Hot on the heels of my previous post, I mean, literally, before I even finished typing it up, I was well on my way into Madness 7.
In the UK, Madness was burning up the charts. Their previous album, Absolutely, reached number two, spawning the hits, Baggy Trousers (peaking at number 3), Embarrassment (peaking at number 4), and The Return Of The Los Palmos 7 (peaking at number 7). Both it and their debut, 1979's One Step Beyond... would be certified platinum by the BPI.
As such, it's no surprise that 7 would reach number five on the UK charts upon its release. Though sales wise, it was less successful, 7 too spawned multiple hits. These included, Grey Day (peaking at number 4), Shut Up (peaking at number 7), and Cardiac Arrest (peaking at number 14).
Of all their albums, 7 was the most difficult for me to track down. Well, better stated, the specific version I wanted, which was the original CD issue. While the remastered is more readily available, it's still pretty limited to UK sellers on secondary markets. In fact, most of their albums aren't readily available in the USA.
Playing through it, I was immediately greeted by Cardiac Arrest, a song I was familiar with from the aforementioned compilation album. With each track came more and more of that awesome pop / ska sound which sucked me into their previous record, and with it came more and more songs I wanted to add to my shuffle. These included Sign Of The Times, Mr.s Hutchinson, Tomorrow's Dream, Grey Day, Promises Promises, and The Opium Eaters.
At this point, I think it's safe to say I'm a fan of Madness. I'm really digging their style, the tunes, and frankly the difference from everything else. They're pop, they're ska. There's humor, seriousness, and overall, it's just fun.
In 1981, Madness released the single, It Must Be Love, which finally cracked the US shores, reaching number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite its success, the single wasn't ever released on a studio album. It did, however, make its way to the 1983 compilation, Madness. If you recall that album was technically the first released in the USA.
Though the doors had opened, it wouldn't be until 1982, and their smash hit, Our House, where they'd finally become international stars, but we're getting ahead of things. That's a conversation for tomorrow.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS November 11, 1989 |
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