Prince (November 15, 1981) “Prince, Ely, Blasters: The Boos Have It” – The Los Angeles Times

A major feature in The Los Angeles Times by Robert Hilburn examining the hostile audience reaction (booing) to Prince as an opening act for the Rolling Stones at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, while defending his provocative style and placing it in the broader context of rock radio resistance to Black artists and boundary-pushing music.

Publication: The Los Angeles Times Date: Sunday, November 15, 1981 Country: United States

Section / Pages: Calendar / Pop Music Title: Prince, Ely, Blasters: The Boos Have It

THE STORY

The article discusses Prince’s brief but intense opening set, the booing from parts of the crowd, and similar reactions to Joe Ely and the Blasters. Hilburn defends Prince’s “sassy yet sophisticated” approach to sexual and social themes, compares him to earlier rock provocateurs like Elvis, Sly Stone, and David Bowie, and criticizes conservative rock radio for limiting exposure to Black artists. It includes photos of Prince, Joe Ely, and Dave Alvin of the Blasters.

CONTEXT AND NOTES

This piece covers the controversial opening slots for the Rolling Stones’ October 1981 Los Angeles shows during the Controversy Tour. The booing incident became a notable moment in Prince’s early career, highlighting racial and stylistic tensions in rock audiences at the time. Hilburn, a respected critic, uses the event to champion Prince’s artistic boldness.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

Event: Concert coverage / audience backlash analysis (Rolling Stones opener)

Era: Controversy Tour (1981) Tone: Supportive of Prince, critical of audience and radio conservatism Photography: Large black & white photo of Prince + smaller shots of Joe Ely and Dave Alvin

Visual Motifs: Prominent Calendar section layout with bold headline and multiple images

WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS

• The infamous booing incident during Prince’s opening set for the Stones

• Early mainstream defense of Prince’s provocative image and music

• Insight into the challenges Black innovators faced crossing over to rock audiences in 1981

  
  

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Controversy is Prince’s fourth studio album, released in October 1981. A bold, socially conscious, and sexually charged record, it further refined his unique blend of funk, rock, and new wave while tackling themes of religion, sex, politics, and identity

RELEASE DETAILS

Artist: Prince

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Date: October 14, 1981 (USA) / November 13, 1981 (UK)

Catalogue: BSK 3601

Format: LP

Country: United States (international releases followed)

THE STORY

Controversy continues Prince’s rapid artistic evolution, blending explicit sexuality with social commentary. The album features Prince’s signature one-man-band approach with select contributions from early band members. Standout tracks include the title song, the sensual ballad “Do Me, Baby,” and the funk-rocker “Let’s Work.”

CONTEXT & NOTES

Released just one year after Dirty Mind, Controversy solidified Prince’s reputation as a provocative and boundary-pushing artist. The album’s newspaper-themed cover and lyrics addressing God, sex, and politics created significant buzz and controversy. It marked another step toward the massive success that would arrive with 1999 and Purple Rain.

TRACK LIST

Side One

Controversy (7:14)

Sexuality (4:20)

Do Me, Baby (7:43)

Private Joy (4:37)

Side Two

Ronnie, Talk to Russia (1:51)

Let’s Work (3:52)

Annie Christian (4:21)

Jack U Off (3:08)

PERSONNEL

Musicians

• Prince — all vocals and instruments (except where noted)

• Dr. Fink — keyboards on “Jack U Off”

• Lisa Coleman — background vocals on “Controversy,” “Ronnie, Talk to Russia,” and “Jack U Off”; keyboards on “Jack U Off”

• Bobby Z. — drums on “Jack U Off”

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Production

• Prince — producer, arranger

• Mic Guzauski, Bob Mockler, Ross Pallone — engineers

• Peggy McCreary — engineer (uncredited)

• Bernie Grundman — mastering (A&M Studios)

• Allen Beaulieu — photography

Special Thanks "Special thanks to God and U."

PACKAGING HIGHLIGHTS

• Iconic cover featuring Prince in a purple suit against a newspaper background

• Bold magenta “PRINCE” logo

• Newspaper headline collage design

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WHAT THE SLEEVE SHOWS

The front cover shows a confident Prince in a lavender suit with a black bow tie, staring intensely at the viewer. The background is designed as overlapping newspaper headlines addressing controversy, religion, sex, and politics — perfectly reflecting the album’s themes.

CHARTS America

 Country: Chart | Entry Date | Peak Position | Weeks in Chart

USA: Billboard Top LP’s & Tapes | 7 Nov. 1981 | 21 | 32

USA: Billboard Soul LPs | 7 Nov. 1981 | 3 | 35

USA: The Billboard 200 | 14 May 2016 | 55 (R) | 2

SINGLES RELEASED

• “Controversy” (b/w “When You Were Mine”)

• “Sexuality” (Germany, Australia, Japan only)

• “Let’s Work” (b/w “Ronnie, Talk to Russia”)

• “Do Me, Baby” (b/w “Private Joy”)

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, music critic Stephen Holden wrote that "Prince's first three records were so erotically self-absorbed that they suggested the reveries of a licentious young libertine. On Controversy, that libertine proclaims unfettered sexuality as the fundamental condition of a new, more loving society than the bellicose, overtechnologized America of Ronald Reagan." He went on to say, "Despite all the contradictions and hyperbole in Prince's playboy philosophy, I still find his message refreshingly relevant."

Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic in a generally favorable review for The Village Voice, in which he wrote that its "socially conscious songs are catchy enough, but they spring from the mind of a rather confused young fellow, and while his politics get better when he sticks to his favorite subject, which is s-e-x, nothing here is as far-out and on-the-money as 'Head' or 'Sister' or the magnificent 'When You Were Mine.'"[

According to Blender's Keith Harris, Controversy is "Prince's first attempt to get you to love him for his mind, not just his body", as it "refines the propulsive funk of previous albums and adds treatises on religion, work, nuclear war and Abscam." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic remarked that it "continues in the same vein of new wave-tinged funk on Dirty Mind, emphasizing Prince's fascination with synthesizers and synthesizing disparate pop music genres".

Controversy was voted the eighth best album of the year in the 1981 Pazz & Jop, an annual critics' poll run by The Village Voice.

SOURCES Wikipedia, Prince Vault, Discogs, Warner Bros. archives.

All album artwork, photographs, logos, and original text excerpts remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference.