| Product: |
Complete Madness - Madness |
| Date: |
09/04/08 (31 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great, nostalgic value and still sounds good
Disadvantages: Couple of fillers
I have been making some playlists on my ipod recently and added a Madness track (playlist was called Paul 16-18), then another, and before I knew it I thought I might as well buy the album. It works out cheaper on itunes to do that anyways.
Madness first hit the charts and radio as I was leaving school, or about to. Although they first formed around '76, I first heard of them in '78, I left school in '79. In case you don't remember, this was the line up:
Suggs - Vocals
Mike Barson - Keyboards
Chris Foreman - Guitar
Lee Thompson - Sax
Mark Bedford - Bass
Daniel Woodgate - Drums
Chas Smash - Vocals and resident dancer
Madness released their first single, entitled 'The Prince' in 1979 on 2 Tone records, who also signed The Specials and other bands in what was to become a real Ska revival. The song was a dedication to Prince Buster an old Jamaican Ska singer, they then released a Prince Buster song, 'One Step Beyond' which got into the top 10.
For the next 3 or 4 years Madness were never out of the charts (or so it seemed), and this album is a collection of their best known and most succsessful songs.
Track 1. Embarassment
This was all about a sister or was it cousin?, of Suggs who was a working class white girl and fell pregnant and went on to have a reltionship with a black guy, the song tells the story of this, it seems bizzare that this was less than 30 years ago. Great song.
2. Shut up
Song about getting caught committing an offence, another 'story' song, nowhere near their best in my opinion, still same ska beat and lots of sax, trumpets etc.
3. My girl
What a classic, when I was about 17 this was the absolute business of a song that told the story that all 17 year old boys wanted told about their relationships with their girlfriends fantastic, poor misunderstood me!!
4.Baggy Trousers
Noone that went to school in the 70's and 80's can forget this song and the video that went with it, so funny, so true, lovely beat that gets you smiling from the onset, and lyrics that sum up the time.
5. It must be Love
Madness's attempt at a very unique love song, in their style, absolutely says it all, "How can it be that we can say so much without words?", what a line, punctuated with chunky piano riffs.
6. The Prince
The afore mentioned first single, pure Ska, dedication to Ska, Ska beat, with nice jerky piano and a beat that demands one dances, and I still do, lol!
7. Bed and breakfast man
What a shame that this was included. Only real pants song!
8. Night boat to Cairo
A song without meaning but what a showpiece for the saxophone, my first real experience of listening to such an instrument, and very influential if just for that.
9. House of Fun
Or the 'condom song'. Who can forget the video to this, the fairground type track, what a genius of an idea, the lyrics are so 'double entendre' that even the hawks at Radio 1 let it pass.
10. One Step beyond
Another Ska classic, reworked by Madness, fab..almost scary and edgy.
11. Cardiac arrest
I never really liked this, does what it says on the tin I guess, later stuff from the nutty boys, not fun anymore.
12. Grey day
As above, filler, filler, filler! Bit of an answer to 'ghost town' maybe?
13. Take it or leave it
Cr*p, only marginally worse that 'driving in my car', thank goodness that was not included.
14. In the City
Bit of a dig at yuppies (remembr them?), for that reason and for the ska backbeat it is okay, but just okay.
15. Madness
Love, love, love this, I dare you not to stomp your feet, real ska beat, and even a bit bluesy, you could almost imagine Jools Holland covering it, well maybe not.
16. Return of the Los Palmas 7
Still Ska, saxophone, piano, tombone, but a bit more 'mature', can never decide if I like it or not.
Overall, a great album, very nostalgic, and many of the tracks have stood the test of time, some fillers, and in my opinion, tracks 11-14 could have been left out, it would have been a case of 'less is more'.
Now to go and look at some Specials, Selector, The Beat etc., oh no, it must be a middle aged crisis, lol.
Summary: Complete Madness
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Last comment:
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david_1967 - 09/04/08 An absolutely wonderful collection of songs. They put the fun back in mu'fun'sic! |
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