Madhouse 8 Songs
Nakita Heitmann
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.
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.
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.
Easily one of Anthrax' most famous songs, Madhouse is about being in an asylum for insane patients and wanting to break out. It was also the only single from Spreading the Disease and is played at live shows very often.
Anthrax shot the music video below for the song, but MTV, which was still a music channel at that time, refused to play it often because they had no sense of humor and wanted to be politically correct.
To celebrate the incredibly prolific, influential and diverse body of work left behind by Prince, we will be exploring a different song of his each day for an entire year with the series 365 Prince Songs in a Year.
Few outside musicians had as much of an impact on Prince's music as did Eric Leeds. The horn-player's angular jazz background provided the perfect counterpoint on everything from "Girls and Boys" to "Hot Thing" to "Last Heart." So it was only fitting that Prince gave Leeds his own showcase in the form of the jazz-funk project Madhouse.
The group's first album, titled 8, was advanced by the single "6," on Jan. 14, 1987. In keeping with so many of Prince's outside projects back then, 8 arrived with no mention of his contributions. In fact, Madhouse was all Prince, save for improvisational elements from Leeds.
"I was very fortunate and grateful for the role that Prince provided for me in his band as the primary instrumental soloist, other than his own guitar solos," Leeds told the Quietus in 2015. "Perhaps he was interested in giving me an expanded platform. But he was someone who always had music in him that he needed to get out, so even if I had not been involved with him I suppose he might have done a project like this anyway. This was a period during which he was still defining himself, and that included a keen interest in instrumental music."
In fact, a pair of instrumentals co-written by Leeds and Prince had appeared on the Family's 1985 debut, and Prince briefly considered releasing similar material on a project called The Flesh. Instead, he turned his attentions to Parade, a 1986 album released by Prince and the Revolution that was dominated by sleek, horn-driven R&B.
Rather than growing out of communal jams, however, 8 started like many Prince projects: He carefully layered in drums, bass and keyboards at his home studio in Chanhassen, Minn. (Paisley Park Studios was not yet complete.) But then, something interesting happened.
"Prince didn't really approach this any differently than any other recording," Leeds added. "He would construct the songs in his head, lay down the drums, bass and keyboard tracks, and then bring me in to put on the heads and solos. This is hardly how a conventional jazz album would be recorded. I guess I would describe it as 'jazz influenced' and R&B-flavored instrumental music."
Despite his misgivings, Madhouse released a second album (1988's 16), and even appeared as an actual band, playing support dates on the Sign O' the Times tour with a lineup that included Leeds, Dr. Fink of the Revolution and Levi Seacer Jr., later a member of the New Power Generation.
"We had these two albums we had done as Madhouse, the instrumental thing that he basically created for me," Leeds told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2016. "And I was working on what would have been the third Madhouse album, and in the midst of the project he came to me and said, 'You know, I want to sign you to Paisley Park Records and make this an Eric Leeds album instead of a Madhouse album.' And to be honest, that was probably the most significant gift."
One thing, though...did anybody notice that the guitar riff during the verses sounds like the guitar riff in the bridge of the Judas Priest song, "Breaking The Law"? Who sees the similarity? Anyway, once again, great song!
This is not about being, bureaucratically, committed to an asylum. Like many Anthrax songs, it is a social commentary:- society ('the world'), on a large scale, complains about itself; yet perpetuates itself, by way of (educational and political) programmes and 'reforms' that (like a maze) do nothing but retract what was given to protestors by previous agendas.The video (symbolizing 'gay rights') depicts how a man, for example, might think, or claim, he is a woman... and/or (therefore) fit for motherly roles; as well as portraying examples of abusive/misgiven authority. A literal 'madhouse' is used as a metaphor for the macrocosm.
Those seeking intimacy/counsel/confession regarding loneliness/paranoia/guilt or fear, such as mentioned in the lyrics, are nudged (in typical Anthrax style) not to surrender to 'doctors' (whatever badge they might produce), nor yet to Catholic 'priests' for that matter; but they, or those, you yourself (privately and diligently) have deemed worthy of the confidence (this principle is that expressed in Kate Bush's "Mother Stands For Comfort" and, in a different manner, Shel Silverstein's "Boy Named Sue").
racks of my years, is a something I do to let my children have an insight in to me and my musical history and why certain songs mean so much to me. I would love to see you join in. All you need do is link any music post you might have done over the last week.
Toronto artist Madhouse just let go of two cinematic new tracks, "Awoken" and "How I've Grown." The singer is at the top of his game, sounding like early The Weeknd with a bit more bounce and just as catchy melodies.
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