Uptown 1981

In 1980 Disco was declared dead by mulleted white dorks. Along came Prince, who said, OK, right, this is Rock and Roll. He could play guitar like Hendrix and Clapton, bass like Bootsy, and keyboards like Emerson and Elton, plus he was an unapologetically black and funky front man like James Brown and Sly Stone. He was a one-man band (the other players are window dressing in this video–he played every instrument on the record) and the poet laureate of the sensual and sleazy. He made Minneapolis the epicenter of cool in Purple Rain. His opening salvo to superstardom was this 1980 masterpiece that encapsulated everything that made him a legend. Disco? Fuck Disco. This was Rock you could dance to. It took 3 years, two more albums, and MTV exposure for the general public to catch on, but in 80-81 he was already a brilliant Rock and Roll artist. Exhibit A is below. Dudes, there was nothing like this back then. Uptown. Dig it. Savor it.

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