the disc nuttyo graphy

Rip It Up, Issue 45, 1 April 1981, Page 14

the disc nuttyo graphy

by Simon Grigg

Since their first single in August 1979, Madness have released a steady flow of material of an unfaltering high standard. They were England’s top singles band in 1980 no mean feat, considering the kind of drivel that they had to compete against. It says a lot for the English consumer that bands like Madness, the Beat and the Jam and the other select few can outsell housewive’s choices like Abba. Madness emerged from Camden Town on mid-1979, after a couple of years of sporadic playing at parties and pubs. Initially, they were known as the Invaders, and they found themselves totally out of step with public taste at a time when punk reigned supreme. Ska was still an obscure sixties style, practised only by them and a Coventry band, the Specials A.K.A. Tastes change, though, and in July 1979 the Specials formed their own label, 2 Tone, and had a hit with their song ‘Gangsters’. On the flip was a song by a couple of their mates calling themselves the Selecter (at the time still not a full band). The second 2 Tone release was Madness’s tribute to sixties ska hero, Prince Buster. ‘The Prince’ was a jubilant update of Buster’s sound, showing a strong understanding of mid-sixties Jamaican production techniques and feel. It was backed with their cover of Buster’s 1966 hit, ‘Madness’. The flip of that song had been ‘AI Capone’ later adapted by the Specials for ‘Gangsters’. By early October, ‘The Prince’ had reached the Top 20, earning Madness a ‘next big thing’ title and a contract with Stiff a label with an image to match the so-called ‘nutty sound’. The first Stiff release was a single another Prince Buster song, ‘One Step Beyond’. On the seven inch edition it was backed with ‘Mistakes’, and on the twelve incher with ‘Mistakes 1 and ‘The Nutty Theme’. It was the band’s first Top 10 hit. About the same time, Madness’s debut album was released. It contains re-record-ings of both ‘The Prince’ and ‘Madness’. ‘Madness’ is improved, but ‘The Prince’ seems to have lost some of its vitality along the way. The second single is the title track, and its rousing call to arms is highly effective setting the tone for the whole album. Although it was released at around the same time as the Specials’ debut, the album

has a recognisable difference in production. The Specials’ record was given a slightly flat and very live sound by Elvis Costello, while Madness benefited from Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley’s robust, full sound. More than that, the Specials’ material seems almost staid by comparison with the bounce and vitality of One Step Beyond. It is one of the finest dance albums ever released, matched since only by the Beat’s debut and the second Madness LP. The message was, and is, no message, just pure pop aimed at the feet. The second track on the album was the band’s third single. ‘My Girl’ with ‘Stepping Into Line’ made number three in January 1980, and is the most joyous ‘nutty tune’ yet, with teen lyrics to match Chuck Berry. My girl’s mad at me, I didn ’t want to see the film tonight. I found it hard to say, She thought I’d had enough of her.

Why can’t she see she’s lovely to me? But I like to stay in and watch TV on my own every now and then. The third track, ‘Night Boat To Cairo’, was on the Work, Rest and Play EP that made number six in Britain. The rest of the album maintains the standard right to the final track, ‘Chipmunks Are Go’, a pisstake of the chants so beloved of the skinheads who support Madness en masse. Madness hit America in November 1979, with the Specials, and seemed to pull off what has been unsuccessfully attempted so often in the last five years. Perhaps it was the over-the-top eccentricity, but both albums made a reasonable dent in the US album charts, and Madness were sufficiently encouraged to return to America in April 1980. After an extensive European tour, the band released the schooldays paean, ‘Baggy Trousers’. Predictably, and deservedly, it made the Top 5. The song marked a slight change in style for Madness. The dance feel was still predominant, but the production was fuller and more imaginative, with a new percussive edge. The new maturity was confirmed by the second Madness album, released in late September. Absolutely is every bit the equal of One Step Beyond. In spite of an obvious loss of innocence and an increased ability to get the most from their instruments, the band still give songs like ‘Embarrassment’, ‘Not Home Today’ and ‘ln The Rain’ charm, honesty and spontaneity. The result is another platinum album. The most recent single is an Absolutely track. ‘The Return Of The Los Palmos 7’ is like a Bonzo Dog instrumental with a 1980 twist. Two years on, Madness show no sign of slowing down or slipping in quality. They’ve made an art form out of great dance music, topped the UK charts, yet managed to remain completely human all the way.

Simon Grigg