Vanity 6 (album)

Vanity 6 is the 1982 debut and only studio album by American vocal girl group Vanity 6 released on Warner Bros. Records. The group had been created by Prince as an outlet for his prolific song writing. All three women in the group (Vanity, Brenda Bennett, Susan Moonsie) shared lead and background vocals. As was typical for Prince's side projects, he obscured his virtually complete responsibility for the production, songwriting, and instrumental performances by arbitrarily attributing the credits to other members of his musical stable or the fictional "The Starr Company". "If a Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)" was co-written with The Time member Terry Lewis and "Bite the Beat" was co-written with Jesse Johnson.

Vanity 6
Studio album by
Vanity 6
ReleasedAugust 11, 1982
RecordedMid-1981; March–April 1982
StudioKiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, Minnesota
Sunset Sound, Hollywood
GenreR&B[1]
Length31:12
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerPrince (as The Starr ★ Company)
Singles from Vanity 6
  1. "He's So Dull"
    Released: June 16, 1982
  2. "Nasty Girl"
    Released: September 24, 1982[2]
  3. "Drive Me Wild"
    Released: December 2, 1982
  4. "Bite the Beat"
    Released: February 10, 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Robert ChristgauB+[4]

"He's So Dull" was written by Dez Dickerson and can be heard briefly in the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation.[5] The "other woman" rap on the song "If a Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)" is performed by Prince in an effected voice whose resemblance to that of The Time's lead singer Morris Day has sometimes led to Day being misidentified as the performer.[5]

The album was originally released on August 11, 1982[6] by Warner Bros. Records on LP and cassette. A compact disc was issued in September 1988. All three formats are now out of print. Vinyl copies of the album were pressed with "Side 1" and "Side 6" on the label. Reviewing the album in The Village Voice, Robert Christgau wrote, "All eight of these dumb, dancy little synth tunes get me off when I let my guard down, and most of them are funny, hooky, and raunchy at the same time."[7] The album was later certified gold by the RIAA in 1983 a year after its release due in large part to the smash success of Prince's 1999. This would be the only album released by Vanity 6.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Prince, except where noted

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Nasty Girl" 5:10
2."Wet Dream" 4:12
3."Drive Me Wild" 2:31
4."He's So Dull"Dez Dickerson2:32
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."If a Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)"
5:34
6."Make-Up" 2:40
7."Bite the Beat"
3:12
8."3 x 2 = 6" 5:24

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1982) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[8] 45
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 6

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Howard, Jacinta (August 12, 2019). "The Story of Vanity 6's Only Album". Ultimate Price. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  2. Single: Nasty Girl
  3. Allmusic review
  4. Robert Christgau review
  5. Dance Music Sex Romance - Prince: The First Decade, Per Nilsen - pg. 127
  6. Dance Music Sex Romance - Prince: The First Decade, Per Nilsen - pg. 124
  7. RobertChristgau.com
  8. "Vanity". AllMusic. 1959-01-04. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  9. "American album certifications – Vanity 6 – Vanity 6". Recording Industry Association of America.
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