Album: The Flesh (1986)

1984: Untitled second Vanity 6 album ◄

Unreleased Albums (Prince)

Unreleased Albums (Related Artists)

► 1989: 24

The Flesh

Album details Intended Release Date: 1986 Label(s): Paisley Park Records Studio(s): Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA See also Under The Cherry Moon (Film)

The Flesh is an unreleased album by The Flesh (essentially made up of Prince and Eric Leeds, as a precursor to Madhouse, with other musicians on three of the four tracks). The tracks included were all jazz-funk instrumentals, and were mostly improvised during the sessions. Eric Leeds was featured prominently, and the plan was to not include mention of Prince’s input upon the album’s release (as was the case with the later Madhouse albums). None of the tracks from the album have been released, although 30 seconds of Junk Music can be heard in Under The Cherry Moon, in the scene where Christopher Tracy races against Mary Sharon on the horse race track. Sessions and compiling The were a couple of different tracking sessions at Sunset Sound - Studio 3 in Hollywood, California, that yielded material for The Flesh. First on 26 December 1985 Prince recorded A Couple Miles and Can I Play With U? (with Eric Leeds overdubbing a day later), sort of a precursor to the sessions that would follow. On 28 December 1985 there was the so called ‘Paisley Jam,’ an improvised session focused on instrumental jazz-funk yielding Slaughterhouse, U Just Can’t Stop, Run Amok, Mobile, Madrid, Breathless, High Calonic and 12 Keys. This was followed by a similar session on 30 December 1985, listed as ‘Jams’ , that yielded Most Strongest Whiskey, U Gotta Shake Something, Voodoo Who and Love 2 U (a.k.a ‘Damn’) A week later, on 5 January 1986, There was yet another such session, now titled ‘Everybody’s Jam’. This yielded Groove In C Minor, Slow Groove In G Major, Groove In G♭Minor, Groove On ‘4 Love’ In B♭, Groove On ‘4 Love’ In Gm♭, Junk Music, Up From Below, Y'All Want Some More? Conversation Piece was recorded separately on 12 January 1986, and became the final The Flesh track. Songs were edited and overdubbed, mostly by Eric Leeds in the days following the jam sessions and a 5-track album was compiled on 22 January 1986. However the idea of a release as or by The Flesh was abandoned shortly after, possibly because the Under The Cherry Moon film and other projects demanded Prince’s full attention. Three of the five tracks selected for the album were from the ‘Everybody’s Jam’ on 5 January 1986, and in fact all parts of the originally over an hour long Junk Music: Junk Music, Up From Below and Y'All Want Some More?. U Gotta Shake Something was from the ‘Jams’ session on 30 December 1985. And Conversation Piece was recorded separately 12 January 1986. More work was done on segueing, crossfading and sequencing on 6 and 7 May 1986 , although it is not know what changed from the album as compiled on 22 January 1986. Track listing Album Side 1: Junk Music (20:25) Side 2: U Gotta Shake Something (15:23) Up From Below (4:57) Conversation Piece (3:16) Y'All Want Some More? (1:36) All songs written by Prince (assumed) Personnel Musicians Prince - drums on Junk Music, Up From Below and Y'All Want Some More?; guitar and keyboards on U Gotta Shake Something and all instruments, except where noted, on Conversation Piece Eric Leeds - saxophone Sheila E. - percussion on Junk Music, Up From Below and Y'All Want Some More? and drums on U Gotta Shake Something Levi Seacer, Jr. - bass guitar on Junk Music, Up From Below and Y'All Want Some More? and U Gotta Shake Something Jonathan Melvoin - percussion on Junk Music, Up From Below and Y'All Want Some More? Lisa Coleman - piano on Junk Music, Up From Below and Y'All Want Some More? Wendy Melvoin - guitar on Junk Music, Up From Below and Y'All Want Some More? Production Prince - producer (assumed) Other production details unknown

Additional Information Trivia References The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004) Prince and the Parade/Sign O’ The Times Era Studio Sessions 1985 and 1986, Duane Tudahl (2021)

1984 Untitled second Vanity 6 album

Unreleased Albums (Prince)

Unreleased Albums (Related Artists)

1989 24