The Toy Box: Madness

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Retro Spins: Madness - Mad Not Mad

A steady decline of sales, the departure of Mike Barson, the struggles of starting their own label, burnout, and disagreements on musical directions were all factoring in by 1985. The once unified Madness was crumbling on multiple fronts, and this would all culminate in Mad Not Mad being the bands final album for over a decade.

Upon its release, Mad Not Mad was met with little critical fanfare, being panned for it heavy reliance on slow contemporary pop songs. Lead singer, Graham McPherson would be later quoted as calling the album a well polished turd. It's the only album to be released on the band's self created label, Zarjazz.

Their first single, Yesterday's Men would chart in the UK, and peak at number eighteen. However, the follow-up singles, Uncle Sam, and Sweetest Girl would fail to crack the top twenty, which was a first for the band. However, this didn't stop the album from peaking, as a whole, at number sixteen on the UK charts.

I definitely noticed the slower pace of some of the tracks, but I don't know that I would go so far as to say it was driven by this new musical direction. I will say that's it continues the trend of more pop than ska.

What I will say is that it all quickly turned into forgettable background noise rather quickly. I vaguely remember the tunes, I'll Complete, Uncle Sam, and Mad Not Mad (the song).

When it was all said and done, I had kind of had my fill of Madness. This could partly be because of my newer way of doing these posts. Wherein the past I would do a spin, move on to someone else, and so on and so on, the current format is more so focused on a block style, going through a chunk of music from the same artist, if not all of it from the 80's. While it's certainly more convenient for putting together a coherent history of the artists, I've noticed more times than not that this leads to a bit of burnout for me by the time it's all done.

I may need to break things up a bit in the future, or possibly go back to being more sporadic, which is unfortunate, because I like the format of a flowing timeline, but if it's leading to me not enjoying what I'm hearing, what good is that? Alternatively, and perhaps this is just speculation on my part, maybe what I'm experiencing is what the bands and artists themselves are going through. Their slow beginnings, finding their sound and peak, and ultimate decline, and sometimes break up. That's an interesting perspective to look at it from.

For example, Madness attempted to record a follow-up album, and even completed eleven demos. However, too many musical differences conflicted the members from working together. The album was shelved, and the band opted to go their separate ways. Prior to doing so, Mike Barson would rejoin them to record and release one final single, (Waiting For) The Ghost Train. After its release, the band announced their official disbandment. They formally dissolved their Zarjazz label shortly thereafter in 1986.

There was a second iteration of the group in 1988 as The Madness, which featured some of the prior members. However, their one and only album performed poorly, leading them to disband again after its release.

In the mid 90's all seven members reunited, and since then, though members have come and gone, most of their studio albums have consisted of the entire core. It's only as of 2024 that Cathal Smyth has stated he has no interest in performing with the group anymore. Despite this, Madness continues on as a six piece, with their latest studio album being 2023's Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C'est La Vie.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
November 14, 1981

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
November 14, 1987

Retro Spins: Madness - Keep Moving

I'm on the back half of my 80's Madness journey, and so far, things have been pretty good.

By October 1983, founding member, Mike Barson informed his bandmates that he was leaving the band. The keyboard player stated he was tired of the music business, and wanted to spend more time with his wife, but agreed to finish work on their current album, Keep Moving before leaving. James Mackie would appear with the band as their keyboardist for their Saturday Night Live appearance, and Paul Carrack would fill in for their US shows. However, the band would remain a six piece for the next, and last album (at the time), 1985's Mad Not Mad.

Keep moving was one of those albums that, depending on where you got it, would dictate the tracks. The UK pressings featured the tracks, Waltz Into Mischief, and Time For Tea. While US pressing replaced these with Wings Of A Dove, and The Sun And The Rain. Ironically, both US tracks were released as non-album singles in the UK, and both charted there. Additionally, depending on what region your album came from, the remaining tracks were in very different orders.

I own the US pressing, so that's the version I'll be playing through.

As it starts up, I can definitely tell right away that Madness was continuing down the road of a more pop oriented group than Ska, still striving for that mainstream commercial sound. For me, it doesn't really work. The thing that drew me to them was how different they were from other acts of the early 80's. While ska style tracks do appear here and there, it's fairly sparse.

I dug the peppy hits, Wings Of The Dove, and The Sun And The Rain, and I can understand why they ended up being included on the US cut of the album. Without them, there's not much to really get excited about. I'd like to say that March Of The Gherkins stood out. However, if I'm being truthful, I don't even remember how the tune went at this point. Maybe because it was fresher in my mind, Give Me A Reason also stood out.

I also found myself invested in the story of the Stiff Records label, which Madness had been signed to from their debut through this current album. They left shortly thereafter to form their own label, Zarjazz. Stiff, on the other hand, found itself in a 50% control merge with Island Records. However, that deal would quickly go South, and Dave Robinson, co-founder of Stiff would regain full control.

As for Madness, they remained on a steady decline in both sales and popularity. Thing internally were also coming to a head, but we'll dive into that tomorrow.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
November 13, 1982

Retro Spins: Madness - The Rise & Fall

I continue my journey through the discography of Madness as a newly appointed fan. I'm honestly to the point where I may do something a bit rare and actually go back and track down their 1979 debut. So far, this has been some really good stuff.

Despite their massive popularity in the UK, Madness had only managed to garner one hit in the USA with their 1981 single, It Must Be Love. Because of this, when it came time to release their 1982 studio album, The Rise & Fall, much like previous albums, this too never saw a release in North America.

The album spawned multiple hits, which included their international hit, Our House. This single would reach number five in the UK and reach number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, along with other Madness hits, would be compiled on the self-titled compilation in 1983, which would become the first album released in the US.

With me rushing into my third Madness album back-to-back in one day, I think a bit of fatigue started to set in. Though I got some good tracks from it, Rise And Fall, Tomorrow's Just Another Day, Blue Skinned Beast, Our House, Tiptoes, and Calling Cards, I was really only partially listening to it at this point. If things caught my ear, I would zone back in from working on my ever changing CD collection list.

At the end of it, I still walked away pleased. Though I also feel like I may have missed some things from the other albums I'd heard. I will say that one of the most noticeable aspects of The Rise & Fall was that it leaned more so into pop than ska. This too, perhaps, deterred my attention away, as it sounded more commercial mainstream, losing some of that charm initially found in prior records.

Overall, not a bad listening session, just not one I paid as much attention to as I kind of wish I had. I may take a break from Madness for a day or two before swinging back around to their remaining 80's releases.

While Madness were at the peak of their success, chart wise, sales had been steadily declining for the boys since their third album, 7. While their first two releases were met with platinum status, 7 and The Rise & Fall would see certifications of only gold. This trend would continue with their 1985 and 1987 albums, Keep Moving, and Mad Not Mad, which would only reach silver. While the latter was technically their last album before the group disbanded, Madness lived on for bit as a second iteration. However, before we can talk about that, we first have to get through those other two records.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
November 12, 1983

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
November 12, 1988

Retro Spins: Madness - 7

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

Retro Spins: Madness - Absolutely

Everyone from the 80's remembers Madness's hit, Our House, but from there, they've kind of been labeled inaccurately as a one hit wonder by many. Though I wouldn't necessarily have cast them as such, my exposure was still limited. While I owned their 1983 compilation, Madness, which technically serves as the band's debut studio album in North America, I hadn't branched out far beyond that. Well, until recently when I suddenly got a bug to have all of their 80's studio albums.

The North London Invaders formed in North Camden, England in 1976. With their mixture of pop and ska, they were one of the forefronts of the ska revival. The original lineup consisted of Mike Barson, Chris Foreman, and Lee Thompson, who would later recruit John Hasler, and Cathal Smyth. Later in the year, they were joined by Dikran Tulaine. In 1977, Graham McPherson, took over on vocals, while Tulaine purused a career as an actor. Smyth would depart shortly thereafter and be replaced by Gavin Rodgers. Thompson would also leave after being criticized for his playing, and McPherson kicked out.

The latter two would eventually patch things up with the other members and rejoin. Dan Woodgate, and Mark Bedford also joined the band, replacing Garry Dovey and Rodgers. The band would briefly change their name to Morris And The Minors, before settling on Madness in 1979. Towards the end of the year, Smyth would rejoin.

The band would gain a regular following while performing at the Dublin Castle, and eventually release their first single, The Prince, which would become a surprise hit in the UK, peaking at number 16. In support of the single, they'd tour with The Specials, and The Selector, and ultimately sign with Stiff Records. Stiff would release their debut, One Step Beyond... All of this would happen before the end of 1979.

After releasing three singles from the album, Madness felt they'd exhausted all their good material from their debut. However, Stiff Records disagreed, and persuaded them to release the EP, Work Rest And Play, which featured the final single from the album, Night Boat To Cairo. Madness then went back into the studio to begin work on their 1980 follow-up, Absolutely.

It's here that we pick up with today's Retro Spin, and my most recent discography to obtain.

Madness is a band that I feel could only thrive in the 80's. An era when anything went, and everything could find a radio station to play it. There was such an eclectic mix, and all of it was fair game for the Billboard Hot 100, and if within the top forty, played on Rick Dee's Weekly Top 40.

As I played through the album, I heard a whole bunch of intriguing sounds. So many that I had to be a bit selective with what ultimately ended up on my shuffle list. These included, Baggy Trousers, E.R.N.I.E., Close Escape, On The Beat Pete, and You Said. What stood out the most about Absolutely was how different it was. Being an average of two to three minutes long, it's also jam packed with track after track, while still managing to remain at the forty-minute mark.

It definitely piqued my interest to hear more, which I suppose was a good thing, since at this point, I'd already purchased all the albums. A nice added flourish to it all was at the end of the final track, Return Of The Los Palmas 7, you're sent off with a friendly, "good night".

I was so heavily invested at this point that before I even finished this post, I was off on my way through their 1981 follow-up, 7. So before that one gets too far ahead of me, I suppose I need to cut this one off, and make my way into tomorrow's post.

See you there!(?)

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
November 10, 1984

Retro Spins: Madness - Madness

I wouldn't normally host a Retro Spin based on a compilation album, but today's listen gets an exception.

Madness were formed in 1976, and would be predominant in the revival of ska music throughout the 70's and 80's. Their most popular time, 1980 - 1986, saw them on the UK charts for a cumulative 214 weeks. In total, they've had fifteen top hits, which is nothing to shrug at for a group contending with likes of new wave and pop.

Though the group focused primarily on ska from 1979 - 1981, and found great success with debut, One Step Beyond... (1979) , and Absolutely (1980), it was the every changing styles with the times that helped to keep them relevant. When they went to work on their third album, 7 (1981), the group noticeably adopted a more pop friendly sound. Guitarist, Chris Foreman, would go on to say that the music of Madness would move with the times.

They would finally crack US borders in 1982 with their album, The Rise & Fall. Specifically, with their top ten hit, Our House, which peaked at number seven. However, up until this time, Madness had not released an album in North America, resulting in nothing being available for people to buy.

Enter the 1983 self titled compilation. For Americans, this was their debut. A twelve track, forty minute record, packed with hit after hit, carefully selected from the bands current discography of albums and singles. It's because we US fans consider this their debut that the technically greatest hits album gets a spot on today's Retro Spins.

Madness, the album, feels finely crafted, and this is a result of the benefit from being curated from already tried and true popular songs from their already extensive discography. For me, the front half is definitely more enticing than the second. I felt like it was a combination of the overall sound and feel the record that ultimately did me in. I just got tired of it.

However, this is not to say that I heard anything I would label, "bad". In fact, I may wait a bit, and play the last six tracks again to give them another chance.

In hindsight, I can also see why Madness's popularity waned seemingly fast for American fans. When you cull a regional debut from varying sources, it grants you the opportunity to pull only the best. As such, when you follow that up with a regular album afterwards, in this case, 1984's Keep Moving, yes you get a boost in sales, but lose people in the process because it's not able to stand up to the greatness of it predecessor. Whereas Madness, the compilation album has eight popular singles, Keep Moving only produced two mild ones.

The groups overall popularity began to drop significantly between 1983 and 1986, and ultimately led to them disbanding shortly after 1985's Mad Not Mad. A few members spun off into the short lived The Madness, and released a self titled album in 1988. Despite the name change, many fans associate them as the same act.

Madness made a bit of a comeback in the early 90's, releasing the number one hit compilation album, Divine Madness. The band would also continue to reunite periodically for annual holiday and specialty tours. This would eventually lead to all seven members reuniting for 1999's Wonderful. They would release two additional albums, 2005's The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1, and 2009's The Liberty of Norton Folgate.

After a series of tours, Mark Bedford would once again depart the group, leaving the six remaining members to continue on. Since then, the remaining members have released a couple more albums, and continue to tour periodically, keeping Madness alive for new generations.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 25, 1984

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 25, 1989