Prince
Prince
Warner Bros.
1979
20 years old and already headed for the outskirts of Warner Brothers, Prince Nelson badly needed to transform his endless talent for songwriting and instrumentalism into commercial success. He tried his hand at composing singles for Patrice Rushen, and when she rejected them, he put them on his next record. Lo and behold, black radio at the time was in the mood for a bit of crossover pop, and readily jumped on his synth-infused R&B and funk at a time when artists like The Cars and Supertramp were displaying their own catchy rock credentials.
Nobody's gonna argue that Prince is his best record - it's got some real clunkers on it - but as a whole, it's not a bad album, and it's got plenty of flashes of the brilliance that he would display on his classics like 1999, Purple Rain and Sign O' The Times.
The most damning and un-Prince-like thing about the album is its general conservatism. Sure, its got a touch of raunch and a dash of idiosyncrasy, but if you never told someone it was a Prince record they'd be more likely to discern it as some Quincy Jones-produced no-name. It does have a few tracks going for it (namely the first two and the oddly affecting and stage-setting closing track "It's Gonna Be Lonely"), but this is an album in transition, and it's that difference between a Prince album and that aforementioned no-name album it could've been that make this worth a listen for all fans of Earth Wind and Fire, Hall and Oates, The Bee Gees, early Michael Jackson, and of course, the little purple guy.
Tracklist
- I Wanna Be Your Lover - The first track is my favorite, because it captures early Prince in the best light - not ready to step out as the singular artist of tomorrow, this is him feeling comfortable in his role as a young songsmith and second-tier label act. It also features hints of his one-of-a-kind lyrics, combining explicit boudoir language ("I wanna be the only one you come for") and vaguely creepy sentimentality ("I wanna be your mother and your sister"). It's also got a great disco cut breakdown.
- Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? - The second track is what most closely represents what Prince would evolve into in the early 80s - his natural inclinations of Bee Gees harmonies, New Wave and progressive pop synth work, and wanky guitar meshing together to turn a nice R&B hit into something a bit more universal and a bit more classic.
- Sexy Dancer - As much as "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" represents early 80s Prince, "Sexy Dancer" represents the late 80s Prince who redefined sexy music forever. If the song title didn't give it away, this is a sultry funk number, good enough for dance floors and bedrooms alike even today. This also exhibits one of my favorite Prince traits - his seemingly off the cuff cooing and entendre, turning serviceable numbers into his own creation.
- When We're Dancing Close and Slow - I never quite know what to make of Prince's balladry. This song sounds more tailor made for Rod Stewart or Sting with its atmospheric minimalist production and breathy lyrics. But Prince undeniably makes it his with his classic speedreading of some lines and odd vocalizing. This song is begging for an Andre 3000 cover.
- With You - One of the more dismal Prince songs put out, it's a slow ballad without a single memorable lyric, melody, or any other production element to its credit. Pass.
- Bambi - Showing off his guitar chops proves to be kind of a mixed bag for Prince at this stage. Clearly his idolization of Jimi Hendrix doesn't quite translate here, reined in by the album's overall restrictions (and someone else's A&R hand is on this track for certain.) This track is fairly representative of the album as a whole - ambition translates as flop sweat, ideas translate as indecision, and there's no synergy between all of Prince's disparate ideas.
- Still Waiting - This sounds most like a Jermaine Jackson song, or maybe a Diana Ross song circa 1979 - it's a small step above "With You", but that doesn't say much. I'm very glad Prince doesn't settle for stuff like this any more.
- I Feel For You - The poppiest and most radio-friendly track (one of the rejected Rushen singles), it's still pretty safe given what we know about Prince's future, and the song is fairly artist-neutral - if The Commodores or Rick James had pushed this out instead, I wouldn't be surprised. On the other hand, the songwriting is pretty strong, and anybody who doesn't love late 70s funk production is no friend of mine.
- It's Gonna Be Lonely - This song cuts to the heart of Prince's roots - governed more by the affecting soul-pop of Stevie Wonder, Hall and Oates, and The Bee Gees than the funkier contemporaries he was expected to be following. This song's great for a lot of reasons - it's the only track that really makes use of the Purple One's wholly unique falsetto, it doesn't kowtow to funk expectations, instead using what can only be termed a Foreigner-style rhythm section of reverse gated drums and guitar, and best of all, it, too, has a really great breakdown. A sign of things to come, then ..