My updated review of 1999

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Thread started 10/15/09 4:28pm

Moonbeam

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My updated review of 1999

My love for this album is pretty well established over the years here. lol

Anyway, I got around to polishing up my review for this album, and I thought I'd share it here.

Prince- 1999
1982
star star star star star

Sometimes, pressure can prove to be the perfect catalyst to greatness. Four years and four albums after arriving on the music scene in 1978, Prince had yet to establish a firm foot in either the commercial or critical pantheon. Although he had built a fanbase in the black market, Prince had never really broken through the barriers his music had tried to eradicate. His only crossover hit, "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was pure confection, and its success didn't prove lasting, as the subsequent critical darling Dirty Mind failed to set the charts alight, and Controversy earned its sales on the back of an extensive tour that helped Prince to hone his growing reputation as a great liver performer. Needless to say, the stakes were high when 1982 rolled around, and Prince buried himself in the studio for months, tirelessly toiling away at the songs that would form the basis of his masterwork, 1999. Prince needed something big, and he needed it now. How big? Well, how about a double album? It took equal amounts of courage on Prince's part and faith on the part of his record company to proceed with four sides of music that would break the format of the traditional 3 to 4 minute pop song, implying that Prince was important enough to merit double the attention of the general audience. Considering his modest commercial and critical cache, this is quite a statement. And the music lives up to the pretension. Not only did 1999 present Prince as a legitimate hitmaker, it managed to deliver his most adventurous album to date to his largest audience. Its 11 songs sprawl across many feelings and emotions with a confident assurance. Clearly, Prince was tapping into something vital.

Perhaps it is because 1999 was incredibly relevant at the time and its messages loom large today as well. In 1982, the world was in a mess. AIDS was festering in Africa. The Soviet Union and the USA were entrenched in the frigid Cold War. The tension in the Middle East was augmented. The world's economy experienced an enormous crash, rendering several countries in South America and Africa paupers in the world market (many of which have not recovered). Who wasn't worried about the troubled times? With 1999, Prince achieved a truly rare feat- he tuned in perfectly to contemporary fears while still imprinting his singular perspective. While he does not always address these fears directly, there is a latent tension permeating the entire album that resonates with a potent urgency.

Take the title track, for example. It opens with an ominous, electronically-altered voice imploring us to have fun, before the Minneapolis Sound comes into full effect. A numbingly catchy synth line triumphantly bursts forth before integrating with a viciously funky bass line and a startlingly intricate drum machine which marks Prince's emergence as a master of the Linn-1. Bandmates Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson each sing a line of the opening verse, with Prince adding a third before the three come together for the last verse and unforgettable chorus. Lyrically, the song paints a picture of an impending apocalypse, but rather than wallow in despair, Prince plans to celebrate while he's still alive. While the overt message may seem like a simple excuse to give in to our bodily desires, the lyrics also double as a call for spiritual preparation for the End Times ("Can't run from Revelation, y'all"). While "Controversy" explored a similar theme of interwoven spiritual and corporeal sanctity that was echoed in future classics like "Let's Go Crazy" and "Crystal Ball", the message is never as clear as it is on "1999". After the main vocal segments of the song are complete, it opens up into a tightly-woven funk fest, complete with chicken-scratching guitars and an even more prominent drum machine that geniusly (yes, geniusly) rumbles like thunder. At the end, an eerie set of voices twice beckon, "Mommy, why does everybody have a bomb?" before a sonic blast detonates. With the raw display of innovation and talent evident in each of the instruments Prince plays here on top of classic Prince themes of love, lust and spirituality, this is the Holy Grail of Prince singles.

Following in its mighty wake are two more unforgettable singles. "Little Red Corvette" dexterously shifts gears into pop/rock glory in the time-honored tradition of equating cars with sex. Boasting the most commercial melody on the album, it proved to be the single that broke Prince through to the mainstream for good, and rightfully so. Moreover, its message of the triumph of love over lust indicates that this is a Prince who has matured to some degree. Closing up this most impressive opening side of 1999 is "Delirious", a continuation of the car/sex imagery set to a synth/funk rockabilly backdrop in the vein of the unreleased "Broken, Lonely and Crying", "Turn It Up" and "No Call U", as well as Controversy's "Jack U Off". It explores the effects of the suffocating beauty of a woman and proves to be Prince's greatest achievement within the genre.

After craftily placing the smash singles at the beginning of the album, 1999 then meanders into deeper, darker, and more experimental territory over the space of three glorious sides, revealing some dark corners of Prince's psyche. Having cleansed the pop palette, Prince then proceeds to present his listeners with a number of tantalizing paradoxes. A textbook example sees Prince clamoring, "I'm in love with God, he's the only way" in juxtaposition with "I sincerely want to fuck the taste out of your mouth" in the frantic pulse of "Let's Pretend We're Married". Continuing with the taxi theme presented in Controversy's "Annie Christian", "Lady Cab Driver" portrays a despondent Prince looking for an escape and finding a confidante in his female chauffer, creating a real sense of alienation. The pair hit it off, and Prince exorcises his demons in the throes of passion in the form of a lengthy diatribe that ranges from personal ("this is for why I wasn't born like my brother- handsome and tall"), to political ("this is for politicians who were born to believe in war"), to spiritual ("this is for the creator of man"). It also contains the lyrical highlight of the entire album- the dedication of a sexual thrust to "love without sex". Prince was clearly functioning on a new level here. One of the greatest songs on the album, "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)" presents a sonic paradox. A turbulent drum line opens the song and sets the stage for the uneasiness that follows with the lyrics. Obviously broken-hearted, Prince struggles to find an explanation for the substandard treatment he receives from the women he loves. With a rhythmically beautiful display of alliteration (try "why else would a woman wanna treat a man so bad" for size), lyrically it is quite impressive. The song, like its composer, seems to be tearing apart at its seams- at once maintaining the turbulent, robotic synths and drums while the emotion begins to overflow with an almost psychotic zest in the form of some wild, guttural screams of frustrated outrage, only to conclude with an acknowledgement that he really does love the subject of the song, backed by sustained synth strings. What was this guy thinking?

The other extended synth/funk jams are equally impressive. "DMSR" evolved into a sort of motto for Prince, with its line "I don't care to win awards...all I wanna do is dance, play music sex romance..." being exemplary of his attitude at the time. "Automatic" follows with its sonic ecstasy superimposed over dark messages of a sexual power struggle. Its 9 minutes are a voyage into seemingly uncharted territory. Perhaps the most experimental of these is "All the Critics Love U in New York". Exuding great confidence, Prince realizes that he is the "it" artist of the time and takes the opportunity to take a swipe at his critics and admirers alike in a nasty, frenetic, rhythmic explosion over seemingly disinterested, lazy half-rapping. The funk effervesces throughout the entire song while a synth line churns and crunches feverishly. It is undeniably singular in its kind and stands out as one of the most memorable moments on not only the album, but of his career. These onslaughts of funk are stunning not because they are so drawn out (all but "All the Critics" are over 7 minutes in length), but because they still seem fairly concise. Not a beat was misused- not a measure was misplaced. Moreover, while these songs are instantly accessible, they are innovative and interesting enough for lasting impact.

The ballads are also quite memorable. "Free" offers a prelude to what would come in Prince's career with the massive anthemic success of "Purple Rain", as Prince vehemently defends his freedom. The album closes with "International Lover," an appropriate ending track to this voyage through the dark realms of electronic funk. Sassy and strident, the song obviously gave Prince a chance to appeal to his fans who found him sexy, and returns him to his travel theme, this time playing the pilot of a rather saucy airplane. His offer to take you around the world serves as a reminder that he has done just that with this sprawling suite of amazing music.

Another facet of the album that assures its greatness is that the entire album is tied together by a common sound. I tend to prefer albums that stretch the palette of one sound as far as it can go. Any of these songs popping up randomly on the radio would be instantly identifiable as a representative of 1999. Despite this bond, the songs are easily distinguishable from each other. 1999 is also arguably Prince's most minimalist work, employing few instruments in the mix, yet it propagates a dense fog of funk that sounds both sparse and forebodingly full. Prince pushed himself to his creative limit with this album and the outtakes most associated with it, incorporating inexplicable gurgling sounds, an elephant roar, soldier footsteps and city noises into the mix and they perfectly fit within the framework of the music, almost sounding as if they were intentionally recorded for the sole purpose of inclusion on this album. While the template was in place with Dirty Mind and Controversy, Prince's creativity and confidence allowed him to foster a particular sound for 1999, and this ice-cold amethyst funk that would go on to influence a lot of music in the ensuing years.

The entire record is so exciting because it was recorded by an incredibly gifted artist on the brink of superstardom. This was the last music Prince recorded before becoming a bona fide megastar. It exhibits all of the hunger, drive and determination of the first four releases, but the confident swagger and new maturity would assure that this time, critical and commercial success would both be forthcoming. In essence, then, this was Prince's rite of passage into manhood. It didn't need any gimmicks- there was no need for him to grace the cover in some provocative pose. The music spoke for itself. Stunningly, 1999 is entirely the work of one man. Certainly, studio engineers were involved in the mixing. Prince even includes "the Revolution" for the first time on the album sleeve. But make no mistake- this album is 100% Prince himself. 1999 is the culmination of his genius- the pinnacle of an artist whose talent I feel is unrivaled by anyone of the modern era. In light of this, it will always be my choice for the greatest album of all time.
[Edited 10/16/09 17:07pm]

"I'm a lover, not a haitcher"- Pandurito

clapping

Handcuffs	Masterpiece of an album. 1999 will always be special because it was my introduction to prince. From there I went on to parliament funkadelic sly stone miles davis etc.
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