I use to get The RollingStone magazine delivered to my house back in the Stone Age.

At the beginning of the magazine they would have very short reviews of new artists albums.

I remember reading a short review of For You and Rolling Stone gushed about Prince.

It caused me to run out and buy the album.

In those days RollingStone had a huge circulation so P was getting some national attention early on.

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

I use to get The RollingStone magazine delivered to my house back in the Stone Age.

At the beginning of the magazine they would have very short reviews of new artists albums.

I remember reading a short review of For You and Rolling Stone gushed about Prince.

It caused me to run out and buy the album.

In those days RollingStone had a huge circulation so P was getting some national attention early on.

Yeah, I started subscribing to that in the late 70s as a teen but discontinued it after the format changed...sometime after John Lennon's death. I missed out on the For You recommendation...

Adorecream said:

True!

TrivialPursuit said:

RJOrion said:

FACT...Prince was WELL known to black folks immediately after "i wanna be your lover" was released...it was played nonstop on the radio...next album, Uptown was all over the radio, and Party Up, and When U Were Mine also got spins... white radio and TV finally caught on with Little Red Corvette and 1999...but Black folks (especially black women) were heavy on the Prince bandwagon WAY before Little Red Corvette...

I wouldn't contradict any of that.

Toofunkyinhere said:

Adorecream said:

I am not sure, as I am too young but no one had really heard of him in New Zealand at the time. For You was not even released in New Zealand until mid 1984 during the Purple Rain era!

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What I do know is that "I wanna be your lover" was a huge hit here and only released in January 1980 as it's counted as a 1980 hit here rather than 1979. We got the American show - Solid Gold, but heavily edited and we did not get Bandstand or anything else here, just our own RTR countdown.

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Someone must have promoted Lover, as it became a #3 hit here, it hit the charts at 48 on Feb 17 1980 and then went - 37, 43, 19, 20, 11, 7, 4, 4, 4, 3 (Week of 27/4/80 my 4th birthday!), 6, 7, 8, 14, 20, 33, 38, and out 16 weeks on the chart, nearly going gold.

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Yet despite all this success, Prince would not bother out chart again until early 1983 when 1999 was a single hit peacking at #4 and then Little Red Corvette in later 1983 and finally even Doves Cry was only a #2 here, and Lets Go Crazy was bearely Top 10 and Purple Rain got to #25, I would die 4 u and Take me with u missed the chart completely. He was never a huge star here until 1988 and I am sure if you asked anyone here in NZ, other than some university DJ or hardcore Maori DJ or musician, they would have no idea who or what Prince was and automatically assume you were talking about Prince Charles.

Think I remember Cream being quite a big hit in NZ?

Actually no, it only got to #15, Alphabet Street, Batdance were his only #1's. But he had several singles in our Top 40 between 1984 and 1994, thanks to a cool guy who ran a local music magazine and a radio station, Prince was in the public eye and every album from Parade to Come had a Top 5 hit in our charts. Gett Off was a #4 here.

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Back in the 80s, looking at our music press and even the British Music Press (NME, Smash hits) he was invisible until the late 80s and I blame this on the fact most media at the time in the British Comonwealth was run by Middle class whites and focussed on rock music in adult mags and sugary pop like Duran Duran and Kylie Minogue for the teeny boppers in the Smash hits. It was only with the real success of funkier and dancier music in the late 80s (MJ, TTD, Whitney, S express, Soul 2 Soul and Matrobald Giovanni - what one paper called Milli Vanilli, the first they had heard of them) that they paid attention to dancey black acts and Prince got some coverage but never heaps. The fact he never bothered to come to OZ until 1992 and here until he nearly died, also cost him legend status here.

controversy99 said:

Adorecream said:

I am not sure, as I am too young but no one had really heard of him in New Zealand at the time. For You was not even released in New Zealand until mid 1984 during the Purple Rain era!

.

What I do know is that "I wanna be your lover" was a huge hit here and only released in January 1980 as it's counted as a 1980 hit here rather than 1979. We got the American show - Solid Gold, but heavily edited and we did not get Bandstand or anything else here, just our own RTR countdown.

.

Someone must have promoted Lover, as it became a #3 hit here, it hit the charts at 48 on Feb 17 1980 and then went - 37, 43, 19, 20, 11, 7, 4, 4, 4, 3 (Week of 27/4/80 my 4th birthday!), 6, 7, 8, 14, 20, 33, 38, and out 16 weeks on the chart, nearly going gold.

.

Yet despite all this success, Prince would not bother out chart again until early 1983 when 1999 was a single hit peacking at #4 and then Little Red Corvette in later 1983 and finally even Doves Cry was only a #2 here, and Lets Go Crazy was bearely Top 10 and Purple Rain got to #25, I would die 4 u and Take me with u missed the chart completely. He was never a huge star here until 1988 and I am sure if you asked anyone here in NZ, other than some university DJ or hardcore Maori DJ or musician, they would have no idea who or what Prince was and automatically assume you were talking about Prince Charles.

Wow, that’s very interesting. So even today most people in NZ don’t know who he is? I have a feeling it’s similar in most African countries. He never toured there. I don’t recall very many comments at all on the Org where somebody mentioned that they were from a country in Africa. It’s unfortunate. I’d be happy to hear that I’m wrong about this.

It is true, I know maybe 5 hardcore fans in all of New Zealand and two of them post here (Mostbeautifulboy and Lust). It is a bit better now as everyone seems to know of Purple Rain and since his death, but deep fans are rare, at the concerts, most hardcore people I met ahd flown in from Australia and even the USA. Most kiwis there were on some corporate trip, tastemasters from the scene and radio and a few rap and R&B types there digging the fact he is a funk legend.

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The worst I heard was some young kid saying that Prince ripped off Bruno Mars and Bruno is much better than him! Back in the 90s it was much worse. Growing up in rural New Zealand, most had not heard of him, but theu did not like him as he was 1. Black in a heavy metal/Country Music dominated place that was 99% Rural and white, 2. Probably gay as even in 1995 they still viewed Prince in his 1984 Purple Rain Guise and all thought he was gay and a "sissy n****r faggot" and I was called the same for liking him. It was hard likeing him, most record stores did not care and baely carried his records. He was considered a "low" artist from the record snob cognoscenti at the time and I often had to search the "Rap and Race Music" categories (Christchurch in 1992, was like Alabama in 1927).

Adorecream said:

controversy99 said:

Adorecream said: Wow, that’s very interesting. So even today most people in NZ don’t know who he is? I have a feeling it’s similar in most African countries. He never toured there. I don’t recall very many comments at all on the Org where somebody mentioned that they were from a country in Africa. It’s unfortunate. I’d be happy to hear that I’m wrong about this.

It is true, I know maybe 5 hardcore fans in all of New Zealand and two of them post here (Mostbeautifulboy and Lust). It is a bit better now as everyone seems to know of Purple Rain and since his death, but deep fans are rare, at the concerts, most hardcore people I met ahd flown in from Australia and even the USA. Most kiwis there were on some corporate trip, tastemasters from the scene and radio and a few rap and R&B types there digging the fact he is a funk legend.

.

The worst I heard was some young kid saying that Prince ripped off Bruno Mars and Bruno is much better than him! Back in the 90s it was much worse. Growing up in rural New Zealand, most had not heard of him, but theu did not like him as he was 1. Black in a heavy metal/Country Music dominated place that was 99% Rural and white, 2. Probably gay as even in 1995 they still viewed Prince in his 1984 Purple Rain Guise and all thought he was gay and a "sissy n****r faggot" and I was called the same for liking him. It was hard likeing him, most record stores did not care and baely carried his records. He was considered a "low" artist from the record snob cognoscenti at the time and I often had to search the "Rap and Race Music" categories (Christchurch in 1992, was like Alabama in 1927).

And even now most people I tell about him, think he only did Purple Rain and a few even ask if he is gay, still a symbol, had a rib removed so he can suck it and the worst was a women saying her favourite song was "Purple Beret".

Adorecream said:

I am not sure, as I am too young but no one had really heard of him in New Zealand at the time. For You was not even released in New Zealand until mid 1984 during the Purple Rain era!

I remember waiting for For You to be released, some time in the mid-80's, in the UK - maybe I was waiting for it to be reprinted or something. Was it released in the UK in 1978? I'm also pretty sure my other early Prince albums have those purple inserts showing the other Prince albums that were available, and that For You isn't on them. The discogs website has what seems to be a 1978 New Zealand pressing of the album.

Lianachan said:

Adorecream said:

I am not sure, as I am too young but no one had really heard of him in New Zealand at the time. For You was not even released in New Zealand until mid 1984 during the Purple Rain era!

I remember waiting for For You to be released, some time in the mid-80's, in the UK - maybe I was waiting for it to be reprinted or something. Was it released in the UK in 1978? I'm also pretty sure my other early Prince albums have those purple inserts showing the other Prince albums that were available, and that For You isn't on them. The discogs website has what seems to be a 1978 New Zealand pressing of the album.

Yep, yep, I wasn't around at the time but I have a few of these alright

jaawwnn said:

Lianachan said:

I remember waiting for For You to be released, some time in the mid-80's, in the UK - maybe I was waiting for it to be reprinted or something. Was it released in the UK in 1978? I'm also pretty sure my other early Prince albums have those purple inserts showing the other Prince albums that were available, and that For You isn't on them. The discogs website has what seems to be a 1978 New Zealand pressing of the album.

Yep, yep, I wasn't around at the time but I have a few of these alright

Excellent, cheers! I'm in the office so don't have any of those conveniently to hand. It's possible it was released in 78 but was out of print and not pressed again until later or something, but I remember waiting for it to become available and my (very possibly incorrect) understanding at the time was that it hadn't been released in the UK yet.

oops--double post. my bad.

[Edited 1/25/18 6:40am]

TrivialPursuit said:

RJOrion said:

FACT...Prince was WELL known to black folks immediately after "i wanna be your lover" was released...it was played nonstop on the radio...next album, Uptown was all over the radio, and Party Up, and When U Were Mine also got spins... white radio and TV finally caught on with Little Red Corvette and 1999...but Black folks (especially black women) were heavy on the Prince bandwagon WAY before Little Red Corvette...

I wouldn't contradict any of that.

*

I would only add that "Still Waiting" quickly became a black cult classic on the radio and at house parties when it was time to dim the lights and do the "belly-rubbing" dances. Also, "Soft and Wet" was a blip on the local black community radio as well, but, again, it was "I Wanna Be Your Lover" that transcended him from an "interesting newcomer" to a "commonly known artist" in the black community. Then, as someone has already said, it was the playing of "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" on MTV that made him a "commonly known artist" or "household name" in the white or mainstream community.

jaawwnn said:

Lianachan said:

I remember waiting for For You to be released, some time in the mid-80's, in the UK - maybe I was waiting for it to be reprinted or something. Was it released in the UK in 1978? I'm also pretty sure my other early Prince albums have those purple inserts showing the other Prince albums that were available, and that For You isn't on them. The discogs website has what seems to be a 1978 New Zealand pressing of the album.

Yep, yep, I wasn't around at the time but I have a few of these alright

This is the one I have - It is wrongly listed and was pressed in late 1984, why would a 1978 pressing have an ad for all the albums up to Purple Rain in it. Only For You was repressed this way, as all the other albums were pressed in NZ as they came out or stock was imported of Australian pressings of these albums.

.

That is like saying a "1988 NZ Pressing of Lovesexy with an ad for the Gold Experience in it"

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The record was marketed to NZ in late 1984, but was actually pressed by WEA GmBH in Germany for the NZ market. I also have NZ pressings of Prince, The Time and Ice Cream Castles.

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The NZ Record pressing plant shut down in August 1987 (Opened in 1948) and stock was imported from Australia until 1990, when records were no longer sold and it was all cassettes and CD's (And cassingles from 1991 onwards). I have since updated the Discogs listing

[Edited 1/25/18 12:07pm]

Adorecream said:

jaawwnn said:

Yep, yep, I wasn't around at the time but I have a few of these alright

This is the one I have - It is wrongly listed and was pressed in late 1984, why would a 1978 pressing have an ad for all the albums up to Purple Rain in it. Only For You was repressed this way, as all the other albums were pressed in NZ as they came out or stock was imported of Australian pressings of these albums.

.

That is like saying a "1988 NZ Pressing of Lovesexy with an ad for the Gold Experience in it"

.

The record was marketed to NZ in late 1984, but was actually pressed by WEA GmBH in Germany for the NZ market. I also have NZ pressings of Prince, The Time and Ice Cream Castles.

.

The NZ Record pressing plant shut down in August 1987 (Opened in 1948) and stock was imported from Australia until 1990, when records were no longer sold and it was all cassettes and CD's (And cassingles from 1991 onwards). I have since updated the Discogs listing

[Edited 1/25/18 12:07pm]

I never said the NZ pressing had that insert, I said that insert was in the albums I have.

[Edited 1/25/18 12:27pm]

Lianachan said:

Adorecream said:

This is the one I have - It is wrongly listed and was pressed in late 1984, why would a 1978 pressing have an ad for all the albums up to Purple Rain in it. Only For You was repressed this way, as all the other albums were pressed in NZ as they came out or stock was imported of Australian pressings of these albums.

.

That is like saying a "1988 NZ Pressing of Lovesexy with an ad for the Gold Experience in it"

.

The record was marketed to NZ in late 1984, but was actually pressed by WEA GmBH in Germany for the NZ market. I also have NZ pressings of Prince, The Time and Ice Cream Castles.

.

The NZ Record pressing plant shut down in August 1987 (Opened in 1948) and stock was imported from Australia until 1990, when records were no longer sold and it was all cassettes and CD's (And cassingles from 1991 onwards). I have since updated the Discogs listing

[Edited 1/25/18 12:07pm]

I never said the NZ pressing had that insert, I said that insert was in the albums I have.

[Edited 1/25/18 12:27pm]

Because the album I bought here in New Zealand had it and I know that all the copies of For You released in New Zealand in Sep/Oct 1984 had this insert in it, so WEA should shift some more albums, particularly the protege ones which barely bothered the charts here.

eeehhh....he had 1 top 20 hit...it was probably exciting for the moment,,,but the next single tanked...so did the album after that... The next album and single from that is where it started to take off...

Adorecream said:

Lianachan said:

I never said the NZ pressing had that insert, I said that insert was in the albums I have.

[Edited 1/25/18 12:27pm]

Because the album I bought here in New Zealand had it and I know that all the copies of For You released in New Zealand in Sep/Oct 1984 had this insert in it, so WEA should shift some more albums, particularly the protege ones which barely bothered the charts here.

The image i posted doesn't come from the New Zealand pressing. The New Zealand pressing on discogs had no mention of that insert until you added it yourself so I hope you know what you're talking about.

[Edited 1/26/18 5:35am]

jaawwnn said:

Adorecream said:

Because the album I bought here in New Zealand had it and I know that all the copies of For You released in New Zealand in Sep/Oct 1984 had this insert in it, so WEA should shift some more albums, particularly the protege ones which barely bothered the charts here.

The image i posted doesn't come from the New Zealand pressing. The New Zealand pressing on discogs had no mention of that insert until you added it yourself so I hope you know what you're talking about.

[Edited 1/26/18 5:35am]

Of course I do because I own a NZ album which had the insert inside. If you knew how to read complete blocks of text, instead of skim reading like 90% of people do, you would know this.

.

This is now my 4th defensive email about this album and insert thanks to "set if off to the left yo" types like you.

Adorecream said:

Adorecream said: