Customer Reviews

Dirty Mind

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Dirty Mind" sets the tone for the rest of Prince's unparalleled career. In fact, most people think it's his first album. It might as well have been because, despite his impressive first 2 LP's (For You and Prince), he really got recognized for the image he crafted through his music. But it's the great music that makes this album endure, for it created the "Prince sound."

The minimalist approach to this LP is its hallmark. Stripped of all pretensions and indulgences,and centered around funk guitar and synths, it is one of the tightest -- and raunchiest -- Prince LP's. What really makes this LP are 4 all-time classic Prince songs: the title track, the outstanding "When You Were Mine," "Do It All Night," and "Uptown." They are the heart and soul of a great LP. Unfortunately, radio wasn't as liberal as it is now, but I'd like to think this LP contributed to more adventurous music in all genres. If not for this album, would Madonna, 2 Live Crew, Nine Inch Nails, etc. even gotten radio play? Maybe not.

This is an essential 80's record, an essential Prince record, and an undisputed classic. Buy it.

Let's face it... Prince's albums up through Sign 'O the Times are brilliant. Dirty Mind in particular ranks as one of his very best (some would say his very best). Unlike many pop albums this is not merely a collection of songs, i.e. some radio hits and a bunch of filler. This album works organically as a whole, i.e. each track is integral to the album. Every track is excellent and the production and sound is very stripped back and "raw". This is pure pop/funk genius. Probably my favorite Prince album after Purple Rain and just above Controversy. Essential= Get it!

Dirty Mind is, without a doubt, the best album the little guy has ever put out. A 40 minute tour de force, to the uneducated elitist it sounds like a mess of shallow lyrics and Casio keyboard demos. However, open your heart to the album and you'll soon grow to love it and wonder why Prince doesn't sing in falsetto more.

It's interesting that once of the most accessible and danceable albums I've ever heard is in fact an ode to perversion and just general sketchiness. With song topics from relations with his sister to coercing a virgin on her wedding day for fellatio, Prince is in full horn dog mode here, folks. However, the album seems to harness the power of that raging sexuality and put it to a beat, creating music that would be a guilty pleasure if it weren't so darn good.

Instantly shifting into gear, the album starts with the title track, a robotic funk workout that might be the greatest song Prince has ever recorded, if you ask me. Slowly building upon itself, the song develops into layers and layers of pounding synthesizer beats, Prince crooning every note in his highest voice possible. The two other highlights of the album are 'Head' and 'When You Were Mine', the former an infectious disco funk beat, the latter a new wave/bubblegum rocker.

As Prince's production values grew along with his fanbase, he will probably never record anything else like Dirty Mind. Almost brilliant in it's minimalist nature, the album has a stripped down nature that no popoular musician would have the guts to make today. A short, yet sweet collection of 8 songs, it is essential that any fan of Prince, nay, fan of contemporary music in general has it in their collection.

1999, Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day, Sign 'O' The Times, and Diamonds And Pearls are among the essential albums of Prince's career, but none of that would have come to be if it hadn't been for his top-notch third album, Dirty Mind. If he hadn't made this album, he would've gone on as a second-rate Stevie Wonder or Rick James and that would mean no Purple Rain movie, no psychedelic pop genre album of Around The World In A Day, no Batman soundtrack, etc.

The title track sets the pace with its funky pulsing beat and synthesizer. The pace picks up with "When You Were Mine" a post-relationship evaluation. Prince was an easygoing guy in this relationship and as a result, the one who got the shaft. He does criticize her in that she "didn't have the decency to change the sheets" and even invited the guy she was fooling around with, who was "sleeping inbetween the two of us." At the end, he spends his time "following him whenever he's with you." The poor guy! Cyndi Lauper covered this on She's So Unusual, and I have to favour the original version.

"Gotta Broken Heart Again" is a sad number about a guy who's not only lost his girl but has no money because he spent it on "the longest phone call" trying to get her back. Vintage Prince heartbreak song.

Things get funky again with the danceable "Uptown" where he turns down a pass from a girl who accuses him of being gay. He quickly turns the tables by saying, "No, are you?" and lists her as a "mixed up victim of society." Uptown is a place where one can set one's mind free by getting down.

"Head" and "Sister" would make Tipper Gore's hair stand on end. The first is about oral sex, with Lisa Coleman sharing vocal duties. Never mind that the girl in the song is a virgin on her way to the altar. Morning, noon, and night, huh? Okay. It's still maintains its funk beat.

The second is an adrenalized burst of a song about (gasp!) incest. It lasts less than a minute but it tells how the protagonist got sexually initiated. And Prince waited till his next album to call it Controversy? THIS is where the controversy started.

The anti-war rant "Partyup" makes this one of my favourites. Given a choice between a party or a war, even an introverted shrinking violet like me would choose the party. The final chant goes "You're gonna hafta fight your own d--n war/'Cause we don't wanna fight no more!" Prince and company, you tell those boys at the Pentagon!

This was one of the first albums to carry a warning label given the subject matter. The trouble was, that scared potential buyers. And what about the picture of him reclining on a sofa, wearing long coat, bikini briefs, and leg-warmers, with the painted song titles on the wall behind him? It went gold upon its initial release. It's probably gone multi-platinum by now

Dirty Mind also introduced Prince fans to keyboardist Lisa Coleman, who came out in Purple Rain and later teamed up with guitarist Wendy Melvoin for three albums. This was also the last album with Andre Cymone, Prince's childhood friend, whose influence was being lessened as Prince concentrated power around himself.

This is the most crucial and pivotal album in Prince's career and although it only has eight songs, is essential for students of the Purple One.

For such a brilliant musician (and 26 years after his debut, there can be no doubt of his pop mastery), Prince has been a mighty inconsistent album artist. Undoubtedly some of this owes to the fact that he's got too many ideas - genius can be unruly. But beyond that, what hampers the greatness of many of his best-known and best-received efforts for a college student born the same year "1999" was released is that the oft-brilliant songs are mired in '80s production gunk. Seminal though it may be, the "Purple Rain" soundtrack is so drenched in processing and outmoded digital echo that, on first listen, it barely sounds musical at all. Prince may have been ahead of his time, but few artists have been so much OF their era that the greatness of their work is discernible only through repeated exposure.

"Dirty Mind" is comprised of recordings originally intended as a demo, and as such it is remarkably free of the aforementioned excesses. At barely a half-hour in length, there's hardly room for the flab that pads many of his later full-lengths. What you're left with is a prime slice of knotty, minimalist, RAUNCHY funk rock. Listen to "Head" and "Sister" in particular and you'll be amazed that Warner Bros. had the guts to put this out in 1980, a good half-decade before the rise of hardcore rap and the PMRC's campaign to put warning stickers on albums.

After two unsuccessful tries with "Purple Rain" and the much-beloved double album "Sign O' the Times," I finally came around to Prince with "Dirty Mind". Aside from synth solos on the title track and "Head", he plays every instrument on the record, and the stripped-down production just bolsters the shock of his knockout chops. Prince would emerge as a major star two years later with "1999," but in my opinion this is his best album. The most effective demonstrations of his genius outside of this record are the compilations "The Hits/The B-Sides" and the unfortunately out-of-print rarities collection "Crystal Ball," which can be had pretty darn cheap as a used item considering it's 3 CDs long (4 with the 'bonus disc', actually). Why he's been unable to make a record that's great start to finish in the last quarter century is beyond me, but if you're curious about the little guy "Dirty Mind" or the hits collection are fine starting points.

If you are a true Prince fan, for whom every single album release is a must-have, you would likely say this is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST Prince album, ever! Your only complaint would likely be that the running-time of the album is far too short.

If you are a casual admirer of Prince, or some avid music collector, you'd probably look to Purple Rain or Sign 'O The Times.

I am a true blue Prince fan who owns every single Prince album in CD format, and vinyl format until the death of the vinyl.

Dirty Mind was recorded in 1980, and it was way ahead of its time, lyrically and musically. The production work is incomparable. I would not single out any track for mention as it would only do injustice to the other 7 tracks. My CD collection stands at around 600 today, and this is my most prized-possession.

Dig if U will the picture of an 11-year-old blonde-haired boy standing in line at Woolworths holding an album with the picture of a young black man wearing a banana hammock, thigh highs, a scarf and a waiter's jacket. Now imagine him growing up and marrying a WOMAN!

What are the chances you get to keep said album after your mother sees tracks listed as "Dirty Mind", "Do It All Night", "Head" and "Sister"? Thank God it was a month later and I had a sweet pair of Radio Shack 42lb. headphones! Honestly, what kind of awesome parellel universe do we live in when an artist receives critical acclaim for penning lyrics discussing in graphic detail receiving oral and boning one's family member?!

So you may be wondering how this affected me long term, yes? Check it...Mike Tyson, in the prime of his career, and me, Bobby, Jay (HI JAY!) and Jim are looking for a bar to watch him once again beat the bag out of some faceless clown. What better way to prime the pugilistic pump than to play the 1-2 punch of Head/Sister? Better yet, then set to 'repeat' the classic lyric "Oh motherf..r, can't you ever motherf..g understand??!!" (editted because this is a family site). If that doesn't make you want fight I don't know what does!

Quite possibly the best 2 songs ever laid down on wax back to back, with the possible exception of "Wanna Girl" and "The Right Kind Of Love" by Jeremy Jordan. Bobby of course will probably mentioned some obscure tracks from Joshua Tree or October, by U2 since he went through this phase at Babson where he actually "thought" he WAS Bono! That of course all come down in a fiery crash one Halloween in Salem when someone mistook him for Ritchie Sambora!! Hahaha!!! Massive burn! When me and Jay dress up as Nelson of all things and get mad respect from the ladies, well....

Released in 1980, Prince's third album is a leftfield masterpiece, a jaw dropping combination of electrified weirdo pop and back alley sleaze. Even though it appeared at the very beginning of the Purple One's long and storied career, Dirty Mind has the kind of attitude and clarity of vision that some artists never manage to instill in their records. Musically, it's the ideal summation of Prince's entire aesthetic; It's a seamless mixture of funk, pop, electronica, rock, new wave, and soul, with elements of punk and even embryonic rap thrown in for good measure. Prince throws in whatever he sees fit, borrowing from "black" and "white" musical styles in equal amounts (and knowing full well that no such distinction really exists). Lyrically, the album more than lives up to its title. Prince refuses to beat around the bush with regards to sex (no pun intended), celebrating the subject with unrestrained glee. But don't think that the lyrics are just immature, sophomoric ranting- Prince simply deals with sex in the way that other artists write and sing about love. His songs may be seedy, but they're also full of emotion and humor, with ironic little twists and plenty of great lines. It works because Prince is a great storyteller, with an author's eye and a way with words.

He's also a great performer. As a vocalist, he lends the lyrics an incredible, unabashed sleaziness. You can practically hear the manic grin on his face as he tears through the songs, describing one unlikely sexual encounter after another without even the smallest concession to self-control. He also plays nearly every singe instrument on the record, and thankfully he's good at all of it. Keyboards dominate this record, and their synthesized electronic warbling goes well with the lyrics. Although this album doesn't show off his considerable guitar skills, we still get to hear him strum some well-chosen chords. The rhythms, meanwhile, keep things suitably funky. The somewhat minimalist feel of the playing and production makes this feel like a collection of demos, which is a very good thing- a slick, cleaned-up sound may very well have ruined the songs. The end result probably resembles what would've happened if Lennon and McCartney had written the soundtrack to an X-Rated film.

Which leaves us with eight fantastic songs. My favorite of the bunch is probably "When You Were Mine," a stroke of pop genius. Over a hook-filled, irresistible melody, Prince narrates the tale of some luckless fellow who let his girlfriend sleep around, and subsequently loses her. What's so amazing about the song is that it manages to be funny, heartbreaking, and catchy all at once, while still finding room for lines as deliciously two-faced as "You were so strange/ You didn't have the decency to change the sheets." There's also the hypnotic techno-funk of the title track, in which Prince makes his intentions unmistakably clear, while a synth drones hungrily in the background. "Head" is a gleeful tale about exactly what you think it's about, with a really great keyboard solo thrown in for good measure. "Party Up" is a relentlessly funked-up jammer, and "Uptown" is an endless party tune. The weirdest and wildest tune here is "Sister," a brief rockabilly-influenced number whose lyrics will (hopefully) make you gag. If nothing else, it proves that Prince was completely fearless. It's also a surprisingly fun song in its own right. I was tempted to shave off one star for "Do It All Night" and "Gotta Broken Heart Again." Although they're not bad songs by any stretch of the imagination, they simply don't live up to the standards set by the rest of what's here; the former is a pleasant but (to my ears, anyway) forgettable little slinker, and the latter is a standard-issue soul-tinged ballad. However, they both still have plenty of entertainment value, and they don't detract an ounce of power from the other six songs. This is a fantastic purchase for the whacked-out freak in all of us.

While "For You" sounds immature and "Prince" offers a tease of things to come, Prince did not release a truly representative album until 1980's "Dirty Mind."

At the age of 22, Prince boldly went where no musician had gone before (or consequently has gone since). An unabashed tale of exhaustive raunch, "Dirty Mind" is the album where Prince became a freak. From the thumping bass line of the title track, Prince seduces the listener into the bonanza that follows. "If you got the time," Prince offers, "I'll give you some money to buy a dirty mind" in his signature falsetto.

What follows is the rock classic "When You Were Mine," whose status as a gem is ascertained by its inclusion on "The Hits/B-Sides" despite not being a single. The bizarre love triangle of the song is only a prelude to what is to follow.

"Do It All Night" is a straight-forward come-on, while "Gotta Broken Heart Again" offers the album's only hint of vulnerability.

The second side opens with Prince's first true masterpiece, "Uptown." While a geographic reference, "Uptown" transcends to become an abstract utopia of sexual and racial harmony- "black, white, puerto rican, everybody's just a-freakin'" he proclaims.

The next two songs form the core of the controversy that surrounded the album. Lil Kim and Foxy Brown are tame imitators of the vulgar display of sexual prowess detailed in "Head," in which Prince coaxes a virgin on her wedding day to give him oral sex, and "Sister," in which Prince details the fictitious libidinous accounts with his much older sister.

The album closes with a preview of what was to come. "Partyup" offers social commentary which became more prevalent on "Controversy." It closes with a rhyme not dissimilar to the "People call me rude..." chant on "Controversy," which offers a clue as to why the two albums are so often linked.

"Dirty Mind" is an uninhibited landmark of music that encapsulates the emergence of a superstar who would provide classic material for decades to come.

After the sucess of his self-titled second album he went to a studio and recorded demo tapes for perhaps upcomming albums. The executive of Warner Brothers listened to it and Prince wanted to know his opinion. He told Prince to release to released them like they are. Prince released the LP with these songs on and the album title Dirty Mind. Dirty Mind was not as succesful as it's predecessor however was hailed by critics and is considered by many Prince's first materpiece.

By most of Prince hardcore fans this album is often mentioned as one of his strongest and no arguing about that. This is a kick ... album. All the songs are amazingly written and produced. It is funky,poppish and a bit humorous. The lyrics are often profound and perhaps may offend certain listeners.

Although Dirty Mind is a great album it may not appeal to all listeners but hey what Prince album appeals to everybody but if you wan't to hear an album that perhaps influenced a handful of artists ( for example Madonna) and still stands a test of it's time even after more than 22 years after go for it.

But why the 4 stars. Well although the music is 4.75 the quality of this cd is bad. I hope Prince makes piece with Warner Brothers and they together release these albums digitally remastered because it definately needs it. But that aside this album is perfect.