Controversy

Great album-funk and the Purple One at his finest! Let's Work an awesome dance track! Controversy and Sexuality pure excellence. Some of the songs are dated, but still a great listen! I must be honest when I bought this back when I was a kid, I was mortified of the poster that came with the vinyl. Which led me to be ashamed of purchasing this album. I secretly listened to it but threw away the poster! Glad to see it is now out on 180 gram vinyl and that silly poster is included!! Go figure.

This album does what any great album should—it opens with a strong track that sucks you in immediately and then keeps the momentum going. The one-two sucker punch of the title track followed by the frenetic SEXUALITY is so positively intoxicating that by the time we get to song #3—DO ME BABY is a welcome slow jam that allows us to catch our breath. PRIVATE JOY is such a fun, whimsical song with a cute keyboard riff that segues into RONNIE TALK TO RUSSIA. Leave it to Prince to make such a politically-charged tune sound just like a nursey-rhyme on acid. LET’S WORK is probably my least favorite (generic funk) but the last two songs are great. ANNIE CHRISTIAN is another topical song with Prince speaking the lyrics and the final cut JACK U OFF, like PRIVATE JOY, ends the album on a more playful note. Even though technically PURPLE RAIN and 1999 may be the better albums with the higher ratio of hits, I’m pretty much burned out on those—thanks to lousy retro radio overplaying the bigger hits from both. So, when asked what’s my favorite Prince album—it’s easily this one.

This is one of my favorite CDs by Prince! If you are a Prince fan, even if you are not, you still should get this CD. This is one of his earlier CDs and it showcases his raw talents through his vocal and the wide array of instruments he plays. I am in the process of collecting all of Prince's work and he is a phenomenal man, musician, artist, singer, I can go on all day, lol, but I would recommend his music to anyone, whether it's rock, pop, R&B, jazz, instrumentals.........

CD sounds great

Excellent body of work.....I actually sent this to a friend of mine who lost his Prince collection during a move. He was so thrilled when the cd arrived and expressed his elation repeatedly. So I would recommend this album and many other Prince related works to any and everyone I come in contact with. I've actually been rebuilding my Prince collection as well, and am happy with the reasonable prices on Amazon. Thankyou!!!😀😆

Prince’s best album is often held for debate. Most people would say Purple Rain. While most critics would say Sign O’ The Times. Then some people would throw in 1999 while the most hardcore Prince fans would throw anything. For me as a newer hardcore Prince fan. I have to pick Controversy for me

This album is a lot better than it largely gets credit for. Prince is all over the place musically, and this album ends up working as a pretty strong, rebellious statement about liberation (both in the boundary eschewing music and the lyrics). The title track starts things off, hitting us with a dose of hard electrofunk. The clever lyrics are a mixture of the social and the deeply personal, with non-comformity being the constant theme. The New Wave-ish, industrial Funk of "Sexuality" is one of my favorites on the album (here, the focus is on the themes of liberation and elevation, encouraging a new, more educated and more accepting phase in society) "Do Me Baby" is one of the best slow songs that Prince has ever done, though I personally can do without the monologue, etc., in the last half. The synth driven Pop/Funk of "Private Joy" is another winner. 'Ronnie, Talk to Russia' is a really wild and clever track addressing the state of relations between The U.S. and Russia (the Cold War, the fear and threat of potential nuclear holocaust----so yes, the theme here directly portends the outstanding follow up album 1999). The air-tight Funk jam "Let's Work" is also really strong. 'Annie Christian' is a really interesting song, and one of the "weirdest" that he's ever done. It is a spoken word, almost rap track, with a really robotic feel. It has some of the most minimal production that I have ever heard from Prince, yet it's extremely effective (it also has some divinely perfect guitar work--it's not at all heavy, being used to pretty light effect, but it's employed with just the perfect level of economy). In this song Prince once again speaks about current events, using this Annie Christian character as a reference point. The retro, freaked out 50's Rock track, "Jack U Off", is humorous, kinky and outrageous, and Prince contributes yet more killer, and this time much more wild and boisterous, guitar work. Prince released this album before he became a star, but it really is better than some of his later material that many people may be more familiar with (I'm talking to you "Diamonds and Pearls"), so it's well worth taking a listen.

Ive had this in vinyl, and cassette and have just always loved that old school cassette sound.. Just finally had 2 buy the cd.. I have every one of the cassettes and this is a favorite..theyre all favorte.. but Prince is timeless and his music will always be great past present and future. Great buy.

Super

Tout est nickel.

Prince en estado puro

Difficult to believe Prince will have been dead for a decade next year. Probably jamming in Heaven with 2016's other casualties, Bowie and George Michael, while being cheered on by Alan Rickman and Victoria Wood dancing to 'Controversy'. Buy it. Play it loud. Dance until you get all sweaty. Perfection.

Not one of the better albums.