Best Ever Albums — Prince

The rain was hammering against the windows of The Velvet Ditch, a record store so cramped that the jazz section doubled as a fire hazard. Leo, a 22-year-old who’d discovered Prince six months too late (three years after the man had left the planet), was having a crisis.

Leo took a breath.

“It’s for my blog,” Leo protested. prince best ever albums

“It’s a double album!” Leo said, gaining confidence. “It’s schizophrenia on vinyl. One track is a funky jam about a girl named Starfish and Coffee, the next is a whispered newscast about AIDS and crack. He plays every instrument on half the songs. He broke up the Revolution just to prove he didn’t need them. It’s not an album—it’s a weather report from the end of the 80s.” The rain was hammering against the windows of

“It’s for your ego,” she replied. She set down her coffee. “Fine. Let’s settle this like Minneapolis does. You pick the top three. I’ll tell you why you’re wrong.” “It’s for my blog,” Leo protested

She walked to the back room, then called over her shoulder: “But for the blog? Put Sign o’ the Times . You’ll get fewer death threats.”

“I can’t do it,” he said, slapping a stack of sticky notes onto the counter. “Everyone says Purple Rain is the best. But Sign o’ the Times feels... bigger. And then there’s 1999 , which is basically a party you’re not invited to but can hear from the street.”