I know this has been discussed at length before, but I'm a casual fan. Forgive me for my ignorance. And if you don't, shut up already. Damn!

According to every Prince fan ever, there's an untouchable golden age for Prince. Most people agree that it took place throughout the 80's, though some say it lasted from anywhere between the late 70's to the mid-90's. Everyone seems to have a different opinion of what this magical time is.

So, when was it?

The most common canons I hear always begin with Prince and end with either Sign 'O' the Times, Lovesexy, Diamonds & Pearls or The Gold Experience. Though, I have seen arguments that Emancipation is the finale to the Age of Prince.

Personally, I think it ended with Lovesexy.

What's your Princely headcanon?

[Edited 4/21/13 15:45pm]

for me it was 84-97

Great, great question.

I prefer to look at the classic era as "Prince" all the way up to (and including) "Graffiti Bridge." Such an amazing body of work showing incredible growth. Onward, upward, sideways, diagonally. Each album was an adventure.

So, '79-'90 for me.

And then "Diamonds and Pearls" happened. I actually like the album, but it was just the first one that struck me as a consciously commercial project that played things very safe, trendy and not really imbued with the same artistic qualities of his previous albums. Fun album, though.

Risico said:

Great, great question.

I prefer to look at the classic era as "Prince" all the way up to (and including) "Graffiti Bridge." Such an amazing body of work showing incredible growth. Onward, upward, sideways, diagonally. Each album was an adventure.

So, '79-'90 for me.

And then "Diamonds and Pearls" happened. I actually like the album, but it was just the first one that struck me as a consciously commercial project that played things very safe, trendy and not really imbued with the same artistic qualities of his previous albums. Fun album, though.

This.

The classic era is 1980-1988.

It does give a somewhat limited idea of what Prince's music is like as it obviously changed quite a lot in the early-90s.

novabrkr said:

The classic era is 1980-1988.

.

from "Dirty Mind" to "Lovesexy" (Both included).

novabrkr said:

The classic era is 1980-1988.

lust said:

1978-1989

to be clear .. you are allowed to like songs that came from or prior to crystal ball or dream factory .. like eye no and joy .. but only as tracks on otherwise mediocre records .. the classic period is defined as PRINCE thru SIGN. Anything after that is hit or miss, no complete masterpieces.

TrevorAyer said:

to be clear .. you are allowed to like songs that came from or prior to crystal ball or dream factory .. like eye no and joy .. but only as tracks on otherwise mediocre records .. the classic period is defined as PRINCE thru SIGN. Anything after that is hit or miss, no complete masterpieces.

^^^ LOL

yep

80-87 (I was never big into LoveSexy) with a few gems here and there throughout the 90's.

1980-1988

I think most fans will agree on 1980-1988, give or take a year or 2.

There's a lot of nostalgia for the 1993-1995 era too, because it was kind of a return to being underground for Prince, with all the name change and war with WB craziness, and The Gold Experience is amazingly popular among fans.

1980-1990.

Then 2000 - present.

I really did not like the 90's era Prince much. NO FUNK.

In recent times he went back and it seemed like he calmed down from the drama of the 90's, however it must have weined on him because the music is still good, just his lyrics and album promotion have been hit or miss. I like this era though because of the return of funky Prince so I give him that.

'79 - '88 for me.

I don't think Dirty Mind or Lovesexy are that great so I'd say 1981-1987.

Everyone needs to only speak for themselves on this one.

If we are being honest, a lot of Prince fans were not instantly deeming post 1984 albums like Around The World in a Day and Parade "classics". People gradually came to love them. Meaning, Prince fan and their view of history is always in flux and VERY malleable.

There was a time when you would NEVER see good words about Chaos and Disorder, and Come. Now I often see them discussed here are all time favorites.

Fonkyman said:

'79 - '88 for me.

skywalker said:

Everyone needs to only speak for themselves on this one.

If we are being honest, a lot of Prince fans were not instantly deeming post 1984 albums like Around The World in a Day and Parade "classics". People gradually came to love them. Meaning, Prince fan and their view of history is always in flux and VERY malleable.

There was a time when you would NEVER see good words about Chaos and Disorder, and Come. Now I often see them discussed here are all time favorites.

It's really is about the album 'era' not just the album

ATWIAD the era was still electric and exciting

I still don't think people see the Chaos & DIsorder or Come era as 'classic'

Prince is one of the hottest entertainers, but back then I would pay 250 a ticket easily, today I would think about it 'hard'

omnithanos said:

I don't think Dirty Mind or Lovesexy are that great so I'd say 1981-1987.

when people say 'era' it's about the whole of the project. Not just the album

Dirty Mind & Lovesexy are 2 very exciting eras in Prince history

you are allowed to like whatever the hell you want. If someone thinks the gold experience or the rainbow children are great records, then they are entitled to that opinion.

The word "classic" refers to general perception on something that people share. Something has been elevated to that status. It also refers to some sort of "you can't really go wrong with it" idea - certain theatrical plays or movies are "classics" in the sense that you can't go wrong with them as recommendations. Someone might not like them, but usually the fault lies at the person's narrow tastes and not on the piece itself.

You'll certainly have to include many Prince's 1980s records as "classics" of popular music, but it's a different matter altogether if you have to express that as a number of years (an "era").

MattyJam said:

An era is defined by a significant period of time. Going by that definition I would argue the last time Prince made a significant impact commercially was D&P. He had a big hit with TMBGITW but that was just one song, not an era. Non-fans would not recall The Gold Experience or any of the other singles from that time. So I say that Prince's classic era started around 1999 and ended with D&P. Albums prior to that may be considered classics in the eyes of his fanbase, but not to the wider public.

Yeah, you're probably right if we're going to prioritize the perception of the wider public over the views of the fanbase or music journalists.

hhhhdmt said:

you are allowed to like whatever the hell you want. If someone thinks the gold experience or the rainbow children are great records, then they are entitled to that opinion.

the thread isn't about liking a particular album, but time period

OldFriends4Sale said:

omnithanos said:

I don't think Dirty Mind or Lovesexy are that great so I'd say 1981-1987.

when people say 'era' it's about the whole of the project. Not just the album

Dirty Mind & Lovesexy are 2 very exciting eras in Prince history

Well, in that case, how can people NOT view the Musicology era as classic? It was one of the best times to be a Prince fan. There was so much good Prince stuff happening on a large scale. I'd argue that it was one of his all time peaks in terms of mass appeal and commercial success.

[Edited 4/22/13 6:08am]