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Thread started 10/26/02 10:03pm

jseven

October 27th 1982 1999 is released! Share your memories!

On October 27th 1982, Prince released the "1999" album.

A double-album that crossed him into the mainstream.

Instead of reviewing it, share your fav 1999 album or cd moment and/or experiences.

Me; was a super young ass kid n kept listening to the radio n hearing these cool songs that blew my mind; "Little Red Corvette, "Delirious" along with "Let's Pretend We're Married".

Every time I would listen to the radio n wait til the end of the song to see who is the singer, I would hear Rick Dees go "Prince moves up two spots to number 8 on the countdown".

I was young so in my mind, I would think, "Damn that Rick Dees! Why after playing those great songs I like does he always talk about Prince Charles! I want to know who sings that song! Why does he always talk about that guy with big ears?"

Being under 10, it does not cross your mind that someone would be called Prince.

Needless to say, after "Purple Rain", I totally forgot how much I loved those songs. By that time I was a Prince fan, thinking this guy came out of nowhere. A few months later I saw the 1999 tape n begged my grandmother to buy it for me. After listening to it, I relised that this was the same guy who did all those songs i like. I literally knocked myself in the head for ever thinking it was Prince Charles. After that, I bought every other tape n been doign so ever since.

Now share your stories or fav songs/moments.
Silence Speaks A Thousand Words.
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Reply #1 posted 10/26/02 10:05pm

Supernova

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sad

Where's Moonie?
This post not for the wimp contingent. All whiny wusses avert your eyes.
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Reply #2 posted 10/26/02 10:07pm

Supernova

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I have a lot of thoughts about this. I need to collect them...
This post not for the wimp contingent. All whiny wusses avert your eyes.
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Reply #3 posted 10/26/02 10:11pm

Natasha

My favorite album. I heard Prince on the radio and watched him on Solid Gold. I was so Excited with the song 1999 and Little Red Corvette. I bought the album the first day it came out . I lost my Virginity while Let's Pretend We're Married was on. It will always be Memorable.
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Reply #4 posted 10/26/02 10:48pm

toejam

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1999 was the song (and the year coinsidently) that I got into Prince. I just had to figure out those keyboard chords!!. After that my life has yet to be the same. The 1999 album is still on par with Lovesexy and The Rainbow Children as my favorite Prince albums. Best tracks on 1999:
1999, Let's Pretend We're Married, Automatic, Lady Cab Driver & All The Critics love U in New York

Thanks PRINCE and happy birthday 1999
Toejam @ Peach & Black Podcast: http://peachandblack.podbean.com
Toejam's band "Cheap Fakes": http://cheapfakes.com.au, http://www.facebook.com/cheapfakes
Toejam the solo artist: http://www.youtube.com/scottbignell
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Reply #5 posted 10/27/02 1:15am

squirrelgrease

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I remember that when I went to replace my 2 worn out vinyl copies with the CD, I got the disc home before I realised that DMSR was not on the CD! The best song!

Of course I had to wait until it was available on the Risky Business soundtrack to have the complete wrekka on CD.

I forget how long it was before they re-released 1999 in it's full leangth CD glory.
If prince.org were to be made idiot proof, someone would just invent a better idiot.
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Reply #6 posted 10/27/02 10:15am

rdhull

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woops....memories you said.

Brian P. in English Lit class asking 'wheres my Prince tape?, wheres my Prince tape" at the beginning of class, because he couldnt find it

my mom covering her ears closing the door rushing out of my room laughing when I would play her the nasty part of "Lets Pretend Were Married"

Prince and co. on solid gold for two singles--1999 and LRC..the LRC had his ass sitting legs spread open on the drum as an opener on LRC lol


hearing Kasey Casem break it down on Prince on Sunday mornings

hearing Richard Blade say on KROQ after playing LRC that "more and more Im beginning to liek that guy..."

becoming a radio channel surfer all because they had begun to play Prince on the radio and I was always searching for his songs-damn u prince!)

Carl telling me that "Prince aint gay..people think it but he even said he aint. I kow he's a player.." about the Robert Hilburn interview in the L.A. Calendar section

Prince and Vanity on the cover of The Rolling Stone--his best pic ever. One of the top ten RS covers ever

seeing a close to middle aged man and his wife at Licorice Pizza wearing a 1999 tour shirt and him tellin me his L.A. concert was too short(which it was, only one hour or so)

Sanci telling me its "you must be a limosuine not love machine"

This one countrified girl trying to tell me it was BIG Red Corvette and me just dismissin her ass as a fool

Me and anothe r girl showing battle scars on who was nastier..me and my 1999 album Prince lyrics against her Romeo Void Never say Never ( I might like u better if we sleep together) lyrics
[This message was edited Sun Oct 27 10:56:56 PST 2002 by rdhull]
"Climb in my fur."
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Reply #7 posted 10/27/02 3:13pm

Moonbeam

I was going to start a thread about this! Happy 20th birthday to a simply stunning album. I've reviewed it several times, so let me simply add my memories of it.

Back in 1990, I had the cassette single of "1999/Little Red Corvette" and fell in love with "1999" instantly. I believe that I knew and loved it before. In any case, my bro got the album around the fall of 1990. I remember hearing "DMSR," "Delirious" and "Let's Pretend We're Married" back then and being unable to resist. "Delirious" and "DMSR" in particular caught my attention, so I saved up my allowance for about a month so that I could afford the album.

My mom, however, was fairly protective of me and I knew that she wouldn't approve of me purchasing the album. Therefore, I clandestinely gave my brother the money to buy the album for me. After that album, I was sold on Prince. "Around the World in a Day" and "Diamonds and Pearls" followed next, and I was a goner.

Thanks to "1999," I am not only a Prince fan, but a music fan as well. Surely, I was majorly into music in 1989/1990 (I would keep a record the top 20 videos of the week ever week from MTV), but my interest lay principally in songs, not albums. At the time I bought "1999," I probably had 30 cassette singles and one full album. "1999" opened the gates for me to not only understand the cohesion and integrity of a full album, but to also understand the growth, development and "voice" of an artist. Prince became the first artist in whom I had full interest as a musician- he wasn't simply an act who released a few songs that I liked.

Other great memories include giving copies of the "1999" cassette away with my brother to drive thru cashiers. My brother and I always have multiple copies of the tape- I know that in my case, I simply can't pass up buying the tape used for $4. I guess it just was my way of paying homage to an album that means so much to me.
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Reply #8 posted 10/27/02 3:16pm

Tibor

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1999 is good song but when 2000 came it and album out of date!

Best we look to the future which is song on funky album all time Batman OST!

Future also is Justin and new album "Justified". He is funky and pretty all in one.
My name is Tibor and I am funky!
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Reply #9 posted 10/27/02 4:14pm

mistermaxxx

what can I say like Stella Prince FOund His Groove here IMHO.so many Tight Jams that you didn't want it too end.the energy,vibe&Styling here just stayed fresh&never let up.Prince had Attitude&Edge all through out this Album&It all worked for me.the Classic Car/ Sexual Metaphor "Little Red Corvette" Alone showcased the Man with Words&Music IMHO.He knew He Brought a Catelog Jam with that Song alone.the title cut made Me think.it was something for anyone too dare Question the Future&put it out like that in a Song.I think we all had too hope Our Parent's weren't around when the Last Part of "Let's Pretend Were Married" came near the end."DMSR","Lady Cab Driver","Automatic" just so many Jams&this Cat Brought a Funky Album too the Table.you can never forget the Vibe of that Album.
mistermaxxx
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Reply #10 posted 10/27/02 4:19pm

Tibor

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mistermaxxx said:

what can I say like Stella Prince FOund His Groove here IMHO.so many Tight Jams that you didn't want it too end.the energy,vibe&Styling here just stayed fresh&never let up.Prince had Attitude&Edge all through out this Album&It all worked for me.the Classic Car/ Sexual Metaphor "Little Red Corvette" Alone showcased the Man with Words&Music IMHO.He knew He Brought a Catelog Jam with that Song alone.the title cut made Me think.it was something for anyone too dare Question the Future&put it out like that in a Song.I think we all had too hope Our Parent's weren't around when the Last Part of "Let's Pretend Were Married" came near the end."DMSR","Lady Cab Driver","Automatic" just so many Jams&this Cat Brought a Funky Album too the Table.you can never forget the Vibe of that Album.


First nice thing about Prince I seen you writes! Usually just giving big ups of King Of Jokers.

Well done.
My name is Tibor and I am funky!
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Reply #11 posted 10/27/02 7:47pm

rockwilder

I remember my papi driving me to Peaches record store.It was a weeknight.He didn't know what I was gonna get.e knew I was very excited.He knew Prince was and is my favorite and was becoming a little skeptical of my deep involvement with this music.He wasn't sure about thi.He had seen Prince many time and always told me that that was pretty man!!LOL..He didn't think he was gay or anything.All my friends were either mixed or looked mixed and were good looking folks so he was used to seeing black folks looking different ways like that.

Anyway,I ran in with the $10.99,I believe it was that I had saved.I saw te poster of Prince in th purplecoat with the beard by the window.(I think we have all seen this one.)They were playing the lp in the store.I saw some guys in there with suits on buying the tapes,too.I always remembered that the smartest people liked Prince.(not that I am one of them)These guys looked like businessmen and professors.I was a kid in middle school.We all were excited.(this scene was repetaed many times in my life and most recently when ru2jf came out)

I ran back into the car.I had brought my boombox with me and I tore te packaging off and popped it in.I just stared at the artwork like I had seen God or somethng.As the opening strains of "1999" started I became scared that this would be a different version of what I had heard on the radio and may contain lyrics that would entice my father to tear the tape up and trash it and lecture me.So,my panic made me turn it off and save it for later .


I got home and called my girlfriend to give hera quick review.We were may in puppy love and both Prince fanatics.And the combination of thoughts of her lips and new Primnce music was almost too much for me.She waslike candy and cherries and prince's music was like a gym full of women telling me I was cool.

Funny,that album sounded like NOTHING I had ever heard!!It sounded like it was in slow motion and "LRC" sounded like it was sideways.I can't explain.Once again,my hero had blown my mind!
"I'm a pig..so,magic elixir I swill"
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Reply #12 posted 10/27/02 9:40pm

Supernova

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Dirty Mind was the first album when I knew this guy was ... MUSICALLY different. Much different than anyone else around at that point. 1999 was the first album that I knew that Prince's influences had passed the torch to him - and the torch was in capable hands. Sure, I had every album he made before it, but 1999 was much more accomplished than his prior albums in so many ways. I was still in school, and Prince had a lot of kids in my class semi-obsessed. Males and females. And of course any album by that androgynously dressed heathen (as he was looked upon by parents) and any video that appeared on MTV was frowned upon by teachers in school and a lot of parents in general, it seemed. It was our forbidden fruit. And damn was that nectar ever sweet.

I took the tape with me on a field trip and played it on the bus for all my classmates. When my teacher heard "DMSR" he made me turn it off - "It's not my stereo", I said, knowing that didn't make a damn bit of difference when I said it, and my teacher made it clear it didn't make a damn bit of difference.

One of my old HAG type of teachers thought she could get on my nerves by calling him Princess rolleyes. She was a huge Lionel Richie fan so I couldn't take the silly broad seriously. One of my friends in school used to call me up to find out if/when the video for 1999 or LRC was coming on. biggrin She didn't have MTV. The channel was in its infancy at the time. Yes, she had "The Sickness" too as RD calls it. She even spent the night once just to see this MTV thing everybody with cable were all of sudden getting - specifically to see Prince.

On weekends this same friend came over and we would play 1999 and analyze it front, back, upwards, downwards, and sideways. Only lyrically and visually (the cover and sleeve) really, since at that time we had never heard the type of things being sung about so explicitly. Love the picture on the inside sleeve. Water colors never looked so appealing to me. horny We were enamored with the short dude, and Prince was our spiritual Freak Daddy. The only other time I saw anybody work a mike stand in that way was watching James Brown.

At the age I was at that time I didn't realize how much of a risk it was for Warner Brothers to let him release a double album. He had no multi-platinum albums before it, he had no platinum albums before it (not until Purple Rain did his prior albums go gold/platinum), and Controversy MIGHT have been his only gold album at that time. I'm not completely sure.

Whatever. This was the album that stuck to my ribs more than anything he had released prior to it. I think this was also the album that brought a lot more male fans to the Prince fold. Not that he didn't have male fans before, it was just that they had multiplied by now. Cuz you know, men don't pay attention if they think you're nothing but an image with no talent (not that all females do either). The males obviously could hear that this eccentric guy had serious skills. My older brother had always been into Prince though, I remember riding in his new car with the album constantly playing.

The first time Prince had ever used that slowed down voice (he also used it in concert during the Triple Threat Tour for the album too)...maybe he was listening to Hendrix's use of it on "Third Stone From The Sun" (Hendrix used it on all the studio albums he completed), or on Funkadelic's The Electric Spanking of War Babies.

I had to supress my Princely desires in terms of video, music and posters in my house too - yes, my mother's reaction made him forbidden fruit in my house too. But as with all kids, that didn't stop me. I was going to have what I was going to have. Simple as that. evil Even if I had to stay up late at night to catch him on tv, which I did plenty of with NBC's Friday Night Videos, MTV, USA network's Night Flight, and Night Tracks on WTBS, (or just TBS as it's now called).

Check out the trademark scream at the 4:11 mark of "Married"...he screamed a lot on this album, and damn did I ever miss that for years until he did it again on TRC.

It describes the ethose of the entire album, and it might be sacrilege to say around here, but "DMSR" was the song it took me the most time to get into. Hedonism Prince-style. It was my least favorite for years. shrug

Why is Lisa saying Somebody call the police! and yelling Please help me, somebody help me!! at the end? Because Prince is nuts

Then you get to "Automatic," horny "Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)"...horny and later "Lady Cab Driver." Three songs that aren't duplicated (or even attempted at) in the rest of Prince's catalogue. I hear a variation of the "Something In The Water..." synth phrase in "Computer Blue" though. When Prince does his electronic new wave thing he's as compelling as when he tackles anything else.

"Lady Cab Driver" ... those of you who don't dig it, turn in your Classic Prince Membership Cards deal NOW. I dislike the phrase "hating on," so I'll say, the hateration stops here! This is one of those definitive moments on record for him. Yes, it just IS. A song that could have been a successful single, but was never released. If it had been I have a feeling a potential video might have killed it.

Something I didn't realize til years later: the angst-ridden diatribe he goes into in the middle of the song (3:09 mark) where the woman is moaning and screaming; you can hear bed springs being pushed back and forth through that whole part. THOSE BED SPRINGS ARE ROCKIN' and I didn't realize it for years!boffboffboffboffboffboffboff This is not your mother's music.

The album has layers of ID. eek Then that distorted guitar/synthesizer interplay after that is sublime.

The smooth as butta flowing segue into "All The Critics Love U In New York"...no changes througout, almost stream of consciousness lyricism, sirens, a megaphone, drum machine, bass playing one phrase (two if you count the one toward the end), abrupt bursts of distorted guitar...he played this at the last Celebration, I hear. Is that gonna be included in the live set as an aftershow? hmm

I dig stream of consciousness Prince, but...am I the only oddball who doesn't have the lyrics to "All The Critics..." in my cd booklet?

And when you listen to this cd, as with all of Prince's cd's from at least his first decade, you know that it BADLY needs remastering. If some of you can't understand, do this; listen to a recently recorded cd with very good sound first, maybe a recently released one, then put on 1999 without changing any levels on your stereo.

The bass is sooo tiny, the levels are sooo LOW. The contrast is totally blatant when compared to recently recorded music and/or old material that has been remastered. Recording technology has advanced along with all other technology, and Prince's WB output - at least from '78 thru '88 needs THE TREATMENT!!! Wasn't it just recently that Purple Rain re-appeared on the R&B charts for the first time in years after WB released that greatest hits cd? REMASTER THIS PUPPY! The interest is there. Believe me, people will re-discover remastered Prince albums almost like it's new material. The sound is the only thing dated about it.


Close to the ...
[This message was edited Mon Oct 28 15:46:25 PST 2002 by Supernova]
This post not for the wimp contingent. All whiny wusses avert your eyes.
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Reply #13 posted 10/28/02 3:54am

sojourner

I started knowing about Prince since purple rain. So this album is a little before my time. In 1982 i was 11.
However 1999 turned out to be my favourite album. Only much later and it still grows on me.
I find 1999 not outdated. Play this song and the lyrics are even true today. Mommy? why does everybody has a bomb?
I don't know how other people celebrate newyear but with me every time it is a great party. I will celebrate it as i did in 1999 not as something happening in the future ,but as great example from the past.
Great album with only one song to skip which for me is 'free'. Could be exchanged for the missing DMSR on cd.
Words are not enough to tell how much i like this album.
Ask me why i like Prince and I'll give you first this album.
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Reply #14 posted 10/28/02 5:48am

Diva

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Moonbeam said:

I was going to start a thread about this! Happy 20th birthday to a simply stunning album. I've reviewed it several times, so let me simply add my memories of it.

Back in 1990, I had the cassette single of "1999/Little Red Corvette" and fell in love with "1999" instantly. I believe that I knew and loved it before. In any case, my bro got the album around the fall of 1990. I remember hearing "DMSR," "Delirious" and "Let's Pretend We're Married" back then and being unable to resist. "Delirious" and "DMSR" in particular caught my attention, so I saved up my allowance for about a month so that I could afford the album.

My mom, however, was fairly protective of me and I knew that she wouldn't approve of me purchasing the album. Therefore, I clandestinely gave my brother the money to buy the album for me. After that album, I was sold on Prince. "Around the World in a Day" and "Diamonds and Pearls" followed next, and I was a goner.

Thanks to "1999," I am not only a Prince fan, but a music fan as well. Surely, I was majorly into music in 1989/1990 (I would keep a record the top 20 videos of the week ever week from MTV), but my interest lay principally in songs, not albums. At the time I bought "1999," I probably had 30 cassette singles and one full album. "1999" opened the gates for me to not only understand the cohesion and integrity of a full album, but to also understand the growth, development and "voice" of an artist. Prince became the first artist in whom I had full interest as a musician- he wasn't simply an act who released a few songs that I liked.

Other great memories include giving copies of the "1999" cassette away with my brother to drive thru cashiers. My brother and I always have multiple copies of the tape- I know that in my case, I simply can't pass up buying the tape used for $4. I guess it just was my way of paying homage to an album that means so much to me.


I just adore you kiss
--»You're my favourite moment, you're my Saturday...
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Reply #15 posted 10/28/02 6:26am

Diva

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That was great Supernova, thnxxx yay!

And no... you're not the only oddball who doesn't have the lyrics to "All The Critics" in your cd booklet.

heart 1999 heart
--»You're my favourite moment, you're my Saturday...
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Reply #16 posted 10/28/02 8:11am

adoreme

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Ummm, I was only four. Too young to feel the funk. Feel left out now.
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Reply #17 posted 10/28/02 8:14am

PlastikLuvAffa
ir

adoreme said:

Ummm, I was only four. Too young to feel the funk. Feel left out now.

don't feel bad, i wuz only one...eek
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Reply #18 posted 10/28/02 8:17am

adoreme

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PlastikLuvAffair said:

adoreme said:

Ummm, I was only four. Too young to feel the funk. Feel left out now.

don't feel bad, i wuz only one...eek


Oh bless you! You're just a baby.

Anyone here that can beat that? Anyone that was just a twinkle in their father's eye on a Saturday night back in 1982?
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Reply #19 posted 10/28/02 8:20am

PlastikLuvAffa
ir

adoreme said:

PlastikLuvAffair said:

adoreme said:

Ummm, I was only four. Too young to feel the funk. Feel left out now.

don't feel bad, i wuz only one...eek


Oh bless you! You're just a baby.

dammit, everybody sez that 2 me here...i'm only 21, dangit...redface lol
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Reply #20 posted 10/28/02 8:22am

adoreme

avatar

PlastikLuvAffair said:

adoreme said:

PlastikLuvAffair said:

adoreme said:

Ummm, I was only four. Too young to feel the funk. Feel left out now.

don't feel bad, i wuz only one...eek


Oh bless you! You're just a baby.

dammit, everybody sez that 2 me here...i'm only 21, dangit...redface lol


I bloody wish I was 21 again...
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Reply #21 posted 10/28/02 8:23am

PlastikLuvAffa
ir

adoreme said:

PlastikLuvAffair said:

adoreme said:

PlastikLuvAffair said:

adoreme said:

Ummm, I was only four. Too young to feel the funk. Feel left out now.

don't feel bad, i wuz only one...eek


Oh bless you! You're just a baby.

dammit, everybody sez that 2 me here...i'm only 21, dangit...redface lol


I bloody wish I was 21 again...

lol
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Reply #22 posted 10/28/02 8:25am

adoreme

avatar

PlastikLuvAffair said:

adoreme said:

PlastikLuvAffair said:

adoreme said:

PlastikLuvAffair said:

adoreme said:

Ummm, I was only four. Too young to feel the funk. Feel left out now.

don't feel bad, i wuz only one...eek


Oh bless you! You're just a baby.

dammit, everybody sez that 2 me here...i'm only 21, dangit...redface lol


I bloody wish I was 21 again...

lol


Do you remember when "partying like it's 1999" seemed a really, really long way away...?
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Reply #23 posted 10/28/02 8:27am

fragisexy

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adoreme said:

Ummm, I was only four. Too young to feel the funk. Feel left out now.


I was five, but I have definite memories. "1999" was the beginning for me as a Prince freak. My mother says I danced in my crib to "Soft & Wet" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover" (no, I'm not joking), but when "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" came on the radio, I can remember being totally enraptured. I saw a live Prince performance on TV during that era where he took his shirt off (Gawd, I wish I had that on tape!) and I thought that was the coolest thing. I wanted to be Prince when I grew up "because he sings and takes his shirt off!" Yeah, I was a weird little girl. nod
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Reply #24 posted 10/28/02 8:59am

rdhull

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This one marks me becoming a fan, fanatic, obsessed etc. The whole package, image of him and the band and the music.This was my funk, societal freak generations' Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was our Exile On Main Street. It was out London Calling,our White Album. The feeling I got when I first heard 1999 must have been what fans of those previoulsy mentioned albums must have felt when those albums were released. This one was Prince at his ultimate one man band peak. Yes he had others in on the ride, but for the most part it was him and him only. To borrow on a past post-

"His deep voice box vocoder started here on 1999 and he used it as Bob George, God in Temptation , on TRC etc...he first did his dramatic ending talks on Intl Lover here, and Temptation etc...and yes some songs go on for a
while..but in 82 that was the thing. Extended play for extended dancing.."you can sing and dance cant you?"..so it isnt a bother to some. But to disrespect 1999 like that is some bullshit. If it wasnt for 1999, P wouldnt have realized all That he had at the tip of his hands..the world. He had sex with a woman on wax! He realized it with 1999 and wrecked shit and decided that
he could do this and take it on the road, then he could make a movie after this. This was what made Purple Rain. He had reached the apex with 1999, he conquered. Wasnt shit left to do BUT go Hollywood and change the script for
something else. Respect 1999 please. Or it will kick your ass."

In the last decade I rarely listened to it because it was just so part of me for fuckin ever that it was like a limb and there were so many other releases after..it is a dense record...but its like having worked through 4 years of high school, getting your drivers license, your first kiss etc all in one..that its that hard, painful and pleasurable to go back to. 1999 was hard for me to appreciate--it took 7 full months to get the whole picture..took work to aoppreciate the weirdness, new waveness etc.And the recent years I have went back to it and its even more beautiful and Im able to appreciate it more, after experiencing everything that came after it.And thgosed who can "feel" it are people I think who have a certain vibe to them..a way of thinking. Like those who arent bandwagoner type etc. If you can get into 1999 you are on a certain plane. Not neccessaarily a better one, but one that I can understand.1999 has been a blessing and a curse. To me thats the ultimate.Happy fucking birthday 1999. You were my first musical "fuck", my best "fuck", and you never forget your first." They say the first time aint the greatest, but if I had to do it all again, I wouldnt change a stroke."
"Climb in my fur."
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Reply #25 posted 10/28/02 9:02am

NuPwrSoul

I was late to the party. 1982 and '83 were MJ's years, remember? After "Motown 25" with the infamous moonwalk, Mikey had chirren all over town doin the moonwalk... smart to co-opt a dance move from an-on-the-cusp breakdancing fad that was just bubbling underground.

We ignored the jhericurl--most people had one--the high water pants, the glitter socks and glove, and the penny loafers. MJ was baaad. He had that Playboy playmate as his co-star in the video for "Thriller" which is hands down the best music vid ever made.

I remember watching the American Music Awards in 83 and Prince and MJ were up against each other... civil war in my house--me cheering for MJ to win, while my sister cheered for Prince and I booed like hell. After the dust settled (and MJ won biggrin ) my sister convinced me to give "1999" a chance.

Whoa. Too out the box for a 10 year old. It would take me a couple years, after when "Purple Rain" came out, before I would pay attention to this man who took a picture of himself laying on a bed with his asscrack peeking out plumber-pants style.

First let's start with the album cover. I saw the phallic "1" immediately, but it took me awhile to notice the nipple at the top of the "1." What an interesting drawing... the pants-"N," the doe-eyes which would become a fixture for Prince in time to come, the hand and studded patch of the "R", the backwards writing in the "I," etc. Really out the box.

I never really listened all the way through the album at first... was too busy digesting "Purple Rain" and its b-side singles, The Time, Sheila E., Apollonia, and all the rip-offs, to really get into "1999." But as far as I got I digged it. What struck me particularly...

"1999" was on some ol' Nostradamus shit. Mommy why does everybody have a bomb. Was the chant for a cold-war generation terrified from watching nuke apocalypse movies like "The Day After" or "Pieces." The three-part harmony split up for the verses was cool, and that "lion in my pocket" had me rollin'.

"Little Red Corvette" a classic pop rock song singing about Trojans (and some them used omg ) in pre-condom, pre-AIDS America. The car = girl, a cliche concept but brilliantly articulating the objectification of women in the culture... and he extended the whole analogy into an entire story line.

"Let's Pretend We're Married" damn that man can stretch a song on and on and on. I don't think I ever listened to this long enough to get to the "fuck the taste out of your mouth" part.

Well if I thought THAT was long, "DMSR" at a whopping 8+ minutes (let's not even start with "AUTOmatic"). But DMSR had that funk keyboard stroke, the Linn drum prominently, and the chant. Straight up funk. And who could forget "White people clap on the four"... "1 2 3 [clap]" Prince was a brotha fo'sho, playin off some ol cultural nationalistic "white ppl need help in they rhythm section" type shit.

The "Lady Cab Driver" with the aggressive sex with a political agenda reminded me of Eldridge Cleaver's "Soul on Ice" where he took Freud into the ghetto and exposed the very unsexual political dimensions to sex.

"International Lover" was one of the first slow jams where Prince developed a whole scenario with their own metaphors to describe a love relationship. It was an airplane flight in "Intl Lover," a court room in "I Hate U," a videographer in "Insatiable," etc.

This was my second album after "Purple Rain" and after getting this one, I went right back to the record store and picked up the rest.
[This message was edited Mon Oct 28 9:03:32 PST 2002 by NuPwrSoul]
"That...magic, the start of something revolutionary-the Minneapolis Sound, we should cherish it and not punish prince for not being able to replicate it."-Dreamshaman32
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Reply #26 posted 10/28/02 9:06am

fragisexy

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NuPwrSoul said:

this man who took a picture of himself laying on a bed with his asscrack peeking out plumber-pants style.


Hot DAMN, that picture...!! love What an ass.
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Reply #27 posted 10/28/02 3:27pm

TheRainbowChil
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Is it really that long ago ?

Buying that album was life changing , I had a few Prince singles and 12 inchers (IWBYL , Sexy Dancer ,Uptown , Dirty Mind) but I was more into Pfunk , Soul , Jazz Funk and the club sounds of the time.

I used to buy all my stuff from a cracking record store in Nottingham called Arcade Records , now sadly gone, it was run by 2 brothers who really cared about music and their customers , if you were a regular they got used to what you liked and would suggest other stuff in a similar vein.
Their recommendations were rarely wrong.

It was a Saturday afternoon and their shop was heaving , I had a few records in mind , Paul pulled out 1999 , "you`ll like this , frighteningly good" he said , I liked the look of the cover - he played a snippet of each track on side one , 1999 struck a chord , Little Red Corvette surprised me , it was rock ! to be honest I wasn`t sure , import albums were expensive , but what the heck ! it did sound and look interesting.
I bought it.

I took it home and played it , it was pretty good , certainly different from what I expected and what I usually bought, it struck a chord with me , but it was a week or two before I was really hooked.

The following week it got a review in Record Mirror in the "disco" column (as dance music was called then) written by DJ James Hamilton ,he said the track 1999 was danceable and ended with the lyric "Mummy why does everybody have a bum".which confirmed the British perspective of Prince , that he was a overtly gay artist (even Blues and Soul in those days ran a similar line)

I was always playing music in my bedroom , and over the next couple of weeks , I found myself playing the album more and more - the big test for me (and it still is this day) is when having played 2 or 3 hours of stuff one track remains on my internal jukebox the following day.
I hope you know what I mean by that - it`s when a track is in your head and won`t go away no matter what !

At work I would crave the album , and couldn`t wait to get home to play it , it was so diverse , different songs for different moods , so much depth in the tracks , you would hear something new each time you played it.
It was funky , rocky , futurist , and soulful.It was P - Funky but ahead of it`s time , it really felt like something that was going to be big,it was just so good and so different.
Most of my mates were into rock or the New Romantic Scene , they considered me odd for my funk/soul leanings , I considered this album was the one that would crossover for them , LRC could take on the best rock of the time , the synth sound throughout made the British New Romantic songs sound weak and empty ,They were all forced to listen to the album , they all had a cassette of it , bludgeoned as they were they did agree , it was HOT !

It got me hooked , next visit to Arcade I said , "what else have you got by Prince ?" ,Paul smiled and pulled out all the previous albums including an import copy of For You "told you you would like it" he said.

That was it ,as I listened to Princes` back catalogue I couldn`t believe how good he was , that was the start of an obsession , I still buy loads of music , I have a big collection , but Prince moves me in a way no other artist can , he is soulful , funky , he rocks , he grooves , he hits something in me that no one else can. There are artists and tracks that are better than his stuff , but no one has produced so much so consistently never let me down.

I may well have discovered him with Purple Rain , but I think the fact that I loved 1999 so much and spread the "gospel" so much (and staggeringly I`m sure -but apologies if I am wrong - it was almost a year before it got a British release and then it was a single album!).
It was the album that changed my life.
No album has moved me in that way since , I could write about each track and what it means to me and how it makes me feel , but that would miss the point , it touched me , I made a connection, one which I have never regretted.

It opened my mind , I don`t think my record collection would have been as big without Prince (and I don`t mean it`s full of him) he has continued to grow and move on and change his style and sound and so have I , so many of of my friends from that era are still stuck in that groove and buy compilations and CD`s to replace vinyl of music they liked 20 years ago , me I have grown and developed my own taste a mixture of House , Rap , R&B , Soul , Chill Out , anything with a certain vibe , I`m still like a kid with a sound that hits the spot , I tell everyone , I enthuse ,I drive people mad.

1999 started it !
[This message was edited Mon Oct 28 15:40:13 PST 2002 by TheRainbowChild]
***IF YOU TELL ME TO WALK A STRAIGHT LINE***
***I`LL PUT ON CROOKED SHOES***
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Reply #28 posted 10/28/02 3:49pm

DavidEye

This album changed my life! I was about 12 or 13 when it came out.I remember our local radio station (KSOL) was "spotlighting" this album a few days before it's official release.They were playing the songs "Little Red Corvette","DMSR","Automatic","International Lover" and the title track continuously around the clock.I was amazed at what I was hearing!! This music was unlike ANYTHING else that was out there at the time (and mind you,there was ALOT of great music released in 1982).But,Prince's '1999' topped everything else.It's an incredible album.


For Christmas of 1982,I got the Vanity 6 album,The Time's 'What Time Is It' album,and of course,Prince's '1999' album.That was my best Christmas ever smile

1983 was the best time to be a Prince fan,and I do feel sorry for some of you younger people who weren't around for all the excitement.We were witnessing something really special.I remember seeing Prince on MTV for the first time,with the "Little Red Corvette" video.I went nuts!! Suddenly,I noticed that alot of my classmates knew who he was.He was getting major pop/crossover attention,and was becoming more than just an underground R&B act.I remember buying the issue of Rolling Stone with Prince and Vanity on the cover,then taking it to school the next day to "show off" to my Prince-loving classmates


The thing about '1999' is,it's a very unique and adventuresome album,yet it's also very accessible too.Songs like "Automatic","Lady cab Driver" and "Little Red Corvette" are catchy as hell,with hooks that stay with you long after the record finishes playing.These songs all sound energetic and inspired.There's an undeniable vitality and urgency to these songs,as if Prince was really trying to prove something.He succeeded,because '1999' is a total masterpiece from beginning to end.I can't say enough good things about this album.

What a pity though that we can't celebrate it's 20th anniversary with a kickass remastered set,complete with bonus tracks and other goodies.
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Reply #29 posted 10/28/02 4:03pm

Natasha

One time I had a Marathon Lovemaking Session to the Entire Album . We went on and on doing it on the Couch. It was Prince's Birthday and I just used to have Wild sex to this album all the Time. It was like I could get the right Grind going the right movement anyway my boyfriend and I used to get so Wild and I did really Nasty things while listening to it. It actually was a Pre-requisite to Sex! Excellent,Classic ,Party,Dance album. My Favorite of all of Prince's Artistic Creations.
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Forums > Prince: Music and More > October 27th 1982 1999 is released! Share your memories!