Friday Flashback :: Sheila E.'s "A Love Bizarre"
I've been on a "Minneapolis Sound" kick over the last several days, and I was looking for a suitably dusty classic from one of Prince's many minions to highlight -- excluding the old standbys Morris Day, and/or Jimmy Jam and/or Terry Lewis.
Then it hit me: Sheila E., the sexy, über-drummer extraordinaire!
Her 1985 hit "A Love Bizarre" is frequently overlooked in retrospect, as a great example of the Minneapolis sound, characterized by funky basslines, tight percussion, and usually some horny-goodness. Since Sheila provided much of the percussive force in the productions of such Northland greats (Prince, the Time, The Family, etc.), it stands to reason that her own releases would be strong in that area.
Appearing on Romance 1600, the follow-up release to the very successful, Glamorous Life, "A Love Bizarre" worked well for radio and the clubs. Ms. Escovedo did most of the writing and producing herself, but Prince's influence is strong throughout the album, not overpowering, but certainly noticeable. This track is the only one that Prince co-wrote and co-produced with Escovedo, and is the undeniable "funk gem" of the album.
"A Love Bizarre" finds the two of them performing a vocal duet, which worked surprisingly well, despite the disparity in vocal ability. The risk was that Prince's voice, which is much stronger in delivery and range, would overpower Sheila's, but they manage to find a happy medium. The result is, the song comes off as desired, sounding like it's "Sheila E.-cum-Prince," rather than "Prince-and-the-Revolution-featuring-Sheila-E."
As expected the instrumentation is musically solid, with no missteps, and conveys the characteristics listeners had come to expect from Paisley Park artists. What's not expected is how Sheila E.'s relatively little, relatively uninspiring voice works so well on this track.
Regardless, Sheila does the damn thing with this song, and earns her props as a serious stand-alone artist. "A Love Bizarre" earns its status as a major hit for the very talented Ms. Escovedo.
Sheila E. :: "A Love Bizarre"
Album: Romance 1600
Released: 1985
Billboard peak: #1, Hot Dance Music/Club Play; #2 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks; #11 The Billboard Hot 100
Play the Track: A Love Bizarre (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').
Then it hit me: Sheila E., the sexy, über-drummer extraordinaire!
Her 1985 hit "A Love Bizarre" is frequently overlooked in retrospect, as a great example of the Minneapolis sound, characterized by funky basslines, tight percussion, and usually some horny-goodness. Since Sheila provided much of the percussive force in the productions of such Northland greats (Prince, the Time, The Family, etc.), it stands to reason that her own releases would be strong in that area.
Appearing on Romance 1600, the follow-up release to the very successful, Glamorous Life, "A Love Bizarre" worked well for radio and the clubs. Ms. Escovedo did most of the writing and producing herself, but Prince's influence is strong throughout the album, not overpowering, but certainly noticeable. This track is the only one that Prince co-wrote and co-produced with Escovedo, and is the undeniable "funk gem" of the album.
"A Love Bizarre" finds the two of them performing a vocal duet, which worked surprisingly well, despite the disparity in vocal ability. The risk was that Prince's voice, which is much stronger in delivery and range, would overpower Sheila's, but they manage to find a happy medium. The result is, the song comes off as desired, sounding like it's "Sheila E.-cum-Prince," rather than "Prince-and-the-Revolution-featuring-Sheila-E."
As expected the instrumentation is musically solid, with no missteps, and conveys the characteristics listeners had come to expect from Paisley Park artists. What's not expected is how Sheila E.'s relatively little, relatively uninspiring voice works so well on this track.
Regardless, Sheila does the damn thing with this song, and earns her props as a serious stand-alone artist. "A Love Bizarre" earns its status as a major hit for the very talented Ms. Escovedo.
Sheila E. :: "A Love Bizarre"Album: Romance 1600
Released: 1985
Billboard peak: #1, Hot Dance Music/Club Play; #2 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks; #11 The Billboard Hot 100
Play the Track: A Love Bizarre (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').
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you realize i love you for putting sheila e. on here right?
You love me anyway, but I'll take the extra props too... ;-)
Glad you enjoyed a bit of "E!"
And wait 'til you hear what's coming NEXT week!!
can't wait!
I was at a party a few weeks back and the DJ played this track. Place went wild. Still a hot track. Good flashback. Just makes you wanna dance.