Prince wasn't just a voluminous creator of music, he was someone who surrounded himself with the sound of other people's art on a constant basis. Digital downloads were fine, but he was also someone who enjoyed the experience of walking into a physical location to dig through crates and thumb through the bins. He regularly took to Twitter championing some of his favorite "Wrecka Stows" around the country, including his local Minneapolis show Electric Fetus where he frequently picked up works by brand new artists or classic gems from older favorites.
On Saturday, just five days before he died, Prince stopped by Electric Fetus for the last time to support the store on the annual Record Store Day. He breezed passed the vinyl which many others had already mostly picked over and made his way over to the CD section where he made six selections. The last albums Prince purchased were:
- Talking Book by Stevie Wonder
- The Time Has Come by Chambers Brothers
- Heijra by Joni Mitchell
- Inspirational Gospel Classics by Swan Silvertones
- The Best of Missing Persons by Missing Persons
- Santana IV by Santana
Just like his own music, Prince's taste in other people's art was incredibly eclectic. Some of the choices seem right in character with what's known about Prince - he's long been a fan and friend of Stevie Wonder and his 1972 album album Talking Book is an absolute, stone-cold classic - but other choices might leave some of Prince's more casual fans scratching their heads. Heijra by the Canadian folk-rock icon Joni Mitchell for instance or the Gospel compilation album. Prince loved Mitchell's ornate alternate guitar tunings and was a man of devout faith. He was also a huge fan of the fiery guitar work and tasty Latin rhythms of Carlos Santana.
Whatever you think of the artists mention above, the list itself is further proof of Prince's open ear for different and unique sounds. Maybe once you're done giving Purple Rain or Sign O' The Times that 15th spin you might want to throw one of these into the mix?
