Lot, The [ECD] [PA] [Remastered] - Madness > Reviews > It Does What It Says On The Box

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	All the Albums , All The Videos in one box
Disadvantages:	Box is a bit flimsy

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Madness are possibly the only pop band to challenge the Beatles for coherent pop writing which can be by turns serious or totally zany and always entertaining. This package is extremely comprehensive (as the title states) and Madness are such a part of the national musical psyche it’s almost pointless to detail what’s in the package, but I’ll ramble through why I bought it and what I think about it.

This is possibly one of the most comprehensive packages that any band has put out. It contains their first six albums (4 hours plus) with 24 videos (4 per CD) and a useful thirty six page booklet with quotes from the band, track listings , credits and a full discography. Whilst the CDs and booklet are very well packaged , the retaining box is a bit flimsy, but that is an unnecessary gripe. The amazing thing is that this package costs only 21.99 GBP on Amazon, that’s around 3.50 GBP per disk, an absolute bargain.

It is a wonderful way to revisit your youth, watching the excellent nutty videos for classics such as “Baggy Trousers” , “Our House” or “Driving in My Car”, and the music is spot on as well ranging from the straight but powerful ska of “One Step Beyond” and “Night Boat To Cairo” through the cod lounge music of “The Return of The Las Palmas Seven” to the more serious “Embarrassment” and “Yesterdays Men”.

This little box will keep you entertained for hours , and is both terrific fun and great historical document of one of Britain’s best and most loved bands. Every single they released brightened up every music program with the excellent accompanying video (made with a budget of about 30p, which is probably why this set is so, so cheap).

Given that the single albums can cost you up to a tenner in HMV or Virgin, this set is an absolute bargain. I’ve given away my copy of “One Step Beyond” (their first album) as I don’t need it twice.

If you combine this with “The Business” you have everything the band did , including “B” sides, radio jingles and foreign language versions of songs. If you’re a fan you have to buy this.

The artwork for the cover features a pair of Doc Martin boots, and looks the part, but as I said , the box is flimsy and it would have been better if they had used a similar construction to “The Business”, but it’s still an absolute bargain.

And now I have all the videos as well!!!!!

Absolute Heaven

Thank You Suggs and Co