Radiohead - The Bends (LP, 1995)

A band releasing a sophomore album superior to their debut isn't that uncommon, but a band surpassing their debut by the margin that Radiohead did is pretty rare. The Bends is not only a great record, it's an important record, and one that would take the majority of the world a few years to catch up with. That included me.

I have a vague memory of being somewhere (a relative's house or something?) in 1995 and seeing the video for "Fake Plastic Trees" and not feeling much other than, "Huh, they're still at it, eh?" At the time, I wasn't really in a space to be handling what Radiohead was offering, but even if I was, I don't know that it would have really reached me. I know the videos for "Just" and "High and Dry" also got some minor MTV play, but I don't remember seeing them. Honestly, it wasn't until I embraced OK Computer that I went back and bought The Bends and listened to it incessantly for like two years.

And this is the kind of record that you can do that with. From beginning to end, this LP is brilliant, with almost every track sounding like it could be a single. Seems like about half of them were, in fact. And while the band clearly had experience with making songs that hit the mainstream hard, they had never made songs with this much complexity, vigor, and warmth.

From the opening wind-blown swirl that begins the album and "Planet Telex," you can tell this is the work of a band with something to prove. People want to read too much into Yorke's supposed depression-based lyrics on this album, but honestly, a lot of the lyrics here could be interpreted in a ton of different ways. And for me, while I certainly think Radiohead's lyrics are an integral part of the band's approach, I also think melody and arrangement are the forces that drive their songs and really make them powerful. "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Just" are so smart and precise in this regard, it's staggering. Same with the closer, "Street Spirit (Fade Out)," which is layered so smoothly that you can listen to dozens of times before hearing every element at work.

Some folks probably put this record and OK Computer on the same level, and though I probably give the edge to OK Computer, there's a great argument to be made for this record being equally great, and equally important. It's not often you see a band make so much progress in such a short period of time, in such a complete way. Not a stinker on this thing. And that title track: man, that's a good song. But now I'm rambling.

I somehow have an original import Parlaphone pressing of this album, which I think I bought from a friend or something...? Anyway, it's a sweet copy and it sounds incredible. So don't touch it.

"High and Dry"

Radiohead - Pablo Honey (LP, 1993)

The revisionist history on Pablo Honey usually goes a couple different ways: Either people (the most loyal of fanboys) claim that it's way better than it is and lament its supreme underratedness, or people (ultimate cool guys) shit on it to the point where they don't even acknowledge it as part of the Radiohead catalog.

How much it pains people to admit that the post-Nirvana band of our generation is the same peroxide-blond, grunge-leaning group that scored big with "Creep"! Oh, come on. Who cares.

Radiohead must feel some serious solidarity with Beck, because in the mid-90's, society had written both of them off as one-hit wonders ten minutes into their career, after they had captured the hearts of a disaffected youth with self-deprecating anthems that the artists themselves hadn't even considered particularly strong songs. And then they both, somehow, managed to distance themselves from those ubiquitous tracks and go on to a huge career while never again reaching the masses in that same singular way ever again. Very few artists have done it. Very few would want to.

Along those same lines, Thom Yorke reminds me of Mike Patton in way. (Bear with me here.) Both dudes came out fairly young, scored big with a song with which they'll forever be inextricably linked, and both made some fashion choices that they probably lived to regret. They also both quickly acquired a fanbase of people who they never expected to relate to them, and after realizing what they had done, decided to pull an abrupt 180 and assume that anyone who was really down would follow them.

"Hey, remember that huge radio hit I had last year when my hair was all styled up? Yeah, well, I hate myself for doing that now, and it's led me to a dark, fucked-up place that has somehow turned me into a weird genius. Anyway, I'm writing some incredible songs now, but they sound nothing like that one that you and your friends used to sing along to. In a bit of what might turn out to be career suicide, I'm actually anticipating alienating half of our audience with this stuff. You probably won't like it, But if you do, you'll actually like it way more than that first shit I did, and you'll respect me more, and you'll buy everything else we put out until I die. And when I do, they're going to put the name of that first fucking song on my headstone, but you and I: we'll know the deal."

Too far with that? Possibly. Anyway.

The truth is, Pablo Honey is somewhere in between those two opposing viewpoints I mentioned in the beginning. People who say they can hear the genius of the band trying to poke through on this LP can go ahead and tell themselves that, but it's really not readily apparent. These are the songs that Radiohead had been working on since forming, and some of them are pretty darn good ("Stop Whispering," "You," "Prove Yourself"), and some of them are on the better side of OK ("Vegetable," "I Can't," "How Do You?"). It's almost like the band had to purge itself of all its early material to get to where they were going on their next album. And that's cool. Plenty of bands do that.

But not a lot of bands go on to make records like OK Computer and Kid A. And that's why it's too late for this record to get a fair shake. There's too much big shit that's happened after it. But it's a good record. Maybe a little dated-sounding, but good. And I've actually had a fun time listening to it the past couple days. And that's also good.

"Stop Whispering"

Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris (3x10", 2007)

I have been revisiting the shit out of this record as of late, and realizing that maybe I didn't spend nearly enough time with it when it was released. Not only have I been repeatedly listening to the opening track, the incredibly awesome "Turnin' on the Screw," but I've been remembering why I thought "Sick Sick Sick" was such a sweet song when it came out.

Not sure when I sort of lost track of this one, but I definitely hadn't spent much time with it in the last couple years. I think at some point I had just oversaturated myself with Queens of the Stone Age, and I ended up taking an intentional break that lasted an unintentionally long time. This last week has been great, because I've been getting back in touch with all their music, but this record has been the one that's hit me the hardest.

Probably makes sense because it's the most recent one and the one that I've obsessed over the least, but damn: this one is a go-getter. The 47-minute running time doesn't hurt. The band was getting really expansive in their couple LPs before this one, and while that was cool, they were lengthy. This one's 11 tracks (12 on the vinyl version, with the bonus cut "Running Joke" thrown in right in the middle), and just a lot easier to play and replay.

There's more finesse in these tracks than simply full-on pummeling rock, and it really works. Songs like "Make it Wit Chu" and "Suture Up Your Future" are very un-Queens, but they're cool. "Into the Hollow" is a song that I had forgotten about, and I don't know how. Same with "Misfit Love." both awesome. And both weird. This whole thing's weird. "I'm Designer" is flat-out bizarre, at least for QOTSA.

To go along with that oddness, the band issued this album on triple 10", which is one of the sweetest moves ever. There's only two songs on each side of the records, so it makes listening to it a real workout, but it's one of the cooler packages I own and, as corny as it sounds, the format gets you really involved with the songs, which I like.

All this Queens has gotten me excited for their new record, which I think they're recording right now. Bring it. But for now, we move to the R's.

"Misfit Love"

Queens of the Stone Age - Queens of the Stone Age (CD, LP, 1998)

How cosmic that I would end up writing the entry for this album on the same day it was reissued. It's also probably the same day that my CD copy of this record went from being worth $40 on eBay to being worth a buck. This disc's been out of print for a long-ass time, and folks have been internet-clamoring for it for a while. Always thought about selling my copy, but my LP, like my Kyuss/QOTSA split, is a confirmed (yet nicely-made) bootleg, so I guess the thought of not having a legit copy left a bad taste in my mouth.

But that's me: I'm a Queens purist.

Truth be told, I don't mind owning two copies of this album, because it is awesome. Part Kyuss and part something totally brand-new, this record is riff-rock at its finest, even if the production value sludges some of it together in parts. Eh, it really doesn't matter. The bass and drums are huge, and Homme's songwriting is - while in retrospect not fully realized - badass. Tracks like "Mexicola" and "You Can't Quit Me Baby" are rumblers, with thick-ass basslines that lay the foundation for Homme's huge leads and oft-hypnotic noodling.

I bought this CD after hearing (and becoming obsessed with) 2000's Rated R, and honestly, I figured it'd be their "finding their sound" record. Instead, it's pretty much QOTSA right out the gate, with songs like "Regular John" and "You Would Know" sounding like the Queens of two years in the future.

I'm hoping now that this thing's being reissued that it'll get the respect it deserves. I don't think it's underrated, by any means; I just think a lot of people don't associate it with the band as much as their major-label stuff. And while that's understandable, it's a shame. Because while I don't think this record is quite as strong as Rated R, I wouldn't scoff at you if you told me you thought it was. If that makes sense.

I probably won't get the reissue, because I've got the bonus tracks on other releases, but who knows. If they put it out on vinyl, I might pick it up. As sweet as my red vinyl bootleg is, I hate that it's not legit. Yet I still have it... Huh.

"Give the Mule What He Wants"

Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age - Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age (CD, LP, 1997)

I've got this one filed under Queens of the Stone Age in my collection, so I guess that's why I'm writing it up here instead of having done it when we covered the few Kyuss albums I own. As you probably know, a few of the dudes from Kyuss (Josh Homme and Alfredo Hernández) formed Queens of the Stone Age after Kyuss broke up, and if there's ever been a transitional album, this would be it.

In fact, does anyone know of another album like this? Where the old band does a split with the new band that the main guy goes on to form, essentially ending the first band and beginning the new one? There's gotta be a few more, but I can't think of any.

This six-song EP features three tracks from each band, with Kyuss offering up two eight-minute bruisers (a cover of Black Sabbath's "Into the Void," and the original "Fatso Forgotso"), as well as a comparably ultra-brief, two-minute, fast-tempoed (for them) jam ("Fatso Forgotso Phase II") that closes out their side. While not their strongest songs, the tracks are vintage Kyuss: lo-fi, brutally dense, and aiming to pound your skull in.

The QOTSA side is, as far as I know, the earliest recorded work from the band. Homme, though not a veteran behind the mic at this point, sings pretty well (even though his vocals are buried in the mix) on the catchy opener, "If Only Everything," and even better on the more Kyuss-ish "Born to Hula," which is probably the best song on this disc. Both of these tracks would get re-recorded, with "If Only Everything" abbreviated to "If Only" and released on the band's self-titled debut, and "Born to Hula" redone sometime around Rated R, where it shows up as a b-side on a single. The later versions are probably technically "better," but these originals still hold up.

The Queens' side finishes up with "Spiders and Vinegaroons," a six-and-a-half minute clappy noodler that foreshadows some of the darker elements the band would eventually embrace and become known for. It's a badass song, but lengthy and vocal-less. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I have this on CD and LP, though I think my CD is a 2000 reissue and I'm fairly certain my LP's a bootleg. So that kind of sucks. I was at the record store like, "Whoah! I didn't even know they put this out on vinyl!" That's because they didn't, idiot. I've learned to never make purchases like that without consulting my iPhone. Looks legit, though, so I don't really care.

Oh, and get ready for Queens of the Stone Age week!

"Born to Hula"

New Music Review: Eddie Spaghetti - Sundowner (LP, 2011)

Welcome to a new feature on Stallion Alert, where I'll be reviewing new albums that I've purchased. Think I've done this before, but I never bothered to title is as such. So from here on out, I'll do my best to write up the newly-released LPs and CDs that I've picked up, and add 'em to this new category. Here we go.

This is the third solo LP from the Supersuckers' Eddie Spaghetti, and the first to not see release on the Supersuckers' (now defunct) Mid-Fi label. I didn't expect the label situation to change anything, and it hasn't. This picks up where Old No. 2 left off, which picked up where The Sauce left off: with Eddie doing mostly-acoustic versions of some of his favorite songs, along with a few originals. It's a formula that I think works really well, so if he's not looking to fix what ain't broke, I don't see a damn thing wrong with that.

I picked up the LP version of this, which has 12 songs on it, but comes with a download card for a 14-track digital version that includes two bonus tracks. I'll get to those. But I wanted to mention the LP, because it's pretty sweet. Thick vinyl, nice album art, limited edition of 1000, and, like I said, comes with extra tracks. And they're not trying to gouge you on the price. Which is very cool.

I've been listening to this record fairly steady for a few weeks now, and I've really been enjoying it. Eddie's two originals, the title track and the opener, "Never Thought I Would," are strong, and hold up nicely next to the random selection of covers. He also reworks the Supersuckers track "Marie" towards the end of the record, and while it's nice to hear an acoustic studio version of the song (he plays it live solo quite a bit, and it's on at least one recording), it sort of feels like filler. But it's such a good song that it doesn't really hinder the overall feel of the album.

So, what does? A few things. His cover of Willie Nelson's "Always On My Mind" is certainly heartfelt, but its slow tempo threatens to derail the peppy feel of the LP, especially since it's sandwiched between the rousing "Sundowner" and the awesome (and upbeat) cover of the Lee Harvey Oswald Band's "Jesus Never Lived on Mars." And while his choices for covers are almost always semi-obscure, this one strikes me as a little too middle-of-the-road. But he's a huge Willie fan, so it adds up on that level.

He also includes a song by his pre-teen son, a brief number that closes out the album, called "When Do I Go?" Now, I don't want to sound like a jerk here, because it really is a touching gesture, but I honestly don't understand who this is for, aside from the people who did it and their immediate families. I felt the same way when Big Boi put his toddlers on Outkast records. I'm not trying to be snarky. I just really don't see the purpose of it.

Other than that, this thing is a good time. While his cover of the Dwarves' "Everybody's Girl" isn't quite as awesome as the Junkyard Dogs' cover of "Drugstore," it is still plenty sweet. There's also a Steve Earle track ("If You Fall in Love"), a Johnny Cash tune ("What Do I Care?"), and a Del Reeves classic ("Girl on the Billboard"). All solid.

The bonus tracks live up to their name. Eddie's been doing Thelonious Monster's "Sammy Hagar Weekend" live for a while now, and I was excited to see that it was one of the extra tunes included with the LP purchase. But it was the other one that really caught me off guard: a country-twang version of Prince's "Delirious" with reverbed-out vocals that is cool as shit. Both tracks could have easily made it onto the LP proper. And that's how they'll be sequenced on my iPod.

You can download "Never Thought I Would" here, and if you like it, you should buy this thing.

"Everybody's Girl"

Public Enemy featuring Paris - Rebirth of a Nation (2xLP, 2006)

I bought this album on CD shortly after it was released, and then somehow managed to find a used copy of the vinyl last year. I'm not sure if I'd call this album underrated, because I get the vibe that the reviews were positive, but it may not get the appreciation it deserves. Of course, I'm a big-time Paris fan, so maybe my opinion is a little skewed. But I don't think so. I really just think this is just a pretty darn good group of songs

Hearing Paris, Public Enemy, and MC Ren all on one song (the badass opener, "Raw Shit") was something I never even considered, and the track, as random as the lineup is, delivers. Ren still has one of the coolest voices in rap, and when he gets serious, he sounds like he means it. I can dig that. But shit really gets bumping with the second cut, the electric guitar-heavy "Hard Rhymin'." This is where the collabo really starts to make sense: it sounds like Chuck D rapping over a classic Paris beat.

Flavor Flav goes buckwild on the fun-as-shit "They Call Me Flava" later on the record, and by that time, after hearing serious shit from Dead Prez and Professor Griff, it's a nice break. It's those same songs (much like any record that either of these artists have recorded in the past) that might turn some people off to this. The tracks are very pro-black (their words, not mine), very angry, and very serious.

But to me, the content often takes a backseat to sweet beats, hard-ass flows, and just really good songs. And I can't argue with that.

"Raw Shit"

Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves (2xLP, 1999)

Prince Paul might be too sharp for his own good.

This album should have been a monumental moment for hip hop, but instead, it performed poorly on the charts and only got Paul critical respect - no chart love. But fuck it: ask anyone who knows anything about this record, and they'll tell you how not-of-this-earth it is. Prince Paul is really the only person that could have pulled a "rap opera" off and not had it suck, and he did it, thanks not only to his stellar beats, but also to his gaggle of famous friends.

But I get it: there's a lot of talking on this record, and it's an hour and fifteen minutes long. It's a bit of a commitment. Well, make yourself a version without the skits, and roll with it. You'll find that even if you ignore the story - and I wouldn't blame you if you did; it's not like you need to hear the skits over and over - this record is filled with dope-ass tracks. Big Daddy Kane's "Macula's Theory" and Kool Keith's "Weapon World" are worth the price of admission alone. And "The Men in Blue" features Everlast's best post-House of Pain performance.

I get why this album wasn't popular (in that selling-lots-of-records way), and even I'll admit that I have to be in the right mood to want to take in the constantly-shifting sounds that this thing pumps out. But when I'm ready for it, I still marvel that this album exists. It's just so damn ambitious.

And its "failure" is probably one of the reasons Prince Paul tends to get pissy about the music biz sometimes. His next record is a prime example.

"A Prince Among Thieves"

Prince Markie Dee - Love Daddy (LP, 1995)

I can't remember how I found out that Prince Markie Dee from the Fat Boys had a solo record (actually, I think he has two), and I still can't remember why I gave a shit. Because I hate the Fat Boys. I like the idea of the Fat Boys, and they're funny in that I-can't-believe-society-let-that-happen sort of way, but their music is flat-out awful.

But maybe that's why I was so curious about the prospect of Prince Markie Dee reinventing himself for the 90's. Dude was still in his mid-to-late twenties when this record dropped (my crack research has his first solo record coming out in '92, btw), so it wasn't like he was washed-up by definition, but things had certainly shifted in the hip hop world, even in the years between this record and his previous one. Sadly, Markie took the route that almost certainly cancels the career of any rapper that dares walk the path: an album filled to the brim with slow jams.

If the title didn't tip you off, dude was out to rebirth himself as an irresistible ladies man, and while better rappers have made the same ill-fated move (I'm looking at you, Big Daddy Kane,) few were brash enough to do nothing but that. This album is straight sex-up songs, front to back. And one is indiscernible from the next. Some are more gentlemanly than pornographic, but for the most part it's a mix of both. He's charming, debonaire, but also wants to rub things on you until they release fluid (Yikes).) He also seems to have an unhealthy obsession with biting. It's all very troubling.

Yet, somehow, I'm still curious to hear his first solo record. Even though I can't get through this one. Huh.

"Crunchtime"

Prince - Batman (LP, 1989)

Prince doing the Batman soundtrack seemed to make perfect sense and no sense at all. I don't consciously remember thinking it was odd, but I must have. They would have been short-lived: as soon as we all heard "Batdance" and saw the video for it, we realized that the dude got it.

In the summer of 1989, Batman was the coolest thing going, so Prince, by osmosis (or whatever) was cool as shit as well. It didn't hurt that "Batdance" was the dopest almost-non-vocal dance track since "Pump Up the Volume," and it certainly didn't hurt that the video looked as high-budget as the film. People were walking around saying "Vicki Vale" all the time, aping the way it's said in the song. I annoyed myself by doing it. I couldn't hear that name without instantly going to that. "I like... BATMAN!" It was nuts.

Whatever it was, it got Prince to churn out a cool little record. "The Future" and "Electric Chair" are both stomping dance tracks, and it's cuts like those that work the best on this record. "The Arms of Orion," a duet with Sheena Easton, is a little too "Somewhere Out There" for me, and "Scandalous" is a decent slow jam, but it lags a little around the fifth minute.

But whatever. Tracks like "Partyman," "Trust," and "Lemon Crush" bump nice and hard, and if Prince was trying to make some sweet dance jams, he pulled it off. Having "Batdance" close the record is a bold move, but of course, it makes sense. That song sounds fairly dated now, but it's still impressive. Prince really could do it all.

It's funny to hear some of the vocal samples on this record. Not on "Batdance" so much, but on some of the other cuts. They don't quite match the ones in the movie. It's hard to explain, but you can notice it if you listen close. Apparently Prince worked with a rough cut or something. This record still feels like a bit of novelty, but it's really not. There are some solid tunes here.

This would pretty much be the end of Prince for me, though that wasn't a conscious decision at the time. 1990 was around when I started getting into other kinds of music, and not relying on the radio so much, I guess. But, you know, "Thieves in the Temple" and that New Power Generation shit just didn't really do it for me. And if you've ever seen Graffiti Bridge (the "sequel" to Purple Rain, then you probably understand what I'm talking about. It's just a terrible, terrible movie. And this was when Prince started hyping Tevin Campbell - it was just no good.

But the 80's were good for Prince. Damn good.

"Partyman"

Prince - Lovesexy (LP, 1988)

Yes, the cover is ridiculous. And whether that alone was the determinant in making this one of Prince's least commercially successful releases up to this point is unclear, but it certainly couldn't have helped. It could also be the fact that next to Sign "☮" the Times, this record just doesn't hold up that well. It's still a great record, but it's just not one of Prince's greatest.

Lovesexy holds the slot in Prince's discography where the fabled Black Album was supposed to go, before it was hastily recalled at the last minute. Prince was obviously having some internal battle between good and evil, hence the release of this upbeat record, and hence its underlying themes involving God, Satan, all that mess. Those lyrics don't really interest me too terribly much, but I can tell you that there are some great songs on this record, regardless of goofy content.

The LP starts strong, with the one-two combo of the mighty fun "Eye No," and the rap-dance anthem that is "Alphabet St." "Alphabet St." remains a great song, and at five and half minutes, the album version cleans the clock of the radio/video edit. (When this came out, I had the cassette single for "Alphabet St.," which had the radio edit on the first side, and the remaining part of the song on the second side. Pretty cool.) Such a catchy tune, and Prince really knows how to get the most out of the hook.

It's followed by "Glam Slam," which I've never been a fan of. Prince went so far as to make it a single, which really makes me wonder if I'm missing something with this one. In fact, in my opinion, it's one of the weakest tracks he released up to this point in his career. Maybe this is where Prince started losing me. Either way, a very generic song from the little guy.

"Anna Stesia," the next track, isn't too great either, which may be evident from its cornball title. (Not that that's ever stopped Prince songs from being good.) This is where he starts spouting his "God is love" stuff, and it drags. Thankfully, "Dance On" (One of the stronger songs on the LP) and the title track follow it up, and they get shit back on track a little bit.

"When 2 R in Love" is the only track that is on both Lovesexy and The Black Album, which makes me think Prince felt strongly about it. He should have; it's a solid slow jam with a nice refrain. It's followed by "I Wish U Heaven," which is an okay three-minute pop tune, and was the third single from this record. Makes sense. The album closes with "Positivity," which is seven minutes long and a bit draining.

This is the first record - I'm fairly certain - where Prince mentions the New Power Generation. They weren't officially his band at this point, but he was working towards it. This directly coincides with where Prince starts losing me. That and the 90's, I guess. Either way, he seems to get more and more jumbled after this point, and for the first time, I found it hard to go down the weird-ass roads with him.

Well, actually, we took one more ride. Wait - maybe two.

"I Wish U Heaven"

Prince - Sign “☮” the Times (2xLP, 1987)

Prince's crowning achievement came at a time when things could have easily gone in a completely different direction. He had just parted ways with most of his longtime band (Dr. Fink stuck around), his latest film had just flopped, and his identity was becoming more and more hazy. The fact that he pulled together an album as flawless as this is just further proof of Prince's genius.

Sign “☮” the Times is not only Prince's best record, it's the best "mainstream" record to come out in the 80's, and arguably one of the greatest albums of all time. It's 80 minutes of non-stop awesomeness, tackling pop, rock, and funk in a way that was both musically complex and extremely palatable. That had always been part of Prince's M.O., but the ways in which he pulls it off on these 16 songs is unsurpassed by any other record in his catalog. This is post-Revolution, pre-New Power Generation Prince, and if he felt alone, his back against the wall with something to prove, then there's no denying that the man works wonderfully under pressure.

There's not a weak spot throughout the entirety of these two LPs, and while Prince had certainly been fairly consistent up to this point, this was a whole 'nother level. Every track on this album is a winner, and though the singles it spawned (the title track, "U Got the Look," "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man") are representative of the album's brilliance, they only tell part of the story. This is a collection of tunes that demands to be listened to from beginning to end, and once you do that two or three times, you'll be stuck on this thing for a year. Yeah, I talk big, but seriously: it's that good.

I'm going to track-by-track this one, just so I don't miss anything.

"Sign “☮” the Times" - Though this is fairly dour lyrically (as far as Prince songs go), the melody and stark drum track are just too dope to let it become depressing. The two little bridge parts ("Is it silly no/ When a rocket ship explodes...") are just too good.

"Play in the Sunshine" - And, here's where the party gets started. If people had been waiting for Prince to get back to some straight-up feel-good shit, here it is. Huge song.

"Housequake" - The first song on the record where Prince uses his squeaky "Camille" voice, this track lets you know that apparently "Play in the Sunshine" was just a warm-up. Hearing Prince yell "Bullshit!" is never not fun.

"The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" - The warbly keys and spazzy drums on this ballad-y cut are abstract, but Prince's clean vocals complement the whole thing perfectly. Contains the classic line "Yeah, lemme get a fruit cocktail - I ain't too hungry." His falsetto on this one is gold.

"It" - There are songs I'll never get sick of, and this is one of 'em. The melody on this song is nerve-wrackingly cutting, and the orchestral stabs in the background are just way too dope. And man, those drums sound like guns.

"Starfish and Coffee" - The most out-and-out pop tune on this record, and it's a pretty one. The shortest song on the album at under three minutes, and it comes at a perfect point in the sequence.

"Slow Love" - The Prince slow jam to end all slow jams. If you can't get laid to this song, turn in your boner.

"Hot Thing" - When a track like this is relegated to b-side status (it was the flip of "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man"), it's only another indication of how incredible this record is. The drums slam, Prince sounds pervy, and it all rules.

"Forever in My Life" - Another track with buzzy synths and badass drums, and another one where Prince just slays it with his vocals. You think it's going to build and then he jukes you. Sweet.

"U Got the Look" - Another Prince-doing-Camille cut, and one of the catchiest singles dude ever released. Prince managed to make Sheena Easton cool. Now that's something. And "Your body's heck-a slammin'" remains a classic.

"If I Was Your Girlfriend" - One of the more odd singles that Prince ever released, though it should have been way more popular than it was. Prince - again as Camille - just wants to know why these ladies won't change their clothes in front of him. Fair enough.

"Strange Relationship" - If you're in a tumultuous relationship with a chick, put this one on a mix for her. It'll score you big points. Or get her pissed. Hard to say. Either way: great song.

"I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" - Probably my favorite Prince song, and the album contains the sweet six-and-a-half minute version, which is far superior to the radio edit. Prince absolutely slays it on guitar during the breakdown on this one.

"The Cross" - Love Prince, love his weird religious shit. Regardless of the message, this is a classic Prince ballad.

"It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" - This one was apparently recorded live, but I have my doubts about how "live" it actually is. It doesn't matter. This is nine minutes of sweet, sweet funk complete with Sheila E rapping.

"Adore" - A great closer for this record, this is Prince getting all sultry and smooth, winding things down.

So there it is: the peak of Prince. At least as far as I'm concerned. If you're going to own one Prince record, this should be it. It just refuses to get old.

"Housequake"

Prince and The Revolution - Parade (LP, 1986)

At this point, Prince was in the zone. Parade may not be as fondly remembered as some of his other albums from his classic run in the 80's, but I'm not sure why. It's just as ambitious as his previous record; possibly even more so. But while Around the World in a Day relied on pop when all the "psychedelic" stuff was stripped away, Parade doesn't always follow suit. I'd argue that that's a good thing, but it also doesn't shock me that this album wasn't a huge success.

1986 was the year of Sophisticated Prince, where everything was stark and slick, classic-styled, and more about jazz and orchestration than funk and guitars. It was a sweet move, though one that might have confused his fans a little bit. Remember: this was only two years after Purple Rain (a little less than, actually), and a year before this, Prince was borderline kaleidoscopic. Now he was black and white? It was a lot to keep up with. But if you were willing to stick with the guy, it always paid off. Most people were more than willing to latch onto "Kiss," but I guess the rest of this record didn't hold the same appeal. Of course, like most Prince records pre-1990's, it's aged brilliantly.

The first four songs are all around two minutes in length, and they blend together to form a nice little intro. Each one features big-ass drums, especially "New Position," which is devastatingly catchy. "Under the Cherry Moon" is the classy-jazzy end to the suite, and it rolls into "Girls & Boys," which should have been a huge hit, but Prince didn't release it as a single in the U.S. for whatever reason. "Life Can Be So Nice" continues with the thundering drums, and is a bizarrely blistering tune. It's followed by the sweet little instrumental "Venus de Milo," which finishes up the first side.

"Mountains" begins the second side, and though it doesn't sound like a typical Prince single, it'll grow on you if you let it. I'll be the first to admit that it's one of his most generic songs, but I dig it. "Do You Lie?" is the apex of Prince's classy vibe on this one, and just one more song that sounds like the inspiration for Andre 3000's The Love Below. (Pretty sure he was listening to this record a lot when we was writing that thing - or so my theory goes.)

Parade ends even stronger than it begins, with "Kiss," the smooth-then-rugged "Anotherloverholenyohead," and one of my favorite Prince ballads, "Sometimes it Snows in April." It's a throwback to some of the softer shit on his first two records, but it's way more fully realized. And hearing Prince with an acoustic guitar is always awesome.

This would be Prince's last record with The Revolution, most of whom who had been with him even before he was putting their group name on the records. They had planned one more album, and apparently even recorded most of it, but it never saw release.

Oh, and this album is also the soundtrack to Under the Cherry Moon, but barely. Although the stinkiness of that movie may have accounted for this record's relatively lackluster sales. Anyway, forget the sales: this record is damn good. Pick it up on the cheap if you can. And you can.

"Anotherloverholenyohead"

Prince and The Revolution - Around the World in a Day (LP, 1985)

The world barely had to wait to find out how Prince would follow up on the mega-success of Purple Rain. Released less than a year later, Around the World in a Day remains one of Prince's most underrated records, and one of the coolest things the dude ever did.

The record was released with hardly any promotion at all. It just showed up in record stores one day. No advance single to build up the hype, no big announcement - just a record in a store. Now, considering that this was to be one of the most highly anticipated albums of the 80's, I think that was a pretty sweet move.

Also a sweet move: the weird-ass album art. The CD versions have gone on to have this little kid holding a balloon with the title of the album and the name of the band in it, but the original LP cover doesn't have him. I think maybe they put this sticker on the shrink, though. Not sure about that. But I do know that the spine is blank, and the song titles and artist/album name are on a strange wrap-around thing that is perforated and goes around the right side of the record cover, where the gatefold opens. (You can sort of see it on the right in this photo.)

Not only did Prince go the weird route with the cover art and the nonchalant release (which must have driven his label crazy), he also made a record that was nothing like Purple Rain. People like to think this record is a bit more psychedelic than it really is, but compared to his previous work, it's borderline experimental. And, of course, Prince totally revamped his look, revamped the look of his band, and reinvented himself when people would have been more than happy to have more of the same. In true Prince fashion, while everyone was going nuts for Purple Rain, he was already recording his next record and moving on to the new shit. Awesome.

And the songs here are awesome. "Paisley Park" should have been a huge hit, and I'm not sure why it wasn't. Prince never really flirted with sounding like The Beatles, but this was as close as he ever came. "Condition of the Heart" is a sprawling ballad that can be a little much, but it's such a weirdly layered track that it ends up being pretty cool. "Tamborine" is frantic, hammering, and just crazy good. This is Prince inching towards his next musical step, and it's great.

"America" is a bit of a funk throwbacker, but not enough to sound regressive. A cool song. And "The Ladder" is a huge, gospel-y ballad that makes it all work. We also can't forget "Pop Life" and "Raspberry Beret," the two big singles from this record. "Pop Life," especially, is just an incredibly infectious tune, and one that seems to sum up some of Prince's thoughts on the current time. ("What you putting in your nose?/ Is that where all your money goes?") The album wraps up with the supremely weird "Temptation," which somehow makes perfect sense.

This is a standalone Prince record that really isn't like a lot of his other stuff, and I've always been drawn to it for that reason. I can see why it's overlooked a bit here and there, but it shouldn't be. Get with it.

"Raspberry Beret"

Prince and The Revolution - Purple Rain (LP, 1984)

Purple Rain kicked down the door of the world in 1984, which was right around the time that I started to become really interested in popular music. I don't really remember listening to the radio when I was kid without the possibility of Prince coming on. I vaguely recall taping (with a tape recorder held up to my parents' stereo) "Let's Go Crazy," so I could listen to it over and over.

Prince was a struggle for my mom. She seemed to like the music, but once she caught a glimpse of the naked little guy crawling out of the bathtub, dripping wet and on all fours, in the "When Doves Cry" video, she began to have some serious reservations about me listening to his music. I wasn't allowed to own a copy of the record, but in 1984, Prince was inescapable. Everybody else had the album, and if I ever had a chance to catch a glimpse of MTV (we didn't have it at our house), he was almost guaranteed to be on. And since over half the songs on this record were getting radio play ("Computer Blue," "Darling Nikki," and "The Beautiful Ones" were the only ones that weren't - though I guess "Baby I'm a Star" was never officially released as a single), it wasn't hard to at least hear Prince. I think my mom just didn't want me looking at him.

I remember hearing that at this time, Prince was the first artist to have the number one song, album, and film, all in the same week. Not sure if that's true, but even if it isn't, there's really no denying that this record ruled the summer and fall of 1984. It was just immense.

And rightfully so. This record almost plays like a greatest hits album. Even those songs I just mentioned that weren't getting radio play were incredible. It's just that the other songs were so unbelievably good that they forced the merely great ones into the backseat.

You know all of these songs, so I won't bother to say too much about them. But talk about an album where everyone could find something to love. Parents dug it, and Prince still remained mysterious enough so the kids found him infatuating. And just to put it all in perspective, Prince had just turned 26 when this LP was released. And what have you done with your life?

"Take Me With U"

Prince - 1999 (2xLP, 1982)

Hey, remember when all of Prince's videos looked pretty much the same, like they were shot at the same sound stage? There was "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?," "Dirty Mind," "Controversy," "Sexuality," and a few more that we'll get to off this record. I'll point them out. Anyway, what the hell was the deal with that? Oh, Prince, you are one of a kind.

So, I'm starting to see things working in twos for Prince, and if For You and his eponymous album were Phase One, and Dirty Mind and Controversy were Phase Two (they were), then 1999 would be the beginning of Phase Three. And it was.

Phase One: Get your foot in the door; hook up with Rick James. Open some shows for him until you realize you're way better than him and you don't like drugs. Get the fuck out of there and vow to take over the world on your own.

Phase Two: Work some new-wave-y shit into your music to hook the kids, but also make the lyrics ultra-dirty and wear nothing more than a trenchcoat, black speedo, and thigh-high boots. Suddenly you're a topic of conversation. Oh, also write some really good songs.

Phase Three: Put some damn pants on and write songs that are so good that mainstream radio can no longer afford to ignore you. Make hacky allusion to used condoms in a song that is ostensibly about a sports car. Laugh as middle-aged people everywhere lap it up, buy your album, and then find out that you say things like "I sincerely want to fuck the taste out of your mouth" on it. Cash huge checks.

Again: Only Price could pull any and all of this off. He somehow kept getting better and better, managing to not only remain filthy as fuck, but also to get some serious mainstream play. Both "1999" (check the soundstage video!) and "Little Red Corvette" (soundstage) were big hits, and yet this record was his most musically challenging yet. It was also his best record yet, by a long shot. His previous two were mighty solid, but man, 1999 is a whole different beast.

With seven of the eleven songs clocking in at six minutes or over, and the two "short" songs running at a solid four apiece, it was clear that Prince wasn't really interested in the two-and-three minute pop jam anymore. Not that he was ever really reliant on that, but considering that this record was longer than his two previous ones combined and contains five fewer songs, you can certainly feel the shift. And it's great, because once again, it feels like a whole new Prince. "D.M.S.R." and "Automatic" (enjoy the soundstage - and the perviest Prince video yet) are both over eight minutes long, and they're rarely repetitive. Yeah, they feel a little self-indulgent in parts, but fuck it: it's Prince.

"Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)" and "Lady Cab Driver" must have satisfied the shit out of Prince's fans who thrived on the weird shit, and "Free" and "International Lover" brought the slow jams to a whole new level. But, as always, it's the catchy melodies - which Prince was a mastermind of by this point - that make this record so incredible. "Delirious" is pure pop brilliance, a surprisingly simple track that squeaks just right. "All the Critics Love U in New York" isn't nearly as formulaic, but it's just as catchy. A really cool song.

But it's "Let's Pretend We're Married" that really steals the show on this LP. The title track and "Little Red Corvette" will always be more well-remembered, but it's the superior song. In fact, I'd have to say it's Prince's best song up to this point in his career. Just an amazing track.

As you can tell, I highly recommend this record. In fact, it's probably my second-favorite Prince album. It's always been overshadowed by the one that came after it, and that's more than understandable. But don't forget about this bad boy.

To help you remember, here's a video shot on a soundstage:

"Let's Pretend We're Married"

Prince - Controversy (LP, 1981)

Released almost exactly a year after Dirty Mind, Controversy is partly a continuation of what he started with his previous record, but it also features he and his band (The Revolution, though they weren't officially called that at this point) moving towards the kind of songs that would make him crazy-famous in the next few years.

The title track is catchy as all get-out, and it's one of two seven-minute-plus songs on this record. Dude was starting to sprawl out, and it was a great move. "Do Me, Baby" is the other one, and both tracks have middle sections that let Prince really show off his songwriting/musical chops. "Do Me, Baby" is a little much in parts, but it's a solid slow jam.

And it's about as laid-back as this record gets. Prince sounds amped-up and excited throughout this thing, with cuts like "Sexuality" and "Private Joy" taking the fast-ass pop song approach and yielding some sweet dance tunes. "Ronnie, Talk to Russia" was probably his most overtly political song up to this point, but it's mostly just a great two-minute pop track. The stabbing keyboard bits and machine gun sound effects are nuts, but they somehow work.

"Let's Work" is sparse funk, which Prince had completely mastered by this point. The drums are huge, the vocals are used only when needed, and the arrangement is fairly complex. "Annie Christian" is easily the most abstract track on this record, and though I've never fully embraced it, I do enjoy how all-over-the-place it is.

And, of course, there's the let's-make-everyone-uncomfortable pop perversity of "Jack U Off," which still seems out of place as the closer to this set of songs, but it's such an over-the-top juxtaposition of poppy pop and dirty words that I'm just thankful it's on here at all. Seriously: one of his most squeaky-clean pop songs musically, but, as you can tell from the title, there's nothing sterile about the lyrics. I'm assuming that was the idea. Only Prince could pull that off.

At this point, Prince was famous, but from what I gather, still kind of cult-y famous. His next record would be the one that brought him one big step closer to legendary-famous.

"Controversy"

Prince - Dirty Mind (LP, 1980)

I'm not sure what happened to Prince when the 70's turned into the 80's, but a switch was clearly flipped. Within the first 30 seconds of the title track, the first song on this blazing 30-minute LP, it becomes very clear that this is not the same Prince that released those two disco-ish records.

"Dirty Mind" is easily his best song up to this point. The production is much more stark, all the fluff has been clipped away, and the beat and the melody are left there to kick everyone in the nutsack. It's really the moment where Prince becomes Prince. The song sets the stage for the rest of this record's lyrical filthiness, and the decidedly new-wave groove makes its point early. Prince had tried it the Soul Train/Rick James way. Now it was time to do something that didn't sound like anything else. And it worked. Man, did it work.

"When You Were Mine" has been covered by what seems like hundreds of people (probably most notably by Cyndi Lauper), but Prince's version still rules. "Do It All Night" and "Gotta Broken Heart Again" are solid tracks, though they're both build-ups to the second side of this LP, where shit gets a little wacko.

The three-song suite of "Uptown," "Head," and "Sister" is one of the main reasons this album is so damn cool. The music in each of the songs in fantastic, for sure. But this was really the first time that Price cut out the innuendo and just decided to let everyone know what a freaky perv he was.

"Uptown" is actually fairly tame compared to the other two, but I include it here because all three of these songs blend together. And, I guess it's sort of a warmer-upper. It's a catchy tune about Prince meeting a chick who asks him if he's gay (no way!), him telling her no, and then the two of them going to place where acceptance is cool as shit. Or something like that.

"Head" is about Prince meeting a girl on her way to get married, she blows him, and he's just so awesome and "full of spunk" that she marries him instead. Now there's the Prince we know and love.

"Sister" is one that, I'll admit, maybe I don't fully understand. Because to my untrained ear, it seems to be a song about a 16-year-old Prince (or whoever the voice of the song is) fucking his 32-year-old sister, who then wants to be his pimp. That's the short version. Of course, the song's only about 90 seconds long, so I guess there's not that much more to it. Anyway, it's a freaky-deaky one. I love the song itself, though, so I just try to roll with it.

The album wraps up with "Partyup," which is a classic Price party track (no shit!) that must have blown the roof off the sucka back in 1980. A great tune. And a great end to a great little record.

For most folks, this is probably the place to start with Prince. I like to have his first two records around, and they're not bad, but this is where shit starts to get awesome. And it is only the beginning of Prince being awesome throughout the 80's.

"Dirty Mind"

Prince - Prince (LP, 1979)

This is basically Part II of the Early Prince saga, and it's another LP where he still seems to be finding his way. Released about a year and a half after his debut, this record isn't a whole lot different stylistically than his first, but it's a bit more potent with the hooks. If Prince knew he was going to have to get some radio play to make it (and I'm sure he did), he certainly made it his priority here.

The disco-ish stuff is still here, especially in the first track, "I Wanna Be Your Lover," which would be Prince's first semi-hit single. But, you can also hear the synths starting to take over, and the beat is a bit harder than a standard dance track. The same can be said for a lot of the rest of this record. There's plenty of slink and R&B, but the pop and rock is starting to work its way in. "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad," another single from this record, lays on the guitar pretty thick, and it's one of the first tracks where Prince starts to really sound like Prince.

"Sexy Dancer" works along the same lines, and so does the ultra-catchy "I Feel for You," which most of us remember from Chaka Khan's version that came out five years later. Prince's version sounds a little safe if you're used to Khan's crazy belt-it-out hip-hopped take on the track, but I still dig the shit out of the original.

My favorite track here, however, has got to be "Bambi." Hearing a young Prince wail on his guitar smack-dab in the middle of a record that's immersed in R&B is just nuts. It's one of the most ass-rocky songs of his career, and it's just fantastic. (Check out a sweet 1990 performance of it here.)

Other than that, there are a few ballads on here that are solid enough (with "Still Waiting" probably being the standout), but it's the closer, "It's Gonna Be Lonely," that makes it worth sticking around till the end. A big track with a great build-up, and a quality ending.

All in all, another nice effort from Prince, but it wouldn't be until his next record that shit would get major. Oh, and extra points to the little guy for self-titling his sophomore LP. Always an odd move.

And do yourself a favor and check out this awesome performance:

"I Wanna Be Your Lover"/"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?"

Prince - For You (LP, 1978)

You ready for some Prince? Settle in - we're taking it from '78 to '88 (possibly '89), or what I consider Prince's Decade of Dominance. Possibly excluding his first two records (this being one of them, obviously), the dude was flawless for the better part of ten years, and prolific-as-shit to boot. Let's get to it.

Only Prince could take a few major-label albums to get warmed up. Don't get me wrong: this album and its follow-up were both modest hits, but we all know it wasn't until Dirty Mind that the little guy finally found his groove. Still, this record is notable for a number of reasons. First off, it's Prince's debut record, and he recorded it when he was 19. He was still a teenager, for chrissake. And, of course, he was already writing, producing, composing and performing the whole damn thing by himself. (He certainly had some help on this record and many others, but it's always been fun to believe that he truly is the one-man show.)

How this kid convinced Warner Bros. to let him produce his debut record is beyond me - though I'm sure there's some story to it - but it's pretty damn cool. And apparently he spent three times the money he was allotted for the recording, which is hilarious to me for some reason. This brash newcomer, etc...

1978 was a rough year for music in general, and for someone who was clearly looking to make a name for himself, Prince must have felt confused as to which direction to take. It shows in the songs on this record, which flutter between R&B pop crooners ("Baby," "My Love is Forever"), delicate balladry ("Crazy You," "So Blue"), full-on disco ("Just As Long as We're Together," "In Love"), and incongruous funk-rock (the awesome "I'm Yours").

"Soft and Wet" ended up being the only semi-hit, and though it's a bit disco-fied, it's the pop aspects that make it memorable, as well as the innuendo-filled lyrics. Price must have noticed this, because it's an angle he would go on to work into his signature sound.

This record sounds mad dated now, but I still think it's cool as shit. If nothing else, it's Prince's debut and he's rocking a sturdy 'fro on the cover. You can love it for those two reasons alone.

Oh, and I should probably mention that Prince is very un-YouTube friendly, so if any of these audio links get pulled, I apologize.

"Crazy You"