Happy 36th birthday to 1999! Here's a post from Paisley Park's Facebook page.

"1999, Prince's fifth full-length studio album, was released in the United States on this day in 1982. The album features a mix of B-side and Billboard favorites ranging thematically from sex to mortality, and are accentuated by drum machines and synthesizers. The music videos for "1999" and "Little Red Corvette" were two of the first by a black artist to be played in heavy rotation on the then-burgeoning MTV Network. As one of Prince's most influential albums, the stylistic and technological elements found throughout helped shape new wave, techno, dance, house, R&B, pop, rock and funk music for many years to come.

Prince told Larry King in 1999 what inspired him to write the album's title track - “We were sitting around watching a special about 1999, and a lot of people were talking about the year, speculating on what was going to happen. I just found it real ironic how everyone that was around me, whom I thought to be very optimistic people, were dreading those days. And I always knew I’d be cool. I never felt like this was going to be a rough time for me. I just wanted to write something that gave hope.”

Thirty-six years later, 1999 remains one of Prince's most commercially and critically acclaimed albums and a testament to his creative spirit.

Read Rolling Stone's 1982 review of the album here:https://www.rollingstone....-2-111958/

Listen to the impactful 1999 album here:https://open.spotify.com/...nMvaqdQI67

#Prince #PaisleyPark #1999"

Source: https://www.facebook.com/...mp;theater

Screenshot from: https://www.pinterest.com...378104924/

His goat.

I still think Prince should have released an album titled "1982" in 1999. Not doing so was one of the saddest missed opportunities of his career.

.

[Edited 10/28/18 2:16am]

This is the album that I listened to (and studied) over and over again when it was released. I came on the Purple train with the release of Controversy but this is the album that cemented my life long love of Prince music. Put on the headphones and listened to it, trying to catch everything he said, screamed and sang. Loved his voice going from side to side. Loved everything about this album- its artistry, its music, its message. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! When the B side of How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore was released, that was when I knew that this guy was going to be around for a long, long time recording music.

My all time favorite album. Desert Island Disc. I STILL hear new stuff in it when I play it.

yup, might be his best and definitely contains my favorite prince song ever. little red corvette. this was prince before he really totally opened up to other band members, although there are plenty of other contributions here, most of it was him out of his right mind in his basement studio and as dave hill said "away from the distraction of women and business". Paraphrased that last part but it was what he wrote, he was pretty isolated at this point and you can hear it in the music.

PeteSilas said:

paulludvig said:

PeteSilas said:

yup, might be his best and definitely contains my favorite prince song ever. little red corvette. this was prince before he really totally opened up to other band members, although there are plenty of other contributions here, most of it was him out of his right mind in his basement studio and as dave hill said "away from the distraction of women and business". Paraphrased that last part but it was what he wrote, he was pretty isolated at this point and you can hear it in the music.

I don't think he ever totally opened up to other band members. But, yes, this is oretty much solo Prince. In top form. Really interesting stuff.

still surprising how much input he had considering most people often think of this as the epitome of his "one man band" stuff.

The absolute revelation for me, over time, after many years,
has been "Automatic". It was a "very good song" for years,
but it's not easy having SITW and Free coming after.
Now I think it's pure, oozing genius.

The last minutes are just out of this world. The bass is so fucking brilliant,
there are synth noises and little details everywhere, it's overdubs galore and headphones smorgasmoverboard,
it's fireworks over Metropolis on the fourth of July. The transition into the spasmodic hihat of "Something" is perfect.

Don't mention the long version of Delirious, which has a better mix and deserved to make the final cut.
But I admire Prince's decision to understate it, instead of going all Elvis.
The way you can barely hear to keyboard doing its solo when it goes in the basses...
You gotta love the way the whole album seems at first "poorly mixed".
But it's a sonic experience. It truly deserves a listening in the best conditions.

And the infamous Dance Mix, with just a new bass over the ad lib,
it becomes "Blue Limousine"’ twin sister,
hot pink neons glowing under electric blue skyscrapers over a full moon.

Let's not forget "What Time Is It?" and "Vanity 6", they deserve to be mentioned
to remind us that, as Jimmy Jam once said: "Dude, when do you sleep?".
Mayday!

[Edited 10/29/18 8:51am]

darlingnikkkki said:

databank said:

Dirty Mind made him a maverick, 1999 made him a genius. You can hear the shift somewhere in "Automatic" if Sides 1 and 2 haven't already stopped your heart. I'm usually picking my jaw up off the floor by the solo on "Lady Cab Driver."

there's a long version of delirious? I never heard it. there was a poster on here by the name of black guitarist who said a lot of the stuff you're saying about the second half of the album, for some reason, i never make the time to go listen closer to those songs to hear all those little details.

bonatoc said:

The absolute revelation for me, over time, after many years,
has been "Automatic". It was a "very good song" for years,
but it's not easy having SITW and Free coming after.
Now I think it's pure, oozing genius.

The last minutes are just out of this world. The bass is so fucking brilliant,
there are synth noises and little details everywhere, it's overdubs galore and headphones smorgasmoverboard,
it's fireworks over Metropolis on the fourth of July. The transition into the spasmodic hihat of "Something" is perfect.

Don't mention the long version of Delirious, which has a better mix and deserved to make the final cut.
But I admire Prince's decision to understate it, instead of going all Elvis.
The way you can barely hear to keyboard doing its solo when it goes in the basses...
You gotta love the way the whole album seems at first "poorly mixed".
But it's a sonic experience. It truly deserves a listening in the best conditions.

And the infamous Dance Mix, with just a new bass over the ad lib,
it becomes "Blue Limousine"’ twin sister,
hot pink neons glowing under electric blue skyscrapers over a full moon.

Let's not forget "What Time Is It?" and "Vanity 6", they deserve to be mentioned
to remind us that, as Jimmy Jam once said: "Dude, when do you sleep?".
Mayday!

[Edited 10/29/18 8:51am]

The sky was all purple....

Exactly 36 years later

https://twitter.com/news4buffalo/status/1056337327663050753

Prince has many great albums, but for me, 1999 is his greatest. 1999 and the self titled Prince album are the albums i want to be played at my funeral. No talking, just Prince.

Most definitely, besides Metallica's Master of Puppets, 1999 and Prince are the albums I've played the most.

JoeyC said:

Prince has many great albums, but for me, 1999 is his greatest. 1999 and the self titled Prince album are the albums i want to be played at my funeral. No talking, just Prince.

Most definitely, besides Metallica's Master of Puppets, 1999 and Prince are the albums I've played the most.

You better not have no damn Metallica played at the funeral

rdhull said:

JoeyC said:

Prince has many great albums, but for me, 1999 is his greatest. 1999 and the self titled Prince album are the albums i want to be played at my funeral. No talking, just Prince.

Most definitely, besides Metallica's Master of Puppets, 1999 and Prince are the albums I've played the most.

You better not have no damn Metallica played at the funeral

Yep. Probably none of my family members would go for that.


Anyway, i do not mean to sound morbid, but since 1999 was released, I've though that Free would be a pretty cool song to play at a(my) furneral. Not necessarily because the lyrics, but I've always thought the music was cool.


Regardless, i hope to have a a long life, lol.

JoeyC said:

rdhull said:

You better not have no damn Metallica played at the funeral

Yep. Probably none of my family members would go for that.


Anyway, i do not mean to sound morbid, but since 1999 was released, I've though that Free would be a pretty cool song to play at a(my) furneral. Not necessarily because the lyrics, but I've always thought the music was cool.


Regardless, i hope to have a a long life, lol.

it changed my life

MoBettaBliss said:

it changed my life

This album is like the backstory to the movie and soundtrack Purple Rain

MoBettaBliss said:

it changed my life

Mine, too - because it was the first Prince album I ever listened to (or owned).

Moonbeam said:

The greatest album ever recorded, in my book.

Almost agree with you, 2nd Greatest album recorded behind "Purple Rain"!