This my first ever Sheila E album era thread. There is a lot of unrecorded information about this period. So if U have some please do share...

What is the direction in Uptown that Prince laid out with/4 Sheila, for this album?

Love & Sex

SoulAlive said:

a few months before this album was released,there was a nice article about Sheila in Rock N' Soul magazine.They mentioned that the new album is titled 'The Pride And The Passion'.They also got to see a rehearsal performance where Sheila performed Prince's "Kiss" but changed the title to another four-letter word that is commonly used for the male sex organ

From a lot of the stuff I've been reviewing, Sheila seemed a bit more raunchy this 3rd time around.
It was weird reading about some of it.

Seems they performed Irresistable Bitch during her shows too.

I'm a believer that sometimes within an album, there is an EP of 3 or 4 songs unto themselves that could stand alone.

Having said that, first I'll say Sheila E is, by far, her best album. The EP part of it is basically the first side minus the first song.

Sheila E said in an interview recently that they recorded hundreds of songs together

TrivialPursuit said:

I'm a believer that sometimes within an album, there is an EP of 3 or 4 songs unto themselves that could stand alone.

Having said that, first I'll say Sheila E is, by far, her best album. The EP part of it is basically the first side minus the first song.

Wednesday Like a River

Hold Me

Faded Photographs

Koo Koo

Faded Photographs is one great song, it seriously could have been a hit if handled right.

1. One Day (I'm Gonna Make You Mine) 4:47
2. Wednesday Like a River (Sheila E., Constance Guzman and Levi Seacer, Jr.)
3:25
3. Hold Me (Sheila E., Constance Guzman and Eddie Mininfield) 5:04
4. Faded Photographs (Sheila E., Constance Guzman, Samuel Domingo and Boni Boyer) 4:11...
5. Koo Koo 3:24

Side two
6. Pride and the Passion 4:05
7. Boy's Club 3:56
8. Soul Salsa (Sheila E., Norbert Stachel and Levi Seacer, Jr.) 3:08
9. Hon E Man (Sheila E., Constance Guzman and Levi Seacer, Jr.) 3:22
10. Love on a Blue Train

Sheila E. – bass guitar, congas
Levi Seacer, Jr. – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, background vocals
Juan Escovedo – percussion
Boni Boyer – keyboards, background vocals
Timothy Riley – drums
Norbert Satchel – saxophone, flute
Carl Wheeler – keyboards, background vocals
Rafael Wiggins, Jr. – bass guitar, background vocals
Peter Michael Escovedo – percussion
Eric Leeds – saxophone
Matt Blistan (aka Atlanta Bliss) – trumpet
Eddie Minnifield – background vocals
Carlos Rios – guitar
Howard Kenney – background vocals
Steph Birnbaum – guitar
Coke Johnson, David Leonard, Peggy McCreary Leonard – recording engineers
Jeff DeMorris, Mike Kloster, Steve Himmelfarb, Leslie Ann Jones, Chuck Webb, Thom Kidd, Tom Wright – second engineers
Mary Ann Dibs – art direction and design
Jeff Katz – photography
Chris Bellman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering

leadline said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Sheila E arriving in Sheridan WY 4 the Under the Cherry Moon movie premiere

Sheila is a great musician and she and Prince were a great musical team.

Glamorous is an all time fave.

I did believe that song was originally for Vanity though.

Sheila has proven to be the best "find" Prince ever had. Although she was already a great musician when she did the Glamorous Life.

Great musical collaborators to go down in the ages.

Photo edit - account needs updating

Her best album. That unreleased album was probably going to be good too. Dying to hear "Love And Sex" from the sessions.
Pride And The Passion, Boys Club, koo Koo, Paradise Garden...LOABT, Soul Salsa..the whole thing is good actually.

Prince Vault

paisleypark4 said:

Prince Vault

Promotion

The album produced three singles; Love On A Blue Train was released in Japan only in 1986, initially to tie-in to an EP release, The Glamorous Club EP. The first worldwide single release was Hold Me (which preceded the album), followed by Koo Koo.

Sheila E. did not tour to promote the album, instead playing drums on Prince's Sign O' The Times Tour, which began shortly after the album's release, and, other than a video for Koo Koo, she did not promote the album much.

Perhaps as a result, the album reached only number 56 on the US Billboard Top Pop Album Chart, and number 24 on the Billboard Top Black Albums Chart.

I was disappointed at the lack of promotion for this album.The first single "Hold Me" was getting alot of airplay on R&B stations,but there was no video! Sheila wasn't making any TV appearances.And then they chose "Koo Koo" as the second single.That song lacks a strong hook/chorus.The album was dead at that point I've always felt that,becoming Prince's drummer at that time may have seemed like a smart move for Sheila,but it really stalled her solo career.It took the momentum out of her solo career.

OldFriends4Sale said:

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OldFriends4Sale said:

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^^ Love that pic, and Prince's face! ^^ LOL

SoulAlive said:

paisleypark4 said:

Prince Vault

I was disappointed at the lack of promotion for this album.The first single "Hold Me" was getting alot of airplay on R&B stations,but there was no video! Sheila wasn't making any TV appearances.And then they chose "Koo Koo" as the second single.That song lacks a strong hook/chorus.The album was dead at that point I've always felt that,becoming Prince's drummer at that time may have seemed like a smart move for Sheila,but it really stalled her solo career.It took the momentum out of her solo career.

I have a strong feeling that Sheila E thought she would be joining the Revolution band.
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At having changed up her band members, I think that might have slowed down certain progression for her. Because I don't remember seeing/hearing much from her like I did with the Glamorous Life/Romance 1600 period. Plus she had Tony Toni Tone people in her band, and they were clearly not going to be there long. I believe they made a line about their issue with Prince when he took Sheila for his band in one of their songs something like 'I'm not going to be wearing Paisley...'

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But she was in a good place with the 3rd album having done a lot of trench work since 1984. I think if she had the other band members, and they were able to reap the benefits of now being albe to record music that fit the Prince vision would have been great.

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I think when Koo Koo was released as a single Sheila was already in Prince's band and the album was dead. I believe Sheila E did say Prince would ask if she wanted to do some of her songs on the tour, but she was done with it.

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I missed Sheila E as a frontman. His 'kingdom' shrunk considerably in 1987

OldFriends4Sale said:

yes,Sheila was trying to get those guys (Tony! Toni! Tone!) a record deal with Paisley Park Records but according to them "Prince kept frontin".Their debut album features a song "Born Not To Know" that contains the lyric: "things are gettin' crazy,I ain't wearin' Paisley",a line directed at Prince.

OldFriends4Sale said:

At having changed up her band members, I think that might have slowed down certain progression for her. Because I don't remember seeing/hearing much from her like I did with the Glamorous Life/Romance 1600 period. Plus she had Tony Toni Tone people in her band, and they were clearly not going to be there long. I believe they made a line about their issue with Prince when he took Sheila for his band in one of their songs something like 'I'm not going to be wearing Paisley...'

laurarichardson said:

She explained in her book that it was too hard to be the leader of a band. She spent a lot of money on her band and came from the PR tour with debt and was very tired of just singing and not enough drumming. She wanted to go back behind the drums.

the irony is that,in 1984,Prince told her "You've been playing behind people for too long.You need to do your own thing"

OldFriends4Sale said:

I missed Sheila E as a frontman. His 'kingdom' shrunk considerably in 1987

I felt the same way.To put her own career on hold,right when she just released her strongest album....it was a backwards move.

SoulAlive said:

Oh, there he is
Ooh, he looks better every time I see him
Look - those eyes, those lips
I know he wants me, I know he does

I see him walkin', his body talkin'
He's got a real cool style
Something that he got, it get me so hot
His body drive me wild

I know it's gonna be tough
Things I'm gonna have 2 give up

Yeah, I know he thinks he's sweet
But he can't resist my beat

{Distant Spanish vocals}

I know he sees me, why does he tease me?
Why does he play this game? Ha!
He knows I love him, always thinking of him
I guess pretty men have no shame

Sometimes I wanna beat U up
Is that what U want me 2 do? (Sing)

One day, one day, one day
I wanna make U mine
One day, one day, one day
I wanna make U mine

I've got a potion that gives emotion
I'm gonna turn U on (Hot)
U will adore me, none will come before me
Then it won't be long

U're gonna kiss me, U're gonna kiss me
Like U never kissed before
Ooh, that night U want me, I'll be happy (And I'll be happy)
Cuz on that night I'll have what I've been waiting 4

One day, one day, one day
Gonna make U mine
One day, one day, one day
I'm gonna make U mine

Oh wow, there he is again
What am I gonna do? (Gonna make U mine)
Ooh, I do declare

initial tracking took place in late September 1986, at Prince's Galpin Blvd Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA (during the same set of sessions as Superfunkycalifragisexy, Koo Koo and When The Dawn Of The Morning Comes).

Sheila E. - vocals, drums, percussion (no instrument credits given for full album)

Prince - all instruments, except where noted (uncredited)

Eric Leeds - saxophone

Atlanta Bliss - trumpet

Juan Escovedo - percussion

-PrinceVault

I saw her short tour for this album. Once in atlantic city (where my profile pic is from) and opening for Lionel Richie at MSG>

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The band was tight and amazing, Her encore she did Kiss better than Prince was doign it at the time.

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I only wish video existed.