The disco synthesizer and its soul/funk beat of "I Wanna Be Your Lover" gave Prince his first Billboard's Top 20 single (it reached #11), and also topped the Black Charts, and no wonder. Lyrically and rhythmically it's tighter and punchier. The song has a line where he wants to be some overarching expression of love, where he sings, "I wanna be your brother/I wanna be your mother and sister, too." It's sexually charged in one part. This is the full 5:47 version and not the single edit, meaning there's an extended instrumental section. I wonder if there's a 12" mix of this available.

The other single, "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" is another out-and-out synthesizer dance number, articulated with some rock guitar chords, kind of an expansion of what he did in "I'm Yours". I like this better than "I Wanna Be Your Lover". A rock guitar solo, more closer to Hendrix, is included. More shades of Purple Rain.

The upbeat stuff continues with "Sexy Dancer", which has simple lyrics, about the effects of what that sexy dancer has on him: "Sexy dancer, you got my body screaming" etc. One line is more explicit than the others. Some panting is included here, as well as monologue, something he would use in many of his future songs.

"When We're Dancing Close And Slow" is a contrast to the previous three floor-burners. It's closer to a nocturne, featuring a quiet acoustic guitar, piano, and drum.

"With You" is more a Lionel Richie-type radio ballad than "Close And Slow" is, as there's a constant synthesizer backing. It's more a romantic tune without the sex references in "Closer And Slow".

The rock-guitar tinged "Bambi", is surprising coming from someone who advocates sexual openness like him. The title character is a lesbian and he screams out the chorus: "Bambi, can't you understand?/Bambi, it's better with a man."

The piano-dominant ballad "Still Waiting" is the trials of a man waiting for that true love to come around. A similar sound would be used in "Gotta Broken Heart Again" on his next album.

The mid-paced third single, "I Feel For You" had its start here before Chaka Khan took it to the Top Ten in 1984. With the layer of moog-synthesizers, I definitely prefer this version.

A single edit of the 5:30 "It's Gonna Be Lonely" could've made this a good radio ballad. I like this lyric: "I'd be in a messed-up state of blue."

Like Prince, this was another one-man production, yet the fact that he thanks Bobby Z, Andre Cymone, Dez Dickerson, Gayle Chapman, and Matt Fink, who comprised his band, indicates that he may have had some kind of help from them. It's difficult to tell from the liner notes and credits. Prince has better songs, cohesive rhythms, and catchier tunes and outdoes his opening shot, For You.

This LP has what all outstanding Prince LP's have: tremendous range. Prince, at a very early age, demonstrates the ability to master different genres of the day, which few artists of that era (Stevie, Curtis, EWF) were able to pull off.

There are great cuts to please any Prince fan. Of course, there is "I Wanna Be Your Lover," the unique cut with the killer guitar hook. Then there's "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad," a nicely-paced guitar-pop ditty with a great solo. Move next to "Sexy Dancer," a synth-driven disco cut. Then of course, there is the original "I Feel For You," an uptempo, stripped-down piece which is just as enjoyable as the Chaka Khan version. As a matter of fact, the remaining cuts are very good too: the ballads "When We're Dancing Close and Slow" and "It's Gonna Be Lonely," the rockin' "Bambi," and "Still Waiting" (a hidden jewel that is SCREAMING for a country cover).

Hey, I have heard this album for years, and just writing this review, my already-high opinion of this LP has been raised. It's enjoyable from beginning to end, and as I see it, it served as a building block (artistically and commercially) for the rest of his career. Don't pass this one up.

i still love i wanna be your lover,sexy dancer,why you wanna treat me so bad and still waiting.it's basic sounding and what have you but his voice and the stylings were cool.this along with dirty mind,1999,sign o the times is my faves by prince.this is a cult album.there have probably been more covers from this album than any of his other albums.the keyboards and bass are banging on this disc.

This album lands on my top 5 favourite Prince albums of all time...One thing that seems to be overlooked is that this album has some amazing guitar in it. That old, funky rock and roll guitar I love to hear. The guitar in "Bambi" is absolutley some of the best guitar I've ever heard on any Prince album. The end of that song rocks like no other. I remember seeing the video for "Why U Wanna Treat Me So Bad", which I think promted me to buy this album. Simply amazing. What I think I like most about this album are the ballads. They have some of the most simple lyrics about love, but have so much passion and romantism built in to them. "With U" is a sexy slow jam (actually Jill Jones' version is almost better than the Prince one), the lyrics are sickly sweet. Another powerhouse ballad is "It's Gonna Be Lonely". Prince's high pitch is at it's prime in this period, so he truely wails on this one. Classic underated Prince. Another track I absolutley love is "Still Waiting". A total adolescent Prince with yearing lyrics that seem like Mariah Carey poetry. But the message is plain and clear, and Prince can tear up a love ballad. "Sexy Dancer" has an extremely rare 12" version that's awesome. There is also an outake track that is now a bootleg called "Lisa", that I think is from this period. It's a great song that I wish Prince would release on another Crystal Ball!! To sum up, This is a Prince album I find myself going back to time and time again, and love the way it makes me feel every time. And for the reviewer who critizes the album's cover and fonts, calling it "tacky".....Tacky is timeless, and tacky always ends up being beautiful in the end.

Prince ***

Prince's selftitled sophomore album was a far cry from what was about to come with his next realease but this was still a solid album non the less.

With this album Prince had still yet to master a ballad. While those synth driven ballads on this album make for an interesting listen every once in a while they do not even begin to compare to that of his later work. 'When We're Dancing Close And Slow' for example sounds like Lionel Richie' yuck! The funk/dance driven tracks here are some of his all time best though. 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' is one of the artists all time great songs. It is almost a plead for someone to let you love them. Wild! But truly is a fantastic song, and was actually Prince's first hit single. 'Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?' is another synth driven song, but this is more like 'I Wanna Be Your Lover Then Anying else, but it also contains Prince's first great guitar solo. 'Bambi' has a hard rocking crunch and despite some people saying the song is homophobic (which it isn't) it is a really great song. The chorus reads "Babi can't you understand/Bambi it's better with a man." There is nothing homophobic about it, Prince wanted to get some from a lesbian who wasn't having it and that was just him trying to convince her. 'I Feel For You' was done better by Chaka Khan but is still nice here. This is the original by the way. And I will say this, 'Sexydancer' is a geniunly bad song no matter how good the beat is.

So while this might not be the best Prince album it is still solid and contains some great tracks, two of which are among his all time best. For big Prince fans this is a fun find but for the casual fan this is not worth the money.