Such a difficult choice as both are brilliant albums, but I have to go with "Purple Rain" in the end. That album is perfection.

1999 by far.

I love them both and consider them to music master pieces. But I don't play PR as much as I do 1999. I wont say I prefer one over the other.

But I just recently started playing older Prince music (80's) Outside of "hits" I really haven't been playing 80's music. I just started with 1999 and have been playing the entire album ever sense. (Next stop: Controversy)

'1999'

The packaging is better.

Prince's hand drawn artwork on the cover has the egde over 'Purple Rain''s cheesy movie-poster cover.

Also,

on '1999', there are four eyes on the vinyl.

'Purple Rain' only has random flowers.

Prost!

802 said:

Purple Rain, 1999 has got the godawful track Free.

Arnt u glad ur Free???...Free 2 go most anywhere,anytime!!!theres many a man whos not!!B glad 4 what u had 802 what uve got!

Dave1992 said:

I can't believe how a Prince fan can not like Automatic! Isn't that what makes Prince the mysterious, out-there, quirky, synth-driven Mpls-sound funkgod he is?

I mean, Automatic is probably the most trippy and haunting song ever written; it's so on point, it sounds so perfectly cock-sure - every single lyric, the delivery ("why do I love you so much? Have mercy..."), the synths in the "get ready to take off" part, the ending when it all settles down and you get back to Earth after a trip through every quadrant of the Universe. This is as close as a musical artist will ever come to "perfect" - every note in that song has a reason to be there, and every note that was left out had to be left out.

Automatic is Prince at his best. I'm sorry for having to sound so extreme, but I have to say it: If you don't "get" Automatic, you don't "get" Prince.

Then I don't get Prince. Fuck me, I've wasted 20 years listening to shit I don't understand. Oh well.

njin said:

1999 is one of the albums with the most impact on urban electronic music, not because it sounds dated. Personally I think Purple Rain production wise sounds a hell of alot more dated, because his drum programming was more on autopilot, and the processing of these sounds were also more on auto pilot, adding a bit more reverb to make it sound more "live" and like "real" drums that doesnt really sound real after all. On 1999 he wasn't trying to hide the fact that it was a drum machine. Purple Rain fails a bit on the production part, more so than on 1999. And I agree that Automatic is Prince at his best. It's the minimalism that eventually would give us classics like When Doves Cry. This is when he really understood the power of small details, and alot of "air".

very good analysis

The1592 said:

Purple Rain is too pop oriented. The music on 1999 holds up way better 20 some years later than the music on Purple Rain, probably because 1999 is more of a funk album, and Purple Rain is a straight 80s pop album.

I agree.'Purple Rain' is a straightforward 80s pop/rock album.Nothing wrong with that,but I think '1999' is much more adventurous....it goes in many more directions.Funk,New Wave,pop,R&B,it's all there.'Purple Rain' was designed for the mainstream so I think it's a more "safer" album than the anything-goes approach of '1999'.

International Lover and especially Free take 1999 down, so Purple Rain for me.

It's 9.5/10 vs 10/10 really... (and SOTT is 11/10 )

1999 I kinda thought it was a weird album but in a good kinda weird way.

Purple Rain was movie and album, where I heard most of the well known songs on.

I'm going to have to sigh with 1999 because it may have been weird/strange but it was fresh to me. No mind, I think could ever come up with something so sick/cool like that in their music. Not now or even then imho.

Purple Rain for me by a MILE - if only because it doesn't contain the ass-raping track "Free". Both are classic, though.

njin said:

easily 1999, I rarely listen to Purple Rain. Mostly because I find the production a bit dated. Sounds like he one some of the songs had on his auto pilot drum programming with the exception of Darling Nikki and When Doves Cry which have some of his most genuis drum patterns to this day. But the songs on Purple Rain are mostly all classics, at the same time put together perfectly. The Prince album with the best flow throughout.

Yeah, 'cause NOTHING says classic album more than the drum patterns...

SoulAlive said:

njin said:

1999 is one of the albums with the most impact on urban electronic music, not because it sounds dated. Personally I think Purple Rain production wise sounds a hell of alot more dated, because his drum programming was more on autopilot, and the processing of these sounds were also more on auto pilot, adding a bit more reverb to make it sound more "live" and like "real" drums that doesnt really sound real after all. On 1999 he wasn't trying to hide the fact that it was a drum machine. Purple Rain fails a bit on the production part, more so than on 1999. And I agree that Automatic is Prince at his best. It's the minimalism that eventually would give us classics like When Doves Cry. This is when he really understood the power of small details, and alot of "air".

very good analysis

Agreed. Totally wrong, but outstanding analysis for a third-grader. CONGRIZZATZ

I remember him saying that "Around The World In A Day" was his 'Fuck You' record. Well, I personally think that 1999 conveyed the most blatant 'Fuck You' attitude caught on wax from him.

Still fresh out of the infamous Rolling Stones concert, I could feel alot of anger, frustration and a need to prove himself in the album, but there's also a HEAP load of humor too.

So, its gotta be 1999 for me, this album(and its outtakes) will never EVER EVER EVER lose their magic.

TheEnglishGent said:

Dave1992 said:

I can't believe how a Prince fan can not like Automatic! Isn't that what makes Prince the mysterious, out-there, quirky, synth-driven Mpls-sound funkgod he is?

I mean, Automatic is probably the most trippy and haunting song ever written; it's so on point, it sounds so perfectly cock-sure - every single lyric, the delivery ("why do I love you so much? Have mercy..."), the synths in the "get ready to take off" part, the ending when it all settles down and you get back to Earth after a trip through every quadrant of the Universe. This is as close as a musical artist will ever come to "perfect" - every note in that song has a reason to be there, and every note that was left out had to be left out.

Automatic is Prince at his best. I'm sorry for having to sound so extreme, but I have to say it: If you don't "get" Automatic, you don't "get" Prince.

Then I don't get Prince. Fuck me, I've wasted 20 years listening to shit I don't understand. Oh well.

steakfinger said:

SoulAlive said:

very good analysis

Agreed. Totally wrong, but outstanding analysis for a third-grader. CONGRIZZATZ

I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. The rating is anyways based on Prince compared to Prince, and not Prince compared to the rest of the music industry. Purple Rain has no weak songs in my opinion, its's a classic, and it's one of my favourites by Prince. But personally I like the songs more than the production. This is a very personal opinion, and you don't have to share it. I personally think 1999 sounds more live than Purple Rain. Not the sound of it, but the feel of it sounds more like a never ending perfect jam. Purple Rain contains perfectly written and arranged pop songs imo, nothing more, nothing less, making it a pop rock classic. while 1999 is an electro, funk, rnb, new wave masterpiece.

You could say, personal favourite 1999

objectively seen as most classic --> record Purple Rain. (analyzing the album, it has great songs, great flow, great variety, nothing more than the most important of a song, it took risks, at the same time it was pointed towards the bigger audience. It had alot for many different people. It was a pop record that gained respect by people in the underground. Not an easy task. But still, 1999 wins and connects more to me than Purple Rain. And the production is actually doing something to my opinion, being that I'm very interrested in sound myself.

1999 focused on sound, experimentation and attitude
Purple Rain focused on song, structure and super stardom

yet both of them had alot more of it all than most other records

Dave1992 said:

A very difficult choice to make. 1999 was the first Prince album I heard as a child but Purple Rain was the movie I saw that made me an admirer for life. Both albums are genius, hypnotic and contagious. After careful consideration, and rethinking, I have to say I prefer 1999 with Purple Rain playing immediately afterwards.

That picture of Prince in 1999 with the paper and watercolours alone makes me want to go with that too