Prince (November 13, 1981) – Controversy Album UK: LP

UK: ORIGINAL VINYL LP

Prince’s fourth studio album, Controversy, received its UK release on November 13, 1981, bringing together eight recordings from a largely self-contained studio project that bridged the raw approach of Dirty Mind with the increasingly ambitious sound that would lead into 1999.

RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS

FEATURE	DETAILS
Artist	Prince
Title	Controversy
UK Release Date	November 13, 1981
US Release Date	October 14, 1981
Label	Warner Bros. Records
UK Format	LP
Running Time	37:18
Studios	Kiowa Trail Home Studio / Hollywood Sound Recorders / Sunset Sound
Producer	Prince
Arranger	Prince
Mastering	Bernie Grundman
Photography	Allen Beaulieu

ORIGINAL UK RELEASE ARTWORK

FRONT COVER	BACK COVER
[IMAGE – UK FRONT COVER]	[IMAGE – UK BACK COVER]

ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVES / INSERTS

INSERT / INNER SLEEVE 1	INSERT / INNER SLEEVE 2
[IMAGE – INSERT / INNER SLEEVE 1]	[IMAGE – INSERT / INNER SLEEVE 2]

RECORD LABELS

SIDE A LABEL	SIDE B LABEL
[IMAGE – UK SIDE A LABEL]	[IMAGE – UK SIDE B LABEL]

INTRODUCTION

THE UK RELEASE	THE ALBUM
Controversy received its UK release on November 13, 1981, following the earlier American edition. It was Prince’s fourth full-length studio album and followed Dirty Mind by approximately a year. The eight-track programme runs for 37:18 and was produced and arranged by Prince.	The album was predominantly a solo recording project, with Prince responsible for the principal vocals and instrumentation. Additional contributions occur on selected tracks, most notably Jack U Off, which includes Bobby Z., Lisa Coleman and Dr. Fink. Lisa Coleman also contributes background vocals elsewhere on the album.

BACKGROUND / RECORDING

BACKGROUND

RECORDING

Controversy developed from studio work undertaken principally during spring and summer 1981. Some of its material, however, had a considerably longer history. Do Me, Baby had first been recorded in February 1978. The composition is documented as having been written by André Cymone, although the original album credited it to Prince. The version released on Controversy was a later re-recording. Let’s Work developed from an earlier piece titled Let’s Rock, first recorded in July 1979.

Recording associated with the finished album took place at Prince’s Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen and Hollywood Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, with final work undertaken at Sunset Sound in Hollywood. The album was completed at Sunset Sound between August 14 and August 23, 1981. Private Joy was recorded at Sunset Sound on August 16 and is identified in the supplied documentation as the final song recorded for the album.

STYLE & DEVELOPMENT / ALBUM HISTORY

STYLE & DEVELOPMENT

ALBUM HISTORY

The album retains the stripped-back independence of Prince’s earlier work while expanding the scale and subject matter of the recordings. The lengthy title track opens the record before the programme moves through Sexuality and Do Me, Baby. The second side ranges from the concise Ronnie, Talk To Russia to Let’s Work, Annie Christian and Jack U Off. The album’s mixture of funk, synthesised textures, guitar and rhythm programming captures Prince during an important period of development between Dirty Mind and 1999.

Promotion produced four commercially released singles: Controversy, Let’s Work, Do Me, Baby and Sexuality. The latter was issued only in Germany, Australia and Japan. Prince supported the album extensively in the United States with the Controversy Tour. The album subsequently achieved Gold and Platinum certification in the United States and later Silver and Gold status in the United Kingdom.

PERSONNEL

PERSONNEL	ROLE
Prince	All vocals and instruments except where otherwise noted
Lisa Coleman	Background vocals on Controversy, Ronnie, Talk To Russia and Jack U Off; keyboards on Jack U Off
Dr. Fink	Keyboards on Jack U Off
Bobby Z.	Drums on Jack U Off
Morris Day	Possible uncredited drums on Controversy; exact involvement unresolved

PRODUCTION

CREDIT	DETAILS
Producer	Prince
Arranger	Prince
Engineer	Mic Guzauski
Engineer	Bob Mockler
Engineer	Ross Pallone
Engineer	Peggy McCreary, uncredited
Mastering	Bernie Grundman
Mastering Location	A&M Studios
Photography	Allen Beaulieu, credited as Al Beaulieu
Personal Management	Bob Cavallo / Joe Ruffalo / Steve Fargnoli

ORIGINAL US RELEASE FORMATS

COUNTRY	FORMAT	CATALOGUE	NOTES
USA	LP	BSK 3601	Original vinyl format
USA	CD	3601-2	Long box
USA	Cassette	M5 3601	Cassette edition
USA	8-Track	M8 3601	8-track cartridge

COMPLETE LP TRACKLIST

SIDE A	SIDE B
1. Controversy – 7:14 2. Sexuality – 4:20 3. Do Me, Baby – 7:43	1. Private Joy – 4:37 2. Ronnie, Talk To Russia – 1:51 3. Let’s Work – 3:52 4. Annie Christian – 4:21 5. Jack U Off – 3:08

COMPLETE CD TRACKLIST

TRACKS 1–4	TRACKS 5–8
1. Controversy – 7:14 2. Sexuality – 4:20 3. Do Me, Baby – 7:43 4. Private Joy – 4:37	5. Ronnie, Talk To Russia – 1:51 6. Let’s Work – 3:52 7. Annie Christian – 4:21 8. Jack U Off – 3:08

SONGWRITING NOTE

DOCUMENTED CREDIT	ARCHIVAL CLARIFICATION
The album credits the songs to Prince.	Do Me, Baby is documented in the supplied material as written by André Cymone, despite having been credited to Prince on the album.

SINGLES

A-SIDE	B-SIDE / TERRITORY
Controversy	When You Were Mine
Sexuality	Controversy – Germany, Australia and Japan only
Let’s Work	Ronnie, Talk To Russia
Do Me, Baby	Private Joy

CHART PERFORMANCE

TERRITORY	CHART	ENTRY	PEAK	WEEKS
USA	Billboard Top LPs & Tapes	November 7, 1981	21	32
USA	Billboard Soul LPs	November 7, 1981	3	35
Netherlands	Nationale Hitparade LP Top 50	December 19, 1981	50	1
USA	Billboard Top LPs & Tapes – Re-entry	August 25, 1984	99	31
USA	Billboard 200 – Re-entry	May 14, 2016	55	2

CERTIFICATIONS

TERRITORY	ORGANISATION	DATE	CERTIFICATION
USA	RIAA	January 14, 1982	Gold – 500,000
USA	RIAA	January 11, 1985	Platinum – 1 million
UK	BPI	November 17, 1989	Silver – 60,000
UK	BPI	March 7, 2014	Gold – 100,000

2022 REISSUE

DETAIL	INFORMATION
Reissue Date	February 4, 2022
Parties	Prince Estate / Legacy Recordings
Related Same-Day Reissues	For You / Prince / Dirty Mind / 1999 / Around The World In A Day / Sign O’ The Times / Lovesexy / Come

2022 REISSUE ARTWORK

FRONT COVER	BACK COVER
[IMAGE – 2022 REISSUE FRONT COVER]	[IMAGE – 2022 REISSUE BACK COVER]

2022 REISSUE LABELS

SIDE A LABEL	SIDE B LABEL
[IMAGE – 2022 REISSUE SIDE A LABEL]	[IMAGE – 2022 REISSUE SIDE B LABEL]

PRESS & PROMOTION

FULL-PAGE US ADVERTISEMENT

CONTEMPORARY PRESS MATERIAL	CONTEMPORARY PRESS MATERIAL

CONTEXT AND NOTES

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

ARCHIVAL SIGNIFICANCE

Documented: the album was completed at Sunset Sound during August 14–23, 1981 after recording activity at Prince’s Kiowa Trail studio and Hollywood Sound Recorders. Documented: Private Joy, recorded August 16, was the final song recorded for the album. Documented: Do Me, Baby originated with André Cymone despite the album credit assigning it to Prince. Let’s Work also had an earlier history as Let’s Rock, dating from 1979.

The album captures Prince at a point when the largely self-contained recording approach of the preceding albums was beginning to coexist with greater participation from members of his working band. Jack U Off is particularly useful in this respect because Bobby Z., Lisa Coleman and Dr. Fink all contribute to the finished recording. The UK release date of November 13, 1981 is the focus of this Chronicle, with the earlier American edition treated as the preceding international release rather than substituting its date for the UK chronology.

UNCERTAIN PERSONNEL NOTE

DOCUMENTED	UNRESOLVED
Morris Day later stated that drums were played on Controversy and Let’s Work.	Multiple recordings of Controversy existed, and the supplied information does not establish whether Morris Day appears on the version included on the finished album. The credit should therefore remain possible rather than definitive.

CONCLUSION

THE ALBUM IN RETROSPECT	ARCHIVAL SIGNIFICANCE
Controversy documents a concentrated eight-song phase of Prince’s development in 1981, combining extended funk pieces, concise political material and more intimate recordings within a largely self-performed album. Its commercial performance, four singles and extensive supporting tour established it as an important step between Dirty Mind and the wider breakthrough that followed with 1999.	For the UK archive, November 13, 1981 provides the specific chronological anchor. The album's recording history also connects Prince’s home-studio practice with Hollywood Sound Recorders and the beginning of his long association with Sunset Sound. The later US and UK certifications, chart re-entries and 2022 reissue demonstrate the album's continued place within the catalogue.

SOURCES / COPYRIGHT & ARCHIVAL USE

SOURCES

Prince Vault

Sleevographia2

Warner Bros. Records

Billboard

RIAA

BPI

US Copyright Office

The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince

On Time: A Princely Life in Funk

COPYRIGHT & ARCHIVAL USE

All magazine scans, photographs, programme material, recordings, record artwork and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.