Click the artwork to see full track listings. View the singles reviews here.
Prince's albums reviewed by Goldie.
Chaos & Disorder: Warner Bros (1995)
Get over it, this is a great album, I will never find even a die-hard Prince fan who would agree with me, but they clearly don't appreciate Prince at his rawest. It is tracks thrown together to get Warner's off his case for once and for all and is why this album is so full of venom - fantastic. Chaos And Disorder does what it was all written to do - kick ass - and is what the Hate Experience should be about. There is a lot of good stuff here, Chaos And Disorder, The Same December, Right The Wrong, Zannalee, I Rock Therefore I Am, Dig U Better Dead, and Had U. Who else would tell the largest record company on the planet literally to 'fuck off'. The opposite spectrum of Prince's passion should never be underestimated, although Prince's music is best in the bedroom, this is Prince pissed off, this man certainly has a dark side. And like Lord Vader, both excel at airing their frustrations in public.
The Gold Experience: Warner Bros (1995)
Sex, Fetishes, Loneliness, Vindication, Love, and Hate are the range of'Experiences' which Prince treats us to here. Its 'that' album which was the last straw over the split with Prince and Warner's over their refusal to release it. So along came a rare moment in music history when a tour (with the infamous Release Date: NEVER, slogans) preceded the release of the album it was promoting, which was frankly one of his greatest tours to date. The album contains Princes worldwide smash The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (technically his last hit single). But for me its the stunning guitar work over Shhh, where you can actually hear the guitar literally sing its heart out, and Dolphin make this one of his best compilations. I Hate U, Shy and the absolutely tight Billy Jack Bitch kicks this album out of the park and remains a personal favorite. After the Purple Rain style Gold we are finally 'welcomed to the dawn' - and what a great new day it turned out to be, roll on tomorrow.
Come: Warner Bros. (1993)
The Prince is dead, in that case, long live the 
! The album of the one word titles, well, he was cheating a bit with Letitgo! He gives us a secret, sex with him lasts 10 minutes and with the title track you live every second of it which makes magnificent listening. Its nice to see Prince try out dance music with Loose and I hope he does it again. The album has great range from the fantastic base line of Race and the beats of Come and Pheromone, to pure soul with Solo to Dark gives the album true class. The radio friendly tracks are Space and Letitgo, no surprising that they are the albums only singles. The writing was on the wall with his relationship with Warner's, unfortunately for the wake after Prince's 'funeral' would last another 3 years.
The Hits/The B-Sides: Warner Bros. (1993)
Here is the situation, your most expensive and successful artist signed less than a year ago decides to 'kill' his name and changes it to an unpronounceable symbol, coupled with the fact you feel their music is becoming less commercial, what do you do? You go back to basics and stick with what you know was safe and re-package their greatest hits. Throw in are a couple of unreleased tracks, Pope and Peach but Warner's also resurface the long lost B-sides including, 4 The Tears In Your Eyes and Power Fantastic. Prince had Warner's sussed "everybody wants to sell what's already been sold..." but Warner's too realised he was dipping commercially "...all that glitters ain't gold." One highly respected DJ at the time said this is an "essential to anyone's music collection" so the moral here is: not all DJ's talk crap. Good music a plenty here, saves changing the CD too often.
: Warner Bros. (1992)
It always struck me as a little odd to release a song called My Name Is Prince then only to go and change his name before the next album, but as a song it rocks and was the ideal concert opener in the 77,000 audience at the Act II show at his first and only visit to Wembley Stadium. Symbol has a number of ballsy big productions in the form of Seven, the Bohemian Rhapsody-esq Three Chains O’ Gold, The Max and, The Sacrifice Of Victor. The lyrics from the comical in Blue Light, to the impossible to broadcast Sexy MF puts the icing on the cake of this truly outstanding album.
Diamonds And Pearls: Warner Bros. (1991)
It was to be Prince's last commercial album until 2004, personally, Diamonds And Pearls also remains my favourite album of all time. This is the album that got Prince his massive $100m recording contract with Warner's. Laying the Revolution firmly to rest with this, the first album from his new band, the New Power Generation, offers an incredibly diverse blend of hip-hop, soul, rock, proving Prince could still attack the charts. Sonny T's bass and Michael B's drums are exquisite. With monsters like Cream, Gett Off, Thunder, Live 4 Love, Money Don't Matter 2 Night and especially the title track, releases don't come bigger than this. The album does not let go, written around the time of Gulf War I, it still packs one hell of a punch and is arguably one of the best albums of the 90's.
Graffiti Bridge: Warner Bros. (1990)
The 80's are over and computers inherit the Earth. This album is a great example of computerised and sampled music that came to dominate the 90's. However, that does not make it bad for we get treated to three absolute Prince classics, The Question Of U, Joy In Repetition and Thieves In The Temple. This is really a joint effort between Prince and The Time, which to say their contribution today sounds rather dated. Good party stuff here with Elephants & Flowers, Can't Stop This Feeling I Got, but in the risk of repeating myself, the true masterpiece here is the mighty Joy In Repetition.
Batman: Warner Bros. (1989)
Overlook this album at your peril. This is the disk that Prince literally recorded entirely on his own, and thank god he did. The quality of Batman is really in its diversity; for blending funk (The Future, Vicki Waiting, Partyman and Electric Chair), with sensitivity (Arms of Orion and Scandalous). Topped off by the terrific Batdance which includes some of the strongest guitar he has put on record. It didn't come one of the fastest selling albums in history for nothing.
Lovesexy: Warner Bros. (1988)
Prince obviously adapts well when working under pressure. Lovesexy was a rush job to replace The Black Album which was pulled after Prince and probably the record executives got a bad case of cold feet, When 2 R In Love being the only song inoffensive enough to move from The Black Album on to Lovesexy. Lovesexy offers a first class sound, the mid-80's was a time in which Prince could do no wrong and the publics love affair with him was stronger than ever for this awesome collection. The only was is to listen to this album is right the way through (literally if you own the CD version), he treats us to crowd pleasing songs like Alphabet Street as well as the sheer divine class of Anna Stesia.
The Back Album: Warner Bros. (1988)
This is not music, this is a trip - and it was, quite literally! Prince wrote this after experimenting with drugs, and hated it when he came down, did not get officially released until 1994. The reason for its long stint in the vault was that it was too aggressive and negative and because of this, the spiritualistic Lovesexy was written, doing Prince a huge favour for frankly this unnamed album would have bombed in the charts anyway. However, there are good tracks in the shape of Cindy C (named after Cindy Crawford) and Le Grind, plus Prince poking fun at himself with Bob George. The angel When 2 R In Love is out of place on such a 'naughty' album.
Sign O’ The Times: Warner Bros. (1987)
This double album is his most diverse work of which is really his masterpiece. I would discredit this whole site if I did not give this album the thumbs up, and thankfully giving approval is easy. The lyrics to the title track are a work of art. Listen to the beat of IT, the rock of The Cross, the pop of U Got The Look, the ballad of Adore, and the amazing guitar build up in I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man. But save If I was Your Girlfriend until the early hours of the morning, listen to it loud and in complete dark - its majestic, and that's not even half of it.
Parade: Warner Bros. (1986)
Here is an admission for you, I don't actually like Kiss, though its the most well known track on the album, it is, thankfully, not its best. Staying on the subject, even Prince admitted that he did not have enough material for the album. It starts off with a bit of a circus feel with Christopher Tracy's Parade, New Position, slowing down with I Wonder U and Under The Cherry Moon. But then things start to pick up, and improve, with the often forgotten Girls And Boys and Do U Lie? Which leads us to the best tracks on the album, Life Can Be So Nice and the absolutely awesome Mountains. It is the longest word in history, Anotherloverholonyohead, that names the standout track on this album, the chorus is the best ever.
Around The World In A Day: Warner Bro. (1985)
What better way to piss off the world by following up one of the biggest selling albums in history with one that sounds completely the opposite, but anyone who understands Prince knows its a typical thing for him to do. After Purple Rain, Prince relaxes and goes psychedelic with Around The World In A Day. The title track, though weird in its first few listens, matures well over time. Prince sings all about his new vanity record label with the motoring Paisley Park then slows it all down with the sweeping Condition Of The Heart. The album contains one of his most famous tracks, Raspberry Beret about a dreamy store clerk taking his nameless date out to a field of horses. But for me, the crowning glory on is The Ladder, the hard-edged America and Temptation plus the rolling Pop Life (complete with boos from his time on the road with the Rolling Stones). A job well done, and if you back off a little, its just a good as Purple Rain, be warned, "the steps you take are no easy road".
Purple Rain: Warner Bros. (1984)
It sounds like his greatest hits album, because that's really what it is. It is, simply put, outstanding, its gone 13 times Platinum and like it or not is his greatest and best known work and the album which Prince will always be remembered in history for. His music is still trying to match this level, and to be honest, it never will. Purple Rain contains some of the greatest music of all time, and its comes from an era when the media were talking about the music and their tired obsession with name changes. With songs like Lets Go Crazy, Take Me With U, Computer Blue, Darling Nikki (the very song which gave birth to Parental Advisory warnings), When Doves Cry, well actually every track on the album, makes it the definitive album of the 80's. I'm not an old-school Prince fan, but I give in, it simply does not come better than this. Purple Rain is, and always will, be the very essence behind Prince. This album is essential in everybody's collection.
1999: Warner Bros. (1982)
The Prince fan's inner favourite. This was the one that put Prince above all others, Little Richard and Rick James stepped aside after 1999. Featuring the hits like Little Red Corvette and of course the titular track need no explaining. The album is the fan favourite for D.M.S.R, Let’s Pretend Were Married, Something In The Water (Does not Compute), Lady Cab Driver, and the brilliant Automatic. 1999 sounds 20 years ahead of its time guarantees it as the all time ultimate club classic album. This album will never date, and will continue to be spun in clubs well into the next 50 years. There is no "out of time" for this party, this is Prince at his very best, and without it, Purple Rain would never have been written. Laden with grooves that you will find dancing too just A-u-t-o-matic.
Controversy: Warner Bros. (1981)
We are now into uncharted territory for the non-Prince fans. To them it is impossible to imagine that Prince existed before the 1999 album, well there was life, and what a good one it was too. Controversy, a personal favourite of mine, is Prince superbly fusing black and white music together. The title track, still able to pack a punch even today, starts the album where the very dirty, Dirty Mind left off. Prince lets his pervy side rear its head with Sexuality and Jack U Off, then slows its all down nicely with Do Me Baby. Politics gets a treatment with Ronnie Talk To Russia and Annie Christian. However, the top tracks are wonderful Private Joy and the rallying Let's Work. Controversy is fun, fast, charged and Prince's last outing in obscurity.
Dirty Mind: Warner Bros. (1980)
Frankly, if you really want to find out where Prince's musical roots stem from, does show through better than on Dirty Mind. Funk is what Prince really does best, and he churns it out on here. Prince comes clean and names the album after the only thing on his mind - sex, and we get plenty of porno funk and lyrics in the title track, Do It All Night and Head. Single and unable to have any sex, he gets all melancholy with When You Were Mine and Gotta Broken Heart Again, but thankfully he goes out partying again in Uptown, gets hitched and back into bed, even stopping for foreplay with Head. He even gets up to a bit of incest with Sister but ends up all elated with Party Up announcing that "fighting war, is such a fucking bore" too right, there is only room for one thing in his dirty mind.
Prince: Warner Bros. (1979)
His first ever hit, I Wanna Be Your Lover, starts off a surprising solid album for 19-year-old record producer, composer and performer, Prince. Calling the album by his own name confuses many to believe his is his debut, in a kind of way it is, as many of the songs here did not make it on the first album. Prince - the album - reminds us the soulful dude Prince - the man - really is. Unlike his following releases, although the content is all about sex, Prince keeps it refined and lets the music do all the suggesting. Bambi, quite honestly is the best demonstration of his skill with the guitar than any other record and gives the album a stellar sound. I Feel For You is one everyone knows through Chaka Khan who covered it in 1984, but its better here. It's Gonna Be Lonely is one of my favourite tracks, and they say the old ones are the best, and with songs like these it is hard to disagree.
For You: Warner Bros. (1978)
Great palaces are built on strong foundations, especially ones for Prince's. All sexual urges are kept under control as Prince puts on his best behaviour for his first outing. For You - named after the title of the first song - consists mainly of gentile ballads, however Soft And Wet gives us a little taste of the smut that will follow on later albums. My favourite is the indulgent Just As Long As We're Together, few songs can clear 6 minutes this well. This is real 70's disco/funk stuff but it just goes to show you that Prince in his first offering was as good as many of his more established contemporaries and this was only a taste of what was to come.
