(Really, though, probably the only song on it that sounds punk is "Sister." I'm not sure what punk Prince was listening to at the time, though I wouldn't be surprised if he'd heard some Ramones. And he'd probably heard the Stones more than them. But Controversy still seemed closer to 1981 commercial dance-oriented-rock new wave, somehow.)
― xhuxk, Thursday, 28 February 2008 01:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Alright, decision made. Keyboard solo on "Head" ftw.
― The Reverend, Thursday, 28 February 2008 07:07 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't get this at all. How did Dirty Mind not "experiment within the pop form"?? Before it came out, "Bambi" or no "Bambi", Prince was just this disco kid who had a good Top 40 hit; it was a totally outlandish move, both musically and conceptually. There were probably precedents as far as punk-funk went (in fact, I think Rick James had invented the phrase), but Dirty Mind really didn't sound much like them, or like anybody else. It really seemed like a whole new thing at the time.
Okay, when Dirty Mind came out I was 1 year old, so obviously I can't tell what sort of an impact the album had when it came out, I can only look it in retrospect. But from that that point of view it doesn't feel that different from the sort of bare-bones guitar-and-keyboard-driven funk that was around the time (Rick James, like you mention) or before (Funkadelic, The Meters). Sure, the extreme stripped-down nature of the funk on DM can be seen as sorta innovative, but besides that the songs pretty much follow the basic structures of stereotypical funk/rock/pop tunes, and experiment little within those boundaries. Whereas on his later albums Prince often deconstructs both the sound and form of funk/rock/pop in ways that no other popular artist has done before or since.
― Tuomas, Thursday, 28 February 2008 08:49 (sixteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― ILX System, Friday, 29 February 2008 00:01 (sixteen years ago) link
Wow, Uptown @ #2! At least there were votes for every song except the one I always skip.
― Jordan, Friday, 29 February 2008 00:05 (sixteen years ago) link
I can say i'm quite surprised by that...
― sonnyboy, Friday, 29 February 2008 00:07 (sixteen years ago) link
Jordan, U crazy! "Gotta Broken Heart Again" deserved better than this.
― The Reverend, Friday, 29 February 2008 00:13 (sixteen years ago) link
I guess "Gotta Broken Heart Again" might gotten some votes in a weighed poll, where you could've voted it for the second or third best, but no one thinks it's the best tune on the album.
― Tuomas, Friday, 29 February 2008 07:53 (sixteen years ago) link
had no idea cyndi lauper covered 'when you were mine' !
― subtle like the g in 'goole' (dayo), Thursday, 16 September 2010 00:06 (thirteen years ago) link
cristina did too!
― 69, Thursday, 16 September 2010 00:36 (thirteen years ago) link
tuomas itt o_O
dirty mind sounds like the meters??
― you cant see me markers (deej), Thursday, 16 September 2010 00:40 (thirteen years ago) link
I like Controversy more, if only for Do Me Baby. Still his best slow-jam.
― Esa-Pekka picked a pack of pickled peppers (corey), Thursday, 16 September 2010 00:49 (thirteen years ago) link
that is pretty fantastic! xxp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3pIxfGEhM0
― subtle like the g in 'goole' (dayo), Thursday, 16 September 2010 01:07 (thirteen years ago) link
This is the best Prince album.
― The Reverend, Thursday, 16 September 2010 01:09 (thirteen years ago) link
― PappaWheelie V, Thursday, 16 September 2010 01:54 (thirteen years ago) link
This is the best Prince album cover.
― Mormons come out of the sky and they stand there (Abbbottt), Thursday, 16 September 2010 02:25 (thirteen years ago) link
That too.
― The Reverend, Thursday, 16 September 2010 05:21 (thirteen years ago) link
prefer the cover of the self-titled i think
― just sayin, Thursday, 16 September 2010 15:05 (thirteen years ago) link
this was one of the first Prince albums I bought. the first three tracks = godly. I like them all really.
― turn in yer badge (San Te), Thursday, 16 September 2010 15:59 (thirteen years ago) link
http://pitchfork.com/features/from-the-pitchfork-review/9731-do-it-all-night-the-story-of-princes-dirty-mind/
― the cuddling of the american behind (how's life), Thursday, 8 October 2015 18:19 (eight years ago) link
Nice! Great article, great album.
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 9 October 2015 00:10 (eight years ago) link
This is the best Prince album.― The Reverend, Wednesday, September 15, 2010 7:09 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post PermalinkThis is the best Prince album.― PappaWheelie V, Wednesday, September 15, 2010 7:54 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post PermalinkThis is the best Prince album cover.― Mormons come out of the sky and they stand there (Abbbottt), Wednesday, September 15, 2010 8:25 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― The Reverend, Wednesday, September 15, 2010 7:09 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― PappaWheelie V, Wednesday, September 15, 2010 7:54 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Mormons come out of the sky and they stand there (Abbbottt), Wednesday, September 15, 2010 8:25 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
OTMFM
― Futuristic Bow Wow (thewufs), Friday, 9 October 2015 02:44 (eight years ago) link
Huh i had never noticed that WYWM's verses all get progressively shorter, that's p clever
― Οὖτις, Friday, 9 October 2015 03:16 (eight years ago) link
And yeah Controversy is better.
It was "Dirty Mind" I had in my head all day when I found out he'd died, for some reason.
― albvivertine, Sunday, 24 April 2016 09:28 (eight years ago) link
That Matos article is very good. Never knew about Mitch Ryder version of "When You Were Mine."
― PiL Communication (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 April 2016 11:44 (eight years ago) link
The almost thrash punk lovesexy tour version of sister is one ofhis alltime great rock moments
― StillAdvance, Sunday, 24 April 2016 11:49 (eight years ago) link
the title track got jobbed in this poll. that synth riff alone rules.
― Neanderthal, Sunday, 24 April 2016 13:33 (eight years ago) link
Y’all are on crack. This album is incredibly disappointing, especially considering how many rave reviews it has on Wikipedia. The rinky-dink ‘80s keyboards are sooooo dated!
― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 12 September 2019 22:56 (four years ago) link
and sooooo tite
― brimstead, Friday, 13 September 2019 04:31 (four years ago) link
No votes for "Gotta Broken Heart Again" kinda breaks my heart
― J. Sam, Tuesday, 5 April 2022 01:07 (two years ago) link
Good point.
― Came Here to Roll the Microscope (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 5 April 2022 01:14 (two years ago) link
Nothing wrong with it but competition was too strong. "When You Were Mine" alone is a contender for Prince's greatest track.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 5 April 2022 01:16 (two years ago) link
grammatical error iirc
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 April 2022 01:22 (two years ago) link
bird otm
― ass time permits (morrisp), Tuesday, 5 April 2022 01:25 (two years ago) link
It's pretty much designed to be the dark horse on the album, I would bet that Prince would be amazed at anyone considering it the best song.
― Halfway there but for you, Tuesday, 5 April 2022 01:29 (two years ago) link
On a practical level, Prince was, literally, invaluable. His huge catalogue of danceable songs helped create a lot of stripper wealth — first as a thrilling new thing that got the boys grooving in their seats, then as a feel-good nostalgia trip. He even offered short cuts: If you wanted to get your stage set over with so you could get back into the audience and make money doing table dances, “Got a Broken Heart Again,” barely over two minutes long, was an exquisite choice.
from https://www.thecut.com/2016/04/why-prince-was-a-hero-to-strippers.html
― J. Sam, Tuesday, 5 April 2022 02:07 (two years ago) link
I gotta broken heart, I just GOTTA
― J. Sam, Tuesday, 5 April 2022 02:10 (two years ago) link
nah! he loved it and played it up until the end!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbpE4uP5rr4
― kurt schwitterz, Tuesday, 5 April 2022 04:34 (two years ago) link
Been meaning for months to post how much love I have for ‘Gotta Broken Heart Again’…so easy to overlook but contains his absolute essence…kill me every time
― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Tuesday, 5 April 2022 21:57 (two years ago) link
Beautiful guitar sound
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 April 2022 22:03 (two years ago) link