A iS FoR...

Hi mates !  

How are you ?

Audio version below

Written version below below, got it ?

To start our personal A to Z, we, as  members of the Madnessedaire,  decided to begin with … with ermmmmm...  "let’s Suggs give us help"…….

 

is for…. Absolutely…. Really ?.... Absolutely ! : The second album by Madness, released in September 1980, reissued in deluxe version in 2010. It contains gems like    "Take It Or Leave It" , "Close Escape" and "Disappear" which show originality and subtlety of song writing that later paved the way to purple passage, as "Mr Speaker gets the word" and recently "The Liberty of Norton Folgate". More colours on this album, the maddies start their transformation and swap their black and white jackets for much richer costumes.
With Absolutely, Madness get more mature and develop their personality and their sound. Bruno Blum, a great French journalist, entitled an article "two steps forward" to talk about the progress made since “One Step Beyond”. Nice pun! The influence of Ian Dury is present here, in the songs and in the pose on the cover.The word "Absolutely" was widely used in the entourage of Madness at the time and so it will end up on the cover! It’s as simple as that! Inside this LP, you can see the story of the group at the time through photos. Finally, a fire extinguisher was used on this album and  I let you guess what song....  An  ......

mazing band, aren’t they, Shannan ?

is for… Age! Contrary to what is often said, Madness has no age, simply because  joy has none.

is for Airplane!  One of our fave Madness tracks ! A "B-Side", from the "Shut up" inches! Well written, well arranged, this song about someone who shows off and doesn’t realize the real meaning of his travelling round the world is just…Art with a big A ! A must have for Madness fans! What about listening to an extract ….

is for Air Studios. In the sixties, George Martin, famous producer of the Beatles launched a new project: Associated Independent Recording aka AIR. Later on, studios were built … and in 1982, Madness recorded “The Rise and Fall” at air studios! Or how to continue the British pop music line…..

 .....Yes !  Important announcement ! A special guest is coming...

  is for All I Knew Yes yes ! A favourite of Stephen, Paul and all of us too.  

  "All I Knew" is another B-side, from Yesterday's Men this time, This track  doesn’t deserve to stay  just on a  B-side, that's why we have placed it in the A’s ....,

Well, let’s  listen to  a minute of "All I Knew", a minute of "I’ll remember you forever till the Day I'm dead ..."

is for Angel. A small part of North London. Well known for the famous inn, mentionned in Oliver Twist,  this is where The Mall, a covered antiques market, is located. Madness filmed the end of 'Cardiac Arrest' out this building. Dermot, a member of our team remembers well this being filmed as it happened as he came home from school.

is for Animal Farm, this is not the title of a novel by George Orwell, but a remix of an activist Madness song, "Tomorrow’s Dream" released in 81. It was about the animal care cause. Later, when Suggs went solo, animal care was still important in the lyrics with the song, “Animal” which frankly denounces animal testing.

is for Arlington House! A majority of Madness songs have strong links with London.   

NW London is often the location of Madness lyrics. Thanks to the nutty boys, the northern districts of the city and especially Camden Town have found their place on the world map of pop, as one says! Located in North West London, Arlington House is a shelter for needy men. In "One Better Day", a subtle song about the homeless, Madness evoke this place.

See you with the B's (the bees ?)
and some special guests...

eMiLy and JuDgE


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