The Flesh
The Flesh
The Flesh is a project band that never came into full fruition. In a way it was forecasting what Prince and Eric Leeds would later do with Madhouse. The core of the initial produce was from sessions on 28 December 1985 with Prince on guitar, keyboard and percussion, Sheila E. on drums, Levi Seacer, Jr. on bass guitar and Eric Leeds on saxophone, and a session on 5 January 1986 with Prince mainly on drums, Sheila E. and Jonathan Melvoin on percussion, Lisa Coleman on piano, Wendy Melvoin on guitar, Levi Seacer, Jr. on bass guitar and Eric Leeds on saxophone. The song A Couple Miles recorded by Prince and Eric Leeds on 26 December 1985 was also considered for the project.
A tentative eponymous titled album The Flesh was quickly compiled with some 20 minutes of the extended jam Junk Music making up side 1 and two more parts of Junk Music titled Up From Below and Y'All Want Some More? with A Couple Miles on side 2.
Interestingly, artwork sketches revealed in 2017 show that the shelved Dream Factory album in mid-1986 was at some point also to be attributed to The Flesh although it had nothing to do with the sessions with 'The Flesh' band. It was seemingly a way for Prince to move away from using The Revolution band moniker on his albums, even when The Revolution would not be disbanded until October of 1986.
Band Members
- Prince - guitar, keyboard drums and percussion
- Sheila E. - percussion, drums
- Jonathan Melvoin - percussion
- Lisa Coleman - piano
- Wendy Melvoin - guitar
- Levi Seacer, Jr. - bass guitar
- Eric Leeds - saxophone
The Flesh songs
All recorded at Sunset Sound- Studio 3, Hollywood, CA, USA:
- 26 December 1985: A Couple Miles
- 28 December 1985: U Just Can’t Stop; Run Amok; Mobile; Madrid; Breathless; High Calonic; 12 Keys
- 30 December 1985: Most Strongest Whiskey; Love 2 U; U Gotta Shake Something
- 5 January 1986: Groove In C Minor; Slow Groove In G Major; Groove In G♭Minor; Junk Music; Up From Below and Y'All Want Some More?
- 12 January 1986: Conversation Piece
