(from Crystal Ball, recorded 1986, released 1998)

Scratchy disco guitar licks coast over a tentative scrap of funky bass while Prince explains that he doesn’t need cocaine ‘cos he’s high off that purple music – and to demonstrate his altered state of mind, his manipulated vocal gradually fades and degenerates over the course of 10 of the punk-funkiest minutes he’s ever recorded. Kristie Lazenberry and Marcy Ingvoldstad provide vocals while Prince’s childhood friend André Cymone, who later joined Prince’s touring band, can be heard on that filthy funky bass.Ī fine example of Prince’s unstoppable brain-splurge of great ideas, this 1982 minimalist gem wasn’t even up to Prince’s ridiculously high standards around the recording of 1999 and remains in the vaults. ‘Just Another Sucker’ is the only song Prince wrote, or at least co-wrote, with the Minneapolis funk crew, and here he’s taking care of synthesisers, keyboards, drums and that wailing guitar. The beginning is as good a place to start as any, so here’s Prince at the tail-end of his teens in his first proper band, 94 East. (from Minneapolis Genius, recorded 1978, released 1986) Picking the best songs from the fringes of Prince’s catalog is a bit like asking an astronomer to choose their favourite stars. It’s an enormous and entirely frivolous undertaking, and we don’t suggest for a moment that this miniature round-up offers a comprehensive, once-and-for-all judgment on the high points of the Minneapolis funk maestro’s lesser-known material.īut for anyone whose Prince fandom encompasses his ‘80s run of classic albums (itself a hefty selection) and not a lot further, this list is intended as a signpost towards the darker corners of his labyrinthine back catalog. Included you’ll find bossy hip-hop, orchestral bombast, proper punk-funk, juvenile peacocking, caped crusaders and fuckloads of swearing across a ton of unreleased, unofficial or almost-forgotten tunes that deserve to be dug out. Chal Ravens picks 10 of his best deep cuts.

Prince’s discography can be daunting for the uninitiated, and that’s before you’ve delved into the side projects, movie soundtracks and collaborations.

Prince songs from the 80s