I first became aware of Prince in 1984 (as I'm sure everyone was at that point) at the age of 8. But the lack of money and parental restrictions prevented me from pursuing my interest in him any further. Years went by and by the time Sign "O" the Times came out, I could barely stand myself. In 1989 I started copying his stuff from my best friend. He had a job and parents who didn't care what he listened to. And then the following summer I started collecting full-time. So my question for you is, when did you become an "up to date fan"? When was it that you had all of his back catelogue up to the current release at the time? And if you can remember the order you purchased each album in, that's even better. Here's my story.

1 - Lovesexy (hid this one to keep my mom from finding it)
2 - Batman (played the shit out of this since it was the only one I could risk being found by my parents)
3 - Graffiti Bridge (my friend found out that I was trying to win this from a Detroit radio station before it was released. He beat me to it and won that damn cd. I had to wait for it in stores.)
4 - 1999
5 - Purple Rain
6 - Around the World in a Day (purchased 4, 5 and 6 on the same day)
7 - The Black Album (went to my first record show at age 14. saw my first bootleg. was forever changed.)
8 - Sign "O" the Times (at this point my parents knew I was buying his music to some degree. I told them I had been saving and waiting to buy this forever. At that time, $25 was a big deal. They proceeded to tell me I didn't know the meaning of waiting or saving.)
9 - Controversy
10 - Dirty Mind (bought these the same day. 2 more I had to hide for sure.)
11 - Parade (don't know why I waited so long to get this one)
12 - Prince (was apprehensive about the 70's stuff. It just seemed so 'old'.)
13 - For You (never wanted this but got it for completist reasons)
14 - Diamonds and Pearls (snuck out during school lunch to the local Harmony House to pick this up. just stared at it the rest of the day at school and showed it off to all the girls.)

At this point, I was an "up to date" fan.
[This message was edited Tue Jan 21 7:24:45 PST 2003 by TRON]

i gtg 2 bed . .. will post mine 2nite U.S. time

What was the reason that ur parents did not wanted u to lisent 2 prince?
Here s my list.

1. 1999 ( i got it in 1982)
2. Purple rain (1984)
3. atwiad(85)
4. Controversy
5. dirty mind.
6. prince (4 5&6 in 85)
7. Parade
8. for you (7&8 86)
9. Sott (87)
10 Lovesexy (88)

Well...any other cd after that i bought when it was released...
My father liked prince:) My mother did not like the dirty mind cover, she said it was nasty.(Big Vinyl lp cover) I have 2 agree with her, it is nasty LOL But a great Album.

Janeau, in answer to your question, my mom became a born again Christian in the early 80s and she felt that Prince music was immoral and wrong. She's loosened up since then and counts him as one of her favorites.

My first Prince item was Purple Rain, played it until the scratches on the record sounded like rain itself...

Skipped ATWIAD (STUPID!) cuz my sister told me it was horrid. I looked up to my sis, she was the Queen Of Cool.

Then heard Kiss, loved it, bought the album and then bought the 12" cuz I found out it had a b-side not included on the album, then proceeded to buy all the 12"s from ATWIAD album, cuz they were in the sale, cuz they kinda flopped in Holland.
Then I had to have it all...
Got my first boot in early 1988; all the outtakes from Sign O The TImes and then got the first live tape; the aftershow at Camden Palace.

I bought, in order:

1. Around The World In A Day
2. SOTT
3. Lovesexy
4. Dirty Mind
5. Controversy
6. Black Album (bootleg)
7. Batman
8. Grafitti Bridge
9. For You
10. Diamonds & Pearls
11. Symbol
12. The Hits/The B-Sides
13. Prince
14. Come
15. The Gold Experience
16. Emancipation
17. Crystal Ball
18. 1999

I then entered the "Dark Period"...
19. Chaos & Disorder
20. New Power Soul
21. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic

...then came out the other side, into a much brighter era:
22. The Rainbow Children
23. One Nite Alone
24. ONA Live
25. Xpectation

I still don't own Purple Rain or Parade...:O

gooeythehamster said:

When did you finally have all of the studio albums up to date?

wellbeyond said:

How come?

When did you start collecting his stuff? How old were you?

TRON said:

Between Parade and SOTT.
It was an addiction.
Had to have it.

1987-1990 of course being a horrid time for a collector; so many tours, so many satelite acts. So many involvements.
If it had the name PRINCE on it, had to have it.

That stopped after 1991, realising I never played any of it.

gooeythehamster said:

You were about the same age as me when you started buying everything.

Do you still buy all of his studio albums?

TRON said:

1) My roommate bought "Purple Rain" when it came out, and I made a cassette copy of it and played it nonstop on my Walkman...I just always relied on the copied cassette version for years, until I lost the cassette...by that time, I had Purple Rain engrained in my mind so deeply, I didn't really feel the need to buy it, I guess..lol...now, I'm kinda waitin' around to see if hopefully a remastered version comes out before I buy it...As for Parade, same thing except I didn't like Parade nearly as much, so losing the cassette didn't cause me to wanna buy the album right away...keep tellin' myself that I should, but haven't bothered to yet...

2) I think I bought ATWIAD when I was...21 or 22??...

TRON said:

I do, against better judgement. His voice is still awsome, one of the best in the world.

Every album has one or two songs included that rock my world. (The One, Pretty Man, Let's Have A Baby, PoomPoom, One Nite Alone) but it's not the front to back quality criterium I use on other artist's releases.

His music is kind of okay. He does not surprise me as much as he used to. Even though TRC was quite a shock! In a negative way.

Me not having a computer kept me from participating in NPGmc Year One.

I borrowed 1999 from a friend in 1983, when I was 14 and was instantly hooked after hearing the lyrics to Let's Pretend We're Married. Rarely did you hear the F-word on record in those days, so it was kinda rebellious to listen to it at home. I'm sure my parents would have taken it away from me if they'd have heard it !

I bought Purple Rain on day of release in the UK, because When Doves Cry wss already a massive hit. I became aware of his back catelogue when I bought Around The World. It came with a purple flyer with pics of the album sleeves and track listings. I remember thinking, "The funky lil' man has other albums !! Up till then, I thought 1999 was his first. After buying up the old ones starting with Dirty Mind, then Controversy, For You then Prince, I have bought all the others in order.

I remember paying about 9 quid for "For You" as it was only available on import in the UK at the time. that was a lot of dough is 1986. I still have the LP in mint condition with the import labels stuck on it. Oh happy days !

My dad bought me for a present the lovesexy tape back in 88. As I was a kid then i didn't like it and i erased it. (i think I recorded some Rick Astley on it LOL). I really became a fan in 1991 after listening Gett Off. I was 14 or 15 then.I'm not sure about the order i purchased the cds but here it comes:
1.Diamonds And Pearls
2.Symbol
3.Graffiti Bridge
4.Hits/B-sides
5.Around The World In A Day
6.Come
7.Lovesexy
8.Purple Rain
9.Black Album (I managed to lose that one)
10.Gold Experience
11.Emancipation
12.Vault
13.Crystal Ball
14.Parade
15.Rave un2 the joy fantastic
16.Rainbow Children
17.Exodus
18.New Power Soul
19.Chaoz And Disorder
20.Sign O The Times
21.One Nite Alone (I downloaded that one)
22.One Nite Alone Live

...and I'm still bying LOL
So far my absolute fave album well most of them (all the 80s albums,Symbol, Come, Gold Experience, Vault, Rainbow Children are faultless.So is the compilation and the live album). I don't like very much "Chaoz And Disorder" and "Exodus" though

Scary, I was just thinking about this after an earlier post. My history goes like this:

Around The World In A Day (vinyl)-June or July of 85
Around The world In A Day (cassette)-Xmas of 85
Purple Rain-Xmas of 85
Prince-Xmas of 85
1999-12-31-85
Controversey-1986
Dirty Mind-1986
Parade-1986
For You-July of 1986

Everything else went in order from there. The first cd I ever bought was The Hits/B-Sides. I had the cd before I even had a cd player!

I've been buying every album since the day they came out since 1985. The cool part was being in different cities for almost every release, which I can remember to this very day:

Parade: Orlando 86
SOTT: Mpls 87
Lovesexy: Mpls 88
Black Album: NYC 88
Batman: Albany 89
Graffiti Bridge: NYC 90
Diamonds & Pearls: Albany 91
O+> : Somewhere in Ohio, roadtrip 92
TGE: Mpls 95
Emancipation: Chicago 96
Crystal Ball: Mpls 97
NPS: Ithaca 98
Rave: Orlando 99
TRC: downloads
ONA and ONAL: mail.
+2003: ???

Most of these weren't even planned trips...but I have family scattered around the country and I visit them quite often.

I don't remember the exact order, but I imagine it would go something like this:

1. 1999 (my first album by anyone- I snuck the money to my bro to get this!)
2. Diamonds and Pearls
3. Around the World in a Day
4. Purple Rain
5. Symbol
6. Parade
7. Sign o' the Times
8. The Hits/The B-Sides
9. Batman
10. Graffiti Bridge
11. Lovesexy
12. The Black Album
13. Come
14. The Gold Experience
15. Dirty Mind
16. Controversy
17. Emancipation
18. Crystal Ball
19. New Power Soul
20. Chaos and Disorder
21. The Vault
22. Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
23. Prince
24. For You

I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't become an "up to date" fan until December of 1999.

LittlePill said:

Wow. You were young. Cool.

Moonbeam said:

Yeah. And who knows when it would've been if you hadn't been in direct competition with a certain up-and-comer.

TRON said:

Technically, I'm not up to date anymore. VBOP will NEVER be in my collection!

i'm pretty much behind m'damn self...in fact, i had 2 special-order p's first couple albums cuz u couldn't get 'em in any store in des moines when i first got into diggin p.

the closest i've come bein up 2 date is when i got my copy of ona live someone burnt 4 me, and that wuz just last week! i'm still way behind, and i don't give a damn.

TRON said:

I was 8 when I discovered Prince and I never looked back!

How old were you?

TRON said:

Another thing:

I was up to date on a few other artists before Prince:

Madonna
Bjork
Eurythmics (if you don't count Touch Dance)

Diamonds And Pearls - Aug '92
1999 through to Graffiti Bridge - Oct '92
For You through to Controversy - Jan '94
The rest on the day of release (apart from Symbol 'cos i didn't even know it was out until a week after. DOH!)

1983. 1999 (cassette, and then vinyl for all others)
1984. Purple Rain and 1999 (double-vinyl)
1984. Controversy
1984. For You
1984. Prince
1984. Dirty Mind
1985. (Vanity 6, Vanity, Apollonia 6, The Time, Sheila E.)
1985. Around the World in a Day and almost all singles by now.
...and then each following album and singles the year of release, if not the day of release.
I started buying CDs soon after 1994. Never did like cassettes.

got in2 Prince in 1999 (i woulda been 15 then). . .bought Hits/B*Sides,& then these followed (in order i THINK) :

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (bought it when it came out)



Emancipation/Come/GoldExperience/NPS/The Vault (got these at a HUGE cd sale,they were all around $8au or $14 for Emancipation)

Sign O' The Times (was dying 4 this after renting the film)

Diamonds & Pearls (not sure when i bought this exactly)

Crystal Ball/Graffiti Bridge/LoveSexy (tracked) / bLack Album (got these in Sydney sept 2001)

Batman (2nd hand store)

Parade (at Pt lincoln,some lil newsagency,was the only place i had seen it til then,now its freakin everywhere!!)

Exodus/Controversy (2nd hand along with the Emporium bootleg,ScandalousSexSuite,NPG single & TMBGITW single)
Purple Rain

ATWIAD
1999
Chaos & Disorder (these 4 around the same time i reckon)

The Rainbow Children (when it came out here in April)

For You
Prince
Dirty Mind (these 3 in Sydney April 2002 . . .couldnt find 'em in Adelaide)

& yeah thats it,hoping ONA comes out here in OZ so i dont have 2 pay crazy amounts 2 either order it or buy it online,but i have it burnt 4 the time being,with ONA,X & sndchex.


i think that order is right . . . . also vids & singles i pick up when i find them.
[This message was edited Tue Jan 21 17:21:05 PST 2003 by Joshy84au]
[This message was edited Tue Jan 21 17:23:18 PST 2003 by Joshy84au]
[This message was edited Tue Jan 21 17:24:57 PST 2003 by Joshy84au]

i heard 1999 i think 1983 on the radio and liked it,
but it was only a song for me
and didn't pay any attention to the artist
prince in this case
but after i saw purple rain i became hooked
(good marketing strategy)
purple rain in 1984 (album) was the first thing i bought of him
2) 1999 (saved my ass of for the double album)
3) controversy
4) around the world (bought it the first day)
5) dirty mind
6) prince
7) for you
8) parade (the first day)

started to buy cd's in 1987

my first bootleg was aug 18th 1986
first concert aug 17th 1986
[This message was edited Tue Jan 21 17:45:25 PST 2003 by Hoinjsz]

Actualy my parents and my big brother were really big fans of his so I just listened to their albums up to '88, then I started buying his stuff myself.
I bought "lovesexy" first, and then bought all of his stuff in the order it came out, from '78 to present.

As for the protege stuff, my dad had the first three Time records & Andre Cymone's stuff and my brother had all the Vanity6 (Vanity solo too) & Apollonia6 stuff, so I just made tapes off of what they had, and replaced them later (back in '88 ) .
I bought all the other protege stuff myself, in this order:
Sheila E.: the glamourous life
Morris Day: the color of success
The Family: The Family
Sheila E.: Romance 1600
Jill Jones: Jill Jones
Sheila E.: Sheila E.
Wendy & Lisa: Wendy & Lisa
Morris Day: fishnet '45
Wendy & Lisa: Fruit at the bottom
Wendy & Lisa: Erocia
Sneila E.: Sex Cymbal
Carmen Electra
Mayte: Child of the sun

Thanks for sharing everyone. Fascinating stuff!

I would put them on reserve or hold and get them because I had a Friend in a Music store a couple days before they actually came out to the public. I had to get every record when it first came out.