Rating: 9/10

Track Amount: 11

Running Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Genre: Pop

Personnel: Prince plus the Revolution

Producer: Prince

Recording Location: Kiowa Trail Home Studio (Chanhassen, Minnesota, USA) and Sunset Sound Recorders (Hollywood, California, USA)

Record Label: Warner Bros Records

Art Direction: Vanity, aka Denise Matthews

Best Tracks: 1999, Little Red Corvette, D.M.S.R.

Quick Verdict: The best 1980s soundtrack for getting it on ever made

This is the album that really kick-started Prince’s music career. Sure, he had made some successes before this album release, but this, being his fifth studio album, really launched Prince into the public eye. Some even consider this album one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all time, which is quite a description for this album. Yes, this is not Purple Rain (1984), but it is definitely worth covering given its massive and ongoing popularity in the world of music. Comprising a unique sound mash-up of Pop Music genres that were popular and prevalent at the time, this album reached the top 10 in the USA and charted well globally as well and is now considered ahead of its time in a musical way. The album title referred to an end-of-the-world prediction by Nostradamus, the famous French prophet from the 1500s, which oddly enough never happened. For such a special album in a good way, this needs to be covered here. Without further hesitation, let’s take a listen to this album, and hopefully it will be just as good as promised.

1. 1999 is a six-minute-long piece that launches off this album. It begins with some downpitched vocals, which are strange and demonic-sounding. It quickly launches into a gorgeous and unique piece of Synth Pop styled music that actually is surprisingly good to listen to, with a Disco Music flair to it throughout. Prince sings some illustrative and creative lyrics at hand, and this is definitely extremely catchy music to listen to. Even though this is fairly indebted to 1980s sounds and culture as such, this still sounds absolutely wonderful and fantastic musically today. A very catchy and musically wonderful song at hand, and Prince’s ability to create multi-instrumental songs by himself and do that very well indeed, is a winning position musically. Of course, this music reminds one of the Y2K theory and other apocalyptic predictions that never came to be at the turn of the century. Depending on how you see it, predictions are either worthwhile or laughable, and this song, in retrospect, points to predictions being the latter. The music is seriously catchy and funky throughout. Prince no doubt deserved his musical recognition on this album. A great start to this album, and if the rest of the album is this good, then we have hit a musical jackpot. A really fantastic and energetic song that definitely demands joyous dancing to it. 1980s music fans can argue that this sort of music made the decade great, and in a way, it did. A fantastic song with a catchy and looped conclusion to finish with. Prince made a masterclass song here. Awesome stuff, brother.

2. Little Red Corvette begins with some neat beats and symphonic-style textures that sound quirky, yet excellent. Prince sings about the nature of a lady and her car as such. This music is brilliantly executed, with a catchy and interesting chorus as such. Prince definitely deserves praise as a musician who, although making quirky tunes, absolutely could make a mindblowing collection of songs that have a huge amount of appeal, to this very day. Sure, this is somewhat dated in some way, but this is far better than much of the Synth Pop of the 1980s. The guitar solo is magnificent as well. Prince sings and plays his music fantastically. For all of you who dig cars and own some beautiful cars at that, this song is definitely for you. The guitar solos throughout are absolutely awesome to listen to as well. The music has some sexual sounding moaning and sound samples that are definitely explicit. A fantastic and dramatic song at hand, which will change how you listen to music. An absolutely fantastic and dramatic listening experience, which is a total winner. Absolutely top. The outro is giddy-sounding.

3. Delirious begins with some interesting looped beats and handclaps, launching into a solidly quirky and interesting tune at hand. This continues the quirky, artistic and interesting album at hand that sounds just right. This has some interesting singing on it as well. Prince was, with the possible exception of Michael Jackson, the king of quirky and oddball 1980s Pop Music. This song sounds a little throwaway and repetitive, but nonetheless works nicely and sweetly throughout. Some layered singing and instrumentation with an original and very sexually repressed-sounding tune at hand make this a strange yet interesting listen. Nonetheless, this music still sounds very awesome and cool decades later on. There is an extended music section at the end, which sounds really cool and different. Another genuinely impressive song by Prince. Worth it to hear, even today. Odd, yet excellent music.

4. Let’s Pretend We’re Married begins with some drum machine beats and sounds really cool in the process of it all. This is a seven-minute-long piece to listen to, so be a bit more patient than before with this one. Electronic textures enter into this tune, and it sounds gloriously like Prince throughout. The music and sounds are really fresh, interesting and fairly 1980s in their approach. Prince sings about getting it on in the best sense possible. An awesome and quirky listen that has some odd cultural and sexually based references throughout. This is also ridiculously catchy music, with Prince asking a lady if she has the time to spend with him and to get it on in a direct way. This is not exactly an album you would buy for young children, given the direct and numerous sexual references throughout. Nonetheless, this music is catchy and different. Prince makes some impressive tunes and music to impress all adults out there with a dirty mind. Granted that Prince did most of the music here, this tune and album are no doubt a solid gold winner, in their own way. The second half has an impressive and extended Disco styled drum machine section that sounds neat and unique throughout. This is designed for young people in the 1980s to dance and go nuts. Even today, this song kicks the proverbial along nicely. Another solidly interesting and neat tune that has its own dramatic and fantastic music appeal. Prince sings a section towards the end about the extreme desire to get it on with a lady at the end of this tune. Another amusing, yet fantastic song.

5. D.M.S.R. begins with a funky electronic loop and beats to match it. This goes on for over eight minutes in length, but even so, it sounds wonderful and brilliantly excellent to listen to at hand. A funkalicious and exciting song at hand that sounds extremely cool and interesting. This is the natural evolution of Funky Disco Music that Prince perfected in the 1980s. The sleazy, dirty and funky music groove at hand is pleasant enough for people to either dance or get it on. In any case, this song is another glorious and unusual masterpiece musically that is very underrated. This is a short form acronym song that has some more accurate, pristine and better sounding music than anything Rap Music comes up with these days. This tune is yet another solid listening experience and winner that demands to be heard by many, even today. The midsection has an instrumental music section, which sounds quirky and warped. Even if you dislike the 1980s in general, this album will change the way that you listen to music in general. A cool tune with many twists and turns, which are extremely surprising to listen to. This is superb and boundary-pushing music that is for those of you who love mixing their nymphomaniac tendencies to music itself. A tremendous and intelligent music statement that sounds interesting, especially in the second half, with some progressive and funky sounds that are absolutely killer to listen to. Seriously good music made by Prince, this is strictly for adults in mind. A clever, intelligent and original piece of music that will never die. Absolutely awesome to hear, and a breath of fresh air from the early 1980s by Prince. Very fun.

6. Automatic is a longer piece at over nine minutes in length. It sounds textured and bizarrely surreal from the start. Prince sings and yelps nicely throughout, with an impressive and interesting music piece, about getting it on, once again. This is another good listen throughout that details everything that Prince wants to do with a lady of fancy. This, again, is very adult in its orientation as such. A magical, different and quirky tune that demands to be heard by 1980s music fans out there. A seriously cool and quirky tune musically that is designed for kinky and out there sex throughout. Yes, this music does sound quite bizarre, but nonetheless, it ticks many boxes when it comes to quality and music appeal throughout. The fact that Prince made very much most of the music and sounds on this album by himself is very amazing as well. A seriously impressive and explorative tune sonically. Towards the midsection is a more stripped-down section of glorious and fun music that has some spoken dirty talk by Prince. This is very adult and descriptive throughout. Prince was the king of quirky, dirty music back in the 1980s, and this album proves a solid point musically for that. This continues to move forward in a gloriously funky and expressive way. This may seem a little repetitive to some, but to be fair, that is perfectly fine, as the music changes and sounds glorious subtly in its own way. Prince definitely had a unique and creative ear for music, as time and history have shown over time. Nonetheless, a fluid and interesting tune about the nature and feeling of sex itself. This music never gets old, and the guitar solo towards the end is interesting and matches this quirky tune, which samples some mock crying. Prince obviously had a warped imagination, as such. Eventually, this slowly wraps up with some interesting looped beats and melodies that sound cool. A funkadelic and quirky piece of music that works incredibly well. Magical music to hear. It wraps up with some slap bass and strange electronics to match it all. Neat.

7. Something In The Water (Does Not Compute) is a shorter piece of music with beats and hi-hats galore that sound interesting. Some interesting music melodies enter, and this tune gets going away in a weird yet essentially Prince way. This continues to shift and change into an interesting tune about attraction and the nature of sexual desire as such. Prince, of course, describes and articulates the need and desire for lust with some extreme need for it as such. Prince launches into some yelped screaming in the second half, which is different. A seriously interesting song, and it has Prince screaming wonderfully as this song progresses. A very cool and unusual song that fits this classic album very nicely as such. Prince is the king of 1980s lustful music. This digital ballad wraps up with some softly spoken vocals and synth strings to finish. Excellent.

8. Free begins with a faded intro of noise and heartbeats, along with the sound of soldiers marching. This is very different from the rest of the album. Soon enough, the music starts, and Prince sings nicely on this tune. It is a gorgeous piano-driven ballad that sounds really cool and sensationally good in the process of it all. Prince certainly had a unique sound and approach to his music at hand. He sounds sensual and melodic with his singing, alongside some awesome and sweet instrumentation to match it all. A bit offbeat as such for a song, but nonetheless, a listenable one at that. This music does have a good appeal, even on the lesser tracks, such as this one. Nonetheless, a worthy addition to this album that, for a lesser tune, does not disappoint. Prince is more than just a name; he is a legend. Sure, this is a bit of a difficult song to listen to, but it has its moments worth hearing. An excellent ballad at hand. This slowly wraps up with some neat instrumental performances that sound great. A guitar solo part finishes off this particular track, followed by piano playing. Sweet.

9. Lady Cab Driver is an eight-minute-long piece, which begins with some sampled noise and drum machine beats at hand. It quickly launches into a sweet and funkalicious tune that sounds absolutely wonderful throughout. This music sounds quirky, different and top quality for what it is. Telling a story about a lady who drives a taxi who saves the day, Prince continues some awesome and funky music that sounds really cool and interesting. This is a quirky, dirty-sounding and sleazy tune about an unlikely saviour of the night. The music and sounds are A Grade and fantastic to listen to. A seriously interesting and awesome song to listen to on repeat. A seriously wonderful and interesting song that deserves to be heard by more out there, to this very day. This has some interesting lyrics towards the middle, mixed up with the makeshift sounds of sexual activity, which is definitely different to hear such a thing. The music and mixture of sexual sounds make for a unique moment in music history. All in all, a different-sounding song. Some seagulls sampled then enter this tune, alongside the music, in the second half. Next up is an electric guitar section, with some other wacky sounds and samples entering this extended tune. This is, nonetheless, a sexually inspired treat of quirky 1980s sounds. In the second half are some tremendous and different sounds, including guitar solos, which are played extremely well and nicely. This has a neat instrumental backing section of music and real drum parts that sound just cool. This is music for the early morning stoned pimp (not Kid Rock himself), who enjoys sleazy, gritty and funky music at hand. An awesome tune. This has some singing of the song title, an instrumental backing track and sounds of traffic sampled to conclude with. This is better than expected, and very cool. It segues into the next song.

10. All The Critics Love U in New York continues with some dramatic drum machine sounds and launches into a quirky yet surreal tune at hand. Prince sings a song mocking Disco culture at hand. To be fair, Disco Music gets a lot of flak as such, and unnecessarily so. Despite this, this music is a powerful and iconically ironic tune about the nature of such music. Prince wasn’t taking himself too seriously with his music, which is possibly something he borrowed from Punk Music from the likes of the Sex Pistols. This is Prince singing and making nonsensical music as such. He does sound like the king of bizarre music on this track, in particular. This six-minute-long piece is a bit tedious, but still, it retains its musical vision and energy throughout. Prince had his own music path to win in life, and he was just getting started on this song. Nonetheless, this is one of the most adventurous and essential album releases of the 1980s. With references to music subcultures, including Hippies and Punks, Prince carves out his own destiny with some tongue-in-cheek humour that is amusing. A good listen, although this could have been shortened as such. It fades out at the end.

11. International Lover is the final track on this album, and launches right into a weird-sounding song at hand. Prince continues his bedroom lover mode as such, quickly launching into a falsetto vocal with some awesome instrumentation to match it all. This six and a half minute long song does have some interesting and wonderful vocals from Prince himself. All in all, this is a bit of an ode to the Mile High Club, as such, which is quite hilarious to think about. The music and sounds are extremely cool to hear, having said that. Prince sings and performs like a dude who has taken 16 viagra in one go, and he puts his sexually oriented motives into music. This tune is a clever one, with Prince pretending to be the pilot of a jet where people get it on. This is totally humourous, and Prince articulates and delivers a fantastic song about the needs and desires that we as humans live for. Again, a solid winner of a song that is literally bizarrely humourous but great to hear nonetheless. A cool and funny tune by Prince that is a must listen to from this album. A solid finish to a fantastic album, which is sexually refreshing and quirky overall.

This is a very solid classic album that deserves your attention, particularly if you are 18 years old or over. It has a sleazy, dirty, funky and sexual sound to it all. Ironically, for all its adult references, this was a massive breakthrough moment for Prince himself, and he never looked back from this point on. The music, lyrics and overall themes fit perfectly together, and this is a magical album as such. Should you listen to this album? Go for it if you love 1980s Pop Music with a sexual attitude, but avoid it if you hate digital Pop Music as such, or just don’t like Prince’s massive sexual side to him.

If you like this article, please like, share, comment and follow me on The Ultimate Music Library. Thank you, Chris Airey.