Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Quite a decent collection of quality tracks beyond the hit, and was actually a delight. “Our House” is a perfectly timeless pop ear worm. A lot of fellow travelers of the 1001 Albums Project get angry about too much 80s music from the Isles; this album should be immune from that criticism (it isn’t but there are a few dozen albums that are more guilty). 8/10.
While of course this album is basically only known for Our House, it's definitely a good package, all together. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
I’m at a 4.5 that I'll bump up to a 5. The only track I knew going into this, as I imagine is the case for most US listeners, was “Our House”, which continues to be in the middle of their street. I didn’t realize Madness were as big as they were in the UK, since that track just kinda defines their legacy over here. Based on the ‘ska’ labeling that Wikipedia gives them, I was more so expecting the mid-90s brand of energetic, horn-driven ska. Instead, what I’ve just listened to is slightly darker new wave with some horns thrown in there, and it turns out, it’s a style I quite like. This is really well-produced for 1982, managing to let the eclectic, weird & occasionally chaotic instrumentals feel clear throughout, giving each instrument its own space to work. The pacing of the album is nice too, with every track (save for one) clocking in at 3:40 or less, so when a track starts to feel a little busy, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. That pacing gives them room to explore, & they cover a pretty good variety of styles & topics that keeps the album fresh. Lyrically, I’d say it’s pretty good – occasionally a bit repetitive on some outros, or not as clear as it could be, but for the most part, they’re written well. I’m too American to understand the possible overtly British patriotism present here, but I will choose to live in a bit of bliss if it’s more jingoistic than I realize. Suggs’ vocals are good here, with a strange variety that somehow feels like Peter Gabriel at times, Sting at others, and yet entirely his own thing at the same time. At the very least, he’s good at inhabiting the spirit of each track & all the characters present in each. There’s not a consistent enough line to call this a real ‘concept album’, but it’s an album with concepts, at least. Since it’s an album where the instrumentals drive the energy more than anything else, I find it a bit useless to go track by track here; if you’re inclined towards slightly experimental new wave stuff at all, you’ll probably like this. There are times where it can feel a bit busy, and while it didn’t overwhelm me, I can see how it might be a little too much for others. For me, I’m just impressed by how much personality each track manages to have & how cohesive it still somehow feels (including the very strange & probably racist “New Delhi”). I also just happened to enjoy the instrumentals a lot, & each track made my head sway around a bit. I think it’s a good album, I’m glad it’s on the list, and I think it’s worth bumping up to a 5.
Fine.
Primrose Hill - 4.5/5 Our House - 4/5 House of Fun - 4.5/5 Don't Look Back - 3/5 Driving In My Car - 2.5/5 Animal Farm - 3.5/5 Riding on My Bike - 3/5 The National Anthem - 2.5/5
This marks the first assigned album almost wholly unavailable on my regular music streamers. It forced me to seek out a YouTube playlist, which enabled YouTube to merrily implement it's advertising policy, peppering ads after every single song throughout my listening experience. Obviously, I would never blame the band Madness or the album Madness Presents The Rise & Fall for this sorry state of affairs, but I kind of do.
This one just landed way too close to ELO (two albums ago, which I am still processing). All my tolerance for upbeat happy happy joy joy chipper music has gone. It made me want to jump out of the first floor window and mildly graze my knee.
Not my favourite Madness record. It's quirky and odd, which I suppose is better than cranking out the same old same old punky ska.
Not sure why it's buried on streaming services, but I enjoyed it.
Didn’t really enjoy any of this. Pretty much found everything, even the one big hit, kind of annoying.
Interesting vibe, I like the horns. Makes everything very uppity. Wouldn’t listen again but not terrible.
3.8
When the wiki summary said ska, I was like oh god, I can't stand ska. But I guess in the early 80s ska meant something different than in the 90s. But ya still, this was just ok, 80s pop with some variety. I knew Our House before this.
not a big madness fan a lot of the tunes sound the same
God someone please take the microphone away from these petulant toddlers. I don't even like "Our House."
As someone mention it sounds like a villains theme. everything sounds way too cartoony and silly. which also make the British accent more annoying. The only redeeming track is "Our House" and for me "house of fun" only because it was featured in a British sit-com. They seems to have a cultural influence during their time and a big part of the ska movement (Not the cool reggae one but the annoying british/american )… so even though I don't really enjoy this because it got boring and annoying very fast, it still deserve a spot I guess.
An odd collection of songs - it sports a few terrific pop hits in "Tomorrow's Just Another Day" and "Our House") but at the other end of the spectrum tracks like "Blue-Skinned Beast" and "Sunday Morning" are disjointed hodgepodges of ill-fitting parts, songs that feel like they got dressed in the dark. As for the rest of this, the sheer sound of this record may be great (due to the sharp playing of the band and the sympathetic production by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley) but many of the numbers (especially "Calling Cards") sound overly familiar, as though the band members are retracing their older, better songs.
I remember the music video for Our House was hysterical, and I like the saxophone honks on that tune. Otherwise the album didn't do much for me, though it did create some interest in ska back in the day.
It was okay. Didn't grab me as much as the other album I had of theirs a while back. A couple of famous songs.
Another in the range of "not objectionable but also not my jam." Bonus star for "Our House," which is still great after 40 years.
You can just tell this band is having a blast while recording these song and the groove really shines through and is so fun to listen to. I of course recognized the first track but the rest followed in its footsteps having wonderful instrumentation all around with jazziness and a taste of Brit pop as well. The overall vibe just feels free and like there are no worries which I love.
It was pretty decent for British ska at first, but the second half was very weak.
Packed with classic songs and classic sounds. Only reason it’s not a 5 is that I can only listen to so much Madness before my ears go “enough”. 4.5
Sumt af þessu er hresst og bandið er vel spilandi, en mér finnst ska leiðigjarnt til lengdar og lögin eru mjög misskemmtileg. Fæ mig samt ekki til að gefa þessu tvist svo þetta endar í ca. 2,7.
Please lads, The Nutty Boys, Suggs, can we have a moment to consider if you have to be this relentlessly stupid? I do get the appeal over a short (one song) period of time, and songs like Our House or House of Fun have become a much loved part of the cultural fabric, but this is just relentless daftness. I strongly suspect that Madness would be absolutely appalling people to have a pint with.
Our house
This was a surprisingly good album.
'ar 'ouse
God. Our House is like a fucking jumpscare on this album.
Outside of "Our House", I was not expecting the weirdness in this album. It's good, but nothing is hooking be to come back.
Minder om Dexy’s Midnight Runners: overraskende interessant lyd fra et band der egentlig er et one hit wonder, forsanger med en ok anstrengende stemme, bedre end jeg regnede med. Stor 3’er
Resten af pladen lyder overraskende lidt som Our House. Ret fed, lidt irriterende, sådan en plade som nok virkelig kommer an på mit humør.
Did not enjoy this circus music. Ska just doesn't work for white people... Best song: Our House
Could only listen to two songs on this album.
they should move the house
Loved it
I feel like I grew up with this music, it’s so nostalgic
Saved? ✅ Would listen again? ✅ Would recommend to anyone? ✅ Would buy on Vinyl? ✅
Sounds ok, but nothing resonates with me.
I grew up in a house that didn’t like Madness but I still tried to approach this with an open mind. Opener Rise and Fall was enjoyable, and I started wondering if my parents might have been wrong about them. Alas. The rest of the album was wildly inconsistent and I realised my parents were right. If I want 2 Tone I’ll stick to The Specials.
The Specials but good. Some absolutely killer basslines across the whole record that remind me of all-time classic Minutemen (despite preceding it), and while the whole Python-esque British Isles humor hasn't aged all that well it certainly gives the whole album a playfully vintage quality while pinning it tightly to its era. It's a little dorky but very charismatic. Fav tracks: Mr. Speaker, Rise and Fall, Our House, Madness
Avec The Rise & Fall, Madness pousse son excentricité britannique jusqu'à l'indigestion. Là où l'on espérait trouver des lignes pop claires et harmonieuses, l'album s'égare dans un labyrinthe sonore profondément dénué de mélodie. L'omniprésence d'arrangements chaotiques et de cuivres criards – qui s'apparentent par moments à d'intempestifs bruits de klaxon – transforme l'écoute en une expérience urbaine agressive. Le groupe donne ici un sens littéral à son nom : c'est la folie traduite en musique. Mais loin de toute élégance avant-gardiste, l'œuvre s'embourbe dans un brouhaha théâtral et désordonné qui finit par épuiser l'auditeur, prouvant que la frontière entre l'audace conceptuelle et la pure nuisance sonore est parfois dangereusement mince.
Sympa le mec derrière le serpent Musicalement c'est au point cependant, même si je trouve que certaines musiques vont trop loin et sonnent très comédie musicale, donc raconte plus que fait de la musique même si le début de l'album était très convaincant et que Our House est un banger Je comprends qu'ils aillent au bout de leur idée sur l'album mais ça fait un peu trop pour moi
liked more than anticipated! going 3 but a very high 3! very fun!
i remember pirating this album from the library when i got randomly into ska for a hot sec i think it might be a rule that any song called our house has to b straight heat i like how silly this album is but if we’re being truly real apart from our house it’s eh
Love Madness but had to thumbs up the review that said, "Every song is like a theme tune for a slapstick villain"... That's exactly why I like it
Not on tidal. Why? But anyways its a solid 2nd wave ska project. Which i am a 3rd wave guy, its what I grew up on. But I do like some things like the specials. And this is in a similar vein. Madness does have a little bit of a weird edge though. There is some jazzy elements with the stand up bass and thr piano too. Though the piano has a player piano feel that is pretty interesting. Saloon vibes. Our house is the big song here and its great. Its a classic for sure. But there are other songs. Personally im into madness, thr closer, as well as tomorrow's. Both good songs as well. As a whole the record is pretty good. Not exactly my thing 100% but very good. It has to be a classic if this wave is your thing.
I know about madness and have listened to them before I thought the album contained a few good songs and songs that I’d listen to multiple times however there are some songs that I didn’t like and others that were bland so middle of the road for me
the Nutty Boys were famous for crafting catchy, clever pop singles. This album, is a bit of a mini concept album, and allows them to try something slightly different. Not vey different, but it's OK. No great desire to listen again. 3.5 stars.
Madness has always felt more like a greatest‑hits band to me, and this album doesn’t fully change that. Still, The Rise & Fall has its moments, with a few tracks that really land.
This was okay. Nothing crazy besides Our House.
It's an okay album. I like Madness, but much prefer their more Ska sounding records. This one was much more jazz inspired, reminded me of the Stray Cats.
Mr Speaker (Gets The Word) was cool, very catchy Could've been a 4, but there were a few meh songs
Quite unfathomable to imagine that music like this helped these men get laid in the 80s
This album made me want to vote to impose economic sanctions on my own country.
I did listen all the way through, and for that they get a 3, I did find it bit dull and maybe a bit cheesy, sorry Madness
I considered myself a fan until I heard this, what a bloody mess
This was a tough listen. Like bad British circus music
This album was insanely annoying to me, but in a lot of different and inventive ways.
Didn't care for it
Very surprisingly good considering I’d never heard of them before now, that is until “Our House” played. Actually might consider getting this album on vinyl 4.5 but down to 4
Brilliant and tedious, mainly tedious.
This one makes me feel torn. On one hand I like it cause it’s so wierd and bright and wonderful, but on the other it’s so strange and disconcerting. The singles were big in Australia so there’s some nostalgia too. Crazy band, gotta respect it but a little monotonous by the end
House of Fun is one of my siblings' favorite songs. Yet another song called Our House that I like this week as well is pretty funny. Nostalgic for me but not my usual listen.
only giving it two stars for Our House. the rest of this was incomprehensible.
Highlights: Rise and Fall, Our House, Madness (Is All In the Mind). Fun, poppy and as whimsical as 80s British music can get. A mix of two tone, new wave and a little music hall. If we didn't have Madness, we wouldn't get Blur's Parklife. Dive into their singles too, specifically House of Fun. Overall: 5/10
A solid meh
Not a fan. Too many novelty songs.
Oh, it’s that song!
Did not enjoy this
It’s decent, but I can’t take this seriously—sounds like the circus Beatles. Never liked Our House either. I’m officially a hater.
Opening tracks were great but it then descends into early 80s shite.
This was not fully available on spotify so I need to relisten. I've been meaning to listen to Madness bur for now I'm leaving at 3 stars.
I wasn't a huge fan of the vocal style, but I thought the instrumentation was very fun. Shame about the album cover and New Delhi. My general experience of this album was that I still really enjoyed the songs I already knew, and the rest I probably wouldn't listen to again. Fav song: Our House Least fav: New Delhi
Blackface (and accents on a few of the songs) obviously take away from it. Our house is good but some of the others just feel like generic madness songs that don’t really do a lot for me. Specific rating - 3.4 Fav song - our house Least fav - New Delhi
Think them each dressing as one of the songs on the album for the cover is a really lovely idea (I enjoyed figuring out who was who)- but there were 13 songs on the original release, there's absolutely no reason New Delhi needed to be represented on the cover... The New Delhi outtro and that feature of the album cover lose this album a star for me. Otherwise I did really enjoy the album, nice anti-tory song, our House is a classic, lots of fun songs. Favourite song: Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) Least: New Delhi
Poppy and new wave rather than ska. Wholesome melodic album.
Catchy tracks. Some are cringe inducing and aged poorly.
Interesting choice. It's the polished, watered-down version of Madness (3/5). One Step Beyond.... is a better choice, a solid 4/5, maybe 5/5.
Always sort of accepted Madness as a bit of a zany, novelty singles band so I own a greatest hits, and always assumed that would suffice. I found this pretty enjoyable without really digging into the lyrics but it's also not challenged that initial assumption. I like a lot of the basslines though.
I guess it’s an alright 80’s album. Sub genre was listed as Ska, but this was no fucking Mustard Plug. 2.5⭐️
Kinda boring to me....was wondering if "Our House" was gonna pop up on this album. That's still a jam, but won't push it up to 3.
Man, the beginning was good but after that I zoned out. Also it's way too long. Nevertheless, it was entertaining for a while ig. Fave tracks: rise and fall, mr speaker. Would I revisit this: nah
2.2/5 I've heard Our House thousands of time due to it being the intro to a tv program back in the day and honestly every song that came on I was waiting for that chorus to play because that song is imprinted in my mind and I couldn't shake it. So this album was very samey for me. Not many stand outs.
No es mi rollo, así que no he conectado mucho, pero es un buen álbum de base.
Like it 3/5
Our House House of Fun
Favourite tracks: Our House, Mr. Speaker (Gets The Word), Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) 3/5
While I love ska, I'll admit I haven't listened to much Madness - I think the overexposure and non-ska-ness of "Our House" turned me off. But this album was very fun and enjoyable, and I feel a little bad for avoiding them for so long. - Heard before? I think I might have recognized a few songs beyond "Our house." - Will I listen again? Definitely. - Does it inspire me to listen to more of this artist? Yes!
A fun poppy album with lots of hooks and a slight ska flavor. It almost reminds me of some of Danny Elfman's stuff - it's got a theatrical bent with the occasional quirky darkness.
Spotify only played be like 8 of the 30 songs? Didn't know "Our House" was from this record! Wacky and fun, a decent listen.
Some nice pop songs but very samey by the end.
It’s probably not worth a 5 but it has loads of really great tracks, it’s fun, the music is good, it’s norf London, and some people have posted such mean reviews.
New Wave adequadamente pastelão, mas com os traços esperados e necessários, como uma dose saudável de sintetizadores e uma canção ou outra com um saxofone gemendo no seu ouvido. Não sabia exatamente o que esperar da tag de Ska dada à este disco. O que recebi foi sem dúvida um aglomerado de estilos e estéticas que geram um resultado confuso. Algumas canções são simplesmente cartunescas, enquanto outras soam bem agradáveis. Eu gosto da voz do vocalista, como regra geral, mas não gosto das canções que parecem temas de vilões de desenho animado. Difícil descrever, é um disco muito confuso que raramente prende sua atenção. Mas devo dizer, a estranheza têm sim seu charme. É um disco charmoso, mesmo que seja uma escuta bem desafiadora. Infelizmente, acho que ele não me pegou em um bom dia. Não me conquistou totalmente, apesar de tudo. 2/5
Some good jams on here
Revelation! I tend to think of them as essentially a novelty act, but this was far more fun, skilled and inventive than I expected.
What a weird thing to not be available in the US.
Fine.
Much better than the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young version.
Our House is a bop. The rest of this album is utter crap.
Fader altså
The only two songs I knew from this group were Our House and One Step Beyond and both songs are comical. Even the videos gave off a jokey vibe. After listening to this entire album I can confidently say this is not a band to be taken seriously. I know they had more than one hit in the UK, but I’m not sure how that is possible.
I guess I don’t really know what ska is. I thought there had to be a bit more Rastafarian going on. More of a 3.5 but round up for pleasant surprises
They do some kooky style flair and instrument additions, but ultimately this is a Brit ska band, so how good could it be (2.5)
It was fine - I’m still not a huge 2 Tone fan.
This sounds like a soundtrack to a Tim Burton movie that I haven't seen yet, but am intrigued by.
Good music! Good album. Very unique sounding Horn section. I have 'Our House' on 45 but never listened to anything else. That was a mistake I've been missing out.
I didn't expect much from the band that gave us "Our House," a catchy one hit wonder type song I remember from early 80's teen-dom. But this has an enjoyable, intelligent pop sound, and the album is very even. This would sound really good live, there's so much going on musically. Unfortunately, it's not on Spotify in its entirety so I had to listen via YouTube. Bleh. But I decided to round this pleasant surprise up to 4.
I enjoyed "Our House" when it came out as a single, but don't remember much about Madness as a band. It is a shame because the rest of the album is solid. Glad to revisit them and learn that they were more than their biggest hit.
I wanted there to be a hidden hit I had missed. There were just the two I already knew (our house, house of fun). Alas
I LOVE THIS LP!!
er det blackface?? // jeg liker teatralsk musikk. Ikke 1001 verdig. skjønte ikke at dette var ska haha. hah ooour house. in the middle of the street. ooour house. høydepunkt: Rise and Fall, Mr. Speaker (Gets the Word)
Classic, although I felt most of the songs sounded like our house
Legitimately awful, saved by one song
It’s not Madness’ best album, but still great!
Hmmm..thought I liked ska music.. but it must have been another band.
"Our House" is one of those songs that i've heard so often involuntarily, i don't even have an opinion anymore. might as well ask what i think about trees in general. the rest of the album: not enough depth
Amazing album! One of my all time favorites from a band that doesn't get enough credit for being innovative.
Musique intéressante, je connaissais "Our House" d'oreille, mais je suis sceptique sur "New Delhi", remarque dans un second temps la black face en cover puis découvre sur Wikipédia la récupération par le FNB. Du coup, mitigé...
Gave this one a second listen to fully get it. A concept album about childhood, it’s great to hear Madness songs away from their greatest hits. New Delhi has not aged well, but then again we do have Our House which is an all time great.
Just ok. Our House, obviously a terrific song. The rest of it? What am I even listening to. 0 songs added to playlist
This was better than I expected. Madness are the reverse of the Eagles for me, in that I find their album tracks a lot better and less annoying than their singles.
Our House in the Middle of Our Street is an unforgettable chorus but the rest of the album was low-mid forgettable.
Comically off putting
Our house is an idea
Our house
When I read "ska" and knew Madness was the band that performed "Our House," which is not my favorite song, I started to wonder if this would be a painful experiment in discovering what early ska sounded like by a bunch of guys who were half as talented as they are clever. I really liked this one and I have absolutely no clue (other than the presence of horns) why this specific album would be considered ska. Perhaps I am just scarred by the late 90's ska-revival. I still shudder thinking about it. This was a fun album, even if that asshole on the front is in brown face. Mr. Speaker was very Kinks-like. You could have put that song on any of The Kinks albums on this list and I would not have known any different. I gotta add this one to my own collection, as this is worthy of a repeated listen. Rise and Fall Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) Blue Skinned Beast Sunday Morning Our House That Face Madness (Is All in the Mind)
There are some really good songs but there are some really bad ones as well. Add in the blatant racism on the cover and one of the songs and it drops a point
Long LP. It’s like a childrens version of punk music?! The lyrics are repetitive and quite simple. But I think they are also more a metaphor. It sound a 80ies but not that much 80ies. It’s a lot of marching music. So many references. So many different instruments and styles mixed up. It tells a story. It could be a musical. I am confused. Feels like there’s a story behind every songs lyrics/story.
Only the hit. The rest not so much
I don't like this at all.
House of Fun, Our House, and Baggy Trousers are the three songs that spring to mind when I think of Madness, and two of them are on this album. There's a seriousness and melancholy that weaves through the other tracks which makes it stand out from their other albums, but while different I don't know if I enjoyed it any more. And there's only so much ska I can listen to in a sitting.
Honestly, I went into this one with pretty low expectations and already annoyed because I had to track it down on YouTube since it wasn't streaming on any of my services, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised! It wasn't like the greatest album ever, but it was a pretty fun listen. I can definitely see how this likely influenced later Brit-Pop bands. "Our House" just reminds me of my high school French class where we used to jokingly translate the lyrics into French and sing them at each other. I don't know why we did it with that particular song and never any others, but it's stuck with me! Notre maison, au milieu de la rue!
Bizar album, beetje te random voor mij. Al zitten er wel pareltjes in zoals my house en tiptoes.
Our House is solid. Don’t care for the rest.
Four stars just for Our House. Where? In the middle of the street
Alright album
Couple of hits on there but otherwise a forgettable album
Despite the brown face on the cover and the awful racist accent on New Delhi, I can't hate this. I also can't in good conscience give it a 5/5. 4 it is then.
Not my favorite. Our House is definitely a banger, but there were a lot of songs that drifted to far into campy / silly without the musicality to back them up. Overall- not bad. 2.5/5
I could only listen to 6 songs available to me, but they were excellent. I see a straight line between this and Modern Life is Rubbish by blur.
Ne
Of the 30 songs, only 8 were available to listen to. I did not like the rendition of Our House.
I think I like it? Maybe? It’s giving old movie soundtrack vibes
Not my cup of tea
Not for me. Recognise Our House and House of Fun. Not sure I quite get "ska"
This is not available streaming anywhere I can find. I tried to piece it together by listening to individual songs, but this was a challenge so I’m only gonna give it three stars.
Yeah ok
Kinksy, i.e., like the Kinks. But the Kinks already exist, so—
This is one of the albums that makes “1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die” sound like a threat.
Madness moving on from their ska roots. Influenced by music hall, Saturday night TV variety shows, Spike Milligan, and 60s artists such as The Kinks. I approve! Even so, the very definition of a Singles Band. Always at their best on the 45s.
Madness are fun! (is fun?) Ska, music hall, pop, probably a jumble of other genres banging off each other in an upbeat jam. They don’t take it too seriously and the songs are pretty short , which keeps the energy up. I went down a rabbit hole after this one spun out, and played another album’s worth of their best tracks. Two steps beyond…?!
Didn't get to hear the whole album, but it was mostly as expected. Entertaining, but not something I'd listen to all the time. Did not know they sand Our House, but now that will be seared into my brain.
I forgot that Madness very quickly stopped being a ska band, and went pure pop. They had developed a signature sound at this stage featuring piano bass, a variation on the staxx beat, and a guitar that is so buried in the mix that it's largely imperceptible. Every song here is a quality production, and the singles will still be played in 50 years time, but it lacks the ska energy and rudeboy edge of One Step Beyond. Instead it tells the story of late 70s/early 80s Britain with humour and heart.
So much fun
Pretty fun listen but kind of meh overall. Negative points for racism.
Is this even ska? This is a very musical album. Maybe it's prog/singer-songwriter ska? There is a lot of bounce in the tracks, but they are slowed down below skanking speed. I hear jazz, crooner, and lounge. The music reminds me of the Kinks for some reason, but where the deep Britishness of the Kinks alienates me from their music, it provides interest here. Whatever this album is, it defies genre. I can't place it, but I'm into it. Four stars.
Brilliant! In between Talking Heads and the Clash mayhaps? A bit more cinematic than either. Still sounds fresh after 44 years! 4.2
Nem vamos falar da capa né. Muito sem graça, um dos piores álbuns que já ouvi aqui
Our House är såklart en klassiker och jag gillar ska-influenserna (även om de inte hördes så mycket på det här albumet) men den här typen av lite gimmick-aktiga band kan nog aldrig nå jättehöga höjder för mig.
Definitivt mer än bara Our House!
On the phone to Edward Saïd after hearing New Dehli
brilliant. on suggs birthday too
I never liked the song, Our House very much. That hasn't changed. The Madness present a playful approach on The Rise & Fall, there's a looseness to the structure of their songs, ska and jazz influenced it seems. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood for this today, far too British for a Monday morning. The Brownface on the cover isn't a great look either but I suppose it was the 80's. 2 stars
It’s a complete and utter joke that nearly every country and metal album are under 3 average ratings and this pile of shit is over 3. It’s like listening to knock off Scooby Doo cartoon music.
2/5
Pretty typical of what I'd expect from Madness. The whole album embodied their eccentric, jovial spirit; of course Our House was the standout due to familiarity. I liked it.
With the exception of two singles, not a great album to listen through.
Two things upon a first listen: this is very English, so it's no surprise that it wasn't released in the US. The Rise and Fall is to Madness what Village Green/Arthur were to the Kinks (and not just by name similarity). This reveaks something that I didn't appreciate while growing up listening to their Two Tone singles: these guys can PLAY. Some great performances, especially Barson and Bedford on piano and bass, respectively.
It's fun. "New Delhi" is pretty cringetastic.
It was just ok
Not on Amazon music
Not entirely available on Spotify, but I liked what was there. 3/5
Tässä oli jotain mistä tykkäsin tosi paljon. positiivinen soitanta ja kivat taustat
Jokanen biisi on ku jostain brittisarjan alkuteksteistä.. Eih kyllä tällästä shittiä
Ei yhdellä hyvällä biisillä vielä kuuhun mennä.
Nonii kunnon määdnessiä. Tää on tämmöstä omanlaistaan prittiläistä fuusiokitseniä. Toki en näitä tän "genren" muita pändejä kauheesti tunne paitsi sen ghost town -biisin osalta joka sekin on kyl ihan hyve. Määdnessiltä on jonkun verran tuttuja veisuja, jotka pistää keskijalan ja menojalan vipattaan. Tällä levyllä toi auerin huussi ol tuttu ja toki house of fanny mutta se ei taida alunperin olla tällä kokonaisuudella vaan on näitä spotify-version erikoisuuksia. Kaikesta huolimati mahottoman mukavaa meininkiä ja vois kuunnella enempikin. Pändi on monisyinen, mutta siitä huolimati paketti on saatu mukavasti soimaan levylle ja kaikki kilkkeet saa ajan ja paikan. Ison nelosen arvonen JUU.
Vähän kaksijakoista meininkiä. Mulla on vinyylillä yksi Madnessin myöhäisempi levy, ja siinä on ihan sama vika kun tässäkin. Kaikki vaaran tuntu puuttuu. Periaatteessa biisit on semmosia että paremmalla tuotannolla ne olisi ihan weltklassea, mutta nyt jää jotenkin tosi laiskaksi ja tylsäksi. Kaksi isointa hittiä entuudestaan oli tästä tuttuja (jo Young Ones - tv-sarjasta tutut Our House ja House of Fun) ja nehän on ihan helvetin kovia biisejä molemmat. Pidän kyllä lähtökohtaisesti Madnessista paljonkin. Vähän semmoinen Kinksin henkinen perillinen. Tosi paljon tulee tälläkin levyllä useammastakin biisistä mieleen myöhäisempi Kinksin tuotanto. Harmi vaan että on tosiaan jotenkin tosi ontoksi jäänyt soundit.
Man, to be hip and in college and listen to this and some B52s, circa 1983. Had to have been a blast. Little inconsistent (I would cut three numbers) but overall a great record.
Favorite tracks: Blue Skinned Beast, Sunday Morning, Tiptoes, Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) Let this serve as my official apology for thanking of Madness as "that band that sings Our House"
British 80s New Wave. Bordering on annoying. Jaunty version of ska that grinds my gears.
Fourth great album in a row. Random in 2026 is crazy. Love it. Maybe ‘cause I’m a mad man and this album is by Madness. Maybe it’s because of the name — “The Rise & Fall”. Like Ziggy Stardust, you know. Well, this album is so good and so long that it brings me a little more madness, that's the truth. That’s why I like it. It’s old and… not gold, but really good ska music. Sometimes boring and too similar and it’s okay. What I like about the album is how it blends reflective, melancholic themes with nonsense and catchy hooks. The National Anthem is a sick song, it’s art in the flesh. Remember, tomorrow's just another day. Great song. 3/5 —————————————— Liked: — Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) — Our House — Tiptoes — Madness (Is All In the Mind) — Walking with Mr.Wheeze
This album sees Madness breaking away from their previous almost comedic ska stuff and into more interesting territory.
I feel like maybe this should be a three but definitely not my taste
Listening to Madness always made me feel anxious and a sense of incoming doom. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the dominance of the minor key. Even though most of it lyrically is quite fun, non-threatening and there is a ska vibe that gets you moving, I can't shake the anxiety that accompanies it! Obviously a couple of big tracks, catchy and Madness are a bit of a UK institution for middle aged people, but I'm perpetually unnerved by them.
Not my vibe. Our House is a classic and I like the British accents but their sound is a little grating and simplistic overall.
Hearing the Our House song was a light jumpscare. A very respectable album that doesn’t fit well in any genre, though I can’t say I loved it. Best song: Madness (Is All in the Mind)
I knew Madness as a singles band but never listened to an album. Turns out i still think they are a singles band, but i was impressed by this. Their cheeky boy, culturally diverse london schtick is fun and holds up well. But it never really has much depth.
7/10 zvuci kao 5 minuta crtaca gde zlikovac dobije svoju montazu malo cirkus atmosfera, sve je ono sarkazam/ komentarisanje zivota normalnog coveka i teskoca koje s tim dolaze da mi zvuci bolje mozda bi se vise uneo ali jbg
Why does so much English music have that hellish circus music quality to it?
Pretty standard 80's fare, kind of boring
I really enjoyed this! It’s has a quirky college band sound. Sort of like a British 80s Ben folds five kind of thing. Not quite sure how to explain it other than if I was in college when this came out I would be all about it.
I don't care how much this guy likes driving in his car, driving with a flat tire is a terrible idea.
I like madness but too much for a full album.
This was the exact definition of zainy. It was a trip to the circus.
What a goofy and fun album. Didn't know Our House was by them! I enjoyed it - probably wouldn't listen to it all the way through again but maybe some specific songs. If I could give it a 3.5 I would.
I couldn't listen to it properly here in the US but was able to find most of the tracks. I didn't have strong feelings about it overall. It reminded me of being in high school and buying a CD based on a track I'd heard on the radio... oftentimes those bands seemed perfectly nice, even clever, but there's no mistaking the feeling of "oh, so there's no magic here." I liked a few moments along the way, but as soon as it was done I put on a mix of new wave stuff I enjoy a lot more.
Our house is really fun but not enough to hold the album together
could only listen to a couple of songs on Spotify, but i don't really like ska
Had not heard much Madness beyond Our House (which is epic), but really really enjoyed this. Much more experimental than I thought and almost felt like sort of a concept album. The horns are awesome (expected from a ska band I guess?) but overall just some very cool instrumentation and interesting musical choices. Also really like his voice. Overall just a fun listen.
This is the second album in a row that wasn't on Apple music. Not sure what's going on here. Overall, a great album.
Fine. Our House is still a pretty catchy song. I listened to the compilation that had some of these songs but not the original album. I know the whole album is on YouTube but nope.
Not bad, a little annoying that I had to stream it on YouTube but I enjoyed it fine. It’s between a 3 and a 4.
Fine. I’m not sure it needed to be on the list.
Standard ska stuff
Perfectly fine music
I don’t really get why this one catches so many negative reviews. It’s not bad at all. It’s catchy, quirky, and easy to listen to, even if it’s a little uneven. Our House alone does a lot of the heavy lifting here. That song is a straight up classic in my book and still holds up really well. Not an album I’d spin constantly, but it’s way better than the reviews make it out to be.
Other than the hits on here, album stuffers, I liked the 2 early madness albums, but this is a decent effort
Feels like a lot of madness, too much madness?
My dad’s gonna hate me for not rating it higher… sorry Steve
The only decent songs on this album are about houses... Would be a 2, but the house songs are quite good.
Our House is the only good song imo. Everything else was pointless to me.
Favorite Track: Our House
National treasures. Such an influential band and arguably the most British band of all time, singing about roast dinners, misbehaving and the Post Office. UK music festivals would not be the same if Madness hadn't existed. Without the Ska revival, all the awesome sax and brass players would have picked up guitar lessons instead and joined a rock band. Ugh. This song includes Our House, a song you can put with Blue Monday, Praise You and Bohemian Rhapsody on the Mount Rushmore of British singles. 6.5 / 10 Best track/s: Our House, Madness (It's All In The Mind), Rise and Fall
fun
brassy sound, crazy clown party. But they really only have the one banger.
Madness cultivate a unique and funky sound, capturing mundane British life.
Really enjoyed
Not too shabby.
As a British person born in a working class family and community in the 80s I’m probably meant to say that I love Madness and some tracks do have a certain nostalgic value to them but they just don’t resonate with me at all.
pretty good, couple of big hits and i really liked the one towards the end called madness
So Madness made a jazzy concept album huh, not bad, not bad
mid 3 nice one for giving it a go, its alright. but theres something forced about it
Did my best to listen even though this one’s hard to find. Not the best Madness I’ve ever heard. 2.75
Not bad, sounds kinda like what I thought Madness would sound based on what I knew about them. I can see why they didn't hit it big in America though.
Underrated genius. Reminds me of my childhood growing up in the UK in the 80s. Madness at their peak. Yes, I'm middle aged, no I still have all my hair, and I've never voted Tory and didn't vote for Brexit.
everage garbage
3.5/5 pretty not bad. The 2nd half of the album is way better than the first!
2.5
A couple of hits, too many remixes, and mostly forgettable if not crappy songs. 6/10
I am not quite sure why I listened to the full 1.5 hour version of this. A lot of the songs repeated, but overall this was fun. Felt like the beginnings of ska. Not my absolute favorite, but not bad. "Our House" is an absolute classic. Liked Songs: "The Rise And Fall" , "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" , "Mr. Speaker (Gets The Word)" , "Our House" , "Tiptoes" , "Madness (Is All In The Mind)" , "House of Fun" , "Walking with Mr. Wheeze"
This was great 4.25
3/10
This is a great ska project. Ahead of its time and influential. This album is shockingly cohesive and intuitive. These songs were begging to be written and the energy is there.
Ska always sounds a bit like circus music but this goes all the way with it. This is music for clowns with a guitar. I really didn’t enjoy this, but I can respect the talent it takes to write all these parts and perform them all this well.
Oddball, kind of peppy music. 3/5
Every song sounded like a Horrible Histories intro. Our house is a tune though.
Some bangers, didn’t listen to it all
If Ronald McDonald had a favourite album it would be this.
Felt like a soundtrack to a Muppets movie
Couple goofy ahh songs, mid
Loved the funky vibes, makes the songs more memorable. This album was a house full of fun 😹😹😹
Not really a fan. But album had more depth than expected.
Madness was the only half decent tune, the rest sounded like they were from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 🏭
Quality !
Didn't feel particularly inspired by this at all. It felt completely unoriginal, and somehow also managing to be boring and messy at the same time.
Our House is a banger, but the rest is just pretty average and sometimes a bit sus (New Delhi)
There were a lot of cool experimental sounds on this, but I don’t expect to revisit it often.
Pues me dejo un poco el culo torcido, me parecio tan peculiar que no se ni que decir. Me parecio tan maravilloso que de repente se pusieran a cantar con acento hindú. A veces se pone rara la melodia, me hacia sentir incomoda.
Unable to find the album on my streaming service. Apparently it's the "Our House" album, and there's not much else on it? Checked out a few songs on youtube... eh
I looooved “Our House” in the peak MTV era of 1983 at my peak MTV target age of 13. The rest of the album runs a little too circus-y for my taste. It’s fine.
Pretty unique and fun album. Playful and quirky in a good way. Technical listed as pop rock and new wave, but although I find both of these genres to be generic, there was none of that here. There’s a lot of variety, different instruments, and influences used across this album, so there wasn’t really anything I don’t like about these genres. I enjoyed it, but nothing stood out as particularly exciting. Yes, there was a lot of interesting track, but I felt like none of them went all in and reached their full potential. 7/10
One of those album I wished I loved more. Some real bangers here, especially those last 3 and the hit "Our House". Although through some of this album I was just waiting for the song to end already. Probably would have been a 3 had it not ended as strongly as it did
Somehow Madness manages to make ska feel pedestrian and boring. I’ve never been a fan. And Our House? I absolutely loathe it.. an endlessly irritating song.
Aside from the pop hit Our House, this record just rambles from one song to the next without much focus or anything interesting happening.
Seemed like a move away from their Ska roots but some really catching songs on this. Our House, even thought its been overplayed. is still a favorite of mine.
I really enjoy listening to Madness and had a good time listening to this one, too, even if they did get a little weird at times.
Not too bad
eh
Not something I'll spend a lot of time with, but it's a pretty fun listen; a lot of the songs have interesting, quirky movement to them.
A couple great songs, but is this really an album? Too many experiments.
Its got the one bop that I really like. Otherwise not my thing.
Nice surprise! This album never made it to the US despite "Our House" being an omnipresent hit (it and a number of the songs from this were included on the self-titled album from 1983) the one that showed everyone this clown car of a band had more depth to it. I really love Madness. This ambitious album encapsulates English slapstick and eccentricity laced with just enough English melancholy and class struggle and every once in a while you are reminded they were tight as hell. I was gonna say this isn't the Madness album I'd pick, but I'd never heard it before.
This sounds like a ska band trying to expand beyond the confines of the form, which is cool, but it all has a kind of British sitcom soundtrack quality and doesn't really grab me. I hear occasional flourishes of Lee Jay Thompson's saxophone — I am semi-obsessed lately with the use of sax in rock music, which is another story — that leave me wanting more (I'm thinking of its central melodic role in the earlier Madness track "One Step Beyond"). "Our House" is a great song, but I struggled to find reference points elsewhere.
This wasn't even released in the US at the time so I was not familiar with it, but why they picked this one and not One Step Beyond makes no sense to me.
Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5
An all around solid album that captures the feel of life in 1980s Britain. The album marks a shift from the bands previously ska-heavy sound, moving into more melancholy pop-laden sounds.
Have you ever gotten a soda where the carbonation was running out so it just tastes syrupy and way too sweet? That was the listening experience here. I’m afraid I lack the whimsy to enjoy this.
Pretty fun Standout track: Our House high 3/5
1/5
These songs seem to b telling me a story but I don't have enough context to understand the story.
I have only really ever heard their biggest hits, but I have always heard about how they were HUGE across the pond, never got around to listening to them until now. Obviously "Our House" is a big time hit. I absolutely get their appeal, but I'm not the biggest fan of New Wave, at least this iteration. 3/5
Fun record, just tough to get a real vibe on YouTube with adds. Also a little disappointed that “Our House” is so far and away the best track here. I’ll revisit later.
I never got into Madness. Our House is ok, I guess. I can’t get psyched on listening to this one. I gave it the ol college try. Still not into it. Plus, the Spotify link seems to lead to a playlist rather than the actual album. I’ll give this an unenthusiastic 3-star rating because there’s nothing egregiously bad about it, but I don’t really enjoy it either. 2.5/5 -rounded up
Was never that keen but enjoyable now.Like Sugg's phrasing
It's a two-hit wonder album.
Quite dull, which is unexpected, given the famous and entertaining hits
Don't try to listen to this on Spotify. It's not there - go to YouTube. It's fun and whimsical, but it wears out its welcome. I liked the first few songs, especially Tomorrow's Just Another Day. But by the time I got to New Delhi, I was ready for it to be done.
Fun little album. A bit more variety in tempo and style and I would give it four stars but It’s not quite there for me.
Not sure where all the different genres of music that influenced this are, just sounds like Madness to me! A “fun” band but one I’ve never taken seriously to be honest.
It's a shame this isn't available on Apple Music (apparently it wasn't released in the US), but I found this really enjoyable.
Please recommend albums that can be listened to in all countries. I listened to the 1983 US album “Madness” that has some of the same tracks.
A little too perky and superficial for my taste, but Our House will always be a fun tune that gets the foot tapping.
Just a fun 80s album
Yuppie new wave stuff. Reminds a lot of Oingo Boingo but without that band's frazzled energy. Still energetic but does feel like it's trying to sell me real estate.
alternately chirpy and melancholic - a band spreading its wings, but not really achieving flight on many of the songs
Sigh, it had one good song
When I was in high school, I had a few friends who were way into Ska. They would try and convert me, often playing records by bands like Streetlight Manifesto and Reel Big Fish. To me, these songs were always a bit too much, featuring constant aggressive use of horns over upbeat raggae-inspired rhythms that I would find exhuasting to listen to. It always just sounded like punk with a gimmick to me. Because of that, I wasn't at all excited when I looked this album up and saw it was classified as "ska". To make it worse, I couldn't find it on streaming so had to rely on a fairly low-quality Youtube playlist to listen to it. I quickly found myself pleasantly surprised. I found this record to be an interesting blend of many genres and influences, and I found the horns and other less conventional instrumentation was used in a way that complemented the music as opposed to overpowered it like on the previously mentioned ska albums. This made it so when they did take centerstage, like at the end of "Primrose Hill," it made for interesting and powerful moments. I didn't expect to recognize any tracks, so was surprised to hear "Our House," a track that I've heard probably thousands of times before but never knew the origin of. There were still a few misses on the album. I found Blue Skinned Beast kind of irritating, and New Delhi, while an interesting idea, felt a bit out of place. Overall, definitely an interesting and ambitious record that I'll likely return to. I'd say a 3.5 or 4/5.
Seek out the album on YouTube, what they have on Spotify sounds like Zappa doing Weird Al doing clown music besides Our House & Primrose Hill. Which are the only two songs on the actual album. The album itself is pretty good when they don't devolve into clown music, it happens quite a bit. Our House seems like it's from another planet compared to rest. This is not your modern Ska though. It's closer to Badfish than Less Than Jake. It has a good sound with horns, guitar, piano/organ & whatnot. I also hear some They Might Be Giants in there. Also New Delhi is um incredibly dated.(is a nice way of putting it)
This is an album? Why would you include this in your book dude? OUR HOUSE 🕺🎶🏠🎉💃🏼
whimsy and fun!
More fun than great, but listenable and influential!
Easy listening, poppy, fun, makes me feel like I'm in a film about a camp villain. Cool use of brass. Loses points for the guy in brownface on the cover.
This was a good poppy, new wave, with a bit of jazzy elements. Our House was the standout track, but a couple others were pretty good too on second half of album.
All of this was fun but none of this was impactful. I'd like to hear a pure ska effort from this band though, because it's clear they were/area a ska band at their core. "Sunday Morning" kinda summarizes this album on the whole - technically well-performed, but a song about nothing that goes nowhere. Sadly, my pick is the chorus of "Our House", which sounds like a poor interpretation of a song that could be done much better by Talking Heads. Just the chorus too, the verses aren't all that notable. Sad 2/5, the pieces are there but they did not put any of them together.
Yet another album making the list based on the strength of one single. I would like to say there is no way this carny ska misadventure would make it otherwise, but the list is full of surprises. Two stars for Our House, which is objectively dope.
One hit wonder
That was weird
Couldn’t find the actual album so listened to 1983’s Madness. Always enjoyed this band and this album was one of the reasons.
I liked it, was fun!