The Family (The Family album)

The Family is a 1985 album released on Prince's Paisley Park Records label by the band of the same name. The album consists of eight Minneapolis sound tracks but with a funk-jazz slant. Two of the tracks are instrumentals, and three are ballads; many feature string arrangements by Clare Fischer, marking the beginning of Prince's longstanding association with the Michigan-born composer-arranger.[2][3] A single was released for "The Screams of Passion", a modest hit that was re-released in 1996 on the Girl 6 soundtrack. A promo version of "High Fashion" was distributed. "Nothing Compares 2 U", an emotional ballad, became more widely known five years later when a cover by Sinéad O'Connor was released as a single to worldwide success.

The Family
Studio album by
The Family
ReleasedAugust 19, 1985
Recorded1984–1985
GenrePop, R&B, funk, jazz
Length36:00
LabelPaisley Park/Warner Bros.
25322
ProducerDavid Z, Prince, Eric Leeds
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

The album was released on vinyl; following the success of O'Connor's version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" a CD version of the album was released in Japan and Germany/Europe.

Alternate recordings of several of the songs from the project featuring Prince on vocals were recorded, but most remain in the vault at Paisley Park Studios. Prince's original 1984 studio recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U" was not officially released until 2018, when it was issued as a single by Warner Bros. Records in conjunction with his estate.[4]

Chart history

Peak position 14—Billboard R&B Chart (spent 29 weeks on the chart).

Track listing

All tracks are written by Prince (but officially credited to others), except River Run Dry (written by Bobby Z.)[5][6].

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."High Fashion" (written by Prince, credited to Jerome Benton, Paul "St. Paul" Peterson)5:06
2."Mutiny" (written by Prince, credited to Benton)3:57
3."The Screams of Passion" (written by Prince, credited to Susannah Kay Melvoin Bramhall, Peterson)5:26
4."Yes" (written by Prince and Eric Leeds, credited to Benton, Jellybean Johnson)4:27
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."River Run Dry" (Bobby Z.)3:31
6."Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince)4:31
7."Susannah's Pajamas" (written by Prince and Leeds, credited to Leeds)3:58
8."Desire" (written by Prince, credited to Peterson)4:58

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. McGhee, Jim. "Good funk for all the Family" South China Sunday Morning Post. November 17, 1985. Retrieved February 20, 2019. "Producer David Z (brother of Revolution drummer Bobby Z) welds the tracks magnificently and Clare Fischer's inspired string arrangements give the album a conceptual feel."
  3. Jones, Liz (1999). Purple Rain: The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Publishing Group. p. 82. "The Family album also marked the first time Prince collaborated with Clare Fischer, who would subsequently work with him on almost every album. He would send tapes to Fischer and he (it is a he) would add his orchestral arrangements."
  4. "Listen to Prince's Original Version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  5. Family, The. "Credits". Discogs.com. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  6. Vault, Prince. "The Family album". princevault.com. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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