Search - Prince :: Dirty Mind

"It's Too Dirrty momma, Prince's mind is Much Too Dirrty!"

Batiste369 "The Music Connoisseur" | Chicago, IL | 08/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've always admired prince. Maybe it was The music, The image or all of the above But Prince has always been a huge source of fascination for me. Here's a man who had the balls to put on high-heels and at the same time sing about receiving Oral Sex from females. He was Controversy when nobody wanted it, Cool when most people weren't & Dirrty before it had two R's (Thanks Christina A!) From a musical standpoint though most people would be surprised to know what Prince is capable of. If you look on the back of almost any of his albums (Including this Classic) you'll find that they are Produced, Arranged, Composed & Performed by none other than the "Maestro" himself Prince, That's right basically everything is done by one man! Who in this day and age would take on that responsibility...That's right...No one!



Because of this I continually find myself asking what the hell does he need with these Bands (NPG,Revoulution..Etc)

surrounding him, I mean he can play all their instruments (probably) better then they can. So what's their purpose...Mental Support?



"Dirty Mind" I must say is one of his top 5 albums (The others being Controversy, The Gold Experience, Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain" & 1999) and on a good day (When I'm a good mood) boils down to being his best Album (That's right beating out the Some-what overrated "Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain"" Soundtrack) The only other album that could possibly contend with this one is it's follow-up, The often overlooked Classic "Controversy". That album is a gem also but this one is just as good. It combines the Sexualness of tracks like "Head" & his future cut "Jack U off" with pretty ballads (Minimal in number)such as "Gotta broken heart again" & "When you were Mine". This makes for a great combination of Sexual, Political & Sorrowful: all of which would soon encompass his future work.



The thing that sets this album apart from it's predecessors & Successors is it's unique blend of Something old and twisting and turning it until it's something Brand New & Exciting. His earlier releases never sounded as fresh and crisp as this. Prince's later work, While they did improve and achieve better production. They also lost that organic sound that made Prince's work stay feet on the ground (Instead of drifting off into space) Prince's organic & minimal Stripped down production style was fading and by "1999" it would be gone(Beginning a whole new chapter in Prince's recording career)Not that that was a Totally bad thing especially considering that Prince's music style needed a change & he wouldn't have become the huge icon he is today...Still it's a matter of public opinion.



1. Dirty Mind- Classic, Classic, Classic!!! this song is the quintessential Classic Prince song. Prince gets behind some synths and talks about his affection with a particular girl and how he gets a Dirty Mind every time he sees her. "It's U I really wanna drive/Underneath the stars" it's so Dirrty & Filthy...Who could pass this up? 5/5



2. When you were mine- I'm currently in a phase where I mostly listen to Ballads (That are good of course) and this one is one of my all time favorites! Minimal production with just Prince and a pipe organ. The vocals are executed very elegantly and tenderly, But the lyrics are genius "I love you more/Than I did when You were mine" it's a sad song to make you cry & one of the best this album offers. 5/5



3. Do it all night- With the album being on smooth Cruise Control it was eventual we would face some turbulence and this is the first shot. "Do it all night" is a slightly forgettable song about Prince overcoming his shyness to tell a girl he wants to "Do it all night". Not particularly memorable, not particularly ear offensive either. this song is just alright. 4/5



4. Gotta broken heart again- Prince slows down the tempo once again here and delivers a tender ballad of lost love.

"Gotta broken heart again/cause my only supposed to be friend/stole my old lady away from me/now I'm just as blue as I can be". The song is beautiful and offers a glimpse into his sensitive side, But with the benchmark already set so high with "When you were Mine" this was doomed to be forgettable from the start. 4/5



5. Uptown- Uh-Oh! the tempos moving up more and more as the album plays out. This Song is extremely vivid and well written and thus makes my imagination go wild! with lines like "She saw me walking down the street/of your fine city/it kinda turned me on when she looked at me & said come here" you know just what's happening. The song talks about this imaginary place named Uptown where everyone does what they please in perfect harmony without society "Telling em' how it's suppose to be". Great concept, Great song! 5/5



The next two songs are really where (Imo) the "Dirty Mind" starts going into an overhaul:



6. Head- This song is about just what the title implies & nothing more. Prince gets heavily explicit and talks of a bride to be giving him oral sex only winding up with her ditching the guy she's supposed to marry only to elope with Prince instead. (Guess that must have been some good Head!!) The Song is Dirrty lyrically but seriously this song deserves a listen for "musical value". The licks are the boss, The sounds are funky and the Lyrics...Just Filthy! 5/5



7. Sister- If the previous song was Dirrty this song is just plain tacky! Prince hits a new low and talks about bangin' his sister only to realize "Incest is everything it's said to be". To make matters worst Prince says he was "sixteen & only half a man" & and describes his sister (or in this case cuddy-buddy) as being "Thirty-two, lovely & loose". I don't know about you but this song (Imo) borders on a very thin line between being controversial & just plain sick! What's that? "Sisters" getting sick again!?!? 3/5



8. Partyup- Political Prince makes a sole appearance on "Partyup". "Partyup" serves it's purpose of being 1999 pt.1 very well. Prince talks of partying like there's no tomorrow before the world comes to a close (Sound familiar?) it's a funky little number that just misses the 5 star mark. 4/5



Basically Prince took some old and a slice of the new and turned out a very exciting piece of work that holds up well almost Thirty years later. Although his future, more successful works (Purple rain, 1999...Etc) would feature more complicated melodies, thought provoking lyrics, and more involvement overall you can tell Prince worked his butt off on this release. All in all Prince proved that: "Having a Dirty Mind might sound like fun after all!"



*If you liked this album I also must insist on recommending the similar but very different "Prince", "For You" & finally "Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain""*











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Head/Sister.....need I say more?

BulldogzRUs | Boston | 06/02/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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....



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