In his first of three albums released in 2004, Prince struck a chord with 'Musicology.'

Scheduled for release just eight months after 'Sign O' the Times' appeared, 'The Black Album' was said to be Prince's reaction to criticism that his music had become too pop.

Prince's last release in the 1980s is an album that stands out in his catalog. It's the soundtrack for Tim Burton's 1989 film 'Batman.'

There are two words that sum up Prince's music in a nutshell: 'Lovesexy.'

In 1979, Prince released his second album, 'Prince.' Prince took full control over the production and composition of this album, and fused together his funk, rock, and pop influences.

In 1978, Prince hit the ground running with his debut album 'For You.'

At the request of Prince, 'Around the World in a Day' was released with minimal fanfare in 1985. This one was quite a bit different than the rest of his catalog.

'Parade' is the album that sees Prince ditching the purple, the bravado, and the guitar.

With his third album, 'Dirty Mind,' released in October of 1980, Prince leaped to the head of the class, laying the sonic blueprint that would help define the music of the 80s and beyond.

Prince's fourth album, made in Hollywood in 1981, can now be seen in retrospect as a transitional release.