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) 1988 16 (Paisley Park) 1989 24 (unreleased) 1990 Album: 26 (unreleased) 1994 24 (unreleased) Single(s) 1987 6 1988 10 1988 13

'Madhouse 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 a 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 - credited for drums on 16, but does not appear Additional Band Members: Sheila E.: Drums (on two songs on 16) Levi Seacer, Jr.: Bass (on two songs on 16) 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 an keyboardist from Atlanta by the name of Austra Chanel. The group, according to the official bio furtheromre 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 1988, 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 whom only Seacer appears, albeit only on two tracks. The fictional John Lewis is credited for drums once more while in fact the drums are by Prince again, except for two tracks where Sheila E. is the drummer. Efforts to create a third album 24 don't come to fruition in 1988 and the project is shelved. Later, in '89/'90, efforts by Eric Leeds to create a different follow-up album to 16 – tentativdly titled 26 in the end turns into Leeds' first solo album Times Squared. In 1994 a whole new 24 album is created, now with a line-up of Prince, Eric Leeds, Michael B. (drums), Sonny T. (bass) and Levi Seacer, Jr. (guitar). This project is 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 1988, both featuring model Maneca Lightner and a terrier dog on the cover. A third album 24 as 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, slightly revised in 1995 and ultimately left unreleased. One track of that project and the only one with a numerical title 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 was: Eric Leeds: (Baritone) Sax, Dr. Fink Keyboards, Levi Seacer, Jr. Bass, and Dale Alexander who had auditioned to be in Prince first band in 1978 on drums. The band all in monks habits played a 20 minute set, usually comprising The Family's Mutiny, Two, Three and Six, but occasionally One, Nine and Sixteen were also played. Each song was announced with a scantly clad model holding up a sign with the number of the song to play. 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 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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