Before getting into Prince I was more of a 70s classic rock kid, so "I'm Yours" especially and the whole super organic super warm, "real instruments by real musicians" vibe, which he really rarely actually hit on record again after the 70s either due to 80s reliance on drum machines/synths or the super maximized all-digital recording methods he used in the 90s/00s, made this always an special Prince album different than the rest.

The famz seem a little too preoccupied that he's not espousing enough lyrical raunch to sometimes notice it's got possibly the most masterful/mellifluous arrangements/mixing of his entire career. The 80s stuff may be "cooler," this one is like the closest he came to the recording equivalent of a feather pillow.

Way wayy better than s/t which is like the cookie-cutter stripped-back reboot of For You.

[Edited 8/10/23 6:41am]

It took me a long time to get into Prince's yacht-rock debut.

I still don't remember many songs on it. But it reminds me a lot of Steely Dan's Aja in some ways. You could insert "Black Cow" in there and no one would notice, really. (The same way you can mix Thriller and Toto IV and it's all ephemeral to itself.)

I never listened much to For You so it was years and years later when someone finally pointed out the drum fill in "I Hate U" comes from "Baby." Which, really, is such a pull for him to go that far back to borrow something. But maybe the latter just sorta called for that rhythm, and "Baby" popped into his head.

In general, I think the album more shows his prowess as a multi-instrumenalist, and would-be producer. His songwriting was strong, the arrangements were stellar. The sound just stays locked in the late 70s. Which, isn't a bad thing.

I shall listen to it again today.

The bassist Prince vs. the guitarist Prince vs. the drummer Prince on "I'm Yours" still gives me goosebumps every time!

I loved that album from day 1. Still do.

nayroo2002 said:

The bassist Prince vs. the guitarist Prince vs. the drummer Prince on "I'm Yours" still gives me goosebumps every time!

The "one-man-band" gimmick has never been more flooring.

The 80s prime is great and all but coming from a rock background all them 80s drum machines took a loooong while to get acclimated to.

For You was the first LP it was like "damn, he actually can play real drums."

[Edited 8/10/23 19:03pm]

it's very good and yes i did go through a period of not giving it the attention it deserved before realizing how good it was. In Love, i think has always been really underrated. just as long as we're together, crazy you, etc. all great.

self titled is better, though, just by virtue of wanna treat me, i wanna be, and bambi. that being said, give me baby over close and slow/with you any day of the week.

"Bambi" totally stole that riff from somewhere, somebody help me out.

I didn't! I've screamed the joys and pleasures of that album from the top of my lungs for decades. "For You, In Love, My Love Is Forever and Just As Long As We're Together" are positively eargasmic!

Fantastic album and yes, I slept on it for years too. But now I consider it a classic and listen to it all the time. The title track is gorgeous, I'm Yours, and Soft & Wet are a few of my fave Prince songs and Crazy You is one of my all time faves from anyone.

[Edited 8/21/23 7:15am]

I loved "For You" when it came out and still do. Original vinyl is on display in the listening room, great first album by the man.

WhisperingDandelions said:

Before getting into Prince I was more of a 70s classic rock kid, so "I'm Yours" especially and the whole super organic super warm, "real instruments by real musicians" vibe, which he really rarely actually hit on record again after the 70s either due to 80s reliance on drum machines/synths or the super maximized all-digital recording methods he used in the 90s/00s, made this always an special Prince album different than the rest.

The famz seem a little too preoccupied that he's not espousing enough lyrical raunch to sometimes notice it's got possibly the most masterful/mellifluous arrangements/mixing of his entire career. The 80s stuff may be "cooler," this one is like the closest he came to the recording equivalent of a feather pillow.

Way wayy better than s/t which is like the cookie-cutter stripped-back reboot of For You.

[Edited 8/10/23 6:41am]

He had plenty of warm, organic records in the 2000s: Rainbow Children, Planet Earth, Lotusflow3r, PlectrumElectrum and HNR Phase 2. Yes, there were occassional splashes of digital in there, but they were overwhelmingly organic.

lurker316 said:

He had plenty of warm, organic records in the 2000s: Rainbow Children, Planet Earth, Lotusflow3r, PlectrumElectrum and HNR Phase 2. Yes, there were occassional splashes of digital in there, but they were overwhelmingly organic.

Yeah, my post is framed reflectively and retroactively as to when I first got into Prince. Only one of those albums existed when I got into Prince, and it was rated so lowly by the fanbase in-the-moment whining about his religious views so I didn't really check it out until after exploring the 80s and much of the 90s.

N.E.W.S. was organic, too, but I have accepted Prince fans simply don't want to acknowledge that one. Either way you completely obfuscated my point that all these records are still digitally maximized to 11...

[Edited 8/11/23 18:51pm]

MattyJam said:

Been listening a lot to this album recently. I have to admit, I have slept on it for the longest time. I always enjoyed the title track (surely one of his greatest album openers) and Soft & Wet, but pretty much ignored the rest of it, dismissing it as "primitive Prince." But lately, I've really gotten into it. "Baby" is a fine Prince ballad, "My Love Is Forever" has a nice Jacksons-esque vibe and album closer "I'm Yours" is a masterful blistering rock track, dare I say the closest Prince ever came to sounding metal in places (that guitar intro motif that he repeats later towards the end of the track is pure metal). [Edited 8/10/23 5:34am]

.

Defo ain't great.

.

Cool that you like it.

.

But great? Too strong.

I was 6 years old when this came out, but didn't have the album until I was about 14.

BUT, my mind remembered hearing the music of "I'm Yours" (no lyrics) in a movie or TV show. I knew I had heard it before I knew what it was.

The overall album is OK - it's very good. I don't think it's great.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

when/if the estate release a SDE for for you, i hope they include all the material from this period. theres a lot i havent heard tbh, but its great to hear prince still in the 70s, when he really was doing the 'real music by real musicians' (well one musician) thing without making a point of it. i suppose your affection for this period also depends on how much you like 70s music (those synths!), and obv soul/funk/disco (and some rock) from that period (though he still sounds diff , as well as maybe slightly more teen-skewing music - this was def prince at his sweetest.

WhisperingDandelions said:

lurker316 said:

He had plenty of warm, organic records in the 2000s: Rainbow Children, Planet Earth, Lotusflow3r, PlectrumElectrum and HNR Phase 2. Yes, there were occassional splashes of digital in there, but they were overwhelmingly organic.

Yeah, my post is framed reflectively and retroactively as to when I first got into Prince. Only one of those albums existed when I got into Prince, and it was rated so lowly by the fanbase in-the-moment whining about his religious views so I didn't really check it out until after exploring the 80s and much of the 90s.

N.E.W.S. was organic, too, but I have accepted Prince fans simply don't want to acknowledge that one. Either way you completely obfuscated my point that all these records are still digitally maximized to 11...

[Edited 8/11/23 18:51pm]

What do you mean they're digitially maximized to 11? The instrumentation isn't. Are you refering to the recording and editing? I think Plectrum was analogue, wasn't it?

Note, the Podcast - Mountains and the Sea, are going to release their review of For You this Sunday. So, i'm going to be listening. They are great.

I have to admit, never got into this album fully. I will however do so now. I have always loved I'm Yours, For You, Soft and Wet, Baby...absolutely loved Crazy You.....but the rest, not really.

To me, he was obviously planning his future. Within this album (very much I'm Yours) he shows you that he can do everything. He does all that on purpose to show how good he actually is. He also does the opening For YOu to show you he can sing....

He was making a very big announcement

lurker316 said:
What do you mean they're digitially maximized to 11? The instrumentation isn't. Are you refering to the recording and editing? I think Plectrum was analogue, wasn't it?

Mastering. Starting like 1993 he's got the worst CDs in history. All the analogue tech in the world is irrelevant if you brickwall the mix as the last step.

JoeyCococo said:

Note, the Podcast - Mountains and the Sea, are going to release their review of For You this Sunday. So, i'm going to be listening. They are great.

I have to admit, never got into this album fully. I will however do so now. I have always loved I'm Yours, For You, Soft and Wet, Baby...absolutely loved Crazy You.....but the rest, not really.

To me, he was obviously planning his future. Within this album (very much I'm Yours) he shows you that he can do everything. He does all that on purpose to show how good he actually is. He also does the opening For YOu to show you he can sing....

He was making a very big announcement

Yeah, it's pretty clear through the For You ornamentation this kid is gonna be a force when he figures out an angle or approach that would make him stand out. And that's exactly what happened.