Prince Vinyl Records – The Vinyl Room

Prince on vinyl: albums, 12-inches and the Minneapolis sound

In short: Prince (1958–2016) from Minneapolis mostly wrote, played and produced his records himself. From “Dirty Mind” and “1999” to “Sign o’ the Times” and the 12-inch singles with his own remixes, his work is one of the most exciting collecting fields of the eighties. The Vinyl Room currently has 72 Prince records, 59 of them marked as first pressings.

What makes Prince special?

On his debut “For You” (1978), Prince played almost every instrument himself. With “Dirty Mind” (1980), “Controversy” (1981) and “1999” (1982) came the Minneapolis sound: funk with drum machines, synthesizers and rock guitar. With his band The Revolution, “Purple Rain” followed in 1984 – you’ll find the records from that era on our page Prince and the Revolution. Then came “Sign o’ the Times” (1987), the “Batman” soundtrack (1989), “Graffiti Bridge” (1990) and, with The New Power Generation, “Diamonds and Pearls” (1991).

“Prince – what an artist, maybe the artist of the eighties: a great musician, actor, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. In the eighties I was very much into Prince – I remember once I even saw him live.”

Michael 45 · video at 0:24

12-inches, the Black Album and the country of pressing

Many of our Prince records are 12-inch singles. Many contain extended versions that aren’t on any album, and US, UK and German editions often differ in mix, sleeve and B-side. “The Black Album” has its own story: it was withdrawn shortly before release at the end of 1987 and only came out officially in 1994. Label, catalogue number, runout and cover together tell you whether you have a first pressing – more on our page “How to spot a first pressing”.

From our stock

Prince first pressings

Minneapolis sound

Funk & soul

New in

→ Prince and the Revolution · Warner Bros. Records · Funk & soul on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained

FAQ

What was Prince’s first album? “For You”, released in 1978 on Warner Bros. Prince played almost every instrument on it himself.

What is the Minneapolis sound? Funk, rock and new wave with drum machines and synthesizers – shaped by Prince and bands around him such as The Time.

Why are there so many Prince 12-inches? Almost every single also came out as a 12-inch, often with much longer versions – and depending on the country with different mixes, sleeves and B-sides.

What is “The Black Album”? A Prince album that was withdrawn shortly before release at the end of 1987 and only came out officially in 1994.

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