So I’ve been listening to Dirty Mind on the way to work lately. It’s perfect for a half hour drive. You can go from front to back on the trip without even having to post up in the parking lot to hear the end of “Partyup.” Great, great stuff.
Better stuff than i remember, actually. For some reason, lately, I’ve been listening to music bass first. I hear the bass line, then the lyrics, and the rest is kinda noise. Most of us listen to music in parts, which is part of why a music junkie can listen to the same record every other day for 15 years and not get bored. You can always find a something new to hold on to.
Well, the bass on the record is incredible from start to finish. It’s loose, but always on time. It grooves, but never gets in the way. It’s what a great bass player should be, and this record shows exactly how much Prince was influenced by Larry Graham. I love all-over-the-place bassist like John Entwistle, but it takes a special man to lock it down and stay out of the way. I’m groove first, tricks later. Nobody did groove like Graham, and Prince tried his damndest on this record to do bass like that (also check the records from Al Green’s prime to hear what I’m talking about).
So I’ve been so enraptured by Dirty Mind that it got me thinking — is this record better than 1999?
Today, I say yes. Tomorrow? Maybe not.
No matter the conclusion, these are two fantastic records to compare and contrast. It’s crazy that these records came out two years apart and sound NOTHING like each other. In fact, they’re almost polar opposites.
I asked my Facebook folks which record they’d take, and they almost all said 1999. Tis their right. But think about the following…

  1. 1999 is a double LP.  Dirty Mind is a demo tape.  Yeah, 1999 has more hits, and the songs are crafted better.  But what makes Dirty Mind incredible is that the stuff isn’t supposed to be well-crafted.  It’s raw and spontaneous, giving the feel of a smoking hot concert set rather than a big album.  You probably skip some tracks on <i>1999</i> (I skip “Delirious” every time, and I’ve gotta be in the mood for “Automatic”).  By the time you calm down enough to press fast forward on Dirty Mind, it’s already over.  So there’s no “Little Red Corvette” on Dirty Mind.  There’s also nothing as real as “When You Were Mine” in 1999.
  2. 1999 suffers from delusions of grandeur.  Dirty Mind does not.  There hasn’t been a double album that wasn’t a big bloated.  However, that doesn’t excuse being bloated.  There’s not an unnecessary note on Dirty Mind.  There are a couple of songs on 1999 that are a few minutes too long.  Yes, I’m talking about “Automatic.”
  3. 1999 can be preachy.  Dirty Mind never is.  Making “Partyup” a straight-ahead party record makes it a far more fascinating listen.  Now, put that next to “Free.”  I think you’ll see my complaint.  Every place “Free” is cliche, “Partyup” is exciting.  And as good as 1999 is, you can’t say it’s more exciting than Dirty Mind.
  4. Dirty Mind is sexier.  All in the bass.  Name a record with sexier uptempo songs than Dirty Mind.
  5. Did I mention Dirty Mind is a demo tape?  The great what-if — what if Prince took the time to put Dirty Mind through the full recording process?  Prince said it couldn’t be better.  Any Prince record without piano — he couldn’t fit a piano in his basement studio, where Dirty Mind was recorded — can be made better.

Truth is that this is an apples and oranges discussion.  The only real conclusion is one I’ve trumpeted for as long as I can remember — Prince is the baddest man of his time.  Every difference I’m pointing out was intentional.  Dirty Mind was intended to blow you away.  1999 was intended to be huge and self-indulgent.  Dirty Mind was supposed to burn like a punk record, and 1999 was supposed to be a pop smash.  It’s not really fair.
But for the Prince fans that forget about Dirty Mind — this is the part where I call out the posers who have never actually listened to Dirty Mind before, and I know that’s many of you because it doesn’t have any smash hits — is that it covers every corner of the map in 29 minutes!  Check this track listing…

  1. “Dirty Mind.”  Electronic pop-funk.
  2. “When You Were Mind.”  As close to a straight rock record as Prince did pre-Purple Rain.
  3. “Do It All Night.”  Funk, with obvious overtones.
  4. “Gotta Broken Heart Again.”  Ballad.
  5. “Uptown.”  Funk.
  6. “Head.”  Funk, but much more sparse.
  7. “Sister.”  Pop-rock.  And just nasty than a muthafucka.
  8. “Partyup.”  Funk/social commentary.

In 29 minutes.  If I had one album I’d wanna see Prince do in concert, it’s Dirty Mind.  It may not be better than 1999, but it’s an easier and more interesting listen.
But think about it again — within a year and a half, and with one album in between, Prince made two classics that are nothing like one another.  Then comes Purple Rain, which is another jump.  Three classics in four years.
Your comments are welcome below.