I'm giving you lames a chance to vote for your fav but it doesn't matter.

You know I'm right.

Poll question: Parade is Princes best album

Poll result (37 votes) Controversy (1 votes) Vote 1999 (6 votes) Vote Purple Rain (8 votes) Vote Parade (7 votes) Vote Sign o' the Times (11 votes) Vote Other (4 votes) Vote

and "Mountains" is probably my favorite Prince song, so yeah.

Please.

We've had this discussion. I said it's *my* favorite. Not up for debate.

"Hey, you! Get out on this dance floor."

The best part of Mountains is the second part. It's an awesome record for sure - #7 out of 100 on the List.

we'll never agree on "It" and "Housequake" though. ( I don't dislike "HQ" I just got sick of hearing it, so now I skip it).


I'd be hard pressed to vote against it in a 'best' conversation. I just like "Parade" more. It's a soundtrack album for all the teenage shit I was going through at the time, etc.


Artistically speaking SOTT is probably his best work. Many of my top 25 Prince faves are on it. But yeah.

*plays "Boys and Girls" for the umpteenth time*

read: stubborn

Purple Rain is 3rd.

And if you catch me on he right day I'll agree that Parade is his best. But there are maybe 10 of those days in a year. Today ain't one of them.

It's Sign o' the Motherfuckin Times. The one with Adore on it. The one with Housequake. The one with If I Was Your goddamned Girlfriend. Motherfuckin Dorothy fuckin Parker. Forever in your shitbag Life. Did I mention Adore?

I made a list of Prince's 100 best - 11 songs came from SOTT. 5 from Parade. And of the Parade songs 3 were actually extended versions not on the album (1 unreleased extended version from SOTT). I love Parade but I love SOTT more. It's a str8 numbers game and SOTT wins. But I give Parade the edge for cohesiveness and creating a mood. SOTT rambles but that's the beauty of it - the range. And Crystal Ball is even MORE so. Though cutting that to 2 discs was the right move. Only bc The title track and Shockadelica are too much.

sit down, clown. It's Sign o the Times.

It's Parade.

If your preference fluctuates then it's fine.

but within all his albums, I think Parade is his best work. It's the sweet spot of all things Prince.

I can get with that.

Wait - I like that BUT on SOTT he did everything that made him great. Literally - the best of everything he could do he squeezed on the album. That's why I say it's his best and among the best ever. But I agree Parade is a sweet spot. There's no Rock on it so I can't say it's as great an example of his work as SOTT.

On SOTT he gave us a taste of EVERYTHING that made him great. It's the album I recommend to ppl who are just getting into P and want a 'sampler'. If they don't like SOTT they don't like Prince. Bc he did it all on the album.

> If they don't like SOTT they don't like
>Prince.


When he died, there's a 'too cool for school' dude who was on that "I never understood why people like him so much" dumb shit. He almost got tarred and feathered right here at the office.

I agree. But I give a pass to those who've listened to his music and found they're not into it. The dismissives get the gas face.

UTCM kills Parade's momentum. And sometimes SISIA is too much melodrama. Points off for those 2. Everything else is stellar.

Especially bc Girls and Boys follows - G&B is a top 20 cut. It just shines a light on how boring UTCM is. Lol

UTCM is the calm before the storm.

damn shame it wasn't a single in the USA. It slams.

It does hit the breaks a little too hard. I'm all about Life Can Be So Nice though. I love love LOVE that damn song.

Bottoms up....and the devil laughs..




http://soundcloud.com/rayandersonjr

"Get ready....for your blessing....."

I been listening to Prince all week and Parade got me pimp strutting around the office.

I'm trying to find a new position in these hoe's

Sign is a little too dark at times.

The harmonies on Do You Lie.

The dusted weeded out sounds of I Wonder U.

The funky ass KISS

The production on that album is bananas b.

"Get ready....for your blessing....."

Anti-gentrification, cheap alcohol & trying to look pretty in our twilight posting years (c) Big Reg


Just trying to share the world - www.JySbr.net

1. sott
2. purple rain
3. 1999
4. parade - anotherloverholeinyourhead is my shit tho.

this list can and will change at any time.

that joint got me through some rough times

"Get ready....for your blessing....."

I'm trying to tell you.

classic tune.

i wholeheartedly agree.

but its close enough to switch up

It's definitely my favorite album from him. DEF my favorite. That's the album where Prince clicked for me.

SOTT is full of awesome singles. It's a big commercial force in the vein of 1999 and Purple Rain.

Parade's only big single (Kiss) sounds out of place with the rest of the album and shouldn't have been included on it. I view Parade as an extended suite and it's been my favorite front-to-back album from Prince (though I always skip Girls And Boys).

I was never a fan of Kiss jsut because the video was played nonstop but that shit goes...

G&B's... cmon. That hook is gangster as fuck.

The harmonies with the background singers on that whole album is just.. beautiful

http://mikea7.typepad.com/now_its_on/2012/01/bootleg-review-prince-and-the-revolution-parade-demos.html

https://www.discogs.com/Prince-And-The-Revolution-Charade/release/1025764

an early version of the Parade album b4 he had made 'Kiss'.

A1 Little Girl Wendy´s Parade
A2 New Position
A3 I Wonder U
A4 Under The Cherry Moon
A5 There´s Others Here With Us
A6 Life Can Be So Nice
A7 Sometimes It Snows In April
A8 Old Friends For Sale
B1 In All My Dreams
B2 Girls & Boys
B3 Love Or Money
B4 Heaven

...i have it. it's cute.

but i can't be mad at anyone saying SOTT.

Parade is probably his most diverse and cohesive album.

Dude made a French soundtrack/funk fusion album. That BANGS.

That barry sax in girls and boys is just so gratuitously funky man

>That barry sax in girls and boys is just so gratuitously funky
>man

never heard of that kind of sax. its so dope tho.

so funky.

it makes that song pop. its so catchy.

it gets the ppl going!

MADE FOR IT.

Anti-gentrification, cheap alcohol & trying to look pretty in our twilight posting years (c) Big Reg


Just trying to share the world - www.JySbr.net

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=5&topic_id=2984190&mesg_id=2984190&page=2#2984302

I don't know how to do links to exact posts but you post number #8 though.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

I said SOTT is my favorite

Parade is his BEST album. I'm talking about TODAY!!!!

stuff he did after warner brothers? specifically the tunes that were released from his online sites.

can tidal stuff be downloaded?

also, let's just go ahead and appreciate the new position bass line here.

^ the best songs on Parade don't touch these heights.

which is why SOTT is his best album.

have your favorite but recognize genius.

That's smashin theme music

the album has TWO of Prince's best slow jams. TWO.

imagine if he'd put 'Crucial' in the place of 'Slow Love'.

man, please.

but anyway, as is the shit is the jam.

meanwhile, UTCM drags down Parade. and Sometimes It Snows In April is often too much melodrama for one song.

and as i said - the highs on SOTT are higher than the highs on Parade.

most ppl agree that 'Adore' is his best song (IMO it's 'Power Fantastic'). so that right there puts Parade out to pasture. there's nothing on Parade that comes close to 'Adore'.

those in the know understand 'Dorothy Parker' is top 5 material. also 'If I Was Your Girlfriend'.

what's on Parade that's touching those? 'Mountains'? nope. not when the best part of that song ain't even ON the album - see the 12 inch for that. 'G&B'? that song is the shit but it's not in the same league w/'Adore'.

SOTT all day.

have your favorite but recognize the genius that is SOTT. SOTT is the best double album in the history of popular music. YES it's better than SITKOL. yes it's better than the White Album. better than Exile on Main Street. better. period. best double album of all. time.

recognize.

finally, i said this earlier too...on SOTT Prince gave us the best he has to give. everything that made him a great musician is laid out on the album. he gave us the best he had to give. the breadth alone makes SOTT greater than Parade. Parade is cute Funk/Pop record. but SOTT is a great album that goes beyond Funk/Pop and touches it all. that's why i start newbies w/SOTT. if they dig that album then they dig Prince. from there i tell 'em to go chronological from the beginning. but if they don't dig that album then there's no point in wasting time w/Prince.

http://a.fod4.com/misc/Prince%20Hey%20Girl.gif

The instrumentation on that piece is incredible

LOVE the organ on it

I'd put When Eye Lay my Hands on You up there too.

Kills everything else.

I think you said in another post it's hard for you to listen to the end of it now. Shit just gets you when he breaks it down. It's like wow this amazing dude that should have lived forever isn't here now.

that's what hits me the hardest.

i'm seeing the Revolution in April (on the anniversary of his death, even) and that's gonna be hard. b/c the thing i wanted most b4 he died was to see him reunite w/them. and of course mostly i wanted them to play the Parade album - even more than i wanted to see them play stuff from Purple Rain. and that's the part of the April show i'm most looking forward to. i want to hear the band tear up 'Mountains' and 'Anotherloverholenyohead'. but Prince won't be there. :-(

SOTT edges it....BUT ONLY VERY SLIGHTLY (Like "Dorothy Parker" can't be fucked with....at all) because Parade is easily P's best sequenced album....I just think SOTT is the BIGGER album....1999 (on the low) is in the mix as well....Prince was locked in that synth-funk-rock chamber.....

Never really considered it either. I just assumed that everyone's whose favorite wasn't SOTT was Purple Rain.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

Lol

Anti-gentrification, cheap alcohol & trying to look pretty in our twilight posting years (c) Big Reg


Just trying to share the world - www.JySbr.net

was it his first album as the symbol? I do like the most beautiful girl in the world but don't know anything else about the album.

dunno.

this one came out of P's 2nd contract w/WB and was released during a tumultuous time w/the label. i dunno why it's out of print and unavailable officially.

there are no TGE songs on the latest compilation - 4ever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4Ever_%28Prince_album%29

nothing after 1992 is included. i dunno if there's going to be some future compilation w/the post 1992 stuff or what. it's odd.

Graffiti Bridge. Or maybe even Love Sexy. Though LoveSexy and Around the World feel like EPs to me.

Shit even the Batman Soundtrack.

But Gold Experience?

Whoever said that must secretly hate prince.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

The Question of U
Elephants and Flowers
Joy in Repetition
Thieves in the Temple
Still Would Stand All Time

These are some of Prince's best songs imo. I definitely revisit this album from time to time and really enjoy it. Just a few too many duds to keep it from top 5 category for me.

to great songs on the Gold Experience though.


P Control
Shhh
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
Shy
Billy Jack Bitch
Eye Hate U
Gold

Some people really like the Endorphinmachine though I'm not as high on it.

but since Spotify has all his music I rediscovered Parade and all its gloriousness.

Im trying a New Position today.

it's partly because of that fool Prince making the album one track on CD releases. I forgot he did that until I saw it was one track on spotify.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

I probably have listened to Parade much more over the past decade or so. I've got no problems with anyone listing it as their #1. Prince was obviously gifted throughout his career, but he was on another artistic level in that mid 80s time period.

Well before his passing gave new meaning to the song, Sometimes it Snows was always my fav Prince ballad. I prefer to play Venus de Milo just before it though - I think it's a better transition.

why isn't Lovesexy in the poll though?

b/c you'd have to either be mentally disordered or unfamiliar w/Prince's work to choose either of those as his best. plus there's only room for 6 and few ppl are going to choose Lovesexy.

I like what I like LOL.

if any album is 'missing' from the choices it's Dirty Mind.

A LOT of people feel this^^^^way....And I wouldn't be mad at them....At all......

that album inspired a whole genre, yall...damn

that's the 'problem' w/a genius artist who's as prolific as Prince. a masterpiece like 1999 languishes at #4 on a list of his best work.

hell, look at Stevie. Talking Book is a master work. wonderful album. every single song is perfect. nothing skippable. and it's not ever listed at #1 on lists of his best b/c SITKOL and Innervisions get all the love.

it happens.

the Beatles have this 'problem' too. the White Album is stellar. almost no one says it's their best album b/c Sgt Pepper's and Abbey Road and Revolver and Rubber Soul are there.

anyway, 1999 is great stuff. i don't agree it's P's best and it's not my favorite but i think it's a solid #4 on the list behind SOTT, Parade, and Purple Rain.

>that's the 'problem' w/a genius artist who's as prolific as
>Prince. a masterpiece like 1999 languishes at #4 on a list of
>his best work.
>

Agreed.

>hell, look at Stevie. Talking Book is a master work.
>wonderful album. every single song is perfect. nothing
>skippable. and it's not ever listed at #1 on lists of his
>best b/c SITKOL and Innervisions get all the love.
>
>it happens.
>

Absolutely.

>the Beatles have this 'problem' too. the White Album is
>stellar. almost no one says it's their best album b/c Sgt
>Pepper's and Abbey Road and Revolver and Rubber Soul are
>there.
>

Cosign.

>anyway, 1999 is great stuff.

it's STELLAR stuff, man...:)

>> i don't agree it's P's best and
>it's not my favorite but i think it's a solid #4 on the list
>behind SOTT, Parade, and Purple Rain.

That album INFLUENCED the sound of music in the eighties

https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Sex-Romance-Prince/dp/0946719640

It only covers the first ten years of his career, but it's hands down the best biography out there.

bruh...

Considering the renewed interest in Prince, they would be smart to reissue it.

I don't know how it is in USA but here in sweden, several local libraries carries (carried?) it; actually, that's how I found and read it...

"Princes"

anyway Lovesexy stands the test of time

in the lineage of releases of The Time Debut album.....then Controversy....then What time is it...then 1999..... 1999 to me is the apex of a particular sound Prince by then had perfected....and a double album..it like included everything he had become at that time... tons of classics.... one of his best not on album b-sides in Irressitable.... really no misses on the album at all...


Sign of the times...probably Prince's last "Great" album as a current artist ....represents the apex of the post 1999 era......again a double album covering the artist he was from Purple Rain through parade....but still with a vibe from even before that...


either one could be considered his best to me.... my head would say sign of the times....but being a youngster in that 81-83 period of Prince that puts 1999 in a special place with me

best songs, best production (SOTT could've been mixed better, yeah I said it),no filler, the fucking Revolution, the GOAT P song (Beautiful Ones)

ATWIAD was actually my first Prince record as a child (I think I got it from a babysitter)

Purple Rain just sits so perfectly with me

SOTT wins due to its breadth. It's P's full genius on display. Everything that made him great is included. PR is great but relatively limited compared to SOTT. If PR had all of the b-sides included then it would be as great as SOTT. But that's not the case. As is PR is missing the Funk - Baby I'm a Star is funky but mostly in concert. The album version doesn't bang hard enough. Meanwhile SOTT has Housequake and If I Was Your Girlfriend and Beautiful Night. Funk in spades. Add Erotic City to PR and that Funk card is punched. Also - Adore, the GOAT Prince slow jam. Beautiful Ones ain't a slow jam. So PR doesn't have one. SOTT has TWO slow jams.

Again, PR is great but SOTT is greater.

Now that you mention it there would have been another funk track and it would have fit perfectly!

I almost want to add it to my track listing for PR.

I love PR and it does fight with Parade for #2. Again, Adore is untouchable. Beautiful Ones is amazing, but got damn man... ADORE!

lol

SOTT
Parade
Purple Rain
1999
Dirty Mind

some ppl say DM is his best. they're not all the way crazy. but that's not his best.

I love his drum work on this one. I say this is his rawest album. I would love to have a LIVE version of it. Deluxe edition? Mmmm

Bumpin in the STEREO:
Gladys Knight&The Pips
The BB & Q Band-Genie
Tony Williams-The Story Of Neptune
Camilla George Quartet-Isang

Ask me on different days and you will get a different answer:

1999 - the blueprint to everything Purple and Prince's peak years

Purple Rain- the leanest, best sequenced, flawless beginning to end album is P's catalogue

ATWIAD - perhaps the best executed zig instead of zag follow-up to a commercially huge ever (Sorry, "Neither Fish or Flesh" fans). There are some absolute gems on this record and if you happen to dig some of less conventional stuff on this record (The Ladder, Tambourine),this album stands shoulder to shoulder with the rest of P's work.

Parade- P's lushest record. Also perfectly sequenced

Sign O' the Times- Sprawling Masterpiece

BTW-looking at his whole catalogue of 39 studio albums, at least 16 of them get a 4 or 5 star rating from me. And that's not counting the classic and unheralded cuts that found their way onto uneven albums (Dinner with Delores anyone?).

I know it's obvious to anyone paying attention, but the man put out a staggering amount of great music...damn

i want to get to know his discography and I've stayed away for a long time because, well, I just didnt know where to begin

I started there. It's his best album and it's quite expansive. There's at least a taste of everything that makes his music great. All of his genius is there. If you don't like that album then maybe P is not for you. If you like it - go chronologically from the beginning. And along the way - soak up the singles, several of his singles have extended versions that kill. And there are b-sides that are as good or maybe better than his album tracks. If you're in deep after that - soak in the unreleased albums and songs. There are several.

it's black rock in all its glory

then go to Parade

then end with SOTT

that makes his music great. If they like it I suggest going chronologically bc I assume I'm talking to a music nerd (it's OKP) who can appreciate the growth of P's genius as revealed by chronological listening. Also bc this is how I did it. I started with SOTT in 1988 then Lovesexy (bc it was new). From there I went back to Prince (1979) and forward through Dirty Mind, Controversy, et al and caught up. At the same time I was buying the singles. And then when Batman and GH were a little disappointing I was pointed to the bootlegs. My first was The Jewel Box in 1991.

Of course it's hard to go wrong but I had a reason for starting with SOTT and then going chrono. If he starts with P's three best the rest might feel like varying degrees of let down.

Either that or start with 1999....They are easier to digest.....

if we're going to suggest the easy way.

Nah....U still want that thematic album experience......

so you can see the growth, the change, the craziness, the failure and rebirths etc

because For You is wayyy diff than lets say Parade and Parade is way diff then Gold etc etc etc

and being on that rollercoaster ride of releases is part of the experience imho

i suggest starting w/SOTT though b/c i think it's a good litmus test. if they like that one then they will probably appreciate the rest. if they don't like that one then there's probably no point in bothering w/the rest b/c they're not really into Prince like that.

start with

The progression that made him a popular and crtically acclaimed megastar

1999
Purple Rain
ATWIAD
Parade
SOTT

Then deconstruct the beginnings

The b-sides (disc 3 - greatest hits)
Controversy
The Time Albums
Dirty Mind
Prince
For You


Then the continued brillance

Lovesexy
Batman
Graffitti Bridge
Diamonds and Pears
Symbol

started with SOTT sometime during my college years. I had a gf at the time who was a HUGE Prince fan and we dug each other's musical preferences. SOTT seemed to be one of the consensus favorites on OKP too, so I gave it a try first. I was absolutely blown away and loved it every bit as much as Stevie's Innervisions and all of Outkast's first 4 albums. Didn't think that would be possible.

From there I went back to Purple Rain and 1999. Then went back further to Prince - Dirty Mind - and Controversy. From there I went to ATWINAD and then Parade. Then on to Lovesexy. I got stuck for awhile on Dirty Mind and Controversy - I didn't know those songs and was just blown away.

I listened to For You through Lovesexy for a long while before I got in to the Batman Soundtrack and subsequent Prince 90s albums. P's 90s output was surprisingly much better than I anticipated. I guess I expected the worst based on a lot of OKP reviews, but there are plenty of essential cuts from the 90s.

Depending on how much you dig Prince's work, you'll eventually listen to his more recent output. But what you will eventually need to do is dig in his unreleased singles/bootlegs. You may want to consider buying his Hits/BSides album (you can get it relatively cheap off Amazon). It's worth the price alone for the B side hits. I'm biased, but I'll take his best B Sides against almost any musician's best output and take Prince. That just goes to show you how gifted an artist he was.

soundboard shows from the era.....

go with For you....then the self titled album....then do the Live in Atlanta show opening for Rick James....

then on and on... there are plenty of solid soundboard shows from the dirty mind...controversy ....1999 era..... all the way through...

...is FUCKING AWESOME.

inbox pretty please.

Even in death Prince is working his magic
bringing people together

I still feel its his best.

Bumpin in the STEREO:
Gladys Knight&The Pips
The BB & Q Band-Genie
Tony Williams-The Story Of Neptune
Camilla George Quartet-Isang

contender in his discography.

I wanna be your lover is quintessential early Prince

Why You wanna Treat Me So Bad is crafted better and rocks harder than most 'classic rock'

Sexy Dancer is a preview of the funkiness that's to come

Bambi rocks as hard as any Van Halen song

It's Gonna Be Lonely might be his most underrated slow jam


There really aren't any missteps on the album imo. It just doesn't distinguish itself in a way that his later albums do and it's less funky than his best.

I love how stripped down and pure it feels; it's like a cold glass of water whereas his later records are more like coctails; I tend to prefer the former type of records.

Actually, "Parade" *was* my favorite but DM is more appealing to my modern-day sensibilities.

Regarding SOTT, it's awesome of course but I don't think there is a single major (or minor) artist out there where the big, sprawling double album is *my* favorite and Prince is no exception... It's not a principle I have, I just don't tend to dig the big, sprawling record as much as its less ambitious, more focused smaller relatives; Stevie's SITKOL may be an exception but not really, I often say it's my favorite Stevie record simply because I think of the many great songs and moments and it just "intellectually" *feels* like the greatest for that reason. In reality however, i'm more likely to play individual songs or, at most, sides off that record and I tend to "skip"/move the "needle"/pickup during certain parts in songs whereas "Innervisions" and "Talking book" gets played from start to finish...

01. SOTT
02. 1999
03. Parade
04. Purple Rain
05. Dirty Mind

1. SOTT
2. Dirty Mind
3. Around The World In A Day
4. 1999
5. Purple Rain