KoolEaze said:

RodeoSchro said:

I still have my original "Soft and Wet" bought when it was released but my major leap into Prince came in 1983.

Did you go to the Houston concert that came with the 1999 Deluxe set ?

No, dang it.

I did go to three of the Houston shows in 1985. I'm assuming I'm in the crowd in the "Take Me With U" video. That's my story, anyway!

Since 1984 - when I went to the cinema and saw Purple Rain. Changed my muthafunkin life.

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

1979


Yes, I am old.

Tme is a trick

udo said:

What is a fan?

Or rather: where do I start counting?

Does listening to the tapes recorded from the radio count?

Does buying first CD's count?

Does attending a first concert count?

Does watching a first show on TV count?

Does attending a first aftershow count?

Or does, after having (heard) all albums, and still liking them all count?

Wow, talk about over-thinking. You gonna have to work all that you yourself LOL ain't got time to help you out with all that!!

Anyway, for me, the answer is quick and easy: I discovered and started listening to Prince in 1983.

milesb said:

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

1979


Yes, I am old.

Tme is a trick

Don't let "the Old Man" in!

Since 1989. Loved his I wish U heaven video before, but when the Batman movie came out, i had to get the CD as a big batman fan. That`s when i really started, man that was a ride since then...

1991

Diamonds & Pearls is the first Prince album I got. Even though it is nowhere close to my favorite album, it will always hold a special place. I have a lot of collectibles from the era including the Gett Off one-sided promo.

Hard to believe it will be 30 years next year!

1982 bought Controversy LP after hearing Lets Work & Controversy at a party.
Same with the 1999 singles.

PR arrived and I hated When Doves Cry. But bought the album and fell in love with the Beautiful Ones and that was the turning point.

Started collecting towards the end of the PR hype in 85, and spent thousands till I stopped collecting and enjoying his music when Emancipation came out, but went to all tours that came to town.

Started buying Estate releases after his passing.

And here I am 38 years later

callimnate said:

1982 bought Controversy LP after hearing Lets Work & Controversy at a party.
Same with the 1999 singles.

PR arrived and I hated When Doves Cry. But bought the album and fell in love with the Beautiful Ones and that was the turning point.

Started collecting towards the end of the PR hype in 85, and spent thousands till I stopped collecting and enjoying his music when Emancipation came out, but went to all tours that came to town.

Started buying Estate releases after his passing.

And here I am 38 years later

So the album that ended your fandom is the one that turned me and my friends into true fans!

1986 after watching the kiss video

Six years before the Purple Rain sountrack and film.

leecaldon said:

callimnate said:

1982 bought Controversy LP after hearing Lets Work & Controversy at a party.
Same with the 1999 singles.

PR arrived and I hated When Doves Cry. But bought the album and fell in love with the Beautiful Ones and that was the turning point.

Started collecting towards the end of the PR hype in 85, and spent thousands till I stopped collecting and enjoying his music when Emancipation came out, but went to all tours that came to town.

Started buying Estate releases after his passing.

And here I am 38 years later

So the album that ended your fandom is the one that turned me and my friends into true fans!

Not sure about the "true fans" tag.

True faMs maybe.

callimnate said:

leecaldon said:

So the album that ended your fandom is the one that turned me and my friends into true fans!

Not sure about the "true fans" tag.

True faMs maybe.

I think 'fams' came a couple of years later It was a great time to become one though - an insane amount of material released, NPG Music Club, Celebrations at PP, smaller venues and soundchecks etc.

The only reason I bought Emancipation was because I saw it on discount as I walked past an HMV, and thought 'what kind of crazy genius releases a triple album?!?' (having head a couple of tracks on the radio).

leecaldon said:

callimnate said:

Not sure about the "true fans" tag.

True faMs maybe.

I think 'fams' came a couple of years later It was a great time to become one though - an insane amount of material released, NPG Music Club, Celebrations at PP, smaller venues and soundchecks etc.

The only reason I bought Emancipation was because I saw it on discount as I walked past an HMV, and thought 'what kind of crazy genius releases a triple album?!?' (having head a couple of tracks on the radio).

The term Fam came along with the Love 4 One Another video which was released the same year as Emancipation.

And this is how "I" differenciate between the true fans and fams.

Me!? Im a fully pledged Warner Bros snob.

Sure it was a great time to be a fan in the mid 90's, but imo he lost it once he became a try-hard R&B artist. Acutually...... it all started when he over produced the Gold Experience.

Absolutely RUINED one of my favourite songs Endorphonemachine with stupid sirens and over the top keyboards.

RodeoSchro said:

milesb said:

Tme is a trick

Don't let "the Old Man" in!

'84, kinda, when I became intrigued by this strange space-alien I kept seeing everywhere, but '85 was when everything kicked in with a vengeance. I was 15.

gsmith5678 said:

'84, kinda, when I became intrigued by this strange space-alien I kept seeing everywhere, but '85 was when everything kicked in with a vengeance. I was 15.

lol...totally feeling the "space-alien" vibe. I likened P to a 'feline-male' I was 12

udo said:

What is a fan?

Or rather: where do I start counting?

Does listening to the tapes recorded from the radio count?

Does buying first CD's count?

Does attending a first concert count?

Does watching a first show on TV count?

Does attending a first aftershow count?

Or does, after having (heard) all albums, and still liking them all count?

Imo, a fan is loving the man and his music, whether it's from early on or sometime later. I can remember hearing my first Prince song on the radio, then buying the cassettes and albums to see what he looked like. ......I remember being young and embarrassed when playing Prince out loud on the boombox, pushing the fast forward button quickly and repeatedly, because I didn't want my family hearing some of the lyrics of the songs I was listening to.....boy, those were the days!

callimnate said:

leecaldon said:

I think 'fams' came a couple of years later It was a great time to become one though - an insane amount of material released, NPG Music Club, Celebrations at PP, smaller venues and soundchecks etc.

The only reason I bought Emancipation was because I saw it on discount as I walked past an HMV, and thought 'what kind of crazy genius releases a triple album?!?' (having head a couple of tracks on the radio).

The term Fam came along with the Love 4 One Another video which was released the same year as Emancipation.

And this is how "I" differenciate between the true fans and fams.

Me!? Im a fully pledged Warner Bros snob.

Sure it was a great time to be a fan in the mid 90's, but imo he lost it once he became a try-hard R&B artist. Acutually...... it all started when he over produced the Gold Experience.

Absolutely RUINED one of my favourite songs Endorphonemachine with stupid sirens and over the top keyboards.

Hmm, my recollection was that the term came in with the launch of the NPG Online Ltd in 2000. I certainly had already been a 'fan' for a while when it was first used.

-

Being from Sweden, opportunities to hear/buy anything funky were limited at the time

Prince started to break, but...

I specifically remember hearing ”Uptown” on Swedish radio (that would be 1980, then...).

But the song that changed it all for me, was ”Let's Work”. A local pirate radion station

played it just after it was released in 1981. Mind blown! It was by far the rawest piece of music

I had ever heard.

- - -

Just a bit of context:

R&B and black music only had one (1) hour of programming per week on the state controlled radio

(yes, it was a state monopoly at the time). Pirate radio, and later local community radio, changed

a lot, opening up our ears to things not ABBA.

People like me, who was craving the funky stuff, chained ourselves to the vinyl import stores

every Tuesday after lunchtime, when they received the goods from the US. It was quite the

ritual and sure, we were geeks and DJs or (as in my case) both.

-

callimnate said:

leecaldon said:

I think 'fams' came a couple of years later It was a great time to become one though - an insane amount of material released, NPG Music Club, Celebrations at PP, smaller venues and soundchecks etc.

The only reason I bought Emancipation was because I saw it on discount as I walked past an HMV, and thought 'what kind of crazy genius releases a triple album?!?' (having head a couple of tracks on the radio).

The term Fam came along with the Love 4 One Another video which was released the same year as Emancipation.

And this is how "I" differenciate between the true fans and fams.

Me!? Im a fully pledged Warner Bros snob.

Sure it was a great time to be a fan in the mid 90's, but imo he lost it once he became a try-hard R&B artist. Acutually...... it all started when he over produced the Gold Experience.

Absolutely RUINED one of my favourite songs Endorphonemachine with stupid sirens and over the top keyboards.

But you were ok with the cowbell?

leecaldon said:

Since 1982

First heard Controversy on the radio and liked it a lot but didn't get the album. Heard 1999 a year later and eventually got that album in early 1983 and have been a fan ever since.

The777Man

I jumped on the bandwagon in 1984.