New topic
Printable| Author | Message |
Prince Recording Output in 1980: The Greatest Prince Mystery Ever? Guys, we know that Prince recorded and released the 8 track album DIRTY MIND in late 1980. Around that time, we also know he recorded a few other songs like Lisa and Gotta Stop Messin' About, as well as a few others. But all in all, 1980 was a VERY low point when compared to Prince's usual manic output.
From The Vault, if you count up known recorded songs (for himself and others) by year, here's what you get:
1976: 30 1977: 27 1978: 15 1979: 36 1980: 19 1981: 49 1982: 57 1983: 38 1984: 51
Sure, 1978 is a little weird but this was the year he was painstakingly assembling his debut albut FOR YOU. He was green and developing familiarity with cutting edge recording tech, etc.
1979 was back to manic...
Then 1980, even with a home recording studio IN HIS HOUSE in Minneanapolis, he only recorded 19 songs??
To me this seems implausaible, especially given the fact that all of DIRTY MIND is a purposfully quickly recorded DEMO album essentially, raw and immediate. Not a lot of fuss. Hell, I bet he could have written and recorded much of this album in one-day-a-song fashion. I know he toured quite a bit this year...but the guy ALWAYS toured quite a bit, right? And when he wasn't touring, he was writing/recording.
So in 1981 he spiked up to 49 (another year with lots of touring)...and in 1982 went bonkers with 57 (also with lots of touring), etc.
Which begs the question...
Where is the rest of 1980's output???
[Edited 5/19/21 16:28pm] | |
- E-mail - orgNote -  Report post to moderator |
My feelings are there are no fully finished studio tracks other than the ones we know of (maybe a few more). Lots of alternate and demo stuff though on cassette. Hopefully Howe and co. can retrieve what’s left of the tapes just in time for the Dirtymind SDE 😁 | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I don't see this as a mystery in the slightest. The previous two years, he's playing catchup to WB for the first album. He was in debt and needed hits so he recorded more. 80 sees him go in a new direction, touring more, going over to Europe, and keep in mind, writing does not always equal recording. He may have written a lot but not recorded. Clearly he was in the early stages of setting up the lifestyle of recording, touring, music videos, and managing time. He obviously got better managing everything later. What's more curious to me is if you tabulated all the songs recorded throughout the years, do you get to the mythical 3000+ unreleased songs in the vault? Or do those include alt versions, remixes, 12", etc. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Quote from the book 'The Beautiful Ones'. The world's problems like climate change can only be solved through strategic long-term thinking, not expediency. In other words all the govts. need sacking!
If you can add value to someone's life then why not. Especially if it colors their days... | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
There's plenty of stuff not documented by the Vault | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
"Dirty Mind" was basically a demo tape recorded at home. Therefore, there were no daily recording logs like you would find at a hired recording studio. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
sovembol said: "Dirty Mind" was basically a demo tape recorded at home. Therefore, there were no daily recording logs like you would find at a hired recording studio. Exactly!!!! | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
|
This was pre-Susan Rogers, so very likely less documented. I'm curious what Howe & Co. will find from that era. |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Since there was a 1979 version of "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" that we only recently discovered existed, I'm assuming there are plenty of other songs in the vault that no one knows about yet. Andy is a four letter word. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
|
clay said: I don't see this as a mystery in the slightest. The previous two years, he's playing catchup to WB for the first album. He was in debt and needed hits so he recorded more. 80 sees him go in a new direction, touring more, going over to Europe, and keep in mind, writing does not always equal recording. He may have written a lot but not recorded. Clearly he was in the early stages of setting up the lifestyle of recording, touring, music videos, and managing time. He obviously got better managing everything later.
What's more curious to me is if you tabulated all the songs recorded throughout the years, do you get to the mythical 3000+ unreleased songs in the vault? Or do those include alt versions, remixes, 12", etc. He did shows in Europe in ‘81, not 1980 (Amsterdam, London and Paris in May/June 1981). The Dirty Mind thread on the go at the mo, gives info of what was recorded in 1980: https://prince.org/msg/7/466798 Prince toured Feb-May ‘80 (Rick James Tour), then again in Dec ‘80 (Dirty Mind tour). May and June 1980 was when the Dirty Mind album was recorded, with it released in the October that year. Few details of what else was done seem to be known, e.g. for the period July-November? [Edited 5/20/21 16:41pm] There may or may not be something coming! |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
FrankieCoco1 said: clay said: I don't see this as a mystery in the slightest. The previous two years, he's playing catchup to WB for the first album. He was in debt and needed hits so he recorded more. 80 sees him go in a new direction, touring more, going over to Europe, and keep in mind, writing does not always equal recording. He may have written a lot but not recorded. Clearly he was in the early stages of setting up the lifestyle of recording, touring, music videos, and managing time. He obviously got better managing everything later. What's more curious to me is if you tabulated all the songs recorded throughout the years, do you get to the mythical 3000+ unreleased songs in the vault? Or do those include alt versions, remixes, 12", etc. He did shows in Europe in ‘81, not 1980 (Amsterdam, London and Paris in May/June 1981). The Dirty Mind thread on the go at the mo, gives info of what was recorded in 1980: https://prince.org/msg/7/466798 Prince toured Feb-May ‘80 (Rick James Tour), then again in Dec ‘80 (Dirty Mind tour). May and June 1980 was when the Dirty Mind album was recorded, with it released in the October that year. Few details of what else was done seem to be known, e.g. for the period July-November? [Edited 5/20/21 16:41pm] That’s why it’s such a mystery! 1980 was no more or less “busy” than 1981 but Prince’s known music from 1981 was 2X-3X more than in 1980. You know he was recording like a monster during those down months back home. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
vainandy said: Since there was a 1979 version of "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" that we only recently discovered existed, I'm assuming there are plenty of other songs in the vault that no one knows about yet. It was known to exist, but it was thought to be from 82. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Dont believe everything........... that u "think" u know about Prince.
Life is no fun......... without mystery. FOOLS multiply when WISE Men & Women are silent. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
this is just speculation (albeit informed) but while prince was touring extensively at that time, there is a good chance he used soundchecks and rehearsals to jam on new material. He did this during many other intervals in his career, so 1980-81 I suspect is no different, but I sure don't have the tapes so I don't know squat. Don Batts engineered a number of the home sessions and told about quite a few instrumentals that havn’t circulated. [Edited 5/27/21 17:00pm] | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
