siLLy puPPy MADHOUSE was a pseudonym of the late great purple funk master Prince who was much more famous for dominating the pop charts and cranking out one R & B hit after another in the 80s and 90s. However it is little known is that all throughout the 80s, the purple one was quite interested in releasing an all instrumental jazz-funk album that resulted from extra tracks that were created from countless other recording sessions. Originally intended to be released as a band named The Flesh with an eponymous album title, the idea was scrapped and it was modified to MADHOUSE. Two albums were released. The first one titled 8 and the second 16. While the second album was more of a band effort with contributions from Sheila E, Matt Fink and Levi Seacer Jr, on 8 it was basically a one man show with PRINCE handling all instrument duties except for the sax and flute parts which were covered by Eric Leeds. There are 8 tracks and each one is simply titled 1, 2, 3 etc.

8 is somewhat of a mellow lounge lizard mid tempo affair and never really rocks out. Think Weather Report and you’re getting close. The music generally consists of a steady drum beat with the jazzified rolls accenting cadences accompanied by a thick atmospheric synthesized sound swooping around in the background. PRINCE shows off his funk chops with sinewy bass riffs and masterful piano playing techniques. While the music flows freely and doesn’t get into the complexities of highly adventurous jazz-fusion bands such as Return To Forever, there are little outbursts of syncopation and familiar jazzy riffs with the funk features never far from the dominating flow of things. Although this was a PRINCE dominated album, this was a band in a live setting and they actually opened up for PRINCE himself and donned Godfather type costumes that added a gansta imagery to their persona.

I’m amazed at how i’ve missed this one in the past being somewhat buried under the bulk of the gazillion albums PRINCE released during his truncated life. This one offers a a glimpse into the purple one’s deeper musical appreciation into more progressive arenas with jazz dominating his R & B soundscapes. However well done MADHOUSE 8 is, it still lacks a certain distinguishing originality and merely proves PRINCE was capable of musical styles beyond the funky pop hits he was churning out in the 80s. The emphasis is more on the pop side than the jazz despite those elements popping up in impressive outbursts from time to time. After all is said and done i would prefer if there were more upbeat tracks and that really let it all loose. Everything on 8 seems a little reserved and a tad too easy listening oriented for its own good and could easily be tagged with the oft loathed “smooth jazz” tag. Still though, MADHOUSE 8 is a decent listen that all PRINCE fans should acquaint themselves with.