1999 by Prince (CD, Jul-1987, Warner Bros. Records Record Label)

Released in late 1982 by Warner Brothers and WEA for the world outside of the U.S., 1999 was the album that catapulted Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson in 1958) to international superstardom – and guaranteed him a place at every millennial New Year’s Eve party.

Prince's fifth album came right before the lascivious multi-instrumentalist became a huge star with his 1984 film and soundtrack, Purple Rain. But Prince had already proved himself to be the most audacious talent to emerge in the 1980s. Rife with nasty funk, screaming rock guitar and exuberant party jams, the uniformly strong release spawned three hit singles: “1999,” a song actually contemplating surviving a future nuclear war and wishing to be back in 1999, “Delirious,” and the slinky “Little Red Corvette.”
“D-M-S-R” and “Automatic” also received airplay even with their long run times. A classic.

Prince produced, arranged, composed, and PERFORMED all instruments and vocals with a few exceptions. His band was only used on tours.

I first became aware of Prince in 1981 when he opened for The Rolling Stones for their California dates and was prominently booed off the stage. I had a chance to see him at the San Francisco Civic Center in 1982 with one of the acts he produced The Time, but could not attend. In 1983, MTV was not a prevalent item on cable subscriptions and their play lists routinely ignored black artists. “Little Red Corvette” was one of the first “black” videos I saw while attending the US Festival II during Memorial Day weekend of that year. I have never seen -- Prince, the Revolution, the New Power Generation, Symbol, the Artist, the Purple One, or back to Prince -- live in concert as of the this writing.

The Record Industry Association of America (“RIAA”) certified 1999 gold on January 11, 1983, Platinum on May 17, 1983, Multi-Platinum (2MM) on October 22, 1984 after the release of Purple Rain, Multi-Platinum (3MM) on July 22, 1985, and Multi-Platinum (4MM) on March 24, 1999 with the renewed interest over Y2K.

Arrived quickly and perfectly, sealed/unused. Very happy with the transaction and quality of the product.

I was pleased with my purchase. Price, quality, shipping & time of arrival were all very good. I rally don't know what more I am expected to say.

This work has some typical Prince pieces, with odd melodies and unique synthesized background parts. The songs are mostly danceable, with the exception of one or two slow moving pieces. The album seems to be a hodgepodge of musical styles, with only Prince's voice and the synthesizer remaining common throughout all the songs.

What makes this album interesting is the historical significance of the music. Written during the early 80's, the song 1999 refers to the ridiculous prophecies of the period that the world was "going to end" in 1999. This, of course, has been proven to be wrong, making the song even more charming in the face of this historical inaccuracy.

The rest of the songs, with the exception of two, revolve around an obsession with sexual activity. This was another prevailing theme in the arts during the 1980's and 1990's in America. Films, paintings, and songs often suggested sexuality, which reflected American's changing views about sexuality among men and women, men and men, and women and women.

It's worth listening to.

I would love to review this but I never recieved it from the person I ordered it from!!!! I have been contacting them over and over and they will not cooperate in sending me another or refunding my money. I am not happy at all!!!!
Thank you,
Tammy Wilson

i like this for a long time.from the 80* and it a good cd. to have around.and i got a lot of cd s .from ebay it`s a grate way to git thangs.thats hard to find some times. ebay is the best thang that ever happen.keep up the good work ebayer`s

Purchase of Prince (Prince 1999) is an excellent addition to my music genre. Product was as expected.

Had this on Vinyl long before the Great CD came along & it was TOUGH back in 1983 & just as STRONG & POWERFUL in 2008...Just better sound and clearer pitch of all those great tracks on this Masterpiece!!!

I had this CD from the start but lost it in moving. Haven't been able to find it in the stores. I just purchased my lap top and decided to do some exploring on line. So far I have not been dissapointed. Thank You.