Madness - Collector's Edition '1990

Tracks list

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CD1 Madness - One Step Beyond... (1979)
It's the sheer exuberance of it all that first smacks listeners straight across
the head, that and the pure mayhem that careens wildly from the opening shout to
the closing note. A musical roller coaster, a tear through a musical house of
mirrors, along the way Madness grab streamers of ska and rocksteady and stuff
them gleefully into their baggy trousers. Actually the trousers were yet to
come, but One Step Beyond dragged listeners kicking and screaming into a wacky
world of their own creation, where Prince Buster slams into swan-clad ballerinas
and boats on the Nile, where "Chipmunks are Go!" and the sun never set on the
"Land of Hope and Glory." The Nutty Boys was an apt alternate moniker for the
band, as they rocket madly through this set, all wicked grins and giggles, smug
with their own cleverness and winking slyly at their own goofy musical jokes.
Who could be so po-faced as to not join in? The set has lost none of its
freshness, appeal or ability to surprise over the years. It still sounds like
nothing else on the planet, even though it's influences were waved pennant like
from the band's hands -- Buster, of course, and the sheer freneticism of early
Jamaican ska and punk's raging fire. And, just as evident, English music hall,
Augustus Pablo's Far Eastern sound, Brit Beat pop, the slinkier side of swing
and the funnier side of classical ballet, military marches and Dad's Army,
funfairs and keyboard riffs on an Oktoberfest tour of the German beerhalls, all
this and more were poured straight into the mix and decanted into the Madness
brew. There's nary a pause for breath, the wilding never stops, even when they
slow the tempos and darken the moods. Amidst this kaleidoscope everyone has
their personal faves, be it the trio of Buster tributes of "One Step Beyond,"
"The Prince" and "Madness," the poppier Sixties Brit flavored hat trick of "In
the Middle of the Night," "Bed and Breakfast" and "Mummy's Boy," the heavy on
the atmospheres of "My Girl," "Nightboat to Cairo" and "Razorblade Alley" or the
wacky batch of "Tarzan's Nuts," "Swan Lake" and "Chipmunks."

No matter what your cup of tea, Madness were playing mother and more than happy
to pour it out with lashings of cream and sugar. One Step Beyond? More like a
giant leap into a brave new world.

~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music
Track List:

01. One Step Beyond [0:02:18.00]
02. My Girl [0:02:44.45]
03. Night Boat To Cairo [0:03:31.35]
04. Believe Me [0:02:28.55]
05. Land Of Hope And Glory [0:02:57.65]
06. The Prince [0:03:18.63]
07. Tarzan's Nuts [0:02:24.52]
08. In The Middle Of The Night [0:03:01.53]
09. Bed & Breakfast Man [0:02:33.02]
10. Razor Blade Alley [0:02:42.20]
11. Swan Lake [0:02:36.00]
12. Rockin' In A B [0:02:29.30]
13. Mummy's Boy [0:02:23.63]
14. (They Call It) Madness [0:02:38.15]
15. Chipmunks Are Go! [0:00:51.45]

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CD2 Madness - Absolutely (1980)
A classic example of a second album delivering more of the same, at least on the
surface, Absolutely does benefit from the kinetic energy of being recorded
quickly in the aftermath of Madness’ immediate success with One Step
Beyond. Absolutely does motor ahead on breakneck ska rhythms, but it never quite
feels as raw as its predecessor, and that hint of gloss serves the three big hit
singles very well: the schoolyard nostalgia of “Baggy Trousers” has
a bit of a sepia-toned lilt with this extra dose or production, the terrific
“Embarrassment” slides by so smoothly it’s possible to not
realize what an expertly crafted piece of pop it is, and “The Return of
the Los Palmas 7” has a nice element of swinging ‘60s lounge cinema.
As it happens, these hits are the moments that are a tangible progression from
the nutty sound of One Step Beyond, with the rest of the record riding that
rollicking beat -- sometimes dipping into silly straight-ahead boogie
(“Solid Gone”), sometimes slowing down (“Close Escape”)
-- but usually delivering more of the same in a highly appealing fashion.
Madness perform with such high energy and such a big grin, it’s hard not
to get swept up in the good times even if, after the party dies down, the memory
of Absolutely just winds up seeming a shade familiar.

~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music
Track List:

01. Baggy Trousers [0:02:46.60]
02. Embarrassment [0:03:10.68]
03. E.R.N.I.E. [0:02:09.35]
04. Close Escape [0:03:32.42]
05. Not Home Today [0:02:43.60]
06. On The Beat Pete [0:03:04.55]
07. Solid Gone [0:02:19.60]
08. Take It Or Leave It [0:03:27.53]
09. Shadow Of Fear [0:01:59.32]
10. Disappear [0:02:58.53]
11. Overdone [0:03:45.27]
12. In The Rain [0:02:43.70]
13. You Said [0:02:34.70]
14. Return Of The Los Palmas [0:02:04.65]

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CD3 Madness - The Rise And Fall (1982)
There’s a certain grandness to the title of Madness Presents the Rise &
Fall, the group’s fourth album and undeniable pop masterpiece:
it’s clear that the band has ambitions, to go several steps beyond ska,
to craft nothing less than a Village Green Preservation Society for the
‘80s. The Kinks figure heavily in Madness’ design for The Rise &
Fall, both in individual tunes and the overall arc of the concept album, but so
does Ian Dury’s celebration of the riffraff of London, the latter giving
Madness an earthiness that Ray Davies’ crew lacked during their time on
the Village Green. While Madness’ forefathers are evident, The Rise &
Fall is recognizably Madness in sound and sensibility; faint echoes of their
breakneck nutty beginnings can be heard on “Blue Skinned Beast” and
“Mr. Speaker Gets the Word,” the melodies are outgrowths of such
early masterpieces as “My Girl,” there’s a charming,
open-hearted humor and carnivalesque swirl that ties everything together. All
this comes to a head on “Our House,” as divine a pop single as there
ever was -- so undeniable that this very British anthem actually crossed over
into the American Top Ten in 1983 -- but that’s merely the splashiest
evidence of Madness’ popcraft on The Rise & Fall. The rest of the record
contains the same wit, effervescence, and joy, capturing what British pop life
was all about in 1982, just as Village Green Preservation Society did in 1968 or
Blur’s Parklife would do in 1994.

~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music
Track List:

01. Rise And Fall [0:03:16.55]
02. Tomorrow's Just Another Day [0:03:10.62]
03. Blue Skinned Beast [0:03:22.60]
04. Primrose Hill [0:03:36.35]
05. Mr Speaker Gets The Word [0:03:00.73]
06. Sunday Morning [0:04:03.20]
07. Our House [0:03:23.05]
08. Tiptoes [0:03:30.07]
09. New Delhi [0:03:41.13]
10. That Face [0:03:40.10]
11. Calling Cards [0:02:19.57]
12. Are You Coming (With Me) [0:03:17.00]
13. Madness (It's All In The Mind) [0:02:53.03]

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