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Lovesexy - album by Prince, Warner Bros. Records (1988)

Lovesexy Prince • Warner Bros. Records • 1988
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1987

1988
Lovesexy

1989

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Lovesexy

Warner Bros. Records

album

The feeling you get when you fall in love – not with a boy or girl but with the heavens above. Lovesexy.

Released as one continuous track to ensure it was listened to as one body of work, rather than skipping a separately tracked configuration where one song could be played more frequently than another by the listener, Lovesexy is an evolution to Prince’s earlier experiment Around The World In A Day with which he delayed the release of its first single Raspberry Beret by a whole month so to guarantee the public heard the entire album first.

Due to the inconvenience quickly discovered with CD in forcing the listener to play the whole album in one sitting, tracked versions were later produced. Although the continuous track sequence was retained on Sony Legacy’s reissue of Lovesexy in 2022 for nostalgic value.

Lovesexy started as a rush project, written and recorded in haste during December 1987 to replace Prince’s suddenly withdrawn, ecstasy fuelled, club hip hop venture The Black Album. Taking the new record into the more wholesome direction of spiritual renewal, Lovesexy was completed by the end of January 1988 in over just seven weeks. It is consequently one of the fastest albums turned around from conception to retail in music history. Lovesexy was also the inaugural album to be fully completed at Prince’s newly operational Paisley Park Studios, a sprawling $10 million personal recording studios and rehearsals facility opened in September 1987 in the rural outskirts of Minneapolis financed at his own expense.

The earliest track on the LP When 2 R In Love was the sole leftover from The Black Album and was so out of place given that album’s bleak tone, it was transferred to the configuration of Lovesexy where it fits perfectly. Lovesexy features spoken vocals of Ingrid Chavez, credited on the sleeve as The Spirit Child. She gives the spoken opener “Rain is wet, sugar is sweet…” having previously played an influencing role to Prince cancelling The Black Album, giving cause to create upbeat Lovesexy to atone for its predecessor’s bleak narrative. The message of emerging from darkness and into the light features powerfully throughout Lovesexy. This theme of redemption reaches its climax at the album’s midpoint Anna Stesia, a play on the word anaesthesia – the use of drugs to numb pain – “liberate my mind” – reveals Prince getting clean from drug use through deepening his relationship with God.

Along with Chevez, Catherine “Cat” Glover, Prince’s choreographer, muse and dancer from Sign O’ Times Tour the previous year, is also given the spotlight owing to her growing popularity amongst fans during the 1987 tour. On Lovesexy she raps a verse on Alphabet St. and sings backing vocals in Glam Slam. She was so nervous laying down her rap, Prince had to leave her alone in the studio until she was happy with the take.

Lovesexy was released on 10 May 1988 under Prince’s studio label Paisley Park Records, his joint venture imprint with Warner Bros Records which handled its international distribution. Stylistically Lovesexy brings a significant departure from Prince’s previous output. While it lacks the raunch, rock and raucousness of previous albums, Lovesexy is inward looking, spiritual yet tantric, as well as carrying a serious message of self discovery. It is particularly noted for reimagining Prince’s later creative direction and artistic expression. Whereas today the LP is revered by fans who rank it among his greatest albums, in 1988 the LP sold only one million units in the US with yet crucially 1.6 million retailed overseas, making it Prince’s first record in which overseas territories outperformed domestic sales.

Despite Lovesexy certifying Gold in the US on 5 December 1988, its sales revealed the polarisation in home and overseas markets and would redefine Prince’s perception of his fanbase for years to come. In the US, Lovesexy received the dubious distinction as being Prince’s first LP since Dirty Mind not to achieve a Platinum certification. Yet on the flip side, Lovesexy was Prince’s most successful record to date in Europe. Lovesexy secured Prince his first UK chart topping album on its debut on 15 May 1988. Lovesexy likewise topped lists in Switzerland, Netherlands and Sweden. In the UK, it scored Prince nominations from the BRIT Awards in both international solo and overall artist categories. Lovesexy‘s singles also met with similar stories of duality, with just one of its three singles, Alphabet St., making the Billboard Hot 100 – albeit narrowly reaching the top-10. The album’s second single Glam Slam was issued at the outset of the supporting Lovesexy Tour’s Europe leg and became Prince’s first single to not land at all in the US Hot 100 since 1982’s Do Me, Baby prior to his 1999 album rise to fame. Glam Slam peaked at 44 in the R&B equivalent chart. Its B-side Escape was created in May 1988 specifically to accompany Glam Slam and is largely a re-imagination of the A-side. The 12″s boasted a lavish instrumental mix This Is Not Music, This Is A Trip for Alphabet St., and on Glam Slam was a Shep Pettibone remix. The single was a top-40 hit in the UK. With only one promotional image available for the whole release (Mondino’s shot for the album cover), the singles Alphabet St. and Glam Slam were shipped in transparent sleeves as no artwork was given. This proved particularly tricky when needing a promo video for Alphabet St. as Prince too wanted the song represented without imagery, so a lyric video was hastily produced instead.

The third single I Wish U Heaven dropped that August. For its 12″ version Prince’s album cut of the song was developed into a longer remix subtitled Part 1-2-3. Mixed by Prince’s studio engineer Femi Jiya, the extended track incorporated new musical elements and lyrics recorded by Prince, Sheila E and Eric Leeds. I Wish U Heaven (Part 1-2-3) followed in October 1988 and produced another top-40 entry in the UK but was yet another non-appearance in the US Hot 100. Its B-side is the very un-heavenly Scarlet Pussy, created in December 1987 for Sheila E – Prince’s version ended up on the single (albeit credited to his pseudonym Camille) when her fourth LP was abandoned. I Wish Heaven became the album’s final single and in the US appeared only in the Billboard R&B chart, at number 18. The three singles was a telling sign of Prince’s US momentum – his previous LPs issued at least four promotional singles apiece. Lovesexy was significantly Prince’s first album to have its singles issued on CD format. With CD technology still in its infancy, all three of them pressed on 3″ compact discs packaged with 5″ adaptors to save them flying off the CD tray and lost forever within the player’s interior.

Owing to falling sales in the US, Prince centred the supporting Lovesexy Tour on Europe where his albums flourished. It was the most lavish touring show of Prince’s career, although the production was so expensive it struggled to break even. The situation would require several more years for Prince to fully revive his momentum in the US.

Prince | Lovesexy
Photography by Frank Griffin

Cover story

The artwork of Lovesexy sparked as much interest as did the music. Mimicking The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, the cover shows Prince reclined naked with a lily stamen suggestively positioned above his groin. It is an image which perfectly captures the LP’s essence of spirituality. Prince even denied Warner’s management sight of the cover prior to the album’s commercial release. The image was deemed far too risqué for 1988 and prompted many retailers to conceal the artwork under black plastic wrapping (Wal-Mart refusing to stock it at all) or keeping it behind the counter, deeming it too provocative to display in store. This likely hindered sales of the album in more conservative leaning US.

The shot is the work of renowned fashion photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Prince’s first choice to direct Under The Cherry Moon but was unavailable. Mondino would instead direct the video Mia Bocca for Jill Jones which led to his booking for I Wish U Heaven for Prince. He would also shoot promos for Neneh Cherry (Manchild) and Madonna’s Justify My Love. During a breakfast in LA, Prince asked Mondino if he would shoot the album’s cover. Mondino’s image of Prince was captured in LA, with the lilies and stamen added at his studio back in Paris using Paint Box software, a forerunner to Photoshop.

Mondino’s cover is the sole promotional image created for the album. The back cover and inner sleeves featuring the tracklisting and lyrics are hand drawn by letting expert Margo Chase. With no alternative shots available and keeping with the theme of nakedness, the singles Alphabet St. and Glam Slam were also issued without artwork, their transparent sleeves labelled with a sticker. In April 2022, Lovesexy was exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery in London staged in celebration of the art of iconic album designs. It is regarded as one of the greatest album covers ever produced.

Performers

Vocals / all Instr
Prince
Drums
Sheila E Eye No, Alphabet St. and I Wish U Heaven (Part 1-2-3)
Guitar
Miko Weaver Eye No
Keyboards
Matt "Dr." Fink Eye No
Boni Boyer Eye No and Dance On
Bass Guitar
Levi Seacer Jr. Eye No
Saxophone
Eric Leeds Alphabet St., Lovesexy, Positivity, I Wish U Heaven (Part 1, 2 & 3), Escape and Scarlet Pussy
Trumpet
Matthew Blistan "Atlanta Bliss" Alphabet St., Lovesexy, Positivity and Escape

Data

Producer
Prince
Label
Paisley Park Records
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records
Cover/Design
Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Margo Chase (font) and Laura LiPuma
Released
38 years ago on 10 May 1988
Reissued
4 February 2022
Running Time
45:07
US Chart Peak
11
US R&B Peak
5
UK Chart Peak
1
Prince Album
#10
Orig. Formats

Tracklist

  1. Eye No [feat. Ingrid Chavez] (5:47)
  2. Alphabet St. [feat. Cat Glover (rap) and Ingrid Chavez (outro)] (5:38)
  3. Glam Slam [feat. Cat Glover] (5:04)
  4. Anna Stesia [feat. Cat Glover, Ingrid Chavez, Sheila E and Boni Boyer] (4:56)
  5. Dance On (3:44)
  6. Lovesexy (5:48)
  7. When 2 R In Love (4:01)
  8. I Wish U Heaven (2:43)
  9. Positivity [feat. Boni Boyer] (7:15)

Released as a single

Singles from Lovesexy

Alphabet St., single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)

Alphabet St.

Paisley Park Records

Released
15 April 1988
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records / WEA Records
US Chart Peak
10
UK Chart Peak
9
Cover/Art
Laura LiPuma
Format
  1. Alphabet St. [Edit] (2:25)
  2. Alphabet St. [Cont.] (3:14)
Alphabet St., single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)

Alphabet St.

Paisley Park Records

12"/Maxi-Single


Released
23 April 1988
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records / WEA Records
US Chart Peak
10
UK Chart Peak
9
Cover/Art
Laura LiPuma
Formats
  1. Alphabet St. (5:40)
  2. Alphabet St. (This Is Not Music, This Is A Trip) (7:48)
Glam Slam, single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)

Glam Slam

Paisley Park Records

Released
11 July 1988
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records / WEA Records
US Chart Peak
Did not chart
UK Chart Peak
29
Cover/Art
Laura LiPuma
Formats
  1. Glam Slam [Edit] (3:28)
  2. Escape [Edit] [feat. Sheila E and Boni Boyer] (3:30)
Glam Slam, single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)

Glam Slam

Paisley Park Records

12"/Maxi-Single


Released
16 July 1988
Distribution
WEA Records
US Chart Peak
No Release
UK Chart Peak
29
Cover/Art
Laura LiPuma
Format
  1. Glam Slam [Edit] (3:28)
  2. Escape [Edit] [feat. Sheila E and Boni Boyer] (3:30)
  3. Glam Slam [Remix] [remix by Shep Pettibone and Steve Peck] (8:52)
Glam Slam, single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)

Glam Slam

Paisley Park Records

12"/Maxi-Single


Released
16 July 1988
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records / WEA Records
US Chart Peak
Did not chart
UK Chart Peak
29
Cover/Art
Laura LiPuma
Format
  1. Glam Slam [Remix] [remix by Shep Pettibone and Steve Peck] (8:52)
  2. Escape (Free Yo Mind From This Rat Race) [feat. Sheila E and Boni Boyer] (6:26)
I Wish U Heaven, single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)

I Wish U Heaven

Paisley Park Records

Released
20 September 1988
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records / WEA Records
US Chart Peak
18
UK Chart Peak
24
Cover/Art
Jean-Baptiste Mondino & Laura LiPuma
Formats
  1. I Wish U Heaven (2:43)
  2. Scarlet Pussy [Edit] [feat. Sheila E] (4:10)
I Wish U Heaven (Part 1-2-3), single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)

I Wish U Heaven (Part 1-2-3)

Paisley Park Records

12"/Maxi-Single


Released
24 October 1988
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records / WEA Records
US Chart Peak
Did not chart
UK Chart Peak
24
Cover/Art
Jean-Baptiste Mondino & Laura LiPuma
Formats
  1. I Wish U Heaven (Part 1, 2 & 3) (10:12)
  2. Scarlet Pussy [Prince as Camille, feat. Sheila E] (6:09)

Supporting tour

Lovesexy Tour

Lovesexy Tour

1988/9

Lovesexy album review

Say Yes Yes Yes! An all time favourite Prince album of the 80s. Prince obviously adapted well to the pressure considering Lovesexy was a rush job to replace The Black Album pulled when Prince and the Warner executives got a bad case of cold feet over its dark tone; When 2 R In Love being the only track to survive The Black Album cull and end up on wholesome Lovesexy. Old sexual antics are not entirely eradicated, in fact the new theme became spirituality on a sexual scale. Prince called it his gospel record but it was instead the LP’s cover not musical content to arouse the biggest stir. Lovesexy delivers a tantric spectacle both as a visual and audio experience. The mid-80s was a time which Prince could do little wrong in the studio and on tour; straight off the back of Sign O’ The Times the public’s love affair with his music came strengthened following the debut of this awesome collection, lavishly presented on tour.

The only way is to listen to the album is right the way through (owing to single tracked versions), testament that Prince albums are carefully crafted cohesive collections. Lovesexy treats the listener to a sexual awakening and uplifting journey, perfectly marrying one track with the next. The album exudes diversity; from the world beating pop Alphabet St., sweeping Glam Slam, to the pulsating Dance On then climax with the sheer divinity of Anna Stesia. Closing out with Positivity, Lovesexy, birthed in the wake of abject negativity is the crowning halo to Prince’s astonishing repertoire and enrich his output ever after.

Lovesexy is rated 5 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.

Related release

Lovesexy Live

Lovesexy Live

Granada International • 1988

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