best but only just ahead of Dirty Mind, which is also a classic.
[Edited 3/2/10 2:11am]

funkyhead said:

Lady Cab Driver, Irresistable Bitch, DMSR, 17 Days, Pop Life, If I Was Your Girlfriend, It's Gonna Be Beautiful Night, New Position, Anotherloverholenyohead, Partyman, etc. The man has made alot more bassline as funky as Let's Work. I think the real funky stuff was given away 2 artists like The Family, The Time, Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, Jill Jones, etc. Listen 2 cuts like Jerk Out, 777-9311, If A Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up), The Screams Of Passion, and G-Spot.
[Edited 3/2/10 13:28pm]

my favourite prince period:

1. Private Joy
2. When you were mine
3. soft and wet
4. head
5. sister
6. lady cab driver
7. Controversy
8. do me baby
9. Bambi
10. DMSR

I know there are a lot of ppl out there which can´t stop adoring Prince
for the work he did in the early 80s as if there is no other excellent
music from him in the 90s and 00s.

crazy you
i want to be your lover
why you want to treat me so bad
dirty mind
uptown
when you were mine
gotta stop messing around (b-side)
gotta broken heart again
controversy
do me baby
private joy
something in the water
little red corvet

sms130 said:

Screams of Passion, my favorite song from the Family!

This makes me want his first two albums even more.The Dirty Mind album is amazing.I think Uptown is my favourite.

God, I miss PRINCE!!!

1. Private Joy
2. 1999
3. Just As Long As We're Together
4. Still Waiting
5. It's Gonna Be Lonely
6. Annie Christian
7. I'm Yours
8. Automatic
9. Something In The Water
10.Controversy

Good Times!

All of them..but for me definitely stands out Let's Work! That bassline is killer!

funkyhead said:

Let's see - my absolute faves from each of the 5 albums

For You - In Love, Soft and Wet, Crazy You, My Love Is Forever, one more - can't remember the name of it.

Prince - Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad, I Wanna Be Your Lover, Sexy Dancer, With You, When We're Dancing Close and Slow, I Feel For You, It's Gonna Be Lonely

Dirty Mind - Dirty Mind, Uptown, Head, Let's Work, Gotta Broken Heart Again, When You We're Mine, Party Up

Controversy - Controversy, Sexuality, Do Me Baby

1999 - 1999, Little Red Corvette, Delirious, Let's Pretend We're Married, Somethin' In The Water (Does Not Compute), Automatic, Lady Cab Driver, International Lover

Pentapus said:

ahh, great choice in 4 & 5 , how did someone so young write and produce these 2 killer ballads. Always used to have these on repeat when i got the cassette!

favorite tracks from the first five albums...

"Private Joy"
"Head"
"PartyUp"
"Automatic"
"Still Waiting"
"Do It All Night"
"Something In The Water (Does Not Compute"
"D.M.S.R"

damn,I miss that era!!

Favourite tracks:

Crazy you
I wanna be r lover
Y u wanna treat me so bad
Dirty Mind
When u were mine
Uptown
got a broken heart again
Controversy
Do me baby
All the critics
International lover

Soft N Wet
Sexy Dancer
Eye Wanna B Ur Lover
PARTYUP!
Head
Do Me, Baby
Controversy
Sexuality *"Aowwwwah!"*
Let's Work
Lady Cab Driver
Little Red Corvette
Let's Pretend We're Married
Automatic
And a couple of Outtakes and B-sides I can't think of right now

funkyhead said:

Right there with ya dude!
Ill go on to add A-U-T-omatic and Something In the Water

TheVoid said:

African harp sounds beautiful,
gracefully to learn and integrate

TheVoid said:

That is my favorite Prince song of all time.

TheVoid said:

in your position I would be ashamed.

funkyhead said:

98% of the music before the Lovesexy album is just "brilliant" ...

Little Red Corvette
I Wanna Be Your Lover
Private Joy
Controversy
Let's Pretend Were Married
Lady Cab Driver
When Doves Cry
Do Me Baby
Let's Go Crazy
Head
I Would Die 4 U
Irresistible Bitch
Erotic City
She's Always In My Hair....my fingers are getting tired

Philly76 said:

Indeed! These folk really need to "change the record" - in many ways!

I mean, just how many of these patronising threads can one person start? "drown your sorrows, listen to 25 year old music, how good/different was he then?"? Look, most people here know EXACTLY what Prince was like back then! A fair majority of people here were there and listening to him way back when (and when the music had far more impact, because it was so ahead of its time). I doubt anyone needs reminding of this.

And, to compare how "hungry" a man is when he's just starting his career and in his early 20s to a man who has a 30-year career behind him and is in his early 50s is just plain dumb! How old are you? If you're middle-aged, how do you compare to yourself as a youngster? I'll bet far less favourably than Prince, that's for sure!

Its fine if you only enjoy his music from the 80s, but to repeatedly post threads suggesting we ignore the "travesties" of today and wallow in the past is oddly obsessive and quite pointless.

first ten to come to mind:

Wanna be yor lover is one of my ringtones
Delirious
Lets work
LRC
DMSR
Controversy
A U T O matic
Bambi
When you were mine
Dirty mind