Prince - Controversy

Controversy is when Prince began to transform into a world-beating '80s phenom. This transitional album, released on Oct. 14, 1981, is the first to prominently feature members of the Revolution. It's the first to use his unique spelling for a song title, and the first to connect Prince with the color purple.

It's also the first where he let his kaleidoscopic imagination run wild. He'd delved deeply into love and sex on 1980's Dirty Mind, and those topics certainly remained. He'd begun to infuse his music with rock and dance elements, and that was still here, too. But Controversy is where he started opening up about the broader topics of politics, gender, faith, ethnicity and fame.

The record features the singles "Controversy", "Sexuality" and "Let's Work".

Heavyweight vinyl pressed by Warner Bro. Records. Includes colour poster.