| features in: Album Chart of 1979 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1970s |
The rockingest rocksteady beat of Madness ruled my junior world and, as far as I was concerned at that stage, Lord Suggs and Chas Smash were the two coolest guys who had ever roamed the Earth. I never actually owned any records in 1979, but all of the singles from this LP were seeping into my consciousness via Radio 1 and Top of the Pops. This, for me, is synonymous with growing up, and Madness and I are deeply bonded for life. The nutty six were: Suggs (18, lead vocals); Mike Barson (21, keyboards); Chris Foreman (23, guitars); Mark Bedford (18, bass); Lee Thompson (22, saxophones) and Dan Woodgate (19, drums, percussion). It wasn’t quite official yet, but Chas Smash (20, vocals, fancy footwork) would soon be announced as the seventh member, and to this day I still look at that sextet cover as a travesty of justice. The 19th October 1979 was a bit of a monumental day for the British Ska revivalists, with both “Specials” and “One Step Beyond” hitting the shops in a stupendous double-whammy statement of intent. Whilst the former slightly takes my head, the latter steals my heart. Both have my soul.
Chas’s epic intro to “One Step Beyond” is the first thing to be heard on the LP, and the message is clear from the off – “you better start to move your feet”. The nutty boys proceed to mash up Prince Buster’s original in their own inimitable style; these audacious upstarts are here to boss the joint. The almighty “My Girl” is next, and we’re introduced to the pseudo-classical greatness of Mnsr Barso’s piano alongside Suggs’s every-lad vocal, which this writer still has word-perfect to this day. The magnificent start is maintained on “Night Boat To Cairo”, an unlikely tale of a toothless, carefree oarsman, seemingly meandering down the Nile in a somewhat hapless fashion. Once again, classical undertones are at play – an oft overlooked aspect of this band – as the piece fades away in a fiddling blaze of glory. Avoiding conflict with 2-Tone, a new version of the debut single from 2 months ago – “The Prince” – is recorded, but is perhaps just a shade too polished by comparison (although I’m being very picky in that statement, for it’s a classic all the same.) The big-up to Jamaica’s stars from these young pretenders has been a revelation for countless thousands of British white kids. Who knew education could be such fun?
Just as The Specials did on their debut, Madness demonstrate imagination and versatility with the pseudo-Jazz finger-clicking goodness of “Razor Blade Alley” – conceived by saxophonist Lee – which comes complete with wandering bass and tinkling piano. Flowing seamlessly from this, they take on Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” –what Madness is this? They’ve got some balls. “Rockin’ In A♭” reveals the band’s R n B roots, Madness being “first to market” with this song which came from Mike’s brother’s band, pub rockers Bazooka Joe. Suggs gets into the spirit of the thing, exercising the ol’ vocal cords with a bit of a Buddy Holly job. All four of the cover versions have been terrific, and a classic version of “Madness” ends the album where it began – with a tip-of-the-hat to Buster. This may not be uptown Jamaica but it is, most certainly, a treat.
The Jukebox Rebel
26–Jun–2007
| Tracklist |
| A1 | [02:18]  Madness - One Step Beyond (Cecil Campbell) Ska / Rocksteady |
| A2 | [02:44] Madness - My Girl (Mike Barson) Ska / Rocksteady |
| A3 | [03:31]  Madness - Night Boat To Cairo (Mike Barson, Graham McPherson) Ska / Rocksteady |
| A4 | [02:28]  Madness - Believe Me (Mike Barson, John Hasler) New Wave |
| A5 | [02:57]  Madness - Land Of Hope And Glory (Lee Thompson, Chris Foreman) Ska / Rocksteady |
| A6 | [03:18]  Madness - The Prince (Lee Thompson) Ska / Rocksteady |
| A7 | [02:24]  Madness - Tarzan’s Nuts (Mike Barson) Ska / Rocksteady |
| B1 | [03:01]  Madness - In The Middle Of The Night (Graham McPherson, Chris Foreman) Reggae |
| B2 | [02:33]  Madness - Bed And Breakfast Man (Mike Barson) Ska / Rocksteady |
| B3 | [02:42]  Madness - Razor Blade Alley (Lee Thompson) Jazz |
| B4 | [02:36]  Madness - Swan Lake (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) Ska / Rocksteady |
| B5 | [02:29]  Madness - Rockin’ In A♭ (Bill Smith) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B6 | [02:23] Madness - Mummy’s Boy (Mark Bedford) Reggae |
| B7 | [02:38] Madness - Madness (Cecil Campbell) Ska / Rocksteady |
| B8 | [00:51]  Madness - Chipmunks Are Go! (Cathal Smyth, Brendan Smyth) Novelty |
