Lovesexy

Infobox Album | Name = Lovesexy
Type = Studio album
Artist = Prince

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Released = May 10, 1988
Recorded = December 1987–January 1988
Paisley Park Studios
Genre = Pop, Rock, Funk
Length = 45:02
Label = Paisley Park
Warner Bros.
Producer = Prince
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:9jqvadzkv8wj~T1 link]
*Review-Christgau|B+|name=Prince
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/prince/albums/album/227176/review/5946177/lovesexy link]
*Warr.org Rating|4|5 [http://www.warr.org/prince.html#Lovesexy link] | Last album = "Sign o' the Times"
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"The Black Album"
(1987)
This album = "Lovesexy"
(1988)
Next album = "Batman"
(1989)

"Lovesexy" is an album by Prince, released in 1988. "Lovesexy" was issued as a substitute record after the release of the infamous "Black Album" had been suddenly canceled. "The Black Album" and "Lovesexy" almost act as companion pieces, sharing the song "When 2 R In Love," but nearly opposite in theme. The album was recorded in just seven weeks, from mid-December 1987 to late January 1988, at Prince's new Paisley Park Studios, and most of the album is a solo effort from Prince, with a few exceptions. The opening track, "Eye No," was recorded with the full band (Miko Weaver on guitar, Levi Seacer, Jr. on bass, Doctor Fink and Boni Boyer on keyboards, Eric Leeds on saxophone, Atlanta Bliss on trumpet and Sheila E. on drums). Sheila E., in fact, plays drums on several tracks and sings backup, along with Boyer. Leeds and Bliss provide horns on most tracks, and Ingrid Chavez provides the intro to "Eye No". As opposed to the LP release, early CD copies of "Lovesexy" have the entire album in sequence as a single track, so the album is heard in the context of a continuous sequence, though later editions have it as 9 separate tracks.

Prince also toured in support of the album.

Music

The album is notable for the haunting gospel of "Anna Stesia," and the hit single "Alphabet St." Also notable is the cover, causing some controversy as it depicted Prince in the nude, in a seemingly devout pose. Some record stores refused to stock it or censored the cover with black wrapper.

The theme of the album is the struggle between good and evil, or "Camille" and Spooky Electric, respectively. God and Satan, virtue and sin (although, with the Gemini character that he developed in 1989, these "sides" may also represent "ego and alter-ego"), the perennial themes of Prince's work, finally truly mix as Prince climaxes to "Love is God, God is Love, Girls and Boys love God above," in the song, "Anna Stesia."

Prince refers to "Lovesexy" as a gospel album. It opens with a sermon of sorts "Eye No," a positive energetic track advising people to be free from their vices and to reject Satan. The song ends with a scale of horns and a segue of conversations leading to the hit single, "Alphabet St." This is the album's most accessible track, mixing dance music, rock and rap along with playful lyrics. It contains a dig at the Reverend Jim Bakker-Jessica Hahn scandal of 1987. Next is "Glam Slam," a busy dance track which really takes advantage of his full band. It ends with an almost classical music string solo (performed on keyboard), which is evocative of "The Phantom Of The Opera." The delicate "Anna Stesia" is a heartfelt confessional number divulging various sins of the flesh, and ends with Prince promising to dedicate his life and music to God. This would end side one of the vinyl release.

Side two opens with the machine gun-like pace of "Dance On," which lambastes negative aspects of society, somewhat akin to "Sign "☮" the Times." The title track follows, described by Prince as "The feeling you get when you fall in love...not with a boy or girl but with the heavens above," and it is another energetic dance track; The "Good News" indeed Prince extols its virtues graphically and then he and Cat Glover share an orgasm, both using sped up "Camille"-like vocals. This leads into the surviving "Black Album" track, "When 2 R in Love," a sex-infused ballad. Next is the lush "I Wish U Heaven," followed by "Positivity," which echoes the theme of "Dance On." But continuously asks the question "Have you had your plus sign today?" Most of the vocals are delivered in a spoken word. The song ends with sounds of water, signifying purity and rebirth.

The album was accompanied by the critically acclaimed Lovesexy World Tour, of which the Dortmund show in German was released on video cassette and laser disc. It was also televised 'live' (there was a delay for editorial purposes) on the UK's Channel 4. It is interesting to note that this Channel 4 broadcast contained various different camera shots than the ones used in the officially released video, which was released a year later in 1989.

Critical reaction

While considered an artistic triumph of personal expression, the album sharply sunk the commercial public perception of Prince in America in the summer of '88. The average teenage opinion was that Prince had lost his touch to make relevant cutting edge music at that time.

The video for the lead single, "Alphabet St." stood out negatively for its cheaper looking production in contrast to videos released by other artists in 1988. This was probably an unfortunate misinterpretation of the intentional retro tube video look. Years later, artists like Stone Temple Pilots or Beck more successfully used retro camp styles in the public eye.

Charts

Track listing

# "Eye No" – 5:47
# "Alphabet St." – 5:38
# "Glam Slam" – 5:04
# "Anna Stesia" – 4:56
# "Dance On" – 3:44
# "Lovesexy" – 5:48
# "When 2 R In Love" – 4:01
# "I Wish U Heaven" – 2:43
# "Positivity" – 7:15

Or
# "Eye No/Alphabet St./Glam Slam/Anna Stesia/Dance On/Lovesexy/When 2 R In Love/I Wish U Heaven/Positivity - 45.02

Note:"When 2 R In Love" was also on "The Black Album"

ingles and Hot 100 chart placings

* "Alphabet St." (#8 U.S., #3 R&B, #9 UK)
# "Alphabet St."
# "Alphabet St. ("This is not music, this is a trip")"

* "Glam Slam" (#44 R&B, #29 UK)
# "Glam Slam" — "7" version only"
# "Glam Slam (Remix)" — "12" version only"
# "Escape (Free yo mind from this rat race)"

* "I Wish U Heaven" (#18 R&B, #24 UK)
# "I Wish U Heaven" — "7" version only"
# "I Wish U Heaven (Part 1, 2 and 3)" — "12" version only"
# "Scarlet Pussy"

Miscellanea

* The opening track, "Eye No" is a reworking of a song called "The Ball" from the unreleased "Crystal Ball". Prince even kept the party noise that originally segued "The Ball" into "Joy In Repetition." This segue was kept partially when "Joy In Repetition" was released on "Graffiti Bridge" in 1990.
* The first 2 singles had clear vinyl sleeves with only a sticker of the single's title. This was also true for the CD singles.
* "Positivity" was later given to Mavis Staples for her 1991 album, "The Voice."
* "Positivity" originally contained the rap that Cat delivered on the "Black Album"'s "Cindy C."
* This is the first Prince record to use the Eye symbol in its tracklisting, though a slightly different graphic was used. Fans usually romanize this symbol as "Eye" instead of its intended meaning of "I."

External links

"Lovesexy" [http://www.dtt-lyrics.com/albums/lovesexy.html lyrics]