Please refrain from downloading the whole back cataloge and just doing a massive prince binge.

Take your time with it. Like we all have over the last 30 years. Let it sink in.

I would recommend you start with For You, Prince, and Dirty Mind.

You should listen to those over the course of the this year.

Then pick up Controversy and thereafter every August pick up the next album and so on. We listened to these albums almost non stop for a year untill his next release. Oh and as someone else mentioned the 12 inch remeixes and B Sides along with his videos that were linked to his concepts and styles at the time.

Listening to his back catalogue now is somewhat difficult. What would really set his music apart is to try and pick up the context of what was happening at the time of the releases. That would really put his music into perspective.

Remember, our love for his music is rooted in our experieces at the time we first heard it. I still remember seeing the video of Mountains for the first time (my first Prince-Wow moment that hooked me in), still remember walking to the corner shop listening to U Got the Look on my cassette walkman, still remember first hearing Dance On at a friends house, remember going to the record store repeatedly waiting for the Batman album, remember walking into a record store to kill some time on a lunch break and find the Rainbow Children sitting on the shelf.

For instance, whilst SOOT is up on almost everyones top 5 albums list, without the propper context of the time, someone with fresh ears now woudl question it's importance. Remember we just came off a few years of Purple Rain, Raspberry Berret, Kiss and then he hits us with SOOT and wow, like nothing else mattered before. This was IT. Then you should do the whole Black Album / Lovesexy thing as well and all the confusion of the late 90's where noone really knew what was happening.

All this above is what still keeps me listening to his latest music.

And as for his movies. Please, dont expect much. They really are C grade and thats being kind - except for SOOT - but thats not really a movie - still awesome though.

Listen to the 1999 album.


If you dont like ANY of the songs on there, then forget about it.

callimnate said:

Wolfie87 said:

Got any used record stores in your area? Go pick up whatever's there, right now--don't pay any attention to whether it's one of the generally agreed great albums or if it's one of the generally disparaged ones. In fact, hope that you get one that older fans don't like much. You started off with the hits and three albums a lot of people around here spend a lot of time ragging on--if you appreciate them, there's a good chance you'll find something to like on other less popular albums. Maybe even more than on the "classic" albums other fans are suggesting, since those same fans don't like the albums you already do. If after listening to these random used (and thus cheap) albums you like a lot of what you hear, then you're probably a general Prince fan and can just start picking everything up, pretty much with no plan or reason. If not, then you need to figure out what specific Prince you like, and then hone in on what albums feature that guy more than others. It's hard to guess which that might be based on the albums you're already familiar with, so give a few more a chance.

DO NOT start at the beginning and move forward. The distance between the early years and now is so great (in spite of HITNRUN Phase One starting with the beginning of the first album) that you're likely to get bogged down--not because of the music's quality (even though he is still working out how to write a song early on), but the sounds are so different from now, plus, while we talk so much about how much he changed, he kind of didn't early on. If you don't like Dirty Mind, you're not gonna like the next couple of albums much, and even Purple Rain might not do much for you. Also, if the 80's doesn't turn out to be your favorite period (or, more specifically, if the Minneapolis Sound doesn't turn out to be your genre) it might discourage you from so much that might be appealing that happened later. Just because many of us who started back then think of it as definitive doesn't mean you will. People have come in all through his career and found what they wanted at all those times. Much of the discussion here is dominated by older fans, but that doesn't mean other albums can't be just as good or better for other listeners. I know every note of Sign O the Times, but it isn't because it's better than (say) The Gold Experience, or The Rainbow Children, or Art Official Age. It's just the one that I listened to every night for the better part of a year, and that's only partly because it was a great album. It also was one of only 30 or so albums I had at .the time and it was on cassette so I could listen to it from my bed without having to fiddle with the turntable across the room. I cannot imagine I will ever do that for another album, no matter how good it is (there have been other albums I probably value as highly (though not by Prince), and I haven't listened to any of them nearly that much or that closely).

People here love to argue, but about these, there is no arguing. Start with, in this order:

Dirty Mind

1999

Purple Rain

Parade

These are Prince's only 4 fully stellar, cohesive albums. You will hear an amazing progression of musical themes, complexity, styles, layers and meaning.

If you want to add some spice to your palate, seek out Madhouse 8, Vanity 6 and The Family.

Follow these up with SOTT and Lovesexy (both classic, but the weak spots show through).

Move on to Around the World In a Day, the Black Album, and the Gold Experience.

Then Rainbow Children, Musicology, and LotusFlow3r.

Everything else is a bonus (and somewhat hit or miss).

vegasE said:

Please refrain from downloading the whole back cataloge and just doing a massive prince binge.

Take your time with it. Like we all have over the last 30 years. Let it sink in.

I would recommend you start with For You, Prince, and Dirty Mind.

You should listen to those over the course of the this year.

Then pick up Controversy and thereafter every August pick up the next album and so on. We listened to these albums almost non stop for a year untill his next release. Oh and as someone else mentioned the 12 inch remeixes and B Sides along with his videos that were linked to his concepts and styles at the time.

Listening to his back catalogue now is somewhat difficult. What would really set his music apart is to try and pick up the context of what was happening at the time of the releases. That would really put his music into perspective.

Remember, our love for his music is rooted in our experieces at the time we first heard it. I still remember seeing the video of Mountains for the first time (my first Prince-Wow moment that hooked me in), still remember walking to the corner shop listening to U Got the Look on my cassette walkman, still remember first hearing Dance On at a friends house, remember going to the record store repeatedly waiting for the Batman album, remember walking into a record store to kill some time on a lunch break and find the Rainbow Children sitting on the shelf.

For instance, whilst SOOT is up on almost everyones top 5 albums list, without the propper context of the time, someone with fresh ears now woudl question it's importance. Remember we just came off a few years of Purple Rain, Raspberry Berret, Kiss and then he hits us with SOOT and wow, like nothing else mattered before. This was IT. Then you should do the whole Black Album / Lovesexy thing as well and all the confusion of the late 90's where noone really knew what was happening.

All this above is what still keeps me listening to his latest music.

And as for his movies. Please, dont expect much. They really are C grade and thats being kind - except for SOOT - but thats not really a movie - still awesome though.

What is SOOT? LOL

EnDoRpHn said:

vegasE said:

Please refrain from downloading the whole back cataloge and just doing a massive prince binge.

Take your time with it. Like we all have over the last 30 years. Let it sink in.

I would recommend you start with For You, Prince, and Dirty Mind.

You should listen to those over the course of the this year.

Then pick up Controversy and thereafter every August pick up the next album and so on. We listened to these albums almost non stop for a year untill his next release. Oh and as someone else mentioned the 12 inch remeixes and B Sides along with his videos that were linked to his concepts and styles at the time.

Listening to his back catalogue now is somewhat difficult. What would really set his music apart is to try and pick up the context of what was happening at the time of the releases. That would really put his music into perspective.

Remember, our love for his music is rooted in our experieces at the time we first heard it. I still remember seeing the video of Mountains for the first time (my first Prince-Wow moment that hooked me in), still remember walking to the corner shop listening to U Got the Look on my cassette walkman, still remember first hearing Dance On at a friends house, remember going to the record store repeatedly waiting for the Batman album, remember walking into a record store to kill some time on a lunch break and find the Rainbow Children sitting on the shelf.

For instance, whilst SOOT is up on almost everyones top 5 albums list, without the propper context of the time, someone with fresh ears now woudl question it's importance. Remember we just came off a few years of Purple Rain, Raspberry Berret, Kiss and then he hits us with SOOT and wow, like nothing else mattered before. This was IT. Then you should do the whole Black Album / Lovesexy thing as well and all the confusion of the late 90's where noone really knew what was happening.

All this above is what still keeps me listening to his latest music.

And as for his movies. Please, dont expect much. They really are C grade and thats being kind - except for SOOT - but thats not really a movie - still awesome though.

What is SOOT? LOL

Sign of of Times

I'm a fan since 2014. I would recommend Purple Rain, Dirty Mind and SOTT.

Also Diamonds and Pearls.

'

EddieC said:

The way you should probably go about it is to start anywhere but have a list of albums to avoid until you have been completely sucked in. There are albums out there that could end your journey of discovery somewhat abruptly if you picked them up now. Albums I personally would avoid for now:

Emancipation - it may look good on the surface. A triple album he was "born to make" after getting out of his WB contract. But, it aint all that and may bore you into submission.

New Power Soul - This is probably only listenable with the ears of a hardcore fan.

The Rainbow Children - Actually a really really good album, but I fear for the uninitiated ears with this one. It may induce a WTF moment that scars you for life.

Planet Earth - This should be left until you really have run out of anything else to seek out.

For You and Prince - His first two albums. Actually pretty good. But save them until you are more familiar with Prince as a whole and then go back to them once you have your Prince membership card. I think many of us did that.

MPLSound - Just say no for as long as you can.

NEWS - Dont go there without the classics under your belt and The Rainbow Children has become part of your musical vocabulary.

Other than that, go for it... Get what you can whenever you find it. Anything with the Warner Bros logo on it cannot be fucked with.

Rather than start at the beginning or end, I would try a piece of every period first. So besides the Hits, which I assume you should get (Bsides alone), I would get all the following.

.

Dirty Mind - The early raw period (4U and Prince are slight and only recommended later on), the music on this album is of the young and hungry Prince and one not scared to push boundaries. The vocals and delivery are as urgent and pounding as the funky beats.

.

1999 - Amazing sonic brilliance, all the lust and funk of Dirty Mind, but with more harmonic singing and studio wizardry. Plus he has some classic catchy pop songs here like 1999 and LRC

.

Purple Rain - The Rock colossus, with powerful guitars, amazing songwriting and a focus on love over lust, plus songs like Beautiful Ones and When Doves Cry are just sublime

.

Parade - Chilled out Prince, still funky, but Gallic sounding and full of love and lush strings.

.

SOTT - just brilliance, an alchemy of styles and sounds with a Prince touch, this was his creative peak and great music for the ears. If you never buy anything by Prince again after one more album, make this that album!

.

Lovesexy - Kind of a mix of Parade and SOTT with a dancier and more spiritual vibe, great melodies, music, strings, funk and beautiful creamy ballads along with some powerful pop.

.

Diamonds and Pearls - Classic early 90s r and b and new jack swing, great catchy ballads like Diamonds and Pearls, assured funk of Gett Off, pure pop of Cream and the great seduction masterpiece - Insatiable, also showcases his trendchasing sensibilities of the time - Jughead is crap.

.

Gold Experience - mid 90s comeback, assured rock, pop and ballads, very clever songs, quirky sounds and all the anger and angst of the mid 1990s slave period.

.

3121 - after 10 years of mostly forgettable stuff, this funky but play it safe millenial album shows the new grown up Prince.

.

Art Official Age - The only of the new albums you have missing, a great return to form, real esocteric new agey songs like Way back home meet the assured funk of Clouds and Gold Standard along with the sexy This could be us.

.

To me these 9 albums sum up the whole Prince vibe well, for a 10th I would add Controversy which is like a mash up of Dirty Mind and 1999, and was issued between them, it has a great opener song, and the sexiest ballad ever made - Do Me Baby.

Replica said:

First:

Purple Rain

Around The World in a Day

Parade

Sign "o" The Times

Black Album

Lovesexy

After:

Crystal Ball

The Truth

Rainbow Children

One Nite Alone

NEWS

Xpetation

The War

Back in '95 I started with The Hits/The B-Sides and took it from there. When deciding which album to buy next, I tended to pick based on how much I liked the album cover.

Wrecka Stow. Has anyone said Wreka Stow?

Wrecka Stow.

The first full Prince album I got was "Purple Rain" in 1984. Luckily I didn't have too many I needed to go back to afterwards. I do recall buying "For you" and being amazed at how different it was from "Purple Rain". That's when I knew I was in for a ride. I even enjoy some of the albums other totally hate like "Planet Earth" and "3121". I think the only one I truely don't like and would not suggest starting with is "N.E.W.S." although I know others totally love this album.

[Edited 3/1/16 19:20pm]

Often overlooked...........Exodus.

[Edited 3/2/16 7:48am]

start at the beginning and listening to the evolution. he made a sharp left at Dirty Mind