Unlistenable. Just awful. Music for uncool dads trying to prove they didn’t bit brexit, even though they did. 1/5
Madness are massively underrated (on this side of the pond). Our House is a perfect song and the whole album is wonderful. Was tempted to give it a 5, but the guy in brown-face on the album cover kept it a 4.
Tout le monde parlera bien sûr d'Our House, mais le tube de cet album est bien sûr Mr. Speaker, qui sera utilisé comme générique de l'animé Inspecteur Gadget. Gadget au chapeau, Gadget au point, Elastico-gadget... tout y passe. Madness réussit avec ce titre son enregistrement le plus iconique.
is that mf in the album cover in black face????? wtf dont know if ishould listen to it osea es ska nambre ya me enteré nunca se disculparon de esto ni nada y los han acusado de racismo por cosas diferentes eran muy populares entre los skinheads en uk so...
3.5/5. Dope British concept album, feels like a soundtrack to a musical. Standout Track: Tomorrow's Just Another Day, Mr Speaker Gets The Word, Our House, New Delhi
So that's where the coffee commercial got it. Anyway, this was a pretty cool album. I enjoyed every single song and would re-visit.
I've always liked Madness but only really as a passing thing for their hits and what not but as a full album this was ruddy good.
Was surprised when Our House played. Was not aware it was on this album. The rest of the album stayed interesting throughout
This album wasn't available in full on Spotify, so I listened to 'Madness', which shares most of the tracks. It was an interesting listen! Very creative and smoothly crafted, with insightful lyrics and complex arrangements.
The Rise and Fall is not on spotify, so I listened to the greatest htis. I heard... SKA, pianos, horns a different sound from everything else in the 80's. At times I feel like I hear wallflowers. Did i just find an 80's band to dive deeper into, or am I becoming brain washed.
Really like the experimentation with sounds in this album, didn't know this is what ska music was like
I vaguely remember ska kids liking madness back in HS. Not sure I ever heard a song. This reminds me of The Jam, another brit band that I didn't really hear until way too late.
The 80s were a strange time for music, and I'm loving every second of it. Nothing but praise from me for the pioneers of modern ska.
It's like if Avenged Sevenfold was an 80s british rock band and wrote The Wall. 4 stars.
this album shows the versatility of Madness, and it's criminal people don't know more of their songs except "Our House" and "One Step Beyond". my favorite songs were definitely "Mr. Speaker", "Blue Skinned Beast", and "Madness". would definitely listen to again.
I really liked this album. I’m a big ska fan so was familiar with Madness prior to listening, but I had never listened to a whole album. Very fun and Our House is such a good pop song!
Pretty good listen! Our House is on this album, was not expecting that, but that sound is consistent throughout the album.
Очень понравилось. Очередной закрытый пробел. Не знал Madness вообще, пускай и слышал Our House.
I'm very familiar with Madness's singles, but I've never given their albums a listen. I really should have, because this was fun! Beyond the hit singles "Our House" and "Tomorrow's Just Another Day", highlights include "Primrose Hill" and "New Delhi".
Punk overtones and vocals interlaced with brass band, Old time piano, harmonica vibrato. Very madhouse/Tim burton/haunted mansion feel. Fun and interesting listen. Rise and fall, mr speaker, tomorrow’s just another day.
Hoppa! Weer zo'n band die ik nog een keer live wil zien. Heerlijke Britse popmuziek met bekende nummers. Dit album begint met een eentonig titelnummer, waarna het echter los gaat. Goed gespeelde muziek en melodieuze zang, wat wil je nog meer? Topper is natuurlijk "Our House", maar er staat nog veel meer leuks op zoals o.a. "Tomorrow's Just Another Day", het western-piano'tje van "Mr Speaker", "Tiptoes" en het jazz-achtig nummer "Maddness' zelf. Helaas wordt het meer up-tempo ska-sfeertje van "One Step Beyond" niet gehaald. Dit is een serieuzer album en ik mis juist dat extra beetje madness. Daarom geen volledige score voor mij. Luister dus gewoon ook even de "greatest hits" als je toch bezig bent, er is zoveel leuks van de mannen van Madness :-) ****
Not on Spotify, so I found it on the YouTube and had to watch it with M&M ads every 3 minutes. That kinda sucked but the album doesn’t. It definitely shows a growth away from the 2tone ish sound of their 1rst album One Step Beyond and bands like The Specials. Really enjoyed the arrangements of horns, especially on Primrose Hill, and the strings in other parts of the album. Of course Our House is the standout standout, but their are plenty of other good songs on here too. They still follow that jaunty and off kilter giddiness of Madness- just this time a bit more formal and “pop sensible”. I still think that “One Step Beyond” is more grabbing and probably a better album, but this one gets brownie points for straying away from the traditional ska formula.
I haven't listened to a lot of early British ska, so this was a pleasant surprise. The music fades into the background a bit while I'm listening to it, but it's consistently good. 4/5
És el disc de sublimació del pop més elegant de la banda, sense perdre encara els tocs ska dels començaments. Més tard arribarien els discos de maduresa, que tendien massa a l'ensopiment. Aquí encara conserven la flama, embolcada de lletres sobre l'Anglaterra de la seva infantesa
Eindelijk weer iets vrolijks! Daar was ik aan toe. Brings back memories van roodharige middelbare-school-klasgenoot yvo op wie ik een oogje had en die me z’n madness-cd’s leende.
J'ai passé un très bon moment en compagnie d'Inspecteur Gadget, même si j'ai trouvé la structure des pistes un peu redondante: Gogo rise and fall, gogo tomorrow's, gogo blueskinned beast. Vous l'aurez compris cet album présentait des sonorités très intéressantes.
Kolejny pik wyspiarski, ale tym razem bardziej tradycyjny i pasujacy do listy, bo plyta z 82, grupy ktora po statach spotifajowych mozna okreslic jako bande jednego przeboju, chociaz mnie samemu zarowno nazwa zespolu, jak i albumu nic nie mowila przed odsluchem, dopiero trak numer 7 uswiadomil mi, ze gdzies juz to slyszalem, bo kto nie zna tak brytyjskiego kawalka jak our house, ale jestem zdziwiony, ze plyta sluchala sie tak dobrze, a tylko jeden czy dwa traki sa z niej sluchane na lastfmie czy spotifaju i grupa wydaje sie dosc zapomiana muzycznie w porownaniu do takich specialsow, ktory tworzyli w podobym czasie i calkiem podobny gatunkowo material, chociaz ciezko tutaj o jakakolwiek klasyfikacje, bo discog mowi o popowym krazku w stylu ska, to juz bardziej 2 tone pasuje jak w na drugim albumie specialsow, ale jednak calosciowo ta plyta o wiele bardziej przypadla mi do gustu, bo ma ona na siebie jakis pomysl, tym pomyslem bedzie motyw poczatkow i koncow jak wskazuje tytul, za czym ida motywy dziecinstwa, przemijania, dekadencji, wiec nie obylo sie takze od disu na thatcherowa, pojawia sie takze motyw pajeeta znikac na traku new delhi, wiec takie niezbyt popowe motywy, za to od strony instrumentalnej jest o wiele bardziej zachowawczno, bo siedmioosobowa banda jak przystalo na okolo skawowe klimaty uzywa mocno instrumentow detych, wiec trabki i saksy sa mocno slyszalne, do tego wykorzystanie zarowno kontrabasu jak i standardowej giaty basowej jest odczuwalne, wielkim plusem jak dla mnie jest brak synthowego brzmienia, a zamiast tego piano, prawie cala plyta jest spiewana przez jednego wokaliste, to jest pana Suggsa, ktory pomimo tego, ze brzmi jak prawdziwy wyspiarz, to jednak artykuluje sie wystarczajaco czysto aby wokale byly zrozumiale o co ciezko na niektorych brytyjksich pikach, jedynie ostatni trak madness (is all in the mind) jest wykonywany przez wokal wspierajacy albumu trebacza bandy mistera Smytha, nie spodziewalem sie, ze tak mi podejdzie ten 43 minutowy krazek z gatunku 2 tonowych, na plejke wrzucam robotniczy kawalek tomorrow (just another day), wspomiany juz wczesniej madness i najpopularniejszy song zespolu, czyli our house
What a wonderfully weird album, A side is more rock, B side is more pop but always with a special psychodelic/mad edge
Great blending of genres that isn’t forced and truly comes off authentic and original, maintained from beginning to end. Great production as well.
Brilliant side A. Side B tails off a little after Our House. Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day) possibly their most underrated single.
Two-tone was a cool movement, genuinely integrated and responsible for great bands like the Specials, The Selecter and Madness. Previously on this app I stated that I didn't care for polite AC/DC, and to a degree I think the same applies to Madness. Nothing here hits the zany heights of 'One Step Beyond', 'House Of Fun' or 'Night Boat to Cairo'...but as a collection, this is really solid. I don't think a band should be penalised for spreading their wings, and here they try on a few different hats, including cocktail jazz and music hall. There are some quality tracks here too! 'Our House' is a deserved commercial behemoth, but less heralded tunes like 'Tiptoes' and 'Mr Speaker' are ace too. I feel like on this album, Madness were edging into the same territory as Squeeze - and doing it fairly successfully. Bonus points also awarded due to the fact that Suggs' speaking and singing voices are exactly the same.
our house ken ik (wie niet) maar de rest vond ik ook goed ! misschien net iets te lang. maak het korter, cut the crap en je had mss een 5. mr speaker was top
Spotify link only has 2 songs. Found full playlist on YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPjcc9Vi-9s&list=PLwTsihu-EGpB-o1DIUfRUq0O2b1VSinBY
Our House is a banger, as is Tomorrow's just another day. However feel like the only great madness album is the greatest hits, they have a lot of shit
Has some interesting and peculiar moments, but doesn't really grab me. I feel I would need to listen a few more times before I really get it. Feels like it owes a lot to Ray Davies.
Otro disco que es clara influencia a lo que oímos en Latinoamérica unos años después, aunque al escucharlo tan cerca del disco de Dexy's, creo que este me gusta menos. No es que sea malo, al contrario, me gustan mucho los arreglos de los metales, pero sí lo encuentro un poco repetitivo. De rolas, me gusta la obvia, Our House, y también la de político con piel azul.
De este grupo sóo conocía la canción de "One Step Beyond" (que supongo no le sorprenderá a nadie), y bueno, este álbum no se parece nada a esa canción; es un estilo totalmente diferente. Igual que con otros álbumes, not my cup of tea, pero tampoco me desagradó. La canción que más me gustó fue Don't Look Back.
I enjoyed this, although I had to listen to most of it via youtube as spotify only had a couple of songs. Very listenable. 3 stars.
De entrada esperaba un album de ska totalmente estándar. Inició y tanto el ritmo más asincopado, el piano entrometido en muchos lados, los saltos y cambios de ritmo en paso a coros, el contraste entre letras llenas de desesperanza y una música que a ratos quiere ser alegre y levanta pero no la dejan. Iba muy encaminado a ser muy muy bueno. Y después empezaron baches y canciones mas mensas (Sunday Morning), pretensiosas musicalmente sin llegar a ser buenas (New Delhi) o que tratan líricamente de seguir el concepto de nostalgia y depresión de las otras canciones pero con una letra muchísimo más forzada y trillada (That Face). Las dos canciones que son claramente políticas (Mr. Speaker y Blue Skinned Beast) aunque no sean super mordaces si tienen cierta chispa en su letra y musicalmente ambas muy agradables. Rise and Fall, Tomorrow's, Madness y en especial Primrose Hill valen muchísimo la pena. Sería un enorme disco si le pudiera cortar unas 4-5 canciones.
apparently our house is in this album :D but in general it was just a fine album. did not like all the remixes.
Generally a very fun album, and obvs enjoyed hearing the classics. BUT a few that just irritated me a bit. Great music but not all for me
Es curioso como un álbum que califican como "experimental" en wikipedia no me lo haya parecido tanto. Interesante para disfrutar de la banda que mejor aprovechó comercialmente la música Ska. Canciones buenas como Blue Skinned Beast, Primrose Hill, Are You Coming (with Me) o Madness (Is All In the Mind). Piano, percusiones, saxo, bastante entretenido musicalmente. Y por supuesto la mítica Our House.
I mean, Madness are fine. I'm starting to wonder if me and the person who chose these 1001 albums have the same outlook on life. I have to hear THIS album before I die? What is with the brownface on cover and fake Indian accents in songs?
Our House is classic but some of the later songs were a bit much. Liked it less than some recent ones, so 6?
catchy tunes but all of the arrangements were just so busy and overcomplicated. also I had to listen to it on a YouTube playlist. 6/10
I don't love this, but it's not bad. Not a band that ever got big in the US. Their biggest hit is Our House, which is the only song I recognize.
O álbum parece ambientar se numa diligência no velho oeste, alguém teria de trazer o plano atrás, ou num saloon da época. O álbum têm músicas bastante boas mas outras assim indiferentes, no geral só por ser algo tão único vale a pena. Nota: 6/10
Enjoyable and interesting - I had no idea about the British ska scene. The horns bring something interesting here. They are all over the place in terms of genre. I'm hearing Ska, lounge crooning, rock, blues, and of course pub songs. I can see how this would be hard to crack into the USA top 40, but I can see how influential they could be to musicians.
Not available on Spotify....Sad face. Listened to other albums by Madness. I think I would have enjoyed this. Update...my kids were super dissappointed that I wasn't smarter(common problem). Told me to listen to it on youtube. 80s sound with creative tweaks. Nice change of pace.
A decent '80s pop rock album with some 2-tone influence. 7.5/10 Best Track: "Our House"
Only 3 tracks were available on Spotify, one being our house. This album gets a 3 for that song alone. The other two tracks were pretty good, one sounded a lot like the Specials.
You know it's iconic when there are 4 versions of the same song, it's a good song thought.
A little bit of ska and a whole lot of wacky, vaudevillian carnival vibe (think "Being for the Benefit of Mister Kite"). Then, that song from the coffee commercial in the 80's.
considering I only know one song by madness, this wasn't too bad. This definitely represents ska music, but does this need to be on this list?
Oh, god. I didn't think we'd see it but it's here. We have Ska on the list. To give it credit, Ska is not all bad. And it also isn't the kind of Ska you'd clown on these days. No, we're looking at 2 Tone! A "second wave" of the genre from England during the 80's alongside New Wave. Madness, as it turns out, is a pretty good example of 2 Tone. It's sounds a lot more New Wave than Ska at times, but the influence here is undeniable. And for what it's worth, it's pretty good! Catchy, fun stuff with lots of unique sounds to carry the melodies that would otherwise be unremarkable. It also has Our House (in the middle of our street), which is undeniably a classic. An album that's hard to dislike, good times all around! Oh, and there's a guy doing blackface on the cover.
This was kind of all over the place. Folksy, upbeat, new wave, big band, vaudevillian and even at times Springsteen/Costello. It’s a multi-genre kaleidoscope. Seems almost like an 80s precursor to King Gizzard. When I finally hit “Our House” I was like, “ohhh, this why this is relevant.” Not bad, but also a little too all over the place for me. In what context would you listen to this? 3.
Being Kiwi myself, I often make the mistake that Madness are a Kiwi band. I guess they sound similar to Split Enz and Crowded House at times because of the new wave vibes. It's about what I was expecting from Madness, having only heard their top hits before, but the sound was a bit too close to ska at times for my taste. Of course my top pick is 'Our House'.
Oooh what a good album. This is 80's rock. There's gotta be some vocals and instruments that are just a little off, otherwise this is close to a five. Ok at least half the songs by now just didn't intrique me very much. Bumping down to a 3. The first two songs are 5s then it just kinda loses momentum after that. "Our House" was never very good, it just has a way of absolutely etching itself into your brain for the rest of the day.
Oh Our House sounds very familiar. Probably have heard it somewhere before. Not within my range but do not mind the music either. Sort of like the last track Madness lol
It's bleaker than I expected. Unmistakably Madness, but with bleak subject matter. It's possibly this depth that made them so popular for so long. Rise and Fall is great and wistful, and Tomorrow's Just Another Day is fun but with an undercurrent of sadness. Blue Skinned Beast is the weakest track so far but is pleasingly odd, just a verse too long. Our House is of course an undeniable classic. This album is really good... But it could have done with maybe a slow one or a Nutty Boys stomper - as it is, every song sits around a very similar tempo and it gets very easy to tune out. The variety of subject matter in the songs is sublime though
The overall sound of Madness doesn't actually sound that much like a novelty act when in the context of a full album (for the most part) and actually has a few moments of musical brilliance.
Gives me too many flashbacks of middle aged men jogging around the dance floor at family do's.
I was hoping to find a hidden gem. I like their sound overall and the rest of the album sits nicely with Our House. Just barely a 3.
Okay, but HOW did their house get in the middle of the goddamn street? I kinda liked this, kinda didn't. It's plucky in places. Songs are all over the map stylistically and melodically (hi there "New Delhi"), but it all still has that '80s stank on it. Like a lot of pop music from this era, some of it just does not hold up, in my opinion. BUT when it does there's something special about it that makes it feel like it will hold up forever. Like, I genuinely got excited when I heard the opening of "Our House." Something to be said for that.
Always a singles band. If other greatest hits have been included on this list, their greatest hits should have just been included instead. As English as a fish and chips in newspaper wrapping. Best Tracks: Tomorrow's (Just Another Day); Blue Skinned Beast; Our House
-I'e definitely heard "Tomorrow's Just Another Day" and "Our House" before -I like the bit in "Our House" where they sing faster -"Blue Skinned Beast" is quite catchy -Generally solid rock album. Doesn't get too intense, but nice nonetheless. Would be 4 stars, but 1 star penalty for not being on Spotify and making me assemble half the album from Greatest Hits records and single releases and other random stuff. That's rude
Probably actually a 2 but I am giving the benefit of the doubt because I didnt really give the album a chance
Can't really rate. Most of the songs aren't available on spotify. Due to region lock I guess? Our House is a good nostalgia song
This album wasn't bad. Very eclectic mix of songs, but nothing that felt unmissable other than "Our House".
ehhhh, middling dót, nennti líka ekki að hlusta á nánast 2 tíma af þessu, allt of langt (á spotify allavega, veit ekki hvort það sé eitthvað lengra)
I like Madness and Our House is a classic, but the rest of the songs didn't stand out to me.
This is an entertaining album. It's very open and it changes a lot throughout the album. There is not just one style they have stuck to. Not a bad listen, and of course 'our house' is a great track.
Good fun, but very samey. Nicely north London-centric. Madness always have one or two knockout pop gems amongst their Madness generic album tracks - here it's Our House with brilliant Suggs wordplay (\"the kids were playing up downstairs\").
An enjoyable standard Britpop outing, a bit more listenable than its brethren as each track displays individuality while maintaining the core sound of the band. A few songs here and there drag on, but most have catchy enough hooks to sustain interest. Excellent production as well, everything on here is clear as day.
The british response to Men At Work's Business As Usual. Nothing that will make you go home and rethink your life, but quite enjoyable compositions. Our House is definitely the over heard hit of the album, it made me clench my fists, but the other ones were a nice discovery for me.
Just love Suggs and the Nutty Boys, their cheeky cockney music hall inspired Ska is just typically English,(Small Faces/Kinks/Blurlike) not taking themselves too seriously whilst producing some great music. Not sure this would be my choice of a Madness album for this list (I prefer their debut for it's rawness) but some great tunes on here. "Tomorrows (Just Another Day)" "Our House" "Blue Skinned Beast" and "Primrose Hill" my favourites on this one.
Around the time this album came out, Madness was my favourite band in the whole world. Some of it was to do with its brand of reggae, some to do with their brilliant (and ground breaking, for the time) music videos. Looking back, I can now tell that The Rise & Fall, as good an album as it is, represented the point when Madness was clearly past its peak. Perhaps the best indicator is the fact that there is only one truly brilliant track in the entire album (Our House)... Nowadays, I find Madness is best experience through compilations.
I'm giving it two stars because mercifully Spotify US only had 4 tracks available from this album.
I read somewhere that this was their most experimental album, and that tracks. It feels like they threw everything at the wall to see what stuck. They got their only hit out of it, but the album lacks any cohesion.
Our house is a great song. I really like 80s two tone ska but Madness was never my favourite, maybe its a bit too slow, a bit twee, not as energetic as Specials. Didn't love this. Didn't hate it either. High 2 / Low 3
Nada nuevo o relevante. No le había metido a fondo a Madness y tenía ese pendiente desde que los vi en vivo en un festival y vi que saben su negocio tocando en vivo. Me decepcionó. Muchas canciones parecen historias de juglar. Le quitas los metales y no trae nada. Ganaron bien su lugar como one hit wonder (bueno, 2)
Blue Skinned Beast is a pretty cool song, though this is not the best Madness album. That will always be One Step Beyond. Though Our House may well be the best Madness song. New Delhi is okay. yea the second half of the album drops way off after Our House.
Couldn't get into this one yesterday, maybe on a different day.. They have quite a unique sound, not a fan of 'our house' though
It's hard to categorise Madness - there's not much ska / reggae on here. Always catchy though, with quite a lot of melancholy through it. Is it as good as the Best of Madness? No.
Solid album with few good songs. Personally sounds similar to other albums on this list, nothing spectacular.
I would say I am not in a unique position to be aware of Madness through their lead single "Our House", but unaware of the existence of any other song on this record (House of Fun is the other exception). Halfway through this album, I am struggling to continue. I find most tracks sung boringly with unengaging lyrics, soft instrumentals and weird effects. A 1 is too harsh, but more than a 2 is not being fair.
I knew Madness from the songs Baggy Trousers and One Step Beyond. This album is quite different, and I genuinely didn't know they had made Our House too. The rest of the album is ok music wise, but wtf is up with the brown face on the cover? That's a nope from me, dawg.
Looking past the brownface on the album cover, and the fact the album isn't fully available on Spotify, I still give it a 2. It's a little too precious, a little too out there. Maybe if I put in the effort to seek out the full album it could earn more stars, but here we are.
Just a happy crew of English kooks playing second wave ska. I don't think I found the correct album, but tried the compilation "Madness" because it seemed to have most of the right tracks. Our House is great fun. Feels like the rest try to catch a groove but can't. The ska is pretty stiff, but still a good time. 1 star each for helping pave the way for the American third wave of Reel Big Fish and MM Bosstones C+
The UK band Madness created a more experimental sounding album for this one - their fourth album. The album can be categorized as pop or new wave, but the music includes some jazz and Eastern influences. This concept album has gained more popularity over time, especially in America where it was never originally released. The music is upbeat and the songs flow well from one to the next. A perfect album to capture the British pop era of the 1980s.
Not a fan of the sound, to my ear it’s the same generic uninspiring synth pop vocals that plague the 80s. Music is somewhat simple and slow, with very anti-melodic, darker vibes. Tbh I didn’t understand why this even made the list until I heard….”OUR HOUSE”. Ah, now I get it. Two stars because they immortalized at least one song in coffee commercials, and because they use some interesting instrumentation, are obviously *somewhat* compositionally unique….but all in all, I hate it.
I've never been a big fan of White-Men-Do-Ska Madness, and this did little to challenge that, but wasn't as cringeworthy and grating as I normally find them. Our House is of course a standout classic. There are some definite moments when you wince, particularly at the "accents" used at the end of New Delhi, mirrored by the brownface on the cover... A product of its time, I suppose.
I'd like to go higher than a 2 but it's novelty ska really isn't it? A whole album was a bit much
There's nothing absolutely atrocious about this record, it all fits together, but it never becomes engaging or good. It's even rather boring.
Didn't do much for me. Our house is a classic, but other than that nothing really caught my ear. Not a big ska fan
feo con efe de no mames, no me gusta our house y es lo único rescatable. Le voy a poner 1 estrella solo por que no deja poner vacío. Fuchi, caca seguro lo puso la mafia del poder
okay so there’s some bops WHY IS TGETE BLACKFACE ON THE ALBUM COVER that is not okay why would anyone think that was a good idea this was made in 1982 not 1882 Now I get why this isn’t on Apple Music Wait it’s brow face?? This is not okay This gets zero stars for being racist and perpetuating racial stereotypes
I was very surprised when Our House started playing. This was too far out for me and just seemed jumbled
it's not good
its a good album! although its not my music style/taste, its a fun and cool album!