Could someone explain to me who The Family is? Is it a group that Prince started, that he produced, that he was in? I really know nothing about them except that there's a song on Girl 6 and that he sang Mutiny at the Hit N Run shows.

The Family was a Prince vehicle, with St. Paul fronting the band, Jerome Benton, Susanah, and I don't remember who else. They recorded Nothing Comaprare 2 U, way back when.

The Family was a short lived group consisting of; Paul Peterson, Susannah Melvoin, Eric Leeds, Jellybean Johnson & Jerome Benton. They had one self titled album out in 1985, the track list is as follows:

side one:
High Fashion
Mutiny
The Screams Of Passion
Yes
side two:
River Run Dry
Nothing Compares 2 U
Susannah's Pajamas
Desire

Prince only credited himself for writing Nothing Compares 2 U, though he actually wrote and played almost everything on the album (with the exception of River Run Dry, which was written by Bobby Z). The band fell apart later the same year mainly due to Prince, Jerome & Susannah being in France filming Under The Cherry Moon. This meant that the album didn't get much in the way of promotion. Paul Peterson and Prince had a long distance falling out about the lack of support for the project and also the limited artistic input of the band. Paul quit the band, which meant the end of The Family.

I loved The Family; their timing was just right after "Under a Cherry Moon." But St. Paul had to go -- he was a little light in the loafers and cross-eyed. Susannah and gang should have kept going or brough Wendy & Lisa on board or something. Very funky!!!

Details of the album are available on the official website discography:

http://www.npgmusicclub.c...amily.html

In addition to the information above, despite the Paul Peterson falling out, Peterson admitted that Prince continued to pay him for up to a year after he departed (and Peterson did not seem to think this was an administrative oversight).

Aside from the album, 'The Screams of Desire' was released as a 12" single with an extended mix (http://www.npgmusicclub.c...reams.html)

The group is also known to have recorded at least two more tracks (Feline - an instrumental - and Miss Understood), although these remain unreleased.

This is a album that WB would make BooKoo mmoney if they re-released it on CD!

Maybe Prince will some day. it fetches hundreds on ebay.

peace!

i got this as a Japan Import a few years back...and since Cd's werent around when the album came out I assumed it was a re-release...

come to think of it, i got the remix on LP too...i wonder how much i could get for that...hmmmm