Romance 1600
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2015) |
| Romance 1600 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 26, 1985[citation needed] | |||
| Recorded | 1984–1985 | |||
| Genre | Funk, pop, R&B | |||
| Length | 38:59 | |||
| Label | Paisley Park/Warner Bros. 25317 | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Sheila E. chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B[2] |
Romance 1600 is the second album by the singer-drummer-percussionist Sheila E. Prince contributed some backing vocals, guitar and bass guitar, and co-wrote/co-produced "A Love Bizarre", a 12-minute epic that became a major hit in its edited radio-friendly form.[citation needed]
During her break, she had received a lot of media exposure, including appearing in the film Krush Groove, in which she performed "A Love Bizarre" and "Holly Rock". She had also performed for a wide audience as an act on Prince and The Revolution's Purple Rain Tour.
The video for the album's lead single, "Sister Fate", introduced a new image of the performer: a somewhat female-Prince influenced protégée. "Sister Fate"'s B-side had the cryptic protest song "Save the People". The album itself had many tracks that were personal and which help to support the embodiment of the thematic faux-French Renaissance episodic adventure that the lead single's video and the album art intended to set up for the listening audience. [citation needed]
Although the album received mixed reviews, "A Love Bizarre" was the album's most successful single. On January 28, 1986, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA.[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Prince, and credited to Sheila E, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sister Fate" | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Dear Michaelangelo" | 4:38 |
| 3. | "A Love Bizarre" (Prince and Sheila E.) | 12:18 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Toy Box" | 5:32 |
| 5. | "Yellow" | 2:11 |
| 6. | "Romance 1600" | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Merci for the Speed of a Mad Clown in Summer" | 2:47 |
| 8. | "Bedtime Story" | 3:45 |
Personnel
|
- Sheila E. – lead vocals, percussion, drums, strings, bass guitar, keyboards, arranger, producer, writer
- Juan Escovedo – percussion (tracks 3 and 8)
- Eddie M. – background vocals (tracks 3 and 4); saxophone (tracks 1–4; 6–8)
- Ken Grey – organ (track 1)
- Stef Burns (Stephan Birnbaum) (It) – guitar (tracks 2 and 8), background vocals (tracks 3 and 4)
- Karl Perazzo – bongos (track 6)
- Prince – guitar, bass guitar (tracks 3 and 4); background vocals (tracks 3 and 5)
- Micheal Weaver – background vocals (track 4)
- Susie Davis – background vocals (tracks 2, 3, 6)
- Benny Rietveld – background vocals (track 6)
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[4] | 33 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] | 36 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[6] | 33 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 50 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] | 12 |
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Robert Christgau review
- ^ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sheila E. – In Romance 1600" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sheila E. – In Romance 1600" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Sheila E. – In Romance 1600". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^ "Sheila E Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^ "Sheila E Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2019.