Prince Parade: For You (1978)
Prince Parade is UNHNGD's weekly column on the great Purple One: Highlighting key albums to initiate the newcomer and re-energize the existing fan to Prince's vast and mighty catalog, providing brief reviews and advice on how to complement your listening experience.
FOR YOU (1978)
Try imagining that Prince wrote this album FOR YOU! Maybe put it on when you're tidying. Amuse yourself by fantasizing that he (or someone you love) is thinking about you and can't wait to see you after you've finished folding the laundry. Play it while you take a sponge to some of your countertops or sweep the floor to the beat.
Definitely pop it on if you're reheating leftovers for lunch. It might also serve as a balm for some mild loneliness. But, avoid if hungover or in a hurry. Or needing coffee or something to amp you up.
I don't mean to sound dismissive of this album by offering to split your focus with it; there's plenty to fall in love with and devote your full attention to, but to be clear, this is Prince just warming up, clearing up his throat. Consider playing it while doing your stretches.
This is a solid but not particularly flashy afternoon album – it doesn't ask much of you but offers plenty to bob your head to. A great compliment to a grey or rainy day, perhaps when you have to cross a few things off your list before going out later.
If you're already a big fan but maybe not a completist, this is an oft-overlooked album. For You presents a 19-year-old Prince as a fully proficient multi-instrumentalist that's already recording, performing, mixing, arranging, and producing everything on this album. It speaks to Prince's prolific excellence that this album would be impressive by anyone else's standards but goes primarily unnoticed compared to what comes next. Out of his 40+ albums, I would place this somewhere in the neighborhood of his 15th best!
If you're new to Prince, good news; everything you might like about this album blossoms and explodes ecstatically in the albums to come for a good 10 years. In For You, Prince's influences are clear, but he's still on the cusp of making all of these sounds his own - with "Soft and Wet" as the strongest indicator of what's to come. The album's eclectic vibes, ranging from disco to hair metal, showcase a capability and hunger to reveal what's bubbling just beneath the surface.
Listen to For You on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube