He likes 'em pretty, he likes 'em in their lingerie

Any Prince fan, or even those with a passing interest, is likely to be familiar with the oft-quoted tale that in the vaults of Paisley Park (or wherever he now resides) there lays reel upon reel of unreleased material from the funky one. Unused albums, live jams, studio jams, discarded half-songs, entire soundtracks, the list is endless and probably true, and enough to have you salivating at the mere prospect of a peek inside.

Until that moment of Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory-esque access is granted however (golden ticket in a new Prince release anyone?) we have to satisfy ourselves with glimpses afforded by other routes. And one easy starting point is the multitude of artists, acolytes and protégés who have swum in Prince’s circle over the years. For within the output of many of these fleeting or established stars and starlets lay some of Prince’s finest work, either as songwriter, composer, producer, backing musician, collaborator, or any combination of the above.

And for your humble Story To Tell scribe, the list of possible subjects for appraisal is like a veritable gift from the Gods (or the purple demi-God if you want to be precise). From Sheila E through Wendy & Lisa to The Time, and from “Nothing Compares 2 U” to “Manic Monday”, the source material goes on and on, and indeed shall be explored all in good time my friends. But for today let us stop the merry-go-round at one of the finest examples of the filtered Prince sound, taken from a golden period in his creativity between “1999” and “Purple Rain”. The group is Apollonia 6 and the tune in question is “Blue Limousine” taken from the equally impressive “Apollonia 6” long-player from 1984.

Indeed pick almost any tune from the album and what I say below might apply equally well, although this cut is a particularly great one (though you may be more familiar with “Sex Shooter”, a bigger chart hit that the group actually performed in the movie “Purple Rain”).

Apollonia 6 are an interesting proposition of themselves, salvaged from the disbanded Vanity 6 when Prince’s former girlfriend Vanity (real name ) left the band bearing her stage name, to be replaced by new flavour of the month Apollonia (Patricia Kotero). I told you it was a crazy, mixed-up scene back of house at the Paisley Park! Indeed Vanity 6, and Vanity herself, are a whole different story altogether. For it was the newly named and newly formed Apollonia 6 who got the fruits of Prince’s labours on this occasion, with “Blue Limousine” the cherry at the very top of the pile. Complicated further by the fact that lead vocals on this cut are by backing singer Brenda Bennett, and still further y the fact that vocal duties throughout the album itself are often taken by Wendy & Lisa, and other protégé, the amazing Jill Jones.

None of this really matters here though, because it is the music itself that takes precedence. And on “Blue Limousine” the full purple works are on display, to the extent that it is almost impossible to distinguish it from other of his output at the time. But that would be to do a disservice to the record itself as it stands of itself. While prince would undoubtedly have done a great job had he chosen to perform it, the fact is he didn’t, and the recording stands alone as a truly great song and performance regardless. The vocals are that slightly breathy and strained style Prince himself displayed on cuts such as “I Would Die For U”, and the drums are pure Linn and distinctive.

The lyrics are bubblegum sounding, yet somehow deep and intense and full of sex and pure funk. The bassline is insane. But it is the backstory that intrigues. “Blue Limousine” was offered to the group after the original song they were offered - none other than “Take Me With You”, a duet with Apollonia - was withdrawn and saved for Prince himself on “Purple Rain”. Another cut they recorded yet had snatched away was the future huge hit “Manic Monday”, while Sheila E’s “This Glamorous Life” another monster cut when released, was yet another originally intended for Apollonia 6. Even the B-Side to “When Doves Cry”, the impossibly brilliant “17 days” was intended for them. What is left is still a strong album, but just imagine the commercial potential if original plans had been followed, a thought I’m sure the group themselves had on a number of occasions at the time and since. For whatever reason Prince lost interest in them at some stage prior to recording and release of the self-titled album.

What remains however is still a monster, and an example of the greatness amongst Prince’s many side projects and whimsies. And you have to give the man credit, after all in Apollonia 6 he allowed us to share with him the fact that “he likes 'em pretty, he likes 'em in their lingerie”. Just check out their image for proof.