Prince is a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose heydey was in the mid 80s.
His early albums including
Dirty Mind,
Prince,
For You and
Controversy concentrated purely on funk and soul.
His most creative years are probably between 1983 and 1988 when he released a string of classic albums starting with
1999 and going on through
Purple Rain,
Around The World In A Day,
Parade,
Sign o' the Times and
Lovesexy.
There is hardly a bad track on any of these albums.
During the 90s, most of his albums have been filled with anonymous groove based tracks which are done better by many other artists.
Diamonds And Pearls is his best album from this period.
There are a few good/interesting tracks to be found on his 90s albums and these include
Pussy Control,
Dionne and
Cloreen Bacon Skin.
Sadly he became more famous for his eccentricities such as changing his name to a
squiggle and painting his face with the word
Slave during a contract dispute.
He did have a massive hit a few years back with the ballad
The Most Beautiful Girl In The World tho.
Over the years he has made a few dodgy films that he has starred in including
Purple Rain,
Under The Cherry Moon and
Graffiti Bridge.
He also provided the soundtrack to
Batman.
Many artists have benefited from covering Prince songs. To name a few:
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U,
Chaka Khan - I Feel 4 U,
Bangles - Manic Monday,
Tom Jones - Kiss
Indeed he's probably had as many hit singles through other artists than by himself.
Many other artists have gone on to success after working with him such as
Wendy & Lisa and
Shiela E.
Other artists such as
Jill Jones and
Ingrid Chavez have released great albums which are basically
Prince records under another name.
He currently has tracks available for download at http://www.npgonlineltd.com/.
I saw Prince last year in London and although the newer material isn't as good as his 80s stuff he hasn't lost anything as a performer.
Editor's note: Prince died, aged 57, on April 21, 2016. He was found unresponsive at his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota.