Artist Name
Madhouse
web link web link
heart icon off (0 users)
Logo
transparent

Artist Image
Transparent Block

Functions

transparent
Data Complete
percent bar 10%

Album Releases refreshview
album thumb
24 (1994)
album thumb
24 (1988)
album thumb
8 (1987)
album thumb
16 (New Directions In Gar (1987)
album thumb
8 (1987)
album thumb
16 (1987)


Members
1

Origin
flag ---

Genre
---

Style
---

Mood
---

Active
calendar icon 0 to Present...

Cutout
transparent
heart icon Most Loved Tracks
No loved tracks found...

youtube icon Music Video Links
youtube thumb
Thirteen
youtube thumb
Ten



Artist Biography
Available in: gb icon
Madhouse is a jazz fusion band from Minneapolis that was created by Prince. Two Madhouse albums (and several singles) were officially released in 1987.

Prince had considered the idea of an instrumental jazz–funk album ever since he recorded his first tracks with Eric Leeds for his 1985 side-project, The Family. In late 1985–early 1986, he recorded hours of instrumental music with Leeds and other musicians from his band, Sheila E. and musicians from her own band, as well as members from Wendy & Lisa's families. From these sessions, Prince compiled an album called The Flesh, supposed to be released by an eponymous pseudo-band, but the project was abandoned and its concept lightly modified to become Madhouse.

All instruments on 8, the first Madhouse album, were performed by Prince except for the saxophone and flute parts which were performed by Leeds. The album consists of instrumental jazz-fusion tracks. A remix of the track "Six" was released alongside the B-side "Six & 1/2", composed by Leeds and featuring Atlanta Bliss on trumpet.

16, the second Madhouse album, featured contributions by Leeds on saxophone and flute, Sheila E. on drums and Levi Seacer, Jr. on bass guitar (the three of them co-composed a few tracks besides playing on the album.) "Doctor" Matt Fink (keyboards) and John Lewis (drums) are also credited in the album's booklet but their participation to the recording is more than uncertain (though both were part of the short-lived live-version of the band.) 16 features more aggressive and minimalist jazz funk tracks than its predecessor. Two singles were released, "Ten" and "Thirteen", with the title tracks remixed and two B-sides.

The title of each song on each album is also its numerical designation on the record (e.g., the third song on the first album is titled, “Three”). Cover art for both albums featured Maneca Lightner playing with a small dog, reminiscent of a 1940s pinup photograph. The videos from 16 were more 1940s gangster-themed. The cover of 16 features the subtitle "new directions in garage music", which is a homage to Miles Davis' Directions in Music series (in 2002–2003, Prince would dub a jazz album series of his own: New Directions In Music) The only vocals on either album consisted mainly of choice snippets of audio lifted from the first two Godfather films and samples of Vanity simulating an orgasm (from the Vanity 6 outtake "Vibrator", later used on Prince's own song "Orgasm" from Come.) There is also a short unreleased movie, featuring Madhouse, named "Hard Life". Also from 1987.

In 1987, Madhouse served as an opening act for Prince's headlining tours, with each of the musicians heavily disguised in baggy cloaks and sunglasses, to be removed for the final set. Prince himself often guested with Madhouse, incognito.

At least two other Madhouse albums were later recorded and remain unreleased to this day, both of them being named "24". The first one was recorded in 1988, mostly by Prince and Eric Leeds. Only one track eventually emerged, severely edited, on Leeds' 1991 solo-album Times Squared and only bootlegged copies of the whole album are available. This album was more "electronic" than the first two, with a lot of drum programming, samples and keyboards. "21" through "24", also known as "The Dopamine Rush Suite", featured vocals as well.

The second one was recorded in 1993 with a line-up consisting of Prince (keyboards), Leeds (saxophone), Levi Seacer, Jr. (guitar), Sonny T. (bass) and Michael B. (drums). Only two tracks were officially released, "17 (Penetration)" (as "17" on the 1-800-NEW-FUNK 1994 compilation) and on the cd-single "Standing At The Altar", the other one "Asswoop" (or "Asswhuppin' in a Trunk") in 2001, via Prince's website. There was also a confidential release on a promo cassette called the NPG Sampler Experience", which contains excerpts from three tracks from this album: "Asswoop", "Ethereal Seque", and "Parlour Games". The "NPG Sampler Experience" was handed out during the Gold Tour in 1995. The whole album has been circulating on bootlegs too and it features more sophisticated arrangements than the first three albums.
wiki icon

Wide Thumb
transparent

Clearart
transparent

Fanart
transparent icontransparent icon
transparent icontransparent icon

Banner
transparent icon

User Comments

transparent iconNo comments yet..


Status
unlocked icon Unlocked
Last Edit by Wolf2511
31st Jul 2017

Socials


Streaming
website icon unlocked iconwebsite icon unlocked icon

External Links
fanart.tv icon musicbrainz icon last.fm icon website icon unlocked iconamazon icon