Hmmm?

jill jones. when her album first came out, i really thought it would get more attention than it did. it certainly deserved more attention.

I knew it wouldn't be long before she was mentioned and rightfully so. Though others may disagree, I think Taja Seville also had the look,voice and commercial appeal to have made it further.

Andre, since his first album, I thought he would be putting them out year after year just like P

4nowneway said:

You'd have thought so. I'm not really sure what went wrong. At least he had a good amount of success with producing Jody Whatley.

Depends on how we interpret successful career, but from the old ones, I´d say:

Andre Cymone
Jill Jones
Taja Sevelle
Jesse Johnson
Maybe Morris Day.


And , on a sidenote, I was surprised that Chaka Khan´s excellent Come 2 My House didn´t become a huge success saleswise. A lot of people liked it back then.

I was really surprised that Morris Day didn't quite become the "big star" that everyone predicted.In 1984,he got rave reviews for his performance in 'Purple Rain'.The movie offers came pouring in,and many people felt that he could become the next Richard Pryor.It never happened.Sure,he had a few solo hits and a few cameo appearances in a few movie,but he never really reached major superstardom.

I also feel that Sheila E. could have (and should have) become a much bigger pop star.I think she gave up too soon.In 1987,she released the best album of her career,the self-titled album.This album should have been her "Control",her "Off The Wall",her "1999".But instead,she became Prince's drummer and put her own career on hold.Ironically,just a few years earlier,Prince had convinced her to "stop playing behind other people" and do her own thing.Just when she was (potentially) on the verge of superstardom,she went back to being a drummer in someone else's band.Bad move.

DavidEye said:

100% agreed. Though unfortunately I think Morris' personal demons may kept him from taking it to the next level.

sitruk7 said:

I really thought Morris was gonna take off. He was supposedly offered a 3 movie deal after PR. His and Jerome's take on the "Who's on first" from Abbot & Costello was great. I don't know why he never really took off.

Re: Sheila..... she has said in interviews that she preferred to be working as a musician, rather than fronting a band. So for her it was the right move. It's ironic cuz she's such a great solo artist and bandleader!

GaryMF said:

That's a shame because Sheila was such an exciting solo pop performer.I still enjoy watching her 'Romance 1600 Live' video.She kicks ass!

DavidEye said:

I totally agree. And if you think that is hot you should check out her solo show when she plays. It's like she took it to a whole new level.

She only does sporadic dates, it seems, since she mainly focuses on her charity now. I was lucky that I was in the Bay Area for work last year and caught her last show at her dad's cub which is now closed.

Morris and Jesse definetly. They both did well in 85 after leaving the Prince camp, but unfortunatily both made some bad choices in some of the things they
did after that. Come on ford Fairlane, a cameo in Moving and Guaranteed killed his solo career. I liked how Jesse was going more rock with each album and i saw him eventually having more of a rock career, but i guess he got pigonholed in that 80's minneapolis scene. I absolutely loved Bare my naked soul, but who really bought it besides die hard jesse fans. Nobody

Rhastus said:

Morris' massive ego is what prevented him from becoming a movie star.I remember reading one of his interviews in the late 80s,several years after 'Purple Rain'.He was complaining that,whenever he got offered a movie role (which was quite often),they wanted him to go down to the studio and read for the part."I felt like I had already proven myself in 'Purple Rain'...I shouldn't have to audition for a role when they already know what I am capable of",he said.

Sheila and Morris Day and the original Time if they had stayed together, but if that had happened there'd be no Jam and Lewis, and no one would know Janet Jackson.

Morris nearly got there, he was the star of Purple Rain " Nah, Nah that aint cool enough, The bitch will come to me, I'm the only star in this town". But maybe poor marketing, a cocaine habit and that fact we had Eddie Murphy and Ricahrd Pryor meant there was no more room for a jive ass black dude. Although he still cracks me up, especially when he called Prince a 'long haired faggot'

DavidEye said:

Yeah I remember that, The password is what, What is the password, What, Yeah, Yeah is the password, No the password is what, Get it right onion head!

I thought for sure I'd see 'Uptown Dames' on here with all the ass kissing that thread is getting.

Actually I'm pretty surprised Carmen Electra didn't take off. She was beautiful, a great dancer and the music really fit for that time.

KoolEaze said:

OMG I LOVE Come 2 my house. It really is a GREAT album!

DavidEye said:

Really? Actually I think Morris Day and Sheila E. had pretty sucessful careers in the 80s. At least in my eyes. Vanity was pretty big too for a while. I guess now they are not that famous but back then alot of people knew who they were.
[Edited 9/30/05 4:14am]

Krystal666 said:

Her album may have flopped,but she became a big star after she left the Prince camp.Most of his female proteges fade away when he no longer works with them,but Carmen Elektra is the exception to this rule.

DavidEye said:

Oh well yeah I know but I was suprised that her album didn't make her a star...that is what I ment.

Krystal666 said:

Yeah,they had a few successful years in the mid-80s,in the wake of 'Purple Rain' and the Prince hype.But their careers didn't really take off the way I expected.Neither of Vanity's two solo albums sold well.

Krystal666 said:

You're surprised by that? Come on,her album is an embarassment

The only decent song is "Fantasia Erotica".

DavidEye said:

Uhhh...I kinda like it...don't hurt me please!

rosie gaines
but then closer than close was a crap song.

sitruk7 said:

Andre has often complained that his record label didn't want him to grow and develop into a unique artist.They wanted him to sound like Prince and to ride the whole "Minneapolis Sound" connection,something he wasn't interested in doing.I think that's why he eventually gave up making solo records.He was clearly frustrated.

Bonnie tyler
Kim wilde
grace jones
...
and a guy with all his instruments on him and a dove on his shoulder. Who remembers him ?

DavidEye said:

Well Jody Watley's stuff pretty much sounded like that.

DavidEye said:

Agreed.

cammille said:

:jawdrop: