SoulAlive said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

according to The Vault/Uptown it was early November when St Paul announced he was leaving.

It's a shame the way this band collapsed so suddenly."The Screams Of Passion" was released in the summer of '85 and by November,Paul announced that he was leaving.It was the same situation with Mazarati.Two promising bands breaking up before they reached their potential.Who knows what would have happened if they had stayed together and kept it going throughout the rest of the 80s,at least

It's obvious that Prince was spreading himself too thin at that point.He was doing too many things.He was trying to run a record label,pursue a movie career,produce other artists,release records on his own,and still find time to tour.After Purple Rain,there seemed to be a big urgency (in his view) for him to do as many projects as he could.

I forget which one said it (Susannah or StPaul) but they were rehearsing almost a year before their show @ 1st Avenue. So I know that was probably hard for St Paul / Jellybean at least. And the rest in the band. Jerome was in the film, Susannah was doing sessions work on albums, Eric doing work with the Revolution. St Paul waiting.

.

I agree, Prince was spread thin, and should have given control to others Alan Leeds? to book shows for the Family.

.

And again, the bands should have been involved in the movie.

I think had Prince made the movie more in the vein of Purple Rain. With Maz and the Family it would have a better impact. Not a sequel just some bands gigging out or something would have kept the fire from PR going

The 1st Annual "Family Jamm!" took place December 13, 2003 at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, CA. This long anticipated event reunited many of the artists who defined the Minneapolis Sound in the '80s for the first time in nearly two decades.

*

Following Madhouse was the highly anticipated performance of the group The Family. They had rehearsed extensively for a tour in the '80s which never happened, and this was only their second live performance ever. Lead by St. Paul Peterson and Susannah Melvoin on lead vocals, Jellybean Johnson on drums, Eric Leeds on sax and keyboards, Miko Weaver on guitar and Jerome Benton on percussion, they performed "River Run Dry", "The Screams Of Passion", "Nothing Compares 2 U", "Mutiny" and "High Fashion". Their funky set included some tight dance routines and was one of the highlights of the night.

*

[img:$uid]http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r606/WKRP-FM/FamJamm125_zpsd6847311.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r606/WKRP-FM/FamJamm124_zps732288e1.jpg[/img:$uid]

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[img:$uid]http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r606/WKRP-FM/FamJamm041-Copy_zps603c6e6e.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r606/WKRP-FM/FamJamm037-Copy_zps6d13a0d5.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r606/WKRP-FM/FamJamm032-Copy_zps4ca31517.jpg[/img:$uid]

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[Edited 2/27/14 16:56pm]

I just feel fortunate I got the Family on vinyl late last year and the record was a local pressing (New Zealand) and it was fairly cheap. After playing it, it sounded fresh like it had hardly been played.

Superflous to say its on a pedestal in my very average Prince collection!

OldFriends4Sale said:

SoulAlive said:

It's a shame the way this band collapsed so suddenly."The Screams Of Passion" was released in the summer of '85 and by November,Paul announced that he was leaving.It was the same situation with Mazarati.Two promising bands breaking up before they reached their potential.Who knows what would have happened if they had stayed together and kept it going throughout the rest of the 80s,at least

It's obvious that Prince was spreading himself too thin at that point.He was doing too many things.He was trying to run a record label,pursue a movie career,produce other artists,release records on his own,and still find time to tour.After Purple Rain,there seemed to be a big urgency (in his view) for him to do as many projects as he could.

I forget which one said it (Susannah or StPaul) but they were rehearsing almost a year before their show @ 1st Avenue. So I know that was probably hard for St Paul / Jellybean at least. And the rest in the band. Jerome was in the film, Susannah was doing sessions work on albums, Eric doing work with the Revolution. St Paul waiting.

.

I agree, Prince was spread thin, and should have given control to others Alan Leeds? to book shows for the Family.

.

And again, the bands should have been involved in the movie.

In a way,I kinda wish that Paul had given Prince more time...maybe hung around for at least one more album,to see how things might have turned out.I know things were hectic in late 1985/early 86 (with Prince filming UTCM),but quitting the band abruptly seemed kinda extreme.

DecaturStone said:

I think had Prince made the movie more in the vein of Purple Rain. With Maz and the Family it would have a better impact. Not a sequel just some bands gigging out or something would have kept the fire from PR going

I agree. And it would have given a boost 2 Sheila E and caused people to look at Parade a little deeper.