fourletterwords said:

Given the more recent attention to some of Prince's colleagues, some of whom Stayed more active than others, I've been considering investigating some of these projects. I specifically wanted to check out Andre's early solo work, Jesse's stuff and Wendy and Lisa's early solo stuff. Each of these projects were a bit before my time and I've not delved much into the tangential Prince Universe... save for the Time and Sheila E... any recommendations? A Worthwhile listening adventure or do I just miss Prince too much?

Jesse's earliest solo album was called Jesse Johnson's Revue and was released in 1985. It is a very hard album to come by in CD format but you can find it sometimes on Amazon or Ebay but it often a pretty pricey album. If you have a turntable, you can often find it in LP format for a pretty decent price.

Shockadelica he released in 1986

Every Shade Of Love was released in 1988

Bare My Naked Soul was released in 1996 ( this album is one that I think showcases that the man can play all styles of genres, he even has a fiddle player on this album. There are elements of Metal, Rock, Country, and traditional blues

Verbal Penetration Volume 1 and 2 is his last album he has released to date and that was released in 2009.

I recommend you search out the CD called " The Ultimate Collection" which is basically a mash up of his 1st 3 albums that were released with one or 2 songs that were not released as this will give you an idea of his very early solo albums. His Bare My Naked Soul and Verbal Penetratioin albums are the 2 albums I play almost daily! and at least once a week I spin his early stuff.

These are talented people, so of course you should dig into their stuff. Some of my favorites are:

Wendy & Lisa first album. It's brilliant front to back, and they address the Revolution breaking up.

All of W&L's albums are great. Eroica, Fruit At The Bottom, Girl Bros., White Flags on Winter Chimneys. All worthy of a listen. (Prince remixed "Lolly Lolly" on the 12" single.)

Andre's work is good, but ....eh.

Jesse Johnson - first three solo records are great. Jesse Johnson's Revue, Every Shade Of Love, Shockadelica. I've enjoyed Bare My Naked Soul, but it never grew on me.

The Family - of course, and their later reunion albums Gaslight and AM Static under the fDeluxe moniker are fucking stellar. The latter of those are covers, but done a very different way. Gaslight is so beautiful, and truly sounds like The Family grown up.

St. Paul - his first self-titled album is good, but I never dug into the others much. He put out a compilation just after Gaslight called Straight To The Funk Vol 1 of his own material. I've quite enjoyed my autographed copy.

Bobby Z.'s album sounds like it belongs right in the decade that it was made. Doctor Fink's Ultrasound is a quasi-techno-dance album.

Brownmark's two solo records are really great, but I love Just Like That. Prince wrote "Bang Bang" on his second record, let him film the video for it there, and even let him use an unused tour set (the long legs), etc. I think he even played one of Prince's basses in the video.

Mazarati's first album is so great, and Prince not only wrote "100 MPH", but rewrote the lyrics to two songs on there, thinking they deserved better words.

Rosie Gaines Closer Than Close is a great R&B record. She had earlier albums way before Prince, but I've never listened.

Mavis Staples two records on Paisley Park were good, but I loved Time Waits For No One more, because it wasn't all Prince production.

I'm sure others can offer other opinions on other albums.

Shockadelica is my favorite Jesse record.

I'll just let you know which albums by these people I feel are good introductions to them.

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Andre Cymone - Surviving in the 80's. An interesting concept album, I feel it is his best, although AC has the Dance Electric on.

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Jesse Johnson - Jesse Johnson's Revue. He jumped in fully formed. Definitely in the Prince vein. Also look for the b-side Free World. If you like Hendrix-like blues-rock, I feel that Bare My Naked Soul is his most honest record, what he'd like to play if business played no role.

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Wendy & Lisa - Eroica. I love them and would recommend to check out all of their albums, but with this one they really came into their own. There's a version with an extra cd containing some piano pieces, one of which was considered for the Dream Factory.

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None of the above have hands-on Prince The Family, Jill Jones and Madhouse 8 are also required albums. Apollonia 6, Vanity 6 and Madhouse 16 you can mostly skip. St Paul's solo records never really did it for me, although his single Rich Man was a nice take on High Fashion.

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Stuff like Morris Day's solo albums, the Day Zees, Vanity solo albums (although better than Vanity 6), TaMara and the Seen, Good Question, Tony LeMans and more like that should be listened to after you have all the Prince-involved albums.

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I'm assuming later albums, like the George Clinton and Mavis Staples Paisley Park albums, Carmen Electra, Eric Leeds and onward you already know, as you specifically asked for older stuff.

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One last piece of advice, take it for what it's worth: don't get too many new albums at once. Take them one at a time and listen to them for a few weeks, really get to know them before you move on to the next album.

mediumdry said:

Andre Cymone's AC was reissued a few years ago as a 2-disc expanded set, with the 2nd disc including remixes/extended versions of a handful of songs, including a number of alternate versions of The Dance Electric, which makes it very worthwhile.

If you're in the US, amazon has the set for $11.50 on CD if you prefer the physical format.

https://www.amazon.com/AC...+cymone+ac

Doozer said:

fourletterwords said:

Which Time album is your fave?

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Difficult to say because they all have their highs and their lows. I find their later albums somewhat unfocused (too many captains on the ship), so it probably comes down to the first two albums. Some days it'll be The Time, others it'll be What Time Is It?, the latter definitely has a better sense of humour and is made for the band, whereas the first album is a set of funky tracks (along with a nice ballad and the utterly forgettable After High School, oh, and Oh Baby, which I always seem to forget.

Jill Jones' Album (released in 1987) would've done MUCH BETTER if released in 1984 (during the Purple Rain hype) or 1985 even!!! Still, it is a GEM in the Paisley Park archives, as is Mazarati's 1st Album, Madhouse 8, Madhouse 16 & The Family!!!!

woogiebear said:

Jill Jones' Album (released in 1987) would've done MUCH BETTER if released in 1984 (during the Purple Rain hype) or 1985 even!!! Still, it is a GEM in the Paisley Park archives, as is Mazarati's 1st Album, Madhouse 8, Madhouse 16 & The Family!!!!

There's truth in that. It has that grittier sound from 1984-86. His sound changed a bit (although still a dirtier production which we loved him for) during SOTT & Lovesexy, so for JJ's album to come out in that time, it was a great throwback to just a few years prior and quite a few musical changes through that time.

I think The Family's album was so brilliant because it was a precursor to UTCM in style & sound. "Screams of Passion" and "Mountains" both were filmed against a simple blue screen (and coincidentally as a funny note Jerome & Eric were in both videos haha). Lotta silk robes, Clare Fisher strings, 1940s artwork, etc.

TrivialPursuit said:

woogiebear said:

Jill Jones' Album (released in 1987) would've done MUCH BETTER if released in 1984 (during the Purple Rain hype) or 1985 even!!! Still, it is a GEM in the Paisley Park archives, as is Mazarati's 1st Album, Madhouse 8, Madhouse 16 & The Family!!!!

There's truth in that. It has that grittier sound from 1984-86. His sound changed a bit (although still a dirtier production which we loved him for) during SOTT & Lovesexy, so for JJ's album to come out in that time, it was a great throwback to just a few years prior and quite a few musical changes through that time.

I think The Family's album was so brilliant because it was a precursor to UTCM in style & sound. "Screams of Passion" and "Mountains" both were filmed against a simple blue screen (and coincidentally as a funny note Jerome & Eric were in both videos haha). Lotta silk robes, Clare Fisher strings, 1940s artwork, etc.

As far as Andre's solo work, "Surviving In The 80's" is My ABSOLUTE FAVE Album!!! "Kelly's Eyes" & "Dance Electric" are My fave AC Cuts!!! I re-visit Wendy & Lisa's first 2 Solo Albums more than anything else in Their arsenal. And I play Jesse's Albums frequently except "Bare My Naked Soul", which I have & cannot find!!!

woogiebear said:

As far as Andre's solo work, "Surviving In The 80's" is My ABSOLUTE FAVE Album!!! "Kelly's Eyes" & "Dance Electric" are My fave AC Cuts!!!

Eroica will be re-released with extra tracks

cool, looking forward to the second Eroica cd. Of course, there will be people upset with them for trying to steal Prince's thunder by rereleasing their album just before Purple Rain!

mediumdry said:

None of the above have hands-on Prince The Family, Jill Jones and Madhouse 8 are also required albums. Apollonia 6, Vanity 6 and Madhouse 16 you can mostly skip. St Paul's solo records never really did it for me, although his single Rich Man was a nice take on High Fashion.

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Stuff like Morris Day's solo albums, the Day Zees, Vanity solo albums (although better than Vanity 6), TaMara and the Seen, Good Question, Tony LeMans and more like that should be listened to after you have all the Prince-involved albums.

I recall the general consensus among fans being that the Vanity 6 album is pretty good. "Nasty Girl" and "Bite The Beat" alone make the album worth getting and blow away anything on Vanity's solo albums.

sexton said:

mediumdry said:

None of the above have hands-on Prince The Family, Jill Jones and Madhouse 8 are also required albums. Apollonia 6, Vanity 6 and Madhouse 16 you can mostly skip. St Paul's solo records never really did it for me, although his single Rich Man was a nice take on High Fashion.

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Stuff like Morris Day's solo albums, the Day Zees, Vanity solo albums (although better than Vanity 6), TaMara and the Seen, Good Question, Tony LeMans and more like that should be listened to after you have all the Prince-involved albums.

I recall the general consensus among fans being that the Vanity 6 album is pretty good. "Nasty Girl" and "Bite The Beat" alone make the album worth getting and blow away anything on Vanity's solo albums.

I totally agree.The Vanity 6 album is great.....fun,wild and ahead of its time.

Vanity's first album Wild Animal was very disappointing,IMO.The second album Skin On Skin showed a little improvement.

Different strokes... I'd take Vanity's solo albums over Vanity 6 any day. Sure, the Drive Me Wild 12" is nice and Nasty Girl is a classic, but the rest of the album is cringeworthy, imo. Bite The Beat is a good example.. If A Girl Answers starts off promising, but it simply isn't funny (in much the same way some of the Exodus segues are funny) and too repetitive to stay funky.

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Not too long ago I tried to listen to the album again with open ears, but I just can't hear what people like about it. The Appolonia 6 album is far superior and we all know that it is not the finest example of Prince's work.

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In summary, the opinions are divided enough to have a listen for yourself and make up your own mind!

mediumdry said:

Different strokes... I'd take Vanity's solo albums over Vanity 6 any day. Sure, the Drive Me Wild 12" is nice and Nasty Girl is a classic, but the rest of the album is cringeworthy, imo. Bite The Beat is a good example.. If A Girl Answers starts off promising, but it simply isn't funny (in much the same way some of the Exodus segues are funny) and too repetitive to stay funky.

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Not too long ago I tried to listen to the album again with open ears, but I just can't hear what people like about it. The Appolonia 6 album is far superior and we all know that it is not the finest example of Prince's work.

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In summary, the opinions are divided enough to have a listen for yourself and make up your own mind!

On the contrary, the opinions are heavily skewed toward Vanity 6 being well-liked. You're in the minority in thinking it isn't great.

mediumdry said:

Different strokes... I'd take Vanity's solo albums over Vanity 6 any day. Sure, the Drive Me Wild 12" is nice and Nasty Girl is a classic, but the rest of the album is cringeworthy, imo. Bite The Beat is a good example.. If A Girl Answers starts off promising, but it simply isn't funny (in much the same way some of the Exodus segues are funny) and too repetitive to stay funky.

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Not too long ago I tried to listen to the album again with open ears, but I just can't hear what people like about it.

Cringeworthy? The Vanity 6 album is one of Prince's most ambitious projects.It is a cool mixture of funk,New Wave,pop,even some electrofunk ("Make-Up") and early rap ("If A Girl Answers...").The in-your-face sexuality was something we never heard from a girl group before.

Vanity's Wild Animal is a mess.It's filled with horrible lyrics and alot of squealing.The only great song is "Mechanical Emotion".I remember buying the album in 1984 and being incredibly disappointed.

mediumdry said:

Different strokes... I'd take Vanity's solo albums over Vanity 6 any day. Sure, the Drive Me Wild 12" is nice and Nasty Girl is a classic, but the rest of the album is cringeworthy, imo. Bite The Beat is a good example.. If A Girl Answers starts off promising, but it simply isn't funny (in much the same way some of the Exodus segues are funny) and too repetitive to stay funky.

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Not too long ago I tried to listen to the album again with open ears, but I just can't hear what people like about it.

Cringeworthy? The Vanity 6 album is one of Prince's most ambitious projects.It is a cool mixture of funk,New Wave,pop,even some electrofunk ("Make-Up") and early rap ("If A Girl Answers...").The in-your-face sexuality was something we never heard from a girl group before.

Vanity's Wild Animal is a mess.It's filled with horrible lyrics and alot of squealing.The only great song is "Mechanical Emotion".I remember buying the album in 1984 and being incredibly disappointed.

fourletterwords said:

Given the more recent attention to some of Prince's colleagues, some of whom Stayed more active than others, I've been considering investigating some of these projects. I specifically wanted to check out Andre's early solo work, Jesse's stuff and Wendy and Lisa's early solo stuff. Each of these projects were a bit before my time and I've not delved much into the tangential Prince Universe... save for the Time and Sheila E... any recommendations? A Worthwhile listening adventure or do I just miss Prince too much?

André's and Jesse's 80's efforts are deeply rooted in the minneapolis sound. Definitely cult classics among us fans. I also recommand Morris Day's solo work, particularly the first 2 albums, as well as ST. Paul's first album, and Mazarati and Brown Mark's own records of course. All that stuff is heavy on synths and drum machines, very much in the vein of 1999. André, Morris and Jesse also all had side projects (The Girls for André, The Day-Z's for Morris, Ta Mara And The Seen for Jesse, and some other albums or tracks they produced for others).

Then in the 90's Morris went new jack swing while Jesse went Hendrix. Jesse's come back album in 2009 is a bit of everything R&B. I haven't heard his duet album with Sue Ann from 2010.

W&L's early albums are held in high esteem as well. Their first 3 albums are more pop than funk, but some elements from the Princeverse can, of course, clearly be heard. Their post mid-90's works took a very different, more indie rock vibe, and there are also a few soundtracks.

Bobby Z also released an album very much in the vein of Bryan Ferry in 1989. And of course the list of albums recorded by, or involving other bandmembers from his very first band to his very latest is endless... I've heard most of them, and if you keep an open mind most of them are enjoyable: those people are talented. However there are also few that are truly innovative or mindblowing: none of them was Prince.

Both Madhouse albums, The Family & Jill Jones are MUST HAVES!!

djThunderfunk said:

djThunderfunk said:

Both Madhouse albums, The Family & Jill Jones are MUST HAVES!!

Those are proper Prince projects, I assumed the OP had already listened to all of those.

databank said:

djThunderfunk said:

Both Madhouse albums, The Family & Jill Jones are MUST HAVES!!

Those are proper Prince projects, I assumed the OP had already listened to all of those.

I would like to assume EVERY Prince fan had these, but, they weren't mentioned in the OP, so, just had to say it...

databank said:

djThunderfunk said:

Both Madhouse albums, The Family & Jill Jones are MUST HAVES!!

Those are proper Prince projects, I assumed the OP had already listened to all of those.

It's hard to tell. The OP only mentioned previously hearing The Time and Sheila E.