OldFriends4Sale said:

Sheila E's third album,'Sheila E',is her best album.Unfortunately,it didn't get the promotion and attention that it deserved,partly because Sheila was a member of Prince's band at this point.She didn't have the time to promote her own album.

SoulAlive said:

I know, that was the bad side of the change in bands, the protege scene dropped. And this album had some really good songs. I still like the whole of Glamorous Life. But there were some really good songs. Hold Me was on the RnB charts for a long time. Love on a Blue Train Hon E Man Boys Club Wednesday Life a River, One Day I'm Gonna Make Him Mine, Koo Koo... are my favorites

OldFriends4Sale said:

"Faded Photographs" is my favorite With a good video and the right kind of promotion,that song could have been a Top 10 pop hit in 1987.

shonenjoe said:

The girl who played "Vanessa" on 'The Cosby Show was a huge Prince fan.Her TV dad,Bill Cosby,arranged for Prince to visit the set in 1987.I think Prince was busy and couldn't make it,but he sent her the jean jacket that he wore during the SOTT tour.She was thrilled

Susannah Melvoin: Backing vocals Starfish and Coffee
Starfish And Coffee, Lyrics co-written by Susannah

Starfish And Coffee
It was 7:45, we were all in line 2 greet the teacher Miss Kathleen
First was Kevin, then came Lucy, third in line was me
All of us were ordinary compared 2 Cynthia Rose
She always stood at the back of the line, a smile beneath her nose
Her favorite number was 20 and every single day
If U asked her what she had 4 breakfast, this is what she'd say

Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds and a tangerine, a side order of ham
If U set your mind free, baby, maybe U'd understand
Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam

Cynthia wore the prettiest dress but different color socks
Sometimes I wondered if the mates were in her lunchbox (Oh ooh oh)
Me and Lucy opened it when Cynthia wasn't around (Oh ooh oh)
Lucy cried, I almost died, U know what we found

CHORUS:
Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine and a side order of ham
If U set your mind free, baby, maybe U'd understand
Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam

Starfish and coffee

Cynthia had a happy face, just like the one she draws
On every wall, in every school, but it's alright, it's 4 a worthy cause
Go on, Cynthia!
Keep sayin'...

CHORUS

(La la la la...)
Starfish and coffee, love 4 the soul {x2}

© 1987 Controversy Music - ASCAP

JET No. 10
Sign O' Times' highlights his European Tour

While Prince fans across the nation may be saddened to know he may never take his Sign 0’ The Times tour on the road in the U.S., they can find comfort in knowing they can still enjoy the mesmerizing music and on-stage antics of the pop rocker in a recently released movie that highlights his widely-acclaimed European tour. Hailed as “the rock Mozart” in Germany, Prince also won raves from critics in Paris who touted the tour as “two hours of torrid perfection.” Even though Prince has put a U.S. tour on hold, devotees have the unique opportunity of being able to experience Prince’s performance from a unique vantage point in the new movie Sign O’ The Times. Sign 0’ The Times, Prince’s third foray into film making (Purple Rain and Under the Cherry Moon), gives movie goers an insider’s view of his performance that could never be experienced in a standing-room-only auditorium that seats 25,000 people. Written and directed by Prince, Sign 0’ The Times is a full-length concert movie that includes some oldies and tunes from his latest double album of the same name. Film footage was shot during performances in Rotterdam and Antwerp in the Netherlands and features such roof-raisers as U Got The Look, Play in the Sunshine, Hot Thing, Little Red Corvette and the movie’s title tune. For those who are often left in the dark by the cryptic messages in Prince’s music, the film also includes vignettes that lift the veils of mystery from some of his music. With the debut of his top-knotch, ten-piece band, with Sheila E. on drums, Prince and company are in rare form on the silver screen. Besides Sheila E., Prince is joined in the film by Sheena as on (she had a hit with the Prince-penned tune Sugar Walls), dancer extraordinaire Cat, Dr. Fink, Miko Weaver, Levi Spencer Jr., Wally Safford, Gregory Allen Brooks, Boni Boyer, Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss. Talented Sheila E., who made it big solo with Glamorous Life and Love Bizarre, said working with her mentor has been an experience like none other in that it was so emotional exhilarating. She told JET, “ music is really spiritual for me because it’s such a major part of my life. Prince may hit a certain note and I would get chills and start crying on stage.” She added, “When a musicians become one, there is a magic that just happens.”

'Spiritual' for Shelia E.
Working with him also gave her a chance to see a side of Prince she had never known. “I had heard all kinds of things through-out the years about what working with Prince was like, but all the negative things are lies. He’s the sweetest, nicest guy you’d ever want to meet.” Cat, the lithe dancer who hails from Chicago, exudes energy as she bumps, grinds, twists and twirls to the beat. For her, Sign 0’ The Times is a dream come true. “For years, I’ve been a solo dancer. I dance free-style.. .For years, the songs I’ve been dancing to have been by Prince. Dancing to his songs was my signature.” Recalling what it was like working on Sign 0’ The Times, Cat said, “We worked for two months putting the show together for the European to.... the film is not a standard concert picture. It’s more like a musical fantasy...”



[Edited 4/30/10 5:16am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

I still have that issue of JET magazine

June 7. 1987
[Sign 'O' The Times Tour]
Palatrtussardi Milan, Italy




[Edited 4/30/10 13:39pm]

June 14. 1987
[Sign 'O' The Times Tour]
Le New Morning Paris Aftershow

1.Red House ( Jimi Hendrix )
2.I Got My Mind Made Up
3.Holly Rock
4.Just My Imagination
5.Wasn't My Face
6.Mutiny
7.sex Machine/Love Or Money
/It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night

Slow Love

lyrics co-written by Carol Davis
Wendy Melvoin: Guitar and backing vocals on Slow Love
Lisa Coleman: Backing vocals on Slow Love

Young is the night
It feels so right
Now that U're mine
Let's take our time

The man in the moon is smiling
4 he knows what I'm dreaming of
2night is the night 4 making slow love

The gentle breeze
It blows with ease
Let's make it slow
Just like the wind blows

Let's make it last 4ever
4 a hundred times wouldn't be enough
2night is the night 4 making slow love

CHORUS:
Slow love
So much better when we take it easy
Slow love
It's so much better when we take our time

Love's in your eyes (In your eyes)
Eyes never lie
Don't rush the feelin'
U got me reelin'

U can see through race car drivers
Let me show U what I'm made of
2night is the night 4 making slow love

CHORUS {repeat 2 fade}

© 1987 Controversy Music - ASCAP

Carole Raphaelle Davis was born in London on February 17 in 1958 to a French mother and American Father. She grew up in England, Scotland, France, Italy and Thailand and moved to New York City as a teenager. Carole went to City University of N.Y. and majored in Chinese Studies and Political Science. After University she attended the two-year program at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. Carole modeled for Playboy Magazine, was Pet of the month in 1980 (under the name Tamara) and Pet of the Year runner-up for Penthouse Magazine in 1981. During that time, Carole sang in nightclubs and was a lingerie and bathing suit model for Playtex bras and La Perla. Carole modeled for over a hundred covers of romance novels as well as appearing and singing for commercials for Pepsi and Miller Beer.

Carole Raphaelle Davis is an actress. She has appeared in movies and television, notably, The Flamingo Kid, The Rapture, Mannequin, If Looks Could Kill and Live From Bagdhad. Her television appearances include guest star roles on Sex and the City, Angel, My Wife and Kids, Star Trek Voyager, Bob Patterson, Almost Perfect and 3rd Rock From the Sun. The full list of credits is on [IMDB.com] [1].

As a singer/song-writer and recording artist, Carole was signed to Warner Brother records in 1989. Her record “Heart of Gold” was produced by Nile Rodgers. Her single “Serious Money” was a Dance hit and the video was number one on BET. She toured Europe and Asia and performed in clubs throughout the U.S. Carole wrote the song “Slow Love” with Prince for his Grammy Award winning album “Sign O’ the Times.” She recorded her own version of the song for Warner Brothers records. She subsequently left Warners in 1993 and moved to Atlantic Records, where she self-produced and wrote the album “I’m No Angel.” As a song-writer, Carole made a publishing deal, signing with MCA. She was signed to Sony France for Europe.






[Edited 5/14/10 17:22pm]

FILM REVIEW

'Sign o' the Times':
Prince bounces back with bold concert movie

(no rating)

BY ANTHONY DECURTIS

After the abrupt sinking of Under the Cherry Moon, the movie Sign o' the Times has come along to restore Prince's luster as a formidable big-screen presence. Moreover, along with the double album that shares its name, the film blows away the haze of his last two LPs, Parade and Around the World in a Day, and demonstrates that Prince is still one of rock's most compelling performers and boldest visionaries.

Sign o' the Times is a first-rate concert film that captures Prince and a ten-piece band (including the redoubtable Sheila E. on drums) at the top of their form. The thirteen tunes on the film were culled from concert appearances in Holland and a performance in Prince's Paisley Park studio, in Minneapolis, with a good bit of overdubbing added to juice the sound up even further. Still, all the playing -- especially Prince's blazing excursions on guitar -- is joyous and rich in feeling.

Despite the inherent limitations of concert films, Sign o' the Times is conceptually strong and visually riveting. The musical performances are linked by stylized vignettes that combine street grit and freaky surrealism to dramatize a love triangle including Prince, a male background vocalist and the luciously erotic female singer Cat -- who is aptly summed up at one point in the proceedings as "a sweet, sticky thing." Admittedly, the story line is loose at best. But the theatrical pieces -- which take place on a neon-lit film noir set derived from the hallucinogenic Sign o' the Times album cover -- effectively evoke the interwoven themes of love, lust and spiritual questing embedded in Prince's songs.

After an opening skit that depicts the tension between possessiveness and trust in relationships, Prince stands center stage enveloped in smoke and cranks up a brittle version of "Sign o' the Times." As Prince, deadpan, sings his apocalyptic tale of AIDS, drug abuse and violence, Cat stands enshrouded in mist on a pedestal behind him, echoing his movements in a grim choreography that binds them as soul mates amid the wreckage of modern life. After the band marches onto the stage, each member carrying a drum and rapping out a martial beat to close "Sign," the mood lifts with a swinging version of "Play in the Sunshine." Prince repairs to the piano for a brief rendition of "Little Red Corvette" before tearing up the James Brown hommage "Housequake" with a series of splits, knee bends and twirls.

The next suite of songs constitutes the dramatic heart of the show. Prince and Cat turn in a steamy duet on the soul ballad "Slow Love," and after Cat has a falling-out with her other boyfriend, Prince romps through a horn-charged take on the irresistible "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man." Cat's lubricious writhing prompts Prince to reconsider that position, however, and a burning "Hot Thing" ensues, during which Prince strips Cat down to a yellow bikini and the duo engage in a salacious bump and grind.

Following a lengthy version of Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time" that serves as an instrumental showcase for the band, Prince and Cat exchange fantasy segments. Prince is shown backstage in a reverie that dissolves into the "U Got the Look" video, and then Cat falls asleep to the dream vision of "If I Was Your Girlfriend" that concludes with her and Prince making love as the words LOVE and SEX flash on signs above them. The film's weakest point -- much-too-long versions of "Forever in my Life" and the party raver "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" -- gives way to a rapturous finale: Prince's exquisite rendition of "The Cross."

Unfortunately, although Sign o' the Times is a thoroughly rewarding film, it's ultimate appeal is to the large corps of those already converted to Prince's cause. Prince is arguably the finest live rock act in the world today, and the hard fact is that if he's to reclaim the larger audience he gained with Purple Rain, he must actually tour. Sign o' the Times captures him nicely, but many more people deserve to confront the challenge and the playfulness Prince embodies in the flesh.

ROLLING STONE, DECEMBER 3RD, 1987

Cool thread. I remember the cable stations showing "Sign of the Time" movie, from 2004 to almost 2008. I have it on VHS and DVD. Now I notice it doesn't come on on cable anymore, but "Purple Rain" always seem to get played on cable often.
[Edited 5/7/10 18:31pm]

old friend...u r awesome!

Now...according to wikipedia's SOTT tour page:

"Jerome Benton started on tour and performed on early shows of the tour, but didnt finish and eventually left the band."

Never heard that one before...it's false, right?

StonedImmaculate said:

I heard a bit of that before too, but I don't have anything to back that up.
Check out post #6 that is I believe one of the 1st official shows, and Jerome isn't in it. And in post #4 that is the 1st preview of the new show & introduction of the band, I have that show, and Jerome isn't in it. The 2 most known people of his career Dr Fink & Sheila E. got the biggest applause followed by Eric Leeds.

I would have been cool to have Wally Cat & Jerome
[Edited 5/9/10 7:01am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

Oh yeah...I have that show too and no Jerome. Can't trust wikipedia...

How bout Jerome, Cat and Brooks...Brooks was the man. I've heard some of the stories about his negative influence and overall ignorance, but I love the Daniel Boone hat.

And he is straight groovin in the Happy Birthday show from Detroit.

OldFriends4Sale said:

I remember this review!

"It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night" Loved the way he thanked the 6,000 beautiful Parisians in attendence and the lyric "Can't nobody fuck with us"

Efan said:

Yeah, no kidding. OF4S ALWAYS has the best "alternative" photos. I think I have seen everything from an era, and then OF4S posts stuff like this. I think his Dirty Mind thread had snaps of that album photo shoot in color! Fun stuff.

Great thread about a great era. Thanks, as always, for putting this together!

La, La, La, He, He, Hee (Extended Version)

Oh, oh, oh, oh! {represents dog barks}

I am a dog outside your door
I have been there since a quarter 2 4
U are a cat looking intense
I bite your leg in self-defense

Say it! Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Say it! Oh, oh, oh, oh!

Get out my tree grinnin' at me
Licking your tail like it's cream
Strokin' your whiskers, causing a scene
That's not the way 2 me (the way 2 me)

Say it! Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Say it! Oh, oh, oh, oh!

CHORUS:
And the doggies say 2 the kitty
La, la, la, he, he, hee
I want U, U want me
Oh, how sexy it will be
If we ever get 2gether in my tree

Say it! Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Say it! Oh, oh, oh, oh!

Hey little pussy, U sure look sweet
Knockin' me off of my 4 feet
Sure do wish dogs could climb (I wish, I wish)
Then we could have a funky good time

Say it! Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Say it again! Oh, oh, oh, oh!

Why U wink at me? I don't really see
Nasty little cat up, up in a tree
Is it really worth the one night of fun?
U've got 9 lives, I've only got one!

Say it! Oh, oh, oh, oh!

CHORUS

Say it! Oh, oh, oh, oh!
(What?)
(Somebody help me)
(Help me, mom)
Sax solo
One time
Got 2 get it {x2}
Lead line

CHORUS

I'm picking up your scent
U... U must be wet

All U hound dogs, howl now
Yeah (La, la, la, he, he, hee)
Oh yeah (I want U, U want me)
Listen 2 me (Oh, how sexy it will be)
Listen 2 me, yeah (If we ever get 2gether in my tree)

Yo relative, if U just...
U just gonna play the...
U gonna play the bass just...
U just gonna do the line over...
No, give me this! (No!)
First, U gotta... (Play that thing! {repeated})
U understand?
Then U gotta...

Be cool Rover
Don't bite nobody... ha ha ha ha ha!
Rover, get your ass over here and sit down... ha ha ha ha ha!

Rover, U got 2 get over
Rover, U got 2 get...
Rover, U got 2 get over
Rover, U got 2 get...

La, la, la, he, he, hee
I want U, U want me
Oh, how sexy it will be
If we ever get 2gether in my tree
In my tree

(Somebody's gonna get it 2night)
(I'll see ya 2night)

Slammin'!
If I was a dog and U was a cat
Baby, I'd show U where it's at
Hey little pussy, U sure look sweet
Knockin' me off of my 4 feet
Baby (baby), oh!
I said baby (baby), funky dog!
Slammin'! {x6}

I think my choir wanna sing

La, la, la, he, he, hee (La, la, la)
Let's get 2gether in my tree (Let's get 2gether in my tree)
Oh, how happy we will be (Oh, how happy we will be)
I want U, U want me (I want U, baby, U want me)
La, la, la, he, he, hee (La, la, la)

(Oh Lord, say it again)
La, la, la, he, he, hee
Let's get 2gether in my tree (In my tree)
Oh, how happy we will be
I want U, U want me
La, la, la, he, he, hee

Ow, put your foot on the rock
Sock it, sock it, sock it (Oh mama), don't U stop it
Ow, put your foot on the rock
Sock it, sock it, sock it (Oh no), don't U stop it

La, la, la, he, he, hee
Let's get 2gether in my tree
Oh, how happy we will be
I want U, U want me
La, la, la, he, he, hee

(Somebody get grandma a fan!)
Thank ya!
© 1987 Controversy Music - ASCAP


[Edited 6/5/10 6:46am]

Rebirth Of The Flesh
Intended for the 8-track Camille album, Prince recorded this song at Sunset Sound on October 28th 1986 on the same day as "Rockhard In A Funky Place". When the Camille album was shelved, the song was slated for inclusion on Prince's next album project, Crystal Ball. It was going to be the opening track segueing into "Play In the Sunshine". The NPG Music Club made a 1988 rehearsal recording available in September 2001, which means that all the Camille tracks have now been officially released, although the original studio version remains unreleased. "Rebirth Of the Flesh" is a rousing and somewhat chaotic rock, spearheaded by a charged guitar riff. Prince's vocal is speeded-up. The song features a nonsensical sing-along chorus, "La, la, la, la, la, la, Souli-a-Colia". The 1988 live rendition is quite faithful to theoriginal studio recording. Miles Davis' early '50s classic Birth Of The Cool seems to have provided inspiration for the song title and some of the lyrics. Incidentally, Birth Of The Cool includes a track by Gerry Mulligan called "Venus De Milo", a title Prince borrowed for a Parade instrumental. The song introduces "the fathers of the new boogie cool", who have "got the beat you're looking for". They are guaranteed to rock the audience because they are from "the old school". Slightly altered, the introductory lyrics, "Kick drum pound on the two and four, all the party people get on the floor", turned up in "Escape" (the B-side of "Glam Slam" in 1988) and as the opening words of the Lovesexy show. The melody of the chorus "Walk Don't Walk" on Diamonds and Pearls also borrows from "Rebirth Of The Flesh".



Rebirth Of The Flesh
Ooh yeah, alright
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah

Kick drum pounds on the 2 and 4
All the party people get on the floor
We got the beat U're looking 4
The rebirth of the flesh is at your door (Let it in y'all!)

It's a brand new day
3 2 funk ain't in our way (No no no)
It ain't about the money, we just wanna play
The rebirth of the flesh is here 2day (Is here 2 stay)

La la la la la la, souli-a-colia (Hey)
The rebirth of the flesh, it's all over U

We are the fathers of a new boogie cool
Guaranteed 2 rock U cuz we're from the old school
We are here, where are U?
Everybody jam 2 the new boogie blues (Check it out!)

It's a brand new day (Wooo!)
3 2 funk ain't in our way (No)
It ain't about the money, we just wanna play
The rebirth of the flesh is here 2day - now everybody say

La la la la la la, souli-a-colia (Hey)
We are here, where are U?
Everybody jam 2 the new boogie cool
La la la la la la, souli-a-colia (Hey)
We are here, where are U?
Everybody jam 2 the new boogie cool (Wooo!)
Souli-a-colia (Hey)
Souli-a-colia (Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)

Think about your man, the one U worked so hard (Hey)
What's his is his, what's yours is yours
Unless U beat him at a game of cards (Hey)
This ain't cards, motherfucker!
This is life, this is real

We are here, where are U?
Everybody jam 2 the new boogie cool
Come on
We are here, where are U?
Everybody jam 2 the new boogie cool

La la la la la la, souli-a-colia (Hey)
We are here, where are U?
Everybody jam 2 the new boogie cool
La la la la la la, souli-a-colia (Hey)
We are here, where are U?
Everybody jam 2 the new boogie cool
Everybody jam 2 the new boogie cool

La la la la, souli-a-colia
(Hey) {x13}
No!
La la la la la la, souli-a-colia (Hey)

Welcome 2 the Crystal Ball