The Best Prince Albums of All Time

He was known as many different things during his career, but the one thing you can't question is whether Prince was one of the greatest guitar players and best soul artists ever (and if you're a real fan of his songwriting, be sure to check out our list of songs Prince wrote for other artists). Since he's such an influential artist, let’s rank the best Prince albums, with the help of your votes. Although Prince was special right out of the gate with the release of his debut For You (1978), it wasn’t until his third album Dirty Mind (1980) that he developed a sense of experimentation that would follow him for the rest of his career. Prince followed up the gritty demo-like quality of Dirty Mind with Controversy (1981), leaning heavily on politics and new wave, which set his sound up perfectly for 1999 (1982) and Purple Rain (1984).

This Prince discography is ranked from best to worst, so the top Prince albums can be found at the top of the list. To make it easy for you, we haven't included Prince singles, EPs, or compilations, so everything you see here should only be studio albums. If you think the greatest Prince album isn't high enough on the list, then be sure to vote for it so it receives the credit it deserves. Make sure you don't just vote for critically acclaimed albums; if you have a favorite Prince album, then vote it up, even if it's not necessarily the most popular.

Albums include everything from Sign 'o' the Times (1987) to Diamonds and Pearls (1991). This list of popular Prince CDs has been voted on by music fans around the world, so the order of this list isn't just one person's opinion. And if you're a diehard fan, be sure to vote in our best Prince songs list, as well.