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Carmen Electra @ Paisley-A rough guide. Not my favourite of Prince protege albums, "vocals" aside, this album is musically very good. Prince's first female protege of the '90's, the Carmen Electra album deserves a mention here. The original Paisley Park album can still be found quite cheap, in fact it is probably among the cheapest and easiest to find from the Paisley Park Records years. Have a read and let me know your thoughts.
14th September 1990. Prince meets an 18 year old girl at an L.A nightclub "Spice." She is named Tara Leigh Patrick, and had moved to L.A to pursue her dream of breaking into the entertainment business. She had been dancing and singing from an early age and was invited to Prince's Beverly Hills home to audition. A few months later, she received a phone call from Prince saying that he wanted to record an album with her, and sign her to Paisley Park Records. She was re-named Carmen by Prince, who took the name from a 1954 film named "Carmen Jones." Carmen then came up with "Electra," the name of a Greek godess to add to the title.
March 1991. Prince begins work on his new discovery, Carmen Electra. Work began at Larrabee Studio in L.A. Prince recorded songs on and off during 1991. Among the first songs were Fantasia Erotica, Carmen On Top and Fun. Fantasia Erotica was a song from the vault which was originally recorded for Anna Garcia/Fantastic. The album was given the title On Top, but was later changed to Carmen Electra.
26th August 1991. Prince spends a few days at Larrabee Studio in L.A, he works on Power From Above for the Carmen Electra album. By now, Prince was half way through the album.
Late March 1992. A video for Carmen Electra's Go Go Dancer is shot at John Marshall High School in L.A. Rapper Monie Love guested in the video.
25th April 1992. Prince records Everybody Get On Up for the Carmen Electra album at Studio 301 in Sydney Australia during the Diamonds & Pearls tour.
4th May 1992. The first version of the album Carmen Electra is compiled. The tracklist was Power From Above, Carmen On Top, Go On (Witcha Bad Self), Fun, Skin Tight, Go Carmen Go, Good Judy Girlfriend, Fantasia Erotica, Powerline, Just A Little Lovin', All That, This Is My House, Go Go Dancer and The Juice. The album would undergo several changes before it was finally released in early 1993. Five of the tracks from the 4th May configuration were taken off the album and shelved, Power From Above, Carmen On Top, Go Carmen Go, Powerline and The Juice.
25th May 1992. Carmen Electra opens for Prince as part of the European leg of the Diamonds & Pearls tour. her set was 20 minutes long. Her band were Jason Cameron(guitar), Jack Robin(bass), Greg Sain and Morris Hayes(keyboards), JP Delaire(sax), Jamie Chezz(drums) and Kathleen Johnson(backing vocals). Morris Hayes would later become a member of the NPG. Her set was dropped halfway through the tour. Her voice did not carry well with a live band in large arenas. Prince tried to salvage her act by putting the blame on her band members, who were all replaced one by one with NPG members. The only one who remained from her original band was Hayes.
31st May 1992. A promo party for Carmen Electra's forthcoming album is held at the Berlin club Exit. Prince and most of the NPG were in attendance.
15th June 1992. A second version of Carmen's album is compiled. Apart from The Juice being shelved, the album was the same as the May 4th configuration. Promo ads on MTV and in music magazines appeared, as the album was due to be released on July 25th 1992. A single and video of Go Go Dancer had also been released. However, the release was put on hold as WB decided that some of the album tracks would have to be replaced with new material.
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9th February 1993. Carmen Electra's debut album is finally relased on Paisley Park Records. The album was for all purposes written and recorded by Prince. Carmen is credited as lyricist to all tracks except Step To The Mic. Levi Seacer Jr. was involved in the writing of three tracks. Tony Mosley also took on the role of lyricist, contributing to four of the songs. The album did not list all musicians involved in the recording, but most of the recording was a solo effort by Prince. Levi Seacer did major work on two of the tracks, while three of the tracks were live NPG band recordings. WB initially treated Carmen Electra as an important album. It was estimated that WB spent almost $2million on the promotion of the album. However, the album got off to a false start when Rolling Stone carried an ad for the album without mentioning Carmen's name, this caused confusion as no one knew who Carmen Electra was. But the albums delay in being released and Carmen's poor performance on the Diamonds & Pearls tour dampened the albums release. By the time of release, WB had reduced it's promotional effort to a bare minimum. The album failed to enter the Billboard chart.
[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/P%20mag%20and%20boot%20covers%20and%20ads/carmenelectra110197.jpg[/img:$uid] Album cover [img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/P%20mag%20and%20boot%20covers%20and%20ads/inside-cover.jpg[/img:$uid] More album art [img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/P%20mag%20and%20boot%20covers%20and%20ads/back.jpg[/img:$uid] Back cover
[Edited 9/17/10 10:14am] | |
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[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/P%20mag%20and%20boot%20covers%20and%20ads/Carmen-Electra-Hot-20081.jpg[/img:$uid][img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/P%20mag%20and%20boot%20covers%20and%20ads/20081b.jpg[/img:$uid]
Paisley Park press release.
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Mikey, YOU ROCK!! Thanks for doing all these interesting and informative threads!!
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[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/P%20mag%20and%20boot%20covers%20and%20ads/Carmen-Electra-Fantasia-Erotica-104997.jpg[/img:$uid] Single cover art
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You are very welcome, i hope you enjoy them.
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Interesting story, but I always wondered why Prince wasted his time with such a talentless woman like Carmen. I'm not naive, I realize they were sleeping together, but she had no talent then and none now either. | |
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I agree with what you say, her "rapping" on the album is imo awful, second only to Robin Power, who was braincrushingly bad. Prince has a history (of sorts) with less than talented people around him though. Look at Tony M, everyone around him could see that he had little talent but Prince still pushed him into his music, putting him on a pedestal. I think that there are some very interesting tracks on the Carmen Electra album, and musically it is up there with most of Prince's '90's output, but that rapping/singing.......OUCH!
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ironically she was NOT a bad singer...Prince just wanted to push the whole female rapper thing. |
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Perhaps i was a little harsh about her singing, her singing on the album actually reminds me of Mayte, but that could be because i have been listening to both quite a lot of late. But it is the million words a minute "rapping" that i cannot forgive.
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I was at the Controversy Magazine convention at Glam Slam where Carmen was for the most part debuted (as well as the Symbol album), and all I can say is that she was one of the most stunningly beautiful women I'd ever seen.
The DJ gave some of us this Carmen promo vinyl EP:
[img:$uid]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n276/squirrelgrease/PrinceProducts-4/ShhhhGoGoDancer-1.jpg[/img:$uid] If prince.org were to be made idiot proof, someone would just invent a better idiot. | |
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I was there too, and totally agree she is beautiful. It was cool they were all signing autographs. I have to say I was totally bummed to find out that Morris was replacing Rosie. I didn't think Carmen's rapping was all that bad. I loved Everybody Get On Up, an obvious spin off of Cream musically. I find it kind of funny how a lot of people seem to think Mayte was the main deal from 91 on, but Carmen was with Prince often at Glam Slam. Mayte was never there with Prince, only with Carmen or Jamie King. TRUE BLUE |
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Nice item squirrel. I remember seeing her support Prince at Earls Court in London in '92, at the time i thought she was the business because i was so hyped up. She really is beautiful though.
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Thanks. I'm not sure about Carmen coming up with the "Electra" part of her name though.
Surely it makes more sense that Prince gave her that name, since he had already sang about the king having "a subject named Electra" on "The Ladder", 5 years prior to that.
It was clearly a name that was floating around in his head. |
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moderator
Hey I was at that convention too. 
"...literal people are scary, man literal people scare me out there trying to rid the world of its poetry while getting it wrong fundamentally down at the church of "look, it says right here, see!" - ani difranco | |
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Wasn't Carmen hanging out with Mayte that day too. When was that 92? I had completely forgotten about that. She signed one of her photos for me. And yes she was stunningly beautiful.It's a fun dance album. I think the "goal" was met on the musical side of things. Monie Love's raps were pretty cool too. | |
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Entirely possible Militant, the info i have is that it was Carmen that came up with "Electra," however, It does sound more of a Princely name, and as you mention, with the Electra being in the song lyric too.
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I just downloaded some Fantasia Erotica remixes. While not the type of music i usually listen to, these remixes are quite good. They are..........
Dub Erotica Erotic Groove Mix Fantasia Dub He Dances Instead Indecent Proposal Mix Sex Drive Dub Xtra Sex Dub
Does anyone have these? Does anyone know who was involved in the making of these remixes?
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Fun With Vinyl Volume 4?
Those mixes are official. Incidentally, my fave cuts from Carmen's LP are Fantasia Erotica and Good Judy Girlfriend.
http://www.discogs.com/Ca...ase/268506
Carmen Electra - Fantasia EroticaLabel:
Catalog#:
PRO-A-6389
Format:
2 x Vinyl, 12", Promo, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country:
US
Released:
1993
Genre:
Electronic
Style:
House, Deep House
Tracklist
CreditsExecutive Producer - Paisley Park
Recorded By - Michael Koppelman Recorded By [Assistant] - Ray Hahnfeldt , Steve Noonan Scratches - Brian "B Quick" Crisp Vocals, Written-by [Lyrics] - Carmen Electra Written-by [Music] - Prince
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I still have that poster she signed at the convention and the rest of the NPG signed another poster as well. They were all really cool. If prince.org were to be made idiot proof, someone would just invent a better idiot. | |
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I don't remember seeing Mayte there, but I may have just missed her. Looks like I rubbed shoulders with a few orgers that day.
I think it may have been late summer 1992, since it was just before the release of If prince.org were to be made idiot proof, someone would just invent a better idiot. | |
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Yep, Mayte was there too. I'll have to dig out my Controversy mags, it seems like they had pics of the event in a later issue. The convention was like a week or two before the album was released, and they played it later on that night in the Erotic City room. TRUE BLUE |
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I gotta give you mad props for your involvement with the FWV series. I was hipped to them by another orger when I was on the hunt for the "Blueberry Gossip" remixes. An absolutely remarkable set.
I simply couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the DaKRASH and Kool Skool remixes on FWV 7. I had a hard enough time tracking down those albums in the first place, so to come across those remixes was a treat to say the least.
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Yes, FWV, hehe, top info as per squirrel thanks. And when i saw the name "squirrelgrease" i was like Nah, it can't be, but then i don't know anyone else with the name squirrelgrease, hehehe. So you designed the cover art am i right? Are you involved in any other capacity with FWV. It's a top site.
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Great associated artist threads, MikeyB71
Another tidbit. Because of the word "power" in some of the titles from the first configuration of the album, it was suspected among some of us, that these songs were leftovers from the illfated Robin Power project. Robin has since then confirmed here on the org. that she indeed had recorded versions of these songs.
By the way Robin was the one who met Tara/Carmen that night in the L.A. club, and along with Prince's bodyguard brought her to Prince's house to audition for him. She/they were originally considering her for Robins band the Uptown Dames. However Prince apparantly found Carmen too "interesting" for that. He would soon loose interest in Robin and as things would turn out, Carmen instead ended up heading the whole "the first femme fatal of rap" concept that originally was conceived for Robin. Ouch! But Carmen does thank Robin on the album
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Virgo said: Great associated artist threads, MikeyB71
Another tidbit. Because of the word "power" in some of the titles from the first configuration of the album, it was suspected among some of us, that these songs were leftovers from the illfated Robin Power project. Robin has since then confirmed here on the org. that she indeed had recorded versions of these songs.
By the way Robin was the one who met Tara/Carmen that night in the L.A. club, and along with Prince's pbodyguard brought her to Prince's house to audition for him. She/they were originally considering her for Robins band the Uptown Dames. However Prince apparantly found Carmen too "interesting" for that. He would soon loose interest in Robin and as things would turn out, Carmen instead ended up heading the whole "the first femme fatal of rap" concept that originally was conceived for Robin. Ouch! But Carmen does thank Robin on the album
Nice info Virgo, and interesting, thanks for posting. | |
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Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I've read about this connection before between the Dames' album and Carmen's album.
While we're on the subject of Robin Power, I don't think it would be out of place to post her dangly labia photo again:
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She is a scary woman.
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That album was a mess - but I must admit, I did like the Royal Mix of "Go-Go Dancer". It's so bad it's good! | |
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I used to see Carmen dancing all the time @ Glam Slam here in LA in a troupe. Seems like Prince put a lot of time into her. What a lot of people are not saying in this thread is Carmen did eventually become a star. Prince rarely gets credit for that.  will ALWAYS think of  like a "ACT OF GOD"! N another realm. mean of all people who might of been aliens or angels.if found out that wasn't of this earth, would not have been that surprised. R.I.P. |
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