Prince Best Ever Albums | Top 20 ESSENTIAL |

Leo hesitated.

“ Dirty Mind , 1980. He’s 22 years old, wearing a trench coat and bikini briefs on the cover. It’s only 30 minutes long. It’s about incest, oral sex, and killing your rival. Recorded on a four-track in his basement. No Dirty Mind , no Sign o’ the Times . That’s the real best ever. Because it’s the one where he had nothing to lose.”

“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 kept falling. The purple vinyl spun. And somewhere, Prince laughed. prince best ever albums

Leo took a breath.

“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.”

Marta finally looked up. A tiny smile cracked her face. “Oh, you brave, stupid kid.” Leo hesitated

“What?”

Marta stood up and patted his shoulder. “Kid, there are 39 studio albums. Plus the vault. The ‘best ever’ Prince album is the one you’re listening to at 2 a.m. when you realize he’s not coming back. For me? It’s The Rainbow Children . Because it’s a mess. And he never cared if you agreed.”

“It’s for my blog,” Leo protested. It’s only 30 minutes long

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.”

Marta, the store’s 50-something owner, didn’t look up from her magazine. “You’re making a ‘Best Ever’ list. First mistake.”