Controversy being the middle album in this trilogy, do you feel it is more similar in style, feel and attitude to Dirty Mind (New Wave/Rock/Punk-Funk fusion) or 1999 (Minneapolis Linndrum sound and lush ballads like Do Me Baby and Int'l Lover)? For me, this was a major transition in Prince's musical direction but DM and Controversy often get lumped together as if they were one and the same (even sold together as a back-to-back double album).

I feel that Controversy is closer to 1999. Dirty Mind, to me, is a stand-alone album.

I think Controversy was very evolutionary and vital to bridging the punk, short song ethos of Dirty Mind to the longer, funk jams of 1999. Without the Controversy LP in there, what a major juxtaposition Dirty Mind would have been against 1999.

Dirty Mind and 1999 is some of the most perfect albums I've heard. Controversy is a very good looking bridge between, but is missing the stand out concept of the other classics. Do Me baby, Jack U Off, Sexuality Tick, Tack Bang and Lets Work could easily be Dirty Mind songs if they had a little bit "older" sound. Rough and uncut. And we would have a bigger album. While Private Joy would suit 1999 well. 1999 didn't really have room for much nore. The song Dirty Mind and Controversy are brother songs. Anyways, I like the albums as they are. Dirty Mind is portrating a bit more of his vulnurable side that he had on his previous albums. I love the perfect blend of vulnurable, naive and nasty rock and punk cocky sound. 1999 he is overall more secure, less vulnurable, more dominating and controlling. I know that quite some feminists would have something to say about this album. This is where we could really smell his stardom. This is his most "male" sounding album yet imo. Controversy is a perfect bridge to me, but not a stand alone album.

We just had a similar thread recently, so dare I say it again?... Why not: For me Controversy is proto-1999.

Actually in terms of structure it follows DM quite closely, but so does 1999 to some extent. DM was a bunch of demos released as an album, Controversy is more polished sounding (which is usually noted as a reason that it's inferior to it's predecessor) - I see that, but then you also get the extended work out of Controversy and the synthscapes of Annie Christian, Sexuality - which are all closer to 1999.

It's right there in the middle, and you can hear what came before, and where he was going next. I think that's why I like Controversy so much - you see him standing at the edge of the precipice about to leap into mega-stardom. All the pieces are just about there, but still not fully formed - that kind of thing rings my bell.

I think Dirty Mind & Controversy are more similar. Both have that New Wave feel very strong, a more simpler feel than 1999

I also think For U Prince & Dirty Mind are very similar especially in the ballads

jwsullivan said:

I feel that Controversy is closer to 1999. Dirty Mind, to me, is a stand-alone album.

TOTALLY

He perfected what he was trying to say on Controversy in a cooler sense with 1999

[Edited 1/22/11 15:51pm]

7souls said:

It was the perfect hybrid album. And for how old it is, it's actually aged well. I've wondered before if he had a bridge album between Purple Rain & ATWIAD, like Contro was, if that woulda eased the shock for the less than diehard fans.

I know what you mean, it was a seriously drastic change.

Actually from ATWIAD to Parade was drastic too

Too bad he couldn't have released an album with songs like Roadhouse Garden, Possessed, God the Love Theme, Our Destiny and a few other outtakes between PR & ATWIAD or made it a double release

I remember Prince, in one of his few interviews in the 1980s, saying that Controversy was sort of an expansion of Dirty Mind. He was making a point about how he had never released the same album twice. The he went on to say that he did feel his albums had been released in pairs up to that point. FOR YOU and PRINCE; DIRTY MIND and CONTROVERSY; 1999 and PURPLE RAIN; and ATWIAD and PARADE.

NouveauDance said:

We just had a similar thread recently, so dare I say it again?... Why not: For me Controversy is proto-1999.

Actually in terms of structure it follows DM quite closely, but so does 1999 to some extent. DM was a bunch of demos released as an album, Controversy is more polished sounding (which is usually noted as a reason that it's inferior to it's predecessor) - I see that, but then you also get the extended work out of Controversy and the synthscapes of Annie Christian, Sexuality - which are all closer to 1999.

It's right there in the middle, and you can hear what came before, and where he was going next. I think that's why I like Controversy so much - you see him standing at the edge of the precipice about to leap into mega-stardom. All the pieces are just about there, but still not fully formed - that kind of thing rings my bell.

This is exactly why Controversy is my favorite album. To the letter.

Spinlight said:

NouveauDance said:

We just had a similar thread recently, so dare I say it again?... Why not: For me Controversy is proto-1999.

Actually in terms of structure it follows DM quite closely, but so does 1999 to some extent. DM was a bunch of demos released as an album, Controversy is more polished sounding (which is usually noted as a reason that it's inferior to it's predecessor) - I see that, but then you also get the extended work out of Controversy and the synthscapes of Annie Christian, Sexuality - which are all closer to 1999.

It's right there in the middle, and you can hear what came before, and where he was going next. I think that's why I like Controversy so much - you see him standing at the edge of the precipice about to leap into mega-stardom. All the pieces are just about there, but still not fully formed - that kind of thing rings my bell.

This is exactly why Controversy is my favorite album. To the letter.

*high fives*

"1999" to me was always "Controversy PT 2". P sang about "living his life in taxi cabs" and then on the next joint....hello- "Lady Cab Driver"?

But when I reach for the old stuff I always listen to "Dirty Mind" and then "Controversy" right after it.

Well, you can probably guess from my username where I stand on this one.

1999 is my favorite album -- DMSR, Lady Cab Driver, All the Critics ... love it!

And Controversy lays a lot of the groundwork for 1999.