There was some article about this, and I didn't read it. I thought - why not do a poll here instead?

Name your top 7 (the article had 15) most beautiful Prince album covers. Let's exclude associate artists (Time, Family, Jill, Mayte, etc). Just Prince and albums.

In no order for me:

Sign The Times
The ghetto glam nature of it is just stunning. It's probably the more reflective era, the tour, the videos, the clothes, the album - it was the most conceptual to that point. I even love the SDE edit.

Around The World In A Day

I have always wanted to project the inner spread onto a wall and repaint it as a mural.

Come

The black and white, the dark Gothic take, it's almost a candid shot. The cathedral in the background adds to the Gothic nuance. I have a poster of this cover, too.

1999

The playful and cheeky street graffiti is never not interesting to look at, still to this day. There's so much in it.

Parade

Again with the simplistic black and white. It was such a stripped down

Lovesexy
The nudity aside, I love the ethereal and pure nature of the cover. The near-hieroglyphic font, the airy nature of it is really nice. But even the nudity was meant to shock, and the phallic stamen didn't go unnoticed.

The Hits/The B-Sides
Ritts's photography is just stunning. All the photos from this shoot and campaign is beautiful.

Let's see your list.

I'm gonna edit and add The Rainbow Children as an honorable mention. While I hate the album, the artwork is wonderful. It reminds me of Ernie Barnes artwork in the intro of Good Times. At first glance, it could be seen as a charicature, but it really goes beyond that. There's more soul on the album cover than in the record itself.

[Edited 11/15/22 13:06pm]

Parade: What a picture. It says everything.

Controversy: Another classic portrait that says it all.

SOTT: Again, it says it all there and so much more. The band is gone, it's just P, and he's about to start a brand new party.

Lovesexy: I love it because there's something different about the way his face looks and his hair etc. It's clean and beautiful as a photo. The only thing that bothers me is the flower is silk.

The Hits/BSides: Iconic. Fucking iconic!!!

Newpower Soul: People don't like this one but uhhhhh.,. I don't get why. It's a cool pic. I thought the cartoon stuff was cool. I even like that the gun mic finally gets a showcase on a cover since it was ubiquitous for most of the decade.

The Gold Experience: Lost in the gold sauce on this cover. I like that his face is obscured, it reminds me of Diamonds and Pearls.
[Edited 11/14/22 3:22am]

LoveGalore said:

Parade: What a picture. It says everything.

Fully agree.... Wish so bad 4 the Parade SDE...

Parade

Sign 'O' The Times

The Black Album

Lovesexy

The Rainbow Children

NEWS

Around The World in A Day

1. Loutusflower
2. Come
3. Planet Earth
4. For You
5. Lovesexy
6. Dirty Mind
7. Love Symbol

RJOrion said:

I replaced LotusFlower on my list with The Hits, I love LF's cover too!

Purple Rain

ATWIAD

Parade

SOTT

Lovesexy

The Rainbow Children

Welcome 2 America

In order of release, not in order of what I think is most beautiful:

For You
1999
Around The World In A Day
Madhouse 16
NPG Exodus
The Rainbow Children
HITnRUN phase two

I wanted to choose a cross-section of covers from the ages, with common and less known ones included. For You because it’s a beautiful, first released image of Prince’s fresh face before stardom. 1999 is an iconic image, introducing purple, the revolution, the symbol in amongst other images from Prince’s mind. I love the story behind the people painted on the Around The World In A Day Cover - it’s a story in itself. Madhouse 16 is technically not a Prince album, but it is really, with Eric Leeds, and I like the image on the album cover more than Madhouse 8, because the model, Maneca Lightner, stands out more on this. I’m sure a cartoon film could be made from the NPG Exodus album cover and music, which I’d love to see. The Rainbow Children’s cover by Cbabi Bayoc (C’Babi) stands out as fine art in the covers from the late 90s and early 00’s. The final cover from when Prince was alive, edges in to the top 7 for me, above the similar design for phase one, by Martin Homent - some of his other images of Prince would work too on album covers.

1. Around The World In A Day
A literal work of art. I've seen much worse hanging in galleries.


2. MPLSound
I like this one because 1, it reminds me of Cyberpunk 2077 and 2, if I was in a record shop and I seen this, I would be tempted to buy it before I even seen who the artist was.


3. The Rainbow Children
It reminds me of the kind of artwork you'd see on the side of a building or something. Like a mural dedicated to a bunch of local musicians nobody really remembers anymore but everyone who lives there would go mad if it was ever painted over.


4. Purple Rain
Prince. A motorcycle. Garish outfits. Big hair. Smoke for no reason whatsoever. It just screams "the 80s" and I love it. I've loved this artwork from before I even seen the movie or heard the album.


5. Come
I really like the overall gothic look. Prince standing outside the big gates gives me Willy Wonka vibes. It's how I imagined a Tim Burton directed Willy Wonka movie would look. Or, to be more accurate, how the Tim Burton Willy Wonka movie SHOULD have looked.


6. Batman
It's an album called Batman. The cover says it all.


7. Planet Earth
The one I got from Amazon has a holographic cover. These are the kind of cheap gimmicks that impress me!



I've never really put much stock into album artwork. I suppose that's because I own like 10 CDs and I only bought half of those within the last month or so. But still, I really like some of Prince's covers. I'd have to give an honorable mention to "Welcome 2 America" because that one is really nice as well.
[Edited 11/15/22 6:05am]

LoveGalore said:

Ramzoo said:

This!!!

1. Sign O' The Times. This album was and is so special, the album cover so unique for the time and it was a double. To this day my favorite album to stare at and get lost in and with the deluxe release, I am in heaven.

2. Purple Rain. Iconic, intriguing cover. The game changed for Prince when this album was released. I love the front and back of this album and inside and out.

3. Parade. One of the cleaniest and badass albums covers, ever. He is perfection during this time period and this album solidified me as a Prince fan.

4. All of the Parade 12-inch albums. All had the same vibe, look and are exquisite. God, I miss that time.

5. Controversy. That intense stare. This clothes and look. Just straight up in your face. Simple but effective.

6. Around The World In A Day. This album tripped me out and still does. I would get so lost staring into this album cover trying to decode all the symbolism and meaning behind every single picture and color scheme. I also love all the ATWIAD 12-inch albums, perfection.

7. Come. So dark but so good. I have this album cover as a poster and it is awesome enlarged.

My favorite album covers in release order:

Dirty Mind
Parade
Around the World in a Day
Sign O The Times
Lovesexy
Rainbow Children
Lotusflow3r
MPLSound
Art Official Age

[Edited 11/17/22 4:31am]

...and just 4 the fun of it

nayroo2002 said:

I always thought that was one of the worst lp covers of all time...it looks like a drawing that a 4 year old would create at a day-care center, while waiting for their parent to pick them up at 530pm

...at first, but then there are details of past, present and future in this fantastically purple rendering.

I dare U 2 stare at it while listening 2 the whole album, RJ!

nayroo2002 said:

Lol...i will try that

AnnaStesia10 said:

4. All of the Parade 12-inch albums. All had the same vibe, look and are exquisite. God, I miss that time.

SAME. SAME. SAME.

I loved that each band member sorta had their own cover for the back cover of the singles. I loved the collage photos in the album, etc. The pic of Wendy and Bobby on the beach, the one of Lisa with the drifter/hobo chic vibe on "Mountains."

It was all so fucking stylish and just great. AND in black and white!

TrivialPursuit said:

[Edited 11/18/22 18:17pm]

ShellyMcG said:

6. Batman It's an album called Batman. The cover says it all.

I remember him appearing somewhere or a talk show talking about it and holding up the record. They mentioned how, at first, it looked like teeth or an open mouth, rather than the zoomed in bat symbol. Now I see both, forever. haha

I'm glad WB probably mandated the Batman emblem being on the cover. Last thing I needed at that tender age is to see Prince pussypopping a Batussi when I unwrapped the cassette that Christmas.

LoveGalore said:

Last thing I needed at that tender age is to see Prince pussypopping a Batussi when I unwrapped the cassette that Christmas.

🫵🏻. Need. ２. 🛑.

TrivialPursuit said:

Now I can't unsee it

I for one, would like to see "Prince Pussypopping a Batussi"

TrivialPursuit said:

Fun idea! I like this list and agree with all of your choices being close to top ten. As much as the rainbow children is mostly meh content wise, it would definitely crack the top seven for the reasons you described and more.

I’d probably go: (in order of preference)

Rainbow

Lovesexy

SOTT

Parade

Around the World

ONA piano. (I actually really love the back layout more than the front)

1999

My honorable mentions would be the hits package AND 3121. I detest the 3121 album. But I’ve always loved the albums artwork