Prince started recording in September 1977 at Sound 80 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he had previously made a demo.

Prince started recording in September 1977 at Sound 80 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he had previously made a demo.

Rivkin was being considered for the role of executive producer, but Warner Bros. instead chose Tommy Vicari, known for his work with Gino Vannelli.

Vicari suggested taking the project to a studio in Los Angeles, but Prince's manager Owen Husney chose the Record Plant in Sausalito, California.

[3] Prince worked obsessively on the project, singing all vocals and playing all instruments, including acoustic, electric, and bass guitar; acoustic and Fender Rhodes piano; synth bass; various keyboard synths by Oberheim, Moog, and ARP; orchestra bells (glockenspiel); drums and percussion.

[3] In January 1978, Prince and Vicari moved the project to engineer Armin Steiner's Sound Labs studio in Hollywood to begin overdubs and final mixing.

Prince distanced himself further from Vicari, concentrating on laying down multiple vocal lines to create a polished commercial sound.

[7] "Soft and Wet", the album's lead single, became a minor hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 92.