ShellyMcG said:

My journey has officially begun. I started with For You. I don't know if I'll stick to a purely chronological order but I figure it's a decent starting point. I've listened to the whole album and my feeling towards it is kind of mixed. That first track scared the shit out of me. I won't lie. I thought my speakers were haunted . So year, I'll be skipping that track on my next listen. The standout tracks for me are "In Love", "Soft & Wet", "Crazy You" and "Just As Long As We're Together". After that, it's mostly downhill. There's nothing on there I'd say is bad, per se, but nothing really grabbed me after the 5th track. Overall, a good start I would say. I'll give it a second listen tonight when I go to bed but I'm pretty satisfied with how my Prince journey is going. And as an added bonus for myself, I hadn't heard any of these songs before so they were all brand new to me.

Yeah, chronological is a bad idea for any new listener for this exact reason.

It's too much excess, too much build-up to bubble like everyone's favorite Netflix/Hulu/HBOMax streaming series' that "hey, you just gotta stick with it! It picks up midway through the season like Episode 12!!" and these are hour-long episodes you say... This place is hardcore fan'mz and I'm including EmmaMcG in that round-up, of course they recommend what the hardcore fan loves which is everything. They are already converted and forget they aren't always preaching to the converted,

This is music, not a homework assignment. It should be fun and engaging and grab you out the gate--ya know, like most people feel when they first experience a piece of art that profoundly shapes their worldview like an epiphany marinated in reverie.... anyone here really become a hardcore fan with this frequent chronological recommendation stuff, srsly?

And trust, as someone who usually loves For You better than 95% of average org'ers: trust me, if "nothing really grabbed you" after the 5th track as you say, his next album the self-titled Prince is going to put you to sleep. I mean bor-ing, tepid, might as well save that for bedtime too. It's like if he took all the character and charm of For You (you know, because it's got so much attention-grabbing "character" going for it, and again I like it) and rung it out like a sponge and gave you the same exact same approach to the exact same style of songs, just completely cookie-cutter and by-the-numbers and more barebones basic arrangements. More direct, but again, same style/vibe.

And that's actually the background too, if you're going chronological might as well know the campfire lore: Prince's record label WB was real upset the first album For You didn't really have a mega-hit or sold mega-mega considering how much it cost ('cause he spent a lot of time/WB money on it, it's got a cool density to the arrangements, a big part of the marketing was hyping up him playing all the instruments), so WB said the second-album needs to sell better and not cost as much, so the second-album Prince did just that (the hit is good tho, "I Want to Be Your Lover"). More direct, but again, same style/vibe.

Third album he starts getting more interesting but again, it's like watching water boil, he's not gonna be ready to pop in your packet of pasta in for another couple records depending on where your coming from (if that, if you don't tap out before).

Even EmmaMcG started with 3121 which is more of an amalgam of different vibes he'd already conquered, not him figuring it out for multiple records... (the chronological rundown is eventually fun, though, and maybe best if you're in it no matter what to force the fandom).

Which um, brings me to what I feel is a better recommendation of where to go with Prince music: where are you coming from when coming into Prince anyway?

Like what's your background, what kinda stuff do you like. Like I was a big rock, guitar-centric, maybe borderline "art rock"-y teen, even more pretentious and (I think I'm maybe a year older than Emma? or the same age +/-1or2? I feel like we were similar age) for me Purple Rain the album followed by Around the World in a Day really reeled me in from all angles where it didn't matter what album was next because I was hooked.

But where are you coming from?

Also, like what are the "bigger hits" you mentioned being familiar (?like that one on the second album)? Like if "Let's Go Crazy" you can't hum some by memory, go with Purple Rain the album, but if you already know a good amount of tracks from that as "hits" you might be ready for Sign O the Times, which I did not appreciate completely as as my third or fourth album, I feel his "one-man band" vibe in other work has to be appreciated first, as it's kind sparse/stark at times.

But based on nothing, tl;dr rec:

The B-Sides release (just the one B-Sides disc). Like 3121, bit of everything.

WhisperingDandelions said:

ShellyMcG said:

This is the kind of advice I was looking for. Thanks so much. As for my background, I'm a little younger than Emma but only by like a year. She was always very interested in the musical side of things though being a musician herself. She's very interested in how the music is made, the technical side of things. That kind of stuff goes over my head. I just like to listen to what I think sounds good. I grew up listening to the likes of Britney Spears, Kylie, Christina Aguilera and that kind of thing. I remember being in school and thinking I was real sophisticated because I had a Madonna album haha. Emma has turned me on to some good stuff though. Mostly 80s music like Prince and Bon Jovi but also a lot of 90s RnB. She'd play 90s RnB loud and often. Plus, her husband is kind of a metal-head so I'd be subjected to that from time to time. With mixed results. I know most songs on that Very Best Of Prince album. I probably wouldn't be able to sing along with every lyric but I could most likely hum along to the general flow. But it's funny you should mention 3121 because there's a song on that album called Fury that I absolutely love. I have a video saved on my computer of a live performance from the Brit Awards that I listen to a lot. So basically, I like 80s synth sounds, 90s RnB and some extravagant guitar playing.

Nice! I will take back the Purple Rain the album recommendation then (because you probably know most of it) and double-down on The B-Sides recommendation based on this. Because it's "B-Sides" from different singles and different eras it might help direct you what era/album/feel to go from there, too (just look-up what the A-sides to your favorite B-sides are after). And being B-Sides, it will cover stuff that for sure isn't big hits you're already familiar with like on Very Best Of, yet encompass material that is very much loved, appreciated and well-known by the hardcore fans.

Also, based on your background with female pop music I kindaa sorta mayyybe wanna suggest the Vanity 6 album after The B-Sides. It's very pop and very pop new wave. His first attempt at writing/producing a girl group--he still plays all the instruments and he makes cameo vocal appearances. Do you know "Nasty Girl" already? The Jill Jones album from 1987 covers some of these bases and then some, too, but that's a little more refined/diverse/serious/better songwriting whereas the Vanity 6 is more of a light, fun pop showcase... The Jill Jones is probably a bit better as an album, though, Vanity 6 kind of meanders at times. Probably a controversial take recommending either there.

I will say for me there really isn't a single Prince album that's top-to-bottom perfection. He tries different things, though, so that's part of the magic, really.

And "Fury" is AMAZING live, the studio version makes me very, very sad though, it's like half the energy of all the live versions (The SNL debut performance here I was absolutely obsessed with, video file on computer replayed frequently similar to how you describe the Brit Awards version). Despite this, 3121's probably a solid enough album intro, too.

And, actually, you kinda seem pretty familiar / maybe already a borderline fan of Prince then? If you feel you're down for the deep dive no matter what, maybe chronological is the way to go--however like my Vanity 6 / Jill Jones recommendation--I would say whether you go chronological or if you do not, try to integrate some of the stuff he wrote/produced for other artists and some of his instrumental records, because there is some essential material there that sometimes the hardcore Prince fans genuinely do not care to ever bother checking out because by then they're already full-blown card-carrying fanatics with the thirst cranked to 11 who refuse to bother with material he isn't singing on himself, even when he wrote/played every part of the tracks and is even on backing vocals half the time. They'd rather wait for the all the vocal demos to come out of The Vault, even though the demos are often lacking his finalized adornments/arrangements as produced by Prince on albums that usually came out on his own record label. Give 'em a fair shot.

PrinceVault.com will help best with references to the discography, note "associated artists" column. That second The Time album from 1982 What Time Is It?, for instance, is absolutely 100% essential with absolutely no caveats. It's just fantastic. I like it more than his first five "Prince" albums... maybe I should have spent more of this post recommending that one, actually.

[Edited 10/9/22 5:00am]

WhisperingDandelions said:

LoveGalore said:

I believe his entire catalog is on Tidal. We get it free with our phone plan.

I would start with Purple Rain and move both forward and backward at the same time.

for you blows .. so does his later stuff .. especially for a noob .. start with purple rain .. the world agrees it is his best .. then go back to 1999 .. then go back to Drity Mind and Controversy .. then if you are brave you can hit up Prince and For You with your expectations low .. then go crono with Around the World Parade and SOTT .. that should get u good and obsessed .. now u are ready for the b sides .. then you can dive into the rest of his WB catalog up to the Sex Symbol album .. then go find all the protege albums like sheila e , the Time, Vanity, even NPG isn't half bad .. after that you can slowly dive into his post WB records with low expectations .. when you feel discouraged like WTF happened how could prince write such good music and then such bad music .. that is when you dive into the bootlegs and outtakes .. or Super deluxe stuff might do the trick but the rampant outtakes and live shows that are all over the internet are far more enjoyable in many ways .. then u can check out his crappy jazz and insturmental shit if u really want to torture yourself .. then u can wait with the rest of us for the next SDE and hope for something the bootleggers never had

TrevorAyer said:

for you blows .. so does his later stuff .. especially for a noob .. start with purple rain .. the world agrees it is his best .. then go back to 1999 .. then go back to Drity Mind and Controversy .. then if you are brave you can hit up Prince and For You with your expectations low .. then go crono with Around the World Parade and SOTT .. that should get u good and obsessed .. now u are ready for the b sides .. then you can dive into the rest of his WB catalog up to the Sex Symbol album .. then go find all the protege albums like sheila e , the Time, Vanity, even NPG isn't half bad .. after that you can slowly dive into his post WB records with low expectations .. when you feel discouraged like WTF happened how could prince write such good music and then such bad music .. that is when you dive into the bootlegs and outtakes .. or Super deluxe stuff might do the trick but the rampant outtakes and live shows that are all over the internet are far more enjoyable in many ways .. then u can check out his crappy jazz and insturmental shit if u really want to torture yourself .. then u can wait with the rest of us for the next SDE and hope for something the bootleggers never had

you're not really following the thread, are you, Trevor?

You're doing great, Shelly!!!

nayroo2002 said:

2freaky said:

2freaky said:

I'm 58, always listen to old heads only. Start with For You and work up.

Is this how you did it?

Based on how the average old-school fan responds in every "how did you discover Prince" thread with 85% of replies stating either 1999 or Purple Rain, it stands to reason a lot of you weren't exactly practicing what you were preaching.

And if you did start at the verrry tippy-top beginning: much props, but even then you likely started with "Soft & Wet" on the radio, then For You, next single, then second album, etc. Very, very few (if any) of the fanbase started on For You straight out the gate, cold first experience with the intro, and that's based on like 18 years of org thread observations.

For the record I've done chronological overviews like 5 times and they're absolutely fantastic, but again, that's not how I personally discovered/got into Prince...

LoveGalore said:

Tells someone it shouldn't be homework but only replies in Iliad-length manifestos. Interesting.

Pretty 1000% sure the quote was specific that "music shouldn't be homework," unless this is really an indirect compliment on how you find my didactic bloviations to be mellifluous as your fav. Prince record.

I thought you guys were "old heads" anyway, complaining about prose-length is very Gen-Z. Didn't you guys used to read the newspaper front-to-back in the morning and end the night with a bedside novel? Literally the periodical generation now going full 14-year-old tl;dr?

[Edited 10/9/22 21:01pm]

ShellyMcG said:

\That Prince vault site is fantastic! I've just had a little browse so far but it's literally everything I was looking for. As things stand, I would consider myself to be a casual Prince fan. I've liked 99% of what I've heard so far but I also know that I've probably only heard less than 10% of his officially released material. But it's that 10% that is making me want to check out the rest. But it's hard to know where to start. You've been a great help with that though. As have everyone else on here. I've seen the Purple Rain movie so I've heard a few of the associated artists stuff. Jungle Love is a particular highlight for me so I do want to listen to more of Morris Day's music too. I'll be sure to check out Vanity 6 at some point too. I don't think I know "Nasty Girl". But it sounds like the kind of thing I'd expect Prince to write

ShellyMcG said:

I listened to the self titled "Prince" album this morning. The first 3 songs are absolute magic. Each better than the last. Then the rest of the album is kind of hit and miss. Nothing I would consider "bad" but again, like For You, there's a few songs here that don't really do anything for me. Bambi and I Feel For You are top class. I knew Prince did I Feel For You before Chaka Khan but I'd never heard his version before, I don't think. But it's a big improvement over her version in my opinion. Sexy Dancer is the big highlight for me here though. I've been told never to do this but I'm going to do it anyway. But if you take the best songs from For You and the best songs from Prince, you'd have an extremely solid album. So, Dirty Mind is up next. Might leave that til tomorrow though because I've put a playlist together for my imaginary "For Prince" album and I suspect I'll be listening to that for the rest of today. [Edited 10/9/22 6:57am]

Yeah, I've changed perspectives learning more about your history: You should go chronological. And you're right where it's about to get interesting anyway.

Now I'm aligned with the oldheadz (because we all got a little Prince-y walking contradiction in us).

And I'm actually going to take it a step further in that direction: you should do full chronological like not just his solo records, but also his B-Sides, non-LP tracks and stuff he wrote/produced for other artists. A full Prince songwriters chronology as officially released to fully bask in his evolution as an artist. You're already in it by now, go full Prince, all facets.

With reference to the PrinceVault site and recording dates, as you gear up for the third "Prince" album titled Dirty Mind, first quick check out these two tracks (the youtubusual sources if necessary):

1. Recorded summer of 1978: "Make It Through the Storm" sung/released by Sue Anne,
originally written pre-For You with OG demo versions available on outtakes sets, Prince on all instruments in all versions.

2. Originally recorded sometime in 1980: "I Don't Wanna Stop" sung/released by Ren Woods,
re-recorded by her own band a few years later, originally written by Prince, but definitely pre-Dirty Mind based on songwriting approach/vibe.

then you're ready for,

3. October 1980: Prince - Dirty Mind album.

4. Originally recorded in 1980 as part of Dirty Mind sessions, this non-album track initially released as a UK single not appearing on the Dirty Mind record: "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)"

Would later be re-released as B-Side to "Let's Work"

then the first "protege" album he wrote/produced/arranged and/or played on its entirety:

5. July 1981: The Time album released by The Time.
Note the PrinceVault entry. It's literally a Prince album in construction just with Morris Day on vocals, but Prince is aallll over the background vocals the whole record. The evolution in his sound very much is part of this specific chronology. The transitions from LP to LP make more sense when you integrate these protege records. I highly recommend including them, and recommend this album period: it's a damn solid record.

then onwards to,

6. October 1981: Prince - Controversy album.

7. April 28, 1982 recording date, this track would later become the B-Side to "1999": "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore".
His B-Sides are very much beloved here, this is the rare area where the org is likely unanimous: these are all essential to the journey and appreciation of Prince.

then if you're ready, you'll be so ready for the second Time album, followed by Vanity 6, followed by 1999 the album. to be (hopefully) continued....

[Edited 10/9/22 21:50pm]

[Edited 10/9/22 21:51pm]

WhisperingDandelions said:

LoveGalore said:

WhisperingDandelions said:

Pretty 1000% sure the quote was specific that "music shouldn't be homework," unless this is really an indirect compliment on how you find my didactic bloviations to be mellifluous as your fav. Prince record.

I thought you guys were "old heads" anyway, complaining about prose-length is very Gen-Z. Didn't you guys used to read the newspaper front-to-back in the morning and end the night with a bedside novel? Literally the periodical generation now going full 14-year-old tl;dr?

[Edited 10/9/22 21:01pm]

I didn't say I didn't ENJOY your abyssal screeds. I just found the juxtaposition to be funny. "This shouldn't be hard, but let me explain why in some SAT words."

ha oh jeez, calm down, I was busting your chops, obviously you weren't uh, exactly enlisting yourself as a footsoldier in the WhisperingDandelions Army back there or anything. I'm patently aware you only like "Purple Rain" not Purple Prose, don't worry brosef.

And the "funny"(er) part of said juxtaposition was actually that in 9,000 words or less I essentially backtracked and went full circle from at first vehemently rejecting chronological to now avidly recommending chronological with even more chronology/"homework", but whatevs.

[Edited 10/9/22 21:57pm]

With Prince`s catalogue you can start browsing just about anywhere in my opinion and find something interesting that you like. The most important thing is to like what you like and not be too guided by other people`s opinions or tastes

ShellyMcG said:

Now you've done the "Hits" stuff, picking on individul albums is definitely the way to go. I'd probably stay from the deluxe stuff for a little bit - get to know what Prince decided to release at the time before delving too far into the vault.

I would avoid forcing yourself to any particular chronology, and also, anyone saying, you must listen to SOTT, 1999 etc first isn't what I'd recommend. (It took me quite a while into being a Prince fan before I really rated those albums, and I still prefer many others over those).

Pick an era that appeals to you from the hits you know. There is now easy access to live performances, music videos etc online to give some more depth to whichever era you pick.

And I would suggest moving around time periods. Try Parade (1986) then The Gold Experience (1995), as random examples. Hugely different sounds. And if you touch upon one you really like, you may naturally want to hear what the next album he released was (and also delve into the vault material).

LoveGalore said:

ShellyMcG said:

LoveGalore said:

Don't you dare skip Controversy. That was the one that signaled what was to come. The first album to showcase the Linn LM1. The first album with his lower register. And nothing on DM funks harder than the title track.

I'm getting impatient . Part of me just wants to jump straight into 1999 because that's an album that I know is highly regarded but I have only heard of about half the songs on it. But you're right, I will give Controversy a fair shake. In fact, I'm literally listening to it now as I type this. I'm up as far as Ronnie Talk To Russia. Everything up to this point has been excellent. Really, really great. This song is a bit of a dud though . However, I can't deny that the message is timeless, what with everything that's going on. Mind you, at least it's short. In the time it took me to write that last part, we're on to the next song. Let's Work. A song I already know quite well. A song I already love. As much as I liked the Dirty Mind album, I think Controversy is my new favourite and it will take something very special to beat it in my view. [Edited 10/10/22 4:32am]

You do you, but if you're already that familiar with stuff from 1999 and Controversy I'd doubly-emphasize the inbetween companion albums like What Time Is It? by The Time. "777-9311" is literally trap music beats a solid 30 years before trap music was invented, with maybe his best bassline ever, his first blistering spastic "dgaf" all-over-the-place guitar freakout. And "The Walk" is definitely the companion dance piece "part 2" to "Let's Work".

WhisperingDandelions said:

I'll tell you how the initial immersion went for me - and you can decide whether it'll work for you.

The first Prince album I ever heard start to finish was 1999. I heard it at a party and was so captured, I bought it the next day. Listened to it on repeat for a few days, then went back and bought all the albums before that.

The thing I like about doing it that way is that 1999 is the album before Purple Rain. Listening to what came before lets you hear the progression leading up to his breakout moment.

My favorite album is Parade - but I wouldn't recommend starting with that.

Enjoy that proper timeline, Shelly!

Almost everyone here had that moment with Prince and went back to the beginning to find out how it happened.

Please don't skip any album!

They are all prequels and sequels of where you jumped into that purple universe

ShellyMcG said: