André Cymone: "Dance Electric"

[Videoskooter]

Now, where did I say that Cymone was a genius or a tremendous talent? The thread started with a clip of an awesome piece of dancemusic.

"Dance Electric" and "Lipstick Lover" charted here BIG, on the official Top 40. Both records are still played in clubs over here. Johnson never had 1 hit in our country. Some people know his name but just as a member of The Time! So that's the first answer.

Now, the 2nd coming, if you read my posts clearly then you notice that I rate JJ high as a musician and that I do like much of his work. I have the Jesse Johnson Revue and the later albums. I also have the 1st AC album. I never said that it was a milestone in music history.

I don't know who you are (the Najee that played with Prince on the Hit 'n Run Tour?) but I'm pretty well known in purple space. I met Jesse Johnson personally and I spoke to a lot of Prince employees and musicians (Sheila E., Dr. Fink, Candy Dulfer, Brown Mark, Levi Seacer, Greg Boyer, Monte Moir) I met the master himself in a club but didn't have the honour to speak with him, so the fact that I live in Belgium is no obstacle to meet stars you know. I travel, they travel.

It's a well known fact that BITD when Johnson went solo he was not very much on speaking terms with his former boss/friend and that he was not very friendly in his comments on him. A lot and I mean a LOT of people saw JJ as a would-be Prince. Cymone was already long forgotten (there I gave you credit). I tried to promote JJ but people only said: well, it's not Prince, it's like The Time but we heard better ones.

So no, he didn't make an impact in the lowlands.

In fact the only reason why I opened the topic initially was to say: hey, that was a floorkiller and it still is over here. Put on the "Dance Electric" and even young kids go with that vibe. It's incredibly powerful and people really don't give a damn who's behind it!

BTW, who wrote what and who did what during the puple wave? Remember The Time's excellent "Pandemonium" album? Well I adore it, only the songs weren't new, coz' I had them in slight different takes on Prince-bootlegs, where he sang 'em. We'll probably never know who came up with the ideas initially.

Those people were constantly jammin' and tapin' and then it's awfully difficult to give the right credits to the right person. "We can funk" was rather weak on "Graffiti Bridge", I have the original take on the "Chocolate Box" album! Listen to it and you will ask: damn, why didn't he choose that version! Just to comment on the vocal stuff of DE and AC! But then again....it's about the music and nothing but the music!

[Najee]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

Now, where did I say that Cymone was a genius or a tremendous talent? The thread started with a clip of an awesome piece of dancemusic.

My issue is with your confounding statement of calling Jesse Johnson a Prince clone while somehow coming to the conclusion that André Cymone wasn't, despite Cymone not only singing a song given to him by Prince but he actually resembled Prince. The comment about Johnson was unwarranted.

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

"Dance Electric" and "Lipstick Lover" charted here BIG, on the official Top 40. Both records are still played in clubs over here."

Charting in the Top 40 of a chart suggests to me that Cymone had a couple of marginal hit songs. It's certainly not going to get you inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

It's obviously an example of how certain parts of the world have different musical appetites than what's going on in the United States. Both "The Dance Electric" and "Lipstick Lover" have been out of print here for nearly two decades, and "Lipstick Lover" wasn't even remotely a hit song in the United States.

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

Johnson never had 1 hit in our country. Some people know his name but just as a member of The Time! So that's the first answer.

Like I said, I don't know how musical tastes run in Belgium but I would like to know what makes Cymone's songs more appealing than Johnson's. Johnson's music was far more accessible and mainstream than what Cymone produced, and I can't imagine a rather trite song like "Lipstick Lover" being considered superior to stuff like "Be Your Man," "Can You Help Me" or "Lovestruck."

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

Now, the 2nd coming, if you read my posts clearly then you notice that I rate JJ high as a musician and that I do like much of his work. I have the Jesse Johnson Revue and the later albums. I also have the 1st AC album. I never said that it was a milestone in music history.

So that must be why you introduced Johnson into thread by making a backhanded personal comment about him in some effort to defend Cymone. With "complements" like those, I'm sure Johnson is singing The O'Jays' "Backstabbers."

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

I don't know who you are (the Najee that played with Prince on the Hit 'n Run Tour?) but I'm pretty well known in purple space."

Oh, really? Should I be impressed, that you proclaimed yourself as some herald to Prince?

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

I met Jesse Johnson personally and I spoke to a lot of Prince employees and musicians (Sheila E., Dr. Fink, Candy Dulfer, Brown Mark, Levi Seacer, Greg Boyer, Monte Moir) I met the master himself in a club but didn't have the honour to speak with him, so the fact that I live in Belgium is no obstacle to meet stars you know. I travel, they travel.

Again, should I be impressed? Really, how relevant is this to the conversation?

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

It's a well known fact that BITD when Johnson went solo he was not very much on speaking terms with his former boss/friend and that he was not very friendly in his comments on him.

So what? Neither were Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for awhile. Neither was Morris Day. Neither was Cymone, all for various reasons.

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

A lot and I mean a LOT of people saw JJ as a would-be Prince."

Of course, because Johnson was a part of Prince's most popular discovery at the time. That alone gave reason to make comparisons. Factor in that Johnson also was a guitarist and some of the other superficial, physical comparison between Prince and his other discoveries, of course there would be some inevitable comparisons. Name some other principal in the Prince camp who WASN'T compared with him. Hell, Cymone acted and tried to look like Prince!

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

Cymone was already long forgotten (there I gave you credit). I tried to promote JJ but people only said: well, it's not Prince, it's like The Time but we heard better ones.

Again, I can't account for people's taste in a country about which I know nothing. But it also seems that people like "The Dance Electric" in no small part because it's unequivocably a Prince song with someone else doing an imitation of His Royal Badness.

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

In fact the only reason why I opened the topic initially was to say: hey, that was a floorkiller and it still is over here. Put on the "Dance Electric" and even young kids go with that vibe. It's incredibly powerful and people really don't give a damn who's behind it!

Good, because in the United States most people don't even remember "The Dance Electric" because it's been out of print for so long and it wasn't exactly a "floorkiller" here. In fact, if played to someone never heard it the reaction is almost invariably, "Prince has a new record out?" Like I said, I can't account for taste but Johnson's records IMO were superior to and far more successful than Cymone's stuff here.

[Videoskooter]

You know what, I just think you're a die-hard Johnson lover and YOU WIN!

OKAY! Why should I have to explain why a Cymone-record was more popular in Belgium than one by Johnson?

Are you Jesse Johnson? Great, nice to meet you again! Have a great life!

You win! You win! You win! Johnson is great!

But they are all Prince-clones! Nothing compares 2 him!

[neonlights]

Regardless of who copied who, and how much etc... I just have to say that Andre's "Living In The New Wave" LP is one of my favourites, and totally underrated to boot... (just my two cents )

[Najee]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

You know what, I just think you're a die-hard Johnson lover and YOU WIN!

OKAY! Why should I have to explain why a Cymone-record was more popular in Belgium than one by Johnson?

Are you Jesse Johnson? Great, nice to meet you again! Have a great life!

No, the reality is that you can't defend your unfounded comments and have run out of things to say. So instead you try to be dismissive.

[Videoskooter]

Charting in the Top 40 of a chart suggests to me that Cymone had a couple of marginal hit songs. It's certainly not going to get you inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Your question was if Cymone's record was popular over here. Yes it was! Johnson never made any impact whatsoever. Sorry to confront you with our "bad taste"! I repeat, JJ is NOT KNOWN over here. That means he didn't even had marginal hits here! And coming up with the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame is childish. I never said Cymone was a legend.

It's obviously an example of how certain parts of the world have different musical appetites than what's going on in the United States. Both "The Dance Electric" and "Lipstick Lover" have been out of print here for nearly two decades, and "Lipstick Lover" wasn't even remotely a hit song in the United States.

You don't rate DE high, we all have understood that by now. For your concern: go into a shop here and ask for DE, they'll know the song and they will try to get it for ya. Ask for Johnson and they will ask you: Jesse Who? Sorry again, those are the facts! For Belgium that is, which was your initial question.

Like I said, I don't know how musical tastes run in Belgium but I would like to know what makes Cymone's songs more appealing than Johnson's. Johnson's music was far more accessible and mainstream than what Cymone produced, and I can't imagine a rather trite song like "Lipstick Lover" being considered superior to stuff like "Be Your Man," "Can You Help Me" or "Lovestruck."

Could all very well be. You mention Belgium again and the fact that JJ's music was superior. Quite possible! Not over here! I know you will not accept it but those are the facts. Johnson's music was not successful here!

So that must be why you introduced Johnson into thread by making a backhanded personal comment about him in some effort to defend Cymone. With "complements" like those, I'm sure Johnson is singing The O'Jays' "Backstabbers."

As far as I'm concerned he can sing every song he wants. It's a free world. Backstabbin' is something that you do to a friend. Johnson ain't no personal friend of mine so I doubt that he ill be hurt by this or in fact that the guy gives a damn about these posts.


Oh, really? Should I be impressed, that you proclaimed yourself as some herald to Prince?

Here you are DISMISSIVE. I never said I was a herald of Prince. I said that I spoke too many people around him and that they said this about Johnson. I don't record my life so no I can not put a video of it online. Read press articles from those days and you will see that it was the perception BITD.

Again, should I be impressed? Really, how relevant is this to the conversation?

I have many aims in life, but impressing you is not 1 of them. Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!

Of course, because Johnson was a part of Prince's most popular discovery at the time. That alone gave reason to make comparisons. Factor in that Johnson also was a guitarist and some of the other superficial, physical comparison between Prince and his other discoveries, of course there would be some inevitable comparisons. Name some other principal in the Prince camp who WASN'T compared with him. Hell, Cymone acted and tried to look like Prince!

Could very well be! But he scored here and JJ didn't. So in the eyes of the Belgian public, he could be considered as the "better Prince-clone". No?


Again, I can't account for people's taste in a country about which I know nothing. But it also seems that people like "The Dance Electric" in no small part because it's unequivocably a Prince song with someone else doing an imitation of His Royal Badness.

So what? They liked it here and they don't need to bargain with you about it!


Good, because in the United States most people don't even remember "The Dance Electric" because it's been out of print for so long and it wasn't exactly a "floorkiller" here. In fact, if played to someone never heard it the reaction is almost invariably, "Prince has a new record out?" Like I said, I can't account for taste but Johnson's records IMO were superior to and far more successful than Cymone's stuff here.[/quote]

That's your opinion and you are entitled to it! Great for Jesse, and I hope they keep playing his songs in the years to come. I like 'em too, otherwise I wouldn't have bought the albums back then.

What Time Is It? Time to put this thread into the skillet! A GREAT song on this GREAT album BTW

[Najee]

No, you made a bad assumption I did not like "The Dance Electric." In fact, it's quite the opposite. What I take issue with is you making swipes at another artist for the sake of elevating another artist, and what makes it laughable is that comments you're using to deride Jesse Johnson apply more to André Cymone than they do to Johnson.