3 successive albums that work together in his catalogue.

"Come," "The Gold Experience" and "Chaos and Disorder."

The Ultimate let loose and not caring about the commercial results.

Good question, but I feel the need to address something. The Gold Experience was as purposeful of a pop rock album as Diamonds and Pearls was, albeit the latter was lighter material in comparison. He cared enough about the first two you mentioned enough to build the Ultimate Live Experience around that material almost exclusively, plus bits from Exodus, , and even a rarely played Batman track, plus a few covers. Hell, one could argue that he promoted TGE by simply saying it would never be released. Had it went on long enough, it'd have almost reached Black Album status. Thankfully it was released.

My trilogy is Come, Exodus, The Gold Experience. In that order, one sort of leads into the other. Come has a techno feel to it in some regards, and so does part of Exodus, albeit it more of an electronic nod. Not in style, but production. It's very ...digital. That leads into the the very idea of getting music on one's computer via the NPG operator. It's cathartic. Come is very dark almost like an upper tier of Dante's inferno, Exodus is the captured stealing a spaceship gearing up to get out, and The Gold Experience is their release, and they realize that through everything, all that glitters ain't gold. C&D is almost an afterthought, of "what if". That's not to say I don't enjoy C&D, but it's not part of my trilogy.

Parade-SignOTheTimes-Lovesexy

Agree with Welcome2daRevolution.... Controversy - 1999 - Purple Rain

If it didn't have to be successive albums, I would say the "Holy Trinity" of Prince albums would have to be 1999-Purple Rain-Sign O' The Times.

[Edited 2/24/17 19:40pm]

Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999. The "Hungry Era".

sro100 said:

3 successive albums that work together in his catalogue.

"Come," "The Gold Experience" and "Chaos and Disorder."

The Ultimate let loose and not caring about the commercial results.

Agree with this.
.
I really love his jazzier stuff too so Rainbow Children, One Nite Alone, Xpectation/NEWS for me personally.

There is more than one

.

Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999 = A menage a trois of his sexiest music

.

Parade, Sign o the Times, Lovesexy = The brilliance triology (I exclude Black as it had limited release, and lets face it, it is way below the level.

.

3121, Planet Earth, Lotusflow3r disc 1 = Classic later Prince.

.

I wish I could lump Art Official Age and Hit n run Phase 2 together, but they are interspersed with the inferior albums Hit n Run Phase 1 and Plectrum Electrum.

SomeSoldier said:

I agre with TKO on Parade, SOTT and Lovesexy, although if I could skip ATWIAD, I'd go for Purple Rain, Parade and SOTT

Agree with you 100%, so you must be right

Honestly, I don't think there is one. Can't do this for betrayal reasons. I've always thought 80-88 was just perfection as a run of albums.

Lovesexy=Batman=Graffiti Bridge had a cohesive flow. They all had the same sound musically/sonically.

1999/Purple Rain/Sign O' The Times

214 said:

1999/Purple Rain/Sign O' The Times

.

This is the credited response, for the mighty three of the canon, although there are compelling arguments for thematically compatible album triumvirates on this thread as well.

.

[Edited 2/26/17 16:34pm]

Purple Rain
Around The World in a Day
Parade

TKO said:

Parade-SignOTheTimes-Lovesexy

This ^^^^^ with no doubt

Purple Rain

Emancipation

3121

stpaisios said:

Purple Rain

Emancipation

3121

for real?

TKO said:

Come

The Gold Experience

The Black Album was in the middle, but it doesnt count for me. My favorite set of consecutive albums.

imprimis said:

214 said:

1999/Purple Rain/Sign O' The Times

.

This is the credited response, for the mighty three of the canon, although there are compelling arguments for thematically compatible album triumvirates on this thread as well.

.

[Edited 2/26/17 16:34pm]

There is not other way, and your heart knows that. The Holy Trinity is that. 1999/Purple Rain/Sign O' The Times

Controversy - 1999 and Purple Rain! His albums plus the Time and Vanity / Apollonia 6 recordings.

Sign of the times, The Black Album and Lovesexy. Chewymusic and I got the Black Album right before getting Lovesexy. All three albums are brilliant. B sides alone would make you toes curl

TKO said:

Parade-SignOTheTimes-Lovesexy

this...

TBA does not count, u no..... it wasn't released before Lovesexy

Parade -- Sign O' The Times -- Lovesexy