Prince - When did you Gett Off the bus?

Picked the second last option. "3121", in particular, is an excellent album. Other than that, I would belong in the sixth category. Used to love "Grafitti Bridge".

OK, this is total bullshit. He flourished when he was selling millions of records! Like all great popular musicians, he needed a demon-public to feed his muse. You're going to tell me that the sequence from Dirty Mind to Lovesexy -- as uneven as it is -- pales before his nineties stuff (as excellent as lots of it is)???

As I've said many times here, ATWIAD isn't a very good album, but no way would a true Prince fan call this a jump-the-shark moment; it's a failed experiment at worst.

I refuse to vote in this poll, because I'll vote when someone just lists the albums in order instead of presenting me with some bizarre fucking preset narrative sweep.

Yeah, it's impossible to say that you got off the bus with ATWIAD, because SOTT came afterwards, and if you don't like SOTT, then you don't like Prince (although I'd be interested to see somebody challenge this notion).

Geir Hongro: When did you get off the bus?

He fell off about midway through the self-titled one, either before or after "Bambi".

haha I refused to even read the preset narratives for fear of being too creeped out

I've yet to convince anyone of this, but the track "Electric Chair" on the Batman album is great.

There is nothing on "Batman" that is great. "Partyman" is half great.

He went on to make "Grafitti Bridge" after that though. And "3121". So no fifth option for me even though I felt that way in 1989.

OK, this is total bullshit. He flourished when he was selling millions of records! Like all great popular musicians, he needed a demon-public to feed his muse

Not like I expect anyone to vote for that second option, but I felt like a really bizarre anti-commercial option as needed just to make the poll complete.

Prince has a bus?

Basically everything and i mean everything(apart from "The Ladder") from the first to "Lovesexy" is phenomenal but hindsight is wonderful thing and "Lovesexy" was where the rot set in...so thats what i voted for...

Also i agree that "Electric Chair" is great

I really don't like polls like this that leave me unable to even make a choice. Prince was simply never better than Purple Rain, it was his shiniest hour and I don't care a jot for what came after that, aside from a few songs here and there that were singles. There was just nothing that made me want to try to follow his career after that. Why do you have to stop that one poll option with 1999?

Oh wait - I forgot. This is Geir I'm talking to. My apologies.

what is the big deal about purple rain.

dirty mind is so much better than that shit.

I'll have to check that one out! I don't believe I've heard that one, though I'm at least somewhat familiar with the others before Purple Rain.

ATWIAD isn't a very good album, but no way would a true Prince fan call this a jump-the-shark moment; it's a failed experiment at worst.

a failed experiment that includes "raspberry beret," "pop life," "paisley park," "condition of the heart". it and lovesexy are the weakest albums of his great run (from dirty mind to lovesexy), but that's a relative measure and they're both good albums.

also, batdance is totally classic.

From the options available, #7 comes closest, as I never totally lost interest/faith. I though the Batman soundtrack was great, so Graffiti Bridge was my first "meh" moment; the first album I couldn't be arsed to buy was Chaos & Disorder; and The Rainbow Children was my "fuck, he's completely lost it" moment. Musicology and 3121 have been partial returns to form, and Planet Earth is easily my favourite since Diamonds & Pearls.

I'm still on it really.

3121 wasn't my favorite album (I liked Musicology a lot better) but I still like most of the tracks on it.

haven't heard the newest one. he puts out so many damn albums!

a failed experiment that includes "raspberry beret," "pop life," "paisley park," "condition of the heart". it and lovesexy are the weakest albums of his great run (from dirty mind to lovesexy), but that's a relative measure and they're both good albums.

this is highly OTM; not to mention, Around the World in a Day is my favorite Prince album. it's daring, and all the better for it. i love a lot of the '90s and '00s stuff too, though, including 3121 like most here, and The Rainbow Children, unlike most here i'd assume. I'd also contend that a one-disc version of Emancipation would rival Sign 'o' the Times as his best album.

I love around the world in a day.

To me Batman is the first album were it seemed like he was influenced by the current pop style. I more love than like everything that came before Batman.

wtf Dirty Mind is totally influenced by New Wave and punk.

Hi guys, this "bus" thing seems to have taken off (a bit), so..

This means the point where you didn't 'rush' out and get a particular artist's new album 'unheard' (if that's even possible...)

So, you may regard "around the world" as "not that great" but went out and got "Parade" immediately (or thereabouts) anyway...

For me, "Diamonds and Pearls" was the end. I liked it, a lot even. But I guess I didn't need anymore Prince albums after that.

wtf Dirty Mind is totally influenced by New Wave and punk.

that's true. he was influenced by more than a few people. I saying to me 'Batman' was the first not to sound more Prince than the influences.

Purple Rain is the dividing line. (as is B.PR & A.PR)

i jumped off the bus around 2001 or so after the rainbow children album (which i liked, but what he made after that, not much at all). was already losing interest in him around 1997 (although emancipation had some really good songs) but this year i totally lost interest. still went to see him live though. but as for hearing his new songs, i dont really care about what hes making. and that song he put up after telling his fansites to cease and desist made me feel alot lot better about it. ill get back into him when he starts releasing some back catalogue material from the vaults like dylan does. and when he gets a half decent, non-vegas/wedding band-sounding band for his live dates.

"wtf Dirty Mind is totally influenced by New Wave and punk."

but batman was when he was influenced by crappy mainstream pop stuff (dirty mind took from more underground influences) and didnt really make it 'princey' enough.

For me it was Batman.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.