Sun Mar 28 2021
1
Unlistenable. Just awful. Music for uncool dads trying to prove they didn’t bit brexit, even though they did. 1/5
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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
The Rise & Fall
Madness
1982
- Album Summary
The Rise & Fall is the fourth studio album by English ska band Madness. It was originally released on 8 October 1982, on the label Stiff. This album saw Madness at their most experimental, exhibiting a range of musical styles including jazz, English music hall, and Eastern influences. NME described it at the time of its release as "the best Madness record". It has often been retrospectively described as a concept album. Though the album was never released in the US, several tracks were later placed on the compilation Madness, including "Our House", the band's only top 10 hit in America.
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Thu Jan 28 2021
4
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.
Thu Jul 15 2021
4
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.
Tue Sep 07 2021
3
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.
Wed Apr 20 2022
3
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.
Wed Feb 01 2023
2
Just ok. Our House, obviously a terrific song. The rest of it? What am I even listening to. Just okay.
Tue Apr 06 2021
1
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...
Sun Nov 21 2021
1
Noch schlimmer als blur
Fri Jun 18 2021
5
wtf this was so fun
Thu Nov 05 2020
4
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
Wed May 19 2021
4
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.
Tue Jun 22 2021
4
Was surprised when Our House played. Was not aware it was on this album. The rest of the album stayed interesting throughout
Thu Feb 04 2021
4
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.
Mon Mar 29 2021
4
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.
Fri Feb 26 2021
4
Really like the experimentation with sounds in this album, didn't know this is what ska music was like
Mon Apr 05 2021
4
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.
Fri Mar 19 2021
5
Its madness
Fri May 21 2021
5
REALLY COOL
Tue Oct 05 2021
5
I was waiting and hoping for my crazy Rocksteady crew. Not disappointed.
Wed Feb 09 2022
5
Beautiful
Fri Apr 22 2022
5
Great album. The music is rich, and the songs are fun.
Fri May 06 2022
5
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.
Sun Jul 31 2022
5
Madness is such a great band. This album has some love time favourites, and I've definitely picked up several new favourites.
Sun Jul 31 2022
5
Such an underrated band. I've been listening to Madness more this year than any other year. I love their playfulness mixed with serious punk-ska beats. This is one of the bands I wish I were old enough to see live. Thankfully, YouTube exists & I can watch their videos & live performances there. Excellent album.
Fri Oct 21 2022
5
One of my favorites
Wed Apr 12 2023
5
80s ska Lahhhndahhhntown
Tue Apr 18 2023
5
Big bold sax, vaudeville, Pythonesque, campy in its own way. The musical embodiment of walking through a carnival hall of mirrors
Mon Sep 18 2023
5
so saxy
Thu Jan 28 2021
4
Love this band. Not my fav album of theirs but has some of their best songs for sure.
Sun Jan 31 2021
4
Nostalgia trip. Reminded me of being 40
Wed Mar 03 2021
4
I listened to this a bunch in highschool. Two catchy.
Wed Feb 03 2021
4
It's like if Avenged Sevenfold was an 80s british rock band and wrote The Wall. 4 stars.
Thu Mar 04 2021
4
Good. Good not great.
Wed Mar 10 2021
4
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.
Fri Feb 05 2021
4
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!
Mon Jun 14 2021
4
Creative! Some catchy songs. Mr Speaker
Mon May 17 2021
4
7/10. Some good songs, some weird songs, nothing that really calls me back to it.
Tue Apr 27 2021
4
Pretty good listen! Our House is on this album, was not expecting that, but that sound is consistent throughout the album.
Sat Apr 10 2021
4
Очень понравилось. Очередной закрытый пробел. Не знал Madness вообще, пускай и слышал Our House.
Wed Mar 24 2021
4
Buen sonido
Fri Apr 23 2021
4
Awesome album
Sun May 16 2021
4
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".
Sat Jun 12 2021
4
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.
Mon Aug 09 2021
4
Very enjoyable.
Tue Aug 10 2021
4
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 :-) ****
Wed Aug 25 2021
4
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.
Fri Aug 27 2021
4
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
Sat Aug 28 2021
4
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
Fri Sep 03 2021
4
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.
Tue Sep 07 2021
4
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.
Sun Sep 26 2021
4
Surprised how varied it was
Fri Oct 01 2021
4
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
Tue Oct 05 2021
4
What a wonderfully weird album, A side is more rock, B side is more pop but always with a special psychodelic/mad edge
Tue Oct 05 2021
4
Great blending of genres that isn’t forced and truly comes off authentic and original, maintained from beginning to end. Great production as well.
Fri Oct 08 2021
4
Brilliant side A. Side B tails off a little after Our House. Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day) possibly their most underrated single.
Tue Oct 12 2021
4
Like the Madness!
Wed Dec 01 2021
4
Skabulous
Wed Dec 15 2021
4
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.
Wed Jan 12 2022
4
Ooh wel van genoten
Wed Jan 12 2022
4
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
Thu Jan 20 2022
4
1982. Our House, Tomorrow's( Just Another Day), Rise and Fall
Sun Jan 30 2022
4
Pop
Mon Feb 14 2022
4
New wave. Un megahit. Entretenido.
Fri Mar 18 2022
4
Experimental, groundbreaking
Wed Apr 06 2022
4
Eclectic but great stuff.
Fri Apr 15 2022
4
Was good not spectacular
Wed May 25 2022
4
Massa o som, diferenciado
Thu Jun 16 2022
4
an album that grabbed my attention! i had known "our house" initially and only vaguely at that. madness kept me on my tiptoes the whole album. some jazz sounds, some reggae sounds! i came away impressed that madness didn't confine themselves to anything, really. i mean, "new delhi" brings some beautiful indian sounds and instruments to this album. the piano, the saxophone, it was all very enjoyable.
Thu Jun 23 2022
4
An album of Proustian moments.
Sun Jul 10 2022
4
You could say it was Madness that I had never listened to the full album. Listener note, Spotify wasn't showing a lot of the tracks so I listened on youtube instead.
Thu Jul 14 2022
4
What a delightful display of Britishness. Got that great bank holiday feel, like Blur's Parklife, and some tantalizing carnivalesque moments.
Sun Jul 17 2022
4
I like ittt
Wed Jul 27 2022
4
I'd only ever heard "Our House" before but the rest of the album was pretty good too. Very 80s
Thu Aug 18 2022
4
"The Rise & Fall" is the fourth studio album by the English Ska band Madness. It is known as their most experimental album by also incorporating a range f other styles - jazz, English musical hall and Eastern influences. Within those, I mostly heard the musical hall category. I would say that this is also kind of in the pop category...great choruses and happier-sounding, upbeat music. It was originally conceived to be a concept album about child nstalgia. According to lead singer, Suggs, each band member was to write songs about their childhood, but not everyone did that. The album has been compared to The Kinks' "Village Green Preservation Society" and Blurs' "Parklife." I see the "Parklife" comparison. For some reason, this album was not released in the US. I'm not sure why; "Our House" was a huge song. I enjoyed pretty much every song. There is a lot going on in almost every song with these band members. "Rise and Fall" starts things off in grand fashion with sax, piano, keyboards and quickly changes to a quicker more ska-pace tempo. It then slows back down and speeds up. Nice sax solo. "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" was the second single and has a more melancholy-pop feel. Defintely music hall influenced. Cool harmonica. Great vocals and chorus repeating the song title. The third song "Blue Skinned Beast" takes a swing at Margaret Thatcher and her Falkland's War handling. Quick and changing tempo, more in the Ska style. Great sax. Not much to say about "Our House." Love the start, the way each instrument is incorporated and especially the vocals and lyrics. "Brother got a date tonight, we cant hang around" The last song. "Madness (Is All in the Mind)" is also worth a listen, more in the jazz style. Madness was a big band in the UK and Europe overall. Not so much in the US, besides "Our House." This was my first dive into them and two thumbs up. Not a bad song and a good listen just to appeciate the activity of the band overall.
Mon Aug 29 2022
4
Puro ska
Wed Sep 28 2022
4
Un album muy fresco, más que algunos modernos a pesar de acusar sus 40 años. Con un clásico escondido dentro de yapa. Buena experiencia!
Wed Oct 12 2022
4
good album,enjoyed it. Very eclectic.
Thu Oct 27 2022
4
great ska album, also nice its a concept album thats kind of unique in being positive and human
Wed Nov 16 2022
4
Good album, but i don’t like the remixes
Fri Dec 02 2022
4
Definitely my vibe. Very good. Didn't know I knew so many songs by these guys. Great album, on my vinyl collection wishlist.
Mon Dec 12 2022
4
What, Spotify doesn’t have this album?!? Very annoying. But the good thing is I’m already quite familiar with Madness. They bring consistently fun and dynamic 80s ska to the table and you have a good time listening. Lots of danceable grooves, so they made brunch fun this morning. Our House is an all-time classic fave. Love these guys!
Thu Dec 22 2022
4
This is super British 80's pop and I kinda liked it, especially their big hit, "Our House". 6/10.
Thu Jan 05 2023
4
Shame that the full album isn’t on Spotify.
Fri Jan 13 2023
4
Dansen, dansen! Maar net iets minder dan hun albums die wat meer ska zijn
Sat Jan 14 2023
4
Lots of fun songs.
Tue Jan 24 2023
4
Really cool album. Never heard of these guys and had no idea who the artist of Our House even was. Can't get enough of these artsy British pop bands.
Tue Jan 24 2023
4
Love it… (well, love most of Madness albums actually). Fresh and lyrics with a twist
Tue Jan 24 2023
4
Really fun album! Clever instrumentation, and a lot of great songs. Will be coming back to this one, too bad I could only find it on YouTube.
Sun Feb 12 2023
4
Great Album from GB's best-known SKA-Band. Not pure SKA anymore, but...well: have a listen!
Sun Feb 19 2023
4
I've always loved Madness for their singles but have never listened to an album. They never really struck me as an albums band but this is a beautiful work musically and lyrically. A real gem.
Tue Feb 21 2023
4
Vermakelijk album, vette sound.
Fri Feb 24 2023
4
The guys sound like Beatles sometimes, but it's 1986. Tomorrow's (Just another day) is the coolest.
Sat Feb 25 2023
4
MADNESS
Fri Mar 03 2023
4
Always fun when the one famous song you know from an album is not even close to the most interesting one. Best track: Primrose Hill
Fri Mar 10 2023
4
Why this album by Madness, there are far better
Tue Mar 14 2023
4
I think the only Madness album I'd listened to before was a greatest hits, and I couldn't get quite get into the Ska-iness of it. This was quite refreshing however, seemed to go a bit deeper than their main hits. Definitely one to give another listen to
Tue Mar 14 2023
4
Didn’t know they sung Our Houseb
Wed Mar 22 2023
4
First 10 seconds and you know who is playing... it's definitely Madness.
Fri Mar 31 2023
4
Not really my style, but good.
Sat Apr 01 2023
4
I am reviewing this album with a very big asterisk -- as it was never released in North America, I only have access to 6/13 songs. Those six songs, though, are pretty great. It's a shame that Madness was essentially a one-hit wonder on this side of the pond, thanks to this album's "Our House". A catchy number, to be sure, but they're so much more than that. The six songs sampled here are near pop perfection. I'm surprised to hear that they're considered a two-tone/ska band, as that vibe is minimal here, and seems to be just one of many sounds explored on this record. It's very instrumentally dense, but I guess that's a result of having seven guys in the band. I'd definitely be down to check out more Madness in the future.