Best Prince album?

Jon Lewis on the money, Eric H. off the money.

I sometimes think Parade might be my favorite, and then I think, wait, that can't possibly be right, and then I listen to it again and think, yeah, it might be my favorite.

Gah, I always conflate the tracklists of Parade and Around the World in my head. Parade isn't bad. But it's definitely the swing position of any Prince top 3, two slots of which have to go to Purple Rain and Sign o' the Times and fuiud.

I'd opt for 1999 tho.

Don't get me wrong, I love Parade too (and Kiss is my favourite song by anybody ever on some days !) but I don't think it would make my top 3 since, yeah, Purple Rain is difficult to put aside...

I don't know why SotT isn't top 3 for me. It should be. It just isn't. Top 5, sure. Maybe I like Prince better at single-LP length.

This isn't to be contrarian, but I like For You the best of any of his albums.

SotT is special since it has less smash hits than most other Prince 80s albums (and the title track is far from a favourite) but it's the whole thing that is great.

SotT had 3 US top ten hits, which puts it ahead of:

1999
Around the World in a Day
Parade
Lovesexy
Batman

oh OK, I hadn't checked how it charted, it just felt less "hit singles" than most other albums.

also: "Hot Thing," "If I Was Your Girlfriend," and "Adore" got massive R&B play.

Didn't realized until looking just now that each album from 1999 --> The Gold Experience had at least one top 10 hit. (Well, it was Come that broke the string, but "Most Beautiful Girl in the World" was already a top 10 hit prior.)

to me there's no hit as big/good (since I've never really liked SotT the song) as : when you were mine, 1999, little red corvette, purple rain, when doves cry, raspberry beret, kiss, alphabet street, etc.

"U Got the Look" is a fucking steamroller.

I feel like I'm still just learning about SotT. It's been a slow grower. And I've never quite been able to get over the hump of its lackluster first track in the way I can with Song In The Key Of Life.

yes it's great of course. as are many (all !) of the other songs on the album.
but, for instance, if you consider the tracklisting of "The very best of Prince" (90s tracks not included) :

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 St."

well, for me, the tracks from SotT would rank the lowest.

I don't know why I always mistakenly think "The Beautiful Ones" was a single. Probably because it effing should've been.

"U Got the Look" is a fucking steamroller.

Also, "Girlfriend" is a serious contender for my absolutely #1 favorite Prince single OAT.

i thought the sample at the beginning of "lovesexy" was delia? doesn't sound anything like roger limb's stuff to my ears!

ok, nvm, it is roger limb- just mis-credited a lot of places

that's a bbc radiophonic sample? ha cool

Talking of samples,

There's a bit of a ruckus noise on "Pop Life", near the end then the music comes back in.

The exact same noise is used on Chris Hill's "Rentasanta" from 1975 or so.

Any ideas what it's from?