callimnate said:

It's funky as fuck. That's why!

Hell yeah!

rdhull said:

Because it was the best White Horse rip off.

nice!

Where were U when the discussion was about derivative influences/theft?

herb4 said:

The bass, the beat, the deep vocal delivery, the keyboard riff, the stripped down nature of it, the layering...

It's practically the textbook defnintion of "The Minneapolis Sound". Raw and funky and oozing in sexuality. What a great track.

I think it's amazing that Prince released an entire album of great songs with "purple rain" and still had 2 b-sides laying around that were as good as anything on that masterpiece.

It's amazing, this song, 17 Days and God (instrumental)

rdhull said:

Because it was the best White Horse rip off.

Funny.

Ripoff?

IMO Erotic City is superior in every way. White Horse is a fun, nostalgic song but Erotic City is 4K Ultra High Definition and White Horse is standard definition.

1. The interlock of the lazy kick drum and bassline

2. The "shhh" (or, woosh) sound that happens before every snare hit that sorta "slides" you into the crack of that snare drum

Those two things, alone, are just... well.... that groove? Holy shit! Then...

3. That Prince signature scratching rhythm guitar that is "just a little bit behind the beat"

Then...

4. The very simple synth riff

And finally...

5. The Camielle-ish sped-up vox layered with the "regular" vox that were just naughty enough

Say whatever you want, but this song is quintessential Prince. It is Prince as he was, literally, taking over the world.

This is what it sounds like when an artist is doing what they were placed on this planet to do. The song is just... well... perfect.

In my humble opinion, that is.

So many things.

.

1.Sheila for the FIRST TIME!

.

.

2. The groove (and the Linn Drumm beat)

.

.

3. The title and lyrics. For 1983 they were very risque.

.

ONE THING I DON'T GET: Eveyrone talks about "the bass, the bass!"

.

.

Yes it's infectious, but isn't a prettys simple bass line? Just like 3 or 4 notes over and over again? I think it's Ab, Gb, Db the entire song, right??

[Edited 10/30/17 16:51pm]

That bass line is an ear worm- once it's in your head it ain't coming back out!

GaryMF said:

So many things.

.

1.Sheila for the FIRST TIME!

.

.

2. The groove (and the Linn Drumm beat)

.

.

3. The title and lyrics. For 1983 they were very risque.

.

ONE THING I DON'T GET: Eveyrone talks about "the bass, the bass!"

.

.

Yes it's infectious, but isn't a prettys simple bass line? Just like 3 or 4 notes over and over again? I think it's Ab, Gb, Db the entire song, right??

[Edited 10/30/17 16:51pm]

True. Does it change though?

.

.

I play keyboards and when I concentrate I can do the main bass line (Ab Gb Eb) and play the do-do-do riff with my right hand, and then switch to the chords

.

.

.

If you've ever heard the rehearsal version or Sheila's live versions in the 80s, there is a cool synth vamp at the end that I dont' know why he didn't include in the released version.

kingricefan said:

That bass line is an ear worm- once it's in your head it ain't coming back out!

GaryMF said:

So many things.

.

1.Sheila for the FIRST TIME!

.

.

2. The groove (and the Linn Drumm beat)

.

.

3. The title and lyrics. For 1983 they were very risque.

.

ONE THING I DON'T GET: Eveyrone talks about "the bass, the bass!"

.

.

Yes it's infectious, but isn't a prettys simple bass line? Just like 3 or 4 notes over and over again? I think it's Ab, Gb, Db the entire song, right??

[Edited 10/30/17 16:51pm]

GaryMF said:

So many things.

.

1.Sheila for the FIRST TIME!

.

.

2. The groove (and the Linn Drumm beat)

.

.

3. The title and lyrics. For 1983 they were very risque.

.

ONE THING I DON'T GET: Eveyrone talks about "the bass, the bass!"

.

.

Yes it's infectious, but isn't a prettys simple bass line? Just like 3 or 4 notes over and over again? I think it's Ab, Gb, Db the entire song, right??

[Edited 10/30/17 16:51pm]

I thought she played drums on irresistable bitch?

pdiddy2011 said:

rdhull said:

Because it was the best White Horse rip off.

Funny.

Ripoff?

IMO Erotic City is superior in every way. White Horse is a fun, nostalgic song but Erotic City is 4K Ultra High Definition and White Horse is standard definition.

I didnt say that it wasn't good. Heaven forbid yall find out Let's Go Crazy was influenced by Freeze Frame.

herb4 said:

GaryMF said:

So many things.

.

1.Sheila for the FIRST TIME!

.

.

2. The groove (and the Linn Drumm beat)

.

.

3. The title and lyrics. For 1983 they were very risque.

.

ONE THING I DON'T GET: Eveyrone talks about "the bass, the bass!"

.

.

Yes it's infectious, but isn't a prettys simple bass line? Just like 3 or 4 notes over and over again? I think it's Ab, Gb, Db the entire song, right??

[Edited 10/30/17 16:51pm]

I thought she played drums on irresistable bitch?

I believe Morris is playing drums. If not it's Prince

It's like Kiss or When Doves Cry.... Not a whole lot, but super FUNKY! Minimalist and BAD AS EVER!

100PercentSweet said:

It's like Kiss or When Doves Cry.... Not a whole lot, but super FUNKY! Minimalist and BAD AS EVER!

And he cwas so great at that, i mean keepin it simple and minimalist.

rdhull said:

GaryMF said:

herb4 said:

I thought she played drums on irresistable bitch?

I believe Morris is playing drums. If not it's Prince

I think it is Morris Day too

It is the same drum beat style from Clorean Baconskin

herb4 said:

GaryMF said:

So many things.

.

1.Sheila for the FIRST TIME!

.

.

2. The groove (and the Linn Drumm beat)

.

.

3. The title and lyrics. For 1983 they were very risque.

.

ONE THING I DON'T GET: Eveyrone talks about "the bass, the bass!"

.

.

Yes it's infectious, but isn't a prettys simple bass line? Just like 3 or 4 notes over and over again? I think it's Ab, Gb, Db the entire song, right??

[Edited 10/30/17 16:51pm]

I thought she played drums on irresistable bitch?

GaryMF probably meant first Sheila E on vocals?

GaryMF said:

So many things.

.

1.Sheila for the FIRST TIME!

.

.

2. The groove (and the Linn Drumm beat)

.

.

3. The title and lyrics. For 1983 they were very risque.

.

ONE THING I DON'T GET: Eveyrone talks about "the bass, the bass!"

.

.

Yes it's infectious, but isn't a prettys simple bass line? Just like 3 or 4 notes over and over again? I think it's Ab, Gb, Db the entire song, right??

[Edited 10/30/17 16:51pm]

I think it is the intrigue of hearing Sheila E on colead after hearing Glamorous Life

Erotic City was released in July 1984 Glamorous Life June 1984

farnorth said:

Erotic City is absolutely brilliant. In addition to the devastating baseline, there are so many little touches, like at the end when Sheila's voice goes deeper while P is doing Camille. It is historic; is there any other B-side in music history that received as much serious radio air time?

Um... I Saw Her Standing There, Revolution, Come Together, Day Tripper and Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles come to mind!

paraded said:

Here's why: the song contains more risktaking than any other to that point in his career. Even more than WDC.

The plucked, detuned high notes were new terrain. The sped-up duck-voice vocals and basso profundo weren't there to set up Prince's classic voice -- they were the actual entrees. A sexy, at the time unidentifiable female singer as the main chorus voice -- was this even a Prince record? -- having a blast celebrating the ambiguity of language. The railroad train-conjuring "woah-woah." The whirring, brielfy sustained synths in the chorus that are the only notes that last for more than a beat or two. The sinister bassline -- portending 100mph -- that flattens everything.

To me, Erotic City is the sequel to Uptown. And it fulfills its promise.

[Edited 10/29/17 20:22pm]

Not unidentifiable - Sheila E is credited right on the rear sleeve, at the bottom.

dave1dmarx said:

paraded said:

Here's why: the song contains more risktaking than any other to that point in his career. Even more than WDC.

The plucked, detuned high notes were new terrain. The sped-up duck-voice vocals and basso profundo weren't there to set up Prince's classic voice -- they were the actual entrees. A sexy, at the time unidentifiable female singer as the main chorus voice -- was this even a Prince record? -- having a blast celebrating the ambiguity of language. The railroad train-conjuring "woah-woah." The whirring, brielfy sustained synths in the chorus that are the only notes that last for more than a beat or two. The sinister bassline -- portending 100mph -- that flattens everything.

To me, Erotic City is the sequel to Uptown. And it fulfills its promise.

[Edited 10/29/17 20:22pm]

Not unidentifiable - Sheila E is credited right on the rear sleeve, at the bottom.

I think paraded probably means, Sheila E wasn't known to the masses yet

I didn't know Mary Lambert shot the video for the Glamorous Life

I cannot remember when the video was released

but the single was released June 4th 1984 and Erotic City in July 1984

Erotic City should have had a video

and now that we know Prince & the Revolution shot a video for Love or Money it makes me wonder about other unreleased videos from the 80s

GaryMF said:

pdiddy2011 said:

The humidity. Suddenly, it's so damn hot in the room and clothing is beginning to stick to bodies. One of the rare times this climate doesn't have me reaching to turn up the ac. A hint of insularity, but never claustrophobic, always welcoming and receptive.

nextedition said:

pdiddy2011 said:

Funny.

Ripoff?

IMO Erotic City is superior in every way. White Horse is a fun, nostalgic song but Erotic City is 4K Ultra High Definition and White Horse is standard definition.

But white horse was first

I don't reallky think they're that similar. That one little riff maybe, but I never connected the 2.

.

.

White Horse, the groove or main sounds goes "up" sonically, whereas Erotic City goes "down", if that makes any sense.

Have you guys heard a stepping song called the Biker Shuffle? It samples EC especially the bass line. I first heard EC when I was in college & couldn't get enough of it. Prince music was going too Pop so it was really great hearing such a funky soulful R&B dance groove from him back then. I read that EC was influenced by White Horse because P didn't like the fact the a white group had big hit on the R&B charts. And of course Parliment Funkadelic had a lot to with it also.

Is it at all possible that Prince copped some thing form the hit parade and he till be a genius, good artist etc? Without th song(s) he def copped from STILL beong good songs?

Man, Bette davis Eyes doesnt disrepsect Little Red Corvette, nor should anyone else.

Monday, Monday and 1999 been friends forever.

OldFriends4Sale said:

dave1dmarx said:

Not unidentifiable - Sheila E is credited right on the rear sleeve, at the bottom.

I think paraded probably means, Sheila E wasn't known to the masses yet

I didn't know Mary Lambert shot the video for the Glamorous Life

I cannot remember when the video was released

but the single was released June 4th 1984 and Erotic City in July 1984

Erotic City should have had a video

and now that we know Prince & the Revolution shot a video for Love or Money it makes me wonder about other unreleased videos from the 80s

Yes, thanks for clarifying OldFriends4Sale. I meant that for anyone whose friend put on the record, they likely heard this new, light, coquetish voice interplaying so equally with his, and wondered who that woman was. They are such an exciting and sexy duo on this one.

Amongst a whole list of other reasons:

The 1-note intro and the deeper signing voice

Despite being rather long in the full version and being 'all the time the same thing', there's no one note misplaced or a second too much. It's funk perfection.

GaryMF said: