WENDY AND LISA - HONEYMOON EXPRESS

Ok, Ok, let's be honest...  Did I need this CD?  No.  So why did I buy it?  Simple...  Because it's a promotional copy of a single Wendy & Lisa had previously only released in vinyl.  I happen to love this song.  In fact, I love the entire album, but this song is easily one of my favorite.  It's just wonderful.  This record was the one Wendy & Lisa officially broke away from Prince and went on their own.  No more Revolution... Just two girls out to take on the world.

What strikes me the most about this song and the album it comes from is the sound.  Prince was moving away from his domineering funk sound when Wendy & Lisa began to influence his music.  In fact, they're largely responsible for the direction he took from about 1984 to 1986.  Albums for artists like The Family and Madhouse showcased this directional change.  It was obvious to music lovers who paid attention to what was happening, but for the general public; most just figured Prince was a wierdo with strange tastes in sound.  But the reality was something more like Lisa and Wendy exposing him to new genres of music.  Stuff he'd have written off before giving a chance.  I think we're all like that in a way.  Our tastes usually grow because people close to us expose us to new forms of music.  And that's exactly what I think happened with them.  I think they showed him cool jazz and introduced a European flare to his writing he didn't have before.

That sound continues on Wendy And Lisa's first album and is obviously lacking on Prince's next record.  There are hints of it on the lingering tracks Wendy And Lisa worked on, but Prince moved back into his deeper funk sound.  Whatever you think of any of them, this little bit of music history has a lucky spot in my collection and I'm pleased as punch to have it.  My final word:  ECSTATIC!

WENDY AND LISA - HONEYMOON EXPRESS
01. Honeymoon Express