The most unique period in P history. It took me awhile to wrap my mind around this one. Still love the CD but always wondered what was he thinking? 1999, PR, ATWIAD???? wHEW! If Prince ever writes a biography it will definitely be a fascinating read How could all this brilliance come from one mind?

[Edited 9/2/10 15:22pm]

Fantastic album, in my top 5.

I'll make another point... I don't think another artist or band has EVER released three consecutive albums as diverse & brilliant in music history. I've been a huge fan since like forever. I still marvel at what Prince has accomplished. When Prince says "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" I think he's right. Prince is one of a kind. Generations from now, people will still be talking about him.

[Edited 9/2/10 15:51pm]

NONSENSE said:

I'll make another point... I don't think another artist or band has EVER released three consecutive albums as diverse & brilliant in music history. I've been a huge fan since like forever. I still marvel at what Prince has accomplished. When Prince says "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" I think he's right. Prince is one of a kind. Generations from now, people will still be talking about him.

[Edited 9/2/10 15:51pm]

Uhmmm...I'd like to propose The Beatles: Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.....just sayin'.

I think what's more amazing and hard to fathom nowadays is the speed of his growth - Around the World in Day came out only 9 months after Purple Rain - hell, "Take Me With U" was just released as a single when "Raspberry Beret" dropped! Such a drastic change in look and sound in such a short period of time (and then less than a year again until the Parade era changed it all again) - it was quite amazing. Some bands it would take 5 or more years to achieve such diversity, he was doing it overnight.

I can only think of the Beatles as a band that changed so drastically so quickly (their whole recorded career was only 6 years!).

[Edited 9/2/10 16:58pm]

I can't say enuff good things about this album, def in my top 5 also. I've always loved electic Prince, Parade is also one of my fav albums.

billymeade said:

I think what's more amazing and hard to fathom nowadays is the speed of his growth - Around the World in Day came out only 9 months after Purple Rain - hell, "Take Me With U" was just released as a single when "Raspberry Beret" dropped! Such a drastic change in look and sound in such a short period of time (and then less than a year again until the Parade era changed it all again) - it was quite amazing. Some bands it would take 5 or more years to achieve such diversity, he was doing it overnight.

I can only think of the Beatles as a band that changed so drastically so quickly (their whole recorded career was only 6 years!).

[Edited 9/2/10 16:58pm]

the hunger for success and creativity + the people in your camp:producers, engineers, band mates & protege bands

The real burst of creativity happened from 1999 - Dream Factory years

SOTT & Lovesexy were aftershocks of the previous years, that's why even with Lovesexy it started to drop off drastically.

From Purple Rain - Parade/Dream Factory we get the large collection of outtakes and unreleased music / albums plus all the protege music that was actually good quality for the vision he set 4 it.

Apollonia 6 album to me was lacking about it direction because of Vanity's departure. But if we got the original track list V6 pt 2 would have been a killer album

the Family album was killer, all the Times albums, Sheila E:GL Romance 1600(the era more than the actual album) & Sheila E were all killer

Jill Jones album if done in previous periods would have been bigger,

I like the addition of Mazarati,

But 1983-1986 was serious purple electricity and paisley chic

Most of what we got during the SOTT years came from the Dream Factory period including the Black Album music Camille Project

what about the Flesh that music that started during the Parade years that was sorta a shadow of Madhouse

billymeade said:

I think what's more amazing and hard to fathom nowadays is the speed of his growth - Around the World in Day came out only 9 months after Purple Rain - hell, "Take Me With U" was just released as a single when "Raspberry Beret" dropped! Such a drastic change in look and sound in such a short period of time (and then less than a year again until the Parade era changed it all again) - it was quite amazing. Some bands it would take 5 or more years to achieve such diversity, he was doing it overnight.

I can only think of the Beatles as a band that changed so drastically so quickly (their whole recorded career was only 6 years!).

[Edited 9/2/10 16:58pm]

Exactly.

dannyd5050 said:

NONSENSE said:

I'll make another point... I don't think another artist or band has EVER released three consecutive albums as diverse & brilliant in music history. I've been a huge fan since like forever. I still marvel at what Prince has accomplished. When Prince says "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" I think he's right. Prince is one of a kind. Generations from now, people will still be talking about him.

[Edited 9/2/10 15:51pm]

Uhmmm...I'd like to propose The Beatles: Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.....just sayin'.

See I actually think Rubber Soul and Revolver could have been a double album as could have Sgt Peppers and Magical Mystery. Brilliant but similar vibes.

kaine said:

dannyd5050 said:

Uhmmm...I'd like to propose The Beatles: Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.....just sayin'.

See I actually think Rubber Soul and Revolver could have been a double album as could have Sgt Peppers and Magical Mystery. Brilliant but similar vibes.

I agree.

[Edited 9/2/10 17:48pm]

According to the DMSR book, ATWIAD was recorded in Oct 84...a month before they took off on the Purple Rain tour.

That just blows me away. Its like, when he went on stage for the next 6 months, he musta been thinkin "We'll see what all you bandwagon jumpers are all about when I drop my hippie shit on you!"

Fantastic.

As I have said before

Those ATWIAD 12 inches were just perfect,

imo classics:

Raspberry Beret New Mix,

Paisley Park Extended,

America 21 min. Extended,

Pop Life UK 9 min. Extended & 6 min. Sheila E. Remix (Both are great),

She's Always In My Hair Extended,

Girl Extended,

Hello

Outstanding - I absolutely love this fine album......

1. Purple Rain

2. Sign O' The Times

3. 1999

4. Lovesexy

5. Parade

6. Around The World In A Day

billymeade said:

"Take Me With U" was just released as a single when "Raspberry Beret" dropped!

Close enough!

Take Me with U was released January 1985 and Raspberry Beret came out in May 1985 (with ATWIAD being released in April).

thedance said:

As I have said before

Those ATWIAD 12 inches were just perfect,

imo classics:

Raspberry Beret New Mix,

Paisley Park Extended,

America 21 min. Extended,

Pop Life UK 9 min. Extended & 6 min. Sheila E. Remix (Both are great),

She's Always In My Hair Extended,

Girl Extended,

Hello

Outstanding - I absolutely love this fine album......

1. Purple Rain

2. Sign O' The Times

3. 1999

4. Lovesexy

5. Parade

6. Around The World In A Day

I agree, i enjoy most Prince 12 inch mixes, but from Purple Rain to SOTT they were brilliant.

StonedImmaculate said:

According to the DMSR book...

May I just recommend this great book to anyone interested in what happened for Prince creatively in the 80s golden period.

Another artist who changed just as rapidly in a short time of course was David Bowie. Since we're talking about 1999-Lovesexy (a 6 year span), and what the Beatles did essentially in 6 or 7 years, I'll touch on Bowie's winning streak...

1971 - Hunky Dory (folksy, singer-songwriter)

1972 - Ziggy Stardust (best glam rock album ever)

1973 - Aladdin Sane (harder rocking version of glam)

1974 - Diamond Dogs (future dystopia, mostly played by himself, genre-shifting proto-punk, disco, epics, experimental shit)

1975 - Young Americans (Philly soul)

1976 - Station To Station (Funk-rock with a European twist)

1977 - Low & "Heroes" (krautrock, ambient instrumentals, new wave, world music, everything you can imagine, really)

Mix in there his covers album "Pin Ups", 3 or 4 official live albums, his amazing work with Iggy Pop, The Stooges, Lou Reed and others, the unreleased albums between HD & ZS, the missing Man Who Fell To Earth Project, etc. and you might not have quite the prolificness of Prince, but certainly the same startling growth and burst of brilliant ideas.

I personally think that Prince and Bowie continuted to push themselves. For me, Sign & Lovesexy were his peak. And I suppose Batman and Graffiti Bridge can be seen as a continuation of Lovesexy, just as Lodger and Scary Monsters are a continuation of Bowie's peak in '77.

Then they both started sporting typhoons, wearing yellow suits and were considered sellouts. I love Diamonds & Pearls and Let's Dance, but I can see why many do not.

Prince rebounded a little quicker because his work from 91-95 is rock solid in my book.

It took Bowie a decade to get his shit together, but from '93-'03, he had a renaissance and every single one of his albums during this period is worthy of his name and legacy.

Prince has been solid for the past decade as well.

irreverence said:

StonedImmaculate said:

According to the DMSR book...

May I just recommend this great book to anyone interested in what happened for Prince creatively in the 80s golden period.

THANK YOU

MikeyB71 said:

thedance said:

As I have said before

Those ATWIAD 12 inches were just perfect,

imo classics:

Raspberry Beret New Mix,

Paisley Park Extended,

America 21 min. Extended,

Pop Life UK 9 min. Extended & 6 min. Sheila E. Remix (Both are great),

She's Always In My Hair Extended,

Girl Extended,

Hello

Outstanding - I absolutely love this fine album......

1. Purple Rain

2. Sign O' The Times

3. 1999

4. Lovesexy

5. Parade

6. Around The World In A Day

I agree, i enjoy most Prince 12 inch mixes, but from Purple Rain to SOTT they were brilliant.

Agree with U both

Parade in my opinion had the best videos artistically

ATWIAD could have been up there if more were released.

1999: Irresistable Bitch, How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore, Horny Toad

Purple Rain: God, Another Lonely Christmas, Erotic City, 17 Days

Around the World in a Day: Girl, Hello, She's Always in My Hair

Parade: Love or Money, Alexa de Paris,

Sign o the Times: La La La He He Hee, Shockadelica

Lovesexy: Scarlet Pussy, Escape

NONSENSE said:

irreverence said:

May I just recommend this great book to anyone interested in what happened for Prince creatively in the 80s golden period.

THANK YOU

You're Welcome. I swallowed this book just recently with great joy. Full of details I did not know about based on first hand accounts (though no interviews with Prince himself). It's all about the music, not gossippy. Great book.

NONSENSE said:

irreverence said:

May I just recommend this great book to anyone interested in what happened for Prince creatively in the 80s golden period.

THANK YOU

THE PRINCE BIBLE

NONSENSE said:

How could all this brilliance come from one mind?

He's bitten a lot of ideas from the musicians he hires to back him up. Wendy and Lisa espeically. It's all good.

1999 to Purple Rain to ATWIAD didn't throw me at all. That all worked for me. But for some reason Parade just left me all like, "huh " for about three years. I pretty much skipped it and went on ahead to SOTT. I agree that those years are truly incredible in their variety of styles and pure musical greatness (from all involved). Those five albums can be held against five great albums from pretty much any pop or mainstream rock artist in history (the few who have five albums worthy of comparison, anyway).

IMO She's always in my hair should definately have been on this released as a single. But still a very good record

[Edited 9/4/10 22:46pm]

Just an amazing ablum and Prince showing that he had staying power and was worth all the fuss that Purple Rain built up!! Love it!!

hhhhdmt said:

IMO She's always in my hair should definately have been on this released as a single. But still a very good record

[Edited 9/4/10 22:46pm]

Why? At the time, Prince's b-sides were played in the clubs and on the radio all the time.

irreverence said:

NONSENSE said:

THANK YOU

You're Welcome. I swallowed this book just recently with great joy. Full of details I did not know about based on first hand accounts (though no interviews with Prince himself). It's all about the music, not gossippy. Great book.

I second that. Just finished this, got it used on ebay, so it's available and not difficult to find. Loved reading about how quickly this dude was churning out song after song after song and QUALITY ish too! Not just for him, but for his proteges, The Time, Madhouse, The Family, songs for other artists. Incredible!