THREE O'CLOCK - VERMILLION

I knew nothing about Three O'Clock when I picked up the cassette at a record store in Ogden, Utah...  What I did know is that the side of the cassette had the Paisley Park record label symbol.  And that was enough for me.

Up until that point, Prince had contributed at least one song per Paisley Park release and I bought this one along with Good Question expecting the same.  Imagine my surprise when I heard the Good Question record and couldn't find a trace of Prince influence anywhere...  

And then I listened to this one.  Again, an album without much Prince influence.  Although he isn't credited as the writer on the cassette liner notes, Prince did contribute 'Neon Telephone'.  That was obvious for a number of reasons.  The first being, it sounded like him...  Second, Wendy & Lisa sang background on the track and finally, the song is inspired by a scene from the film, "Under The Cherry Moon".  If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.

However...  Unlike Good Question with no Prince input, the Three O'Clock album is actually pretty good on it's own.  Granted, I wouldn't have purchased it if it wasn't on the Paisley Park label or contained the Prince song, but once I owned it and listened to it, I enjoyed it.  There are a couple of stand out tracks on this record.  From the opening swells of the instrumental segue 'Vermillion' to the soft lullaby quality of 'Through The Sleepy Town', the music has an early 80's alt rock sensibility.  Very similar to the first Bangles record. 

You could draw comparisons to the Beatles, but in my opinion, that's a less obvious choice.  They were part of a movement in L.A. called the Paisley Underground.  I only know this because I'm reading it on Wikipedia.  That's one musical movement in the 80's I had no concept of.  No clue it was going on.

Like most Paisley Park releases, the Three O'Clock album is now out of print so you won't find new copies of this disc in stores.  But it's still around on eBay and Amazon.  With exciting tracks like 'Love Explosion', 'Neon Telephone' and 'On Paper', you won't go wrong with this record.  I still think it's better suited for Prince fans, or collectors who are completing collections.  But it's not a bad listen for those who are casually moving through music.  Download it and give it a go.

My final words: ANOTHER UNDISCOVERED PAISLEY PARK GEM!

THREE O'CLOCK - VERMILLION
01. Vermillion
02. Love Explosion
03. To Be Where You Are
04. When She Becomes My Girl
05. World On Fire
06. Neon Telephone
07. On Paper
08. Ways Of Magic
09. Time's Going Slower
10. Love Has No Heart
11. Through The Sleepy Town