Towards the end of this fabulous song/jam, about 3:56 the band starts chanting "Jerome, upside ya head! Mazarati upside ya' head!"

Now, I'm just wondering, was Mazarati in the recording session along with Jerome?

Or what IF they were planning on doing a tour together...!? With Prince! Maybe just my fantasy!

They used the same synth snare drum like in most of the Dream Factory songs.

"Jerome, upside ya head! Mazarati upside ya' head!"

What's ya'lls think? Hmmm...

In the mid-80s,I recall hearing rumors of a Sheila E. tour in which Mazarati and The Family would be her opening acts.Sorta like a Paisley Park Records Revue-type tour.It sounded interesting but it never materialized.Instead,Sheila went on a brief tour with Lionel Ritchie in late 1986.




...
[This message was edited Mon Jun 2 4:51:24 PDT 2003 by DavidEye]

This (Prince-penned) track is great. I never realized that "Mazarati" chant, just concentrated on Jerome ...

Like almost all Paisley Park albums, this one got not enough promotion. Sheila E. was on a good way of becoming a star on her own (although lots on that album was actually done by Prince, she had more involvement that before).
Koo Koo was running on MTV, Hold Me was running on the radio, nice cover ... everything was ready for big success but it did not work out.
Somehow a pity in my opinion.

Of course she would not have joined Prince on SOTT + Lovesexy tour as a solo star ... that should be considered.

I was really,really disappointed when this album didn't become a hit.It is Sheila's best,most consistent album and it should have made her a superstar.I was shocked at the lack of promotion.The first single "Hold Me" did very well on R&B radio,but there wasn't even a video! With a great video,this song could have done so much better on the charts.This album had at least four strong potential hits...


"Hold Me"
"Faded Photographs"
"The Pride And The Passion"
"Love On A Blue Train"


In late 1986,a few months before this album was released,Sheila did a brief tour with Lionel Ritchie,which exposed her to a whole different audience.That was a wise move because it temporarily got her away from the Prince camp,allowing her to break out of the purple shadow.It was also a wise move releasing a sultry ballad ("Hold Me") as the first single from her album.She was on her way to mainstream success.But then she decided to become Prince's drummer,essentially putting her own solo career on hold.In retrospect,that was probably a bad career move on her part (even though it gave Prince the best band of HIS career).It would have been a better idea for her to spend 1987 promoting her own album,maybe doing a summer tour of her own.Paisley Park and Warners also must share some of the blame for not promoting this album effectively.Wassup with releasing "Koo Koo" as the second single? Cool song,but there were much stronger tracks (see my list above).


...
[This message was edited Tue Jun 3 3:37:37 PDT 2003 by DavidEye]

I'm listening to the long version right now!!

You know, I actually listened to the whole album today...and I must say, it is great! I think I really like all her first 3 albums, this one's more sophisticated, more concentrated and direct. The other two previous to this were fun though and really creative.

I remember people asking her why she just decided to be Prince's drummer in interviews.

I wonder if Prince just reeled her in at the time. Or maybe she was dissapointed with the BS of WB lack of promotion.

But I do think she made a professional choice as a musician to play drums, she loves it and I respected that.

And it is wack that they didn't make a video for Hold ME. That was a hit on R&B radio. Now it does sound a little dated though. THe drums are simple but prominent and they didn't really tweak them from the stock sound and settings. But the melody is nice and the lyrics are very romantic, very femine.

All those messages concerning the Sheila E. / Sheila E. album made me listen to the whole thing again !
I have it in my car for days now and I love almost everything on it (maybe with the exception of Soul Salsa).

This album is the typical Paisley Park associate album like it should be. It's amazing how much great music was just released as a side project without much impact. Just look at all the records stored in the basement. There are lots of diamonds to be re-discovered.

From Uptown #20:

...Sheila was also working on material for a planned fourth album(it would have been her third for Paisley Park). Prior to the S.O.T.T. tour, Sheila recorded, "3 Nigs Watchin' A Kung-Fu Movie," "It's A Hard Life," and "Chicken Legs" at Paisley Park. Most songs involved Prince or Levi. Sessions continued later in 1987 and in early 1988, when she cut songs like "Knucklehead," "Latino Barbie Doll," "Soul Company," "Day After Day," "Girlpower," and a cover of Donny Hathaway's "The Ghetto". Sheila and Prince also cut "Scarlet Pussy" for Sheila's album, but it later turned up as a Prince b-side.


Hmmm, could of been a fourth Sheila E. album from Paisley Park.

DavidEye said:

I agree whole-heartedly!!!
This album was wasted IMO.
[This message was edited Wed Jun 4 17:49:34 PDT 2003 by PurpleJedi]

FlyingCloudPassenger said:

LOL...wassup with those crazy song titles?


"Chicken Legs"?? "3 Nigs Watchin A Kung-Fu Movie"?? LOL

FlyingCloudPassenger said:

I've heard Girl Power and Scarlet Pussy,but have any of these other songs ever turned up anywhere?