Madness: One Step Beyond - 30th Anniversary Edition
Madness: One Step Beyond - 30th Anniversary Edition
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By Darren Estwick. |  |
Thursday, 29, Oct 2009 11:08
Salvo Records, out now.
What's it all about?
Reissue of Madness' first album from the late 70s. One Step Beyond also features a second disc of live session performances, including recordings of the John Peel sessions
Who's it by?
Originally from Camden, Madness are a ska band that can still be heard gracing the speakers of nightclubs around the country. Some of their more famous tracks such as Our House have been used on recent TV commercials and after pulling through a recent split and reunion, they show no intentions of stopping.
As an example.
"My girl's mad at me/I didn't wanna see the film tonight/I find it hard to say/She thought I'd had enough of her..."
What the others say
"History will rightly remember Madness as one of Britain's greatest ever singles groups, but it's on their albums that the Nutty Boys fully displayed their kaleidoscopic mastery of pop." - Stevie Chick, BBC.co.uk
"Madness' Suggs, however, is an expressive (albeit hammy) singer cut from the Ian Dury mould." - David Fricke, Rolling Stone (originally posted 1980)
So is it any good?
It's hard not to recognise one of Madness' hits from somewhere, however the chance for new generations to hear this first outing will probably meet mixed opinion. Variation is present on the album, with the tone staying mostly upbeat, but those who know Madness from their quirky tunes like One Step Beyond and House of Fun may be disappointed when the band show their more serious side. That'd be a shame as their album recordings prove that the band are about more than 80s dancefloor memories, and like many alternative acts of the time are more than capable of writing about political and emotional subjects. Madness are by no means in the same category as punk bands like the Clash or the Ramones, however, everything is kept under a more 'orderly' performance and as a result the record has a much more universal audience appeal.
Sugg's broad cockney accent is much more prominent than in later recordings, and as a result each song has a distinct vocal sound much like that of today's Lily Allen and Arctic Monkeys.
Released alongside Total Madness' (The Best of...) this is one for the fans. I would recommend for anybody wanting to get their first taste of the band the 'best of' collection would be a great starting point, but if that has whetted your appetite then One Step Beyond is a great place to start building the back catalogue.
8/10
Ben Brady