Prince - Controversy (1981) - €10,00

Controversy is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Prince, released on October 14, 1981 by Warner Bros. Records.
It was produced by Prince, written (with the exception of one track) by him, and he also performed most of the instruments on its recording.

Controversy reached number three on the Billboard R&B chart and is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
It was voted the eighth best album of the year in the 1981 Pazz & Jop, an annual critics poll run by The Village Voice.
Controversy opens with the title track, which raises questions that were being asked about Prince at the time, including his race and sexuality. The song “flirts with blasphemy” by including a chant of The Lord’s Prayer. “Do Me, Baby” is an “extended bump-n-grind” ballad with explicitly sexual lyrics, and “Ronnie, Talk to Russia” is a politically charged plea to President Ronald Reagan.
“Private Joy” is a bouncy bubblegum pop-funk tune, “showing off Prince’s lighter side”, followed by “Annie Christian”, which lists historical events such as the murder of African-American children in Atlanta and the death of John Lennon.

The album’s final song, “Jack U Off”, is a synthesized rockabilly-style track.
This was the first of his albums to associate Prince with the color purple as well as the first to use sensational spelling in his song titles.
Controversy continues in the same vein of new wave-tinged funk on Dirty Mind, emphasizing Prince‘s fascination with synthesizers and synthesizing disparate pop music genres.
It is also more ambitious than its predecessor, attempting to tackle social protest (“Controversy,” “Ronnie, Talk to Russia,” “Annie Christian”) along with sex songs (“Jack U Off,” “Sexuality”), and it tries hard to bring funk to a rock audience and vice versa.
Even with all of Prince‘s ambitions, the music on Controversy doesn’t represent a significant breakthrough from Dirty Mind, and it is often considerably less catchy and memorable. Nevertheless, Prince‘s talents as musician make the record enjoyable, even if it isn’t as compelling as most of his catalog.


Side A
A1.  Controversy  (7:15)
A2.  Sexuality  (4:21)
A3.  Do Me, Baby  (7:43)

Side B
B1.  Private Joy  (4:29)
B2.  Ronnie, Talk to Russia  (1:58)
B3.  Let’s Work  (3:54)
B4.  Annie Christian  (4:22)
B5.  Jack U Off  (3:09)

Personnel

• Prince – lead vocals, sitar, all other instruments, producer, arranger
• Lisa Coleman – keyboards, backing vocals (on “Controversy”, “Ronnie, Talk to Russia” and “Jack U Off”)
• Dr. Fink – keyboards (“Jack U Off”)
• Bobby Z. – drums (“Jack U Off”)

Notes
Release:  1981
Format:  LP
Genre:  Funk / Soul
Label:  Warner Bros. Records
Catalog#  WB 56950

Vinyl:   Excellent
Cover:   Excellent

Prijs: €10,00