PurpleKnight said:

What if I say they are brilliant?

Novabreaker said:

Then I envy you, cause I wish I could feel the same when I hear them.

To answer the initial question , yes , lovesexy is good , but thats it , its not great , its worth getting to hear Alphabet Street in all its loopy glory , Glam Slam is fun too , Anna Stesia's sorta taken on legendary status too. I wish U heaven and when 2 R in love are sweet sweet songs ,the rest of the album I can take or leave , e.g the song lovesexy is up there with NPS and Graffiti Bridge for all time weak title tracks .

PurpleKnight said:

This sounds about right. Although I would switch up "Positivity" with "Alphabet Street" and "Dance On."

Lovesexy is probably one of Prince's greatest works. This time, instead of being the freak-nasty lil' Horny Toad that we loved, he's more about love and spirituality here. He still kinda dabbles in the X-rated stuff, but only in moderation. He's more concerned about spreading the message of love andbelief in the higher power. At thhe time, it was meant to be Prince's last-minute alternative/opposite to the shelved Black Album. Whereas the Black album was dark, sinister, and more focused on the raunchier side of Prince (not to mention it being funky too ), Lovesexy had more of a positive, lighter side. Many of the songs are inspirational, upbeat, and very sincere and passionate in their delivery.

The production of Lovesxy is unique in itself, but at the same time, it's not too different from the work he's been doing in any case. There's still synths, drum machines, percusssions, and crazy sounds and stuff. Also, there's more involvement of P's touring band members in the songs. Sure, he does the work at the end of the day, but he decided to invite his crew along for his wild ride.

My favorite tracks: Glam Slam, Anna Stesia(arguably the best track), Lovesexy, I Wish You Heaven, and of course the hit, Alphabet Street.

This album definitely stood out when it came out. At a time when George Michael, U2 and Terence Trent D'arby were ruling the pop charts, Prince was still being his old unique self, just doing his own thang.

Anyways, this album is highly popular amongst us fans, and definitely one of the best albums P's ever done. It's in the top 5, to say the least.

GET THE ALBUM, ASAP!!!!!

one of his finest!

superspaceboy said:

I told you...

Many of us are emotionally attached to this album. Myself, this was a very defining disc for me at the age of 17. It affected my way of thinking in at least my poetry and sexuality and way of being all around.

Stand outs from this disc would be the opener/preacher at the pulpit song... eye no, anna stasia, dance on (just listen to the drum patterns constant changes and instrumentation arrangements, Lovesexy (my favorite, and one of the most dense/complicated he's done...and the end lyrics are cut off in the booklet which means that they are good) & When 2 R in love.

You really should get this one. It's essential...it really is.

it's ok but the way they made it or recorded it or whatever I didn't like

making it just 1 whole track and no other tracks puts a damper on it cause if there are certain songs u like the best u have 2 wait tells it plays in order 2 listen 2 it.


Anna Stesia is my fav on the albumn

Milty said:

Dirty Mind & Controversy can be added to the purple patch as well IMO.

Bought it about a year ago, listened to it once then kept it on my shelf for about 9 months. Gave it another chance and now I love it, particularly I Wish U Heaven. In my opinion his last GREAT album, but try to get the broken tracks version, as opposed to the original single track album. I treated Emancipation with similar contempt for about 2 years, but after my Lovesexy experience I've since revisited it and discovered more great Prince music.

Yes, Lovesexy is Beautiful. My Personal Favorite? Anna Stesia and I Wish U Heaven....

LOVESEXY was released in the US on May 10, 1988...the day before my 13th birthday. I remember getting $$$ for my bday and the only thing I wanted to get was LOVESEXY. Mind you, I was 13, the album cover was P in the buff and lets face it...kids that age are cruel!

I went to Tower Records and was able to buy the vinyl without any judgement (I had an older relative with me). I had to tape it on to a blank tape to be able to listen to it in school. I remember being on the bus and hearing people talk about the album cover....all I heard was 'Freak', 'Fag', and 'anyone who still likes Prince is a big fag too!'.

I couldnt understand why they would say this stuff and not give the album a chance. I realized I was in the minority in thinking it was such a beautiful album and I secretly sang it's praises all year long. I remember wanting to put my name on the sleeve of my jacket just like P did!

LOVESEXY for me came out at a crucial time of my adolesence and was the first time I really began to realize I was different from everyone and the album became my escape for a long time. Prince was and still is like my comfort food. And everytime I play LOVESEXY...I sing out loud and smile proudly!

As for the stats....

At the time, this was Prince's biggest flop. Selling only better than FOR YOU and reaching #11 on the Billboard Album Chart. I believe it sold just below a million. In the UK..and many other countries it was a #1 smash and was his highest selling album behind PURPLE RAIN.

May 10, the day after mine.

PurpleKnight said:

Happy Birthday my fellow stubborn-yet-sensitive Taurus!

If you need the tracks separated you just don't "get it". It wasn't intended to be an album of 3 and a half minute pop songs. The same thing goes for people that have a problem with Wedding Feast or the voice on TRC. Just admit you can't feel him on that. It's obvious there's nothing wrong with the albums because some of us can dig it.

whodknee said:

Most of the time I listen to albums right through anyway. But's it's nice to have the option to skip.

Sometimes I may wanna listen to Anna Steisa or Dance On but I don't have time to listen to the whole album.

It's not that I don't 'get it', just that tracks should be seperated for obvious reasons.

kinaldo said:

If you think they should be separated then I must say you still don't get it.

Listen to it. When you buy it, let it play straight through. If it doesn't get to you, let it sit for a while, and play it again another day...it will grab you. The first time I played it, I tried skipping tracks, didn't know it played straight through. I actually thought my CD was messed up...hehe...but anyway, there's some highly affecting beautiful tracks on this CD that I truly treasure. Some others that feel the same way know what I'm talking about. Give it a try & see what it does for you...
[This message was edited Mon May 17 19:03:02 2004 by Starmist7]

If you think they should be separated then I must say you still don't get it. [/quote]

For u it's about either getting it or not getting it. For me it's about choice as opposed to no choice.

Everyone has different tastes and certain people will dislike certain tracks. Not being alllowed to skip is just an irritation.

U say I don't get it, well whatever... I love that album.

To each their own - I know a lot of Prince fans love it, but I absolutely hate this album. To me, this is the end of his winning streak - things got pretty dire for Prince from this point onward.

Lovesexy may be "meaningful" to a lot of people here, but musically it is not particularly good. Alphabet St. was a fairly great single, but the rest of the album consist of flabby, aimless funk jams - the kind of thing he can write in his sleep. Coming as this did on the heels of SOTT, where his song-writing peaked with a new sophistication, this album was tremendously disappointing. Lyrically, it's filled with impenetrable and daft new-age religious blather.

About the only thing that redeems this album for me is the presence of his touring band - the best backing group he ever had, I think...

fam-tastic!!!!

Appart from "alphabet st" which was a hit downUnder as well, I only heard it later in the early 90's and was bitten by the purple bug.

go and buy it if your curious by all means.
i think it's as brilliant and weird as anything he's done,
but YOU may not.

art is so subjective- how can you ask anyone's opinion
of a piece of art?
i don't understand when people ask me "should i see this movie, is it good?"
or this play? or this book? or this art exhibit?

how can anyone begin to know how a person will react to a piece of art? or to recommend art to another individual? how many times have to gone to a movie and wondered if the critic who hated or loved it even saw the same movie as you?

i trust nobody when it comes to music- what if most of the people in the org who hate lovesexy decide to respond to your post, rather than those who worship it? will you decide against exploring it becuase some strangers told you not to?

i suggest you make all decisions about art on your own, particularly when it comes to a catalogue as varied and complex as P's.

i love it when people on this site get into arguments about whether a song or an album is "funky" or not.

that shit is so boring.

we're never all gonna like the same songs, the same period of his career, or the same hairstyle.
there's enough Prince to go around.

sorry i had to get that off my chest.

p.s. lovesexy is the best cd you'll ever hear. i guarantee it.

TheFrog said:

Okay, I stand corrected.

Sorry.

kinaldo said:

There's a broken track version?

Really?

ColdCoffee said:

I agree with you.

You will either love LoveSexy or not.

It's a matter of taste.

Again, I love this CD and I am always playing it.

If I want to hear a particular song, I just fast-forward, but I must say that most of the time I listen to it straight through. You get more from it.

I love LoveSexy and I hope you buy it and feel the same way we fans of that CD feel.

GeSmi1

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

Singing about heaven and hell, Jesus and God and the devil, the beast... I have to think that some of it is VERY religious (Eye No, Anna Stesia, etc...). I suppose the title track is more in the 'spiritual vein."

Overall, I'd say it's a very religious album but that's it does have a very inclusive feeling, which is the exact opposite of TRC.

Lovesexy took a long time to grow on me. I bought it when I was 16 or 17, and barely listened to it. It was something that I listened to once, thought it was weird, and then it sat on my shelf for about three or four years. I threw it in again after all that time, and thought "My God, I must be a dumb motherfucker of the highest order. This is brilliant!"

Maybe it's an age thing. It's a mature album that requires a fully developed person (spiritually and psychologically) to enjoy it. When I listen to this album, I don't hear a wasted breath or a single pointless note. It's pure, rapturous joy captured on record. This is the spiritual side of Prince that I enjoy... fully in touch with sexuality and spirituality, and allowing them to coexist in complete harmony while occupying the same space and time. It's not weighed down with Dogma or scripture.

This is, in my estimation, one of Prince's five greatest albums, and certainly his most emotionally evocative. When I'm depressed, this seems to find it's own way into my CD player, and when it's over I feel better. This is an album that people won't fully appreciate for years, because it takes time to get to know it. But mark my words : 100 years from now, when people talk about the great records of the 20th century, this will be on the tip of everybodys tongue.

And, if I happen to be wrong about that, then it's because I accidentally gave the human race too much credit. But I believe that people who know and love music will return to this album until the end of our world.

"Lovesexy"is not Prince's worst seller, either in US or outside US. By 1993 it had sold around 2.7 million worldwide, with around 950,00 in US ( it shipped 700,000 in the release week in US, and so, naturally Warner was expecting to get to the million mark, so they waited and waited, but sadly it only reached around 900,000, so finally in December 1988 they certified it gold). As a comparation, also by 1993 "Sign Of The Times", "Batman"and "Grafitti Bridge" were around 3.75, 4.6 and 1.95 million respectively (worldwide).

Edu said:

Around the time of the Nude Tour, i read Lovesexy was his worst seller since Dirty Mind, so there was definately a dip Stateside.

In Europe, it did sell well. Seems we aren't that scared of a naked man on a record cover over here. Plus we got the added bonus of the album being tracked on CD (i could imagine that being a real pain, it not being tracked)

I love the album, i was 18 when it was released, The album, the tour, both were magnificent to me. It was a fantastic time to be into Prince. He'd never be that good again.

...

Has anyone heard the unreleased version of Positivity? It's much better than the album version. Sounds like a SOTT track!

Eric Leeds is on record as saying he was very disappointed with how Lovesexy turned out, production-wise. He said it sounded fantastic before Prince went way overboard with the number of tracks in the recording studio. And I know exactly what he means...