I wish his New Wave Sensibilities had been more actualized instead of being a flash in the pan.

keywhiz said:

Very true and good point. Controversy is a better produced album than Dirty Mind. It's much more polished sounding overall and he did expand upon the sound by adding a tad bit more new wave to his sound. It's definately a more "mature" sound than Dirty Mind. Tracks like "Let's Work", the title track, "Private Joy", "Do Me Baby" all have a fully realized sound to them. It showcased that P was just a flat out better songwriter, vocalist and producer this time around than on Dirty Mind. He was far more confident in his skills and it showed in those areas. And he was more experimental on this album than DM. "Annie Christian" showed that and definately pointed towards the experimental elements that's all over the 1999 album. I think P did an excellent job in keeping with the sound he had established on Dirty Mind and at the same time, not only improving on those elements from Dirty Mind on Controversy but also exploring new terrain which ultimately set up him turning it out on the 1999 album. I also think that P did expand his sound very much so on The Time's debut album. That album was cut right after the Dirty Mind European tour and was recorded BEFORE the Controversy album. The way he infused his musicianship, showcasing that, making the songs much longer and having whole sections where it was just music, like on "Get It Up" and "Cool", definately pointed to his own 1999 album. He did the same stretching out in the songs where it totally showcased his killin' musicianship on tracks like "Lady Cab Driver" and "Automatic".

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I really, really, really hope we get to hear more unreleased material from this period (DM/C/1999/83) some day.


I'm really nodding my head at blackguitaristz last post too - You can see the evolution of DM->The Time->Controversy->1999, with regards to stretching out the tracks.

blackguitaristz said:

I agree. The weaknesses (if one wants to call them that) to Controversy is that it is a transitional album. A bit beyond Dirty Mind but not quite all the way to "1999". "Annie Christian" is my favorite track on the album but, as you pointed out, it simply points towards the experimentation on 1999 without being fully realized. The dance tracks on Controversy SOUND better than the stuff on "Dirty Mind", but he's not really breaking new ground there. But he's definately more confident on Controversy than before. But again, not QUITE to the fully-confident artist he was on 1999. The fact that he's still using his falsetto so much is evidence of this lack-of-confidence, IMO. Controversy sounds, in retrospect at least, like he's holding back a bit whereas I don't hear any holding-back on Dirty Mind--that's right where he was at the time.

So, for me, this album sits in the middle of those two records. In a GOOD way, cuz I still love the album, but I almost need to play the 3 albums in sequence to really dig it all.

NouveauDance said:

I can dig it.

Great!

blackguitaristz said:

pics!

MajesticOne89 said:

you can spot bg on the special edition Purple Rain dvd. At the premiere when Prince walks the red carpet with Chick you can see him in the crowd with white bandana. Soooo jealous. Someone's gotta have a pic.

blackguitaristz said:

Ahh, very creative spin on the "Rude Boy" button placement, lol. I even got me one of those ruffly shirts and made one of those ties by wrapping a black shoestring (one of those fat-laces) around my neck, lol. AND WE WERE SERIOUS!!! Yeah, man. Prince was on fire during the "Controversy" days.

With the exception of Lotusflow3r/MPLSound, I'd say Controversy is a better effort than his post-millennium releases. Perhaps not technically better, but more fun and intriguing to listen to.... for me.

Imago said:

The Lord's prayer shrouded in funk.

Nuff said!

mynameisnotsusan said:

I've seen that one before. It was on a thread about the PR premiere sometime last year.

Controversy is a bad ass album.Critics cite SOTT as being a seminal recording but they surely have never reviewed Controversy.
Controversy is to Creedances Senators Son as to what Springsteens Born In The USA

mynameisnotsusan said:

just cos your star struck dont mean u have to agree with him tho

muirdo said:

What is a Creedances Senators Son?

TyphoonTip said:

Jack U Off is weak? That song is fabulous!

keywhiz said:

Sorry I meant Fortunate Sun,



I like 2 think of this album as Prince flipping the bird to the establishment

muirdo said:

isn't that pretty much ALL his albums?

mynameisnotsusan said:

Aaah yeah...On that I had on a white headband, not a bandanna. I'm sure though that's what u meant . Along with the white ruffle shirt and white gloves...I was TRULY under the influence!

I was just thinking a few weeks back that "side 2" is what we 39 year-oldsters used to call a perfect album side. Private Joy to Jack U Off, it's poppy, political, sexual, rocking, and out there.
Truly classic Prince.

PDogz said:

I have a "Rude Boy," pin...I have actually about 40 Prince pins...and the display that was used to sell them.

As I've said before IMHO this is an OK album. It's Prince still finding his feet. And that's exactly what it sounds like. It's OK, but far from great.

I get the feeling this might be an example of some people carrying a little bit of 80's baggage with them. The thing is, he did record occasional crap back then, just like he did in the 90s, ....just like he does now.It's clearly a matter of taste as to the quantity or type of crap (or quality) over the years. But I get the distinct impression that as time rolls on, some people may have less perspective on the 80's and can no longer make a rational judgements about comparing tracks from certain decades. And to some extent that's understandable.

It seems that if a track was recorded during the 'Classic' period, it already has a head start on anything that proceeds it. Not by virtue of it's quality, but simply because it was recorded before, or @ 1988; So it MUST be good."

Now I'm genuinely not trying to provoke anything here. This is just something that has occurred to me after reading particular threads of late. Of course, it goes without saying, it's just my opinion.

TyphoonTip said:

I see what you're getting at here, but there IS something to consider: Most of the stuff from the 'classic' period DOES have a head start because Prince was breaking so much ground at the time. A track like "Annie Christian" probably ISN'T as good as so many other similar songs Prince has recorded in the 90's and 00's, but there was NOTHING like that (that I had heard anyway) when that song came out. Yeah, Prince is largely just dicking around in the studio with tracks like "Something In The Water" and "All the Critics Love U", but again--there was not only nothing like that stuff out there at the time, but it paved the way for SO much that followed by Prince AND so many other artists.

For younger people who are viewing that 'classic' period stuff through the prism of someone who maybe didn't even hear any of it until the mid-90s or later, I can see where it might seem over-rated. But all you have to do is look at what else was on the charts in 1981 and even an (IMO) weaker (for Prince) album like Controversy just seems completely WILD by comparison.

skywalker said:

Private Joy is an underrated pop gem from the man and I'd personally put it up there with the some of his best.

TyphoonTip said:

Well, this certainly doesn't apply to me because at the time of these releases and still to this day, as albums, I never liked ATWIAD....Wasn't crazy about Parade or Lovesexy. Was HIGHLY let down when ATWIAD was released and this was at the height of P's popularity in 85...So speaking for myself, I've never been blinded by when something was cut. Simply put, if it was wack, it was wack. Be it recorded in 81, 84, or 89. I'm not going to say the cut Delirious was bangin' simply cuz it's on the best album P ever recorded. I didn't like the song when it was released and still don't like it. Cuts like Controversy, When Doves Cry, Lady Cab Driver,...their not BANGIN' because they were recorded before 1988. Their BANGIN' simply because their BANGIN'.
[Edited 4/20/09 20:18pm]

keywhiz said:

I agree, there has to be a delicate balance between seeing the material in context, but also having enough distance so that the context doesn't dominate your view of the tracks. Difficult, and in some cases impossible. I certainly have that problem with some albums I love. But it's all about acknowledging your prejudices so that you, yourself can be seen in context.

keywhiz said:

I'm 19 so I guess I qualify as one of the "younger people" and I think the majority of the 'classic' period is brilliant, however a good amount doesn't do it for me. My taste is very similar to BGZ (mytop 2 favorite P songs are his, just different order) and I'm not crazy about Parade of Lovesexy either...

To get somewhat off topic, I'm trying to pull off the rude boy look myself The hair is going to be a bitch to maintain, and since the weather is getting better, i'm gonna replace the trench coat with a blazer

MajesticOne89 said:

Maintain that shit player, maintain it. Commitment!

blackguitaristz said:

I'm trying! Although it isnt Controversy style just yet, I gotta straighten it and do the bang over the eye thing And there's the badass guitar playing that goes along with the whole image, it's gettin there man

btw when am i getting that dvd?