The complete EARLY Madness
Pieter | Johannesburg | 06/14/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Complete EARLY Madness would be a more suitable title, since this album covers their late 70s and early 80s period only. They had lots more hits later that decade and there are more comprehensive hits collections available. But this one captures them when their music was still fresh and innovative - the ska period proper. Always the least serious of all the Two Tone bands, Madness were clearly in it for the fun as their happy, bouncy music demonstrates. The Prince, their tribute to Ska legend Prince Buster, and their theme song Madness, have propulsive rhythms and there's catchy hooks aplenty throughout the album. My favourites include Night Boat To Cairo, One Step Beyond and Return Of The Las Palmas 7. They never established themselves in the USA but did have one major and one minor hit there. Together with their Two Tone stable mates The Special, The Selecter and The (English) Beat, Madness made rock history and their best work remains delightful today."
Madness for those on the go...
jokamachi | california | 01/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Road trips are wonderful things. They do, however, require a bit of forethought. If you could take only one tape with you (anyone remember cassettes?), this would be the one to have on those extended drives. Upon its release, Complete Madness was the band's capping acheivement, a brilliant compilation put out before the phenomenal success of 'Our House.' It contains the wonderful 'It Must be Love,' the hard to find, 'House of Fun,' and the rarer still 'In the City,' a song featured in a Japanese car commecial circa early eighties. Nutty pleasure to the extreme. Enjoy."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1