308: Mad

Unreleased (1994) / Internet download (2001)
Surfing in on a loop of Headshock’s Bebop Ta Hip Hop, this Exodus shortlister lays down everything you’d expect from a Prince production in 1994. The bridge and chorus are catchier than a yawn but all the boxes are ticked so methodically there doesn’t seem any room to imprint its own character. For a track named Mad, it’s sadly lacking in unpredictability. And that’s when Prince flips the “dirty switch”. Yes! A burst of guitar gushes forth that sounds like all hell’s wasps. There’s witchcraft afoot and for a brief moment the track suddenly turns from mad kooky to mad certifiable, like a realisation the hearts that somebody dotted their ‘i’s with were written in blood. I have a list as long as your arm of other tracks where I wish that guitar switch had been found.