After the Japanese leg of the Parade tour Prince worked on the beginning of the Dawn project, more work on Sheila's third LP, and a few odd tracks like Shockadelica & Superfunki.

The first full project he did was Madhouse, and I wondered if Madhouse was a kind of cementing of his reasons for splitting up the Revolution.

Although it hadn't been announced that they were splitting up, I've read that the Revolution members knew it was gonna be the last time they were playing live for a while, and Prince must had made the decision, if just mentally, to disband the group.

I think he felt that the Revolution was holding him back somewhat, what with being in a difficult position about his friendship with Bobby Z, but wanting to hire Sheila as his drummer.

Madhouse must have been quite cathartic, in a sense that it was something quite unlike what he had recorded as an album before, and probably cemented the thought in his head that he was doing the right thing by disbanding the group.

I can imagine that after the first 'The Flesh' recordings, late Decemembers "Paisley Jam", made with Sheila E., Eric & Levi, that Prince saw the nucleus of his new band, and that he was making something he couldn't do with The Revolution, and take it even further.

I think The Flesh was a fore-runner to Madhouse, and The Family record a fore-runner to The Flesh (the instrumentals are quite Madhouse).

I think Eric Leeds was a very important contributor to Prince at the time, and he, along with Sheila, probably made Prince see that with these musicians he could achieve something he couldn't with The Revolution.

Even going back to Sheila's first LP, with the sax and instrumental workouts on Strawberry Shortcake and The Glamorous Life, Prince was growing.

Can you tell I'm listening to Madhouse at the moment?

Nice insights.

Yeah, I think you're spot on MiaBocca.
I think Prince had realised the limitations of
The Revolution, and was thinking about the next
phase while recording Dream Factory. Eric & Sheila
showed him a musical area that he wanted to explore
more fully, but couldn't with The Revolution.
When Wendy & Lisa said that they wanted to do some
solo material he took the opportunity to disband
the Revolution and embarked on one of the most
prolific and experimental period of recording in
his career (and with Prince, that's saying something).

the Revolution didn't Hold Him back at all.He just stopped Paying them&Given them Credit on certain Parts.when Prince brought in "Eddie M or Larry Williams to Play on "Glamorous Life" who is to say that Prince hadn't thought of doing a Instrumental Project?I mean He did track down Shelia E. who had a Strong Background in Instrumental Jamming.

?
[This message was edited Tue Apr 29 21:51:32 PDT 2003 by daysofwild]

daysofwild said:[quote]

mistermaxxx said:

I Know about that but there is always another side to the story.Brown Mark came out&Said that they stopped getting Paid after "Purple Rain"&Money did play a big part within Prince's system of dealing Business.Jesse Johnson spoke about this as well around that time period as well.there is more to this picture than ever was fully told on both sides IMHO.Eric Leeds had a Impact on Prince but Prince just went into another direction&as a Matter of fact Lisa Coleman was already playing on Outtakes stuff that Prince eventually would on his own Playing.

The Revolution was just changing and expanding a lot at that time. Wendy and Lisa were the only main contributors to the Dream Factory project and much of that is very accomplished. Just listen to "In A Large Room", "Power Fantastic" and "All My Dreams" and tell me there were limits to what Prince could do at the time. I just think everyone needed a change and he had taken that phase of his career as far as he could.

MiaBocca said:

I take it you're asuming that the first Madhouse album (8) was a collaboration of Prince, Sheila E., Matt Fink, Eric Leeds and Levi Seacer? If that's case then I want to point out here that "Madhouse 8" was a solo Prince effort. With the exception of saxophone and flute he played everything himself on that album and recorded it in four days. Sheila, Matt, Eric and Levi did play on "Madhouse 16" on half of the tracks (source: DMSR: Prince, The First Decade).

No, I know the credits on the two released Madhouse records, it's just would he have got to that record, if he had continued with Wendy & Lisa (look at the stuff he did with them: Dream Factory, verses the stuff without them: The Flesh for example).

He definately bought out the funk once he dissolved the Revolution. Listen to 'It's a Wonderful Day' on Crystal Ball, and then listen to the Instrumental version in the movie Under The Cherry Moon. It's like all of the funk was sucked out of it once he got Lisa & Wendy involved.