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A more persuasive argument could be made for 'Feline', 'Susannah's Pajamas', and 'Yes', from or related to 'The Family' project, all featuring Eric Leeds on the original recordings, stylistically and production-wise similar to the material from 'Madhouse 8', and all hastily recorded (as with M8) during off-time, and in the Summer of 1984, two or more years in advance of the sessions that produced 'Madhouse 8'.

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I'd disagree a bit. I tend to believe that "Yes" and "Susannah's Pajamas" were more of a precursor to Madhouse stuff, than "Shortberry Strawcake", but only slightly. Prince released "God (Instrumental)" around that time you mentioned as well, and that is definitely not a lean to Madhouse. In reality, SS was recorded just a short month before "God" at the beginning of 1984. (The vocal version of "God" was recorded in the late summer/early fall of 1984.) Prince was definitely putting together instrumentals, and I'm sure there are plenty others (and they so fine) that we may or may not know about. I think "Just As Long As We're Together" started as an instrumental ("Jelly Jam"), then the early vocal section was added later on.

Even so with The Family stuff, I still feel Madhouse was its own beast in sound and approach. 8 stands out as a lighter album, whereas 16 seems darker on occasion. It feels like Prince just being Prince and branching out creatively. While he was prolific pre-Purple Rain, it stands to argue that he was more prolific from the SOTT period onward for a few years. The vast amount of stuff like SOTT, TBA, Lovesexy, Madhouse, Jill Jones, etc is a lot in a small time period. He was really searching new songs in that time, opposed to approaching most songs the same production wise up to and through Purple Rain. I can almost hear some songs from 8 in Under The Cherry Moon were it ever to reenvisioned (like Mary sitting at the drums playing, the conga line, the race at the horse track, shopping sequence, and more.

Hell, if anything teases the later Madhouse sound it's the beginning of "Condition of the Heart", before the song really kicks in proper.

I think it's been discussed here, but I would love to know if it's just vocalizations or really lyrics on "Shortberry Strawcake" that we can't understand.

Not released but listen to the Loring Park sessions instrumentals from 1977. Even they sound Madhouse like despite the lack of horns.

The Family "Yes" and "Susannah's Pajamas" are more in the lines of Madhouse

TrivialPursuit said:

I'd disagree a bit. I tend to believe that "Yes" and "Susannah's Pajamas" were more of a precursor to Madhouse stuff, than "Shortberry Strawcake", but only slightly. Prince released "God (Instrumental)" around that time you mentioned as well, and that is definitely not a lean to Madhouse. In reality, SS was recorded just a short month before "God" at the beginning of 1984. (The vocal version of "God" was recorded in the late summer/early fall of 1984.) Prince was definitely putting together instrumentals, and I'm sure there are plenty others (and they so fine) that we may or may not know about. I think "Just As Long As We're Together" started as an instrumental ("Jelly Jam"), then the early vocal section was added later on.

Even so with The Family stuff, I still feel Madhouse was its own beast in sound and approach. 8 stands out as a lighter album, whereas 16 seems darker on occasion. It feels like Prince just being Prince and branching out creatively. While he was prolific pre-Purple Rain, it stands to argue that he was more prolific from the SOTT period onward for a few years. The vast amount of stuff like SOTT, TBA, Lovesexy, Madhouse, Jill Jones, etc is a lot in a small time period. He was really searching new songs in that time, opposed to approaching most songs the same production wise up to and through Purple Rain. I can almost hear some songs from 8 in Under The Cherry Moon were it ever to reenvisioned (like Mary sitting at the drums playing, the conga line, the race at the horse track, shopping sequence, and more.

Hell, if anything teases the later Madhouse sound it's the beginning of "Condition of the Heart", before the song really kicks in proper.

I think it's been discussed here, but I would love to know if it's just vocalizations or really lyrics on "Shortberry Strawcake" that we can't understand.

.

'Shortberry Strawcake' is allegedly a wholesale lifting of a lead or demo of Jesse Johnson's. 'Belle of St Mark' is also alleged to have borrowed from Jesse's private work. 'She Won't Let Go' on the 'Jesse Johnson Revue' slightly pays this back by recreating a SS-esque instrumental backing, and going as far as appropriating the sound library bell opening gimmick of BOSM.

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I hear nothing even remotely in the styling of Madhouse in this, and this song is certainly not the first strict instrumental he recorded.

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[Edited 11/9/16 15:31pm]

TheDigitalGardener said:

Not released but listen to the Loring Park sessions instrumentals from 1977. Even they sound Madhouse like despite the lack of horns.

Were the Loring Park sessins confirmed to be Prince? I wasn't sure.