Album: The Family

1985: A.C. ◄

All Prince Albums

All Related Artists Albums

► 1985: Romance 1600

The Family

Album details Released: 12 August 1985 (UK) 19 August 1985 Length: 36:01 Label(s): Paisley Park / Warner Bros. Studio(s): Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse Charts, Certifications & Awards Charts America Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart Billboard Top Black Albums Chart, USA 7 Sep. 1985 17 30 Billboard Top Pop Albums, USA 7 Sep. 1985 62 22 Certifications This album has not received any certifications in the USA Awards This album has not received any awards in the USA Singles released The Screams Of Passion b/w Yes High Fashion b/w Susannah’s Pajamas Alternate Album Configuration Early sequence, likely only made on paper and not sequenced as such Hi Fasion Mutiny Desire River Run Dry BMW (instr.) Paisley Park Feline

The Family is the first album by The Family. While Prince was only credited with writing Nothing Compares 2 U, he wrote seven of the eight songs and played almost all the instruments on the album (Bobby Z. wrote the remaining track, River Run Dry). Vocals were provided by St. Paul Peterson and Susannah Melvoin. This album was the first Prince-related release to feature saxophone by Eric Leeds and string orchestration by Clare Fischer. This album is also the second album, after Prince and the Revolution’s Around The World In A Day), to be released on Paisley Park (records). Sessions and compiling Recording took place in late June and the first two weeks of August 1984. High Fashion, Mutiny, Mazarati (later renamed Susannah’s Pajamas), and Desire were the first tracks recorded for the album in late June 1984. Nothing Compares 2 U was recorded in mid-July 1984. Lisa (later renamed Yes) and River Run Dry were recorded in early August 1984 while The Screams Of Passion followed in mid-August 1984 (a year to the day before the album’s release). Vocal overdubs by St. Paul Peterson were added in late 1984 or early 1985. Orchestral overdubs by Clare Fischer also took place in late 1984 to early 1985, and mixing taking place in April and May 1985. Other tracks recorded for the album include Feline (recorded in mid-July 1984) and Miss Understood (recorded in the second week of August 1984). After recording, St. Paul Peterson objected to some of the more explicit lyrics in Feline, leading to Prince removing the track from the project (some of the lyrics were reworked and used in Holly Rock). Prince also sent the 1982 track You’re My Love to St. Paul Peterson to learn, but Peterson’s lack of enthusiasm for the track led to Prince dropping the idea (the track was later sent to Kenny Rogers, who re-recorded it and released it on his 1986 album They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To). 100 MPH, I Don’t Wanna Stop and Rough were also considered for the album. An undated early work-in-progress configuration of the album is known to exist, tentatively titled Hi Fashion, which also included Paisley Park (an instrumental song different from the Around The World In A Day song of the same name), and a track titled BMW (thought to be an interim title of Susannah’s Pajamas). The final configuration was compiled on 13 May 1985, after which an acetate (dated 28 May 1985) was produced. The songs are in the same sequence as they were ultimately released, although the instrumentals Yes and Susannah’s Pajamas (listed on the acetate as 'Susannah’s Clothes') are each listed as being some 30 seconds longer than they were released. However this was down to errors in writing down the timings, the versions on the acetate are exactly as released. Promotion The album produced two singles, The Screams Of Passion and High Fashion. There was little other promotion for the album, as Jerome Benton and Susannah Melvoin flew to France with Prince to film the Under The Cherry Moon movie at the time of the album’s release, and St. Paul Peterson was taking acting and dancing lessons in Los Angeles to prepare for a future (undetermined) Prince film project. As such, a planned tour and other promotional activities were put on hold. The Family played only one show at the time of the album’s release, on 13 August 1985 at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Perhaps due to the lack of promotion, the album reached only number 62 on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums Chart, and number 17 on the US Billboard Top Black Albums Chart. Track listing CD LP/MC The compact disc version is a reissue from the original LP. High Fashion (5:06) 1 Mutiny (3:57) 2 The Screams Of Passion (5:26) 3 Yes (4:27) 4 River Run Dry (3:31) 5 Nothing Compares 2 U (4:31) 6 Susannah’s Pajamas (3:58) 7 Desire (4:58) 8 The vinyl long play format is the original issue. Side 1: High Fashion (5:06) 1 Mutiny (3:57) 2 The Screams Of Passion (5:26) 3 Yes (4:27) 4 Side 2: River Run Dry (3:31) 5 Nothing Compares 2 U (4:31) 6 Susannah’s Pajamas (3:58) 7 Desire (4:58) 8 All songs written by Prince, except where noted. 1 Written by Prince - officially credited to Jerome Benton and St. Paul Peterson 2 Written by Prince - officially credited to Jerome Benton 3 Written by Prince - officially credited to St. Paul Peterson and Susannah Melvoin 4 Written by Prince and Eric Leeds - officially credited to Jellybean Johnson and Jerome Benton 5 Written by Bobby Z. 6 Written by Prince 7 Written by Prince and Eric Leeds - officially credited to Eric Leeds 8 Written by Prince - officially credited to St. Paul Peterson Personnel Musicians St. Paul Peterson - lead vocals Susannah Melvoin - co-lead vocals on The Screams Of Passion, background vocals on High Fashion, River Run Dry, Nothing Compares 2 U and Desire Prince - all instruments, except where noted, and background vocals (uncredited) Eric Leeds - saxophone on High Fashion, Mutiny, Yes, Nothing Compares 2 U, Susannah’s Pajamas and Desire Clare Fischer - string orchestration on High Fashion, The Screams Of Passion, River Run Dry, Nothing Compares 2 U and Desire Wendy Melvoin - rhythm guitar on Yes The following artists got credit on the record, but they did not contribute to the album: Jellybean Johnson Jerome Benton Miko Weaver Production Prince - producer (credited to David Z. Rivkin and The Family) David Z. Rivkin - engineer Susan Rogers - engineer Bernie Grundman - mastering Thanks none.

Releases
LP, CD, Cassettes and Other versions
Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2 This section is under construction Variants, Special Editions and Reissues Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2 This section is under construction

Additional Information Promotion (at time of release) Trivia The Screams Of Passion video was produced as a promotional release to accompany the single shortly before the album’s release. Promotional activities were planned, but with Jerome Benton and Susannah Melvoin filming Under The Cherry Moon in France, and St. Paul Peterson taking acting and dancing lessons in Los Angeles to prepare for a future (undetermined) Prince film project, no promotion took place. The Family played only one show at the time of the album’s release, on 13 August 1985 at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA. This project was the first Prince-related release to feature saxophone by Eric Leeds and string orchestration by Clare Fischer. An undated early work-in-progress configuration of the album is known to exist, tentatively titled Hi Fashion. A finished tracklist is not known, but the album was thought to include High Fashion (known as Hi Fashion), Mutiny, Desire, River Run Dry, BMW (thought to be an interim title of Susannah’s Pajamas, which was first titled Mazarati), Paisley Park (an instrumental song different from the Around The World In A Day song of the same name) and Feline (unclear if that was the instrumental take or the song with St. Paul vocals). The front cover was shot by Horst P. Horst and the innerspread photographies were taken by Prince and Jeff Katz at a rented house in Pasadena, California, USA. References The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004) Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions 1983 and 1984 (Expanded Edition, paperback), Duane Tudahl (2018)

1985 A.C.

All Albums

All Related Artists Albums

1985 Romance 1600