Lovesexy
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| Lovesexy | ||
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| Studio album by Prince | ||
| Released | May 10, 1988 | |
| Recorded | Paisley Park Studios; December 1987–January 1988 | |
| Genre | Pop, Rock, Funk | |
| Length | 44:56 | |
| Label | Paisley Park | |
| Producer(s) | Prince | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prince chronology | ||
| Sign "☮" the Times (1987) |
Lovesexy (1988) |
Batman (1989) |
Lovesexy is a 1988 album by Prince. Lovesexy was issued as a substitute record after the release of the now-infamous Black Album had been suddenly cancelled. The Black Album and Lovesexy almost act as companion pieces, sharing the song "When 2 R In Love" but nearly opposite in theme. The album was recorded in just 7 weeks from mid-December 1987 to late January 1988 at Prince's new Paisley Park Studios. Most of the album is a solo effort from Prince with a few exceptions. The opening track "
No" was recorded with the full band (Miko Weaver on guitar, Levi Seacer, Jr. on bass, Doctor Fink and Boni Boyer on keyboards, Eric Leeds on saxophone, Atlanta Bliss on trumpet and Sheila E. on drums). Sheila in fact plays drums on several tracks and sings backup, along with Boyer. Leeds and Bliss provide horns on most tracks and Ingrid Chavez provides the intro to " No".
The album is notable for the haunting gospel of "Anna Stesia" and the hit single "Alphabet St.". Also notable is the cover, causing some controversy as it depicted Prince in the nude, in a seemingly devout pose. Some record stores refused to stock it or censored the cover with black wrapper.
The theme of the album is the struggle between good and evil, or Camille and Spooky Electric, respectively. God and Satan (although, with the Gemini character that he developed 2 years later, these "sides" may also represent "ego and alter-ego"), the perennial themes of Prince's work, finally truly mix as Prince climaxes to "Love is God, God is Love, Girls and Boys love God above" in the song "Anna Stesia".
Lovesexy opens with " No", a positive energetic track advising people to be free from their vices and to reject Satan. The song ends with a scale of horns and a segue of conversations leading to the hit single, "Alphabet St." This is the album's most accessible track, mixing dance music, rock and rap along with playful lyrics. Next is "Glam Slam", a busy dance track which really takes advantage of his full band. It ends with an almost classical music string solo (performed on keyboard), which is evocative of "The Phantom Of The Opera". The delicate "Anna Stesia" is a heartfelt spiritual number with Prince promising to dedicate his life to God. This would end side 1 of the vinyl release.
Side 2 opens with the machine gun-like pace of "Dance On", which lambasts negative aspects of society, somewhat akin to "Sign "☮" the Times". The title track follows and is another energetic dance track; Prince and Cat Glover share an orgasm, both using speeded up Camille-like vocals. This leads into the surviving Black Album track, "When 2 R in Love", a sex-infused ballad. Next is the lush "I Wish U Heaven" followed by "Positivity", which echos the theme of "Dance On". Most of the vocals are delivered in a spoken word. The song ends with sounds of water, signifying purity and rebirth.
The album was accompanied by the critically acclaimed Lovesexy World Tour, of which one of the German shows were released on video cassette.
Contents |
[edit] Chart positions
- no.5 R&B-chart
- no.11 Pop-chart
[edit] Track listing
- " No" – 5:47
- "Alphabet St." – 5:38
- "Glam Slam" – 5:04
- "Anna Stesia" – 4:56
- "Dance On" – 3:44
- "Lovesexy" – 5:48
- "When 2 R In Love" – 4:01
- "I Wish U Heaven" – 2:43
- "Positivity" – 7:15
[edit] Singles and Hot 100 chart placings
- "Alphabet St." (#8 U.S., #9 UK)
- "Alphabet St."
- "Alphabet St. ("This is not music, this is a trip")"
- "Glam Slam" (#44 U.S. R&B, #29 UK)
- "Glam Slam" — 7" version only
- "Glam Slam (Remix)" — 12" version only
- "Escape (Free yo mind from this rat race)"
- "I Wish U Heaven" (#18 U.S. R&B, #24 UK)
- "I Wish U Heaven" — 7" version only
- "I Wish U Heaven (Part 1, 2 and 3)" — 12" version only
- "Scarlet Pussy"
[edit] Miscellanea
- U.S. CD copies of Lovesexy have the entire album in sequence as a single track, so the listener is forced to hear the whole album in the context of a continuous sequence. European pressings and U.S. promo copies are tracked, and contrary to popular belief are not rare.
- The opening track, " No" is a reworking of a song called "The Ball" from the unreleased Crystal Ball. Prince even kept the party noise that originally segued "The Ball" into "Joy In Repetition". This segue was kept partially when "Joy In Repetition" was released on Graffiti Bridge in 1990.
- The first 2 singles had clear vinyl sleeves with only a sticker of the single's title. This was also true for the CD singles.
- "Positivity" was later given to Mavis Staples for her 1991 album, The Voice.
- "Positivity" originally contained the rap that Cat delivered on the Black Album's "Cindy C".
- This is the first Prince record to use the symbol in its tracklisting, though a slightly different graphic was used. Fans usually romanize this symbol as "Eye" instead of its intended meaning as the word "I".
[edit] External links
Lovesexy lyrics
