I don't know why I don't listen to Dirty Mind more often (probably because I bought it b/w Controversy as a 2-fer cassette) because this is one of Prince's best albums. The tiny, 1980 synthesizer sound gives it away as a product of its time, but otherwise there isn't a weak track here. The music, a blend of soul, funk, rock, pop, and, thanks to the synthesizers, new wave, proves to be a very catchy mix. A wizard in the studio, the 22 year-old Prince wrote, recorded, and produced every track but one by himself.

So much is made of Prince's songwriting and playing that his singing sometimes gets overlooked, but I think it is one of the highlights of the album. Throughout the course of one song his voice can be as gruff and husky as a love man one moment, yelping and squealing like a woman on the brink of orgasm the next moment, and end in a Smokey Robinson-like coo. Though, where Smokey sang about "Being With You" in the most innocuous manner, Prince took it up several notches.

The opening, bouncing title cut should clue you in as to what the rest of the album is about. If not, Prince makes it plain half way through, singing in pleading, double-tracked vocals, "You just gotta let me lay ya/Gotta let me lay ya down" then switching to a sweet, persuasive falsetto "In my daddy's car." Certainly, he wasn't the first artist to sing about sex so openly, but as the album progresses one discovers a few of the thoughts he has in that dirty, little mind. Fortunately, the album clocks in at just under 30 minutes. Any longer a listen could get you arrested for perversion.

Now one might question if the reason he went so far on record was to get attention. The previous year he had a hit song, "I Wanna Be Your Lover," so it was not like he was a complete unknown. But when you go by the name of Prince (his given first-name), you need to set yourself apart from the pack. Not only does he attempt to out-sing Smokey here, he also tries to out-funk George Clinton, and out-wunderkind Stevie Wonder. Furthermore, he probably wanted to out-sell Michael Jackson, who would be his goody two-shoes marketing foe throughout the '80s. And, by the looks of the cover shot of him in a suit coat, bandana, and briefs, he definitely wanted to out-sexy anybody else. Pretty impressive goals considering his home base was Minneapolis, not exactly on the map as a hotbed for soul and R&B.

The two songs that gained the most notoriety are on the back side of the album. The salacious "Head" tells the story of a naughty Prince seducing a bride-to-be by getting her to perform oral sex on him. Had the Republicans been successful in bringing down Bill Clinton, "Head" would have been their rally song.

"Sister," a song proclaiming the joy of incest, is shocking, but at under 2 minutes this rocker is a hit and run. It is only after it ends and you stop bobbing up and down long enough that the subject matter sinks in and jolts your senses.

No less shocking is "When You Were Mine," though it is wrapped in a delicious synth-driven melody that finds Prince embracing new wave. On this track, Prince is the odd man out in an open relationship. Apparently, his lover was more interested in the fellas Prince brought home. Ultimately, it works as a touching love song ("I love you more than I did when you were mine"), where a wounded Prince reflects on things like sharing wardrobes, even if he is better off without the gold digger. This piece was later covered, word for word, by Cyndi Lauper on her solo debut album.

"Gotta Broken Heart Again" could be a continuation to "When You Were Mine." Taken together, they find Prince at his most vulnerable.

The other songs on the album, "Do it All Night," "Uptown," and "Party Up," are celebrations of youth. The first of those three is sort of a Dirty Mind-lite. You know what Prince is after but he is more conventional about it as he steals a woman away before another guy can put on a move. "Uptown" is a shout out to Minneapolis, a place where "you can set your mind free" while keeping your body hot. "Party Up" looks ahead to "1999" as the hippie in Prince chooses dancing as an alternative to war.

I suppose one's appreciation for Dirty Mind depends on how far one is willing to hear beautifully crafted, upbeat pop songs that package such racy material. As for me, I consider it a true break out album, if only because it was a pop record that dared to explore taboo subjects.

Recommended: Yes