As a solo artist, with a backing band, as a band member, or as the “man behind the curtain” … depending on how you define what a Prince album actually is, the volume of recordings released in his lifetime is staggering.

Solo and Band Recordings

27 Between 1978 and 2015, Prince released 27 studio albums (two were soundtracks, three were double LPs**): For You, Prince, Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999**, Sign ‘☮’ the Times**, Lovesexy, Batman, Graffiti Bridge**, Come, The Black Album, The Vault…Old Friends 4 Sale, The Rainbow Children, One Nite Alone…, N.E.W.S, Xpectation, Musicology, The Chocolate Invasion, The Slaughterhouse, 3121, Planet Earth, Lotusflow3r, MPLSound, 20Ten, Art Official Age, HITnRUN Phase One, and HITnRUN Phase Two.

30 Three albums were also released under the Prince and the Revolution moniker (Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, and Parade).

So the total Prince albums released over those 37 years is actually 30.

No it’s not.

33The Revolution wasn’t the only band Prince was the frontman for, with Diamonds and Pearls and O(+> (Love Symbol) released by Prince and the New Power Generation, and Plectrumelectrum with 3rdEyeGirl’s (unusually, he didn’t have his name front and centre for this project — he was a part of 3rdEyeGirl). Bringing the total releases to 33.

The Unpronounceable Symbol Period

39The beginning of the end of Prince’s mainstream exposure started when he began scrawling “slave” across his face and refused to release new material as Prince as part of his legal dispute with Warners.

By changing his name to the unpronounceable symbol O(+>, saw the-artist-formally-known-as-Prince (TAFKAP) title come into existence.

This period saw an independently released EP (The Beautiful Experience — featuring The Most Beautiful Girl In The World) to prove to the record company and the world (and more importantly, his ego) that he could have a #1 hit without them, and two final Warner albums under the TAFKAP moniker: The Gold Experience and Chaos & Disorder. Along with the triple greatest hits package of The Hits 1 & 2 / The B-Sides, and three ‘Prince’ titles (listed in the opening grouping) these releases satisfied his contractual obligations with Warners.

His freedom from the shackles of editing saw new material released independently on TWO triple CD sets: Emancipation*** and Crystal Ball***, a single album (The Truth) which accompanied Crystal Ball, and an experiment dabbling with another record label with Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, and its a remix album Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic.

Leaving us with 39 albums (and remix album and an EP).

Except there was also Kamasutra, his ballet soundtrack experiment, released under The NPG Orchestra moniker — also bundled with Crystal Ball — making a quintuple album if you just count the number of discs.

40 So in total Prince released 40 studio albums: quite a formidable achievement.

Except it isn’t, because there’s still more official LPs to be counted.

43 During his legal stoush with Warner Bros., Prince sidestepped his agreement by releasing three albums as a member of his band New Power Generation (AKA NPG), which featured his songwriting, performances and vocals, but didn’t list his name: Goldnigga, Exodus, and Newpower Soul.

That’s an astonishing output of 43 albums in 37 years — including two triple CD sets and three double albums (and just to make the rest of us feel insignificant, don’t forget he made two feature films and a concert film in that time, too). Impressive, right?

Nope. There’s more.

45 Prince got a tad jazz addicted in the mid to late 80’s and apart from adding horns to his own sound, formed Madhouse with Eric Leeds, officially releasing two albums, 8 and 16. Not to confuse the numerology, but that brings the total to 45.

This is where things start becoming sticky.

46 1–800 New Funk was a compilation released the same year as Come and The Black Album with songs written and produced by Prince / O(+> and performed by artists in his Paisley Park stable. Uncredited, but the principle contributor, this is grouped under the “related artists” by PrinceVault, but is considered by some to be a Prince album.

Not included in this tally is the Girl 6 soundtrack, which featured three new Prince songs, not enough new material to be considered an album. Perhaps it could be listed as his second EP.

Compilations are also not included in the tally, as they are merely groupings of existing material (The Hits / The B-Sides***, His Majesty’s Pop Life, The Very Best of Prince, Ultimate**, 4Ever**, Anthology**). Although it could be argued that The B-Sides could be recognised as an album as those songs were only previously available on the flip-side of singles.

At Dorchester Hotel With Elton John’s Piano 2007 by Randee St. Nicholas

49 But live albums should be included as they were definitely recorded and released, and Prince released three (C-Note, Indigo Nights, One Nite Alone…Live!**). It’s rumoured he recorded every show he ever did (as countless sound-board bootlegs attest), but let’s not go down that rabbit hole.

55 After his death, fans waited with bated breath for news of how his estate would treat his infamous Vault, and have so far been rewarded with two stand-alone albums, Originals and Piano and a Microphone 1983.

In addition, there have been two complete albums worth of material released alongside the special editions of Purple Rain (From the Vault & Previously Unreleased) and 1999 (Vault Tracks I & II**), and both albums each featured an unreleased concert recording, bringing the total posthumous output tally to 6 albums.

When is a Prince Recording Not a Prince Album?

The term recording is being used to differentiate from an officially released album. A recording, in this instance, is an album released not under a Prince moniker, but primarily created by him. It may have been recorded specifically for the artist who released it, or assembled for another artist from the vast collection in the Vault.

Either way, the following recordings were compiled into albums and released, just not as Prince per se.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room: releases by Prince’s protégés.

It’s well known that Prince created so much music he couldn’t physically release it all, and would hand tracks over to artists he felt worthy of his Minneapolis sound.

71 In fact, complete albums were written, produced and performed by Prince, only to have lead vocals re-recorded (and sometimes additional instrumentation added) by Sheila E (The Glamorous Life, Romance 1600), The Time (The Time, What Time Is It?, Ice Cream Castle), Tevin Campbell (T.E.V.I.N., I’m Ready), Elisa Fiorillo (I Am), Mayte (Child Of The Sun), Bria Valente (Elixer), Mavis Staples (Time Waits For No One), and eponymous releases from The Family, Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, Jill Jones, and (ahem) Carmen Electra.

While brandishing a different artists name on the cover, these albums could be argued to be additional Prince recordings hiding in plain sight.

Which adds an exhausting 16 more albums to the tally.

K nown Unreleased Material

This list obviously doesn’t include his unreleased projects as, while there is evidence they were recorded, there are no recordings that have been sighted. This includes three unreleased Madhouse jams (24 [1989], 26, 24); another instrumental group with Eric Leeds which also included Sheila E entitled The Flesh; and another fully completed Sheila E album (untitled), which would add five to the total should they ever see the light of day (hypothetical 76).

The posthumous release of Originals highlights that while some of his contributions to artists may not have been in the form of complete albums, there are AT LEAST three albums worth of material that could be assembled from his work as a writer, producer, or performer on tracks for Kenny Rogers, Celine Dion, Janelle Monáe, Madonna, Kate Bush, Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Pattie LaBelle, Paula Abdul, Stevie Nicks, Sheena Easton, Joe Cocker, El DeBarge, Bangles, Nona Hendryx, Martika, Ingrid Chavez, Candy Dulfer, Monie Love, The Steeles, No Doubt, Mazarati, George Clinton, Rosie Gaines, Chaka Khan, Graham Central Station, Maceo Parker, Rhonda Smith, Liv Warfield, Mica Paris, Taja Sevelle, and of course his first band 94 East.

Adding the potential of three more volumes of Originals makes a hypothetical 79 releases.

The picky, obsessive fan may argue that while the majority of tracks from Dream Factory, 1987’s Crystal Ball, and Camille made it onto other albums, there are enough unreleased songs here to make a complete LP — but these should be included in the hypothetical Vault count.

Let’s not forget the surprise announcement in 2017 of an unauthorised 6-track EP Deliverance, that was to be released by one of Prince’s engineers to commemorate one year since his passing, but was blocked by his estate.

How many projects like this are being passed around by those who worked with Prince?

Nonetheless, of the known unreleased, it’s safe to say there’s at least a further eight albums worth of material known to exist, bringing the hypothetical grand running total to 79 albums and 3 extended plays.

Prince mixing a song at Bullet Studios in Amsterdam by Terry Gydesen

Final Thoughts

Most lists of Prince albums (recognising he released under his own name or pseudonyms) settle between 29 and 48.

When stretched to include recordings made and released by others, this number stretches from 56 to 72, depending on how lenient you wish to be in your definitions.

How many do you believe it should be?

What cannot be denied is that between 1978 and 2015, planet Earth was gifted with a musical titan who bestowed on us a monumental tome of creativity to be enjoyed and inspired by.