Times Squared Eric Leeds album

Warner Bros. Records

album

It was jazz, but wasn’t

Much of the material for Times Squared was recorded throughout 1985 and 1986 at Prince’s Galpin Blvd home studio. The sessions were finished off in 1988 at Paisley Park Studios, forming a collection intended for release in late 1989 as 24 the third album of Prince’s jazz funk side-project Madhouse. But as Prince’s interest in the project waned, he requested the material be passed to Eric Leeds, to evolve into his own project and debut album which Leeds renamed Times Squared. The eight Madhouse tracks were likewise renamed. Prince either writing or co-writing each track on the album (excepting Kenya, and Lines – Leeds’ own later additions) he also plays drums on most.

Prince first met Eric in July 1984, introduced to him by his brother Alan Leeds who was Prince’s tour manager from Triple Threat Tour of 1982 through to Lovesexy ’89, as well as President of Paisley Park Records until May 1992. After seeing Bruce Springsteen’s E Street band perform in 1984, Prince was convinced he needed a saxophone in his lineup. With Alan’s introduction, Prince immediately enlisted Eric, a maestro saxophonist, to join Prince’s main band The Revolution that November to play on the Purple Rain Tour. Leeds was given a role in the band of Prince’s next side projects, The Family in 1985, and Madhouse 1987.

Eric Leeds introduced Prince to jazz and was a heavy influence on the Sign O’ The Times Tour in 1987. Out of this collaboration Madhouse was formed. Eric Leeds remained a full member of Prince’s touring band until 1989. When later asked how lasted so long in Prince’s band, Eric’s answer was simply, “I play an instrument that he never played.”

Eric Leeds released two albums under Paisley Park Records; Times Squared in 1991 was followed by his first and last fully solo release Things Left Unsaid on 23 February 1993. The latter album received just one Prince writing contribution. Prince and Eric’s final collaboration together was with the N.E.W.S instrumental album in 2003.

Performers

Flute / Sax: Eric Leeds
Synths / Guitar: Prince
Trumpet: Atlanta Bliss
Piano: Ricky Peterson
Bass: Levi Seacer Jr.
Drums: Sheila E ^{Andorra, Night Owl and Over Night, Every Night}
Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
Backing vocals: Mathilda May ^{The Dopamine Rush}
Orchestration: Clare Fischer ^{The Dopamine Rush}

Data

Producers

Prince and Eric Leeds

Label

Paisley Park Records

Distribution

Warner Bros. Records

Cover/Design

Lee Stanford and Dirk Walter

Released

35 years ago on 19 February 1991

Running Time

51:43

US Chart Peak

Did not chart

UK Chart Peak

Did not chart

Orig. Formats

Tracklist

Lines (6:30) ²
Andorra [formally Seventeen] (3:31) ¹
Night Owl [formally Eighteen] (4:00) ¹
Overnight, Every Night [formally Nineteen] (4:10) ¹
Cape Horn [formally Twenty] (4:10) ³
Little Rock [formally Twenty-One] (3:41) ⁴
Easy Does It [formally Twenty-Two] (2:22) ⁴
The Dopamine Rush [formally Twenty-Three] (7:36) ³
Kenya [formally Twenty-Four] (2:40) ⁵
Times Squared [formally Twenty-Five] (5:44) ⁴
Once Upon A Time [formally Twenty-Six] (7:19) ⁴

¹ Written by Prince, Eric Leeds, Sheila E, and Levi Seacer Jr.
² Written by Eric Leeds and Matt Blistan
³ Written by Prince
⁴ Written by Prince and Eric Leeds
⁵ Written by Eric Leeds

Times Squared review

Times Squared is a tricky listen, being a Madhouse project but not quite, as was formed out of the remnants of what was supposed to have been the third album for the series. Yet, like what came to all Prince’s side projects it no longer held his interest. Still, do not underestimate Madhouse’s achievement to hold Prince’s attention to dedicate three albums to a single project, has only been matched by The Time. So as Prince’s focus on Madhouse dwindled, its leftover material was passed to Eric Leeds to reconstitute as he wished and form his very own debut album.

Leeds reworked the material at Paisley Park, adding two of his own – Lines, which begins the album with a Moroccan feel, is well produced. The instrumentation remains strong throughout, as the album continues with the vibrant Andorra, Night Owl, Over Night, Every Night – all three are gleaned from the Madhouse 16 sessions of 30 July 1987. Those sessions are significant, being the first to take place at the newly operational Paisley Park Studios. The latter could easily be mistaken for the older cousin of Xenophopia and the roots of The Rainbow Children. The dainty Cape Horn is from 1988 and sets the low tempo middle section of the album, maintained by the dreamy Little Rock – the best track as well as the oldest, dating from 1985. The next is the soft samba groove Easy Does It, from 1986, with cool guitar embellishment. The Dopamine Rush, from 1988, albeit in the outer rim of leftovers from Madhouse’s sessions is the only track largely in its original form, although originally some 18 minutes longer. The tempo shifts gear with Kenya, Leeds’ second penned track and the album’s fourth from the July 1987 sessions. The title track, having a movie soundtrack feel, is the latest track, albeit from 1988, and therefore the most contemporary sounding of the bunch. The album closes with Once Upon A Time, another from 1987, a quite reflective track as if to bid a fond farewell to the Madhouse era.

Times Squared was released on Paisley Park Records in 1991 as Prince and the music-buying world had moved on to hip-hop. Lacking the snappiness of previous Madhouse outings, Times Squared was a casualty to the NPG’s purple haze and at the time of its release and somewhat a ready-made relic of the past, yet it today performs stronger in the second-hand market due to the provenance that it keeps with Prince and the legend of his 1987 catalogue.

Times Squared is rated 3 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.

Prince trivia