"Sheila E" is the album that could have made her a big star, it was a breath of fresh air after the contrived "in Rmance 1600". Of course she opted out and joined Prince's band instead. Promotion for the album was almost non-existent, if there had been a video for "Hold Me" it would have crossed over to the pop charts like "All Cried Out" by Lisa Lisa did. "Koo Koo" just didn't have the cross over appeal that "Hold Me" or for example "Faded Photographs" had.

I was sooooo disappointed Sheila didn't hit the big time, but I guess she was fine by it, preferring to be a musician first, singer second.

sextonseven said:

My fave album by Sheila. It def had potential to be a hit if it had ANY promotional support.

Bree8016 said:

I know that is right!

whitesockedfunk said:

I agree.While I like 'Romance 1600',I find a few of the songs to be "gimmicky".The 'Sheila E'. album is much more accessible and I think it shows more of Sheila E's real personality and talent.



Absolutely."Hold Me" did very well,reaching the R&B top 10.If there had been a video,it would have done even better.As a general rule,the first single from any album should always have a video.It's the first single that gets people interested in an album,so a video is crucial.

Strangely,Taja Sevelle's debut album,also released in 1987,had videos for all three singles It seems as if her album received more promotion than Sheila's album and Jill Jones' album.





I like "Koo Koo" as an album track,but it was a poor choice for a single.The chorus is weak and the production is too laid back."Faded Photographs" is a better choice....it's loud,powerful and has a memorable chorus/hook.All the necessary ingredients for a Top 10 pop smash.

minneapolisFunq said:

U don't like the album? I really like her ST album. To me, it seemed like they were trying to market Sheila as more of an adult audience with that album than her previous 2. The previous 2 were more "pop" icon type albums, but this album was very mature.

I agree with Ernest that a couple of the Prince songs seem kind of juvenile compare to the other songs, but, like Ernest, I don't hate them.

Definitely among my top favorite PP album (outside of Prince).

whitesockedfunk said:

I don't think Sheila and WB intended on promoting the project properly.

Like you said, Sheila should have made a nice video for "Hold Me" long before the album dropped. A nice, sexy video, would have gotten her LOTS of MTV spins.

SoulAlive said:

At that time, it was not uncommon to not have a video for the lead single until after the single hit radio big. Remember SOTT? I don't remember seeing a video for SOTT until long after the single was a hit and was getting radio play.

MJ did the same thing for Bad the same year. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" was a number one hit, but didn't have a video.

SoulAlive said:

One of the greatest album covers of all time

Brofie said:

Would have been much better as a fold out cover.

Was the extended version of "Love On A Blue Train" a 12" release? I love that song but I didn't even know there was a longer version of it until a few days ago.

rialb said:

I think it was a single only released in Japan.
http://eil.com/shop/morei...gid=231857

daPrettyman said:

Thanks for the info.

Brofie said:

I remember when I first bought this album,I took the album cover to school the next day Wanted to show my buddies the album cover,lol.

daPrettyman said:

It's a shame that this song wasn't released as a single here in America.I think it would have been a strong fourth single,after "Hold Me","Faded Photographs" and "Pride And The Passion".

Interesting trivia...

At an early stage,this album was titled 'Pride And The Passion' and it was gonna carry on the tradition of the first two albums,presented as if it was a "movie".

So,the full title was gonna be 'Sheila E. in The Pride and The Passion'.

Somewhere along the way,they decided to abandon that gimmicky concept and present the album as a definitive Sheila E. recording,making it a self-titled album.

daPrettyman said:

Yep,this album definitely sounds more "mature" than the two previous albums."Hold Me" is very soulful and sophisticated...the type of song that you would expect from a soul music diva.A few months before this album was released,Sheila was on tour,opening several dates for Lionel Richie on his 'Dancing On The Ceiling' tour.This seemed like an attempt to present Sheila to an older,more mature crowd.

Marrk said:

I love the playful lyrics on that song

If you lost my number,that's a story to be told
the candle burns at both ends baby,when niggas get too bold...
little girls who sleep at night are better left to dream
I just seen too many movies,baby,if you know what I mean

rialb said:

Exactly, it's not the extended version to the album track. It's the early mix of the song. This was released prior to the Sheila E. album. The song was reworked upon inclusion in the album.

Here's the TV commercial film where the early mix of the song appeared in '86.

deepwater said:

Wow,never seen that before!