A quick albums discography
Prince album discographies aren't hard to find online, but here I'm trying to make sense of it from a chronological perspective.
What follows includes each and every studio and live albums released by Prince in his lifetime, including video albums, albums released under monikers or as another artist's album, and collaborative albums. What should and shouldn't be included in such a list is the subject of endless debates among fans, so I've followed my own set of rules as explained below. The idea was to try and offer a snapshot at the evolution of Prince's creative process.
The albums are featured in the order they were recorded, not released. The year following each album therefore reflects the last known recording sessions, not the release year (but i've specified the release date if different). Recording dates (or at least what we know or assume of them) are also shown after completion and/or release date. Of course further data may be revealed and slightly alter this list's order.
Since the creation of DVD, I consider it silly to distinguish audio and video albums, hence the inclusion of the video albums. This explains why there are 2 albums titled Sign "O" The Times here, since nothing officially distinguishes the film from the record. Video only releases are indicated with a "*" mark.
I've considered albums to be eligible only if Prince was involved in at least 75% of the material. This is why Sheila E., Pandemonium, May 19, 1992, I Am and The Voice aren't listed here (despite Prince having contributed a great deal).
I've excluded the "best of" albums, The Hits Collection video album and the Girl 6 soundtrack, since they're essentially compilations of album material. However, I've included the B-Sides CD, and the second CD of the Ultimate set: both are compilations of non-album tracks, thus valuable additions to a list of albums. As with everything else, the year specified for these "albums" reflects the date of their latest recorded song before their actual release date.
I've excluded alternate versions of already released albums: the Diamonds And Pearls, 3 Chains O' Gold and The Beautiful Experience video albums, as well as the alternate rereleases of various albums, such as Lovesexy Live, Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic and The Chocolate Invasion.
I haven't included any of the 94 East albums, since they were released long after Prince recorded his parts, and without his consent.
I consider several concepts with different titles to them as separate albums, even if they were released altogether. Therefore, Crystal Ball/The Truth/Kamasutra are 3 albums, One Nite Alone... Live/One Nite Alone... It Ain't Over: The Aftershow are 2 albums and Lotusflow3r/Elixer/Mplsound are 3 albums.
The War usually isn't considered an album, but it was featured as such in at least 2 official online Prince discographies, and included in the canceled Chocolate Invasion box-set amongst other full lenght albums, hence its inclusion here (despite Prince later promoting it as a "single"). It's only 26 minutes long, but such a length wasn't unthinkable of in the LP era (Dirty Mind is only 30 minutes long anyway). Some people also claim that C-Note is not a proper album but I really see no reason why it wouldn't: it's longer than Dirty Mind! It is credited as a NPG album, since that's the credit on the cover art.
The legal status of the Tramps (New York, NY), Sept 26, 1998 digital album from Wolfgangsvault.com is disputed by some, but Wolfsganvault is a legit American company. It's very likely that Prince wasn't happy about his music being there, yet he apparently allowed the website to sell that particular show. My understanding (from various online sources) is that US courts ruled that Wolfgangsvault.com could stream its library freely, but that it had to make deals with artists and labels to be able to sell the recordings as downloads. The other Prince shows available there are from the WB era and, most likely because of that, they're only available for streaming, so I didn't include them. I didn't include Andy Allo's Oui Can Luv for the same reason (it couldn't be purchased or even downloaded).
1-800 New-Funk can be seen as a compilation, however at the time of its release only 3 tracks out of 11 were already available on other albums (2 of which didn't contain enough Prince contributions to be on this list), and only a fourth one later found its way to yet another album. It was carefully assembled by Prince as a cohesive ensemble and it reflects his creativity in 1994, so it felt right to include it.
So here we go...
PRINCE ALBUMS DISCOGRAPHY:
Prince - For You (1978)
(rec. October 1977 to February 1978)
Prince - Prince (1979)
(rec. April 1979 to June 1979
Prince - Dirty Mind (1980)
(rec. May 1980 to June 1980)
The Time - The Time (1981)
(rec. April 1981)
Prince - Controversy (1981)
(rec. June 1981 to August 1981)
Vanity 6 - Vanity 6 (1982)
(rec. summer 1981 to April 1982)
The Time - What Time Is It? (1982)
(rec. January 1982 to July 1982)
Prince - 1999 (1982)
(rec. January 1982 to August 1982)
The Time - Ice Cream Castles (1984)
(rec. March 1983 to January 1984)
Sheila E. - The Glamorous Life (1984)
(rec. December 1983 to April 1984)
Prince And The Revolution - Purple Rain (1984)
(rec. August 1983 to April 1984)
Apollonia 6 - Apollonia 6 (1984)
(rec. August 1983 to June 1984)
Prince And The Revolution - Around The World In A Day (1984) (1985)
(rec. February 1984 to December 1984)
Prince And The Revolution - Double Live (1985) *
(rec. March 1985)
Sheila E. - Romance 1600 (1985)
(rec. December 1984 to spring 1985)
The Family - The Family (1985)
(rec. June 1984 to May 1985)
Prince And The Revolution - Parade (1985) (1986)
(rec. April 1985 to December 1985)
Madhouse - 8 (1986) (1987)
(rec. September 1986 to October 1986)
Jill Jones - Jill Jones (1986) (1987)
(rec. August 1982 to November 1986)
Prince - Sign “O” The Times (1987)
(rec. spring or summer 1982 to January 1987)
Madhouse - 16 (1987)
(rec. March 1987 to August 1987)
Prince - Sign “O” The Times (1987) *
(rec. June 1987 to August 1987)
Prince - The Black Album (1987) (1994)
(rec. September 1986 to October 1987)
Prince - Lovesexy (1988)
(rec. October 1987 to February 1988)
Mavis Staples - Time Waits For No One (1988) (1989)
(rec. July 1986 to summer 1988)
Prince - Lovesexy Live 1 (1988) (1989) *
(rec. September 1988)
Prince - Lovesexy Live 2 (1988) (1989) *
(rec. September 1988)
Prince - Batman (1989)
(rec. June 1988 to March or April 1989)
Prince - The B-sides (1989) (1993)
(rec. May or June 1980 to summer or autumn 1989)
Prince - Graffiti Bridge (1990)
(rec. December 1983 to February 1990)
Eric Leeds - Times Squared (1990) (1991)
(rec. May 1985 to April 1990)
Prince And The New Power Generation - Diamonds And Pearls (1991)
(rec. December 1989 to May or June 1991)
Prince - Ultimate (1991) (2006)
(rec. June, July or August 1981 to September 1991)
Prince And The New Power Generation - O(+> (1992)
(rec. May 1991 to July 1992)
Carmen Electra - Carmen Electra (1992) (1993)
(rec. November 1986 to second half of 1992)
The New Power Generation - Gold Nigga (1993)
(rec. December 1990 to May or June 1993)
Prince - The Undertaker (1993) *
(Rec. June 1993 to July 1993)
Prince - The Sacrifice Of Victor (1993) (1995) *
(rec. September 1993 to November 1993)
NPG Records - 1-800 New Funk (1994)
(rec. late 1989 or early 1990 to early or spring 1994)
Prince - Come (1994)
(rec. November 1991 to April or May 1994)
The New Power Generation - Exodus (1995)
(rec. May 1994 to December 1994 or January 1995 )
O(+> - The Gold Experience (1995)
(rec. January 1993 to May 1995)
Mayte - Child Of The Sun (1995)
(rec. some point in 1989 to summer 1995)
Prince - The Vault… Old Friends 4 Sale (1996) (1999)
(rec. April 1985 to February 1996)
O(+> - Chaos And Disorder (1996)
(rec. May 1993 to April 1996)
The NPG Orchestra - Kamasutra (1996) (1997)
(rec. March 1994 to summer 1995)
O(+> - Emancipation (1996)
(rec. January 1994 to Summer 1996)
O(+> - The Truth (1996) (1998)
(rec. Autumn 1996)
O(+> - Crystal Ball (1996) (1998)
(rec. March 1983 to July 1997)
Graham Central Station - GCS 2000 (1998) (1999)
(rec. November 1997 to January 1998)
The New Power Generation - Newpower Soul (1998)
(rec. May 1997 to February 1998)
Chaka Khan - Come 2 My House (1998)
(rec. April or May 1995 to Spring 1998)
The New Power Generation - The War (1998)
(rec. June 1998 to July 1998)
O(+> - Beautiful Strange (1998) (1999) *
(rec. August 1998)
Prince - Tramps (New York, NY), Sept 26, 1998 (1998) (2012)
(rec. September 1998)
O(+> - Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic (1999)
(rec. June 1988 to July 1999)
O(+> - Rave In2 The Year 2000 (1999) (2000) *
(rec. December 1999)
Prince - The Slaughterhouse (2001) (2004)
(rec. early or spring 1997 to late 2000 or early 2001)
Prince - The Chocolate Invasion (2001) (2004)
(rec. late 1999 or early 2000 to Summer 2001)
Prince - The Rainbow Children (2001)
(rec. late 2000 to February 2001)
Prince - One Nite Alone… (2001) (2002)
(rec. Spring 2001)
Prince - Xpectation (2001) (2003)
(rec. Autumn 2001 to December 2001)
Prince And The New Power Generation - One Nite Alone… Live! (2002)
(rec. March 2002 to April 2002)
Prince And The New Power Generation - One Nite Alone… The Aftershow: It Ain’t Over (2002)
(rec. April 2002 to May 2002)
The New Power Generation - C-Note (2002) (2004)
(rec. October 2002 to November 2002)
Prince - Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas (2002) (2003) *
(rec. December 2002)
Prince - N.E.W.S. (2003)
(rec. February 2003)
Prince - Musicology (2004)
(rec. 1995 to early 2004)
Prince - 3121 (2006)
(rec. November 2004 to early 2006)
Prince - Planet Earth (2007)
(rec. some point in 2006 to Spring 2007)
Prince - Indigo Nights / Live Sessions (2007) (2008)
(rec. September 2007)
Prince - Lotusflow3r (2009)
(rec. November 2004 to early 2009)
Bria Valente - Elixer (2009)
(rec. early 2005 or early 2006 to early 2009)
Prince - Mplsound (2009)
(rec. some point in 2008 to early 2009)
Prince - 20ten (2010)
(rec. some point in the 1980's or early-mid 2006 to early 2010)
Andy Allo - Superconductor (2012)
(rec. summer 2011 to early 2012)
Prince & 3rdEyeGirl - Plectrumelectrum (2014)
(rec. March 2013 to Spring 2014)
Prince - Art Official Age (2014)
(rec. Summer 2011 or early 2012 to Spring or Summer 2014)
Judith Hill - Back In Time (2015)
(rec. January 2015 to February 2015)
Prince - Hitnun Phase One (2015)
(rec. late 2013 to July 2015)
Prince - Hitnun Phase Two (2015)
(rec. some point in 2010 to July or Autumn 2015)