There is no one way to define Prince. Never afraid to experiment, to buck trends or to swerve left when the world expected him to go right, Prince's long and illustrious career is a testament to his relentless musicianship. Prince was an artist's artist. He was influenced by the greats—from David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix to The Beatles and Joni Mitchell to Sly Stone and Stevie Wonder—and it can be heard in his vast array of albums spanning more than three decades.
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Pop, rock, R&B, funk, jazz—even hip-hop. Nothing was off-limits for Prince. His keen understanding and love of different types of music made his own so singular. Here was a man unafraid of pushing himself and twisting conventions (consider his bouncy, apocalyptic rock 'n' roll on "Ronnie, Talk to Russia," or his satirical proto-house on "All the Critics Love U in New York") to write and perform and live freely as a true artist. But if there's a downside to Prince's many accomplishments, it's that his catalogue is almost too vast to approach. Prince has done everything. And now that his music is available across streaming services, all these different facets of Prince are at everyone's fingertips, all at once. So where does one begin with Prince and his staggeringly rich career? Here are five different sides of Prince to explore.First: There's nothing wrong with Mainstream Prince. The thing about Mainstream Prince is that it's better than 95 percent of major label music. It's not "mainstream" in a way that is at all cheap or shallow. And that's an important distinction to remember when listening to Prince's music. He is an artist and a musical genius first, which means that his hits (and there are many, from the delicious "Pop Life" to the entirety of the Purple Rain album) are equal parts intelligent and fun.Anybody could dive into any of Prince's many greatest hits collections and find something worthwhile. But if you want to start with basics and sample the full breadth of his talent, start with The Hits/The B-Sides, a collection that highlights Prince's sharpest and most popular hits while also showcasing the deep cuts that deserve a second look. "Erotic City," a B-side to "Let's Go Crazy" from the Purple Rain soundtrack, is an indelible classic in its own right: Growing up, I had no idea "Erotic City," wasn't a single based on how often I heard it on the radio. And then, of course, there are the songs like "Kiss" and "1999" that are such big hits that they transcend earthly ideas of popularity. Don't overlook them. They're that popular for a reason.
So you want to get into: Mainstream Prince?
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Playlist: "I Would Die 4 U" / "Pop Life" / "When Doves Cry" / "Delirious" / "Purple Rain" / "U Got the Look" / "1999" / "Little Red Corvette" / "Kiss" / "Raspberry Beret"
Apple Music | SpotifyThere are multi-instrumentalists, and then there is Prince, a man who played 28 instruments on his debut album in addition to writing all of the music and performing all of the vocals (he was 19 at the time, by the way). Prince was nothing if not an ambitious, perfectionist experimentalist. His deft and once-in-a-lifetime skills allowed him to flirt with pop chart success and progressive instrumentation simultaneously.Whether it meant executing a mind blowing guitar riff to frighten your favorite psych or hard rock bands ("Let's Go Crazy" from Purple Rain and "I'm Yours" from For You) or channeling the 4/4 synth rhythms of proto-house deep cuts like "All the Critics Love U in New York," Prince was never afraid to make music that challenged and pleased even the most finicky of listeners. This writer loves "BREAKDOWN" from ART OFFICIAL AGE, one of Prince's last records. The track floats seamlessly between the numerous genres that came to define Prince's career, proving he is hear for crisp melodies and off-kilter structures and rhythms was not lost to age.Playlist: "I'm Yours" (maybe the best Prince guitar riff ever) / "Let's Go Crazy" / "Bambi" / "All the Critics Love U in New York" (proto house) / "Christopher Tracy's Parade" / "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" / all of Lovesexy / "7" / "BREAKDOWN"
Apple Music | Spotify
Apple Music | Spotify
So you want to get into: Prince, the Musician's Musician?
Apple Music | Spotify
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So you want to get into: Black People's Prince?
Apple Music | Spotify
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So you want to get into: Political Prince?
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So you want to get into: Hypersexual Prince?
Apple Music | SpotifyIllustration by Zoe Priest Britt Julious's favorite Prince song ever is "I Would Die 4 U." Follow her on Twitter.