I didn´t like Lovesexy when it came out. It sounded much less complex/interesting/diverse than his previous albums to my ears. I thought it was a clean pop-album that sounded like plastic/bubblegum.

It took me maybe one or two years to really get into it, today it is one of my favourites and still one of the records I listen to quite often compared to other Prince-classics.

The tracks that make the album special to me are the title-track above all other tracks, and then Eye no, Alphabet St., Anna Stesia and Dance On. I don´t like Glam Slam, When 2 R In Love or I Wish You Heaven that much and Positivity is good, but not great.

Of course that is only my opinion.

If I could choose to see one tour that took place before my first Prince concert (Diamonds & Pearls Tour), it would be Lovesexy (followed by SOTT, Parade and 1999).

eyewishuheaven said:

I'll grant you that it's probably his least accessible 80s album, but it's my favourite of his entire catalogue. Just pure unbridled artistry and fearlessness.

YEP.

you had to be there at the time. In the context of what was happening in '88 this was totally off the chain both in terms of it being a totally different sounding cd, the look was out of this world, an amazing live show and an amazing live band. It also came barely 12 months after SOTT and pretty much cemented his genius status.

The album itself still stands the test of time for me..who else would do Glam Slam, Lovesexy, I Know etc.

Maybe you had to be there and be part of it at the time, I don't know?

All I know is, I WAS there and for me, when I first span the lovesexy vinyl (bought from the top 40 shelf in good old Woolworth) the amazing sonic spread and dreamscape of Lovesexy grabbed me so deeply, it still hasn't let go 25 years later. I was 14 and played that Album to death. I went through 2 x vinyl and a cassette and numerous of the 12" mix and b sides within a couple of years. When he said "This is not music, this is a trip", he was bloody bang on.

For me, it is truly truly special. Each track cuddles the next one and fits as a thematic piece of art. If I could frame the feeling I would be a very rich man.

To me, it is the most memorable piece of Prince art that I own.

A little bit of musical education could help...

jasontate said:

Maybe you had to be there and be part of it at the time, I don't know?

All I know is, I WAS there and for me, when I first span the lovesexy vinyl (bought from the top 40 shelf in good old Woolworth) the amazing sonic spread and dreamscape of Lovesexy grabbed me so deeply, it still hasn't let go 25 years later. I was 14 and played that Album to death. I went through 2 x vinyl and a cassette and numerous of the 12" mix and b sides within a couple of years. When he said "This is not music, this is a trip", he was bloody bang on.

For me, it is truly truly special. Each track cuddles the next one and fits as a thematic piece of art. If I could frame the feeling I would be a very rich man.

To me, it is the most memorable piece of Prince art that I own.

oooh, yes forgot to mention this incredible B-side, I wish U heaven parts 1,2&3..OMG..totally insane and totally brilliant!

Emancipation89 said:

So are you saying all the hype around the album along with the visual work is what makes this album great rather than the pure musical content of it?

Not at all. Merely pointing out to Optimus2, a few reasons why he can't understand all the praise for the Lovesexy album. The visual work merely enhanced the overall experience that the music created.

It is easily Prince's best album, and you either 'get it' or you don't. It was more than an 'era,' it was a movement. Everything Prince did after this album, stemmed from the message of Lovesexy. Up until last year, the name of Prince's band has always been the New Power Generation. Where do you think that originated from? "Welcome to the new power generation. The reason my voice is so clear, is there's no smack in my brain."

Like it or not, there is a reason it is not only his greatest album, but it is the most important album of his entire body of work.

funkyhead said:

you had to be there at the time. In the context of what was happening in '88 this was totally off the chain both in terms of it being a totally different sounding cd, the look was out of this world, an amazing live show and an amazing live band. It also came barely 12 months after SOTT and pretty much cemented his genius status.

The album itself still stands the test of time for me..who else would do Glam Slam, Lovesexy, I Know etc.

Yes and no. There was a lot a fallout from the nude album cover, the album sold less than any Prince album since Dirty Mind, and the tour (amazing as it was) didn't do well in the USA and nearly bankrupted Prince. Artistically it was genius, comercially a flop. People forget this, but Lovesexy damaged Prince's career (commercially.)

*

All that said, I do LIKE the album. Don't LOVE it, but I get why people do.

[Edited 5/22/13 8:47am]

3rdeyedude said:

best album ever

next topic

What is dated?

It is an album that has a vibe, a mesage, a concept, energy.

Not a mess of songs collected together.

It had a tour that has a vibe, a mesage, a concept, energy. Not just a greatest hits thing.

Even between the hits it has a story.

Fonkyman said:

I think it's the first album I heard Prince play the whatever on. Not everyone can play the whatever, let alone play it so well. The man's a feckin cheenius.

well I certainley dont agree with this below comment and actually if u read threw this thread there are quite a few fans who were there in 88 who agree with me!......I am not a huge fan of his recent output....but there are a few moments that shine (Call My Name, A Million Days, Avalanche, Beatiful Strange, 1+1+1=3 ETC...).....MY fave albums are Dirty Mind and SOTT actually......I just dnt liek this albums jumbled sound......the only song I enjoy is I Wish U Heaven .....but it has 2 be the 12" version......however dnt tarnish every1 with the same brush.....I am sure there are newbies who luv Chocolate Box and Guitar...but im not 1 of them

thedance said:

^ Newbies don't understand the complexity sound that is Lovesexy, they prefer the more easy, recent (crap) albums like 3121 and Planet Earth.

skywalker said:

funkyhead said:

you had to be there at the time. In the context of what was happening in '88 this was totally off the chain both in terms of it being a totally different sounding cd, the look was out of this world, an amazing live show and an amazing live band. It also came barely 12 months after SOTT and pretty much cemented his genius status.

The album itself still stands the test of time for me..who else would do Glam Slam, Lovesexy, I Know etc.

Yes and no. There was a lot a fallout from the nude album cover, the album sold less than any Prince album since Dirty Mind, and the tour (amazing as it was) didn't do well in the USA and nearly bankrupted Prince. Artistically it was genius, comercially a flop. People forget this, but Lovesexy damaged Prince's career (commercially.)

*

All that said, I do LIKE the album. Don't LOVE it, but I get why people do.

[Edited 5/22/13 8:47am]

*

Excellent points. And to add, it was the commercial failings of Lovesexy that added to Batman feeling like a "comeback" album for Prince, and, of course, Batman was more lyrically and musically accesible. Yet, with all of that said, I loved Lovesexy then and love it now. In was so much more musically diverse and advanced than anything being released at that time, and I love when Prince explores the metaphysical.

many of the songs do sound dated, but i still love "i wish u heaven", "dance on", & "anna stesia".

Oddly enough this is the very 1st cd I owned. I was not sold on the cd format at the time because u could not "record" on the medium.

Dave1992 said:

I wasn't there to witness Prince's heyday in the 80s, so I can only look at albums like Lovesexy from a different angle, appreciating it for what it is, and not what it was made to be in relation to the zeitgeist of 1988.


While I'm certainly not the delusional, over-spiritual kind of fan that would claim something like "Lovesexy saved my life", I can at least understand those who say it did. It is a very special moment in Prince's career, because he managed to capture a feeling and theme so subtle, that it would be difficult not to drift off at some point or another, but as it stants, Lovesexy is a completely cohesive effort that took me in from th start, right to the sounds of cleansing water after Positivity.


And, yes, somehow I do feel "cleansed" after listening to Lovesexy. And that was probably the point of this album. So, to me, Prince succeeded musically and theoretically with this album. I'm a big fan of Lovesexy.

I appreciate hearing that ^^^ from someone who's young and musically-inclined.

For me...LOVESEXY is one of my favorite (of not THE favorite) Prince albums ever.

I was 17 when it came out. Attending the Lovesexy concert at Nassau Colisseum was what turned me into a true fan. Before then I had "grown" to simply appreciate his music.

At the time there was nothing else like it. Prince truly did create a "unique" sound. I remember when Glam Slam was released, I wanted to request it on the radio station that I listened to at the time and it didn't fit their format. Actually it didn't fit the format of most stations at the time.

I often wonder if my love for this album is purely the result of what was going on in my life at the time...graduating High School...starting college...all of that. So it's nice to see when youngsters like it as well.


But I can also understand why some people don't "get" all the praise.

If it helps any...I don't understand what all the hype over Bruno Mars is either.

Graycap23 said:

Oddly enough this is the very 1st cd I owned. I was not sold on the cd format at the time because u could not "record" on the medium.

Diamonds & Pearls was my first Prince CD (I stayed true to vinyl as long as possible).

1725topp said:

skywalker said:

Yes and no. There was a lot a fallout from the nude album cover, the album sold less than any Prince album since Dirty Mind, and the tour (amazing as it was) didn't do well in the USA and nearly bankrupted Prince. Artistically it was genius, comercially a flop. People forget this, but Lovesexy damaged Prince's career (commercially.)

*

All that said, I do LIKE the album. Don't LOVE it, but I get why people do.

[Edited 5/22/13 8:47am]

*

Excellent points. And to add, it was the commercial failings of Lovesexy that added to Batman feeling like a "comeback" album for Prince, and, of course, Batman was more lyrically and musically accesible. Yet, with all of that said, I loved Lovesexy then and love it now. In was so much more musically diverse and advanced than anything being released at that time, and I love when Prince explores the metaphysical.

apart from the song "Partyman"......theres another album my ears dnt have time for

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

Optimus2 said:

I cant understand all the praise for the Lovesexy album...

I almost took this thread seriously... until I saw your age. I have ticket stubs older than you. So, the reason you don't get it, is because you weren't there to appreciate the WHOLE era. Listening to the album on MP3, watching the Dortmund Concert and videos, is not the same thing.

You weren't at the record store on May 10, 1988 to buy the album. You didn't watch the MTV World Premiere of the "Alphabet St." video. You didn't stand in line for 6 hours to buy tickets to the Lovesexy concert, when the the show came to your town. You didn't have to write pen pals in other countries looking desperately for a crappy VHS copy, of only 90 minutes of the Dortmund show. You didn't set your VCR to record hours of BET hoping to get a recording of the Glam Slam and I Wish U Heaven videos that rarely got any airplay. You didn't buy the 12" singles on vinyl when they came out. You didn't wear out 4 cassettes from playing them over and over and over and over again.

These days, all you have to do is click on a link, to see and hear what took us an entire year/era to live through with excitement. So yes, there is a legitamite reason, you do not understand all the praise for his greatest piece of work.

I could not have said it better. It's really all about generation and perspective. There was an investment of not just money, but with time to get the CD, read the lyrics, listen to the music, etc. etc. I always loved Prince's music, but really got into it all when Sign O the Times was released. By Lovesexy I was literally waiting for the record store to open (well, CD store by then). Anyway, Lovesexy is pure artistic creativity in my mind. Great album from start to finish and I still hear something new every time I listen to it 25 years later.

I do get that some will find the music less accessible than his other work, but that's the brillance of it. Also, many people (casual/non-fans) have judged it by the album cover, which is unfortunate.

[Edited 5/22/13 17:23pm]

udo said:

3rdeyedude said:

best album ever

next topic

What is dated?

It is an album that has a vibe, a mesage, a concept, energy.

Not a mess of songs collected together.

It had a tour that has a vibe, a mesage, a concept, energy. Not just a greatest hits thing.

Even between the hits it has a story.

LoveSexy... Is the one..!

Optimus2 said:

1725topp said:

*

Excellent points. And to add, it was the commercial failings of Lovesexy that added to Batman feeling like a "comeback" album for Prince, and, of course, Batman was more lyrically and musically accesible. Yet, with all of that said, I loved Lovesexy then and love it now. In was so much more musically diverse and advanced than anything being released at that time, and I love when Prince explores the metaphysical.

apart from the song "Partyman"......theres another album my ears dnt have time for

*

Yeah...well...too bad for you...'cause "Electric Chair" is dynamite as the perfect blend of funk and rock, "Vickie Waiting" is wonderful experimental soul, and the B-sides "200 Balloons" and "Feel U Up" are funky to da bone!

1725topp said:

Optimus2 said:

apart from the song "Partyman"......theres another album my ears dnt have time for

*

Yeah...well...too bad for you...'cause "Electric Chair" is dynamite as the perfect blend of funk and rock, "Vickie Waiting" is wonderful experimental soul, and the B-sides "200 Balloons" and "Feel U Up" are funky to da bone!

Plus, "Scandalous" is like "Do Me, Baby" and "Adore" had a lovechild. Who doesn't like "Scandalous"?

Optimus2 said:

Optimus2 said:

I honestly think it sounds terribly dated.......obviously every albums sound dates.....but were SOTT and Purple Rain have a more "Classic" and "Timeless" nice on the ears sound.......this is like the 80's version of Emancipation.....terrible cheesy production values and lyrics IMO......infact the only song I listen to from this album is I Wish U Heaven and thats the full parts 1, 2, and 3 version.......and teh last 2 parts make the song!......and they wernt even on the album!........who agrees?

sounds Dated? There aint anything from the 80's that sounds like Lovesexy.

cheesy lyrics? ARE u kidding?? some of his best lyrics/creativity is on this album...heather feather flick a nipple...and the title track is a musical TRIP, lyrics and all..u need to go back and rediscover, young buck. Lovesexy was more than an album..it has a concept..a flow...a new language NEWPOWERSOUL/SPOOKYELECTRIC/EYE NO/HANDELASULIAH!/

You are wayyyy off...but that is okay...there is still time.

The title track is my favorite.To me,this song combines the best qualities of the SOTT album (horns,complex arrangement) with the risque posturing of The Black Album(outrageous lyrics about race cars and burning rubber,lol).....resulting in a song that feels like a wild rollercoaster ride!

SoulAlive said:

The title track is my favorite.To me,this song combines the best qualities of the SOTT album (horns,complex arrangement) with the risque posturing of The Black Album(outrageous lyrics about race cars and burning rubber,lol).....resulting in a song that feels like a wild rollercoaster ride!

2 NITE WE MAKE LOVE WITH ONLY WORDS....GIRLS FIRST...

Lovesexy was VERY important to me when it came out. I was in 11th grade and just starting to read the Bible. I had no religious upbringing, so all my ideas on religion were my own to discover and formulate. The idea of being in love with God was so beautiful to me.

*

I bought the cassette of the album, and the vinyl 12 inch of I Wish U Heaven. Played the heck out of them! I even recited the entire story from the Lovesexy tour book in Speech class.

Adria said:

natechi said:

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

I almost took this thread seriously... until I saw your age. I have ticket stubs older than you. So, the reason you don't get it, is because you weren't there to appreciate the WHOLE era. Listening to the album on MP3, watching the Dortmund Concert and videos, is not the same thing.

You weren't at the record store on May 10, 1988 to buy the album. You didn't watch the MTV World Premiere of the "Alphabet St." video. You didn't stand in line for 6 hours to buy tickets to the Lovesexy concert, when the the show came to your town. You didn't have to write pen pals in other countries looking desperately for a crappy VHS copy, of only 90 minutes of the Dortmund show. You didn't set your VCR to record hours of BET hoping to get a recording of the Glam Slam and I Wish U Heaven videos that rarely got any airplay. You didn't buy the 12" singles on vinyl when they came out. You didn't wear out 4 cassettes from playing them over and over and over and over again.

These days, all you have to do is click on a link, to see and hear what took us an entire year/era to live through with excitement. So yes, there is a legitamite reason, you do not understand all the praise for his greatest piece of work.

I could not have said it better. It's really all about generation and perspective. There was an investment of not just money, but with time to get the CD, read the lyrics, listen to the music, etc. etc. I always loved Prince's music, but really got into it all when Sign O the Times was released. By Lovesexy I was literally waiting for the record store to open (well, CD store by then). Anyway, Lovesexy is pure artistic creativity in my mind. Great album from start to finish and I still hear something new every time I listen to it 25 years later.

I do get that some will find the music less accessible than his other work, but that's the brillance of it. Also, many people (casual/non-fans) have judged it by the album cover, which is unfortunate.

[Edited 5/22/13 17:23pm]

Not really....sometimes you just like what you like.

I'm almost as old as Prince and was certainly around at the time. I was a die hard fan beginning with the 1999 album but Lovesexy didn't impress me a whole lot.

It's possible that it had a greater impression on people who were adolescent at the time, whose ideas were still forming because that's usually a time of significant transition and discovery.

Prince simply wasn't telling me anything that was particularly new to me because I had already gone beyond what he thought he had discovered at the time.

Because of where I was in my life at the time it wasn't particularly deep or groundbreaking for me.

I thought the album cover looked silly not because of the nudity, but because his facial expression struck me as someone who looked impaired rather than enlightened.

Superfan1984 said:

I've had 2 different copies of the CD and they both won't let me forward or reverse to the next song. I have to play the entire thing all the way through. Are all the CD's like this?

inbox me ya postal adress and ill send u the tracked version.........its official...cuz otherwise it just gonna gather dust on my shelf .............NO JOKE!!!.....i brought it in hmv in the u.k...but id prefer it 2 go 2 sum1 that will listen 2 it....then b chucked in a bin!...dnt woory it an official release!!!!