Not which one was the most popular or sold the most copies or got the best reviews - all that doesnt matter though so many here seem to think that is all that matters. I am talking about the album that was part of the soundtrack to some pivotal period or phase of your life. This is the album that takes you back like a purple time machine when you sit down, put on the phones, and close your eyes. You laugh or cry thinking of things that happened as this music played a role.

[Edited 2/16/15 15:23pm]

Parade is that album for me. I was around 10 when it came out, so of course it reminds me of a much more simple and happier time. However, I rediscovered it when I was 17 and so many things had changed. For one, I had become a Prince fanatic. I remember scrutinizing every single note, lyric, instrument, everything. It was catchy and funky, yet it had elements of jazz and classical music, which also made it sophisticated. Throw in the subtle French incluence and it sounded like nothing I had ever heard! Listening to it, transported me to the French Riviera. I still remember my friends giving me a hard time over "Do U Lie." I had also discovered girls by that time, so the songs resonated with me from that perspective. My father passed that year and I graduated from high school. It was just such a pivital year in my life and that album takes me right back there when I listen to it.

warning2all said:

"Parade" for sure. Everything about it opened my mind in 1986--the black & white French imagery; the wide array of musical instruments; the unusual melodies and layers of sounds; how some songs were suddenly cut off like vignettes-it was like a work of art more than a pop album. To be a young teen and listen to that cassette was amazing. "Parade" means the most.

THere was a certain magic that it had for me when it was new. I bought the vinyl as I was in college and couldnt afford a CD player. When I got my first job, I got a CD player and this was the first CD I evr bought (I have over 10,000 in my collection now) in 1988. I still have it. I used to listen to it in bed at night when it was quiet and loop it until I feel asleep. It is difficult to think of a more underrated Prince album.

Toughy.

I think for me (and probably others), the album that means the most is as much the timing in your life as it was the content of the album.

It was ATWIAD that converted me, and Parade that turned me obsessive, but it would be SOTT that means the most, as it was convergence of a damn good album and me really enjoyable time of life (I was 17 in 1987).

The album contained every emotion, perfect for a 17 year old looking for a direction.

Parade..

Parade. It's something about that music, man...

Lovesexy.

I am in love with this fantastic pop-funk album..

Here comes the 'groan' one: ... Purple Rain.

It's not just my favorite Prince album because it happens to be his most successful. I feel as if it was the most successful for a reason. The way it combines cutesy pop (Take Me with U) to your standard 80s rock number that defines 1984 (Let's Go Crazy), heavy rock/metal emotional masterpieces like Computer Blue and Darling Nikki, one of the most breathtaking ballads of his career (Beautiful Ones), the funkiest kick-ass dance songs (Baby I'm a Star, I Would Die 4 U), my favorite song of all time by anybody: When Doves Cry (for that bubblegum pop keyboard melody with such dark lyrics, such a captivating chorus, powerful vocals, an AMAZING climax (the 'how can you just leave me standing?' after chorus #2), great guitar solo, fantastic video, and my favorite synthesizer solos ever), and of course the 9-minute genius title track.

Looks shouldn't matter, but the Purple Rain era only contributes to my love for the album.. the fact it has a classic movie with it, with great characters (if not slightly 1-dimensional), reading all about its' premiere, popularity, Prince's takeover of American pop culture, the performances, the Purple Rain Live in Syracuse DVD, his amazing badass look/motorcycle/curls, everything about Purple Rain is really special to me because it was how I was introduced to Prince.

I may have heard 'Little Red Corvette' and '1999' first, but Purple Rain was my very first Prince album, the very first image of Prince I saw, the first film, and everything. For that reason (and of course, its' brilliance), Purple Rain will forever be my favorite Prince album and the only album by the man where every track is 11/10 in my opinion.

Controversy introduced me to Prince. Controversy opened my eyes to his art and style. Controversy is special because it led the way for everything that came afterwards in my musical education.

[Edited 2/17/15 7:52am]

Emancipation means a lot to me as "an object". It was an expensive set, my mother had gotten injured and had not worked for years, so her giving me the money for that thing is something that means a lot to me. Perhaps I even feel a bit guilty about it (there would have been so many other records for me to listen to that I could get for free from the library). I sure did listen to it a lot then.

thedance said:

Sign of the Times! I had accepted completely by then he was musician I could focus on. And yes it was a great time to be alive at that time and it was a great time to be a Prince fam. Other albums mean a lot as well but Sign of the Times is the heart of it all.

CharismaDove said:

Here comes the 'groan' one: ... Purple Rain.

It's not just my favorite Prince album because it happens to be his most successful. I feel as if it was the most successful for a reason. The way it combines cutesy pop (Take Me with U) to your standard 80s rock number that defines 1984 (Let's Go Crazy), heavy rock/metal emotional masterpieces like Computer Blue and Darling Nikki, one of the most breathtaking ballads of his career (Beautiful Ones), the funkiest kick-ass dance songs (Baby I'm a Star, I Would Die 4 U), my favorite song of all time by anybody: When Doves Cry (for that bubblegum pop keyboard melody with such dark lyrics, such a captivating chorus, powerful vocals, an AMAZING climax (the 'how can you just leave me standing?' after chorus #2), great guitar solo, fantastic video, and my favorite synthesizer solos ever), and of course the 9-minute genius title track.

Looks shouldn't matter, but the Purple Rain era only contributes to my love for the album.. the fact it has a classic movie with it, with great characters (if not slightly 1-dimensional), reading all about its' premiere, popularity, Prince's takeover of American pop culture, the performances, the Purple Rain Live in Syracuse DVD, his amazing badass look/motorcycle/curls, everything about Purple Rain is really special to me because it was how I was introduced to Prince.

I may have heard 'Little Red Corvette' and '1999' first, but Purple Rain was my very first Prince album, the very first image of Prince I saw, the first film, and everything. For that reason (and of course, its' brilliance), Purple Rain will forever be my favorite Prince album and the only album by the man where every track is 11/10 in my opinion.

This for me also * 1,000,000 (including the explanation).

I had known about 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' when it first came out, as well as '1999', and 'Little Red Corvette' (the video of which my best friend described as Prince looking at his microphone as if 'he was disgusted with it')

But seeing 'Purple Rain' it's opening weekend which also happened to be the weekend I turned 15 (July 29th), was monumental for me. 1984 was one of the best years in my life.

*NOTE* - Why do my posts never look like the way I formatted them (i.e. with paragraphs, etc.)?

[Edited 2/17/15 6:37am]

JoshuaWho said:

Not which one was the most popular or sold the most copies or got the best reviews - all that doesnt matter though so many here seem to think that is all that matters. I am talking about the album that was part of the soundtrack to some pivotal period or phase of your life. This is the album that takes you back like a purple time machine when you sit down, put on the phones, and close your eyes. You laugh or cry thinking of things that happened as this music played a role.

[Edited 2/16/15 15:23pm]

They're all specifically related to one period of my life or another (the months following the album's release, or 1990-91 for the albums from 78-88) and the memories that go along with it.

Purple Rain got me into Prince, ATWIAD convinced me he was insane in the best way.

ATWIAD probably meant the most to me. It's got such a bizarre, queasy feeling. Like a carnival ride you puked on. That's something I could relate to, whereas Purple Rain is so perfect.

'1999' got my attention. It's probably still my favorite album.

'Purple Rain' was overwhelming in a great way.

'Around The World In A Day' and 'Parade' kept the succession going.

BUT!!!

'Sign "O" The Times', released in March of 1987, was the real soundtrack to my life back then.

In hindsight, i hope there will be an album timely released (by any artist) of such calibre for future gerations when they reach adolescence.

Prost!

1999. I consciously knew it was for life.

CharismaDove said:

Here comes the 'groan' one: ... Purple Rain.

It's not just my favorite Prince album because it happens to be his most successful. I feel as if it was the most successful for a reason. The way it combines cutesy pop (Take Me with U) to your standard 80s rock number that defines 1984 (Let's Go Crazy), heavy rock/metal emotional masterpieces like Computer Blue and Darling Nikki, one of the most breathtaking ballads of his career (Beautiful Ones), the funkiest kick-ass dance songs (Baby I'm a Star, I Would Die 4 U), my favorite song of all time by anybody: When Doves Cry (for that bubblegum pop keyboard melody with such dark lyrics, such a captivating chorus, powerful vocals, an AMAZING climax (the 'how can you just leave me standing?' after chorus #2), great guitar solo, fantastic video, and my favorite synthesizer solos ever), and of course the 9-minute genius title track.

Looks shouldn't matter, but the Purple Rain era only contributes to my love for the album.. the fact it has a classic movie with it, with great characters (if not slightly 1-dimensional), reading all about its' premiere, popularity, Prince's takeover of American pop culture, the performances, the Purple Rain Live in Syracuse DVD, his amazing badass look/motorcycle/curls, everything about Purple Rain is really special to me because it was how I was introduced to Prince.

I may have heard 'Little Red Corvette' and '1999' first, but Purple Rain was my very first Prince album, the very first image of Prince I saw, the first film, and everything. For that reason (and of course, its' brilliance), Purple Rain will forever be my favorite Prince album and the only album by the man where every track is 11/10 in my opinion.

If you were not already a devoted fanatic, Purple Rain was - and still is - the ultimate gateway drug for any true purple junkie. Sure, millions of bandwagon jumpers got on during this era - you couldn't get away from it - but it was a wonderful time for the real Prince vets. Those of us who endured the abuse of loving him during those early blow wave, no pants days (no "real man" admitted to being a Prince fan back then) it was the attention that we knew Prince deserved. For those who ridiculed freaks like me for having the shower poster from the Controversy album on my bedroom wall, that purple heyday with Prince walking off with several awards plus an Oscar - no less, were redemptive and validating. For those who were new to Prince, Purple Rain was a bombastic sensory overload that propelled them into the fantastically sexy rock/funk/soul hybrid world of this tantalizing and mysterious musical genius from nowhere.

You say looks shouldn't matter but I disagree - at that time, of course they mattered. The visual aesthetic of Purple Rain was the epitome of sound and vision in the shiny new world of music video and MTV in the 80s. So resounding was the impact, the color purple actually became Prince's brand. The underlying florwery backdrop, Edwardian ruffles, needle lace, and, of course, the iconic white cloud guitar - it was all so stylish; progressive and retro at the same time. It was original. Unlike the throngs of imitators that followed, all of this was not some flimsy fad to prop up the music - it supplemented it in another medium to make it bigger than everything else. This way, Prince realized the no. 1 movie, no.1 single, and no. 1 album simultaneously - ruling the radio and the box office in those heady days before the world wide web as we know it.

Dirty Mind

morningsong said:

Dirty Mind, a breakthrough for Prince and myself. The absolute statement of individuality.

ATWIAD !!!

Rainbow Children. Heard it for the first time at Paisley with Prince and read the lyrics while listening to the album in its entirety. The album moved me spiritually, politically and romatically and it still does. The music is outstanding as well and he pushed the boundaries on that album.

Around the World in a Day

.

I experienced the previous journey prior to Purple Rain, then I was swept up in the visuals the representation of the reality/fantasy the music so electric that it still charges me

.

and then when ATWIAD came out it felt intimate, i was drawn into the paintings outside/inside, the lyrics/fonts/credits etc I felt like he made this for everyone like sharing pages from a diary or someone who just took over the world and came back to his home town and retold stories of his experiences