Forty Year Friday (1983) – MADNESS “MADNESS”
It’s Forty Year Friday again. For more information on this series, please read the opening paragraph of the first post, which featured Never Surrender by Triumph.
Posted on my Facebook page November 14, 2013:
This week’s Thirty-Year Thursday album is “MADNESS” by MADNESS, which was actually a compilation of songs from the British ska-pop band’s first few UK albums designed to introduce their music to the American market in 1983. Like most people at the time, their infectious hit single “Our House” was my first exposure to them. I loved it the first time I heard it and it’s still a great song that takes me back to my first record store job (I distinctly remember this song blasting out of the store’s speakers every day of my first week there in May ’83). For a long time “Our House” was the only song of theirs I knew, but by the early- to mid-’90s I had picked up this 12-song compilation on CD as well as the “Complete Madness” LP compilation (which has an additional 8 or 9 songs not on “Madness”), giving me a pretty good overview of their early years without ever owning any of their individual albums. It’s sad that they’re considered one-hit wonders in the US, even though the equally great song “It Must Be Love” was a Top 40 hit. “House Of Fun” is another blast of fun (pun intended), and it’s hard not to smile when listening to anything I’ve heard from them. Happy 30th anniversary to “Our House” and all the other wonderful songs on this collection. Here’s the original video. The music begins about 30 seconds in.
Listening again this week, I was reminded what a fun band Madness is, and it’s a shame that they’re considered one-hit wonders here in the US. Their songs are super-catchy, the musicianship is top-notch, their often-goofy videos were perfect for the MTV age, and the deadpan vocals of lead singer Graham “Suggs” McPherson make them instantly recognizable. If you don’t get a smile on your face when hearing their music, you might not have a pulse. In addition to this US-only eponymous collection and the previously-mentioned Complete Madness LP, I also have the 19-track Ultimate Collection from 2000. Any of them would be the perfect introduction to the inimitable world of Madness.
16 comments on “Forty Year Friday (1983) – MADNESS “MADNESS””
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KamerTunesBlog 
You are absolutely right, Madness were much more than one hit wonders. My first wife was a Madness fan so I got to explore them more thanks to her. For me, one of their now hidden gems was “One Step Beyond.”
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I love “One Step Beyond” and I’ve often wondered why it wasn’t included on this collection. Maybe the label thought it was too strange for American listeners but that was a mistake as it’s one of their best songs.
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A big mistake I’d say.
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At least it ended up on subsequent Madness compilations, including the Ultimate Collection I mentioned in this post. In fact, it’s the first track.
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I also own this compilation CD. I remember getting it some time in the mid-90s when I was backfilling my collection once I started to get a paycheck. I usually tried to get the actual albums and I saw this CD with a 1983 date on it so assumed it was the original album with “Our House” on it. Only much later did I realize that all these songs were not from the same original album release. Hard to argue with the great tracks that you picked. “Night Boat to Cairo” is another that was a lot of fun.
I was living in the UK around 2012 when they released the album Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da. One single they played a ton on the radio was the track “Never Knew Your Name,” which I highly recommend all to check out. It isn’t as much ska but perhaps a bit more adult contemporary. It has a sort of disco/dance beat and Suggs’ lyrical delivery is smooth as silk. The band deliver a fine, lush backdrop to the story lyrics about lost chances and paths not taken. Very much a song that a 20-something wouldn’t be able to write with as much conviction.
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Hi Bill. I’m glad we’re in agreement again. Are you saying that the CD is different than the original LP release from ’83? I always assumed it was the same. Back in ’83 I assumed this was their new album and only later did I find out it was a compilation of songs from their last two UK albums, with some singles & remixes. Thanks for the recommendation of that album from 2012. I will definitely give it a listen soon. As much as I still love physical product, I also love that we live in an age when I can easily check out a song or album online.
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Apologies for the lack of clarity. No, this album/CD is exactly as it came out in 1983 (as far as I know). What I meant to say was that I didn’t know it was a compilation album back in the 90s when I purchased it. Usually, I like to get the artist’s original album, in this case The Rise & Fall. But, not knowing that was the name, I just assumed the CD from 1983 was the original album release with “Our House” and not a compilation. I guess in the US, that is a bit complicated since it was both the original US release and a compilation!
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Ah, that makes sense. I was also surprised to find out this was a compilation. I guess none of their previous albums had been released in the US prior to this one. Looking forward to checking out more of their music soon.
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Ahhh! –now HERE’S a band I can get behind on. FIRST exposure to Madness for ME was “ONE STEP BEYOND”– which I have VOWED to learn to play on saxophone one day….truthiness!!!!! I do have a sax, I wanna learn it….be that as it may…..back to my paragraph… I was one of those kids that loved “BRITISH THINGS” with Scott Muni on WNEW FM way back when …. first exposure to MANY many bands, and months before America would take notice…. this would get me excited to get to HARMONY HUT and it’s IMPORT BIN where I would rifle through and hopefully GET the albums to feed my hungry ears. MADNESS was one of those bands that got me hooked right away. I also was and still AM, a fan of SKA…. and the first MADNESS album was released along with what has become to be known as the grandaddy of 2Tone drops…. 2Tone released MADNESS, THE SPECIALS, and THE SELECTER albums at the same time, and the Ska world would never be the same afterward. all VERY popular in Britain. The 80’s were a very exciting time for British music…… You brought back some fine memories for me, Rich!!!!
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Hooky-dooky, Bill. That’s what comes to mind whenever the name Scott Muni comes up in conversation. I didn’t listen to his Things From England/British Biscuits show religiously, but whenever I did I found something new to love…even if I didn’t immediately rush out to buy the import. As for ska, I love those British bands…let’s add The (English) Beat to that list, but I’ve also gone back to the original ska music from Jamaica and love that stuff as well. I’m guessing you do too.
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Interesting listening to this album. I am one of those people that remembered them for “Our House” and thought they were just a one-hit wonder, and never spent any time thinking about looking into the band or thinking about it
“Madness” seems like a good name for the band. A lot of abrupt musical surprises – and the songs kind of have a feel that’s half-childlike innocence and half scary, dark world. That, combined with the sort of Cabaret/Vaudeville feel (no sure the right reference, but something older) is an oddball (in a good way) combination
I was thinking that “Our House”, and maybe a few of the other songs – setup something musically where going to any key whatsoever feels appropriate. I don’t know how to describe that – but I found this explanation online: https://benmorss.com/rock-theory/madness-key-changes/
which maybe explains why it felt like that to me. It also fits with the “Madness” name
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Hey Rob. Madness definitely was a one-hit wonder here in the US but they’re beloved in the UK…and probably other places overseas. You hit the nail on the head with the whole “half childlike/half scary” description. Even though there were plenty of UK bands with a ska sound back then, Madness always had their own unique spin on the genre. The cabaret/vaudeville thing you mentioned is probably considered “Music Hall” in the UK. So many of our favorite British artists grew up with that stuff.
That key change article is very intense, but it got me realizing how much Madness used key changes to great effect in their music. On a related note, are you familiar with Richie Castellano and Band Geek? He’s a talented multi-instrumentalist/singer who’s been playing with Blue Oyster Cult for the last several years, and he has a series of videos on YouTube with a rotating cast of super-talented musicians (Band Geek or The Band Geeks). One of my favorites from them is this performance of the early-’80s Sergio Mendes hit, “Never Gonna Let You Go” where they point out the crazy number of key changes throughout the tune. I also recommend you check out Richie’s one-man-band videos where he replicates songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Abbey Road Medley.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nhIRJkj8SE
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Thanks Rob for this Ben Morss page talking about the theory behind the song. Dense material indeed if you aren’t familiar with some of the concepts but great learning for those with even a passing understanding of music theory. And h/t to Rich for the Richie Castellano link. Wasn’t really aware of Band Geek before but I did see the Rick Beato vid on the Mendes song when it came out. Always glad to find more cool music-related content.
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Bill, let me know if you end up going down a Castellano/Band Geek rabbit hole like I did. A few friends of mine did the same thing and it’s always fun talking about how amazing those guys (and gals) are. They toured with Jon Anderson earlier this year, playing a set of Yes epics. What a thrill that must have been for them.
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Ah – “Music Hall”, that makes sense. The piano and horns. It sounds old, like 30s/40s – but not quite big band or swing either. I couldn’t think of a term
I’d never heard of “Richie Castellano and Band Geek”. I’ll have to check some of those others out. I watched the “Never Gonna Let You Go” – 22 key changes total! I think Rick Beato did a thing about that song too – “The Most Complex Pop Song of All Time”
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A couple of years ago, when I found out about Richie Castellano via his “Where’s The F-in’ Beat” video series, I went down a YouTube wormhole and found so many amazing videos. You should check out Band Geek’s version of “Close To The Edge” (all 18 minutes of it) to fully experience their attention to detail. I will definitely check out Rick Beato’s video about that Sergio Mendes song.
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