Prince’s 5 most overlooked albums

Prince Warner Brothers, 1979

Prince’s second album announced the arrival of a commercial and cultural force. It gave him his first gold single (“I Wanna Be Your Lover”) and a name for his funk-pop fusion (“The Minneapolis Sound”).

Around the World in a Day Warner Brothers, Paisley Park, 1985

Prince’s Purple Rain follow-up showed he was more interested in taking uncharted paths than repeating himself. Although it went double platinum, briefly hit number one, and included the Top Ten singles “Raspberry Beret” and “Pop Life,” it was deemed a flop compared to Purple Rain.

Batman Warner Brothers, 1989

The soundtrack to Tim Burton’s take on the Caped Crusader gave us “Partyman” and “Batdance.” When Oprah asked what the first song he ever played was, Prince said at age seven he learned a piano version of the theme from the “Batman” TV show.

Musicology NPG, Columbia, 2004

Prince seemed lost in the 1990s. His comeback started with this R&B flavored album which included the singles “Musicology,” “Call My Name,” and “Cinnamon Girl.” That year he also appeared at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he delivered a scene-stealing guitar solo on George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

HITNRUN: Phase Two NPG, 2015

Alternately soulful and funky, Prince’s 39th and last studio album showed the political edge he’d been exploring since 1987’s Sign o’ the Times. “Baltimore” rendered the saga of Freddie Gray, a young Black man who’d died while in the hands of Baltimore police.