I bought this album last week and wasn't blown away at first but gave it a couple of listens and i have to say it's damn good.The last track has amazing drumming and guitar work. Does anyone know if Prince used live drums on this album becuase that's what some parts sound like.

Inside the booklet actually tells you what instruments Prince plays on each track. Damn it says he plays 25 instruments. Genius!

mikek1 said:

So you consider finger snapping to be playing an instrument?

lovemachine said:

totally. handclapsandfingasnaps is a really, really hard instrument to master.

mikek1 said:

Yes, the entire album is live drums. Prince's first 3 albums are all live drums with all drumming by Prince (please someone correct me if I'm wrong).
[Edited 11/1/05 8:50am]

Compare For You to other albums released during '78/'79, and it's one of the best albums from just about anyone at the time -- no matter the age of the artist.
[Edited 11/1/05 9:44am]

Snap said:

Yeah thats the next one I really want.

Except.....he wasn't 18.

mikek1 said:

[No flame baiting - luv4u]

RepoMan said:

But Prince was in his teens and that's young. Very young. Like a fountain the music was flowing up and out and gushing all over the place. Genius in motion.

Prince was 19 and 4 months when he started recording it on October 25th 1977, the 18 was a load of media hype dreamed up by Owen Husney, as he thought shaving a year or two off Princes age would make him sound even more impressive.

I also had an earlier thread going for For You. Its a great album, theres a lot of early Prince trademarks there, just the logistics defy belief, its the first Warners let a black teenager do his own album. Thats what Prince and Owen strived for, we all know the executive producer (Tommy Vicari) was basically nothing but an obstacle to Prince. People were blown away, by the fact he was so young and yet so diciplined. If nothing else about 4 U its a very detemined and disciplined set. It has no stand out songs per se, but all the tracks I would give a 3 (good) out of 5 for, except for I'm Yours and In Love which get fours(very good). Its also the start of an original sound, sparse drum beats, riffing guitars, falsetto vocals and a driving 4/4 beat. The only thing really missing was the jangly bass loops so associated with later Prince.

Make out music

For You could hardly be called Prince's most impressive work, but it's still a gem compared to what most adults could manage.

meow85 said:

But he was an adult already.

RepoMan said:

Love that album.

tane1976 said:

Tane -- Very good. Very good. I think of the For You album like this: Solid debut for a young artist (you can play the he was an adult game, but it doesn't overshadow the fact that young Prince was def. doing something that wasn't common -- Little Stevie Wonder could play multiple instruments, but he wasn't given that much freedom.) If you are a musician of any type with any experience, it is fairly easy to figure out the music by ear, but For You is a really solid album. Soft and Wet, For You, I'm Yours, and Baby are very nice for that time and era. We also have to look at it from this standpoint: He was likely directed to segment a certain market (demographic, style (r&b, soul), and mesh somewhat with what was coming out at the time - however, with time and experience (not to mention confidence) WB loosened the grip. If he was given any marching orders for the first two albums, than we witnessed later what he could really do if given a choice of how he wanted his music to sound if given COMPLETE and REAL creative control. If any of you have some in-depth insight on the recording of For You - Madhouseman is the "man," than please provide.

napoleon370 said:

Yes I agree, it was originally marketed at a black teen, poppy soul audience, and in this department it scored, not to criticose the audience, but to a lot of them, Prince was a heartthrob with a catchy album, rather than a very young artist with a very serious agenda. Also that some of the tracks he had wrote a few years ago like Baby and Soft and wet (with Chris Moon). The album didnt do as well as everyone expected, Prince reputedley fired his manager over it. Still I also read that Soft and Wet with its panting and explicit lyrics was a bit steamier than the average black soul teen fare.
Oh well at least Dirty Mind would let people understand him more. I say it as Prince was much of the same vein. Thees no deeper love songs, mostly subadult love themes. Despite the fact hes in love, the songs mostly have saex at the core, eg "I really wanna play in your river"

More later, my dinners waiting

Peace and b wild

RepoMan said:

Nope, teenager. You're not an adult until you're 20. That said, I'm 20 and I'll never be an adult.

mikek1 said:

Why is it great for an 18 year-old?

meow85 said:

That's a joke, right?

gyro34 said:

Oh wait, I get it. Great for an artist who is 18 years-old.

RepoMan said:

Not at all. It's not the legal definition, but it's where a lot of people seem to draw the line. Think about it. Depending where you live, at 18 you can't vote, drink, or enlist. Therefore, in some places, an 18 year old is still a child.

Ah, what the hell. Maturity is relative.

meow85 said: