Prince's albums discography consists of forty studio albums (including four soundtrack albums and one posthumous album), five live albums, and numerous compilations. Two albums of demo material have been released posthumously. Prince also released several albums under various group names. See Prince singles discography for his singles and extended plays, and Prince videography for his music videos and video albums.
| Prince albums discography | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio albums | 39 |
| EPs | 13 |
| Live albums | 5 |
| Compilation albums | 9 |
| Video albums | 17 |
| Special editions | 6 |
| Posthumous albums | 3 |
| Internet albums | 13 |
| Madhouse albums | 2 |
| New Power Generation albums | 3 |
| NPG Orchestra albums | 1 |
Prince has sold over 100 million records worldwide,[1] including 36.5 million certified units in the United States, and over 10 million records in the United Kingdom. Rolling Stone ranked him at No. 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[2]
In the weeks following his death in April 2016, 19 different Prince albums charted on the Billboard 200 all at the same time, and he became the first and only artist ever to have 5 albums in the Billboard top 10 simultaneously.[3]
Overview
editPrince signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 19, soon releasing the albums For You (1978) and Prince (1979). He went on to achieve critical success with the influential albums Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982). His sixth album, Purple Rain (1984), was recorded with his new backing band the Revolution, and was also the soundtrack to the film of the same name in which he starred. Purple Rain garnered continued success for Prince and was a major commercial achievement, spending six consecutive months atop the Billboard 200 chart. The soundtrack also won Prince the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. After disbanding the Revolution, Prince released the album Sign o' the Times (1987), widely hailed by critics as the greatest work of his career.
Prince was a prolific musician who released 39 albums during his life, with a vast array of unreleased material left in a custom-built bank vault underneath his home after his death, including fully completed albums and over 50 finished music videos. Released posthumously, his demo albums Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018) and Originals (2019) both received critical acclaim.
Studio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
AUS [5] |
AUT [6] |
CAN [7] |
GER [8] |
NLD [9] |
NOR [10] |
NZ [11] |
SWE [12] |
SWI [13] |
UK [14] | |||
| For You |
|
138 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 156 | |
| Prince |
|
22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 92 | — | |
| Dirty Mind |
|
45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 79 | 61 |
|
| Controversy |
|
21 | 55 | — | — | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1999 [A] |
|
7 | 35 | — | 23 [17] |
37 | 45 | — | 6 | — | 26 | 28 | |
| Purple Rain [A] |
|
1 | 1 | 8 | 1 [19] |
5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 4 | |
| Around the World in a Day [A] |
|
1 | 12 | 7 | 16 [21] |
10 | 1 | 10 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 5 | |
| Parade [A] |
|
3 | 8 | 7 | 11 [22] |
6 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 | |
| Sign o' the Times |
|
6 | 20 | 2 | 27 [23] |
3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 4 | |
| Lovesexy |
|
11 | 8 | 3 | 7 [25] |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Batman |
|
1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Graffiti Bridge |
|
6 | 10 | 8 | 22 [26] |
4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| Diamonds and Pearls [B] |
|
3 | 1 | 4 | 8 [27] |
8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 2 | |
| Love Symbol[28] [B] |
|
5 | 1 | 1 | 16 [29] |
5 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 1 | |
| Come |
|
15 | 2 | 4 | 34 [30] |
9 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 1 | |
| The Black Album |
|
47 | 15 | 7 | 48 [31] |
49 | 35 | — | — | — | 8 | 36 | |
| The Gold Experience |
|
6 | 13 | 28 | 35 [32] |
24 | 3 | 12 | — | 11 | 7 | 4 | |
| Chaos and Disorder |
|
26 | 54 | 17 | 43 [33] |
42 | 8 | 15 | — | 32 | 21 | 14 | |
| Emancipation |
|
11 | 8 | 13 | 24 [34] |
21 | 13 | 27 | 22 | 22 | 1 | 18 | |
| Crystal Ball | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| The Truth |
|
64 | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale |
|
85 | — | 40 | — | 44 | 15 | — | — | — | 21 | 47 | |
| Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic |
|
18 | 82 | 44 | 5 [35] |
39 | 17 | 37 | — | 51 | 19 | 145 |
|
| The Rainbow Children |
|
109 | — | 60 | — | 29 | 28 | — | — | — | 30 | — | |
| One Nite Alone... |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Xpectation |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| N·E·W·S |
|
— | — | — | — | 93 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Musicology |
|
3 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 3 | |
| The Chocolate Invasion |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Slaughterhouse |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 3121 |
|
1 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 5 | — | 18 | 1 | 9 | |
| Planet Earth |
|
3 | 38 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 9 | — | 35 | 1 | — | |
| Lotusflow3r / MPLSound |
|
2 | — | — | — | — | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 20Ten |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Plectrumelectrum [C] |
|
8 | 33 | 10 | — | 31 | 9 | 8 | 31 | 50 | 8 | 11 | |
| Art Official Age [C] |
|
5 | 15 | 8 | 21 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 8 | |
| Hit n Run Phase One |
|
48 | 25 | 53 | — | 53 | 11 | — | — | — | 27 | 50 | |
| Hit n Run Phase Two |
|
40 | 117 | 20 | 47 | 21 | 38 | — | — | 50 | 9 | 21 | |
- A^ With The Revolution
- B^ With The New Power Generation
- C^ With 3rdeyegirl
Posthumous albums
editStudio
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
AUS [5] |
AUT [6] |
CAN [7] |
GER [8] |
NLD [9] |
NOR [10] |
SWE [12] |
SWI [13] |
UK [14][36] | ||
| Welcome 2 America | 4 | 5 | 3 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 39 [38] |
53 [39] |
2 | 5 | |
Demo
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
AUS [5] |
AUT [6] |
CAN [7] |
GER [8] |
NLD [9] |
NOR [10] |
SWE [12] |
SWI [13] |
UK [14][36] | ||
| Piano and a Microphone 1983 |
|
11 | 33 | 10 | 87 | 12 | 5 | 18 | 22 | 6 | 12 |
| Originals |
|
15 | 18 | 34 | 66 | 26 | 11 | — | 54 | 9 | 21 |
Live albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
US R&B/ HH [41] |
GER [8] |
NLD [9] |
SWI [13] | ||
| One Nite Alone... Live! |
|
—[A] | — | 58 | — | 36 |
| C-Note |
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| Indigo Nights |
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| Up All Nite with Prince: The One Nite Alone Collection |
|
—[B] | — | 30 | 38 | 61 |
| Prince and the Revolution: Live |
|
22 [44] |
11 | 8 | — | 7 |
| Live at Glam Slam |
|
— | — | — | — | — |
- A^ One Nite Alone... Live! did not enter the US Billboard 200, put peaked at number 95 on the Top Album Sales component chart.[46]
- B^ Up All Nite with Prince: The One Nite Alone Collection did not enter the US Billboard 200, put peaked at number 19 on the Top Album Sales component chart.[46]
Special editions
editThis section contains remix albums, mixtapes and special (expanded) editions from previously released albums.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
US R&B [47] |
AUT [6] |
NLD [9] |
SWI [13] |
UK [36] | ||
| The Versace Experience: Prelude 2 Gold |
|
170 | 17 | 50 | 29 | 30 | 83 |
| Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic |
|
—[A] | — | — | — | — | — |
| Purple Rain: Deluxe / Deluxe Expanded |
|
4 | — | 9 | 3 | 12 | 7 |
| Ultimate Rave |
|
—[B] | — | — | 85 | — | — |
| 1999: Remastered / Deluxe / Super Deluxe |
|
45 | — | 72 | 15 | 26 | 46 |
| Sign o' the Times: Remastered / Deluxe / Super Deluxe |
|
20 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Edition |
|
85 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 50 |
- A^ Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic did not enter the US Billboard 200, put peaked at number 14 on the Vinyl Albums chart.[52]
- B^ Ultimate Rave did not enter the US Billboard 200, put peaked at number 69 on the Top Album Sales component chart.[46]
Compilation albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
AUS [5] |
AUT [6] |
CAN [7] |
GER [8] |
NLD [9] |
NOR [10] |
NZ [11] |
SWE [12] |
SWI [13] |
UK [14] | |||
| His Majesty's Pop Life |
|
184 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Hits 1 |
|
46 | 19 | 7 | 34 | 20 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 5 | |
| The Hits 2 |
|
54 | 20 | 9 | 36 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 5 | |
| The Hits/The B-Sides |
|
4 | 4 | — | 19 [53][54] |
58 | 10 | 11 | 1 [55] |
19 | 9 | 4 | |
| Girl 6 |
|
75 | — | — | — | — | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Very Best of Prince |
|
1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ultimate Prince |
|
6 | 6 | 22 | 12 | 19 | 39 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 3 | |
| 4Ever |
|
33 | 36 | 64 | 40 | 87 | 10 | — | — | — | 21 | 21 |
|
| Anthology: 1995–2010 |
|
—[A] | — | — | — | — | 197 | — | — | — | 100 | — | |
- A^ Anthology: 1995–2010 did not enter the US Billboard 200, put peaked at number 85 on the Current Album Sales component chart.[59]
Internet albums
editThis section lists albums that have only been made available for download on the internet.
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| NPG Music Club Volume 1 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 2 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 3 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 4 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 5 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 6 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 7 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 8 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 9 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 10 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 11 |
|
| NPG Music Club Volume 12 |
|
| Lotusflow3r (download version including "The Morning After" replacing "Crimson and Clover") |
|
Albums credited to Madhouse
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [4] | ||
| 8 |
|
107 |
| 16 |
|
— |
Albums credited to The New Power Generation
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
US R&B/ HH [41] |
AUS [5] |
AUT [6] |
GER [8] |
NLD [9] |
NOR [10] |
SWE [12] |
SWI [13] |
UK [14] | ||
| Gold Nigga |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Exodus |
|
— | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | — | 34 | 11 |
| Newpower Soul |
|
22 | 9 | 47 | 24 | 34 | 23 | 40 | 57 | 22 | 38 |
Albums credited to The NPG Orchestra
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Kamasutra |
|
References
edit- ^ "Ebony". January 1997. p. 128. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ Thompson, Ahmir (March 24, 2004). "100 Greatest Artists". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (May 3, 2016). "Prince Sets Record With Five Albums in Top 10 of Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Prince Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Peak chart positions for Prince albums in Australia:
- Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to June 19, 1988: Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 239. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA from mid-1983 until June 19, 1988. Lovesexy peaked at number 8 on this chart one week before the ARIA-produced chart (archived on australian-charts.com) commenced.
- Top 50 (ARIA Chart) peaks from June 26, 1988: "australian-charts.com > Prince in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- Top 100 (ARIA Chart) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ a b c d e f "Prince discography". Austrian charts (in German). Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Prince discography". Canadian album charts. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
- "Prince Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Discographie Prince". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Prince discography". Dutch charts (in Dutch). Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Prince discography". Norwegian charts. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ a b "NZ Albums chart". charts.nz. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Prince discography". Swedish charts. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Prince discography". swisscharts.com. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 439. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Prince. Riaa.com, Retrieved on 2020-06-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "British album certifications – Prince". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 13, 2023. Select albums in the Format field. Type Prince in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "1999 - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "CRIA Certifications". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Purple Rain - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Around the World in a Day - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Parade - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Sign o' the Times - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "Lovesexy - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Graffiti Bridge - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Diamonds and Pearls - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ Due to copyright issues regarding Prince and the copyrighted symbol, Wikipedia can not show the exact name of this album, outside of it being displayed on the cover art. The title provided is widely recognized as an alternate.
- ^ "Love Symbol - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Come - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "The Black Album - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "The Gold Experience - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Chaos and Disorder - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Emancipation - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Prince | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- ^ Coscarelli, Joe (April 8, 2021). "Prince's 'Welcome 2 America,' an Unreleased Album, is Due Out in July". The New York Times.
- ^ "Album 2021 uke 31". VG-lista. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
- ^ "Veckolista Album, vecka 31". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (April 24, 2019). "Prince Estate to Release 'Originals' Album: His Versions of Songs He Gave to Other Artists (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ a b "Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "Up All Nite with Prince: The One Nite Alone Collection (4CD / 1 DVD) | Shop the Prince Official Store".
- ^ "Restored version of 1985 concert film 'Prince and The Revolution: Live,' companion album released today". June 4, 2022.
- ^ @billboardcharts (June 13, 2022). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." (Tweet). Retrieved June 14, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Geraci, Samantha (October 11, 2023). "Prince's 'Live At Glam Slam' Released In Dolby ATMOS & Sony 360 Reality Audio Formats". Legacy Recordings. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Prince Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "Prince Chart History (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Uptown, 2004, p.263
- ^ "Ultimate Rave (2CD/1DVD)". princeestate.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "1999 Remastered | Shop the Prince Official Store".
- ^ "Sign O' the Times | Shop the Prince Official Store".
- ^ "Prince Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "The Hits/The B-Sides - Canadian Album Chart". RPM. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Billboard Canadian Albums". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart".
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c "New Zealand album certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
- ^ Birzniece, Elsa (August 16, 2018). "23 Prince albums made available to stream for the first time". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Prince Chart History (Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Uptown, 2004, p. 203
Bibliography
edit- Nilsen, Per; Joozt Mattheij (2004). The Vault – The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince. Uptown. ISBN 91-631-5482-X.
External links
edit- Guide2Prince Worldwide Prince discography
- Review of Prince's albums
- Prince discography at Discogs
- The Digital Garden List of unofficial Prince recordings