My list would be too variable depending on the mood. Sometimes, I'm so in love with Parade or Lovesexy that they temporarily take the top spot (same as most of his pre-name change albums).

Overall Top 3:
SOTT
Purple Rain
1999

Overall Bottom 3:
Newpower Soul
Slaughterhouse
The Chocolate Invasion

hollywood0024 said:

I am surprised the first 2 albums don't rank higher with people. I think they are 2 of his best. Why do people dislike them? Just wondering.

The first album is just too generic. It's an OK album, but it could have been made by anybody. Plus, it has one foot firmly in a quasi-disco sound which dates it a lot.

The "Prince" album is where he really started to have his own identity.

Se7en said:

hollywood0024 said:

I am surprised the first 2 albums don't rank higher with people. I think they are 2 of his best. Why do people dislike them? Just wondering.

The first album is just too generic. It's an OK album, but it could have been made by anybody. Plus, it has one foot firmly in a quasi-disco sound which dates it a lot.

The "Prince" album is where he really started to have his own identity.

Spot on.

His first album is way better in retrospect, would have only been a footnote in R'n'B history if he had quit the industry or died or something after it was released. Once you do look at it in retrospect it's a fascinating document though. His only lush 70s LA-studio sounding album, all those acoustic guitars and even the string section, it's all so carefully crafted and patiently sculpted over time... so unlike the compressed "we did this in 3 days straight with no sleep" bursts of brilliance that came later.

Anyway, i've done this ranking thing enough times so i'll probably sit this one out.

^ Yes, first LP is immaculately produced, maybe his best produced/pure sounding record. Second LP is the generic anonymous by-the-numbers disco release.

Top usually looks something like this:

SOTT

PR

Parade

1999

ATWIAD

DM

Controversy

TBA/Lovesexy

AOA

TGE

Batman

Emancipation

Lotus Flower

3121

Prince

Crystal Ball (98)

Bottom:

ONA

Xpectation

All the others in the middle

[Edited 6/4/20 9:05am]

[Edited 6/4/20 9:06am]