"Black,White.Puerto Rican...Everyone a just a freakin"...I'm goin Uptown
― sonnyboy, Saturday, 23 February 2008 01:08 (sixteen years ago) link
"when u were mine" is the instant pop classic, but i think "uptown" encapsulates the album better. there are no bad songs on this, though.
― tipsy mothra, Saturday, 23 February 2008 02:14 (sixteen years ago) link
U said - "I'm just a virgin and I'm on my way 2 be wed But U're such a hunk so full of spunk, I'll give U..."
― nicky lo-fi, Saturday, 23 February 2008 06:20 (sixteen years ago) link
Title track. This is probably my favorite Prince record.
― kornrulez6969, Saturday, 23 February 2008 06:52 (sixteen years ago) link
Bump.
― Tuomas, Monday, 25 February 2008 07:25 (sixteen years ago) link
I was going to vote for "Uptown" but since everyone else did I voted for "Head"
― The Brainwasher, Monday, 25 February 2008 07:28 (sixteen years ago) link
i agree with Tuomas that Controversy is better but this album is pretty unfuckwithable. Those two are my fave Prince albums mos def
― The Brainwasher, Monday, 25 February 2008 07:31 (sixteen years ago) link
I guess I could do a Controversy poll after this one is finished.
― Tuomas, Monday, 25 February 2008 08:53 (sixteen years ago) link
"Uptown". But this is the first Prince album with several strong tracks to choose from.
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 25 February 2008 09:03 (sixteen years ago) link
I assume you mean the first album of his, rather than the first album we've polled.
― The Reverend, Monday, 25 February 2008 09:13 (sixteen years ago) link
Btw, does anyone know if there are any 12" mixes or remixes made of the singles from Dirty Mind? There are some extended remixes of the singles from the previous two albums, and there's obviously the classic 12" mix of "Let's Work" from the next one, but I haven't seen any mention of 12" mixes from this album in any Prince discography.
― Tuomas, Monday, 25 February 2008 11:14 (sixteen years ago) link
To be more correct: there were 12" versions of Dirty Mind singles available, but they seem to be the same as the album versions, which is not the case with many other Prince singles.
― Tuomas, Monday, 25 February 2008 11:17 (sixteen years ago) link
My only rockist objection with Dirty Mind: The complete absence of wah-wah wankery. (I don't think a token "Bambi" solo per longplayer is too much to ask, especially if it could enable the album to break the 30-minute barrier.)
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 25 February 2008 19:06 (sixteen years ago) link
Uh-uh. This album is PUNK. Wah-wah wankery/being over 30 minutes = not PUNK.
― The Reverend, Monday, 25 February 2008 19:17 (sixteen years ago) link
i think its a bit of a shame this phase didnt last longer in princes career.
― mr x, Monday, 25 February 2008 21:26 (sixteen years ago) link
this album is completely perfect. i barely have an idea what to pick -- leaning slight towards the opener, but i don't know. this is so hard.
― Mark Clemente, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 00:09 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah, this is one of the greatest albums ever (sorry ian).
― Jordan, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 05:54 (sixteen years ago) link
I only like the last three songs on this album.
― Bimble, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 07:34 (sixteen years ago) link
If Dirty Mind is punk, I guess that's the reason why it's not among my favourites. I prefer the wankiness, the experimentalism, the better songwriting and the more intricate arrangements of the later albums to the raw punk energy of this one.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 10:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Breaking "rules" that exist only in somebody else's mind = VERY punk!
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 15:38 (sixteen years ago) link
I prefer the wankiness, the experimentalism, the better songwriting and the more intricate arrangements of the later albums
fixed
― Jordan, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 15:44 (sixteen years ago) link
People really think the songwriting on Dirty Mind is as good as on later Prince albums? Because I can't even hum any of the tunes on the album, except When You Were Mine. Most of the hooks on the album are simple keyboard riffs and chanted choruses.
To make it thing straight though, I have nothing against raw, simple, groove-centred funk, it's just that Dirty Mind isn't the best specimen of that. Also, I think Prince's biggest strengths lie elsewhere.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 15:54 (sixteen years ago) link
Because I can't even hum any of the tunes on the album
I feel the same way about Controversy, w/a couple exceptions. I can totally sing all the tunes on DM off the top of my head.
― Jordan, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 15:56 (sixteen years ago) link
Yeah, I don't think Controversy is his melodic masterpiece either, but the reason I prefer it to DM is that it takes the basic sound of DM and brings it to more interesting and varied places.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 15:59 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't mean to imply that melody is everything... To me Prince's three major strengths are 1)his ability to experiment within the pop form, 2) his ability to build up original and surprising arrangements, and 3) his ability to write pretty melodies. DM doesn't really showcase any of these, and to me his ability to funk the hell out only comes after those three, even though he is great at funk.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 16:03 (sixteen years ago) link
I guess one thing I like about DM is that it shows how good he is at straight-up pop, without the expectation of doing a lot of crazy shit (although the arrangements still feel fresh to me, and only he could get away with a lot of the lyrics).
― Jordan, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 16:09 (sixteen years ago) link
-- mr x, Monday, February 25, 2008 4:26 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link
kind of o_O to say this considering that Controversy is widely considered a retread of Dirty Mind (and honestly a lot of songs on 1999 are in a pretty similiar style).
― Alex in Baltimore, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 16:19 (sixteen years ago) link
tuomas how can you not sing 'uptown'
― deej, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 16:20 (sixteen years ago) link
Uptown is a great beginning-of-the-night song.
― Jordan, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 16:23 (sixteen years ago) link
Thank god we still keep the 'melody vs. groove' debates alive.
This, Controversy, and the first Zapp define my days in Michigan discovering the skating rink and mixed tapes.
― PappaWheelie V, Tuesday, 26 February 2008 21:38 (sixteen years ago) link
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 27 February 2008 10:21 (sixteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― ILX System, Thursday, 28 February 2008 00:01 (sixteen years ago) link
i've had this whole album in my head since this thread was started
voted for the opening track, btw
― Mark Clemente, Thursday, 28 February 2008 00:09 (sixteen years ago) link
this album is seriously so perfect
its a bit of a shame this phase didnt last longer in princes career.
kind of o_O to say this considering that Controversy is widely considered a retread
Nah, I totally agree with it (even if you do include Controversy) (hell, even if you include 1999, which doesn't make much sense.) But anyway, whether it's considered a retread now or not, at the time, Controversy seemed more new wave (like, inspire by the Cars or Devo or something), compared to Dirty Mind's punk. And regardless, they're still his two best albums, to my ears. So yeah, it should've lasted longer. (I do agree with Myonga that more "Bambi"'s would've been cool, though. I voted for "Party Up" myself, partly because somebody underrating it up thread, pissed me off. But I could easily have gone with maybe 5 other choices.) (I guess "Do It All Night" is my least favorite, for whatever that's worth.)
― xhuxk, Thursday, 28 February 2008 00:30 (sixteen years ago) link
1)his ability to experiment within the pop form....DM doesn't really showcase any of these
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.
― xhuxk, Thursday, 28 February 2008 00:41 (sixteen years ago) link
(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
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
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