26. Prince – Sign o’ the Times (1987)

After the relative commercial disappointment ofParade (and the outright embarrassment of its accompanying film, Under the Cherry Moon), Prince lost a bit of the creative carte blanche he’d earned at Warner Bros. with Purple Rain and Around the World in a Day. Of course, Prince being Prince, all this really meant was that Sign o’ the Times ended up being a sprawling, robustly eclectic double-disc package instead of the whopping triple album he’d originally planned. Hats off to label interference, at least in this case: While it obviously isn’t Prince’s leanest record, Times boasts 16 prime cuts of his ☮ness at his sharpest and most adventurous, from the playful “Starfish and Coffee” to the churnin’ urn of burnin’ Minneapolis funk that is “Housequake.”—Jeff Giles

http://www.pastemagazine....s.html?p=6

10. Prince – Purple Rain (1984)
For many artists, musical vision and rock-star glory happen at different moments within a career. WithPurple Rain, Prince’s most brilliant songs came together in grandiose fashion just as he ascended into stardom. Released as the soundtrack for his 1984 film, Prince ran the gamut stylistically from metal-funk-rock (“Let’s Go Crazy”) to synth-soul-pop (“I Would Die 4 U”). Closing with his epic title track, Prince defies description with his near-nine-minute statement, which unquestionably stands as one of the all-time greats. Above all, Purple Rainshowcases his ability to seemingly combine any type of music and truly make it his own. It’s an amalgam for a career whereby he’s created a style uniquely “Prince”—one that no one has since managed to replicate, let alone surpass.—Max Blau

http://www.pastemagazine....s.html?p=8

Let me guess, #1 is fucking Thriller right?

NeonCraxx said:

Let me guess, #1 is fucking Thriller right?

No.

It's The Pixies' Doolittle.

I think Prince deserved to rank higher, though I guess 10 is pretty high. Plus I've never heard of this website, so I guess their opinion doesn't really matter... but I also would've ranked SOTT above PR. And I would've put Parade on the list, too.. probably above PR as well.

Around The World In A Day was a sick album, I don't know why SOTT and PR get all this attention. Sure, they're good but overrated as fuck. There are better Prince albums out there.

NeonCraxx said:

Around The World In A Day was a sick album, I don't know why SOTT and PR get all this attention. Sure, they're good but overrated as fuck. There are better Prince albums out there.

I'd guess that the listmakers aren't huge Prince fans, and they just know what is popular.

CrabalockerFishwife said:

NeonCraxx said:

Around The World In A Day was a sick album, I don't know why SOTT and PR get all this attention. Sure, they're good but overrated as fuck. There are better Prince albums out there.

I'd guess that the listmakers aren't huge Prince fans, and they just know what is popular.

Essentially. I'd still put SOTT in the top 5. I think SPIN had it #2 behind U2 IIRC.

[Edited 4/4/12 14:12pm]

MajesticOne89 said:

NeonCraxx said:

Let me guess, #1 is fucking Thriller right?

Nope!

alright i get it.

What do they know? These 80's survey's bore me...

[Edited 4/4/12 18:18pm]

NeonCraxx said:

Around The World In A Day was a sick album, I don't know why SOTT and PR get all this attention. Sure, they're good but overrated as fuck. There are better Prince albums out there.

CrabalockerFishwife said:

NeonCraxx said:

Let me guess, #1 is fucking Thriller right?

No.

It's The Pixies' Doolittle.

thats a joke yes?

NeonCraxx said:

jonylawson said:

CrabalockerFishwife said:

No.

It's The Pixies' Doolittle.

thats a joke yes?

That's what this list picked as the #1 album of the 1980s. I've never listened to it, so I can't judge.

[Edited 4/4/12 18:33pm]

CrabalockerFishwife said:

jonylawson said:

thats a joke yes?

That's what this list picked as the #1 album of the 1980s. I've never listened to it, so I can't judge.

[Edited 4/4/12 18:33pm]

Doolittle kicks ass, as does the entire Pixies catalogue

It's just a list, and a list is just an opinion of somebody. So what's the fuss?

ludwig said:

It's just a list, and a list is just an opinion of somebody. So what's the fuss?

What fuss? Usually when somebody posts a best of list, other people comment on it, agreeing or disagreeing.. that's what we're all doing.

1999 is technically a better album than PR imo, but of course a casual listener would likely be more interested in the contemporary sounds of his most famous release.

CrabalockerFishwife said:

ludwig said:

It's just a list, and a list is just an opinion of somebody. So what's the fuss?

What fuss? Usually when somebody posts a best of list, other people comment on it, agreeing or disagreeing.. that's what we're all doing.

How can you argue about personal taste?

How can you disagree about a list, when you don't know all of the albums? Fans of certain artists mostly have a very close minded view on that matter. Even if someone would know all the listed albums, it would still be a matter of taste how to rate them.

When the 80s ended, Rolling Stone did a best of list. There have been several since and I always refer to the original.

IIRC, they had The Clash "London Calling" at #1.

Purple Rain was #2.

Dirty Mind & SOTT were both top 20, and 1999 was on the list...but not top 20.

To me, the best part was they ranked Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions..." at #12.

CrabalockerFishwife said:

jonylawson said:

CrabalockerFishwife said:

No.

It's The Pixies' Doolittle.

thats a joke yes?

I do not understand why thriller Is always The Number One Album in all. This album is not even the best of the Career of Michael!!

Well changing the subject. Why Is SOTT In #26? It deserved better! And Parade Is one of my favorite albums Too... Those people they just dont know!

sfinky1 said:

CrabalockerFishwife said:

No.

It's The Pixies' Doolittle.

Let me guess, Thriller is #2 then right?

No. The Smiths' The Queen Is Dead

Thriller is #3.

There's a lot of crap albums on here and several artist left out. like Zeppelin. Even though I think PR should be higher than #10.

I do believe that PR should be higher than SOTT since it was a pop culture changing album...

I swear it seems to me I'll die before I understand how can people that really take themselves seriously (like these critics) can take U2 seriously. They are dumb, lame, messianic, pathetic, wrong and so on... Really BAD.