Prince's pop life, song by song, in chronological order.
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The Belle of St. Mark
While “Glamorous” sounded tailor-made for Sheila’s particular talents (even if it wasn’t), “Belle” is well-crafted but faceless, embodying the essentialist cynicism of the publishing imprint Prince used for his female side projects: “Girlsongs.”
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Horny Toad
“Horny Toad” works as a self-aware riff on Prince’s carefully-cultivated reputation as a pervert.
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Purple Music (Welcome 2 the Freedom Galaxy)
“Purple Music” feels like the private tinkering of an unhinged genius: a funky Aleister Crowley drawing ritual circles in his suburban Boleskine House; a post-disco Dr. Frankenstein cackling over his Tesla coil-powered drum machine.
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Roundup: What Time is It?, 1982
It’s been a much shorter time than usual since the last roundup post; I won’t pat myself on the back too hard, though, because this one has been a long time coming. Fortunately, the Time’s second album happens to be my favorite of their slender catalogue by a long shot: the perfect crystallization of the…