The Madness (album)
Encyclopedia
The Madness is a self-titled album by the British
band The Madness
. In 1988, after the breakup of the original Madness
, four of the original members (Suggs
, Lee Thompson, Chris Foreman
and Cathal Smyth) recreated the band, adding "The
" to its name. Since the new band did not include a bassist or drummer, guest musicians (mostly Bruce Thomas
) played bass, while a drum machine was used in place of a live drummer on most tracks. Also unlike previous Madness albums, the lead vocals were almost evenly shared between Suggs and Chas Smash.
They released only this one album and two singles ("I Pronounce You" and "What's That"), which were less successful than the original band releases, and The Madness disbanded by the end of the year. Madness reformed with its original members for a reunion tour in 1992 and they have remained together since.
"The Madness" reached # 66 in the UK, while the singles "I Pronounce You" reached # 44 and "What's That" # 92.
The album was recorded at Liquidator Studios, and mixed at The Townhouse studio in London.
The album is probably owned by Emi and is due to get its first full re-release and remaster alongside Madness' other studio albums in 2012.
Additional personnel:
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
band The Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
. In 1988, after the breakup of the original Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
, four of the original members (Suggs
Suggs (singer)
Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
, Lee Thompson, Chris Foreman
Chris Foreman
Chris Foreman , nicknamed Chrissy Boy, is an English guitarist, best known as a member of a second wave ska band, Madness.Foreman started Madness with Mike Barson and Lee Thompson in 1976...
and Cathal Smyth) recreated the band, adding "The
THE
THE is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:*Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven , a Dutch university of technology...
" to its name. Since the new band did not include a bassist or drummer, guest musicians (mostly Bruce Thomas
Bruce Thomas
Bruce Thomas is best known as bassist for The Attractions; the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello in concert and on record....
) played bass, while a drum machine was used in place of a live drummer on most tracks. Also unlike previous Madness albums, the lead vocals were almost evenly shared between Suggs and Chas Smash.
They released only this one album and two singles ("I Pronounce You" and "What's That"), which were less successful than the original band releases, and The Madness disbanded by the end of the year. Madness reformed with its original members for a reunion tour in 1992 and they have remained together since.
"The Madness" reached # 66 in the UK, while the singles "I Pronounce You" reached # 44 and "What's That" # 92.
The album was recorded at Liquidator Studios, and mixed at The Townhouse studio in London.
The album is probably owned by Emi and is due to get its first full re-release and remaster alongside Madness' other studio albums in 2012.
Track listing
- "Nail Down the Days" (Smyth) - 4:34
- "What's ThatWhat's That"What's That" is the second and final single by British band Madness from their 1988 album The Madness. The song was the first release by Madness or any of its spin-off bands not to reach the Top 75 in the UK, achieving a peak of only #92.-Track listing:...
" (Smyth) - 3:34 - "I Pronounce YouI Pronounce You"I Pronounce You" is the first single by British band The Madness from their 1988 album The Madness. It is about a bride's feelings on the eve of her arranged marriage. In addition to his usual guitar, Chris Foreman plays the sitar and the track also features tabla to give the song a middle...
" (Thompson/Smyth/West) - 4:38 - "Oh" (Smyth) - 3:57
- "In Wonder" (McPherson) - 4:58
- "Song in Red" (Smyth) - 3:39
- "Nightmare Nightmare" (McPherson) - 4:30
- "Thunder and Lightning" (McPherson/Foreman) - 3:13
- "Beat The Bride" (Thompson/Smyth) - 3:57
- "Gabriel's Horn" (Smyth) - 6:15
- CD bonus tracks
- "11th Hour" (McPherson/Foreman) - 4:31
- "Be Good Boy" (Thompson/Foreman) - 4:26
- "Flashings" (Smyth/McPherson) - 3:21
- "4 B.F." (Thompson) - 2:54
Chart performance
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 65 | 1 |
Personnel
- SuggsSuggs (singer)Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
(Graham McPherson) – lead vocals on tracks 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 14, backing vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, timbalesTimbalesTimbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned... - Chas SmashChas SmashCathal Smyth, also known as Chas Smash is an English musician, best known as the backing singer and dancer in the ska/pop band Madness. He also plays trumpet, acoustic guitar and various percussion instruments...
(Cathal Smyth) – lead vocals on tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, and 13, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Chris ForemanChris ForemanChris Foreman , nicknamed Chrissy Boy, is an English guitarist, best known as a member of a second wave ska band, Madness.Foreman started Madness with Mike Barson and Lee Thompson in 1976...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, synthaxeSynthAxeThe SynthAxe is a fretted, guitar-like MIDI controller, created by Bill Aitken, Mike Dixon, and Tony Sedivy and manufactured in England in the middle to late 1980s. It is a musical instrument that uses electronic synthesizers to produce sound and is controlled through the use of an arm resembling...
, piano - Lee ThompsonLee Jay ThompsonLee Jay Thompson , nicknamed Kix or El Thommo, is an English musician, best known as the saxophonist and songwriter of the second wave ska band, Madness....
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, backing vocals
Additional personnel:
- Steve NieveSteve NieveSteve Nieve is an English keyboardist, best known for his work with Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Elvis Costello and the Imposters.-Musical career:...
– keyboards - Roy Davies – keyboards, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
- Ian Price – piano synthesizerElectronic pianoAn electronic piano is a keyboard instrument designed to simulate the timbre of a piano using analog circuitry....
- Jerry DammersJerry DammersJeremy David Hounsell "Jerry" Dammers is a British musician who is a founder and keyboard player of the Coventry, England based ska revival band The Specials, The Special A.K.A...
– Piano, electronic organElectronic organAn electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
, Hammond organ, hi hat - Seamus Beaghen – accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, Keyboards, Hammond organ - Bruce ThomasBruce ThomasBruce Thomas is best known as bassist for The Attractions; the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello in concert and on record....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Earl FalconerEarl FalconerEarl Falconer is a British bass player and singer, currently working with the British reggae band, UB40. Falconer also co-runs the Dubstep label Circus Records, with Flux Pavilion, Doctor P and DJ Swan-E....
– bass guitar - Dick CuthellDick CuthellDick Cuthell is a British musician and record producer. He plays flugelhorn, cornet, and trumpet, amongst a range of other brass instruments, including tenor horn and valve trombone. Cuthell is best known for his work with The Specials and Rico Rodriguez. He also collaborated with bands such as...
– hornsHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, cowbell - Rick Walker – tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
- Andy Minnion – baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
- Malcolm Buck – tenor saxophone
- Simon Driscoll – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Esmail Sheik – tablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
s - Simon PhillipsSimon PhillipsSimon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Lorenzo Hall – backing vocals
- Anthony Lee Brian – backing vocals
- Robbie Ellington – backing vocals
- The Three Eyes – productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Steve Chase – co-production, engineer
- Nick Froome – engineer
- Hugh PadghamHugh PadghamHugh Padgham is a British record producer. He has won many awards, including four Grammys, with Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year. A 1992 poll in Mix magazine voted him one of the world's Top Ten Most Influential Producers....
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Michael H. Brauer – mixing