I think that Prince has a way of around the same time or somewhere along the road making a pair of albums that just go together. for example, a very famous couple that were developed around the same time where the notorious BlackAlbum, and Lovesexy. i feel that they compliment eachother quite well almost as if they were a pair album.because for instance i look at the Black AlbuM and like for instance i think of a Song on Lovesexy that either goes with or counter-attacks with it or clash.They feel like a pair you know like PRINCE said , good and evil;] and in the end GOD wins[ just like in real life] and can u guys think of anyother ''Pair'' albums , albums that go together and work. well let me know;]

Dirty Mind and Controversy.

Around The World In a Day & Parade

I think 'non' Purple Rain album songs compliment Around the World in a Day or should I say fit in well.

the Chaos & Disorder (era) matches Emancipation in a (non musical) way the Black album & Lovesexy work well

For U Prince & Dirty Mind

complement

For You and Prince...

Diamonds & Pearls and ...

The Chocolate Invasion and Slaughterhouse... (OK, that one was a joke )

Most of his albums seem to evolve naturally from one to the next.

Great topic! Certain Prince albums really do pair together well, beit due to the circumstances behind their recording or just the music itself.

Here are the pairs that I tend to group together:

Controversy / 1999: The Minneapolis sound is absolutely crystalized across these 2 albums, and the progression is easy to track.

Purple Rain / Around the World in a Day: The classic and the perplexing follow up. Listening to ATWiaD is enough to make your head spin after taking in the laser-precise pop/funk/rock combination of PR.

Lovesexy / Batman: Prince's production skills were definitely sharpening on these 2 albums (sometimes to a fault), and I tend to see them in a light and dark light. Batman could've been the darker 2nd part of a double album with Lovesexy, and I think it would've fit perfectly.

Come / The Gold Experience: Of course.

I think 3121 and Lotusflow3r complement each other perfectly.

Risico said:

Great topic! Certain Prince albums really do pair together well, beit due to the circumstances behind their recording or just the music itself.

Here are the pairs that I tend to group together:

Lovesexy / Batman: Prince's production skills were definitely sharpening on these 2 albums (sometimes to a fault), and I tend to see them in a light and dark light. Batman could've been the darker 2nd part of a double album with Lovesexy, and I think it would've fit perfectly.

I'm with U on this one, especially since a lot of the songs were made during the Lovesexy years

from Dark 2 Light & then 2 the Shadows(which is how I see Batman) & the outtakes like Dance With the Devil

New Power Soul / Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic: Two albums that compliment each other in their mediocrity. Not the best way to end Prince's 90's output!

I totally agree with the OP. In fact I think that time, music, theme and imagewise, you can do this with many of his albums, except for a couple of stand-alone albums. Goes a lil something like this:

For You and Prince: same sound and image, marking "the birth" of Prince, showing off what he can do, tho' still kinda timid and shy compared to what he did later on

Dirty Mind and Controversy: new more "dirty and controversial" Prince than first, marking "the second coming" music, theme and imagewise. "Anything goes"

1999 and Purple Rain: the true MPLS sound, 1999 the funker, PR the rocker and Prince to the top with a seemingly paradoxical image and message of "Sex, Love and God"

ATWIAD and Parade: both highly creative and artistically free albums with the Revolution, exploring new musical and spiritual grounds.

SOTT: stand alone classic double album, marking a change in musical and personal direction.

Black Album and Lovesexy: opposites, black and white, good and evil, heaven and hell, feminine and masculine, highly spiritual lyrics.

Batman and Graffiti Bridge: musically worlds apart but both soundtracks and also both with the "good vs evil" theme.

D&P and the Symbol: both pretty good, commercially and several songs at least, but also with the failed Tony M rap NPG style and sound.

Come and TGE: was supposed to be some sort of a super strong double album but that didn't happen.

Emancipation: stand alone, largely positive triple album marking a change in carreer, personal life and musical direction, plus showing off with his new found "freedom"

C&D and the Vault Old friends 4 sale: both fairly dark and bitter, non-commercialised, "contractual obligations" mostly dug up from "the vault" to finish it up with WB.

NPS and Rave: both pretty uninspired and mediocre "neo soul"; Prince following trends but still failing commercially.

Crystal ball: stand alone collection of bootlegs and remixes, marking the start of Prince's very promising tho' not so succesful, independent, internet adventures.

The Truth and One Nite Alone: both sort of "acoustic" guitar/piano albums carrying several gems.

TRC: stand alone, "controversial" but musically strong album, marking a change in spiritual and musical direction.

Xpectation and NEWS: both sort of "jazz" instrumentals, for those who dig that, like Prince doing what he wanna do.

Musicology and 3121: kinda weak and superficial for the most part yet both of them are highly commercialised albums, marking Prince's "comeback"

Planet Earth: stand alone, fairly inconspicuous album, tho some of it could go with LF.

LotusFlower: stand alone, musically strong album, but marking? or still waiting for a brother or sister?

MPLS sound and 20TEN: both the same style, sound and superficial content.

thereyago

[Edited 10/2/11 10:19am]

Each album flows into the next IMHO

Some albums of him could be paired in terms of musical styles and themes but not all i think:

For You and Prince obviously: he was very much a seventies disco-pop artist on these albums (despite the occasional rocktrack or folky ballad), echoing what was popular in the charts around that time. He didnt really have a distinctive style yet IMO.

Dirty Mind and Controversy: Dirty Mind being a 'demo' album mixing funk, soul and new wave, while Controversy being the better recorded, 'produced' album using the same ingredients.

1999 and Purple Rain: Purple Rain being the condensated, more focussed version of 1999, with the pop and rock elements pushed up a bit.

I dont see any 'pairing' in Around the World in a day and Parade: ATWIAD IMO is more like a psychedelic, quirky take on the Purple Rain-sound and the MPLsound, while the use of drummachine, orchestration and the type of arrangements on Parade is very different.

To me: The Family - Parade - Jill Jones albums are more like a sequence: the use of orchestra and jazzy and 'european' elements, and the input of Clare Fisher of course.

Black-album / Lovesexy: an obvious pair, not only because of the lyrical themes, but also because of the use of jazz-rock elements on both albums, Zappa-influences, dissonants: more complex musical arrangements compared to the more stripped down sound of SOTT.

While rather different musicwise: the Batman album and Graffiti Bridge deal with a lot of the lyrical themes / views he introduced on the Black album and Lovesexy.

Diamonds and Pearls / Symbol: the use of the NPG, going for more of a 'band sound'. A mixture of more traditional / organic sounding songs and rather busy rap / new-jack swing vehicles (with the horrible Tony M).

A trio here: Emancipation, New Power Soul, Rave: the plastic R&B / Kirky J years.

The jazz-rock / jehovah / instrumental show off-years: again 3 albums, The Rainbow Children, News, One nite alone live (the boxset). Prince dabbling with seventies fusion and IMO often showing off with the technical skills of his band, instead of delivering great songs and lyrics.

The albums since have mostly been like 'the greatest hits of Prince' but then with lesser songs: a funk song here, a ballad there, a rocktrack next, a hotpotch of rather MOR-versions of greater songs from the past.

[Edited 10/2/11 16:30pm]

[Edited 10/2/11 16:32pm]

I think that New Power Soul, and Rave un2 & Rave in2. are a great triple Album Playlist to consider, ad i think also if u take Gold experience and O)+> [lovesymbol album] they feel like they are twins. they are if not my favorites from the 90s along with New Power Soul;]

For some reason I think Emancipation and Planet Earth compliment each other.

Rainbow Children & Musicology (Musicology and The Work are very similar)

Emancipation89 said:

Around The World In a Day & Parade

Cosign!

aardvark15 said: