Madhouse

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Madhouse

Band details Assembled: 1986 Disbanded: 1995 Activity with Prince: 1986 - 1995 Live Performances First live appearance w/Prince: 8 May 1987: Isstadion , Johanneshov, Stockholm, Sweden Performed regularly on tour: Sign O’ The Times Tour as support act Performed occasionally in shows: 1987 Discography With Prince: None. With Prince's Associates: None. Self Productions w/Prince: Albums 1987 8 (Paisley Park) 1987 16 (Paisley Park) 1989 24 (unreleased) 1990 26 (unreleased) 1994 24 (unreleased) Single(s) 1987 6 1987 10 1988 13

Madhouse was originally a 'faux 'jazz rock group conjured up by Prince in late 1986 in Minneapolis to be an outlet for some jazz material he had recorded with Eric Leeds. In essence it can be seen as an instrumental follow up to The Family, of which the two instrumental songs they released are very much in the vein of Madhouse and the ill-fated project The Flesh. The band played live shows in 1987 (supporting the Sign O’ The Times Tour with a live line-up that did not included Prince). Line Up Original Prince - Drums, bass, Keyboards Eric Leeds - (Baritone) Sax, flute Dr. Fink - Keyboards in live setting Levi Seacer, Jr. - Bass in live setting Dale Alexander - Drums in live setting John Lewis - fake name credited for drums on 16 and in press release for 8 Bill Lewis - fake name credited for bass in press release for 8 Austra Chanel fake name credited for keyboards in press release for 8 Additional Band Members: Sheila E. - Drums (on two songs on 16) Levi Seacer, Jr. - Bass (on two songs on 16) John Paris - Drums in 10 and 13 videos Michael B. - Drums (1994 incarnation) Sonny T. - Bass (1994 incarnation) Levi Seacer, Jr. - Guitar (1994 incarnation) Evolution The band was assembled as an afterthought when Prince had recorded a bunch of instrumental tracks with Eric Leeds overdubbing saxophone. At the time of release of their first album 8 a press release touted Madhouse as the brainchild of a keyboardist from Atlanta by the name of Austra Chanel. Furthermore, the group, according to the official biography consisted of drummer John Lewis, bassist Bill Lewis, and Eric Leeds, of which only Leeds is a real person. The group’s second album 16 released in November 1987, credits Dr. Fink and Levi Seacer, Jr. who played in the live line-up of Madhouse while they supported Prince on the Sign O’ The Times Tour. Of the two, only Seacer appears on the album, albeit on only two tracks. The fictional John Lewis (which are Prince’s father’s given names) is credited on drums once more although these are played by Prince again, except for two tracks where Sheila E. features uncredited as drummer. Efforts to create a third album 24 did not come to fruition in 1988 and the project was shelved. Later, in '89/'90, efforts by Eric Leeds to create a different follow-up album to 16, tentativdly titled 26, in the end evolved into Leeds' first solo album Times Squared. In 1994 a whole new 24 album was created, with a line-up of Prince, Eric Leeds, Michael B. (drums), Sonny T. (bass) and Levi Seacer, Jr. (guitar). However, this project was also is shelved in 1995.

Contributions
Studio
The band Prince w/ Eric Leeds recorded a dozen songs in the studio that were then given numbers and were released as two albums: 8 released in 1987 and 16 released in 1987, both featuring model Maneca Lightner and a terrier dog on the cover. A third album 24 was left unreleased, as was an album under the title 26, of which some material ended up on Eric Leeds first solo album Times Squared. A re-booted version of the band (Eric Leeds with Michael B. on drums, Sonny T. on bass, Levi Seacer, Jr. on guitar and Prince on various instruments) recorded an album in 1994 again using the title 24, which was then not released, subsequently slightly revised in 1995 and ultimately left unreleased. One track of that project and the only one with a numerical title (17) like all song on previous Madhouse albums got a release on the compilation album 1-800-New Funk. Live A live version of the band was made up when Madhouse was slated as a support act on the Sign O’ The Times Tour. The line up of the band comprised Eric Leeds (baritone saxophone), Dr. Fink (keyboards), Levi Seacer, Jr. (bass), and Dale Alexander (drums). Alexander had previously auditioned to be in Prince first band in 1978. The band, all dressed in monk’s habits, played a 20 minute set that comprised The Family’s Mutiny, Two, Three and Six, but occasionally One, Nine and Sixteen were also played. Each song was announced with a scantily clad model holding up a sign with the number of the song to be played. While on tour they also played some one-off shows in clubs.
Live
performances outside the Sign O’ The Times Tour 15 May 1987 (a.m.): Quasimodo, Berlin, (West) Germany 15 June 1987 (a.m.): New Morning, Paris, France 21 May 1987: Park Café, Munich, (West) Germany

Additional Information See also Trivia Eric Leeds The Flesh References * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhouse_%28band%29 http://www.allmusic.com/artist/madhouse-mn0002568160/discography http://www.waxpoetics.com/features/articles/prince-madhouse-jazz-band-eric-leeds/ http://www.discogs.com/artist/Madhouse

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