1999

1999

• vintage audio cassette tape

1999 is the fifth album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States (peaking at number 9) and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most successful. 1999 is also Prince's longest single-disc album, clocking in at just over 70 minutes. It was also the first album to feature The Revolution. The band's moniker is written in reverse on the front cover. According to the Rolling Stone Album Guide, "1999 may be Prince's most influential album: Its synth-and-drum machine-heavy arrangements codified the Minneapolis sound that loomed over mid-'80s R&B and pop, not to mention the next two decades' worth of electro, house, and techno."[2] In 2003, the TV network VH1 placed 1999 forty-ninth in its list of the greatest albums of all time. The album was also part of Slant Magazine's list "The 50 Most Essential Pop Albums",[3] and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.[4] In 2003, the album was ranked number 163 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Side 1: 1999, Little Red Corvette, Delirious, Let's Pretend We're Married, D.M.S.R., Free. Side 2: Automatic, Something In The Water (Does Not Compute), Lady Cab Driver, All The Critics Love U In New York, International Lover.