“Hey you, don’t watch that, watch this, the heavy, heavy monster sound of Madness ... one step beyond...”
Madness were one of a bunch of bands that emerged as part of the 2-Tone ska explosion in 1979, but they went on to be one of the most memorable and productive pop bands of the 1980’s.
In October 1979, after having one hit on 2-Tone with the engaging The Prince single, the band signed to Stiff Records and released a second single and a debut album, both entitled One Step Beyond. The single stayed in the charts for over three months, reaching number 7, while the album, produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, reached number 2 and stayed in the Top 75 for 78 weeks altogether. The cover displayed the distinctive Madness train - a combination of the nutty dance and a moving train image, their trademark for years to come.
It was a remarkable album, capturing the Madness mood to perfection, even without the visual prompt of the memorable videos with which they were to embed themselves in the hearts of the nation for years to come - Night Boat To Cairo, Bed And Breakfast Man, Night Boat To Cairo, Razor Blade Alley - it was all splendid stuff and yet only presented an inkling of the pop phenomenon that was to dominate the charts in the years to come.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines