If you're going for a complete collection, then of course you need all of the official releases. Skip "The Very Best Of Prince" because it has nothing new (and Prince himself was against it).

When friends/coworkers ask me which Prince albums are essential, I always say 1999/Purple Rain/SOTT are the 3 that everyone should have.

Se7en said:

When friends/coworkers ask me which Prince albums are essential, I always say 1999/Purple Rain/SOTT are the 3 that everyone should have.

You could really expand on that as part of the hardcore fanbase and say "start with the 80s." Because it really is all wonderful ultimately.

1999/Purple Rain/SOTT is a good start, then work one album alternatively in either direction.

Around The World In A Day

Controversy

Parade

Dirty Mind

Lovesexy

Prince

Batman

For You

....just to keep it interesting.

Se7en said:

Am3121 said:

Was Prince against the 2006 release "Ultimate" as well? I've heard over the years he was against the very best of.I guess that's why I do not own it.I have come close a time or 2 to buying it but always end up putting it back on the rack.

He had input on that, took songs off of it (like "Sexy MF" etc). The timing of the release was an issue. It would've competed with 3121, which was due on March 21. Ultimate Prince was scheduled for March 14. So it was pushed to August 22.

WhisperingDandelions said:

Am3121 said:

He says in his post he has musicology album

also says "it doesn't count" right after mentioning it because it's that promo giveaway. You make it seem like that sets a precedent of relevancy.

People gave those away with the quickness in '04, it was so insulting. You could probably fill the grand canyon with those things.

Musicology was a concert giveaway (although I bought a real version for the case/artwork, and the hopes that maybe there was a hidden track - nope), Planet Earth was included on a magazine cover and 20Ten was not even available here in the US - it was a newspaper mount overseas. I ordered 2 from Ebay and luckily A) did not get gouged and B) they came in perfect quality.

Xpectation and C-NOTE were "free" (in response to fans complaining about not getting 4 albums that were promised). Neither of those ever even saw proper CD releases (nor did The Chocolate Invasion or Slaughterhouse).

So where do you draw the line on what's relevant? They're all relevant to Prince's history.

TrivialPursuit said:

Am3121 said:

Was Prince against the 2006 release "Ultimate" as well? I've heard over the years he was against the very best of.I guess that's why I do not own it.I have come close a time or 2 to buying it but always end up putting it back on the rack.

He had input on that, took songs off of it (like "Sexy MF" etc). The timing of the release was an issue. It would've competed with 3121, which was due on March 21. Ultimate Prince was scheduled for March 14. So it was pushed to August 22.

What Trivial Pursuit said - Prince had input and WB respected that input. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but for a lot of those 12" versions, they weren't released on CD before Ultimate.

Se7en said:

WhisperingDandelions said:

also says "it doesn't count" right after mentioning it because it's that promo giveaway. You make it seem like that sets a precedent of relevancy.

People gave those away with the quickness in '04, it was so insulting. You could probably fill the grand canyon with those things.

Musicology was a concert giveaway (although I bought a real version for the case/artwork, and the hopes that maybe there was a hidden track - nope), Planet Earth was included on a magazine cover and 20Ten was not even available here in the US - it was a newspaper mount overseas. I ordered 2 from Ebay and luckily A) did not get gouged and B) they came in perfect quality.

Xpectation and C-NOTE were "free" (in response to fans complaining about not getting 4 albums that were promised). Neither of those ever even saw proper CD releases (nor did The Chocolate Invasion or Slaughterhouse).

So where do you draw the line on what's relevant? They're all relevant to Prince's history.

....I used quotes and attribution literally in the first three words of my response because they are quotes and attributions of OP (aka the original poster, aka NOT MY sentiment, aka quotations from another person's sentiment, that's what these " " " " " " mean for the unfamiliar, " " " " " another persons words " " " " " " "). And if those elements of speech are too complex to interpret, I literally stated this time in MY own words "it was so insulting" when talking about people giving away copies.

I'm someone who always counts the Jill Jones and Family album when we talk Prince's 80s albums. Any chronological binge of the records I put on Carmen Electra right smack after D&P whether I like it or not. I get genuinely offended when Prince fans don't recognize, say, Louie Louie's "Get Blue", Rosie Gaines "My Tender Heart" or Oui Can Luv on the same level of a "Kiss", "When Doves Cry" or The Gold Experience.

I'm probably the only Prince fan in history who says the Bria Valente album was the best record in the Lotusflow3r set and the other two discs are the coasters. I assure you, you are preaching to the converted when it comes to what's "relevant" to Prince history. Here's the litmus test: if one atom of his hair or silk purple PJs grazed the side of a control panel it's relevant to Prince history.

[Edited 6/29/23 13:39pm]

[Edited 6/29/23 13:40pm]

TrivialPursuit said:

Se7en said:

When friends/coworkers ask me which Prince albums are essential, I always say 1999/Purple Rain/SOTT are the 3 that everyone should have.

You could really expand on that as part of the hardcore fanbase and say "start with the 80s." Because it really is all wonderful ultimately.

1999/Purple Rain/SOTT is a good start, then work one album alternatively in either direction.

Around The World In A Day

Controversy

Parade

Dirty Mind

Lovesexy

Prince

Batman

For You

....just to keep it interesting.

Yeah all the 80s is essential, including the B-Sides. I think we need to take a vote to make that the unanimous Prince fanmz FAQ generic recommendation.

There's this tendency with Prince ever since I became a fan in the early teens to surmise/summary/whittle his catalogue down to 3 albums tops. I see it on YouTube all the time.

The recommendation triad for my teens was:
Just get Purple Rain/SOTT/Gold Experience. Those are his most essential.

Which even as a teen I was like "really? but this guy seems so incredible based off Purple Rain and with all he can do, really? 3 albums?" to where I was like I'm just gonna ignore this, but I did get SOTT as like the third or fourth album, and honestly I found it boring. The "one-man band" style requires acclimation. Much better to just get all the 80s, as it were. Then SOTT really pops as it should.

The 80s are for sure most essential, including B-Sides, then if your thirst is still high the entire catalogue might indeed be worth your fancy. But this is the GOAT we're talking here, we can do better than the generic 3 a normal artist would get recommended.

It's bingewatch culture anyway, new fans can handle it.

[Edited 6/29/23 14:11pm]

after warners, prince basically released music, like people do now, but early.

emancipation - he did a data dump record in 1996 lol

he was releasing music, too much, all over the place, like kids do on the net, but he was doing it early.

so id tread carefuly post 95 really.