Posts tagged "Gaslight"

Spin Cycle: fDeluxe’s “Gaslight”

After the dissolution of The Time when Morris Day left, Prince built a new band in 1985 consisting of former Time members Jellybean Johnson, Jerome Benton and Paul Peterson, plus saxophonist extraordinaire Eric Leeds and vocalist (and twin sister of the Revolution’s Wendy) Susannah Melvoin. Peterson was rechristened St. Paul and established as the front man of the group, named The Family, sharing lead vocals with Melvoin. 26 years after its release, their self titled debut remains one of the […]

New Release Report 9/27/11: Oh Well, Whatever. Nevermind (Again)

Twenty years ago this week, a trio of wildly influential albums came out. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik gave that L.A.-based band their biggest success, turned rock/rap into an official “thing” and gave Rick Rubin producer cred after a couple of years in the wilderness. A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory turned that group from De La Soul Jr. into one of hip-hop’s most original and inventive acts. Meanwhile, Nirvana’s Nevermind helped bring alternative rock […]

Welcome Home, Family…Er, FDeluxe!

To use a word more commonly associated with a popular documentary series, The Family was unsung. Generally the least praised of Prince’s peak-era side projects, their one album (released in 1985) is a psychedelic pop/soul/funk mashup that’s way more accomplished than it might seem. Featuring Susannah Melvoin, the twin sister of Prince’s guitarist Wendy Melvoin, as well as former Time members Jellybean Johnson and Jerome Benton, sax player Eric Leeds and vocalist “St.” Paul Petersen, The Family are probably best […]