Still One Step Beyond
March 5, 2010The canny pop ska of Madness still evokes a misty fondness of bygone, happier times. By Sophie Best
Their 1979 debut One Step Beyond may lack the rose-tinted schmaltz of later hits-cum-advertising jingles such as Baggy Trousers and It Must Be Love, but there is something inherently nostalgic about Madness.
This deluxe, re-mastered 30th anniversary edition documents the rise of Madness from nutty ska revivalists to the UK’s number one singles band of the ’80s. Suggs and his pork pie-hatted Camden gang, in their natty suits and skinny ties, brought a rampaging, cartoon-like sense of fun to the grimness of Thatcher’s Britain and the earnest UK ska revival.
Madness took the mod aesthetics and retro cool of The Specials and their Two Tone labelmates, and added a madcap, unabashed love of novelty. The likely lads charmed their way onto the charts with singles My Girl and Night Boat To Cairo and paved the way for massive mainstream crossover.
Madness had a winning formula from the beginning, taking the rocksteady syncopations and blue beats of ska, and adding classic rock’n’roll and Motown flourishes. But it was an ability to put a smile on the faces of young and old that ensured success. One Step Beyond still sounds like a irresistible old-fashioned music-hall knees-up. The double-disc package features bonus tracks, fond reminiscences in the liner notes by Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, a John Peel session and five enduringly whacky video clips.
UNION SQUARE/TOTAL MUSIC
