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In 1985, a 25-year-old Sheila Escovedo, aka Sheila E., followed up her debut solo album, The Glamorous Life, with the equally Prince-influenced Romance 1600.
The album cover found Escovedoand her band members sporting the attire of 17th century Europe, and the musicians were given such names as Dame Kelly, Benentino the Wizard, the Earl of Grey, and Sir Stephan. But once you get past the aristocratic imagery, Romance 1600 isn't much different from The Glamorous Life. AlthoughEscovedo did most of the writing and producing herself, Prince's influence is strong throughout the album -- "Bedtime Story," "Sister Fate," and other selections all have that distinctive Minneapolis vibe.
The only track that Prince co-wrote and co-produced with Escovedo is the funk gem "A Love Bizarre," which became a major hit and finds the two of them performing a vocal duet.
As a vocalist, Escovedo never had Prince's range, but like Madonna and Janet Jackson, she demonstrates that singing can be meaningful even if the artist doesn't have the world's biggest voice.
Although The Glamorous Life remains Escovedo's most essential album of the 1980s, Romance 1600 is a respectable follow-up and is also highly recommended to fans of Minneapolis funk-rock.
5th December 1984. While on the Purple Rain tour, Prince and Sheila begin work on her second album, Romance 1600, at a studio called Master Sound in Cleveland. They recorded Bedtime Story, Dear Michaelangelo, Toy Box and two songs which did not make the album, they were Fish Fries and Small Grey Monkey. Prince spent a lot of time working on the album during the tour, working in various studios along the way.
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Great album!
Is it me or does "Yellow" sound very similar to "Strollin" from Prince's Diamond & Pearls album?
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9.5.1985 SOLID GOLD performance
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October 1985 on Soul Train
2. Sister Fate
1. A Love Bizarre
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ADLIB 10 Magazine September 1985
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9.13.1985 @ the MTV Music Awards
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9.30.1985 中野サンプラザ Tokyo.Japan 1. Intro 2. Sister Fate 3. Erotic City 4. the Sauce 5. Yellow 6. the Belle of St Mark 7. Toy Box 8. Noon Rendezvous / Escargo 9. Oliver's House 10. Romance 1600 11. Merci4theSpeedofAMadClownInSummer 12. Bedtime Story 13. the Glamorous Life 14. A Love Bizarre 15. Holly Rock
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10.26.1985 American Bandstand A Love Bizarre Sister Fate
How much would an outfit like this cost? - Dick Clark
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the vibe and melody of this song has always been the standout track 4 me.
Dear Michaelangelo
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Thanks for the pics and more info about this album. I remember Love Bizzare, of course and really like Sister Fate. I know Sheila has written some songs that are supposedly about Prince, but do you know if any that he wrote about her, or is it just the songs they worked on together, that inspired each other? Even though they were ex-lovers, they still managed to maintain a very long friendship and undeniable stage chemistry that never skipped a beat. I always loved seeing them perform together.
Love is God, God is love, girls and boys love God above~
The only Love there is, is the Love We Make~ Prince4Ever | |
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With Sheila music it is hard 2 tell
From what I observed, Sheila E played the role of the secret lover protege, which also seemed to be apparent in real life too.
secret lovers, stolen glances noon rendevzous, romantic affairs | |
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That is what I have always felt too. Pretty remarkable they stayed friends and collaborated alot off and on all these years. Love is God, God is love, girls and boys love God above~
The only Love there is, is the Love We Make~ Prince4Ever | |
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The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams | |
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Love this album, have it on vinyl record and play it a lot. The mock Elizabethan meets 80s power dressing look is hilarious. Prince wanted everyone to look like gargoyles then (Mazarati got the same treatment). . Love Bizarre still sends shivers up my spine and so does Sister Fate. Got some kind of love for you, and I don't even know your name | |
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Listened to Dear Michaelangelo on repeat for several weeks before his death. The lyrics kinda prepared me for his passing in a way. It's such a wonderful song. | |
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The live "A Love Bizarre" video is an indispensable complement to the "1986 Birthday Detroit Cobo Hall" video concert.
[Edited 10/25/16 6:45am] The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams | |
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I think everytime I create an era thread I'm going to send U a list of songs I need your poetic review on
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The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams | |
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November 16. 1985 A Love Bizarre
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November 16. 1985 2. HollyRock
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I have never seen this ever Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records. | |
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November 16. 1985
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The video of Prince and Sheila in San Francisco doing Love Bizarre is killer .... one of my faves since Prince is so damn cute and sexy ! Everything you think is true | |
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1986 AMA.
A variety of music and movie stars sing "We Are The World" a song written to benefit famine victims in Ethiopia. Across the front row stands: Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Sheila E., Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Kim Carnes, Michael Douglas, and Janet Jackson.
The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams | |
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Next to Ray Charles, during the "We Are The World" recording session.
The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams | |
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Romance 1600
Reviewed By Davitt Sigerson
Rolling Stone
It's a pity that Sheila E., Prince's only indepently creative female artist, needs a twelve-minute collaboration with the Small one to make her second LP worth purchasing. "A Love Bizarre" is a simple funk singalong in which Sly Stone horns and wah-wahs are expanded and liquefied in homage to Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up." Prince's bass and guitar are also the most inspired performances on Romance 1600, a competently executed record with nothing to say. Two pretty songs, "Bedtime Story" and the title track, actually sound as if they were written. The rest are slight ideas that are elongated, but not enlivened, by the committed playing that makes funk funk. Witness the stupid interpolations — circus music in the percussion piece "Merci" and Prince's ill-considered insertion of "Frère Jacques" in "A Love Bizarre." These are the kinds of ideas that intelligent musicians generally edit out on a second take (unlike the courtly turn of Eddie Minnifield's sax solo on "Dear Michaelangelo," a piece of genuine inspiration). The fault may lie in Sheila's decision to build the record up in overdubs, playing most of the parts herself. The intimacy of this approach may do a service to more evolved compositions, but most of these songs could use all the help they could get from a full band's rehearsal and performance.
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Sheila E.Romance 1600
AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson [-]
The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams | |
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http://theboombox.com/she...-longform/ 
Warner Bros.A lot of entertainers come and go and a few even make hits, but it’s not often that someone stamps their pass into timeless territory within a year of coming on the scene. But legendary percussionist and R&B singer Sheila E. has always had a flair for the dramatic dating back to her days as a musical prodigy. Born Sheila Escovedo on Dec. 12, 1957, in San Franciso and raised in Oakland, she was the product of a musical family, with a famed percussionist for a father and a litany of uncles that were members of notable indie rock bands. And when you add in the fact that her godfather was iconic Latin Jazz composer Tito Puente, it’s evident that music has always been a big part of her foundation. With all of that creative expression bubbling around her, it wasn’t long before Sheila picked up the family trade herself. Taking cues from her father’s band, Azteca — Sheila was heavily influenced by them — she made her debut as a performer at the tender age of 5 at the Sands Ballroom in Oakland in front of a crowd of 3,000 — not bad at all for a child that had yet to be enrolled in grade school. After a particularly impressive solo during a performance with her father, Sheila was intent on becoming a musician and would display a drive that would take her to heights unimaginable. “When I was 15 years old, my dad’s percussion player got sick,” recalled Sheila E. in an interview with grammy.com. “And I asked him, begged him, [to let me] play in his band for the show and convinced him to let me do so. That one performance changed my life. That’s when I knew this is what I’m supposed to be doing — playing music.” By her late teens, Sheila was already a seasoned percussionist with A-List collaborations, including George Duke, Diana Ross, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Patti LaBelle and Stevie Nicks under her belt. Around this time, she also began dating revered guitarist Carlos Santana and fully immersed in her craft. Recording and touring at breakneck speed, Sheila E. was regarded among the elite talents behind a drum set and her undeniable wizardry would pique the interest of the one and only Prince, whom Sheila met after a performance with her father 1978. While the two hit it off instantly, their actual creative partnership wouldn’t blossom until 1983, when the flamboyant virtuoso recruited his friend-turned-lover to assist him in the making of his Purple Rain album. She famously provided vocals on Prince’s 1984 single, “Erotic City,” which marked Sheila E.’s arrival and introduced her to the mainstream. That guest appearance resulted in the budding star securing a deal with Warner Bros. Records, where she would release her debut LP, The Glamorous Life, in June of 1984. The album would be a smash success, largely off the strength of its title track, which would skyrocket to No. 1 on theBillboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, as well as peak at the No. 7 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 — a big deal for a new artist. The buzz surrounding The Glamorous Life afforded Sheila E. a role playing herself in the rap flick, Krush Groove, in which she’s the object of affection for Russel Simmons and Run of Run-DMC’s. The hip-hop world were introduced to her face and music with this gig. Deciding to ride the wave and take advantage of the publicity, Sheila E. went back in the studio and quickly churned out her second album, Romance 1600. Released on Aug. 12, 1985, the album exceeded expectations and catapulted Sheila E. into the conversation as the hottest all-around female entertainer in the game. Romance 1600 commences in the most appropriate way — a resounding drum solo by Sheila E. as the talented beauty launches into the album’s introductory selection, “Sister Fate.” Written and produced by Prince, the beat is an uptempo affair, powered by massive percussion, cymbals, organs and saxophones, which collide and make for a contagious sonic collage. “There’s a nasty rumor that’s going ’round / People thinking you are, you and I are going down / They insist we’re way more, more that just friends / So I’m gonna stick around ’til this movie ends,” she sings. This could be interpreted as a coy, response to rumors swirling around of her underlying romantic relationship with Prince. Sheila picks up right where she left off on her classic debut with an enthralling lead cut. While “Sister Fate” is intended to get you out of your seat and your body moving, the following track, “Dear Michealangelo,” is a more subdued number that only requires a rhythmic sway. “Dear Michealangelo, colorful dreams in my head / I look at your pages and I’m with you in your bed,” she croons over the airy, hypnotic production. Sheila E. keeps the good vibes going before hitting listeners with the knockout punch that is “A Love Bizarre.” Co-written by Sheila E. and Prince and produced by the latter, “A Love Bizarre” is sweet on the ears and is an instant winner, with the two eclectic masters of the groove intertwining their vocals and meshing together with a chemistry that’s undeniable til this day. Lyrics like, “The moon up above, it shines down upon our skin / Whispering words that scream of outrageous sin / We all want the stuff that’s found in our wildest dreams / It gets kind of rough in the back of our limousines” are both catchy and vivid, the perfect combination for a great tune. The B-Side of Romance 1600 opens with “Toy Box,” a feisty number that laments the joys of self-satisfaction in the most subtlest of ways. Sheila E. gets the point across effectively and leaves male listeners salivating at the mere thought of her getting down and dirty in her most private moments. The funky drummer throws a curveball with “Yellow,” a jazzy ditty featuring Prince as the baritone-voiced co-star, while the album’s title track, “Romance 1600,” is a tour de force of frantic bongos, guitars and synths, which Sheila E. rides over with her most powerful vocal performance on the entire LP. Making the transition to a singer may have brought Sheila E. to the forefront, but she makes sure to pay homage to her roots as a trained percussionist with the epic instrumental, “Merci for the Speed of a Mad Clown in Summer,” which plays as an interlude before Sheila E. closes the curtains with the finale, “Bedtime Story.” A ballad in the vein of a premier Teena Marie, Sheila E. owns it and turns in a stellar performance, proving that she’s equally adept at providing slow jams in addition to her more lively records. Romance 1600 served as a successful sophomore album for Sheila E., peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and earning the singer her second gold certification. The project would also mark the climax of Sheila E.’s career on the mainstream, as she would fail to garner the same hype Romance 1600 had received with subsequent releases. She also split with Prince and Paisley Park after her 1987 self-titled album. But when all is said and done, Sheila E. did in two albums what many artists fail to do in a decade and that is create timeless music with a glamorous edge.
The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams | |
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the Glamorous Life was a strong album, the era for Romance 1600 was strong, the visuals on point etc, With previous songs like 2 Sexy created by the band as an example, Prince should have let the band loose on a few songs, or create 1 or 2 full songs for the album(outside of Merci4theSpeed)...
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