Sheila E's producing herself here, but the groove is still very firmly in the Paisley Park mode – chunky, funky soul – often exploding with vamping Prince-esque rhythms, but also coming across with a smoother, jazzier mode at the best moments. The instrumentation here is mostly electric, but Sheila's obviously playing percussion too – and the record's got one heavily Latin number titled "Soul Salsa" – which has almost an August Darnell kind of dancefloor groove! Other tracks include "Love On A Blue Train", "Boys Club", "Hon E Man", "One Day", "Koo Koo", and "Price & The Passion". LP, Vinyl record album

A mad bit of psychedelic soul from Prince – a record that sounds better and better over the years, and which stands out from most of his 80s work thanks to some really unique production and songwriting! After Purple Rain, Prince did anything but freeze up in the face of living up to such a massive crossover smash – and instead stepped sideways nicely with a fresh approach to his sound – on a record that puts the "Paisley" in Paisley Park! The album mixes core Prince funk with some nicely playful touches – hardly classic psych, but that refined version that was floating around in the mid 80s – maybe mis-named, but used to great effect here. The album's a gem through and through – and titles include"Raspberry Beret", "Paisley Park","Around The World In A Day", "America", "Temptation", "Pop Life", and "Condition Of The Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A mad bit of psychedelic soul from Prince – a record that sounds better and better over the years, and which stands out from most of his 80s work thanks to some really unique production and songwriting! After Purple Rain, Prince did anything but freeze up in the face of living up to such a massive crossover smash – and instead stepped sideways nicely with a fresh approach to his sound – on a record that puts the "Paisley" in Paisley Park! The album mixes core Prince funk with some nicely playful touches – hardly classic psych, but that refined version that was floating around in the mid 80s – maybe mis-named, but used to great effect here. The album's a gem through and through – and titles include"Raspberry Beret", "Paisley Park","Around The World In A Day", "America", "Temptation", "Pop Life", and "Condition Of The Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

56 tracks on 3 CDs!! CD

A fantastic record from Prince – a double-length set that came out at a time when the purple one was brimming over with energy and new ideas – and a step slightly in the direction of more socially conscious material! Everything that was great about Prince before the record is completely intact – his amazing ability to create funky grooves, slinky sensuality, and songs that are so catchy, they can win over audiences on both sides of the fence. But there's also some deeper elements here going on too – maybe more space for thoughtful presentation spread out over the 2LPs that comprised the original record – at a level that's only more confirmation of the never-ending genius of prince! Titles include the great title cut "Sign O The Times" – plus "Strange Relationship", "Slow Love", "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night", "Adore", "Ballad Of Dorothy Parker", "Housequake", "U Got The Look", "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man", "The Cross", "Hot Thing", and "Starfish & Coffee". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from Prince – a double-length set that came out at a time when the purple one was brimming over with energy and new ideas – and a step slightly in the direction of more socially conscious material! Everything that was great about Prince before the record is completely intact – his amazing ability to create funky grooves, slinky sensuality, and songs that are so catchy, they can win over audiences on both sides of the fence. But there's also some deeper elements here going on too – maybe more space for thoughtful presentation spread out over the 2LPs that comprised the original record – at a level that's only more confirmation of the never-ending genius of prince! Titles include the great title cut "Sign O The Times" – plus "Strange Relationship", "Slow Love", "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night", "Adore", "Ballad Of Dorothy Parker", "Housequake", "U Got The Look", "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man", "The Cross", "Hot Thing", and "Starfish & Coffee". 2020 version – remastered for the first time ever! 3CD version features lots of bonus tracks – single mixes and edits – all remastered – tracks that include "U Got The Look (long look)", "Shockadelica (12" long version)", "Hot Thing (ext rmx)", "Hot Thing (dub rmx)", "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (fade)", "La La He He Hee (highly explosive)", "If I Was Your Girlfriend (edit)", "Housequake (7 minutes moquake)", and "Sign O The Times (edit)". CD

A fantastic record from Prince – a double-length set that came out at a time when the purple one was brimming over with energy and new ideas – and a step slightly in the direction of more socially conscious material! Everything that was great about Prince before the record is completely intact – his amazing ability to create funky grooves, slinky sensuality, and songs that are so catchy, they can win over audiences on both sides of the fence. But there's also some deeper elements here going on too – maybe more space for thoughtful presentation spread out over the 2LPs that comprised the original record – at a level that's only more confirmation of the never-ending genius of prince! Titles include the great title cut "Sign O The Times" – plus "Strange Relationship", "Slow Love", "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night", "Adore", "Ballad Of Dorothy Parker", "Housequake", "U Got The Look", "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man", "The Cross", "Hot Thing", and "Starfish & Coffee". Remastered for the first time ever! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Sheila E's follow up to "The Glamorous Life", with equally Prince influenced mid 80s production. Unlike some of the other projects that Prince pursued with a Svengali like presence, Sheila E was a great talent on her own, with a sound built around Prince's pop-soul melodies and her own hard driving Latin percussion. 8 tracks in all, including "A Love Bizarre", "Romance 1600", "Dear Michaelangelo" and "Sister Fate". LP, Vinyl record album

Well, it wasn't Purple Rain – nor Parade – but this 3rd Prince soundtrack still had some nice moments, thanks to an ever-expanding Paisley Park family that included George Clinton, Morris Day, and Mavis Staples! The older funk acts don't come off as nicely as Prince and The Time do – but with 2LPs worth of material, there's enough good numbers to pick out of the set. Titles include "New Power Generation", "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got", "Love Machine", "Tick Tick Bang", "Shake", "Thieves In The Temple", "Still Would Stand All Time", "Graffiti Bridge", and "The Latest Fashion". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A funky classic from Sheila E – filled with heavy beats, nice hooks, and a sound built around Prince's pop-soul melody and her own hard driving Latin percussion. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A short-lived Prince side project from the mid 80s – pretty tinny, and decidedly weaker than his own work, or that of groups like The Family or The Time. Titles include "Strawberry Lover", "Suzy", "Player's Ball", "Lonely Girl On Bourbon Street", and "100 MPH". Almost worth it for the ridiculous fashion/make-up shown on back. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Classic! Although folks had been saying for years that Prince was funky, "Kiss" was the first tune to really have him going to town on the instruments – in a way that we always expect from a true funk act, but not so much for the pop charts – reason alone to adore this one! The track snaps along with an intensity that makes it an instant classic groover – and flip side "Love Or Money" is a pretty nice track too! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Sure, the politics seem a bit silly now – but the track's still one of Prince's last really compelling hits. It's got a totally infectious hook, a spare Timmy Thomas-ish beat, and a strangely captivating vocal that really sticks with us. 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the first records to come out featuring Prince's funky instrumental combo Madhouse! In the pre-acid jazz days, the band was sort of a lone output for folks like us who remembered the funky jazz sound of the 70s. And while the groove is definitely 80s Prince, this single's also got a nice strong commitment to instrumental soloing that puts it in the classic funk vein! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A mad bit of psychedelic soul from Prince – a record that sounds better and better over the years, and which stands out from most of his 80s work thanks to some really unique production and songwriting! After Purple Rain, Prince did anything but freeze up in the face of living up to such a massive crossover smash – and instead stepped sideways nicely with a fresh approach to his sound – on a record that puts the "Paisley" in Paisley Park! The album mixes core Prince funk with some nicely playful touches – hardly classic psych, but that refined version that was floating around in the mid 80s – maybe mis-named, but used to great effect here. The album's a gem through and through – and titles include"Raspberry Beret", "Paisley Park","Around The World In A Day", "America", "Temptation", "Pop Life", and "Condition Of The Heart". CD

A wonderful debut from Silas Short – a Milwaukee native, but an artist whose sound fits right in with the laidback flavors of Cali soul we usually expect from the Stones Throw label! Silas has a way of folding his keyboards over his guitar over his bass and drums here in a really great way – letting the rhythms pulsate gently while he delivers the vocals with a quality that's very earnest and down to earth – often folded into the music too, but with this little crackle that has all the right lyrical moments sparking out of the songs in a really cool way. Titles include "Drawing", "Joint Identity", "Queen Of Paisley", "Bogus", "Cloudy June", "Rooms", and "Two". LP, Vinyl record album