Controversy - Prince (CD)

Maybe I'm influenced because of its location in Prince's catalog, sandwiched between two of his better albums (Dirty Mind and 1999), but I consider Controversy to be merely an average Prince record. Oh, there is a talent behind the wheel here; the album is a playground of funk, rock, new wave, and soul thanks to Prince's multi-instrumental know-how. But the vital ingredients to his best work are sure-fire hooks and melodies, and Controversy doesn't have enough of them.

Granted, an average Prince album would be a high point in the career of many artists. I'm reminded of reviews to almost every '90s album Prince made, which ended something like this: it may not be his best album, but it is still better than 90% of what's on the radio. Well, this white boy was 14 and kneeling at the shrine of St. Lennon when Controversy came out in 1981, so I wasn't paying attention to what was on the radio at the time, much less the funk scene, but in retrospect the tag seems apt for this album. Since Controversy did not yield any Top 40 hits I can conclude that Prince was not in heavy rotation on many stations, unless they were in tune to hot, new R&B acts. It would take another year for the world to catch on to Prince, and for him to perfect his art.

Musically, much of Controversy concerns itself with developing a new sound he hinted at on his previous album, sort of a synth-heavy funk. Over the course of a whole album it wears thin, but there are some moments that stand out. The best example is the seven minute opening title track, a decent send-up of his image and society's take on him. Against an itchy rhythm guitar lick and singing in a falsetto lead that he would use throughout the album, Prince ponders the questions his previous album, Dirty Mind, provoked in the media.

Am I black or white?
Am I straight or gay?
Do I believe in God?

Prince wisely chooses not to answer those questions directly (why as a culture are we so obsessed to know the ethnic, sexual, and religious make-up of entertainers, anyway?). Instead, he offers two credos. The first one is The Lord's Prayer; the second a Nature Boy mantra he recites several times.

People call me rude
I wish we all were nude
I wish there was no black or white
I wish there were no rules

At first glance, these two sets of beliefs appear to be contradictory (controversial?). But in later years Prince would submit that devotion to God and devotion to the flesh are intertwined. Here he presents an early attempt at that thesis.

The next track, "Sexuality," picks up the idea of being nude without regard to race. "Sexuality is all we ever need," Prince squeals, emphasizing a "reproduction of a new breed." In other words, all races get it on with one another until racial distinction becomes meaningless.

Where Prince founders is when he tries to make political statements. Toward the end of "Sexuality," he clumsily sings about raising children the right way lest they become like tourists on vacation. While there's a point in there somewhere, he fails to connect the dots.

"Annie Christian" is another song with big ideas that falls short of the mark. I suppose the name of the title character can either be read straight, making said person sound like a hypocrite, or read as "anti-Christian." In any case, he/she is an amalgam of social evils circa 1981. (Prince cites the Atlanta child murders, the assassination of John Lennon and attempted assassination of President Reagan and the ABSCAM scandal.) However, the music, a minimalist mesh of rock guitar and synthesizer, never appealed to me, and the chorus I find baffling:

Annie Christian, Annie Christ
until you're crucified
I'll live my life in taxicabs

On the other hand, "Ronnie, Talk to Russia" works because of its short, simple take on life in the first year of the Reagan era. It is a manic nursery rhyme, reflecting the nervousness of the time, with Prince breaking out his electric guitar for a solo. And can't you just picture ol' Dutch just before bedtime, singing himself to sleep with the lines:

Ronnie talk to Russia before its too late
Before its too late
Before its too late
Ronnie talk to Russia before its too late
Before they blow up the world

Should anyone think that Prince had abandoned his dirty mind in favour of social awareness, he offers not one but two dance songs to the pleasure of masturbation, "Private Joy" and "Jack U Off," a silly but somehow appropriate closing selection. Meanwhile "Do Me Baby" is a nice, slow, conventional R&B number with Prince at his most sensual. The pillow talk at the end may be a bit much, but the atmosphere is right for it.

So, I give Controversy a tepid recommendation for some good funky ideas though it comes up short on the pop melodies. It may have been better than 90% of what was on the radio, but Prince could reach that plateau in his sleep.