Wow, is it that long ago allready?

I mean times flies, i was only 4 when that album was released (I obtained it a lot later of course).

Alltough i consider it an impressive effort realising that Prince, as such a young musician, played and (practically) produced all of the music on that album himself, i think it suffers from not offering interesting, distinctive compositions and from overproduction (Prince did took 9 months to record that album, and according to himself, he was so perfectionistic in that process that it took the real life and engery out of the music).

His second album, Prince, was recorded in just weeks and sounds the better for that: more direct and focussed.

But ultimately, i consider Dirty Mind as his 'real' debut-album. On the first two albums you could hear he was a gifted musician, but the material and performances werent very distinctive, often copying what other artists around him were doing at that time (Soft and wet and I wanna be your lover, are typical for the disco-pop sound from that period, while Why you wanna threat me so bad is in line with then popular AOR-bands like Foreigner and Toto).
Dirty Mind still sounds like a sharp 'left-turn' from that two first albums: the original mixture of 'black' R&B and funk with 'white' pop-melodies and rock-elements became a blueprint of his music. And his blunt lyrics about sex and freedom made him much more distinctive.
Maybe we should thank his managers around that time, the ones who pursuaded him to release his demo's as a album...lol
Or maybe its Dez Dickerson we should thank here: his bandmember who is said to have introduced Prince to the new-wave music from that period. When i listen to Dirty Mind i hear echoes from bands like The Cars, Devo, Elvis Costello and the attractions and the B'52's. Influences that indirectly helped him to get into 'the saddle', and helped him to become a distinctive musician himself.

Riverpoet31 said:

I agree with you-Dirty mind was his "real" breakthrough album. It is also my personal fav...

Dayclear said:

Prince released his first album on the day my mother released her first child -
I was born on April 7, 1978 too!

I fucking adore this album. I usually listen to it on my birthday, but this year I forgot.

What a brilliant album, who would have thought it would have brought us to where Prince is musically today? Congratulations Prince - real music for real music lovers!