DEEP DIVE – Album Review: 1999 by Prince and the Revolution (1982)

I am doing a deep dive into the work of the musical artist Prince.  Each week until December I will post my thoughts on albums released by Prince (and his bands and side projects) focusing on one year of his career. 

This week I’m reviewing 1999 from 1982.

Album: 1999
Artist: Prince and the Revolution
Release Date: October 27, 1982
Label: Warner Bros.
Favorite Tracks:

• 1999
• Little Red Corvette
• Delirious
• Let’s Pretend We’re Married
• D.S.M.R.
• Free
• All The Critics Love U In New York
• International Lover

Thoughts:

Prince has a band.  The Revolution are acknowledged in small print and in reverse on the album cover, a small step to recognize the contributions of fellow artists by a man who preferred to work alone in the studio.  This is also Prince’s first masterpiece.  “1999”/”Little Red Corvette”/”Delirious” must rank among the best opening trio of songs of all time.  I’m also quite fond of “D.S.M.R.” and “All the Critics Love U In New York.”

Musically this album moves among every genre that was popular in 1982 and Prince excel at all of them – Rock, funk, New Wave, synthpop, R&B, and dance.  The Minneapolis Sound is fully codified as a genre of its own.  Prince’s lyrics continue to have a raw eroticism while also engaging with religious faith, two things that Prince would find both conflict and unity throughout his career. From the title song onward, Prince also expresses his philosophy of partying even on the verge of annihilation.

Rating: *****

 

For You	1978		***
Prince	1979		***1/2
Dirty Mind	1980		****
Controversy	1981		****
1999	1982	Prince and the Revolution	*****
Purple Rain	1984	Prince and the Revolution
Around the World in a Day	1985	Prince and the Revolution
Parade	1986	Prince and the Revolution
Sign O’ the Times	1987
8	1987	Madhouse
16	1987	Madhouse
Lovesexy	1988
Batman	1989
Graffiti  Bridge	1990
Diamonds and Pearls	1991	Prince and the New Power Generation
Love Symbol	1992	Prince and the New Power Generation
Goldnigga	1993	The New Power Generation
Come	1994
The Black Symbol	1994
The Gold Experience	1995
Exodus	1995	The New Power Generation
Chaos and Disorder	1996
Emancipation	1996
Kamasutra	1997	The NPG Orchestra
Crystal Ball	1998
The Truth	1998
Newpower Soul	1998	The New Power Generation
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale	1999
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic	1999
The Rainbow Children	2001
One Nite Alone…	2002
One Nite Alone… Live!	2002
Xpectation	2003
N-E-W-S	2003
Musicology	2004
The Chocolate Invasion	2004
The Slaughterhouse	2004
C-Note	2004
3121	2006
Planet Earth	2007
Indigo Nights	2008
Lotusflow3r/MPLSound	2009
20Ten	2010
Plectrumelectrum	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
Art Official Age	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
HITnRun Phase One	2015
HITnRun Phase Two	2015

DEEP DIVE – Album Review: Controversy by Prince

I am doing a deep dive into the work of the musical artist Prince.  Each week until December I will post my thoughts on albums released by Prince (and his bands and side projects) focusing on one year of his career. 

This week I’m reviewing Controversy from 1981.

Album: Controversy
Artist: Prince
Release Date: October 14, 1981
Label: Warner Bros.
Favorite Tracks:

• Controversy
• Sexuality
• Ronnie, Talk To Russia
• Let’s Work
• Jack U Off

Thoughts:

The title of this album is dead-on since Prince’s music and public persona attracted a lot of controversy.  On the title track Prince questions why he is the subject of so much controversy, recites the Lord’s Prayer, and chants “People call me rude / I wish we all were nude / I wish there was no black and white / I wish there were no rules.” This album exudes the raw sexuality we’ve come to expect from Prince but also addresses political and social issues.

Rolling Stone music critic Stephen Holden wrote “Prince’s first three records were so erotically self-absorbed that they suggested the reveries of a licentious young libertine. On Controversy, that libertine proclaims unfettered sexuality as the fundamental condition of a new, more loving society than the bellicose, overtechnologized America of Ronald Reagan.” This is particularly true  on “Ronnie, Talk to Russia,” a song where Prince expresses his fear of nuclear annihilation, anticipating “1999.”

The album is a time capsule of the 1981 zeitgeist including references to the assassination of John Lennon, the shooting of Ronald Reagan, the murder of Black children in Atlanta, and the Abscam scandal.  The tenuous nature of being a Black artist who challenges the status quo underlies the album and foresaw the racist, sexist, and homophobic abuse Prince and his band received from Rolling Stones fans when opening a concert in Los Angeles just before this album was released.

Musically, Prince continues to expand on the funk sounds of P-Funk with New Wave and pop sensibilities.  “Ronnie, Talk to Russia” channels early rock and roll under layers of sound effects and synth sounds, while “Jack U Off” updates rockabilly.  Prince once again recorded the album almost entirely on his own, with contributions from Lisa Coleman, Dr. Fink, Bobby Z, and Morris Day.

Rating: ****

 

For You	1978		***
Prince	1979		***1/2
Dirty Mind	1980		****
Controversy	1981		****
1999	1982	Prince and the Revolution
Purple Rain	1984	Prince and the Revolution
Around the World in a Day	1985	Prince and the Revolution
Parade	1986	Prince and the Revolution
Sign O’ the Times	1987
8	1987	Madhouse
16	1987	Madhouse
Lovesexy	1988
Batman	1989
Graffiti  Bridge	1990
Diamonds and Pearls	1991	Prince and the New Power Generation
Love Symbol	1992	Prince and the New Power Generation
Goldnigga	1993	The New Power Generation
Come	1994
The Black Symbol	1994
The Gold Experience	1995
Exodus	1995	The New Power Generation
Chaos and Disorder	1996
Emancipation	1996
Kamasutra	1997	The NPG Orchestra
Crystal Ball	1998
The Truth	1998
Newpower Soul	1998	The New Power Generation
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale	1999
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic	1999
The Rainbow Children	2001
One Nite Alone…	2002
One Nite Alone… Live!	2002
Xpectation	2003
N-E-W-S	2003
Musicology	2004
The Chocolate Invasion	2004
The Slaughterhouse	2004
C-Note	2004
3121	2006
Planet Earth	2007
Indigo Nights	2008
Lotusflow3r/MPLSound	2009
20Ten	2010
Plectrumelectrum	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
Art Official Age	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
HITnRun Phase One	2015
HITnRun Phase Two	2015

DEEP DIVE – Album Review: Dirty Mind by Prince

I am doing a deep dive into the work of the musical artist Prince.  Each week until December I will post my thoughts on albums released by Prince (and his bands and side projects) focusing on one year of his career. 

This week I’m reviewing Dirty Mind from 1980.

Album: Dirty Mind
Artist: Prince
Release Date: October 8, 1980
Label: Warner Bros.
Favorite Tracks:

• Dirty Mind
• When You Were Mine
• Uptown
• Head
• Partyup

Thoughts:

We are now entering an imperial phase for Prince beginning a string of album masterpieces that extends at least to 1987’s Sign O’ the Times. Prince is also venturing beyond being a one-man band with the wonderfully named Doctor Fink playing keyboards on a couple of tracks and Lisa Coleman dueting with Prince on “Head.”  I think this is also Prince’s first collaboration with Morris Day who gets a co-writing credit on “Partyup.”

This is album is perfectly named as Prince exudes a raw exoticism and downright raunchiness that must have been shocking in 1980 and still stands out in Prince’s catalog.  Topics covered in these songs include threesomes, cunnilingus, and incest!  That being said, there’s also a political consciousness emerging in songs such as “Uptown” and “Partyup.”  Musically, Prince deftly blends the funk sounds pioneered by PFunk, disco, punk, and New Wave.  It really feels like the template for 80s rock is being laid out here!

Rating: ****

For You	1978		***
Prince	1979		***1/2
Dirty Mind	1980		****
Controversy	1981
1999	1982	Prince and the Revolution
Purple Rain	1984	Prince and the Revolution
Around the World in a Day	1985	Prince and the Revolution
Parade	1986	Prince and the Revolution
Sign O’ the Times	1987
8	1987	Madhouse
16	1987	Madhouse
Lovesexy	1988
Batman	1989
Graffiti  Bridge	1990
Diamonds and Pearls	1991	Prince and the New Power Generation
Love Symbol	1992	Prince and the New Power Generation
Goldnigga	1993	The New Power Generation
Come	1994
The Black Symbol	1994
The Gold Experience	1995
Exodus	1995	The New Power Generation
Chaos and Disorder	1996
Emancipation	1996
Kamasutra	1997	The NPG Orchestra
Crystal Ball	1998
The Truth	1998
Newpower Soul	1998	The New Power Generation
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale	1999
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic	1999
The Rainbow Children	2001
One Nite Alone…	2002
One Nite Alone… Live!	2002
Xpectation	2003
N-E-W-S	2003
Musicology	2004
The Chocolate Invasion	2004
The Slaughterhouse	2004
C-Note	2004
3121	2006
Planet Earth	2007
Indigo Nights	2008
Lotusflow3r/MPLSound	2009
20Ten	2010
Plectrumelectrum	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
Art Official Age	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
HITnRun Phase One	2015
HITnRun Phase Two	2015

DEEP DIVE – Album Review: Prince by Prince (1979)

I am doing a deep dive into the work of the musical artist Prince.  Each week until December I will post my thoughts on albums released by Prince (and his bands and side projects) focusing on one year of his career. 

This week I’m reviewing his eponymous album from 1979

Album: Prince
Artist: Prince
Release Date: October 19, 1979
Label: Warner Bros.
Favorite Tracks:

• I Wanna Be Your Lover
• Sexy Dancer
• I Feel For You
• It’s Gonna Be Lonely

Thoughts:

Although this album was a swiftly-recorded follow-up to his debut, Prince is clearly evolving as an artist and more diverse in his style. Several of the tracks contain a New Wave feel to the funk and soul, and “Bambi” features a hard rock guitar.  This album includes Prince’s first big hit “I Wanna Be Your Lover” as well as “I Feel For You,” which would be reinvented by Chaka Khan in her classic cover, but the Prince original is strong in its own way.  There are a couple of ballads on this album that don’t work for me, but otherwise there’s no sign of a sophomore slump.

Rating: ***1/2

For You	1978		***
Prince	1979		***1/2
Dirty Mind	1980
Controversy	1981
1999	1982	Prince and the Revolution
Purple Rain	1984	Prince and the Revolution
Around the World in a Day	1985	Prince and the Revolution
Parade	1986	Prince and the Revolution
Sign O’ the Times	1987
8	1987	Madhouse
16	1987	Madhouse
Lovesexy	1988
Batman	1989
Graffiti  Bridge	1990
Diamonds and Pearls	1991	Prince and the New Power Generation
Love Symbol	1992	Prince and the New Power Generation
Goldnigga	1993	The New Power Generation
Come	1994
The Black Symbol	1994
The Gold Experience	1995
Exodus	1995	The New Power Generation
Chaos and Disorder	1996
Emancipation	1996
Kamasutra	1997	The NPG Orchestra
Crystal Ball	1998
The Truth	1998
Newpower Soul	1998	The New Power Generation
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale	1999
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic	1999
The Rainbow Children	2001
One Nite Alone…	2002
One Nite Alone… Live!	2002
Xpectation	2003
N-E-W-S	2003
Musicology	2004
The Chocolate Invasion	2004
The Slaughterhouse	2004
C-Note	2004
3121	2006
Planet Earth	2007
Indigo Nights	2008
Lotusflow3r/MPLSound	2009
20Ten	2010
Plectrumelectrum	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
Art Official Age	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
HITnRun Phase One	2015
HITnRun Phase Two	2015

DEEP DIVE – Album Review: For You by Prince (1978)

I am doing a deep dive into the work of the musical artist Prince.  Each week until December I will post my thoughts on albums released by Prince (and his bands and side projects) focusing on one year of his career. 

This week I’m reviewing his 1978 debut album. 

 

Album: For You
Artist: Prince
Release Date: April 7, 1978
Label: Warner Bros.
Favorite Tracks:

• Soft and Wet
• I’m Yours

Thoughts: This album is so thoroughly of the 70s but also clearly the work of Prince.  It only shows shades of Prince’s future genius, but for a 19-year-old playing all the instruments and producing in his first studio for the first time, it doesn’t have many flaws beyond a lack of adventure.
Rating: ***

For You	1978		***
Prince	1979
Dirty Mind	1980
Controversy	1981
1999	1982	Prince and the Revolution
Purple Rain	1984	Prince and the Revolution
Around the World in a Day	1985	Prince and the Revolution
Parade	1986	Prince and the Revolution
Sign O’ the Times	1987
8	1987	Madhouse
16	1987	Madhouse
Lovesexy	1988
Batman	1989
Graffiti  Bridge	1990
Diamonds and Pearls	1991	Prince and the New Power Generation
Love Symbol	1992	Prince and the New Power Generation
Goldnigga	1993	The New Power Generation
Come	1994
The Black Symbol	1994
The Gold Experience	1995
Exodus	1995	The New Power Generation
Chaos and Disorder	1996
Emancipation	1996
Kamasutra	1997	The NPG Orchestra
Crystal Ball	1998
The Truth	1998
Newpower Soul	1998	The New Power Generation
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale	1999
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic	1999
The Rainbow Children	2001
One Nite Alone…	2002
One Nite Alone… Live!	2002
Xpectation	2003
N-E-W-S	2003
Musicology	2004
The Chocolate Invasion	2004
The Slaughterhouse	2004
C-Note	2004
3121	2006
Planet Earth	2007
Indigo Nights	2008
Lotusflow3r/MPLSound	2009
20Ten	2010
Plectrumelectrum	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
Art Official Age	2014	with 3rdeyegirl
HITnRun Phase One	2015
HITnRun Phase Two	2015

Album of the Week: A New Kind of Love by Ghost Funk Orchestra

Album: A New Kind of Love
Artist: Ghost Funk Orchestra
Release Date: October 28, 2022
Label: Karma Chief Records
Favorite Tracks:

• Your Man’s No Good
• Scatter
• A New Kind of Love (pt. 1)
• Blockhead

Thoughts:
Ghost Funk is just … ectoplasm, right?

Ok, Ghost Funk Orchestra is ten-piece outfit lead by Seth Applebaum that play a 1970s jazz/funk fusion style that sounds the score of films never made.  The improvisational feel makes it more than just a retro project, though. The music is also reminiscent (deliberately) of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Antibalas.

Rating: ****

Album of the Week:  2022

January

• Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
• Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
• Adele –30 
• Tran Uy Duc – Came
• Yard Act – The Overload
• Aoife O’Donovan – Age of Apathy

February

• Tanya Taqaq – Tongues
• Various Artists – Summer of Soul soundtrack
• Mitski – Laurel Hell
• Shamir – Hetrosexuality

March

• Lady Pills – What I Want
• Stromae – Multitude
• Jenny Hval – Classic Objects
• Yumi Zouma – Present Tense

April

• Ibibio Sound Machine – Electricity
• Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
• The Linda Lindas – Growing Up
• Deer Scout – Woodpecker
• Sault – Air

May

• Congotronics International – Where’s the One?
• Oumou Sangaré – Timbuktu
• Various Artists – Daptone Mood
• Wet Leg – Wet Leg

July

• Editrix – Editrix Goes To Hell
• Medicine Singers – Medicine Singers
• Mourning [A] BLKstar – Celestial Bodies
• Lizzo – Special
• The Ballroom Thieves – Clouds

August

• Petrol Girls – Baby
• Beyoncé – Renaissance
• Peter Mulvey and SistaStrings – Love is the Only Thing

September

• Courtney Swain – Silver Lining
• Russian Circles – Gnosis
• Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen
• Santigold – Spirituals
• The Beths – Expert in a Dying Field

October

• Björk – Fossora
• Alvvays – Blue Rev
• Tove Lo – Dirt Femme

Album of the Week: Special by Lizzo

Album: Special
Artist: Lizzo
Release Date: July 14, 2022
Label: Nice Life Recording Company
Favorite Tracks:

• About Damn Time
• Grrrls
• 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)
• Naked
• If You Love Me

Thoughts: Lizzo returns with her follow-up to the instant classic Cuz I Love You.  As the first single from the album (which has already become the Song of Summer) says, it’s “About Damn Time.”  I have to confess that I don’t like the songs as much as on the predecessor but it’s Lizzo, so it’s still irresistible.  She’s definitely feeling knowledge for the time of her infancy and before with the songs incorporating disco and 80s synth-dance sounds.  Makes me wonder what a Lizzo cover of “Let the Music Play” would sound like. Lizzo’s tireless positivity fills this album with joy and it can get a bit cheezy at times.  But it’s also a political at a time when the personal is deeply political.  Lizzo is also finding new ways of sharing her deepest self and discovering she loves what she’s found.

Rating: ***1/2

Album of the Week 2022

January

• Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
• Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
• Adele –30 
• Tran Uy Duc – Came
• Yard Act – The Overload
• Aoife O’Donovan – Age of Apathy

February

• Tanya Taqaq – Tongues
• Various Artists – Summer of Soul soundtrack
• Mitski – Laurel Hell
• Shamir – Hetrosexuality

March

• Lady Pills – What I Want
• Stromae – Multitude
• Jenny Hval – Classic Objects
• Yumi Zouma – Present Tense

April

• Ibibio Sound Machine – Electricity
• Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
• The Linda Lindas – Growing Up
• Deer Scout – Woodpecker
• Sault – Air

May

• Congotronics International – Where’s the One?
• Oumou Sangaré – Timbuktu
• Various Artists – Daptone Mood
• Wet Leg – Wet Leg

July

• Editrix – Editrix Goes To Hell
• Medicine Singers – Medicine Singers
• Mourning [A] BLKstar – Celestial Bodies

Album of the Week: Daptone Mood by Various Artists

Album: Daptone Mood
Artist: Various
Release Date: May 12, 2022
Label: Daptone Records
Favorite Tracks:

• “I’d Rather Go Blind” by The Frightnrs
• “Could’ve Been” by Lee Fields
• “Tell Me I’m Dreaming” by Los Yesterdays
• “Burning Plain” by Cochemea
• “Slow Love” by Charles Bradley, Menahan Street Band, and Saun & Starr
• “Changes” by Charles Bradley and the Budos Band
• “The Stranger” by Menahan Street Band and Victor Benavides
• “Hamdouchia” by Innov Gnawa

Thoughts: The new compilation from Daptone Records is a collection of slower tunes released by the label’s many artists.  If you’re not familiar, Daptone Records is a Brooklyn-based label founded in 2002 most noted for enabling the late career resurgence of Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley (both of whom are now deceased) and recording numerous other contemporary artists making classic soul and funk as well as reggae and afrobeat.  The album is full of gems and really hits the spot for me right now.

Rating: ****1/2

 

Album of the Week 2022

January

• Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
• Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
• Adele –30 
• Tran Uy Duc – Came
• Yard Act – The Overload
• Aoife O’Donovan – Age of Apathy

February

• Tanya Taqaq – Tongues
• Various Artists – Summer of Soul soundtrack
• Mitski – Laurel Hell
• Shamir – Hetrosexuality

March

• Lady Pills – What I Want
• Stromae – Multitude
• Jenny Hval – Classic Objects
• Yumi Zouma – Present Tense

April

• Ibibio Sound Machine – Electricity
• Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
• The Linda Lindas – Growing Up
• Deer Scout – Woodpecker
• Sault – Air

May

• Congotronics International – Where’s the One?
• Oumou Sangaré – Timbuktu

Album Review: Welcome 2 America by Prince

Album: Welcome 2 America
Artist: Prince
Release Date: July 30, 2021
Label: NPG
Favorite Tracks:

• “Welcome 2 America”
• “Stand Up And B Strong”
• “When She Comes”
• “One Day We Will All B Free”

Thoughts: Recorded in 2010, this is the first posthumous album of previously-unreleased songs by Prince.  Backed by by bassist Tal Wilkenfeld and drummer Chris Coleman, the album contains funky tracks reminiscent of P-Funk as well as earlier Prince music.  Lyrically, the songs focus on topical issues of 2010, many of which feel relevant still in 2021.  The problem is that as a protest song writer, Prince has no subtly.  He observes a lot of America’s problems but really has nothing to say about those problems. With that being said, it’s a solid album by a great artist and his collaborators, even if it pales besides his best work.
Rating: ***

Related posts:

• Piano and a Microphone 1983
• Originals

 

Album Review: Daddy’s Home by St. Vincent

Album: Daddy’s Home
Artist: St. Vincent
Release Date: May 14, 2021
Label: Loma Vista Recording
Favorite Tracks:

• “Down and Out Downtown”
• “The Melting of the Sun”
• “Somebody Like Me”
• “My Baby Wants a Baby”
• “…At the Holiday Party”

Thoughts:

Annie Clark, who performs as St. Vincent, is something of a chameleon, changing her personal appearance and musical style from album to album.  This has lead to fascinating career with the highpoint of her 2014 album St. Vincent which I really loved, but also 2017’s Masseduction, which I really did not. On Daddy’s Home, the glam rock and pop noise of the past have been replaced by a soul and funk sound joined together thematically around the idea of New York City in the 1970s.  The album title is inspired by Clark’s actual father’s release from prison after serving time for a decade for stock manipulation, but Clark suggests this is more metaphorical than biographical.  To me, this album feels like a return to form for St. Vincent, which means it’s something new and experimental.

Rating: ***