Damn, Prince was only a month older than I am and could afford the best doctors. Appreciate life every minute folks, because you could leave any minute.

I have most of Prince’s albums, ignoring some of the more obscure weird ones, like the all-instrumental jazz one. And there are lots of great songs there that many people just don’t know.

Here’s a list of my favorites that weren’t singles or big hits. Normally, I’d post YouTube links, but Prince guarded his songs very carefully. I urge you to check these out, though. Look them up on iTunes or Amazon and see for yourself.

In alphabetical order:

Chaos and Disorder: Prince knew how to rock when he wanted to, and this one never gets boring. From the disappointing Chaos and Disorder album — but the opening is great.

Dolphin: This should have been a hit single. It’s from the excellent Gold Experience album, which is probably my favorite Prince album — not a bad song in the bunch. This one is tremendously catchy with wonderful pop hooks.

Guitar: Prince shows his guitar skills in a great little song. “I love you baby / But not like I love my guitar!” he sings and you know he means it. From the Planet Earth album. At the end he’s singing “I love you baby / Ah, you know the rest.”

Joint 2 Joint: From Emancipation, this song runs about 8 minutes long but isn’t a jam — it starts off kind of mellow, then builds and switches, and has various parts such that by the time you get to the end, you’ve forgotten that this started off so simple.

La la la He he he: This is an obscure B side from the Lovesexy sessions. Very Funkadelic influenced. Be sure to get the long ten-minute version which never gets boring. Listen for Prince’s bass solo, overdubbed at double speed.

Rock and Roll is Alive (And it Lives in Minneapolis): Another obscure B-side which rocks away and then halfway through splits off and does some Frank Zappa-like musical twists and turns, always surprising.

Slow Love: A track from Sign O’The Times, this is a perfect make-out song. I never get tired of hearing this one.

So Far, So Pleased: A duet sung with Gwen Stefani, this pop bit flows along wonderfully and should have been a hit. It’s on the Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic album.

Three Chains of Gold: This is from the symbol album (you know, the one where he named himself after that weird symbol). This could have been a Queen song. It has a few different parts that blend together and then in the end combine to build to a great climax.

We Can Funk: Prince wrote this with George Clinton and it shows. It’s exactly what you’d think a Prince/Funkadelic mix would sound like. It’s from the Graffiti Bridge album.