Sheila E. (August 26, 1985) – Romance 1600 Album
- GlamSlamEscape
- Aug 26, 1985
- 4 min read
Romance 1600 (full title Sheila E. In Romance 1600) is the second album by Sheila E., following her debut The Glamorous Life. Although the credits state that all tracks were produced, written, and arranged by Sheila E. (with A Love Bizarre giving Prince co‑credit), seven of the eight tracks were in fact produced, written, and arranged by Prince, with Sheila E. contributing additional input.
Only Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer contained no writing input from Prince, although he played keyboards on the track.
This album is the first Sheila E. album — and the third album overall after Around The World In A Day and The Family — to be released on Paisley Park Records.
The album, originally titled Toy Box, was recorded in three sets of sessions during breaks from the Purple Rain Tour. Dear Michaelangelo, Bedtime Story, Toy Box, Sister Fate, and A Love Bizarre were recorded in early January 1985. Romance 1600 and Yellow were recorded in early February 1985. A track titled Fish Fries, recorded in early January 1985, was likely intended for the album but not included.
An early compilation was assembled at Sunset Sound (Studio 3) on 5 February 1985, before Yellow had been recorded.
Four singles were released: Sister Fate, Bedtime Story, and two separate releases of A Love Bizarre (one including a medley of The Glamorous Life, Sister Fate, and A Love Bizarre). The album reached number 50 on the Billboard Pop Album Chart and number 12 on the Billboard Soul LP’s Chart.
Track Listing (LP Format)
Side one
• Sister Fate — Prince — 3:50
• Dear Michaelangelo — Prince — 4:38
• A Love Bizarre — Prince, Sheila E. — 12:18
Side two
• Toy Box — Prince — 5:32
• Yellow — Prince — 2:11
• Romance 1600 — Prince — 3:56
• Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer — Sheila E. — 2:47
• Bedtime Story — Prince — 3:45
Album Details
Released: 26 August 1985
Recorded: Studios: Master Sound Studios (Atlanta, GA); Cheshire Sound Studios (Atlanta, GA); Sunset Sound (Hollywood, CA); Le Mobile @ The Summit (Houston, TX); 5th Floor Recording Studio (Cincinnati, OH)
Length: 36:13
Labels: Paisley Park / Warner Bros.
Producer: Prince (credited to Sheila E.)
Tape Cassette Release (MC)
All songs written by Prince, except where indicated.
Side 1
• Sister Fate — 3:50
• Dear Michaelangelo — 4:38
• A Love Bizarre — 12:18
Side 2
• Toy Box — 5:32
• Yellow — 2:11
• Romance 1600 — 3:56
• Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer — 2:47
• Bedtime Story — 3:45
Charts
America
| Chart | Peak Position | Weeks in Chart | | USA: Billboard Top Black Albums | 12 | 33 |
Europe
| Chart | Peak Position | Weeks in Chart |
| Germany: Deutsche Charts LP’s | 36 | 10 |
| Netherlands: Dutch Album Top 100 | 33 | 11 |
CD Release (1985)
• Sister Fate — 3:50
• Dear Michaelangelo — 4:38
• A Love Bizarre — 12:18
• Toy Box — 5:32
• Yellow — 2:11
• Romance 1600 — 3:56
• Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer — 2:47
• Bedtime Story — 3:45
UK release:
US release:
Personnel (Full Track‑Specific Credits)
Sheila E.
• lead vocals
• bass, bongos, congas, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion (official credits; much played uncredited by Prince)
Prince
• all instruments (uncredited)
• backing vocals • bass/guitar on A Love Bizarre
• bass/guitar on Toy Box
• backing vocals on Dear Michaelangelo (uncredited)
• backing vocals on Yellow
• keyboards on Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer (uncredited)
Eddie M.
• saxophone on Sister Fate, Dear Michaelangelo, A Love Bizarre, Toy Box, Romance 1600, Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer, Bedtime Story
• backing vocals on A Love Bizarre.
Yellow horn section
• John — horns
• Steve — horns
• Ron — horns
• Dick — horns
• Robert — horns
• Tim — horns
• Ken Grey — organ on Sister Fate
• Susie Davis — backing vocals on Dear Michaelangelo, Romance 1600; keyboards on Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer
• Stephan Birnbaum — guitar on Dear Michaelangelo, Bedtime Story
• Michael Weaver — backing vocals on Toy Box
• Karl Perazzo — bongos on Romance 1600; drums/bongos on Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer
• Benny Rietveld — backing vocals on Romance 1600; bass on Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer
• Juan Escovedo — percussion on A Love Bizarre, Bedtime Story
Technical
• Prince — producer, arranger (credited to Sheila E.)
• David Tickle — engineer • Peggy McCreary — engineer
• Susan Rogers — engineer
• Bernie Grundman — mastering • Sal — first assistant engineer
• Coke Johnson — first assistant engineer
• Cavallo, Ruffalo & Fargnoli — management
• Karen — second assistant director
• Nikki — second assistant director
• Laura LiPuma — artwork
• Margo Chase — logo design
• Sheila E. — costume design
• Marie France — costume design
• Constance Guzman — first assistant director
• Gareth Green — hair/make‑up
• James Hajdukiewicz — hair/make‑up
• Philip Carreon — hair/make‑up
• Jennifer Walton — wardrobe stylist
• Rebecca Blake — photography
• Stuart Watson — additional photography
Certifications
RIAA, USA 28 Jan. 1986 Gold (500,000)
Contemporary Press Reports
Archival newspaper and magazine coverage from the original release period.
Singles from Romance 1600
SOURCES Discogs, 45 World, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts, Prince Vault, Sleeveographia2 All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
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