What is the most interesting/accurate book out there about him?

THANK YOU!

http://www.princevault.co..._The_Vault

It's out of print, and can be very expensive and it only goes up to 2004, but if it's facts you want, there is no substitute.

There are a couple of others worthy of mention.

http://www.princevault.co...ys_Of_Wild

http://www.princevault.co..._It_Up_2.0

Both are out of print, but can often be found on ebay.

This book http://www.princevault.co...(Fire_Fly) is also essential.

This book http://www.princevault.co..._Of_Prince is ok, a bit gossipy, but a good read.

just ordered pers nilsen - a documentary off amazon for 50p. any good?

robertgeorgeakabob said:

just ordered pers nilsen - a documentary off amazon for 50p. any good?

Yes, it's very good. The above book http://www.princevault.co...ys_Of_Wild replaced it, but it's still got a load of info.

Anything with Per Nilsen/Uptowns name on it is going to be a factual no bullshit read.

just researched it on the vault. i remember pers selling copies of this outside the de kuip stadium, rotterdam before the nude tour kicked off. i've had and lost my copy but seem to remember it contained several innacuracies. still for 50p can't be bad.

YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

robertgeorgeakabob said:

just researched it on the vault. i remember pers selling copies of this outside the de kuip stadium, rotterdam before the nude tour kicked off. i've had and lost my copy but seem to remember it contained several innacuracies. still for 50p can't be bad.

Indeed, it's difficult to buy that much info for 50p.

RuthCass said:

@TheBigSky

YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are welcome.

TheBigSky said:

RuthCass said:

@TheBigSky

YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are welcome.

I'm definitely going to buy one of them SOON! So thank you But what's your favorite and why?

RuthCass said:

TheBigSky said:

You are welcome.

I'm definitely going to buy one of them SOON! So thank you But what's your favorite and why?

My choice would be The Vault. It is exhaustive. It has since been found that a few of the facts are wrong, but it's still a monster of a book, no pictures, 700+ pages and tiny text size, but it's great and there has not been a book like it since. It was written by Per Nilsen and the team who did the Prince magazine Uptown.

Copies can fetch silly prices now though. I bought mine direct from Mr Nilsen and still paid a lot for it. Ebay has copies from time to time, I have seen copies sell for around $100 to $300+, yes really!!

Crazy.

The other books seem more common, but can still be pricey. A good one to start with is DanceMusicSexRomance from Per Nilsen, it can be found at a reasonable price and is a great read, it only covers the first 10 years of Prince's career though.

Possessed is a good book, factual, a bit gossipy, but ok, cheap too.

There are a few other more recent books out there too, but i'm not sure how good they are, I only have Jason Drapers "Chaos, Disorder & Revolution" out of the recent books, and it's ok, nothing special, I was not a fan of his other book "Life & Times."

[Edited 11/16/11 16:47pm]

DMSR and The Vault by Per Nilsen are the best books about Prince. Secondary to that is Possessed by Alex Hahn, which was actually promoted in Per Nilsen's now defunct magazine Uptown.

The Lyrics of Prince, by C. Liegh McInnis, is very interesting in that it's a thorough and thought-provoking analysis of Prince's lyrics, something that is often omitted in other books. All those who think that Prince's lyrics are only about party and sex should read this book.

Not that I agree with everything he says. Specially, I think sometimes he read too much in the lyrics and he is also obsessed with the issue of race, discussing it even when, in my opinion, there's no room to it.

But I recommend this book. It's also a good complement of the fact-oriented works by Per Nilsen, since it discusses Prince's cultural significance and offers an interpretative look on the man.

hello Ruth Cass!

Most of the books use the research done by Per Nilsen and the entire UPTOWN team, so I'd use them (DMSR, THE VAULT, etc.) for your informational needs. None of us at UPTOWN set out to point out the cultural significance of Prince, or about his views on sexuality. We covered that sort of information (when it was relevant) in the magazine, but the books were about Prince and his music.

POSSESSED used a lot of the research, but added a great deal of additional interviews as well. The Liz Jones book is pretty good and contains some interviews with additional members of Prince's camp (Wendy, Lisa, etc.).

Also, Dez's book is pretty good and worth reading.

TheBigSky said:

RuthCass said:

I'm definitely going to buy one of them SOON! So thank you But what's your favorite and why?

My choice would be The Vault. It is exhaustive. It has since been found that a few of the facts are wrong, but it's still a monster of a book, no pictures, 700+ pages and tiny text size, but it's great and there has not been a book like it since. It was written by Per Nilsen and the team who did the Prince magazine Uptown.

Copies can fetch silly prices now though. I bought mine direct from Mr Nilsen and still paid a lot for it. Ebay has copies from time to time, I have seen copies sell for around $100 to $300+, yes really!!

Crazy.

The other books seem more common, but can still be pricey. A good one to start with is DanceMusicSexRomance from Per Nilsen, it can be found at a reasonable price and is a great read, it only covers the first 10 years of Prince's career though.

Possessed is a good book, factual, a bit gossipy, but ok, cheap too.

There are a few other more recent books out there too, but i'm not sure how good they are, I only have Jason Drapers "Chaos, Disorder & Revolution" out of the recent books, and it's ok, nothing special, I was not a fan of his other book "Life & Times."

[Edited 11/16/11 16:47pm]

WOW!!!!!!! THAT IS EXPENSIVE!!!!! But hey, anything for Prince

purplethunder3121 said:

DMSR and The Vault by Per Nilsen are the best books about Prince. Secondary to that is Possessed by Alex Hahn, which was actually promoted in Per Nilsen's now defunct magazine Uptown.

I heard Dez Dickerson wrote a book about his time with Prince! Have you read that one?

bobbyperu said:

Per is obviously the #1 Prince archivist in the world and I was an Uptown reader for years, but that doesn't necessarily makes his books the best. First of all, Per focused on the glory years from 1980-87 and therefore leaves out a lot. My guess is that Per simply lost interest in Prince's music after that which, if true, is of course his choice. And books on Prince or any other artist are not only about getting your facts right. A rock star also has a cultural significance. How important was Prince's role in black America? On our views of sexuality? In that respect I really like Liz Jones' Slave to the Rhythm, also published under the much more boring title Purple Reign in the US. She doesn't just interviews Prince collaborators, but other artists and critics as well. And puts Prince in a wider perspective. Downside of her book is that it turns a bit into gossip here and there. No idea if it's still in print, but it's a good

0o0o0o0o0 interesting.....

Javi said:

The Lyrics of Prince, by C. Liegh McInnis, is very interesting in that it's a thorough and thought-provoking analysis of Prince's lyrics, something that is often omitted in other books. All those who think that Prince's lyrics are only about party and sex should read this book.

Not that I agree with everything he says. Specially, I think sometimes he read too much in the lyrics and he is also obsessed with the issue of race, discussing it even when, in my opinion, there's no room to it.

But I recommend this book. It's also a good complement of the fact-oriented works by Per Nilsen, since it discusses Prince's cultural significance and offers an interpretative look on the man.

Thanks!

RicoN said:

hello Ruth Cass!

Well hello

madhouseman said:

Most of the books use the research done by Per Nilsen and the entire UPTOWN team, so I'd use them (DMSR, THE VAULT, etc.) for your informational needs. None of us at UPTOWN set out to point out the cultural significance of Prince, or about his views on sexuality. We covered that sort of information (when it was relevant) in the magazine, but the books were about Prince and his music.

POSSESSED used a lot of the research, but added a great deal of additional interviews as well. The Liz Jones book is pretty good and contains some interviews with additional members of Prince's camp (Wendy, Lisa, etc.).

Also, Dez's book is pretty good and worth reading.

The stuff I want to read about is stuff about his childhood, his start in music, interviews, relationships, and career.

Those books you mentioned sounds awesome!

There's "Prince: The Complete Guide" which is a collection of all articles related to Prince on Wikipedia. It includes discography, videography, tours, associated artists and more. The book is around 800 pages and can be downloaded for free or bought as a book (actually 2 physical books). It can be downloaded or bought here: http://en.wikipedia.org/w...ook:Prince.

Behind The Music and The Masks by Ronin Ro, seems to be the most recent biog and it seems to have OK reviews. I just bought it so will let you know once i've read it.....the advantage is it seems to cover the 2000s which other books don't as they were published years ago...

For detail....DMSR by Per Nilsen...but only covers til 1988.

The Vault is more of a reference than a biog - ie. its like a date based enclopedia that you dip into, good detail there.

Possessed by Alex Hahn is an easy read, pretty good.

Slave to the rhythm or Purple Reign (in the US) by Liz Jones is pretty gossipy but she interviews some key players such as Tyka and John L.Nelson, so its very readable it can also be a bit bitchy at times...

Dez Dickerson 'My Time With Prince' is very good and is not bitter or negative..in fact pretty respectful...

Avoid 'A Thief in the Temple' by Brian Morton...very inaccurate and seems to have been rushed.

[Edited 11/19/11 5:00am]

FunkyMoon said:

There's "Prince: The Complete Guide" which is a collection of all articles related to Prince on Wikipedia. It includes discography, videography, tours, associated artists and more. The book is around 800 pages and can be downloaded for free or bought as a book (actually 2 physical books). It can be downloaded or bought here: http://en.wikipedia.org/w...ook:Prince.

I'll look into it, thanks!!!!

TheFreakerFantastic said:

Behind The Music and The Masks by Ronin Ro, seems to be the most recent biog and it seems to have OK reviews. I just bought it so will let you know once i've read it.....the advantage is it seems to cover the 2000s which other books don't as they were published years ago...

For detail....DMSR by Per Nilsen...but only covers til 1988.

The Vault is more of a reference than a biog - ie. its like a date based enclopedia that you dip into, good detail there.

Possessed by Alex Hahn is an easy read, pretty good.

Slave to the rhythm or Purple Reign (in the US) by Liz Jones is pretty gossipy but she interviews some key players such as Tyka and John L.Nelson, so its very readable it can also be a bit bitchy at times...

Dez Dickerson 'My Time With Prince' is very good and is not bitter or negative..in fact pretty respectful...

Avoid 'A Thief in the Temple' by Brian Morton...very inaccurate and seems to have been rushed.

[Edited 11/19/11 5:00am]

Those all sound great

Yes, please let me know how that book turns out! Thanks for all the help!

"a pop life" by dave hill was the first book about prince i read, still think it's one of the best. covers his chidhood to lovesexy.

robertgeorgeakabob said:

"a pop life" by dave hill was the first book about prince i read, still think it's one of the best. covers his chidhood to lovesexy.

0o0o0o0o0 sounds interesting Thanks!

Finished Inside The Music and The Masks by Ronin Ro:

An easy, interesting read but a few irritating inaccuracies (listed on the thread about the book). I didn't feel I really learnt anything new from it. The part I was most interested in (1999-2010) wasn't covered in much depth, it seemed almost as if he rushed this part to meet a deadline and there isn't really any analysis or insight as to what happened between him and Mayte or him and Mani.

The main fault is that it used all third party sources, I don't think the author even interviewed any of the protagonists himself, this is a major flaw for a biography.

I think Per Nilsen should get some of the royalties as he is quoted almost 50% of the time!!

You don't really get a sense of who Prince is 'inside the music or the masks', but what surprises me is the amount of people he fired and burnt his bridges with!

It does however, give quite a good insight into his innovative business practises post 2004 with concerts etc, as well as the poor business he did prior to that.

Although nicely written and accessible, in all, I would suggest you buy Alex Hahn's Possessed instead, this was better researched and hs much more analysis (although this only covers until 2003).

DMSR by Per Nilsen is great and the most detailed biog probably on this planet, (a bit too detailed I felt at times), the big flaw for me is that it only covers 1978-1988.

[Edited 11/23/11 2:46am]