Apollonia 6 (1984)
When Prince stripped the Apollonia 6 album for parts he left two jewels remaining: Sex Shooter and this six-minute helping of dreamy pop, featuring Brenda waiting for her promiscuous date who’s currently 90-minutes late and counting. Each verse furthers the story on one minute (7:30, 7:31, 7:32…) and I could quite happily clock watch to the early hours with these Purple Rain-era synths for company. Add in Brenda and Susannah’s vocals merging into a hot updraft of Amazonian rapture and you have a lost classic on your hands. Being stood up never sounded so good. Don’t listen whilst driving though; those car-horn samples can make the road-rage rise within.
Just listened to this for the first time – hey, Brenda has a decent voice (at least compared to Apollonia or Vanity). When digging into those Apollonia/Vanity 6 songs, I’m always expecting to cringe at the vocals, and I didn’t this time. By the way, did you call “Sex Shooter” a jewel?..
Admittedly, I’m only familiar with the version seen/heard in the “Purple Rain” movie. I remember thinking it was lame as hell. Dangerously close to some of the worst 80s euro-synthpop. The lyrics were asinine, and Apollonia’s singing just sounded way off. Certainly wouldn’t have called that song a hidden jewel. But maybe there’s some other studio version that’s suddenly brilliant that I’m not aware of, who knows.
You’re right about Apollonia’s singing. It’s all about the version with Vanity on vocals… https://youtu.be/RPqOfMVEA-A
The lyrics may still be asinine but the music is Nasty Girl Part 2.
Yeah, this one sounds definitely better. Some of those synth stabs to the groin remind me of a “Toxic”-like atmosphere. The same coy yet lustful shtick. I still don’t think Vanity had a great voice, but I guess her voice and singing style had more of a … personality? than Apollonia’s. She’s going for the breathy-sexy thing, not the “trying to sing and failing” thing.
I guess the whole “begging for sex, I need you to get me off, can’t do it by myself” thing still grates on my feminist nerves, but hey, what the hell, it was the Eighties.