Prince - 1999 (CD 1984)

Having the original LP bought at the time of the original release date, I though it would be wise to purchase the CD and keep the vinyl in good condition. It often seems weird listening to a full album on CD when one is used to turning the record over. Most Compact Discs of vinyl releases seem to suffer from that lack of the manual touch. However this does not detract from 11 tracks of pure purple gorgeousness that is the second release of '1999' on CD (the first release did not include 'D.M.S.R.' due to restricted space on early discs). We open with the almost anthemic title track, which really turned me onto Prince all those years ago. Highlights for me are the classic 'Little Red Corvette', the ever so saucy (but restrained) 'Let's Pretend We're Married' and the floor stomper 'D.M.S.R.' (Dance, Music, Sex, Romance. Prince's previous 4 studio albums were much shorter than '1999' and I feel it was brave having so many tracks running over 5 minutes in length (7 out of 11) with Automatic clocking in at 9:24. For me the tracks 'Delirious' with it's superficial poppy froth and the almost instrumental 'All The Critics Love You in New York' are the lowest points of the album. However, '1999' remains as current today as it was groundbreaking back in 1982 when the original vinyl was released. Grab yourself a piece of music history, grab a copy of '1999' you won't regret it.