Apollonia 6

The sole album by pop/R&B trio Apollonia 6 began as the follow-up to Vanity 6’s 1982 debut. However, frontwoman Vanity left and was replaced with singer Apollonia. Like Vanity 6, this album is a minor gem, produced, written and instrumentally performed by Prince. It can be seen in some respects as a companion piece to his own contemporaneous Purple Rain. This is evident in the kaleidoscopic psych-funk-rock sound of many of the tracks here, like the excellent “Sex Shooter” and “Blue Limousine.” “Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian” is first-tier electro-pop of the era but marred by dated, indefensible Lolita-adjacent lyrics, and the surprising “Ooo She Wa Wa” is probably closer to the pulsing trance-rock of The Fall than any pop record from 1984.