If you’re a Prince fan, it’s safe to assume you own Purple Rain, Sign O’ the Times, and 1999. They’re arguably his three greatest records, but most people tend to stop there. Here are five others, some of which aren’t nearly as popular as the three mentioned above, that are worth recommending to a beginner and/or casual fan:

1. Dirty Mind (1980): As impressive as For You and Prince are, Dirty Mind is the official introduction to the high-heeled rebel’s quest for greatness. Rocking a flasher’s trench coat, a neckerchief, and bikini briefs, Prince merges various genres into what we now know as Minneapolis Funk: new wave (the pulsing title track, “Uptown”), pop (“When You Were Mine”), and funk (“Head”). Although this tightly-packed album runs a brisk 30 minutes, his marvelously perverse imagination has plenty room to unleash pent-up desires and aching joys throughout all eight songs. All things considered, Dirty Mind delivers what its name promises.
   
   
2. Parade (1986): Prince’s follow-up to the 1985 classic Around the World in a Day doubles-down on that album’s psychedelic flavor with more finesse and flair. There’s the wicked funk masterpiece “Kiss” (#1 US) and the dreamy pop of “Mountains” (#23 US), but that’s just scratching the surface. The lesser-known songs (“Life Can Be So Nice,” “Venus de Milo,” “Anotherloverholenyohead,” and “Sometimes It Snows in April,” etc.) rank among his finest compositions. Balancing Clare Fischer’s orchestral touches with Prince’s soul and funk sensibilities, Parade is fun and beautiful with a splash of danger.
   
   
3. Lovesexy (1988): It’s crazy to think that, by 1988, there were still artistic milestones that Prince hadn’t reached yet, but Lovesexy marked several firsts. Pose nude on your album cover forcing retailers to wrap the photo in black? Check. Format your album as one continuous track on CD? Check. Write “Alphabet St.,” an ode to oral sex with just enough lyrical fig leaves to crack the Billboard Top 10? Check. Blur the lines of gospel and pop, love and sex, spiritual and secular, until no lines exist at all? Bullseye! Simply put, Lovesexy is his journal, his canvas, his testimony.
   
   
4. The Gold Experience (1995): Prince’s output in the 1990s has its share of peaks and valleys, but The Gold Experience is one of the artistic high points. “Endorphinmachine” and “Billy Jack B----” are sonically explosive and represent an edgier brand of guitar-pop and techno-funk, respectively. The pace is balanced with mid-tempo jams such as “Dolphin” and “Shy” and sublime ballads like “Shhh,” “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” and “I Hate U.” Despite having little to no promotion due to a complicated and emotionally charged contract dispute, The Gold Experience stands as a classic album in its own right and managed to chalk up sales north of 500,000.
   
   
5. Art Official Age (2014): Written off by some as a “fans-only release,” Art Official Age is just as good as his beloved ‘80s classics, from the retro soul of “Breakfast Can Wait” and the gospel pulse of “Way Back Home” to the R&B heartache of “Breakdown.” Sadly, a few potential singles left on the table (“Time,” “U Know,” “The Gold Standard”) are only known by the diehard fans when they should be on his greatest hits compilations. In the end, Art Official Age combines elements of Lovesexy, Emancipation, and 20Ten into a uniquely new concept that feels both classic and contemporary.

Which five albums would you recommend to a beginner and/or casual fan? Comment below and keep an eye for more of my Prince-related tributes on Albumism.com. Thanks and God Bless!

[Edited 3/10/17 5:09am]

[Edited 3/11/17 13:02pm]

Almost spot on with your list...but I prefer The Black Album slightly more than Lovesexy, so i would swap that one out. It's the darker/dirtier/funnier cousin of SOTT and is getting better with age imo.

Poplife88 said:

Almost spot on with your list...but I prefer The Black Album slightly more than Lovesexy, so i would swap that one out. It's the darker/dirtier/funnier cousin of SOTT and is getting better with age imo.

I respect that. The Black Album is criminally underrated and worthy of a Top Five spot on this list. “Bob George” and “Superfunkycalifragisexy” get turned up to ignorant levels in my car to this day!

Alphabet St. is about oral?

And don't forget Batman!

PurpleYoda3121 said:

Alphabet St. is about oral?

And don't forget Batman!

I'm a gay dude, and I knew that! You keep it interesting down there on your girl instead of just plowing in w/ your tongue like a dog lapping up water, you lick the alphabet. Map out each letter w/ your tongue. Get 'er done!

My list in no order is:

The Gold Experience
Come

Lovesexy

Parade

Controversy

Honorable mention: 3121

Mine are pretty predictable:

1. Parade
2. Dirty Mind
3. The Black Album
4. Around the World in a Day
5. Batman

Dirty Mind
Lovesexy
Come
3121
Lotusflow3r

TrivialPursuit said:

PurpleYoda3121 said:

Alphabet St. is about oral?

And don't forget Batman!

I'm a gay dude, and I knew that! You keep it interesting down there on your girl instead of just plowing in w/ your tongue like a dog lapping up water, you lick the alphabet. Map out each letter w/ your tongue. Get 'er done!

My list in no order is:

The Gold Experience
Come

Lovesexy

Parade

Controversy

Honorable mention: 3121

Wow, who knew?

DIRTY MIND

CONTROVERSY

ATWIAD

PARADE

LOVESEXY

u people.....EVERYTHINGS good except Mplsound and NPS...and even those have some great tracks

Prince

Controversy

Around the World In A Day

Parade

3121

1. Parade

2. Dirty Mind

3. Black Album

4. Controversy

5. Lovesexy

[Edited 3/9/17 19:26pm]

1. Parade

2. ATWIAD

3. Dirty Mind

4. Art Official Age

5. The Gold Experience

Honorable mention: One Night Alone and Graffiti Bridge

I'm not really into Parade. I find half of it poor, the other half great but weird.

Beyond the three LPs mentioned, I'd go for:

- Dirty Mind

- Around the World in a Day

- Lovesexy

- Graffiti Bridge (the Prince tracks)

- Prince / Diamonds & Pearls / Gold Experience

Of these, Around the World is my favorite. (Of course, almost nothing beats the Small Club bootleg.)