So, exactly what happened during those years after his 2nd album and controversy? He songs were safer, more demure before controversy.Controversy being political and nasty and new wave--superb. He moved from the fro to the ironed out soft curl, from the ultra shine spandex leotard top to the tan trench coat (with that really awesome silver hard ware on the shoulder---loved that). How old was he around this time? Like 20 or so? Who was he then? It was quite a change, the disco/roller rink look to the rude boy. Just reminising. Wondering what you old schoolers think and even not so old school.

You mean Dirty Mind? DM came before Controversy.

NouveauDance said:

Oh yeah, and that too. I am thinking about who he was during the skip from the more timid, soft Prince to the more in your face Prince. But, yeah, DM was a step I forgot about. I guess I'm asking what happened to catapult him into controversy. Is it just the obvious? Sex and exposure?

P's desire was to always have a stong crossover following. He wanted what Hendrix and Sly had. In Jimi's case, P wanted the white rock following. In Sly's case, P wanted the white mainstream audience AND the black street cred. To P's credit, he got both. Rick James also happened. As did Dez.I say these things to make a point. P's desire to receive what he wanted and to counteract what was happening during this period is how he got from the afro to Controversy. I don't believe P "knew" how he wanted to come across in 78. Musically or visually. Thus he came with what he had been wearing all of his life. The Afro. He had a nice little disco jam in "Soft and Wet" that put him on the map. He stepped it up bigtime on his second album.

blackguitaristz said:

The songs were 10 times stronger and he infused his array of musical styles a lot better. Thus, it was time for him to start staking out his image, so to seperate himself from cats like Switch, he did his Farrah/Leif Garret look. Knowing good and well bruthas weren't going to go that way. He had a bigtime hit with I wanna Be Your Lover, shocking folks with his loud ass rock heavy act while on tour. Which was smart. To get more in line with the British New Wave movement, he changed his hair style and took on a studded trench that would carry him to the Promise Land.

Kinda surprised no one else has posted on this topic.

blackguitaristz said:

I think there are two reasons for this

1) The opening of the topic is abit misleading

2) I reckon there are very few orgers who have been Prince fans since 78 and really give an insight on the impact it had. I will try in my next post, but I will be doing it backwards i.e, I got my first Prince albums in the following order between 84-86:

Dec 84 - PR
Jan 85 - 1999
April 85 - ATWIAD
Oct 85 - Controversy
Nov 85 - Dirty Mind
Feb 86 - Prince
Mar 86 - Parade
May 86 - For You

Was Prince ever "soft?" I tihnk not? Soft and Wet is obviously sexual...

i think he just fancied a new hairdo & showed it off in all departments

Prince started getting more into punk and new-wave. He couldn't avoid it. Like many people on the fringe, he embraced it.

I don't know if it was calculated as a marketing trip, but it was obvious he was enjoying the hell out of it.

I see a lot of Iggy Pop in Dirty Mind era Prince.

squirrelgrease said:[quote]Prince started getting more into punk and new-wave. He couldn't avoid it. Like many people on the fringe, he embraced it.

I don't know if it was calculated as a marketing trip, but it was obvious he was enjoying the hell out of it.

I see a lot of Iggy Pop in Dirty Mind era Prince.[/quote]

interesting observation, and not far off the point, Iggy is still letting it loose on stage half naked

Whitnail said:[quote]

squirrelgrease said:

I do believe that I was the first cat on here to ever compare Dirty Mind era Prince to Iggy AND Johnny Thunders of The New York Dolls....I'm almost positive.

Volitan said:

He was always sexual, yes, but I just find it interesting-the changes from those very early albums to controversy. Just wish I knew a little bit more about the things that influenced him back then.

squirrelgrease said:

Definitly.

Prince pre-DM was almost cute and harmless, even in with his gender-bending spandex and Farrah do and sexual lyrics. Somewhere between "Prince" and Dirty Mind, he got rougher, dirtier, crazier.

In short, he'd turned from someone I'd make fun of across the bar to someone I'd buy a round for.

meow85 said:

well said

I believe he also stated that the DM era was an "angry" time for him.