Glamorous Life

Sheila E. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 11, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002L64
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,965 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Belle of St. Mark

2. Shortberry Strawcake

3. Noon Rendezvous

4. Oliver's House

5. Next Time Wipe the Lipstick off Your Collar

6. The Glamorous Life

7. The Glamorous Life [Club Edit][*]

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: SHEILA E.
Title: GLAMOROUS LIFE
Street Release Date: 07/06/1987
Domestic
Genre: SOUL/R & B

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars She wants to lead... the glamorous life..., April 24, 2002

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glamorous Life (Audio CD)

If I were to list Sheila E.'s assets, it would be foremost as a drummer, then a singer. She could do long drum solos with a few words inbetween so the audience doesn't tune her out and that would be just fine. Not to say she isn't a good vocalist.

"The Belle Of St. Mark" is a fun and upbeat warmup exercise to what would be later heard in the title track. That is followed by the instrumental "Shortberry Strawcake" whose percussive and synthesizer backbeat would be used in "A Love Bizarre" with diluted results. Interspersed in the background are distorted and garbled voice trying to sound like a guitar, which does nothing to ruin this track.

"Oliver's House" clocks in at 6:20 and serves as a prelude to what the title track offers. Two ballads that give sparkle to this album are the lush and classy "Noon Rendezvous" and "Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar." Quite frankly, I don't know why she didn't maintain this sort of singing in Romance 1600. The second song shows her to be a girl with simple tastes, not minding hamburgers instead of a fancy place, dancing in the backyard instead of out on the town, but her sole request is the title of the song. Novi Novog, whose forlorn violin was a great touch on the "Purple Rain" song, returns here for "Collar." And guess who co-wrote this song? Why, none other than Brenda Bennett of Vanity 6 and later Apollonia 6.

And best for last, or best for penultimate, for the CD. The title track, a superlative exercise in pulsing percussive virtuosity and brass accompaniment, is present in its full, unadulterated near nine minutes. Larry Williams' sax works wonders here. From the lyrics beginning with "She's got big thoughts, big dreams," I've noticed what I think is Prince's vocals buried in the background. The myth is that Prince sang it first as a template and then had Sheila sing it. That's just a minor hand Prince had in this album, anyway. After all, the credits list the Starr Company as being the "director", as in Jamie Starr, one of many pseudonyms for Prince.

Also, the Club Mix, while a nice addition to the CD, does not compare to the original, but at least it's better than the tepid Eden's Crush remake.

A stunning debut whose potency was left unmatched by Romance 1600, Sheila E., and Sex Cymbale.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shelia's fun and funky debut, July 15, 2000

By 

Vincent M. Mastronardi (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glamorous Life (Audio CD)

Shelia gives a cool performance in the "Glamorous Life". It's a slightly funky off beat pop record with lots of fun beats and a very catchy rhythm. The tracks are all good in their own special way. The romantic tragedy of "The Belle Of St. Mark" is done very well with controlled percussion and instrumentation yet a lot of spirit in Shelia's voice. "Shortberry Strawcake" is hot instrumental begging for sexy lyrics. The screams the grooves are fun and catchy. Shelia wails here. "Noon Rendezvous" is a sweet and loving account of lust. The next two tracks are silly and make Shelia look like a second rate Vanity with even weaker dialogue. The ending is essentially perfect. A long percussion production of "The Glamorous Life" with Shelia playing her heart out and making some of the best dance, R&B around are caught on both cuts that are full and complete. You don't feel something's missing like you do when listening to the radio edits. The full version starts off with a jazzy sax while the Club Edit just lets the steam start off from the top.

In general, it's a great set, but you are left wanting more. Other than "The Glamorous Life" nothings truly essential on the set and for the most part it just wanders off on to unneeded pop junk like "Oliver's House". If you get the album only for the title track, you'll be very happy and have a few really nice extras. The song "The Glamorous Life" is one of the brightest moments in eighties pop. A must have for fans.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a classic in my book, January 15, 2003

By 

j_nice (Phila, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glamorous Life (Audio CD)

The 1st solo outing for Sheila & her 1st under the purple one's reign. The title cut is, of course, the proverbial 80s classic that drove it to #7 on the pop charts. It's the best song on the album & the ample time given for Sheila's precisioned & energetic percussive solos as well as the fantastic sax of Larry Williams makes it a real jam. The rest was actually NOT filler but worth listening to. "Oliver's House" & "Shortberry Strawcake" provide funk-filled jams showcasing their Prince-fused inspiration. Where "Noon Rendezvous" is slower but equally appealing. "Bell of St. Mark" was another hit but I must admit, I didn't feel that one much. I liked "Next Time Wipe the Lipstick..." because of it's "cute" lyrics. Her singing voice on this one is not her strongest asset but when combined with her exceptional musicianship makes for pop music ear candy. This one is a must-have for Sheila E & Prince fans alike.