Happy Anniversary: Prince, LOVESEXY

29 years ago today, Prince released his tenth studio album, an effort which featured nine tracks…unless you got the CD, that is, in which case it featured one really, really long track.

Recorded – as you might expect – at Paisley Park Records, LOVESEXY wasn’t the album that Prince’s fans thought they’d be getting, and if you know your Prince history, then you know that’s because he was only a week away from releasing THE BLACK ALBUM when he abruptly changed his mind and had the album pulled. Not that it stopped the already-distributed promos of the album from making the rounds… Ah, but that’s a story for another time.

Just about the time THE BLACK ALBUM was set to be released, Prince went into the studio and from mid-December 1987 through late January 1988 recorded the album that would become LOVESEXY. It’s self-produced, of course, and he plays most of the instruments himself, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few exceptions to that rule. For instance, Sheila E. is behind the drum kit on a couple of songs, and “Eye No.” features Miko Weaver (guitar), Levi Seacer, Jr. (bass), Doctor Fink and Boni Boyer (keyboards), Eric Leeds on saxophone, and Atlanta Bliss on trumpet.

Oh, and did we mention that Prince is nekkid on the front cover? True story.

Most casual radio listeners will recall that LOVESEXY’s first single, “Alphabet Street,” was a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as on the UK Singles chart, but the Brits loved the album a bit more, sending both “Glam Slam” and “I Wish U Heaven” into the top 30. Not a bad showing, all told.