326. Prince, "Dirty Mind"

 


I'm not sure there's much doubt that Prince was one of the most gifted and talented songwriters and performers who has ever lived.  I have no doubt that if he had been born in Vienna in the 1700's he would have mopped the floor with Beethoven.  His influence on modern music is huge and wide, and this is really the album that kicked it off.  Not only did he write all the songs, he played (almost) all the instruments and recorded the whole thing, pretty much, by himself.  Just mind-blowing.

He made this amazing album by synthesizing funk, R&B, new wave, and pop, and instantly influenced every one of those genres.  The most familiar song on thgis record (to me, anyway), "When You Were Mine," is a perfect example.  It's got that keyboard riff running through it like we would hear so many times later in the 80's, and that incredible funk backbeat, but the star is really Prince's voice, super high-pitched but strong and assured.  It's instantly hummable and catchy, like so many Prince songs to come.

This record also sets the stage for the raw sexuality Prince would come to stand for.  I mean, a track like "Sister," which openly celebrates incest, come on.  ("My sister never made love to anyone else but me/She's the reason for my, uh, sexuality")  And you can probable guess what "Head" is about.  That's right, it's about long-forgotten TV show "Herman's Head."  No, I'm just fucking with you, it's about oral sex.

Listening to this album repeatedly over the last couple of days has just been so enjoyable.  Even the ostensibly sad songs ("Gotta Broken Heart Again") or, I guess, ostensibly sad SONG, since this is the only one, is so full of heart and verve that it feels uplifting.  What a great record, what an artist.

Does this album deserve to be in the Top 500? Hell and yes.

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