Hi guys, I just listened to Controversy for the first time last week. For some reason, I like all the songs on the album. I can just listen to it over and over again. I think it is one of his most underrated albums. Does anyone share my thoughts??

Controversy is a Prince classic for sure, in my top-10 Prince albums indeed.

I have no idea why you think it's a "hidden" classic, I am sure most longtime fans loooves the Controversy album unconditionally:

9,5 out of 10 from me to this fine album, only "Ronnie..." is a weaker song imho......

How is it hidden? It is not a classic. A good song but no classic. Do Me Baby is the classic.

I will go further. Head is kinda weak.

^ Head isn't a song from Controversy.. are you a newbie.. ?

I think there are some gems in controversy: Anne Christian, Sexuailty, Do Me Baby and extravaganza like Ronnie Talk to Russia.

Actually I agree... While obviously fans consider this one of his top albums, due to the fact it was from his 80's era... I feel this album always got overlooked by Dirty Mind, and a little under rated.

Songs like Annie Christian is one of the most unique songs he's recorded in the 80's, a masterpiece no, but just one of the most unique sounding Prince songs I heard.

I agree the whole album is a classic

I've been listening to this album lately. Love it. A taste of things to come before Prince unleashed 1999 on us.

Purple Yoda, he is.

Controversy,bought in 1984 when I was 10 as well

is of course a classic.

I think it's one of the best recorded albums

ever.nothing is like it.nobody but Prince could make a record

like that.

it was never hidden or underrated,though.

where is that from?

For me is one of his best songs and the album is great but i think is really an underrated album.

2freaky4church1 said:

I will go further. Head is kinda weak.

This can't be. Are you drinking? Never mind you forgot it's not on Controversy, but calling it "weak"?

And Controversy is not a classic Prince album?

Is this mindless backlash for the the whole HitnRun thing? Sounds like it. People have a right to be pissed off but come on.

Controversy is truly amazing. Both the title track (the full version with the Lord's Prayer) and Sexuality kick ass. But the entire album from start to finish is solid. I don't think there's a weak track on there. If only he could make another album today like Controversy ...

I say hidden cause I think it didn't get the respect and acclaim it deserves from non hardcore Prince fans. There is not a less than solid track up there.

wouldntulove2loveme said:

Controversy is truly amazing. Both the title track (the full version with the Lord's Prayer) and Sexuality kick ass. But the entire album from start to finish is solid. I don't think there's a weak track on there. If only he could make another album today like Controversy ...

NorthC said:

There's no big hits on it and reviews were mixed, so I can understand someone calling it a hidden classic. The A side is absolutely perfect, the B side has its ups and downs. Private Joy is a good rocker, Ronnie Talk to Russia is a joke, Let's Work is okay, Annie Christian is brilliant and Jack U Off is another tune where he's just fooling around.

Totally agree, very solid album with some timeless Prince classics on it.

Disagree- as much as I loved this in the mid-80's when I was still in elementary school, this album hasn't aged well for me over the years and is, by far, my least favorite of the "falsetto" albums.

-I still like "Controversy" but the song is too long and too repititous. I can't take hearing the same riff for 7+ minutes...

-"Sexuality"- maybe it's too "80s" but it no longer makes sense to me as a song.

-"Do Me Baby"- still cool but I'm a grown ass man and can't take the last 3 1/2 minutes of pillow talk.

-Side 2- the only one I like these days (and this has been the case for the last 20+ years or so) is Let's Work. The rest is too dated, too political/religous, too "all over the place", and doesn't have a steady, consistent groove like, for instance, sides 3 and 4 of 1999.

"Controversy" is actually kind of a lost classic, because it falls between the critical-and-creative breakthrough of "Dirty Mind" and the Prince-begins-his-reign-of-the-charts success of "1999". It doesn't really get the critical nods that these two (and then the stellar run of "Purple Rain" through "Lovesexy") seem to bring out of people.

.

By the way, before the knee-jerkers get their panties in a twist, I'm not knocking the album. I really like it. It's just not usually mentioned in the same hushed tones as the upper echelon of his albums.

thedance said:

datdude said:

'Hidden' from whom!!! Bonafied classics, both song and album!! Glad you've discovered this, late pass granted!!

I think that at the time Controversy was deemed a step backwards from Dirty Mind, by both critics and fans of Dirty Mind. Which is why I assume the OP deems it a 'hidden classic'. It also doesn't generally get mentioned much, when classic Prince albums are discussed.

Personally I much prefer Controversy to Dirty Mind, as I could never get my ears around the sparce demo quality on DM, even though its still a great album. Controversy has so much energy and experimentation to it. I love it, and it's probably in my top 5 favourite Prince albums.

Even today, I think the Controversy album was flawed by three wasted tracks: Ronnie Talk To Russia, Annie Christian, & Jack U Off.

Replace those tracks with Gotta Stop Messin Around & the original demo version of Feel U Up and you have a better classic dance/funk album.

I don't want to turn this into a P&R thread but considering the fact that Ronnie did eventually talk to Russia I always thought of "Ronnie Talk To Russia" as another example of when Prince used to be ahead of the times. Securely making it a classic. I sure do miss those days!

Controversy 10/10

Sexuality 10/10

Do me baby 10/10

Let's work 9/10

Private Joy 7/10

Ronnie 4/10

Annie Christian 10/10

Jack U Off 7/10

It's not really a hidden classic . . . just a classic.

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It ushers in the trilogy of "Purple" albums, and IMO it refines the "dirty" Prince that Dirty Mind started. If Dirty Mind was a set of brass knuckles, then Controversy is the switchblade knife.