Apollonia 6 (October 1, 1984) – Apollonia 6 LP/CD/MC
Released: October 1, 1984 (USA) / October 5, 1984 (UK)
Apollonia 6 is the first and only album by Apollonia 6, the group assembled by Prince following the departure of Vanity from Vanity 6.
Released shortly after the group's appearance in the film Purple Rain, the album followed the success of Sex Shooter, which was featured prominently in the movie. Apollonia 6 effectively replaced Vanity 6 within Prince's expanding musical empire and served as one of several side projects developed during the Purple Rain era.
The album was produced by Prince under the pseudonym The Starr Company, although production credit was shared with Apollonia 6. All seven songs were written or co-written by Prince, but songwriting credits were distributed among members of Apollonia 6 and members of The Revolution.
RECORDING
By August 1983, Prince had already begun recording material intended for a second Vanity 6 album, including Sex Shooter, Promise To Be True, Vibrator and Wet Dream Cousin.
Following Vanity's departure from Prince's organisation in July 1983, the Vanity 6 project was abandoned and ultimately transformed into Apollonia 6. With the exception of Sex Shooter, previously recorded Vanity 6 material was discarded and a largely new album was assembled.
A Million Miles (I Love You), Ooo She She Wa Wa, Some Kind Of Lover and In A Spanish Villa were recorded in February 1984 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California.
Blue Limousine was recorded at Sunset Sound in April 1984.
The final recording completed for the album was Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian, tracked in August 1984 at the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Additional recording work took place at Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, Minnesota.
STYLE & THEMES
The album combines Minneapolis sound, funk, pop and dance music with the glamorous and provocative themes associated with Prince's mid-1980s productions.
The sequencing intentionally divides the album between an "Electric Side" and an "Acoustic Side", creating two distinctly different musical moods. The first side focuses on dance-driven material, while the second explores more melodic and atmospheric arrangements.
Although released under the name Apollonia 6, the album remains closely tied to Prince's creative vision, featuring his songwriting, instrumentation, production and overall artistic direction throughout.
TRACK-BY-TRACK NOTES
• Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian — Opening track and the final recording completed for the album.
• Sex Shooter — Lead single and the group's best-known recording, featured in Purple Rain.
• Blue Limousine — Second single released from the album.
• A Million Miles (I Love You) — Written by Prince and Lisa Coleman.
• Ooo She She Wa Wa — Lead vocal by Susan Moonsie.
• Some Kind Of Lover — Co-written by Brenda Bennett with uncredited contributions from Prince.
• In A Spanish Villa — Acoustic-influenced closing track featuring Wendy Melvoin's guitar work.
BONUS TRACKS
None.
RELEASE HISTORY
Released in the United States on October 1, 1984 through Warner Bros. Records.
Released in the United Kingdom on October 5, 1984.
Issued on LP, cassette and later compact disc formats.
The album remains the only studio album issued by Apollonia 6.
CHARTS & CERTIFICATIONS
AMERICA
Country | Chart | Entry Date | Peak Position | Weeks In Chart |
USA | Billboard 200 | October 27, 1984 | 62 | 17 |
USA | Billboard Soul LPs | October 27, 1984 | 24 | 21 |
EUROPE
Country | Chart | Entry Date | Peak Position | Weeks In Chart |
Netherlands | Dutch Album Top 100 | October 20, 1984 | 37 | 2 |
PERSONNEL
Apollonia — vocals, lead vocals on Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian, Sex Shooter and In A Spanish Villa
Brenda Bennett — vocals, lead vocals on Blue Limousine, A Million Miles (I Love You) and Some Kind Of Lover
Susan Moonsie — vocals, lead vocals on Ooo She She Wa Wa
Prince — all instruments except where noted (uncredited)
Susannah Melvoin — backing vocals on Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian and Blue Limousine
Brown Mark — backing vocals on Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian
Sheila E. — drums and percussion on A Million Miles (I Love You)
Lisa Coleman — keyboards on A Million Miles (I Love You), backing vocals on Some Kind Of Lover
Wendy Melvoin — guitar on A Million Miles (I Love You), acoustic guitar on In A Spanish Villa
Jill Jones — backing vocals on Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian, Blue Limousine and Ooo She She Wa Wa
PRODUCTION
Produced by Prince
Credited to The Starr Company and Apollonia 6
Engineered by Prince
Engineered by Peggy McCreary
Engineered by Susan Rogers
Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Length: 34:23
Recorded At: Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, Minnesota
Recorded At: Sunset Sound, Hollywood, California
Recorded At: Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
RELEASE VARIANTS TABLE
Artist | Title | Label | Country | Cat No. | Date | Format |
Apollonia 6 | Apollonia 6 | Warner Bros. Records | USA | Not Supplied | October 1, 1984 | LP |
Apollonia 6 | Apollonia 6 | Warner Bros. Records | UK | Not Supplied | October 5, 1984 | LP |
Apollonia 6 | Apollonia 6 | Warner Bros. Records | Various | Not Supplied | 1984 | Cassette |
Apollonia 6 | Apollonia 6 | Warner Bros. Records | Various | Not Supplied | CD Reissue | CD |
TRACKLIST TABLE (ALL FORMATS)
Format | Catalogue | Tracklisting |
LP / MC | Not Supplied | SIDE ONE (ELECTRIC SIDE): • Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian (7:06) • Sex Shooter (3:39) • Blue Limousine (6:19) SIDE TWO (ACOUSTIC SIDE): • A Million Miles (I Love You) (5:51) • Ooo She She Wa Wa (4:10) • Some Kind Of Lover (4:48) • In A Spanish Villa (2:12) |
CD | Not Supplied | TRACK LISTING: • Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian (7:06) • Sex Shooter (3:39) • Blue Limousine (6:19) • A Million Miles (I Love You) (5:51) • Ooo She She Wa Wa (4:10) • Some Kind Of Lover (4:48) • In A Spanish Villa (2:12) |
NOTES
• The only studio album released by Apollonia 6.
• Created following Vanity's departure from Prince's organisation in 1983.
• Effectively serves as the successor to Vanity 6.
• Released following the group's appearance in Purple Rain.
• Produced by Prince under the pseudonym The Starr Company.
• All seven album tracks were written or co-written by Prince.
• Prince played all instruments except where specifically noted.
• Sex Shooter originated during sessions intended for a second Vanity 6 album.
• Many songs originally recorded for a proposed Vanity 6 follow-up album were ultimately abandoned.
• Prince considered several additional songs during the album's development, including Take Me With U, Manic Monday and Velvet Kitty Cat.
• Tracks later issued by Sheila E., including The Glamorous Life, Shortberry Strawcake, Oliver's House and Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar, were potentially considered during the project's development.
• Two singles were released from the album: Sex Shooter and Blue Limousine.
• No concert tour was undertaken to support the release.
• Apollonia indicated that her long-term ambitions did not involve remaining with the group.
• A larger visual project was planned featuring videos for every album track.
• The short film Mr. Christian's Birthday was intended as the narrative centrepiece linking a series of promotional videos.
• Videos were filmed or planned for Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian, Sex Shooter, Blue Limousine and Ooo She She Wa Wa.
• The broader video project was ultimately abandoned before completion.
• The album reached No. 62 on the Billboard 200.
• The album reached No. 24 on Billboard's Soul LPs chart.
• The album also charted in the Netherlands, reaching No. 37.
• Despite modest chart performance, the album remains an important companion release to the Purple Rain era and one of the most significant Prince-associated side projects of the 1980s.
SOURCES Prince Vault, Discogs, sleevographia2.
All single artwork, photographs, labels, and original text excerpts remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference.
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