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Madness (band)

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Madness

Madness are an English pop/ska band from Camden Town, London that formed in 1976.[2] As of 2007, the band has continued to perform with their most recognised lineup of seven members, although their lineup has varied slightly over the years. They were one of the most prominent bands of the late-1970s 2 Tone ska revival.[3] However, as their career progressed, the band has moved away from ska and closer towards more conventional pop music.[3]

Madness achieved most of their success in the 1980s. Madness released 13 top 10 singles in the UK during the 1980s, and spent exactly 214 weeks on the UK singles charts over the course of the decade. The band therefore hold the record for most weeks spent by a group in the 1980s UK singles charts.[4][5]

Career

1976-1978: Formation

The core of the band formed as The North London Invaders in 1976 (although their name was often shortened to The Invaders), and included Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso) on keyboards and vocals, Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) on guitar and Lee Thompson (Kix) on saxophone and vocals.[2] They later recruited John Hasler on drums and Cathal Smyth (better known as Chas Smash) on bass guitar. Later in the year, they were joined by lead vocalist "Dikron".[2]

File:Madness logo.gif

This six-piece lineup lasted until part way through 1977, when Graham McPherson (better known as Suggs) took over the lead vocals after seeing the band perform in a friend's garden.[6] Smyth, who was poor on bass guitar, was replaced by Gavin Rogers, an acquaintance of Barson.[6] McPherson was kicked out of the band for too often choosing to watch football instead of rehearsing.[7] Thompson left the band after Barson criticised his saxophone playing.[7]

By 1978, the band had allowed McPherson to return, after filling in temporarily for Hasler (who had taken over vocals when McPherson was removed).[7] Thompson returned after patching things up with Barson, and Daniel Woodgate (Woody) and Mark Bedford (Bedders) also joined the band, on drums and bass guitar respectively.[7] After briefly changing their name to Morris and the Minors, the band renamed itself as Madness; paying homage to one of their favourite songs by ska/reggae artist Prince Buster.[8] The band remained a sextet until late 1979, when Chas Smash rejoined and officially became the seventh member of Madness as a backing vocalist and trumpet player.[8]

1979-1981: Early success

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In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince".[8] The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers.[8] The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts at number 16.[8] A performance of "The Prince" on popular UK music show Top of the Pops helped Madness gain public recognition. Madness then toured with fellow 2 Tone bands The Specials and The Selecter, before recording their debut album, One Step Beyond..., which was released by Stiff Records.[8] The album included a re-recording of "The Prince" and the band's second and third singles: "One Step Beyond" and "My Girl". The title song was a cover of the B-side of the 1960s Prince Buster hit "Al Capone". One Step Beyond... stayed in the British charts for 37 weeks, peaking at number 2.[9][8] After the release of "My Girl", the band felt that they had exhausted the material from One Step Beyond..., and did not want to release any more singles from the album.[10] However, Dave Robinson, head of Stiff Records, disagreed.[10] Eventually, a compromise was made, and the band decided to release an EP featuring one album track and three new tracks.[10] The result was the Work Rest and Play EP, which was headlined by the song "Night Boat to Cairo", from the One Step Beyond album.[10] The EP reached number 6 in the UK singles chart.[10]

The following year, the band's second album, Absolutely reached number 2 in the UK album charts.[10] Absolutely spawned some of the band's biggest hits, most notably "Baggy Trousers", which peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart.[10] "Embarrassment" reached number 4 in the charts, and the instrumental song "Return of the Los Palmas 7" climbed to number 7.[10]Although the album reviews were generally less enthusiastic than those of One Step Beyond..., they were mostly positive. Robert Christgau gave the album a favorable B- grade,[11] but Rolling Stone Magazine awarded the album just one out of five stars.[12] Rolling Stone was particularly scathing of the ska revival in general, stating that "The Specials wasn't very good" and Madness were simply "the Blues Brothers with English accents".[12]

1982-1984: Change of direction

Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box endIn 1981, the band's third studio album, 7 reached number 5 in the UK album charts and contained three hit singles.[13] In an article in 1979, Chris Foreman explained that the band's music would move with the times, and change styles as time goes on.[14] This was shown to be the case, as unlike the two ska-filled, fast-paced albums that preceded it, 7 was somewhat of a change in direction. Suggs' vocal performance changed significantly, and his strong Cockney accent from the previous albums had been watered down. The album strayed from the ska-influenced sound of One Step Beyond... and Absolutely, and moved towards a more conventional and mature pop sound; a trend that continued with subsequent albums. Near the end of 1981, Madness released one of their most recognised songs; a remake of Labi Siffre's 1971 hit "It Must Be Love".[13] The song climbed to number 4 in the UK, and in 1983, the song peaked at number 33 in the US charts.[13][15] In 1982, Madness released their only number 1 hit to date, "House of Fun"; as well as their fourth studio album The Rise & Fall.[16] The album was well received in the UK, but didn't get an American release. Instead, many of the albums songs were included on the US compilation Madness, including "Our House", which was their most internationally successful single to date. "Our House" reached number 5 in the UK music charts and number 7 in the US charts.[16][17] Many reviewers compared the The Rise & Fall to The Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society,[18] and it is at times retrospectively considered a concept album. The album also featured "Primrose Hill", which was more similar to The Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever", containing similar psychedelic imagery and a layered arrangement.[19]

In 1983, their single "Wings of a Dove" peaked at number 2 in the UK charts.[20] Their following album, Keep Moving, peaked at number 6 in the UK album charts, and several singles from that album reached the top 20 in the UK music charts.[21] The album received some good reviews, with Rolling Stone Magazine giving the album four out of five stars, applauding the band's changing sound.[22] This review was a vast improvement on the last album reviewed by the magazine, Absolutely, which was heavily criticised.[12]

1985-1988: Decline and breakup

The Keep Moving album was Mike Barson's last contribution to the band, until their subsequent reunion.

In October 1983, the band's founder, keyboardist and prominent songwriter Mike Barson decided to leave the band, partly because he had relocated to Amsterdam, Netherlands.[20] He officially left the band in June 1984, following the release of "One Better Day".[21] The six remaining members left Stiff Records and formed their own label, Zarjazz Records, which was sub-label of Virgin Records.[21] In 1985, the label released the band's sixth album, Mad Not Mad. Barson's keyboard parts were filled by synthesisers, and in later years, frontman Suggs described the production as "polished turd".[23] The album reached number 16 in the UK charts, which was the band's lowest position on the album charts to date. Despite the poor chart showing, the album was listed as number 55 in NME's All Time 100 Albums.[24] The singles for the album fared even worse, with "Yesterday's Men" peaking at number 18 in the UK charts. The subsequent singles, "Uncle Sam" and "Sweetest Girl", failed to make the top 20, which was a first for Madness singles.

The band then attempted to record a new album, and 11 demo tracks were recorded.[23] However, musical differences arose between band members, and in September 1986, the band announced that they were to split.[23][25] Barson rejoined the band for a farewell single, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", but did not appear in the music video.[25] The band officially split following the release of the single, which reached a high of number 18 in the UK. In 1988, four members of the band — Suggs, Chas Smash, Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman — created a new band, using the name The Madness.[26] After one self-titled album and two singles that failed to make the top 40, the band split.

1992-2003: Reunion

In early 1992, "It Must Be Love" was re-released and reached number 6 in the UK singles chart.[27] Following that, the singles compilation Divine Madness was released and peaked at number 1 in the album charts. Madness then announced plans for a reunion concert, Madstock!, which was held at Finsbury Park, London on August 8 and 9 of that year.[28] The original lineup reunited, performing together for the first time since Mike Barson left the band in 1984. Over 75,000 fans attended the weekend festival, and during "One Step Beyond", the crowd danced so much they caused an earth tremor which measured over 4.5 on the Richter scale.[29][5] A subsequent live album was released, and the associated single, "The Harder They Come" (a cover of Jimmy Cliff's 1973 song) reached number 44 in the UK, with the album reaching number 22.[30]

Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box endThe band continued to reunite for annual UK Christmas season tours and held three more Madstock! festivals; in 1994, 1996 and 1998. Also in 1998, Madness returned to America for their first tour there since 1984. The live album Universal Madness was recorded at the Universal Ampitheatre in L.A. and released the following year. In 1999, Madness released their first studio album since 1986, entitled Wonderful. The album reached number 17 in the UK album charts, and the lead single, "Lovestruck", gave the band their first new top 10 hit in the UK since 1983.[31] Neither of the two subsequent singles from the album, "Johnny The Horse" and "Drip Fed Fred", entered the top 40 of the UK charts.[32][33]

From October 28, 2002 to August 16, 2003, a musical based on Madness songs, Our House, ran at the Cambridge Theatre in west London. Madness played a role in the executive production of the show, and Suggs played a role in the production for a period of time, playing the central character's father.[34] It won an Olivier Award for best new musical of 2003,[35] and the performance was released on DVD on November 1, 2004.[35] There was also a previous musical based on Madness songs, One Step Beyond!, written by Alan Gilbey.[36][37] The musical had a brief run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1993.[36][37]

2004-Present: The Dangermen and beyond

Madness performing as The Dangermen at Melkweg in Amsterdam in 2005.

In 2004, the band played a series of low-key concerts as The Dangermen, performing covers of classic reggae and ska songs. A lot of the songs were those played by the band when they were first forming,[38] and the band performed the songs as a celebration of their 25 year anniversary.[38] This led to the release of the album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 in August 2005.[39] However, during the sessions which produced the album, the band's guitarist Chris Foreman announced his departure. Foreman left the band in mid 2005, citing "the petty, time consuming bollocks that goes on in the band" in a statement announcing his decision to leave.[39] The band completed the album without him, and on release, it peaked at number 11 in the UK album charts,[40] which was the band's highest studio album chart position in 21 years. Although two singles were released, neither was a major success in the UK. The more successful of the two, "Shame & Scandal", reached number 38, but was more successful in France, where it peaked at number 12.[41] "Girl Why Don't You?" did not enter the top 75 in the UK.

The full Madness lineup continue to tour.

In late 2006, this six remaining members of Madness began working on their first original album in seven years. However, for Madness' 2006 Christmas season tour, Foreman rejoined the band. In March 2007, the single "Sorry" was released from the band's upcoming album, peaking in the UK charts at number 23. The single included a version featuring UK hip hop artists Sway DaSafo and Baby Blue. Both artists were included on the music video which accompanied the hip-hop version of the song, but not on the original music video. Both music videos were also without Chris Foreman, despite the fact that he was a band member at the time of release.

The new Madness song "NW5 (I Would Give You Everything)" and a re-recorded version of "It Must Be Love" were featured in the German film Neues vom Wixxer. The two songs were released in Germany as a double A-Side, and both of them were turned into music videos. While promoting "Sorry", Sway DaSafo confirmed in an interview with NME that he will perform in the recording of Madness' updated version of their song "Baggy Trousers", entitled "Baggy Jeans".[42] The updated song will be featured on Madness' upcoming studio album, and also released as a single.[42] DaSafo predicted the song will be a "huge smash guaranteed", although the date of release is not yet known.[42] However, lead singer Suggs has stated that the album will be released in January 2008, although it has not yet been given an official release date.[43]

Lyrical themes

Although Madness were seen by many as somewhat of a humorous band with catchy, bouncy songs,[44] they sometimes tackled, what were at the time, controversial issues in their lyrics. "Embarrassment" (from the Absolutely album) was written by Lee Thompson, and reflected the unfolding turmoil following the news that his teenage sister had become pregnant and was carrying a black man's child.[45] The band discussed animal testing in the song "Tomorrow's Dream".[46] The band criticized the National Health Service in "Mrs. Hutchinson", which told the story of a woman who, after several misdiagnoses and mistreatment, became terminally ill. The story was based on the experiences of Mike Barson's mother.[47] Madness' final single prior to disbanding, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", commented on apartheid in South Africa.[25]

Skinhead controversy

Early in their career, Madness were linked to skinheads; members of a British working class subculture that the media often stereotyped as racist (although many skinheads are anti-racist).[8][48] Not only were Madness, along with other 2 Tone bands, popular with skinheads, but it was said that the band members themselves were associated with the subculture. The band's relationship with the skinheads varied at times. Mike Barson was particularly displeased with the band's skinhead following, often finding it disappointing that so many were present at performances. Prior to becoming a full member of the band, Chas Smash had been involved in fights with skinheads at performances. In one particular incident on November 18, 1979, Madness were supported by "Red Beans and Rice", who featured a black lead singer, and the band were prevented from completing the performance due to the racist chants from certain members of the skinhead filled audience. Suggs later came on stage to show his displeasure at their behaviour, but this didn't stop much of the audience from Nazi saluting at the end of the show.[8]

In a 1979 NME interview, Madness member Chas Smash was quoted as saying "We don't care if people are in the NF as long as they're having a good time." This added to speculation that Madness was a racist band supporting the National Front, although the band members denied those allegations, and Chas Smash responded to the NME article in the song "Don't Quote Me On That".[8] Eventually, band members denied their skinhead roots, which disappointed much of their skinhead fan base.[49]

Awards

The band's first notable musical award came in 1983 when they won an "Ivor Novello Award" for Best Song for the international hit "Our House".[5][20] They received another "Ivor Novello Award" 17 years later for an "Outstanding Song Collection".[5][50] In 2005, they were awarded the Mojo Magazine "Hall Of Fame" award, notably for being 'an artist's artist'.[51] As of 2007, a campaign is taking place by fans of Madness for the band to be awarded a Brit award.[52] Many fans feel they have been overlooked over their past 30 years in the music industry.[52]

Discography

Main article: Madness discography

Notes

  1. ^ "The Fink Brothers" were an alter ego created by band members Suggs and Chas Smash. They released a solitary single in February 1985. See "The Madness Timeline: 1985". Retrieved on June 19, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c "The Madness Timeline: 1976". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. ""Allmusic.com 'Madness' biography"". Retrieved on June 19, 2007.
  4. ^ Rice 1990. p286
  5. ^ a b c d "IMDB profile for Graham McPherson". Retrieved on June 10, 2007.
  6. ^ a b "The Madness Timeline: 1977". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  7. ^ a b c d "The Madness Timeline: 1978". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Madness Timeline: 1979". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  9. ^ "One Step Beyond chart information". Retrieved on July 30, 2007.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "The Madness Timeline: 1980". Retrieved on June 19, 2007.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau Madness album reviews". Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  12. ^ a b c Marcus, Greil. "Rolling Stone "Absolutely" review". Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  13. ^ a b c "The Madness Timeline: 1981". Retrieved on June 19, 2007.
  14. ^ Millar, Robbi (September, 1979), Sounds Magazine {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help) (The full article was also included on the back cover of the Absolutely LP.)
  15. ^ "2 Tone Records - Artists". Retrieved on June 19, 2007.
  16. ^ a b "The Madness Timeline: 1982". Retrieved on June 19, 2007.
  17. ^ "The Madness Story: Chapter 5". Retrieved on June 19, 2007.
  18. ^ Woodstra, Chris. ""Allmusic.com The Rise & Fall overview"". Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
  19. ^ Mason, Stewart. ""Allmusic.com Primrose Hill review"". Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
  20. ^ a b c "The Madness Timeline: 1983". Retrieved on June 19, 2007. Cite error: The named reference "madness83" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  21. ^ a b c "The Madness Timeline: 1984". Retrieved on June 19, 2007. Cite error: The named reference "madness84" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  22. ^ Puterbraugh, Parke."Rolling Stone "Keep Moving" review". Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  23. ^ a b c Clayden, Andy. "The Madness Story: Chapter 6" Retrieved June 6, 2007
  24. ^ "NME Writers All Time Albums". Retrieved on June 2, 2007.
  25. ^ a b c "The Madness Timeline: 1986". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  26. ^ Cater, Darryl. ""Allmusic.com 'The Madness' biography"". Retrieved on June 20, 2007.
  27. ^ "Chart information for "It Must Be Love (1992)". Retrieved on July 30, 2007.
  28. ^ "BBC Top of the Pops 2 Top 5". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  29. ^ Radford, Tim. ""Guardian article mentioning Finsbury Park tremor"". Retrieved on June 3, 2007.
  30. ^ ""The Harder They Come" chart information". Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  31. ^ ""Lovestruck" chart information". Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  32. ^ ""Johnny The Horse" chart information". Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  33. ^ ""Drip Fed Fred" chart information". Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  34. ^ Shenton, Mark. ""Our House with Suggs, a first night review"". Retrieved on June 20, 2007.
  35. ^ a b ""Laurence Olivier Awards - Chronological list of winning musicals"". Retrieved on June 6, 2007. Cite error: The named reference "oliv" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  36. ^ a b "Theatre Review", The Guardian, April 13, 1993.
  37. ^ a b ""Alan Gilbey C.V."". Retrieved on July 7, 2007.
  38. ^ a b Long, Chris. ""Interview with Suggs of Madness (June 2004)"". Retrieved on June 20, 2007.
  39. ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan. ""Madness Inks With V2, New Album In Works"". Retrieved on July 12, 2007.
  40. ^ ""The Dangermen Sessions - Vol 1" chart information". Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  41. ^ ""Madness - Shame & Scandal: Charts"". Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  42. ^ a b c "Madness to re-record classic hit with Sway". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  43. ^ ""An interview with Madness"". Retrieved on August 15, 2007.
  44. ^ Woodstra, Chris. ""Allmusic.com Absolutely overview"". Retrieved on July 5, 2007.
  45. ^ Duffy, Jonathan. ""An embarrassment no more"". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  46. ^ Thompson, Lee. ""Tomorrow's Dream": What's it all about?". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  47. ^ Barson, Mike. ""Mrs. Hutchinson": What's it all about?". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  48. ^ ""SHARP Skinheads"". Retrieved on June 25, 2007.
  49. ^ Pateman, John. ""This Was England: a Skinhead exhibition from the 1980s"". Retrieved on June 5, 2007.
  50. ^ "Ivor Novello awards: The winners". Retrieved on June 19, 2007.
  51. ^ "Mojo honours list for 2005". Retrieved on June 10, 2007.
  52. ^ a b "Madness Brit Award campaign". Retrieved on June 10, 2007.

References

  • Rice, Tim (1990). Guinness Book of Hits of the 80's. Guinness World Records Ltd. ISBN 0851123988.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madness_(band)&oldid=153653950"