PRINCE ALBUM POLL

BEST PRINCE ALBUM?

  • For You (1978)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Prince (1979)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Dirty Mind (1980)

    Votes: 2 12.5%
  • Controversy (1981)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1999 (1982)

    Votes: 2 12.5%
  • Purple Rain (1984)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Around the World in a Day (1985)

    Votes: 2 12.5%
  • Parade (1986)

    Votes: 1 6.3%
  • Sign O' the Times (1987)

    Votes: 7 43.8%
  • The Black Album (1987)

    Votes: 1 6.3%
  • Lovesexy (1988)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Batman (1989)

    Votes: 1 6.3%
  • Graffiti Bridge (1990)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Diamonds and Pearls (1991)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Love Symbol Album (1992)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    16

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
cos i'm on a prince kick recently. i'm assuming everyone here likes prince right?

i haven't decided myself yet cos i want to revisit some stuff (especially sign o the times which i always thought was a bit overrated), but definitely leaning towards early minimal funk/new wave filthy era - dirty mind/controversy/1999.
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
I FUCKING HATE DIRTY MIND. Like the singles are on it, but the rest is crap and "Sister" has to be the worst fucking song ever. If another Critic tries to tell me ".... Well you know... Dirty Mind was where he really hit his stride" I'm going to bash their heads in. Side A of Controversy is easily fucking miles above everything on Dirty Mind. And how are you going to ignore how good the S/T album is, just because he's obviously still in disco/soul era? "I Feel 4 U"

(No shots at you Benny, just venting)

But uh, fav. album... I'd honestly say its a tie between Around The World In A Day and Under The Cherry Moon?
 

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
sister is definitely the worst song on DM and gotta broken heart again is only quite good, but the rest is unfuckwithable iyam, especially uptown (was that a single?). Still not got round to the s/t yet but its here sitting on my hard drive. finally heard the black album today, cool record apart from a couple of shockingly bad tracks.

i've had atwiad for a long time but never really got into it, seems a bit forgettable on the whole, maybe i need to listen again.

its not on the list but theres a strong case to be made for the b-sides cd too - erotic city, 17 days, irresistible bitch etc etc.

hmm...
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
I could never call ATWIAD forgettable. "America" is the improved version of his whole slowly developing bullshit politics into a good funk jam. There was a live version from a concert movie (not the Sign of the Times concert movie, but like... I think MTV had it first) where he's extending the jam constantly to stop and then go into this swing jazz vamp before back into the jam, and all he's doing is bandleading, and its SOOO RAW. Beyond that, "Paisley Park" is such a ridiculously dark attempt at psychedelia, "Pop Life" as well and the punishment from god section of "Temptation" at the end is so bizarre. I'm always amazed people think this album is so light? "Condition Of The Heart" is also brilliantly somber, that fake French accent being the only bit of humor and joy. Like, beyond "Rasberry Beret" and "Tambourine" its actually a v. miserable album, which few critics catch up on.

I will holistically cosign the B-Sides. "Irresistable Bitch" is a jam and I think "She's Always In My Hair" is one of my top 10 Prince songs.
 

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
In fact, I don't think anyone actually likes Prince. I've never, never been in a room where someone's put on a Prince album, like, never, and I even know Americans.
 

Benny Bunter

Well-known member

luka

Well-known member
Because at some point I can't remember when, Prince ascended to that position in the firmament. I think it was late 90s/early 00s.
People like the drummer from the roots, the Neptunes, d'angelo... They were all campaigning, pamphleting, door knocking for the prince party, rosettes on lapels.

I voted sign of the times
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
I FUCKING HATE DIRTY MIND. Like the singles are on it, but the rest is crap and "Sister" has to be the worst fucking song ever. If another Critic tries to tell me ".... Well you know... Dirty Mind was where he really hit his stride" I'm going to bash their heads in. Side A of Controversy is easily fucking miles above everything on Dirty Mind. And how are you going to ignore how good the S/T album is, just because he's obviously still in disco/soul era? "I Feel 4 U"

obv rock critics just like it as its lo-fi, he looks unkempt, etc.

but its a brilliant album, if you can get past the need to go against the crit consensus.

its not like he wasnt writing about themes like those on DM on bambi, or i wanna be your lover, and musically, DM is not that representative of the mpls sound, but it is where he comes into his own identity and more to the point, sustains it for a whole album. but controversy is really where prince, and 'the prince sound' begins.

btw, sister is incredible when he plays it at twice the speed on the lovesexy tour.
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
but the best albums are 1999 for rude boy era/electronic/synthy prince, parade for floral, jazzy, art-funk prince, and dirty mind just for being the most anomalous album in his catalogue. as far as latter period prince, the rainbow children is the best thing hes done in the last 10-15 years. easily his jazziest, heaviest, deepest album and with brilliantly dense/religious lyrics. a lot of his albums are actually a bit spotty tbh. dirty mind is the most consistent thing hes ever made. from controversy on, his albums started to get more varied, but also not quite as cohesive as they might be.
 
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Benny Bunter

Well-known member
Because at some point I can't remember when, Prince ascended to that position in the firmament. I think it was late 90s/early 00s.
People like the drummer from the roots, the Neptunes, d'angelo... They were all campaigning, pamphleting, door knocking for the prince party, rosettes on lapels.

I voted sign of the times

yeah, outkast too. the new d'angelo album kinda revived my interest in prince again actually.

i'm going for 1999. the title track and little red corvette are probably my favourite prince singles, then you get loads of other cool linn drum robo-funk synth stuff that builds on the dirty mind/controversy sound. Lady Cab Driver!!!

if erotic city and 17 days had made it on the album then i'd have gone with purple rain though.
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
theres this japanese album that makes the purple rain album more like the proper soundtrack -
http://www.discogs.com/Prince-Strange-Tales-From-The-Rain-Prince-1978-1984/release/3139238 (only a couple hundred quid!)
i like how it doesnt end with purple rain and with baby im a star - so much better.

A1 –Prince And The Revolution Let's Go Crazy 7:32
A2 –Time, The Jungle Love 3:25
A3 –Prince And The Revolution Take Me With U 3:55
A4 –Prince And The Revolution The Beautiful Ones 5:14
A5 –Prince And The Revolution God 4:02
A6 –Prince And The Revolution When Doves Cry 3:49
B1 –Prince And The Revolution Computer Blue 4:01
B2 –Prince And The Revolution Darlin' Nikki (spelling error by WB) 5:13
B3 –Apollonia 6 Sex Shooter 3:01
B4 –Time, The The Bird 7:40
B5 –Prince And The Revolution Purple Rain 4:07
B6 –Prince And The Revolution I Would Die 4 U 2:50
B7 –Prince And The Revolution Baby I'm A Star
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
SOTT live and lovesexy live (from the videos/dvds) both should have been released as live albums really. SOTT live is better than the album apart from a few songs (eg dorothy parker).
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
lovesexy live (from the videos/dvds) both should have been released as live albums really..

Yeah, my father has a shitty recording of when he did Pay Per View for the Lovesexy tour, he was honestly at the peak of his live powers. My dad also ADORES Lovesexy as an album, which is funny as critical consensus is that "Oh, if only he'd stuck with the Black Album, he used too many tracks and its overstuffed..."

I think Prince revival is also integral to the fact that his influence was all over. Obviously house and techno is forever indebted to him, I mean Jamie Principle is such a little Prince biter its adorable. Obviously his continued influence on R&B....

There's also the indie fascination with him; its less discussed but I think indie people recognize Prince before they'd ever identify with Madonna or MJ. Those guys are entertainers, they possess savvy but Prince is a 'artiste'; temperamental, stuffy, has opinions upon music. Possesses musicianship but never gets too proggy, and favors a minimal style. Specifically there's a Smog song about him making him this dark, melodramatic figure, and Yo La Tengo did a whole tribute album to him.
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
you could make an amazing album out of lovesexy and the black album.

side one
"Le Grind" – 6:44
"Cindy C." – 6:15
"Superfunkycalifragisexy" – 5:55
"2 Nigs United 4 West Compton" – 7:01
"Rockhard in a Funky Place" – 4:31

side two
"Eye No" 5:47
"Alphabet St." 5:38
"Glam Slam" 5:04
"Anna Stesia" 4:56
"When 2 R in Love" – 3:59 †
"I Wish U Heaven" 2:43
 
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Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Never used to get Prince, got as far as buying a greatest hits comp and downloading 'Dirty Mind' and then lost interest, not out of any hatred for Prince, but because I have the attention span of a gnat. So I love ''I Would Die 4 U'' and a lot of the other obvious big singles but I've not heard any of the albums (aside from being massively underwhelmed by ''Sign of the Times'' when I listened to it).

I really like D'Angelo and ''The Love Below'' so I probably SHOULD listen to and like Prince, shouldn't I? I suppose a barrier for me has been that it's always seemed quite difficult to nick his music off the internet. Nowadays most of my music is nicked so Prince gets the bozack.
 

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
I suppose a barrier for me has been that it's always seemed quite difficult to nick his music off the internet. Nowadays most of my music is nicked so Prince gets the bozack.


Fyi u can nick his entire discog at the most obvious place on the web. What i really want is live concerts and films though. Still not seen purple rain yet!

Id say the essential albums are dirty mind, controversy, 1999, purple rain, parade, sott, and that hits/bsides comp. I know practically nothing of his post 80s albums though.
 
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