This year marks the 30th anniversary of Morris Day's first album with the Time, a self-titled effort of synthesizer-driven party-funk written by Prince and members of his Revolution. It sent two singles to the upper reaches of the Billboard R&B charts - "Get It Up," which featured an explosive Prince solo, and "Cool."

Q: This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Time's first album. Was that a good experience working with Prince on that one?

Morris Day: It was a great experience. We were all young and had no idea where the whole thing was going. So all those efforts back then were just innocent creative moments where we were just doing what we do and had no idea that it was going to take off the way it did.

The Controversy Era

Awesome thread as always...

I have always have seen this period as kind of 'transitional', with its pro's and it's cons.

Controversy sounds like a more produced Dirty Mind, but in general Dirty Mind has better songwriting. The material on Controversy is a bit hit- and miss for me. To me its, together with Lovesexy, his most uneven album from the eighties.

Stylistically there is not any real progress to be found on the album. That came with the consequent use of electronical elements and him singing in his normal register on the 1999 album. But what i like about some songs on the album (Controversy, Sexuality and Annie Christian) is that the eerie, minimalistic sound he uses on them is actually more close to the sound of Kraftwerk, then lets say Cameo or Zapp. Its a precursor to the more 'radical' arrangements on 1999.

What annoys me about the Controversy album are the silly political references in the lyrics. A single song here and there excluded (Sign of the Times) Prince has never been good at incorporating politics in his lyrics (thats an understatement...). Controversy shows why he should keep away from that subject.. lol

In short: its a decent enough album, but not great. Prince was maybe too busy with expanding his imperium (with the Time and Vanity 6) and the development his image, to give us a real step upwards from Dirty Mind.

Riverman37 said:

I have always have seen this period as kind of 'transitional', with its pro's and it's cons.

Controversy sounds like a more produced Dirty Mind, but in general Dirty Mind has better songwriting. The material on Controversy is a bit hit- and miss for me. To me its, together with Lovesexy, his most uneven album from the eighties.

Stylistically there is not any real progress to be found on the album. That came with the consequent use of electronical elements and him singing in his normal register on the 1999 album. But what i like about some songs on the album (Controversy, Sexuality and Annie Christian) is that the eerie, minimalistic sound he uses on them is actually more close to the sound of Kraftwerk, then lets say Cameo or Zapp. Its a precursor to the more 'radical' arrangements on 1999.

What annoys me about the Controversy album are the silly political references in the lyrics. A single song here and there excluded (Sign of the Times) Prince has never been good at incorporating politics in his lyrics (thats an understatement...). Controversy shows why he should keep away from that subject.. lol

In short: its a decent enough album, but not great. Prince was maybe too busy with expanding his imperium (with the Time and Vanity 6) and the development his image, to give us a real step upwards from Dirty Mind.

I like that. A pretty balanced review of Controversy

As a concept album w/Controversy as the center: music & artwork I believe he fell short

It was a good concept to work with just the material like Ronnie Talk 2... didn't have the edge the album artwork presented. Annie Christian works just because it sounds scary

Controversy does sound like another level of Dirty Mind not really 1999

Yeah I love that word Eerie. His look a lot during this time had that feel almost gothic punk

But overall, most of this albums music I lOvE, Ronnie Talk 2 Russia could have been a fun Bside and well as Jack U Off. But I love the furious rock of those 2 songs. Ronnie Talk... kills without even trying songs like Guitar.

If he replaced Ronnie or Jack with Tick Tick Bang, right after Sexuality or Private Joy that would have been hot.

He was moving fast during the 1979-1988 years

Prince quickly went into Dirty Mind which quickly went into Controversy

Especially once he started using the band more on songs and recordings/writing the creative flow just blew up

1.Controversy
2.Sexuality

2b. Tick Tick Bang
3.Do Me Baby
4.Private Joy
5.Ronnie, Talk To Russia
6.Let's Work
7.Annie Christian
8.Jack U Off

I read that he got booed off the stage when he opened for the Rolling Stones in that era.

1981 Outtakes continued

Broken
This song was an early attempt by Prince to write a 1950s-style blues-based rock number, predating "Jack U Off" on Controversy and later "rockabilly" efforts. Even though the song sounds like a spontaneous live recording with his band, probably recorded by Prince on his own. A bluesy piano opening is followed by Prince's a cappella vocal intro before the song gets underway. The arrangement emphasizes an electric piano and a fast, fluid bassline. Sometimes called "Broken, Lonely And Crying," it was occasionally played on the Dirty Mind club tour the spring of 1981.

Broken
Till U come back 2 me
There'll be nothing left 2 say, no

Broken
My heart is broken, yeah Broken, oh baby
My heart's just broken in 2
Until U bring your sweet love, bring it on home 2 me
I'll be your broken-hearted man alone in misery

Broken, Lord
My heart is broken, Lord
Broken, yeah
My heart's just broken in 2
If U think that I'll beg 4 your sweet love, bring it on home 2 me
I'll be your broken-hearted man alone in misery

Lonely
I'm so lonely
Lonely
I don't know what do 2
Until U bring your sweet pussy, bring it on home 2 me
I'll be your broken-hearted man alone in misery

Cryin'
I'm just a-cryin'
I'm just a-cryin', baby, all night
I don't know what 2 do
Until U bring your sweet honey, bring it on home 2 me
I'll be your broken-hearted man alone in misery

Oh oh, baby
Until U, baby
Until U, baby, Lord
Until U, baby
Until U bring your sweet love, bring it on home 2 me
I'll be your broken-hearted man alone
I'll be your broken-hearted man alone
I'll be your broken-hearted man alone in misery

Cymbals!

Until U bring your sweet love, bring it on home 2 me
I'll be your broken-hearted man alone, baby
Broken-hearted man alone, baby
Broken-hearted man alone in misery

Beautifulstarr123 said:

I read that he got booed off the stage when he opened for the Rolling Stones in that era.

Excellent ("A" / 4.5 stars) bridge (both sonically and thematically) between DM and 1999.

If he had included the original version of Tick Tick Bang between the title-track and Sexuality the impact would have been bigger...

Released January 6, 1982

Let's Work" was the second single from the 1981 album, Controversy by Prince.[1] The song originates from a dance called "the Rock" that local kids were doing at the time in Minneapolis. Prince responded quickly with a track called "Let's Rock", and wished to quickly release it as a single. Warner Bros. refused, and a disappointed Prince did not include the song on Controversy saying the phase had passed. The song was updated with new lyrics and possibly new music and became "Let's Work" — one of his most popular dance numbers to date. The song is based on a funky bass line and features a shouted title throughout the song and relies heavily on keyboards to create a sexy groove in the verses and quick solos for the choruses. The lyrics are a tease, equating "working" with having sex. The song was backed with "Ronnie, Talk to Russia", which precedes it on the Controversy album.

The extended remix features instrumental solos, samples from "Controversy" and "Annie Christian", two other songs from the same album, and extra, more insistent lyrics. Prince performed the extended version in concert during theControversy and 1999 tours. This is the first U.S. Prince single to include a non-album B-side (although it was previously released as a single in the UK). "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" was written on the Dirty Mind tour, and is consistent with the minimalist demo-like quality of that album.

Let's Work

1 2 3

Let's work {x2}

I've had my eyes on U
Ever since U walked in the room
Come on and take my hand
Don't try 2 understand

Oh baby, nothing can stop us now
I'm gonna show U how
Show U how 2 work
Come on, let's have some fun
We'll work till the morning comes
I wanna see U work, come on!

I'd love 2 turn U on
And work U all night long
If I could get U in the raw
Baby, I'd make U climb the walls

Oh yeah, nothing can stop us now
I'm gonna show U how, oh yeah
Show U how 2 work
Come on, let's have some fun
We'll work till the morning comes, baby
I wanna see U work, come on!

Come on, baby
Let's work {x2}

Let's work, alright, we're gonna work all night
Everybody work, that's right, everybody
Everybody work, alright, we're gonna work all night
Everybody work, that's right, everybody
Everybody (Work)

Nothing can stop us now
I'm gonna show U how (Let's work)
I'm gonna show U how, oh baby (Work)
Come on, let's have some fun
We'll work till the morning comes (Let's work)
We'll work till the morning comes (Work)

Nothing can stop us now (Ain't nothing gonna stop us) (Let's work)
I'm gonna show U how, oh yeah (Work)
Come on, let's have some fun, oh yeah (Let's work)
We'll work till the morning comes
Ooh, everybody say (Work)

We're gonna work all night, everybody work (Let's work)
That's right, everybody
Everybody work (Let's work)

OldFriends4Sale said:

Look how tough they look, like a street gang who wore designer clothes.

Timmy84 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Look how tough they look, like a street gang who wore designer clothes.

lol I kknow I always loved the Times image/backdrop in Uptown

Jesse Johnson always looked like he was in a priests collar from a distance

OldFriends4Sale said:

Timmy84 said:

Look how tough they look, like a street gang who wore designer clothes.

lol I kknow I always loved the Times image/backdrop in Uptown

Jesse Johnson always looked like he was in a priests collar from a distance

RIGHT!

Congratulations OF4S on becoming a moderator! Your threads with information of Prince music and band members/ both historical and current, is a great way for members to get their musicology 101 on.

2elijah said:

Congratulations OF4S on becoming a moderator! Your threads with information of Prince music and band members/ both historical and current, is a great way for members to get their musicology 101 on.

purplethunder3121 said:

2elijah said:

Congratulations OF4S on becoming a moderator! Your threads with information of Prince music and band members/ both historical and current, is a great way for members to get their musicology 101 on.

Maybe Old Friends For Sale should take up Per Nilsen's offer of passing on his material to the next person willing to update the on-going Prince saga...

OldFriends4Sale said:

A friend of mine´s older brother used to collect Newsweek magazine, needless to say this issue went missing...

[img:$uid]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/level11/Clippings/newsweek1981.jpg[/img:$uid]

Whitnail said:

A friend of mine´s older brother used to collect Newsweek magazine, needless to say this issue went missing...

[img:$uid]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/level11/Clippings/newsweek1981.jpg[/img:$uid]

A PUNK PROPHET OF SEXUAL ANARCHY

OldFriends4Sale said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

eros said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Enter: Vanity ie Denise Matthews

Possessed: the Rise & Fall of Prince

Chapter 4:PAWNS

Work on the project began immediately after the Controversy tour.

How much does Prince look like that middle Jonas brother in this pic?

U mean the other way around, and I agree lol

rudeboy4711 said:

[[img:$uid]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e117/rudeboy4711/princewithgun_controversy_lynnegold.jpg[/img:$uid]

Controversy, home studio, summer 1981
Controversy (7:14)*
Sexuality (4:20)*
Ronnie, Talk To Russia #1
Annie Christian (4:21)*
Poppa Grooves (Instrumental) #1
There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool #1
Tick, Tick, Bang #1 (3:16)

The first 10 shows from the Controversy Trour during the song Annie Christian, Prince would pull out a hand gun and point it towards the side of the stage. His face would be full of rage. It was reported that Prince's management told Prince that perhaps he should drop that out of his act. He did.

Annie Christian

Annie Christian wanted
2 be number one
But her kingdom never comes
Thy will be done
She couldn't stand the glory
She would be second 2 none
The way Annie tells the story
She's His only Son

Annie Christian wanted
2 be a big star
So she moved 2 Atlanta
And she bought a blue car
She killed black children
And what's fair is fair
If U try and say U're crazy
Everybody say, "Electric chair!" (Electric chair!)

CHORUS:
Annie Christian, Anti-Christ
Until U're crucified
I'll live my life in taxicabs
Annie Christian, Anti-Christ
Until U're crucified
I'll live my life in taxicabs

Annie Christian was a whore
Always lookin' 4 some fun
Being good was such a bore
So she bought a gun
She killed John Lennon
Shot him down cold
She tried 2 kill Reagan
Everybody say, "Gun control!" (Gun control!)

CHORUS

"Liar, liar, liar!"
Gotcha in a jam
Put your head on the block
Somebody say, "ABSCAM!" (ABSCAM!)

CHORUS

© 1981 Controversy Music - ASCAP

DO we have a pic of Jamie Shoop?