Last week I was at AFAS Live in Amsterdam for a Madness concert. I believe it's been 3 years since I bought my ticket for this event, but it got constantly postponed because of COVID. The time came at last, and I must say it was worth the wait. The band may not be their hyperkinetic former selves, but they certainly still know how to throw a party. I got to cross another classic act out of my list, too - and, as I did that,I realized I wasn't born too late after all. Sure, I never got to see Hendrix or Joplin live, but that's their fault for dying too young. I did get to see most of rock's pantheon up close, even those who started the whole thing: Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee, Bo Diddley - all R.I.P. now. I remember when I first saw Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, or The Rolling Stones, 20-30 year ago. I thought at the time "this is great, but imagine seeing them in their prime". Now I'm thinking what a privilege it's been to catch them live at all. Those legends are still touring, incidentally, and you should not miss your chance. Only a few years before they (or Roger Waters, or Robert Plant, or The Who) retire, and the last link to rock's golden age is severed. Don't kid yourself, we aren't about to see their likes again. The well is drying up; Sure, the punk/new wave generation produced its share of iconic figures, but few of them worthy of the "legend" tag. The 80's? Even less. The 90's? Kurt Cobain, at best half a dozen more. Anyway... Madness: what a band, and what an arsenal of hits they have amassed in the last 45 years! Legendary, or what?
The Rise And Fall isn't my favorite Madness LP in my collection; that distinction would go to their debut One Step Beyond... I mean that album's opening triplet is "One Step Beyond...", "My Girl" and "Night Boat To Cairo". Hard to beat or what? Also, in last week's concert, the band played 6 songs from One Step... and only 1 from Rise & Fall. Why then is the latter the one included in all the lists (e.g. 1001 albums you must listen before you die)? I get it, really: Where the debut was a collection of irresistible ska/pop singles, this is a much more ambitious affair: A sort-of-concept album, about childhood memories and growing up in England. I believe that each members contributes at least a song; this results to their first political song (anti-Falkland War "Blue Skinned Beast") as well as some of their trademark nutty moments like "Calling Card" and the cod-Indian voices at the end of "New Delhi" - one could interpret these, or the turbaned blackface snake charmer of the cover, as racist, but that's just The Madness' zany sense of humor: when they played set closer "Night Boat To Cairo" in the concert, Thompson donned a fez, and Suggs fashioned a towel into an Arab-style kerchief. Irreverent, maybe, but well-intended I'm sure. Musically, there's so much more than their usual reggae and ska: jazz, pop, music hall, rock and oriental music get thrown in the mix, and the outcome is more complex and diverse than ever before. A bit of English whimsy reminiscent of The Kinks and The Beatles circa 1967-68, too. In keeping with the nostalgic character of the lyrics, the tempo is mid-paced to fast, but never as frenetic as with some of their earlier works. The record doesn't contain any weak songs, but neither are there many stand-out tracks, other than the two singles: "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" and -above all- their biggest international hit, nostalgic feel-good evergreen "Our House". A classic album featuring solid songwriting, for sure, but newcomers should be directed to a greatest hits package, or the pinnacle of their nutty ska days, One Step Beyond.
***** for Tomorrow's (Just Another Day), Our House
**** for Rise and Fall, Mr. Speaker (Gets the Word), Sunday Morning, Tiptoes, That Face
*** for Blue Skinned Beast, Primrose Hill, New Delhi, Calling Cards, Are You Coming (With Me), Madness (Is All in the Mind)
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