Customer Reviews

8

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

'Madhouse 8' (1987, Paisley Park/WEA) is a SUPER RARE collectable for Prince fans, without question! Back in 1986-1987, Prince was behind so much music (including Madhouse, Jill Jones, Mazarati, Sheila E, as well as his own CDs!), and 'Madhouse 8' is still a breath of fresh air. Madhouse was comprised of Prince, Eric Leeds, Dr.Fink, Levi Seacer Jr, John Lewis, and the great Sheila E. This rhythm section created 8 jazz tracks, but the radio friendly 'Six' just had Prince written all over it (just Funky!). As for 'Madhouse 8', it's 8 tracks don't justify the cost of the CD ($25.00 and up!), so I expanded it with a few RARE bonus tracks! Collectors should try adding the following songs for a better experience:

9. Six (End Of The World Remix)
10. Six 1/2 (B-Side)

I also created a special 2 on 1 CD featuring BOTH 'Madhouse 8' & 'Madhouse 16', plus a BONUS TRACK from 1988, 'Madhouse 17'(Penetration). It's a shame Warner Brothers won't reissue this great music, but if you're going to invest in 'Madhouse 16' (or any of these rare CDs!), you should get more out of it! 'Madhouse 8' showed is a very interesting chapter from the glorious past of Paisley Park! NJOY!

To sell this item at this price should be outlawed. Buy the vinyl if you REALLY must own it.

It is a must have for ALL Prince fans, as it is a magnificent album and features Prince in one of those musically shifting phases. This stuff essentially leads up to Parade and what follows. BUT you can find the vinyl for about $9.00.

It's instrumental jazz/ funk fusion. Nicely done, but I reiterate that $100 is highway robbery.

Hopefully NPG does a reissue one day.

'Madhouse 8' is an unbelievable album!All the more so after one learns that Madhouse is actually....PRINCE?That's right-
Madhouse was an outlet for his royal badness's more abstract,
jazzier experiments!Each song is numetrically titled and features a blizzard of great instrumental chops,notably Prince's
jazzy piano work!For anyone with any doubt as to Prince's
credibility as one of the most eclectic artists in the past half
century PICK THIS UP!I was lucky enough to optain the even RARER
vinyl edition of this album and I will say aside from it's
great album cover this all instrumental record is something that
Warner Brothers should reissue ASAP (or Prince should on NPG)
because it's an example of what a purely brilliant musician
Prince really is outside his better known pop persona!

I had purchased the vinyl albums when they both came out back in the 80's. But years later, I discovered that the albums were also in CD format. I paid a grip of money on ebay to obtain these jewels but it was soooooo worth it (I was unable to purchase them here on Amazon)! Being a Prince fan has its priviledges. Just to be able to listen to rich music like Madhouse 8 & 16 is like heaven. Prince was before his musical time with these two compilations. It is a shame that the jazz world was unaware that Prince was exploring new avenues with his music or maybe they couldn't believe that this man was and is a musical genius. It makes me wonder if Miles Davis got to discuss the elements of these jewels with Prince. Prince beautifully captures space, time and sound in track 14. Track 15 is my favorite today. Tomorrow, it could be track 9. You never know from day to day when you listen to these wonderfully creative blessings from Prince. If you have the opportunity to purchase Madhouse 8 and Madhouse 16, don't walk...run and grab them, if you can. You will not be disappointed. Madhouse 8 & 16 isn't for the closed minded "Purple Rain" fanatic. You know the type. The lame PR fanatic can't get pass PR. This fan is so closed minded that they stay locked in what they call one of the "best rock albums ever". These fanatics do not have the ability to enter into new musical territories with Prince. Perhaps, that was the reason only a few of us knew, at the time, that these compilations were from Prince. A true Prince lover knows when he has his hands, heart and soul in the music. Get these compilations and blast them in your ipod or car and just feel and allow the music to take you to another world....heaven!!!!!

The mid 80's were a time of incredibly heavy recording period for Prince. A lot of the music in his huge vault comes from his 1986 era production and there was a lot of diversity within that. Even for that this particular project was a unique departure. I am not 100% sure but even though it's credited to Madhouse this album was laregely the pet project of Prince's talented Sign 'O' the Times era saxaphonist Eric Leeds and featuring many of the members of the Prince band from that era. Prince's mid 80's music was starting to have a strong jazz flavor here and there but it was on this recording that it all really came together. Between voice samples (includes the moaning of Vanity from 1982) this music has a complete live band feel. It's not only the jazziest music Prince had recorded until this point but it's amazing how within these eight cuts,all titled sequentially with no real title but the number spelled out all explore different subgenres of jazz from swing styled horns,be-bop rhythms and a huge amount of fusion. As is typical of Prince's musical style these often show up in the same song. Now that's not to say this album doesn't have it's funky moments. "Four" is stripped down,bass heavy funk at it's finest and it's very obvious because of the arrangement this probably came from the pen of Prince himself as did most (if not next to all) of this material. Sometimes the melodies on these numbers are strong and other times the musicians take off into these heavy flights of fancy on some fairly adventurous solos. Even though these instrumentals are presented individually they have the flavor of having been sewn together with the vocal loop and samples from one session. In retrospect the combination of live band jazz/funk and voice samples anticipates some of the hip-hop/jazz fusions of Guru and Easy Mo B with Miles Davis in the years to come. This wasn't obviously a huge commercial success but was critically acclaimed and well received enough that it spawned a follow up later in the same year.

Having spent the better part of 15 years searching for this album, I feel i'm in rare company to even know how great this music is. And it is spectacular in it's quality and uniqueness. A person literally can lose him/herself in the music. My favorite track is "Eight." In one song, it sums up the life we all lead. Listen to it, and you'll know what I mean. Thanks Prince & Eric Leeds for adding this music to my mind's soundtrack.

Love this album from start to finish I'm looking to extend my collection with 16 and Absolutely Mad this is my MOOD MUSIC

Peace, Coop

Takes me back to the good old days! They just don't make music like this today! Prince really out did himself during this three year run.

Length:: 0:24 Mins

when i was in germany i picked this album up. still one of my fav prince albums. alot of people really slip on his pure genuise. but the true fan knows m jackson an all the wanna bes that came after the purple one,cant hold a candle to him. mj was bad...but prince is a king.