Prince - Prince

Vinyl LP pressing Reissue of this 1979 album from the R&B, funk, soul, and rock icon. Prince began work on his sophomore album just seven months after releasing his debut. The album pulses with an electric energy, especially on the dance singles "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" Prince would perform both of those songs on his national television debut on American Bandstand following the release of Prince, showcasing his increasing interest in transferring the energy of the studio to the stage. Prince was performed, recorded and produced by Prince, with two members of his live band, the drummer Bobby "Z." Rivkin and bassist André Cymone, credited as "heaven-sent helpers."

Prince arrived on the scene in the late-70s, and it didn’t take long for him to upend the music world with his startling music and arresting demeanor. He rewrote the rulebook, forging a synthesis of black funk and white rock that served as a blueprint for cutting-edge music in the ’80s. Prince made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone. From the beginning, Prince and his music were androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative. His colorful image and revolutionary music made him a figure comparable in paradigm-shifting impact to Little Richard, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and George Clinton. By his early teens he’d mastered multiple instruments and was fronting his first band, Grand Central.

A demo tape by the young prodigy resulted in major-label interest, and an 18-year-old Prince signed to Warner Bros., insisting on the right to self-produce. His first two albums, For You (1978) and Prince (1979), unveiled a budding genius and one-man band. The latter found the music luminary fully flaunting the eclectic eroticism he would become famous for and further developing the virtuosic funk/R&B signature blend he would break through with in a major way on subsequent effort Dirty Mind. Prince’s eponymous second album produced his first hit, “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (No. 11) and showcased his songwriting depth on essential standouts like “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and “I Feel for You.”

Tracklist

• Label: Universal / NPG Records
• Made in USA