 | Prince:Artist Profile, 1958-2016 |
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Born: Prince Rogers Nelson Date: June 7, 1958 Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota Died: April 21, 2016 – accidental fentanyl overdose Where: Chanhassen, Minnesota Known As: R&B singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Overview:Prince was born into music. His father was a jazz musician named John Lewis Nelson, who went by the stage name of Prince Rogers. As the product of a broken home, Prince found refugee in music early on. He mastered multiple instruments in his early teens and even fronting his first band, Grand Central. RH While rooted in R&B, he “made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone.” RH His music and personality were “androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative. His colorful image and revolutionary music made Prince a figure comparable in paradigm-shifting impact to Little Richard, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and George Clinton.” RH He found his greatest success in the 1980s with 1999, Purple Rain and Sign ‘O’ the Times, but his “deep discography is full of funky treasure.” RH He was a prolific artist all the way up to his death in 2016, releasing 39 albums during his lifetime and reportedly recording from 500 to well over a thousand complete songs. WK He also wrote songs which were successful hits such as others, including “Nothing Compares 2 U” for Sinéad O’Connor (#1, 1990), “Manic Monday” (#2, 1986) and Chaka Khan (“I Feel for You,” 1984). There are reportedly hundreds of unreleased songs in his vault. On the Web:
Lists:Spotify Podcast:Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Best of Prince, 1996-2016 based on this list. It debuts August 10, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.
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Awards:
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The Studio Albums:Hover over an album for the name and year of release. Click to see its DMDB page. 
Compilations:
Note: The Hits/The B-Sides was released as a 3-CD set, but The Hits 1 and The Hits 2 were also released as individual albums. The raised letter codes listed after songs indicate apperances on any of these compilations (see codes above). Appearing after song titles are, when relevant, the date the song was released as a single and its peaks on various charts. Click for codes to singles charts. Archives:
Live Albums:
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Beginnings (1978-1981):“A demo tape by the young prodigy resulted in major-label interest, and an 18-year-old Prince signed to Warner Bros., insisting on the right to self-produce. His first two albums, For You (1978) and Prince (1979), unveiled a budding genius and one-man band. For You included Soft and Wet, an early glimpse at Prince’s uncensored sexuality, while the latter produced Prince’s first hit, I Wanna Be Your Lover (#11).” RH For You (1978):
Prince (1979):
“Interest in the youthful rising star was further kindled by Dirty Mind (1980), a provocative and sinuously funky album that appeared like a directional marker at the start of the Eighties. The jittery, New Wavish When You Were Mine became a club hit, yet Dirty Mind largely proved too hot to handle for radio. Still, the rising buzz about Prince continued when he opened for the Rolling Stones on their 1980-81 tour. Prince’s fourth album, Controversy (1981), was highlighted by the pulsing title track.” RH Dirty Mind (1980):
Controversy (1981):
The Breakthrough (1982-1983):1999, a self-produced double album, proved to be Prince’s breakthrough. He “toned down, if not entirely tamed, the hardcore sexuality, and the longish, danceable tracks appealed to disco and New Wave fans alike. Whereas many saw divisions in the culture – in terms of everything from musical preferences to skin color – Prince forged a party-minded unity around the various audiences’ shared interests.” RH Critic Kurt Loder wrote that the album “marked the point at which Prince’s seamless fusion of white rock and roll and black dance-funk became commercially undeniable.” RH The album gave Prince his first two top-10 hits and the undeniable title cut. 1999 (1982):
Piano & a Microphone (recorded 1983, released 2018):
Purple Reign (1984-1987):Prince’s next project was the semi-autobiographical Purple Rain. The movie grossed $80 million and the accompanying album won an Oscar for Best Soundtrack. On its way toward 13 million in sales thanks to 4 top-10 hits, including the #1 hits When Doves Cry and Let’s Go Crazy, it established Prince as a superstar. Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984):
Not one to rest on his laurels, Prince already had another album ready to go in 1985. Around the World in a Day was his second consecutive #1 album and it gave him two more top-10 hits. He followed that up in 1986 with Parade, the soundtrack to the film Under the Cherry Moon, and another #1 hit with Kiss. Around the World in a Day (1985):
Parade (1986):
Dream Factory (1986):
After the Revolution (1987-1991):The double album Sign ‘O’ the Times was Prince’s first since 1999 to not give the Revolution a co-credit. It was his “most musically expansive and lyrically incisive album,” RH often considered his best work by critics. “ On the sobering Sign ‘O’ the Times…Prince enumerated a catalog of social ills – AIDS, crack, gang violence – over a skeletal funk track.” RH That song and two others from the albums were top-10 hits. That same year, Prince opened “Paisley Park – a 65,000-square-foot multimedia production facility, with three studios and a soundstage.” RH Sign O’ the Times (1987):
He also recorded The Black Album in 1987. The “controversial, hardcore set…was aborted shortly before its intended release” RH but eventually was made available in 1994. 1988 saw the release of Lovesexy and another top-10 hit with Alphabet Street. The Black Album (recorded 1987, released 1994):
Lovesexy (1988):
Prince found himself back at #1 again in 1989 with the soundtrack for Batman and its lead single, Batdance. “Prince’s dense, tangled funk meshed with film producer Tim Burton’s dark, gothic vision.” RH Prince made his own moive – his third – in 1990 with Graffiti Bridge. While the movie was a flop with critics and fans, the soundtrack was yet another top-10 success for Prince and featured the top-10 hit Thieves in the Temple. Batman (soundtrack, 1989):
Graffiti Bridge (soundtrack, 1990):
The New Power Generation (1991-1993):For 1991’s Diamonds and Pearls, Prince assembled a new backing band, the New Power Generation. It was his “most accessible and hit-filled album since Purple Rain. Everything about it was elaborately conceived, including the holographic cover.” RH It gave him two more top-10 hits with the title cut and the #1 Cream. Diamonds and Pearls (1991):
The Originals (archives: 1981-91, released 2019):
In August of that year, Prince signed a contract extension with Warner Bros. for six more albums at $10 million apiece. However, that relationships would quickly sour. Love Symbol Album (1992):
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The Hits/The B-SidesPrince |
| Released: September 14, 1993 Recorded: 1978-1993 Peak: 4 US, 6 RB, 4 UK, 4 AU, 67 CN Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.4 UK, 2.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/pop |
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The Hits 1: (1) When Doves Cry (2) Pop Life (3) Soft and Wet (4) I Feel for You (5) Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? (6) When You Were Mine (7) Uptown (8) Let’s Go Crazy (9) 1999 (10) I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (11) Nothing Compares 2 U (live) (12) Adore (13) Pink Cashmere (14) Alphabet Street (15) Sign ‘O’ the Times (16) Thieves in the Temple (17) Diamonds and Pearls (18) 7 The Hits 2: (1) Controversy (2) Dirty Mind (3) I Wanna Be Your Lover (4) Head (5) Do Me Baby (6) Delirious (7) Little Red Corvette (8) I Would Die 4 U (9) Raspberry Beret (10) If I Was Your Girlfriend (11) Kiss (12) Peach (13) U Got the Look (with Sheena Easton) (140 Sexy MF (15) Gett Off (16) Cream (17) Pope (18) Purple Rain The B-sides: (1) Hello (2) 200 Balloons (3) Escape (4) Gotta Step Messin’ About (5) Horny Toad (6) Feel U Up (7) Girl (8) I Love U in Me (9) Erotic City (10) Shockadelica (11) Irresistible Bitch (12) Scarlet Pussy (13) La La La He He Hee (14) She’s Always in My Hair (15) 17 Days (16) How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore? (17) Another Lonely Christmas (18) God (19) 4 the Tears in Your Eyes (20) Power Fantastic Total Running Time: 225:53 |
Rating:  4.341 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About The Hits/The B-sides: The Hits/The B-Sides was Prince’s first compilation. The three-box set consisted of two discs known as The Hits 1 and The Hits 2, which were also sold as individual albums, and also packaged together with a third disc of B-sides. All three configurations went platinum with the three-pack reaching the highest chart peak (#19). While the majority of the important hits are present (#1 “Batdance” is noticeably absent), the non-chronological nature is distracting. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
Notes: In addition to being released as part of the 3-CD The Hits/The B-Sides collection, The Hits 1 and The Hits 2 were released as individual albums. |
The Very Best ofPrince |
| Released: July 31, 2001 Covers: 1979-1992 Peak: 11 US, 2 UK, 2 AU, 11 CN Sales (in millions): 2.66 US, 0.6 UK, 3.75 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/pop |
Tracks: (1) I Wanna Be Your Lover (2) 1999 (3) Little Red Corvette (4) When Doves Cry (5) Let’s Go Crazy (6) Purple Rain (7) I Would Die 4 U (8) Raspberry Beret (9) Kiss (10) Sign ‘O’ the Times (11) U Got the Look (12) Alphabet Street (13) Thieves in the Temple (14) Gett Off (15) Cream (16) Diamonds and Pearls (17) Money Don’t Matter 2 Night Total Running Time: 73:18 |
Rating: 4.340 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings)
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About The Very Best of: The Very Best of covered the same years as the previous The Hits/The B-Sides, but was a welcome addition to fans looking for a single-disc retrospective of Prince’s work. A few top tens are absent (“Delirious,” “Pop Life,” “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man,” “7”) and, once again, the #1 hit “Batdance.” Overall, though, this is an ideal starting point for someone looking for a quick overview. After Prince’s death in 2016, this collection skyrocketed back on the charts to #1. |
UltimatePrince |
| Released: March 14, 2006 Covers: 1978-1992 Peak: 6 US, 3 UK, 6 AU, 12 CN Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.3 UK, 0.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/pop |
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Disc 1: (1) I Wanna Be Your Lover (2) Uptown (3) Controversy (4) 1999 (5) Delirious (6) When Doves Cry (7) I Would Die 4 U (8) Purple Rain (9) Sign ‘O’ the Times (10) I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (11) Alphabet Street (12) Diamonds and Pearls (13) Gett Off (14) Money Don’t Matter 2 Night (15) 7 (16) Nothing Compares 2 U (live) Disc 2 (remixes): (1) Let’s Go Crazy (2) Little Red Corvette (3) Let’s Work (4) Pop Life (5) She’s Always in My Hair (6) Raspberry Beret (7) Kiss (8) U Got the Look (9) Hot Thing (10) Thieves in the Temple (11) Cream Total Running Time: 2:36:20 |
Rating:  3.900 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About Ultimate: This two-disc compilation is a completely unnecessary and obvious cash grab. It still covers the same years as the previous collections, adding the unnecessary Purple Medley and a handful of minor hits which hadn’t been on previous collections (Let’s Work, Hot Thing, My Name Is Prince). With one disc focused on hits and the other on remixes, it is a disappointment for fans who just want the hits as they are familiar with them and it is a sleazy way to get Prince die-hards to plop down for a two-disc collection when they really just want the remixes. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
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4everPrince |
| Released: November 22, 2016 Covers: 1978-1993 Peak: 33 US, 4 RB, 21 UK, 36 AU, 40 CN Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK, 0.1 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/pop |
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Disc 1: (1) 1999 (2) Little Red Corvette (3) When Doves Cry (4) Let’s Go Crazy (5) Raspberry Beret (6) I Wanna Be Your Lover (7) Soft and Wet (8) Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? (9) Uptown (10) When You Were Mine (11) Head (12) Gotta Stop Mesisn’ About (13) Controversy (14) Let’s Work (15) Delirious (16) I Would Die 4 U (17) Take Me with U (18) Paisley Park (19) Pop Life (20) Purple Rain Disc 2: (1) Kiss (2) Sign ‘O’ the Times (3) Alphabet Street (4) Batdance (5) Thieves in the Temple (6) Cream (7) Mountains (8) Girls & Boys (9) If I Was Your Girlfriend (10) U Got the Look (with Sheena Easton) (11) I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (12) Glam Slam (13) Moonbeam Levels (14) Diamonds and Pearls (15) Gett Off (16) Sexy MF (17) My Name Is Prince (18) 7 (19) Peach (20) Nothing Compares 2 U |
Rating: 4.603 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)
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About 4Ever: This collection reaks of being another cash grab, considering it was released within a year of Prince’s death and covers the same years as the previous three collections. However, as a two-disc set, this is actually superior to The Hits, if you aren’t interested in the B-sides which come with the latter. Once again, we maddeningly get songs in non-chronological order, but we get eight songs never released on a previous Prince collection: Gotta Stop Messin’ About (1981 single-only), Moonbeam Levels (unreleased song from 1982), Take Me with U, Paisley Park, Mountains, Girls & Boys, Glam Slam, and, finally, Batdance. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
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The Artist Formerly Known As Prince (1993-1996):In 1993, Prince changed his name to “an unpronounceable cipher: a hybrid of the symbols for male and female.” RH By his own suggestion, he was then referred to as “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.” In 1994, he released Come, an album of new material, and The Black Album, which had originally been slated for 1987 and was shelved. 1-800-NEW-FUNK (1994):
Come (1994):
Before year’s end, he released his last top-10 hit, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. It was featured on the 1995 album The Gold Experience, which was released in the midst of contract negotiations with Warner Bros. He contended that the one-sided contract rendered him a slave. He was released from the contract. Chaos and Disorder was his last album released by the label. The Gold Experience (1995):
Girl 6 (1996):
His Most Prolific Years (1996-1998):Without the restrictions of the label, Prince went on a spree releasing material over the next few years. In 1996, he released the single-disc Chaos and Disorder and the three-disc Emancipation. In 1998, he released the five-CD set Crystal Ball which consisted of four discs of archival material and a new disc of material called The Truth. He released New Power Soul that same year, making for ten discs’ worth of material over three years, “much more material than most artists manage in a lifetime.” RH Chaos and Disorder (1996):
Emancipation (1996):
The Truth (1997):
Crystal Ball (archival box set: 1998):
New Power Soul (1999):
The Return of Prince (1999-2003):In 1999, Prince signed a deal with Arista to distribute Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. He still retained ownership of the music, but had the benefit of major-label distribution. It was also the first time Prince reverted back to his name. Over the next few years, he released a series of albums which were marketed primarily through his website. The Rainbow Children was “a mystical and spiritually themed suite,” RH One Nite Alone…Live was a three-disc set, and N.E.W.S. was a collection of “lengthy, jazz-funk instrumentals.” RH Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999):
The Rainbow Children (2001):
N.E.W.S. (2003):
The Revival (2004-2010):In 2004, Prince had his first top-10 album in nearly a decade with Musicology. He followed that with the gold-selling 3121, his first #1 album since 1989’s Batman soundtrack. Planet Earth and the simultaneously released Lotusflow3r and MPL Sound albums also hit the top 10. The Chocolate Invasion (2004):
The Slaughterhouse (2004):
Musicology (2004):
3121 (2006):
Planet Earth (2007):
Lotus Flow3r (2009):
MPL Sound (2009):
20Ten (2010):
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Anthology 1995-2010Prince |
| Released: August 17, 2018 Covers: 1995-2010 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: R&B/pop |
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Tracks: (1) Emancipation (2) Black Sweat (3) P. Control (4) Crucial (5) The Love We Make (6) I Hate U (7) The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (8) I Love U, But I Don’t Trust U Anymore (9) Gold (10) Guitar (11) Dream Factory (12) The Work, Pt. 1 (13) Call My Name (14) Strays of the World (15) Shhh (16) Dreamer (17) Chaos and Disorder (18) Endorphinmachine (19) Musicology (20) Northside (21) When I Lay My Hands on U (22) Beautiful Strange (23) Future Soul Song (24) 3rd Eye (25) U’re Gonna C Me (27) Dinner with Delores (28) Ol’ Skool Company (29) 4ever (30) West (31) Xpedition (32) Muse 2 the Pharaoh (33) Somewhere Here on Earth (34) U Make My Sun Shine (35) 1+1+1 Is 3 (36) Chelsea Rodgers (37) We March |
Rating:  3.069 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)
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About Anthology 1995-2010: This was the second compilation released by Prince’s estate after his death. It was only made available digitally. It was released at the same time as his latter period albums were made available via stream platforms other than Tidal. The most notable omission was “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” because of a long-running copyright dispute. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
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His Last Few Years (2010-2016):After simultaneously releasing MPL Sound and Lotus Flow3r, Prince came back with another pair of albums in 2014. Like their predecessors, were also top-10 albums. In between his 2009 and 2014 album releases, Prince released a series of singles through is website. Some of those songs also showed up on his 2015 releases Hit N Run Phase One and Hit N Run Phase Two. Welcome 2 America (recorded 2010, released 2021):
Art Official Age (2014):
Plectrumelectrum (2014):
Hit N Run Phase One (2015):
Hit N Run Phase Two (2015):
Resources and Related Links:
First posted 7/1/2008; updated 8/10/2021. |
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