Lovesexy Live was the fifth Prince home video to be released and second live concert released on Home Video format.
The footage comes from a live broadcast¹ of Lovesexy Tour concert in Dortmund, on 9 September 1988. European companies Granada television (UK) and RAI Network had concluded a $2 million deal for the live transmission of the final concert of Prince’s European leg of the Lovesexy Tour.
Both companies acquired radio and television distribution rights for worldwide distribution, excluding USA and Japan territories, which were on the tour schedule in late 88 and 89. Negotiations also included China, U.S.S.R., Australia and parts of South America.
The last date of the European leg of the Lovesexy Tour was initially scheduled in Rome, Stadio dei Marmi on 5 September 1988 but disagreements over the choice of the venue led to the cancellation of the Rome concert, and the substitution of two dates in Dortmund.
Dutch production company ID-TV filmed the Prince concert with Egbert van Hees as director. Billboard reported that he was chosen personally by Prince on a director’s shortlist of 2 (Egbert van Hees and David Mallet), because Prince was impressed by van Hees' work on a recent shooting of one of his after-hours performance in Hamburg Grosse Freiheit.
It was first released on 2 cassettes under the name of "Lovesexy Live 1" and "Lovesexy Live 2" in Europe. Confusingly Vol.1 contained the latter part of the concert, while Vol.2 contained the first part. The concert was later re-released as Lovesexy Live on one cassette (of 127 minutes) and on laserdisc.
¹ United Kingdom (Wired, Channel 4), West Germany (SAT Eins), Spain (RTVE), Finland (TV3), Holland (KRO), France (Antenne 2), Austria (ORF), Denmark (DK TV), Sweden (SVT) and Switzerland (SFA).
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