Vanity 6 - Vanity 6 (8 tracks) +Album Reviews

Hilarious!

Brian Davis | Atlanta, GA | 11/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had the pleasure of running across Vanity 6's album. It's very entertaining. I'm only 17 years old, soon to be 18, so I know I'm a little young to remember this song. But my older sister is a huge Prince fan so I learned about them through her. The single "Nasty Girl" has always intrigued me, even at a young age and I've always wanted to hear their whole album.It's funny, because I've been looking for the album a very long time. But it's long since out of print, which is unfortunate. Because a lot of these cookie-cutter artists could definitely pull a page and take a lesson from Vanity 6. Their intoxicatingly pop-trash hooks are an instant hit and their pornographic, bad-girl lyrics are a killer; very scandalous and controversial for the early 80's. But Prince is always good for giving his listeners a good scare or two."Nasty Girl," the obvious hit is probably at the top of the list for this album, but there are other stand-out tracks like "If A Girl Answers (Don't Hang up)" which is less of vocals and more of an extended interlude, where Vanity and Brenda back-talk to a boyfriend's other woman (vocals done by Prince -- so you know it's hilarious). Other great tracks include the bass-filled "Make-Up" and "Drive Me Wild." The typical 80's-esque tracks are nice too, cute hooks and more smut-laced lyrics, like "Wet Dream," and "He's So Dull."I was also lucky to come across an unreleased track by Vanity 6 called "Vibrator." Yup, you guessed it. It's a track about the pleasures of a vibrator over an "obselete" male with no stamina. Complete with vibrating sounds and a studio-moaned orgasm! Fabulous."

Very Fun at The Time and Now As Well

IJustDiedAlive | Northern CA, USA | 01/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These ladies were just having fun back then. Yeah the lyrics are a bit over the top but the music is pretty cool. I still hear Nasty Girl on the radio these days. Vanity, Susan, and Brenda were talented enough to still get attention after 25 years so lets lay off on some of the nasty criticism. Just have fun with it. Don't forget if a girl answers don't hang up!!"

Flashbacks to Freshman Year

Elizabeth Scully | Boston | 08/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Oh my god. This album -- unbelievably hilarious. My friends and I used to listen to this in 9th grade, reciting in staccato bravado "If A Girl Answers, Don't Hang Up" -- and I just downloaded this song, honestly haven't heard it in probably 20 years, and it is even BETTER and more HYSTERICAL than it was in 9th grade...And -- I can't believe I never noticed this, but I think it is Prince acting as the other woman when the girls call "Jimmy's" house to get a ride to the party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF?????? and THAT makes it SCREAMINGLY funny. 20 years later, close to my 40s, and I still get a kick out of this. That is why they call them "classics" - timeless in their appeal. Can anyone confirm if it is Prince?"

Interesting but not worth $75 and up.....

Sylas Lapham | Lansing, MI | 04/19/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this album on CD in a Wherehouse records about 15 years ago. Pretty much because I was a fan of Prince, particularly of the early to mid 80's period. I had no idea at that time that this would become so collectable one day (I've seen this sold for $75 and up and a website once offered me $50 for my copy). Aside from the "collectible" part of it, this CD is pretty average as far as the music on it. Don't get me wrong--- if you like 1999 era Prince, you'll love this. It ties in very well with 1999 and "What Time Is It" by The Time. BUT this is in no way as classic as anything on 1999. "He's So Dull" is a damn good pop song. "Nasty Girl" is top notch as well. I personally have always liked the melody of "Wet Dream"...but for the most part, this is pretty much comprised of second rate songs that Prince would have never used on one of his own albums. Highlight: Prince portraying a woman arguing with Vanity over a boyfriend on "If A Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)". The song itself isn't all that great, but it's pretty amusing. I heard a bootleg of an unreleased Vanity 6 song called "Vibrater" once upon a time with Prince as a sales clerk which was also very funny. Overall this album isn't a classic, but it is a lot of fun. You generally get the feeling Prince was enjoying himself while making this. NOTE: This album, despite it's faults, is MUCH MUCH MUCH better than the Apollonia 6 album, where Prince apparently lost all interest in the album half-way through recording it, took away their best songs and left them with nothing but "Sex Shooter" and a lot of filler that wouldn't have even made it on to this album. It's a drag that this isn't in print....but at the same time I kind of hope the value keeps going up because one day I might be able to put my kids through college by selling it if the value keeps going up. If this helps anyone, I know there was a Canadian reissue in print a while ago (IF it still is, I have no idea). Do some searching, you might be able to track it down."

Controversy Music

Sylas Lapham | 09/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the early 80s Prince put together a girl group. This album was their only full-length release. Originally named "Vag*na" by Prince, Denise Matthews asked for her stage name to be changed, and thus she was rechristened "Vanity." With the addition of Branda Bennett & Susan Moonsie, the group itself went through a name change as well - from "The Hookers" to "Vanity 6." This one album of theirs still holds up today as some of the best product released from Prince's purple kingdom during his heydey. There is absolutely nothing deep & meaningful here... this record is 100% campy trash. The music (performed by another Price off-shoot, The Time) spans R&B, funk, rock and new-wave. All three ladies share lead "vocal" duties throughout the course of the album. "Nasty Girl," a club smash and almost-Hot-100 hit, can still be heard at clubs and in mix-shows today. Of course, it's hard to go wrong with such brilliant lyrics as "I need seven inches or more/get it up, get it up/I can't wait anymore.""If a Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)" is another stand out track - a hysterical rap performed by Vanity, who calls her boyfriend, only to have a girl answer the phone (played by Prince). Brenda then grabs the receiver from Vanity and lays into the "other woman" with an equally dirty, you-go-girl sassy throwdown.The rest of the tracks are not horrible by any means - that is, if you take the recordings for what they are. These are smutty party anthems and their purpose is to entertain. I still have my vinyl copy from the 80s and I pull it out occassionally to listen. Alas, all good things come to an end, and for this group, the end came quickly. Vanity left to persue a solo career and later reclaimed her birth name, became a born again Christian and now rejects everything she did as Vanity. Her replacement in this group was Appollonia, thus leading to "Appollonia 6," a far inferior group and album than this.Both the Vanity and Appollonia 6's recordings are long out-of-print, so if you're lucky enough to get your hands on a copy, buy it!"

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