Madness

About Madness

English ska band Madness were the leaders in an energetic and socially conscious 80's scene now known as the two-tone revival. Also considered the second wave of ska music, the two-tone movement falls between the first-wave of Jamaican ska-with its roots in sped-up reggae-and the third wave of hyperactive American ska-punk. The two-tone scene was based out of the West Midlands neighborhood of London and fused punk and ska sounds. With their working class roots and Thatcher-era politics, two-tone musicians assimilated the sounds of Jamaican immigrants and amped them up to a vintage punk frenzy. The genre's name comes from the West Midland's 2-Tone Records, to which many of the era's artists-The Selector, The Specials and Madness-were signed. "2-Tone" was a reference to the musicians' snappy black and white suits-the style itself a reaction to the punks' sloppy dress code-and also to the relatively new phenomenon of black and white musicians playing together, a motif carried out in the scene's iconic use of checkers. Madness themselves met up in London in the midst of the vital two-tone scene. Their first single, "The Prince," was a tribute to the Jamaican ska legend Prince Buster. Their debut 1979 full-length, One Step Beyond... is a new wave/ska classic and singles like "One Step Beyond," "Night Boat to Cairo" and "Razor Blade Alley" revealed a seven piece band with a sharp sense of humor, a killer brass section and enough energy for twice as many men. Madness' fourth LP, The Rise & Fall, featured their hit US single, "Our House," and saw the band expanding their trademark nutty sound with jazz and Caribbean elements.