randomly, I know we're about 23 years from this point, but will posthumously released albums (not the bonus tracks on Purple Rain, 1999 and SOTT, amongst others to come I'm sure) like Piano And A Microphone 1983 and Originals be taken track by track post-HnR Pt. 2 or the tracks reviewed by the era of recording?
"In Love" Hook-laden goodness right out of the gate (after "For You" has set us up for this fine album and beyond).
In Love is one of about four songs on the debut that I think of as rather slight and I rarely listen to. I would give it 2/5. -George
Era of recording, where possible.I probably won’t go through every single track of Piano and a Microphone or other live albums, only songs that are exclusive to that album. Then hold up the overall album for discussion.
Today's song is "Soft and Wet", music by Prince and lyrics by Chris Moon and Prince; produced by Prince. Spotify: Soft and Wet Lyric. Recordings of this song had been made as far back as Summer 1976, and another demo of the song was made in 1977 along with several other songs, that was part of the demo tape that Prince's manager shopped around to labels. The song was released as a single on Prince's 20th birthday on June 7th, 1978. It was his first single. It reached #92 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #12 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It sold nearly 350 000 copies in the USA. It has also been released on these compilations: The Hits 1 and 4Ever.
Prince's first hit, and proof he could write one right out the gate. I don't dislike the production, but it would be great to hear it stripped of this somewhat generic mid-disco sound and cast in a more New Wave light, because it has a lot more in common with Prince's later work than the previous track. The lyrics in particular are fantastically raunchy and a good preview of things to come. I'm not doing fractional grades so I'd have to give this one a 4, although that's a weak 4. Let's just say though that I never skip it when it comes up on shuffle. It's not one of his greatest hits, but it towers above most of For You and the song itself is solid even if I think the production somewhat gets in the way. I mean, I get why it sounds the way it does - it was 1978 - but unlike most of his work it doesn't somewhat transcend its era, even if this cut sounds far more distinctively Prince than the previous track "In Love".
Interesting. I think I like the vocal better on the demo version than on the final version... Just reinforces that a big problem with For You is (over)production.
Despite its quaint imperfections, and that he understandably hadn't fully-developed into the legend he soon became by the mid-'80s, For You embodies qualities scarcely found in artists that were only 17 years old at the time of its creation. It's not his best, but it's a very good debut album from this monumentally talented prodigy! For You ~ 5/5 In Love ~ 4/5 Soft & Wet ~ 4/5 Crazy You ~ 3/5 Just As Long As We're Together ~ 5/5 Baby ~ 3/5 My Love Is Forever ~ 3/5 So Blue ~ 2/5 I'm Yours ~ 5/5
[ Whoa, I've never heard that. I had no idea that bootleg stuff (for Prince) was on YouTube. Oh, god, this may be a deep rabbit hole....must...resist.... This is pretty cool. I think the released version is much, much slicker, and probably needed to be for a beginning artist who needed a hit because he'd blown all his budget, but I really enjoy this rather stripped down version. Not quite as much as the album version though. I love that synthy funk sound of this, and there's a lot going on in this (1978) single overall. I'll give it a 3.9/5
Soft And Wet was the first track I heard off For You when I bought The Hits back in 1993 (I ended up getting For You around 1998), always liked it and surprised it didn't go higher on the charts 4/5
Soft and Wet Yes - some strong hints here of the rubbery, lascivious funk that would become one element of Prince's base sound (the other element was his genre bending tendencies, which won't become apparent until later). 3/5
Soft and Wet This shows a lot of Princes writing and recording characteristics. It is really interesting hearing these tracks for the first time .... I came into the picture with Controversy, and although this stuff is pretty decent, I probably lean more naturally to his slightly more rock/funk, than his pop/funk ... although as others have stated, this disco remnant infiltration here, may be what leans me away slightly.
Soft And Wet 4/5 First single ~ first (minor) hit. Amazing. The final, re-recorded version already shows a guy who knows how to create a hit record. There are so many great moments on that song, like the "breath" break and the unexpected use of his lower voice: "Tell me that u love me girl"... The song is about a kiss folks, do not think anything nasty
This is the Prince equivalent of Love Me Do: a rather tame opening single compared to the stunning displays of genius to come, but has just enough of something new, an unusual new voice, for discerning music lovers to raise their heads up and remember the first time they heard this. This marks the first hint of some of his biggest influences, Stevie Wonder and Sly and the Family Stone. And the middle eight sections veer into a strong Disco vibe. So he was already stirring all these elements into something new. I’m always struck by how tentative his solo singing voice is at this early stage. Of course, he’s almost exclusively using his falsetto at this time, and there’s no hint of the vocal range he’ll display in the future (including developing into one of the best screamers in a few albums). But as with In Love, his confidence really shines with backing vocal arrangements, which are already inventive and exciting. It’s easy for me to forget that, at this point, the biggest selling points are; the one-man-band angle (and just how seamless it all sounded), his strikingly young age, and the beginning of the sexual persona taking shape. A very important first single, a form he would soon master. 3/5
Oooh! The sound quality is too ropy for me to judge properly but from what I can make out if the HQ version of that demo ever emerges it would probably end up being my go-to version. The energy there seems a lot more typical of his later work, it would sit nicely on my early years playlist between I Wanna Be Your Lover and Do It All Night.
I love Soft and Wet. This is the outstanding song on the album. Good choice for a single and it was a modest hit in the US. I don’t know if it was because of Chris Moon’s co-written lyrics, but I like it. It is one of the few songs where he shares credits for the lyrics. The next song is probably Slow Love on SOTT, 9 years later. This song should be on every serious multi-disc Prince compilation. It’s the song that started it all. I think it’s a 4 out of 5.
