I remember the first time I heard Prince. It was at the dance at an AA roundup in Detroit March 1982 … & the song was Little Red Corvette & the song lifted me right off the floor. I couldn’t wait for the lp to be released: became my album of the decade 🙂
I have as stand-alone or mp3: 1999 (1982), Purple Rain, Sign O’The Times (1987), Batman (1989), Diamond & Pearls (1991), Come (1994), Musicology (2004), 3121 (2006), The Very Best, Originals (2019).
I wouldn’t call myself a fan though. There are great tracks ruining though all his lps & often tedious romantic ballads that aren’t for me. The lyrics are sometimes sexually frank, even funny. Part of his initial reputation was assured by such direct lyrics like ‘masturbating with a magazine.’ He is following in the footsteps of iconic risky blues – ‘I need a hotdog for my roll’ ‘Papa’s got a big ten inch (record)’
His guitar work, when it isn’t submerged, is stunning. His songs for Batman are great & I was sorry so few of them got used in the film. I heard a track off 3121 that had me looking for it. The Hits collection is a good started for anyone, if that person exists, who is not familiar with him. ‘Originals’ are his recordings of songs he wrote for others that became hits for them.
To round out the mp3 collections I added: Marvin Gaye: Trouble Man (soundtrack), M.P.G. Marvin is one of Prince’s prime influences, so worth hearing. I love the Trouble Man soundtrack. Prince influenced many including – Pitbull. Here are his The Boatlift, Planet Pit – rollicking sexy raps with Latino underpinnings & music you can dance to.
I also added a wild variety of other musical genres: Kruder & Dorfmeister: G-Stoned EP 1995: excellent trip-hop soul out of Austria; Boil The Kettle Mother: (Psychedelic Patchwork Volume 1) a fun collection of 70s psychedelic pop; Aphex Twin: Collapse EP: the master of electronica; Mount Kimbie: What Love Survives 2017: emotive trippy electronica; Electric Psychedelic Sitar Heads: one of series of cheesy sitar infused pop; Sevdaliza: Ison 2017; deeply emotional slow soul electronic; For A Few Fuzz Guitars More: guess what! A great compilation of vintage garage rock; finally, as a complete departure – Philip Glass: Solo Piano – not at all monotone & emotionless, in fact nearly romantic & very enjoyable but not music to masturbate to.
TOpoet 