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 […]
Posts tagged "Prince"
Spin Cycle: Van Hunt’s “What Were You Hoping For?”
Forget marching to the beat of your own drummer; Van Hunt’s got his own band, and he’s leading his feisty, wildly imaginative brand of r&b into the pop music stratosphere all by himself. To rewind, there was totally a time that the singer/songwriter had an illustrious little major-label career brewing. His first record, Van Hunt, didn’t set the world on fire, but was reasonably well-received; his second, On the Jungle Floor , is rightfully acknowledged as a classic by anyone who’s heard it. There’s […]
The Blerd Interview: Bleu
When interacting with power-pop artist/in-demand songwriter/mutton-chop maestro William “Bleu” McAuley, one thing comes into crisp, refreshing focus: Bleu is one nice dude. You see, a few weeks ago, Bleu was nice enough to set some time aside to talk to us; when a technological failure resulted in an entire, story-packed interview getting lost in space, I was awfully glum. As an avowed and longtime fan, it was disheartening to lose so much interesting material, and to waste a favorite artist’s […]
The Blerd Playlist: “I Feel The Earth Move (Songs For Earthquakes)”
As most of you know, the East Coast was rocked today by a seismic, 5.8 earthquake that caused chairs to fall over, cats to become briefly startled, and a rash of hasty, terrified status updates. As most of the Blerd staff is located in the Northeast – with the exception of our Californian contributors, who regard earthquakes with the same concern as a hearty fart – we were notably shaken by this disaster. In remembrance of those who were lost […]
bLISTerd: Happy Anniversary, MTV!:The Best Videos of the Eighties (20-11)
20. “Every Breath You Take” The Police (1983) Simplicity, ladies and gentlemen. Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers went straight for the heart with “Every Breath You Take”, their biggest hit single (and the #1 song of 1983, according to Billboard magazine). The greatness of this video is all in the incidentals-the shadows moving from one side of Sting’s face to the other, his standup bass, the way the video seemed to fit seamlessly with the quiet intensity of the […]
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 […]
Blerditorial: Who is the Real Queen of Soul?
You can’t mention Aretha Franklin without hearing the term “Queen of Soul”. It’s a term bestowed upon her by fans and peers alike and it has stuck to the point that she believes her own press. Much as I love Aretha, though (and I really do), I don’t know that she is far and away the undisputed Queen. I’m certainly not gonna throw anyone obscure into the conversation. Diana Ross is more of a pop vocalist than a soul vocalist, […]
The Blerd & Gonzo Cover Convo: “Nothing Compares 2 U”
G: huzzah! B: good evening, sir! Up for a little covers action tonight? G: Hellz yeah. B: You wanna get the festivities started or shall i initiate? G: Go right ahead, sir. this was your pick B: Okey doke. Well first in line… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8854IiDjlw G: mmmmm. Susannah Melvoin. B: She was a minx…and still looks good! G: I know! The Melvoin twins still fine! B: You know, there was supposed to be a Family reunion (ha!) album like […]
