Someone told me recently that he read an article in a magazine--something like the "100 best albums you've never heard--and that it mentioned "The Family" as one of them, and how Prince wrote it etc.

Basically that it was praising this album but commented how rare it is and hard to find.

I'm trying to find the article... I was told that it was something like GQ, Details, etc. but I can't find anything on the web about it.

Anyone read or hear about this and know where it was?

I was happy to see this album getting the recognition it deserves.

GaryMF said:

I'd be happier to see this album get the re-release it deserves.


With extras please

GaryMF said:

Is it really that good? I have heard pieces of it...but nothing that blew me away. Then again...it was mostly 3rd gen mp3 of vinyl. Then again I am not a Jill Jones fan either. I found most of his off shoot bands/proteges music to be not up to par...with some exceptions Most of it was corny 80's sounding music...most of it dated from the sound. Then again I was introduced to this music much later than it debuted, so I can be biased based off of that.

GaryMF said:

It was ?uestlove talking about summer albums in the previous GQ Magazine. He proclaimed it one of the last great funk records.

superspaceboy said:

Well, I may be biased cuz I got it when it came out... but IMO.... DEFINITELY!!! I think it is the best side-project outside of Sheila's stuff.

You have to remember though that The Family pre-dates a lot of things that Prince later incorporated into his sound.... such as Eric Leeds' jazzy sax (later on Madhouse)..... Clare Fischer's strings (on Parade)... Susannah's vocals (well at least in a prominent way)etc.

The best songs you gotta hear in totality are the 1st two: High Fasion and Mutiny (listen to them as one consecutive song) and the original version of Nothing Compares 2 U.

Screams of Passion has great lyrics but I never thought it was the best track and thus deseving to be the single (it doesn't even have Eric on sax!). I think all the songs are gerat and the whole album just fits together as a whole.

Thanks Namepeace for IDing the article. i'll have to look for that GQ.

GaryMF said:

Glad you mentioned Shelia...for her stuff is one of the few I think that had OK/decent Prince music to support her. One thing I did notice was that most of it was cohesive in sound and High Fashion Mutiny are good. Perhaps my problem is discoving it after. Sounded like it was a precursor to what was going to happen musically...but when one hears it post...many years after, that is sort of lost on the listener. I think it's that I have heard Screams of Passion once too many...and I don't care for it too much.
[This message was edited Tue Aug 10 16:57:40 2004 by superspaceboy]

The thing I love about Prince's side projects is that you can often see the links between each album under his own name.

Put all Prince's work in chronological order, and you can clearly see an evolution taking place.

The Family LP is very much a precurssor to Parade and Madhouse, it bridges the Minneapolis Sound of the Time, early 80s Prince productions, and the latter Revolution sound embracing orchestra, horns and such.

It's a great LP - Anyone who hasn't heard Screams of Passion and Desire is missing 2 very special Prince songs

Amazing album. I still listen to it all the time and don't think it sounds particularly dated at all.

River Run Dry always did it 4 me.

CLASS album - all the way, Vogue!

SpaceBoy... if you're going by Screams of Passion... you NEED to get the whole album

I know what you mean about hearing SOP one too many times. It's so weird to me that that is the one song most people know, if any! I guess cuz it had a video and was on Girl 6.

I don't want to say it's the weakest, cuz it has its strengths (esp the lyrics), but IMO it doesn't fullly capture the feeling fo The Family cuz it's missing Eric. Plus it's not FUNKAY the way some of the other tracks are.

As someone else pointed out, it NEEDS a re-release with extras. I have burned version of it and it's on my ipod so I listen to it all the time.

Plus, at the Family Jamm, they performed and were unbelievable. It was only their 2nd show and 17 years later they sounded as tight as they did back in 84/85.

It was a stepping stone...

The Apollonia 6 album is the stepping stone between 1999 and Purple Rain.

The Family album is just another stepping stone to Parade.

It'll do.....it'll do.

Page 56 of the July GQ (Will Ferrell cover) -- "Summer Soul Supreme" by ?uestlove Thompson

The Family -- The Family (Paisley Park 1985): On this side project, Prince took three members of The Time, added then girlfriend Susannah Melvoin, and gave us the last great funk statement of the '80's. A band in name only -- Prince played all the instruments except sax -- The Family were the first to record Sinead O'Connor's favorite song, "Nothing Compares 2 U." You'll have to dig through the crates of the used-wax wrecka stows to find it: for now, the out of print The Family remains one of the most unheralded funk records of its time.
[This message was edited Tue Aug 10 20:58:36 2004 by namepeace]