Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Of the 30 songs, only 8 were available to listen to. I did not like the rendition of Our House.
Not my cup of tea
Not for me. Recognise Our House and House of Fun. Not sure I quite get "ska"
Kinksy, i.e., like the Kinks. But the Kinks already exist, so—
Nem vamos falar da capa né. Muito sem graça, um dos piores álbuns que já ouvi aqui
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
2/5
With the exception of two singles, not a great album to listen through.
Ei yhdellä hyvällä biisillä vielä kuuhun mennä.
British 80s New Wave. Bordering on annoying. Jaunty version of ska that grinds my gears.
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.
Pretty standard 80's fare, kind of boring
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.
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
Standard ska stuff
Other than the hits on here, album stuffers, I liked the 2 early madness albums, but this is a decent effort
Did my best to listen even though this one’s hard to find. Not the best Madness I’ve ever heard. 2.75
everage garbage
3/10
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.
Every song sounded like a Horrible Histories intro. Our house is a tune though.
If Ronald McDonald had a favourite album it would be this.
Felt like a soundtrack to a Muppets movie
Couple goofy ahh songs, mid
Madness was the only half decent tune, the rest sounded like they were from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 🏭
There were a lot of cool experimental sounds on this, but I don’t expect to revisit it often.
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
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.
eh
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.
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.
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.
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.
A little too perky and superficial for my taste, but Our House will always be a fun tune that gets the foot tapping.
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
This is an album? Why would you include this in your book dude? OUR HOUSE 🕺🎶🏠🎉💃🏼
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.
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
Madness made a bunch of great singles, but never made a great album.
Madness to me were a band very much of their time. I know that there has been a slight recent uprise in popularity but I will always associate them with the Ska revival of the late 70’s. Their first album One Step Beyond encapsulates their contribution to this movement but by the time this album was released to me they had gone off the boil. This begs the question of why this album is on the list and their best One Step Beyond isn’t. Oh well what do I know. 2/5 26/10/25
Heard their big hits before. Sadly it's only their big hits I cared about here. The other songs just didn't have anything special about them, they were still fun and playful but not memorable 2/5
One great song but the rest of the album wasn’t nearly as fun
No standouts Our House
One incredible song the rest were pretty shit. Not a good album overall.
One outstanding song does not an album make
Obligatory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya1pDAOKyzk Besides that song it was pretty meh. Even that house is pretty meh to me. Sunday Morning was kinda fun.
Honestly kinda meh for me. I was hoping for more songs like Our House but that seems to be a one off. Favorites were Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day) and Our House.
“Our House” is a great song to listen to every five years or so.
Супер название, и альбом в своем разнообразии довольно сумасшедший. Далеко не все мне заходит, но главный хит группы - это нечто. Лучшая песня - Our House.
It's British and it's 80s so there's not really a chance for be liking it. I love goofy, silly, whimsical music and the last song is akazoo song so i think it didn't have those other problems, i would like it but i really didn't. It just felt tedious and it was the Spotify one so but even the full album. There was a sign i kind of liked not i can't remember which.
So I listened to what was on Spotify. It looks like this another licensing issue situation. What I heard on Spotify was enough and I won’t be searching these guys out. Is the bottom left guy on the cover in brown face? Look, I don’t know music like y'all do but I don’t think they’re playing the same song at the same time in this first song. Oh hey, I know this second song. Third song: is this the wiggles? Most of the rest: wtf Last song: Marlon?
Didnt really like it
Literally this album must be on here cuz of our house... like what the hell was this wacko album. I did not need to listen to it before i died
Experimental. Buttoned up.
What a disappointment. First of all, this is not a Ska album. There's a slight influence on some songs, but it's basically a British pop album. I'm guessing early Madness fans were not happy with this effort. Liked Songs Added: Our House
2.5
This album is nearly 2 hours long. Thankfully, Spotify only has 8 of the 30 tracks, which is all you need to listen to in order to identify that this album really isn't that great. We all know "Our House", and that tune is okay, I guess. Usually when Spotify doesn't have an album, I'll seek it out elsewhere, but this time, I'll refrain from doing so. Report me to the admin, idc.
Obviously super familiar, if you happened to grow up in the UK in the 80s. Listening now it sounds like it's exactly what it wants to be. My only problem is that I don't like it very much. Bang middling.
wow “our house” is soooo different from the rest of the album. in terms of production quality, sure; but also lyrics and musicality. it’s like a totally different band for one track
Didn't enjoy this album I did however enjoy them making the American National Anthem into circus music. 1.8 outta 5
This is really dumb music, or I’m not smart enough to get it. Considering my education, I side with the former. What a waste of time.
picks: our house, house of fun
Only reason this album is here is because of 'Our House'. I have neither proof nor doubts.
not on spotify
Very good album cover. Music wise, lots of semi tones I don’t like. They have a framework to write songs which I don’t think I can connect with.
This album is completely unlistenable, and then they drop one of the greatest songs ever written on you with "Our House". What happened?
This is crazy stuff. ‘Our Town’ keeps them on the map, but the rest of it was, albeit playful and enthusiastic and well put together, novelty (unless I missed something?)
Madness are beloved by a lot of Brits and I never had the heart to tell them that I didn't think they were that great. It was extra hard because I taught in the same school they attended years before (they write Baggy Trousers’ about the school). Our house is a great song but I’m not a huge fan of the album as a whole.
I expected something more ska knowing these guys were one of THE Ska bands of the 80s, instead it's more just theatrical rock without much more going on, besides making me think of halloween. But yeah not for me
4/10 - ska just isn't for me
I would describe this as proto-Ska, with a bit of teenagers mashing on a bunch of instruments. Our House is a decent song, but the rest of it waivers between alright and god-awful. It's borderline experimental in parts, and doesn't sound good. 2/5
This rubbed me entirely the wrong way today. I wasn’t in the best mood to start with, and I felt myself getting more and more irritated as it went on. Even in the best of circumstances, I don’t have a lot of patience for something so unrelentingly upbeat (and so unrelentingly British?). I mean, I guess there’s a point in favor of the group’s name - I did start to feel like I was descending into madness. I’d probably be more forgiving if I had more of a sense of humor about it. I’ll give it that the instrumentation and compositions are creative.
Only good song was Our House, everything else was really so-so. Why can't we get more real reggae on this list?
As an album, im not too impressed with this. Their earlier albums, although being observations and commentaries on society too, had life and an upbeat quality that seemed to be sadly lacking from here. Even Our House appeared to be toned down. To sum up was disappointing. Sorry, the nutty boys only get a 2 for this.
2.5
1.5 stars I was hopeful in seeing madness because I enjoy ska. Didn’t realize it wasn’t going to be ska. In fact, it was just lot of boring ultra British dribble. “Our House” stands out because it’s listenable. I always had a hard time understanding why some British records would be altered, changed, or not released in the US. The Clash self-titled originally not getting a US release, Elvis Costello having “I don’t wanna go to Chelsea” taken off This Year’s Model. But the fact that this album didn’t get a US release makes sense. This album made no sense to me as an American. Frankly, I’m glad it wasn’t on Spotify. I wouldn’t want this shit anywhere on my algorithm. But I do like “Our House” so I rounded up.
Not great, not bad. Frankly a little boring. I just don't think I'm all that into ska music. I don't want to take away from the talent of the band by saying it's bad. It is NOT bad. It just isn't for me.
shit happens
Well, this is nice enough pop music, and one or two songs were good singles, but I don't rate this as a particularly great album.
I’m sure some theory nerd is going to tell me “oh the key changes are totally normal they’re just substituting the 2nd for the major lydian” or some shit but- hey- for real- would it kill these guys to stay in the same key while in the same section of a song? Like if the verse is in C can you just I don’t know STAY IN C until the verse is over? It mostly sounds like they don’t know what they’re doing. I found it so distracting I couldn’t really focus on the lyrics or frankly anything else. “Our House” is a fantastic song that switches keys between the verse and chorus. And earns this an extra star. Otherwise- I think I’ll stay sane thank you very much! TWO STARS
I had high hopes for this one given heavy airplay and familiarity with our house and the genre. This should be easy and fun. The first song was interesting…the second one too: this feels familiar. By the time I reach Mr. Speaker I’m growing concerned I’ve fallen into some Danny Elfman-Tim Burton collab - not an Oingo Boingo sound but Nightmare Before Christmas or Beetlejuice or PeeWee on repeat sort of sound. It tires quickly. I know this band are legends in and still tour around Great Britain. But this won’t find its way into my playlist.
18/1089 i fear this is gonna be a dud for me, this just is NOT my style at all. Rise and Fall is is a decent song and i like it as an album opener Blue Skinned Beast was fine and i vibed with that one a bit. Tomorrow’s…, Primrose Hill and Mr Speaker aren’t for me i’m now realising that my issue with Our House is purely the chorus, i do quite enjoy the verses but the chorus just really grates on me the rest of the album was fine but it kind of merged together, nothing stood out majorly. 2 stars or 47/100 I’m trying to add a little objectivity to my taste so i feel like this is a fair rating. i am just really not a fan of this style vocally, instrumentally or lyrically. However i’m trying to reserve 1 stars/really low scores for albums that i actually struggle through and this one wasn’t too hard a listen in the end. I can sort of see the appeal. fave: Rise and Fall probably least fave: Mr Speaker
I decently liked the new wave pop songs in the first half, but it turned into wacky circus music toward the end, which is pretty much what I expected from a blackface ska album.
2.15
And here I thought Madness was a ska band. I was expecting peak British 2 Tone 2nd wave ska and get... well whatever is happening here. It's not terrible? Kinda goofy in parts, dabbling in New Wave for sure. Also, that motherfucker is for sure in brown face sitting in front of a cobra or some shit. The 80s were wild, holy shit. Anyway, 2.4 rounded down. And mostly because Our House is a bop.
Sin mas
Ehh, one song is all we really need, innit?
More fall than rise
Madness is definitely a good band name! Vibes varied between crazy circus and 50s detective music. Interesting, but not something I'd listen to casually.
-yeah, not really my thing i guess. couldn’t really connect with too many of the songs on here, though i can certainly appreciate the uniqueness and experimentation -i had never really listened to ska before this. idk how much it counts as a ska album but hey it wasn’t what i was expecting -obligatory “yes Our House is a banger and iconic” -Favorites are Blue Skinned Beast, Mr. Speaker (Gets The Word) and Our House
There is an edit of "Our House" on YouTube which just repeats "Our house, in the middle of our house" repeatedly for nine minutes. In college, one of my friends hated that video so much that he would leave the house if someone pulled it up. One time someone played the song in the car and this guy got out to walk two miles home from Olive Garden.
Great album cover but boooooring ska album. Didn’t make me feel like skankin ONCE. “Our House” is the hit single and probably the only reason this album made the list. Life in England sure sounds like a bummer anytime a band sings about it!
A rather inconsequential album.
I swear I never heard of "English music hall" as a genre until yesterday's Ian Dury album. Can't say I'm a fan. As far as Madness are concerned, I like their Ska stuff way more than this.
Suggs sings short and punchy lines about being English, accompanied by jaunty piano and overlaid by dramatic horns. It’s fine, but it’s not the Madness that I know and love.
The definition of a greatest hits band. Some nice singles but the piano sounds like a novelty band and a lot of it just fades out of memory immediately.
Ugh I don't care if this has "our house" on it. Get these british mf OUT of my ears please! They don't even sound like they want to be there playing the music by the way they sing omg
2.45 star bc I couldn't remember what I listened to but I did like the sounds generally I think
our house Best Song: Primrose Hill Rating: 4.5/10 (Not good) Stars: 2/5
Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: 👳🏿♂️🎨🤔 Production: 🎧🙂👌 Music: 🆗☕🎺 Rating: 🐍🐍/5
This album is just bad to me. So boring, annoying to listen to even. Never listening again, it just irritates me.
Ok-ish
Couple of good songs. Past that, kinda meh. Nothing bad. Nothing great
I found this to be very annoying and a lot of the songs were circus-y which i find very hard to listen to. I also hated the vocals.
Britisk rock, lidt forskellig genre, koncept-album, lidt irreterende og lidt catchy
Our House is the fresh exception in a long row of pieces that are probably intended to be interesting and arty. But good music is not necessarily about being cognitively interesting but about being heart and soul.
Totally wild that a 2-Tone-associated band would have a dude in actual blackface on their album cover, but here we are. My girlfriend when I was in high school, (also the first girl I'd ever kissed), curiously mentioned that I looked like Suggs to her. I don't see it now, nor then, so I dunno what she was on about, but cheers all the same I guess, Hot Lips Jenny. My best friend also gave me the domestic US release Madness on CD—which includes most of the tracks on this record—for my 18th birthday. Too bad "Night Boat to Cairo" isn't on this coz it's arguably their best original song. Madness was always a little too sing-songy and poppy for my taste. If I'm gonna listen to 2nd-Wave British Ska (or anything remotely adjacent), I'm going straight to The Specials, The Selecter, or The English Beat. In all honesty, though, I'm probably skipping them altogether and just listening to Prince Buster or Toots and the Maytals, who these cats, especially Madness, were pretty much ripping off. I'm kinda surprised this record, and band in general, are on the 1001 list to begin with. Despite all of the above, I must say the arrangements and time signatures on this record are actually pretty fun for a pop record. There's a lot of creativity and carnivalesque energy here, and I definitely remember hearing "Our House" when I was a kid on KROQ in Los Angeles, so it takes me back a little. But that is about the extent of the charm here. Nevertheless, I haven't spun up Madness in decades, and revisiting it here reaffirms that is probably just fine. By track 11 I just kinda want it to be over, in all honesty. Not bad, but not really for me anymore; and definitely lacking the staying power some of their contemporaries.
Doesn't seem like something I'd be into, but who knows. I know a few songs from them, none of which are my favourite. Gonna keep an open mind though. Rise and Fall Weird mixing, the horns are so much louder than everything else. Don't love the verse melody. The vocalist is really monotone and flat. Cool bass part. Kinda busy and unfocused. Solid outro. Fine. 3/5 Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) A bit of an irritating tempo. The main sax melody is kinda cool I guess. I like some of the instrumental breaks quite a bit. The depressing lyrics kinda clash against the chaotic instrumental leaving them with little impact. Average. 2.5/5 Blue Skinned Beast Instrumentally it's quite interesting, very unique composition. There's some beautiful chaos there, especially when the electric guitar starts wailing in the background. Catchy chorus. I like the piano and the bass quite a bit. Decent. 3.5/5 Primrose Hill Really busy and annoying. Hate the instrumentation. The samey vocals don't help. Just extremely intense and unrelenting. Dislike. 2/5 Mr. Speaker (Gets the Word) Unpleasant intro. Circus music. Repetitive. Vocals remind me of the worst songs from Barrett era Pink Floyd for some reason. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Sunday Morning Interesting intro. Crap lyrics. Asylum music. Reptitive. Never fucking ends. Headache inducing. Specifically created to be as abrasive and annoying as v humanly possible. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Our House Ugh it's this song. Preset sounding piano. Dead sounding vocals on the verse. Annoying chorus. The instrumental bridge is kinda good(?) Don't mind the lyrics. Dislike. 2/5 Tiptoes Pleasant keys. Decent bassline. Honestly a refreshingly structured and pretty instrumental. Compliments the "falling" imagery in the chorus. Decent. 3.5/5 New Delhi Cliche instrumentation. Grating vocals, especially on the verses. The Indian influences don't really translate well here, just comes across as messy. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 That Face Completely lost me. Has nothing worth catching onto, just a monotone chore to get through. Bores me to tears. 1/5 Calling Cards Decent bassline. Horrible lyrics. Annoying instrumental. CIA torture clown music. 1/5 Are You Coming (with Me) Not entirely unpleasant, just extremely boring. Kinda has some instrumental moments worth caring about, but the rest does nothing for me. Dislike. 2/5 Madness (Is All In The Mind) Chore. At least it's comprehensible. I kinda like the piano I guess. The chorus isn't too bad. Dislike. 2/5 I can't say I've ever heard anything quite like this before, and frankly I don't suspect I'd like to. While it is original with its collection of up tempo, strangley structured songs it does so in a very messy and unpleasant way. This experience is a claustrophobic one, with loud, blaring horns, repetitive composition and flat, low energy vocals. Neither of these elements ever get a moment to breathe and be digested before they instantly throw something else in your face. There's just a constant unrelenting cacophany of noise that never really gives any pause for any sort of carthasis or feeling. Honestly this just bores me. Boring vocals, annoying horns and irritating songwriting. Offensively british, to a point approaching parody. The only points I can give it is for at least sounding like they put some effort into it. I'll give them that at least, they do sound like they understand what they're doing. All of it sounds original and real. Too bad it stills sounds like they're trying to sonically torture you. At least it's consistent and even a bit experimental, which I can respect. 2/5
I thought they were a ska band. This isn't ska. Only some ska influences on the B-side. But seriously, there's only one Madness album on the list and it's most definitely the wrong one. It should have been One Step Beyond or Absolutely, not this one. This album only has Our House. The rest is not good.
Welcome 2 Our House Thank You Goodnight
Not really for me, just sounds like circus music.
The opening title track's lyrics are undercut by the jolly ska instrumentation, which is a general direction of the album. Didn't love it, didn't hate it.
En 1982, alors que la vague 2-Tone avait déjà déferlé et que Madness s'était solidement établi comme l'un des groupes les plus joyeusement excentriques et populaires du Royaume-Uni, leur quatrième album studio, "The Rise & Fall", est venu marquer un tournant décisif. Loin de se contenter de la formule ska-pop qui avait fait leur succès initial, le septuor londonien a livré une chronique douce-amère de la vie et du temps qui passe, ancrée dans le paysage urbain de leur Londres natale. Si l'énergie contagieuse et le sens de la mélodie imparable de Madness sont toujours présents, ils sont ici mis au service d'une palette sonore bien plus large et nuancée. "The Rise & Fall" n'est pas un simple album de ska ; c'est un mélange complexe où se mêlent des échos de music-hall anglais, des touches de jazz, des orchestrations pop sophistiquées, et même des clins d'œil à des sonorités plus exotiques, comme sur le morceau "New Delhi", bien que ce dernier puisse diviser certains auditeurs. L'album qui est souvent considéré comme un album conceptuel, explore les hauts et les bas de l'existence, les souvenirs d'enfance, les désillusions de l'âge adulte et les mutations d'une ville. L'album contient bien entendu son lot de tubes, et quel tube ! "Our House" est sans conteste la pièce maîtresse, une ode universelle au foyer, à la famille et aux petits riens du quotidien qui est devenue leur plus grand succès international, et notamment leur unique percée dans le Top 10 américain. Sa mélodie entraînante au piano, ses cuivres joyeux et son refrain fédérateur en font un classique instantané, une chanson qui transcende les générations. Mais réduire "The Rise & Fall" à ce seul titre serait une grave erreur. Les thèmes abordé tout au long de l'album sont la normalité, la folie douce, la routine et l'extraordinaire qui se cache dans l'ordinaire. "The Rise & Fall" est plus qu'un simple album, c'est une lettre d'amour à Londres, à ses habitants, à ses contradictions. C'est le son d'un groupe qui a grandi avec son public, qui a compris que la vie n'est pas qu'une fête ininterrompue, mais qui choisit de la célébrer malgré tout, avec ses joies et ses peines. Au final, ce sera un 2 sur 5 pour un classique à découvrir
Besides Our House, rest of the album is blah!
I don't really understand Madness. Always seemed like more of a novelty band to me (although I appreciate they were much beloved and important as part of the ska / reggae crossover at the beginning of the 80s) "I Like Driving in my Car", "Baggy Trousers". It's all a bit "Arthur Atkinson" for me.
Forgettable
2,5
If it weren't for "Our House" this album would be a dud, but that song really is a jam. I do enjoy the whimsy sounds, it's different and kept my interest, but the majority of the songs are just okay. Was able to give the entire album a listen on YouTube.
Almost bumped it up a star just for Our House, but that'd be letting the other 12 bad tracks off the hook.
Por algum motivo eu lembrava dessa banda como um two-tone mais clássico pique the specials. Ver o lado mais pop e New wave foi engraçado. Não é um disco ruim, mas não me pegou muito no geral
Mid ska
Couldn't find on spotify so I listened to a different album but overall didn't like
в большинстве своем откровенная скукотища
meh
interesting ... but it's not going on my list.
I've got a lot of time for Madenss. But, honestly, if I hadn't seen that 'Our House' was coming up I would have bailed on this way earlier. It's just not that fun, and that's what you want from Madness.
A little difficult to get a listen of the full album as most of it isn't on Spotify, but from what I got on YouTube... meh, this album is just kind of a dud for me. 2.5
Argh, Madness, as a child in the UK in the 80s, this name is enough to elicit a primal reaction. It wasn't cool then, it's not cool now, and "Our House" is a poor cover of the CSNY classic, doesn't even use the same words or tempo...
A couple of good songs but the rest didn’t do much for me.
Had to stream this from YouTube since it’s not available on any other service in the US. Couldn’t stream it in the background - thanks YouTube :( Welp?! It wasn’t worth the effort. I would have liked the album, the songs were interesting at first. But that didn’t last long. Many of the songs sounded the same and it dragged on. What made that worse was not being able to skip ahead in the song. I ended up not listening to a few songs because they sounded like the previous song.
Our House is ok, the rest are pretty bad
Not for me
Found this one very boring wouldn't recommend it
I did not enjoy this at all and I thought I would. New Delhi was a choice, as was the album cover.
Meh....cept for the tune I knew. Spotify only played a few tunes....I didn't mind it being over quick.
Very well produced, just not really my style. The UK approach to vocals in a rather cheeky manner during this era is very grating to me. Listened to: on Amtrak to NYC. Favorite track: Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day)
Yeah it's a madness album, sounds EXACTLY how I thought it would. Meh
I really thought I would like this more than I did.
Not bad, but kind of forgettable.
En nyt oikein jaksanut noita vitsibiisejä. Our house on aina hauska ja hyvä, mutta torventöräyttelyt muualla oli liikaa. Mut jotenkin jaksoi silti tunnin kuunnella.
Tämä on parhaimmillaan kaikista toistelevimmillaan (Tomorrow's ja Our House, joista jälkimmäinen on neroutta). Yleissoundi on kuitenkin liian hupsu, liian Yellow Submarine yhdistettynä ska'han. Jään hieman skeptiseksi.
This isn't a poor album. But there' only so much you can take of the plodding music hall formula in one sitting. Madness were always at their best as a singles band. The perfectionism of Our House demonstrates this.
WOW WE HAVE A NEW REASON TO DING AN ALBUM A STAR, fucking, BROWNFACE, Justin Trudeau is in Madness. Jesus between this and the skinhead thing they’re on thin fucking ice. Anyway. It’s ska. It sucks. It’s hard to find. Every now and then something fun happens.
One decent song and the rest is more annoying than good. 2 stars or D+ for me.
noniin kuunnellaas heti tänään ettei tarvi mennä historiaan laittamaan arvosteluja.. jahas mitä vittua. yksi hyvä biisi muu on jotain satunnaista höslinkiä.. Eastern influences - Kirjaimellisesti jokainen setä, täti ja lapsi tiellä tuijotti minua suu auki. En liioittele sanoessani, että näin 80-90 ihmistä kirjaimellisesti pysähtyvän ja kääntyvän katsomaan minua. Heidän tuomitsevat silmänsä jättivät ryömivän tunteen iholleni. Eikö Delhin ole tarkoitus olla tämän "supervallan" pääkaupunki? Eikö Delhin pitäisi olla "metropolitan" kaupunki? Voimmeko me intiaanit tehdä tämän vakavasti parhaiten? Harkitsen vakavasti muuttoa tämän yhden tapauksen perusteella. Koska katu on erilainen - kaikki on vieraita. Eniten sattui, kun tulin kotiin kaikkien heränneiden jälkeen. Vaimoni alkoi itkeä, kun kävelin taloon. Omat lapseni jäätyivät edelleen kauhusta. Isoäitini sai sydänkohtauksen ja kaatui lattialle. Lepää hänen sielunsa rauhassa. Intia ei ole turvallinen paikka kaljuuntuville keski-ikäisille miehille lähteä juoksemaan urheiluliiveissä ja saappaissa shortseissa. heh our house
couldn't even find it anywhere i could actually play it. And the couple songs i heard were nothing great. not sure what's so amazing about this album lol
Oh. Not much to comment on here. Didn’t really feel like an album at all. I knew of “Our House” thanks to the Sirius XM 80’s channel. Other than that small hint of nostalgia, this wasn’t memorable.
Yeah this kinda sucks. There's a song in the beginning that reminds me of the MST3k theme though. And Our House. 2
This album is almost impossible to find in completion, but the big single was Our House. That says a lot.
Too british. Favorite track: Our House. Overall score: 4.6/10
2 stars. Nearly 3. Definitely a greatest hits band, and probably suffered cause ots mostly the hits I've heard.
I found little joy in listening to this album. Hearing "Our House" for the first time in about 10 years was kind of nice, like an oasis in the middle of a desert. This just felt weird all over the place. Very English. Not very cohesive in any way. I was glad when it was over. Unless an un-cohesive sound was what they were going for. If it was, then they succeeded.
While I love TuTone ska in general I've never been able to get into Madness, the well known songs (Our House, One Step Beyond, It Must Be Love etc) are solid as are a few other songs on this album but honestly? Madness basically makes the same song over and over again. They aren't as "ska" as bands like the Selector or the Specials. They have always felt like the sterilized "safe" version of ska. This album is no different, not bad but not all that good either.
I am a big fan of Ska, and one of my favorite Ska songs is one Madness covered and is emblematic of the genre for me (One Step Beyond). But that's where my affinity for Madness seems to end. This was dull. Not dirty enough. Dare I say closer to Pop than Ska (not literally Pop).
"Our House" is the only song that works. The other songs are just not that interesting.
Meh it was alright. The whole album was only 9 min long. I had heard only one of them, Our House. But I didn’t know it was these guys that sung it. 2 stars.
I thought I liked Madness until I heard this album. Singles good. The rest is not.
This is so British you can hear the crooked teeth
"Our House" is clearly the standout track on this album. The rest of the tracks are almost aggressively bland and unremarkable.
boring
Other than "Our House," this was super forgettable. A group of chimney sweeps playing toned down ska.
Goofy mix of Ska, Music Hall, Jazz and New Wave. One of the most British albums out there. I will say "Our House" is catchy and much better than I thought, but the rest doesn't peak my interest". "The album is not on Spotify"
1.75
This isn’t available in North America. Our House tho
Our house is still a jam. The rest is pretty meh & not worth being on this list.
Our house is the only song that i like. the rest is very English, It was like a musical film.
I wasn't too impressed with this album. I was about to stop listening mid-way and give it a 1 star until I hit 'My House'. That song made me listen to the remainder but it was really only ok.
eh. for a name like this i expected something wild.
I like madness, this was a bit conventional
Ska is good but way too long album.
2.5
Other than the ubiquitous hit, "Our House", the closing the closing track, "Madness (Is All In The Mind)" , and to a lesser extent "Tiptoes", (all of which are on side 2) this album is a total slog. The fact is that side one was actually a chore to sit through. I'm keeping this in the two star range. (4.7) ★★
"Our House" is good, but the rest is a little too British Granny Music for me. 2.5 Stars
Strange that this one isn't on Spotify, had to listen to the thing on YouTube. I actually don't mind Our House (maybe it's more nostalgia than anything else) but didn't really like the rest of it. I can't quite describe why I didn't like it, but this one just isn't for me.
Totally unremarkable
I listened to this album a week ago and I remember nothing about it, probably would have the same reaction if I listened to it 30 minutes ago.
ironic...
Hated it, would have been 1* but for rise and fall and our house
Once went to a wedding where bunch of 40 year old blokes stormed round to our house with ties wrapped round there head. Put me off that song and the rest of this album is worse. To give them their due they’re distinctive and instantly recognisable, just not my cup of tea
Other than Our House, it kind of sucks...
I remember seeing someone in the high school band always wearing a Madness shirt. When I asked about it, they were adamant that "Our House" was good, but the band was bigger and better than that. Today, I will find out. Three tracks in, I'm happy to hear all of the real instruments involved. The 80's involved alot of synth (to great effect at times), but this sound is more organic, and they have a real horn section! I especially like the horn feature on "Mr. Speaker (Gets The Word)," and I can see the appeal to a high school band member whose instrument isn't often found in radio songs outside of ska. The jazzy intervals of the "Sunday Morning" riff sounds like what plays behind a Tom & Jerry cartoon when Tom's trying to sneak up to Jerry. "Our House" is the most accessible song on the album and was rightly chosen as the single. The skill in writing and composition is evident throughout the album, but with changing tempos and sections of musical escapism, it's hard to settle into a groove with the album. "Are You Coming (With Me)" is probably the other most accessible song, this time with a jazz lean. This was a fun listen, and I haven't heard anything else on this list quite like it. The best experimental bands try new things but package them in an accessible way. (This is what made the Beatles so good; their ability to blend more sophisticated musical ideas like time signature changes into short and catchy songs ("Here Comes The Sun" for example)). Madness is good, but they tip the scales too much towards experimental and away from accessibility.
2. It's not unlistenable, just pretty much a slog. I like all their instruments and harmonies.
Ik heb een beetje een hekel aan ska, maar Madness is daarop wel een kleine uitzondering, die kan ik vaak redelijk goed hebben. Ik weet niet zeker of dit specifieke album echt onder ska valt, maargoed genrehokjes zijn voor mensen op het spectrum. Track 7 is 'Our House', het nummer wat bij mij specifieke herinneringen oproept aan Harry Vermegen die een rijtjeswoning van wc tot keuken compleet oranje ging inrichten, waarbij dit nummer altijd werd afgespeeld. De aanloop naar deze bekende track is een taaie. Ik weet niet precies wat ze aan het doen zijn, maar het is met vlagen een beetje antimuziek. Chaotisch kermistheater. En na de hit gaan we weer verder met dat soort niet zo veel zeggende tracks. Qua streamaantallen zie je ook een enorme kloof en dat is in dit geval wat mij betreft terecht. Ik vind dit niet zo'n heel sterk album. Eigenlijk staat er behalve 'Our House' geen enkel leuk nummer op. Ik ga voor 2 sterren.
At first I thought this must be the songs for a musical but I looked it up and realized they're just not very good songs. Nice finally know for sure who does the "Our House" (in the middle of the street) song, not the "Our House" (is a very very fine house) song.
I hate when albums aren't on Spotify. But at least this one had an official playlist from the band's YouTube page instead of being uploaded by some random dude who recorded it off a cassette. Those are always fun... As for the record - I'd only ever heard Our House before. And I don't really feel like I'm missing a whole lot. It was fine, nothing really stuck out and it wasn't bad. Just forgettable. It's...fine. But like others have said, what the hell is going on with the cover?!?! Yeah pretty sure blackface is not something you should showcase like that. 2/5.
of a midwest princess?? oh mb it's just Madness.
Jovial and hopping fun but overplayed and too rhythmically standard for my taste
I was tired of the britishness by the time the 3rd song finished Standout: Our House
Not their best, other than 2 tracks not a patch on the energy of their first 2 albums that are classics
Rating: 3.5/10 My House saves this from being one star, what a slog to get through. Overall incredibly derivative and boring.
Went downhill pretty fast after Our House.
Not my thing
Madness.
Meh. Inoffensive, but inessential. No desire to ever hear it again. 2.5/5
started off funky and nice and for the first 3/4 songs it was nice then it got boring and by new delhi it was Bad.
I really wanted to like The Rise & Fall but it's really just Our House and then none of the other stuff that made Madness good or fun. It's too experimental, too morose in its delivery, camp but not camp enough to enjoy, and yeah, they have better work. 2. Also there's blackface on that album cover and I don't care to hear the explanation for why that happened.
This is too twee to really be taken seriously, and not fun enough to be a properly fun album. It's much more downbeat in the most part than what Madness are really known for. I don't see a particular reason to revisit this, it's catchy in places (too few) but really falls short of being memorable. Stick to the singles, 2/5.
2 - This was so bad. Our house is good, but not great. The rest is just dross
A bit tedious
SKA DEFINES WHO I AM AS A PERSON AND I WILL NEVER TURN MY BACK ON SKA
sorry suggs
Do people actually enjoy listening to music like this? It sounds like circus music for handicapped people
Listened to a fair amount of ska in HS but other than Our House I didn’t know this album. I like the cheerful upbeat-ness of it and love the horns! But I can’t get over the blackface on the cover, which thankfully I don’t get on the streaming version of the album. I’m wavering between a 2 and a 3. But before I logged on today, I could not for the life of me recollect the album. So I guess it’s a 2.
Rubbish. Not sure why the kept going. 2/5
Madness undoubtedly have an iconic sound, however, completely insufferable to listen to as a full album. They are a band that’s made for random singles, they don’t have much to offer in large doses.
meh i like our house that's it
Do not need
It's OK. There are times when I quite like it. Some of the lyrics are quite interesting. But that's as far as I'd go. Otherwise, doesn't do a whole lot for me.
2.5 I enjoyed hearing the songs I knew again. But the rest all sounded like someone trying to be Madness. Makes me think their full catalogue is probably a bit samey and a bit hit-and-miss.
Ska has a strange ability to make my skin crawl
The only Madness song that I’m familiar with is “Our House,” which I was happy to see was on this album. However, other than “Our House,” I didn’t care of this album very much. I know the band said that they went into this album with the plan of making in a concept album about the nostalgia of childhood, and that they abandoned that plan, but honestly, it doesn’t sound like they strayed from it too much. Lyrically, the album felt really cohesive, even with the few songs that didn’t really delve into childhood nostalgia, like “Blue Skinned Beast” and “Mr. Speaker.” Musically though, this album wasn’t much to my liking. I enjoyed the title track and “Tomorrow’s Just Another Day,” but after that, the album turned away from the things that I enjoyed. I didn’t really care for the way that the bass instruments sounded with the piano and string parts. I know that’s really nitpicky, but for an album that feels nostalgic in lyrical tone, I felt like the musical sound had an anxious sound to it that I didn’t care for. I also didn’t like how a lot of songs would start off with a more traditional pop sound, and then shift to something with a jazzier sound. However, “Our House” is fantastic. I love how upbeat it is, and it’s musically great. The lighter strings and brass sounds really create a feel of nostalgia that matches the lyrics really well. I typically love early eighties new wave music, so I was pretty let down by this album.
Our House was an earworm from my childhood that I'm glad I have now found. The rest of this is trash. Our House isn't really that good either. It just plays well in my memory. This should be skipped.
I am disappointed! I like Madness! One Step Beyond is my favorite ska tune ever! But this was boring! Someone said it sounds like a musical soundtrack and I’m inclined to agree. One that saps all the energy from the performances. I didn’t care for a single track besides Our House which hardly counts.
I struggled through this.
I have said this a few times during this challenge, as a completionist, fuck those bonus tracks and remixes, it almost doubled the length of this album! I like the novelty aspect of Madness and their greatest hits and the sentimentality of some of their tracks, but I’m not a fan of ska. 2 stars for ‘our house’ The album cover is a bit problematic these days 🤭
I was trying to keep an open mind - but I'm not fan of ska. There was a few fun tracks, but mostly it was just too long and not a style I really get into. Not terrible, not my thing
I'd be willing to bet given Madness's gigantic discography, they have a lot of better tracks than the ones offered here. Our House is a solid one hit wonder, but wares pretty quickly. And after listening to the "one I need to hear before I die" I'm not tempted to check out the rest of what they have to offer. Some of the bass liens here rip though.
Couldn’t fin on Spotify so didn’t listen sorry 🤷♀️
it sounded okay? not sure how to feel about the album cover or new delhi sounded like 60 year old man pub music yk our house obviously iconic
There are interesting moments, and “Our House” holds up. But the foundation is shaky, and it gets a demerit for that New Delhi song and for not being available on major streamers.
Never liked them. Oi. They have a couple of half decent melodies, but this is music created for people who like to shout along to their favourites, just as they would do on the terraces
Our house är ju bra, men det här klämchecka soundet blir tröttsamt för mig i längden.
Our House is a great song, but much of the rest is to wierd and wonky for my taste
I enjoyed the instruments but wasn't mad on the singer.
Only a handful of songs from this album are available to listen to on Spotify as of this writing so I can't really make a judgement here.
2/5 something was off
The campiness gets tiring towards the end. Too much carnival vibe. Our House is a great pop tune though.
Giving spooky skeleton meets snarky puppy in a meh way. 2/5
Actually pretty good album. Our House is a classic but it’s got other good songs too. -1 star for not being on Spotify or Apple Music
Eh.
Who has the audacity to make a 90 minute album? And then put multiple version of the same songs in it? The Madness of Madness. 2 stars.
p492. 1982. 2 stars. Evidence - if it was needed - that Madness were a great singles band, but lacked the talent for a full length album. And to be honest the pub piano, cheesy sax and Camden accents get wearing after a couple of tracks.
Boring. Our house wel geinig
When I was 12 Madness were the band that all the cool kids in school liked. So I know the sound because I’m absolutely the right age. There’s some decent tracks here but nothing to keep me coming back for more really. It’s just a bit thin and lightweight. I get why the cool kids liked it and as a greatest hits band they’re fine. But 12 year olds know fuck all.
"Our House" is still a great song, but too much of this is trying too hard to be wacky.
80s mediocrity. & the brownface on the album cover, yeesh.
Might need a revisit in the future. A deeply British genre and set of songs. I'd rather take Men at Work if we're talking early 80s one hit wonders.
I found this Madness album really underwhelming. It’s not terrible, it’s just not consistently interesting across its duration making it boring to my ears for want of a better description. I really wanted to like it more, but it just doesn’t hold my attention.
Outside our house it’s a snoozefest
Hey gang just a heads up this is another example of "mediocre British band that literally no one has ever heard of and then when you look them up you find out that they were a one hit wonder and you've heard the one song and it's okay but the rest of their stuff is mediocre and forgettable". You know, like approximately 75 of the albums on this list.
Best Song: Our House. Oh that's why this album's on the list. The coffee song. I mean, it's a fun ditty if you divorce it from the corporate clutches it represents now. Especially the parts later in the song that never made it into the commercial. Worst Song: Blue Skinned Beast. That piano was distracting and kind of annoying, even if the chorus was mostly catchy. Overall: Mostly dull, highly repetitive alt(ish) pop rock. They definitely know how to write a catchy hook and then ride it into the ground until all you want is it to transition to the next song. If your friend was in this band you'd think "good for them", but you wouldn't be worried that they'd make it big and leave you for a life of fame and fortune. You'll definitely see them next Friday, same as always.
Eipä jäänyt mitään mieleen.
Renkutushitti Our House:sta huolimatta todella tylsä levy. 2/5
Album unavailable on Spotify
I get why they're a singles band now.
Ehhh... no thanks. I like one song and the rest is blah. Also the cover has blackface....
Fun album
E kje nåke stort ska-meneskje
Thoughts before listening: When I was into ska music in the 90s Madness was always listed as one of the original English ska bands along with the Specials. I LOVE the Specials, but I don't know all that much from Madness except for Our House which is on the album. Review: This is okay. Seems more like new wave pop than ska, although there are some horns in the mix. There is kind of a carnival sound to a lot of the music. Our House is a great song and very iconic for the 80s. Other than that I enjoyed Tomorrow's Just Another Day but nothing else really stands out to me.
This band has a loyal following but they're boring to me.
Not bad songwriting, production values are not to my taste. Probably won't ever seek it out again, but i suppose it's important from an historical perspective.
Too British? Not sure why this didn't click for me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55FYtqtXXU
Ska really isn't my thing. Our House was a big hit and an OK song but the rest of the album is meh. Also, is there a dude in blackface on the cover? Ugh!
I like ska. But this was kind of boring. 2.5/5 Won't listen again
Couple good tracks but too jazzy for me to enjoy the whole thing
yeah man im good
I like Our House, it's a fun, kinda goofy song which does kind of work and melds together ska and new wave elements together. I did wish most of the album was as effective as this song but it really wasn't. The closest we got was Primrose Hill, which had a bouncy melody that lead to a great driving section at times. But a lot of the songs felt kinda nonsensical in a way and the goofy nature of a lot of the songs I just didn't care for every much. Sometimes things aren't you're cup of tea.
One sing-a-long after another. I think the kindergarten listener demographic is sufficiently accounted for with this album. 2 juice boxes out of 5 🧃🧃
the big singles are ok pero ehh
I was looking forward to this. I was also disappointed by this. I was expecting more ska or at the very least more interesting songs. It feels ambitious but very little of it landed for me.
I'm just really confused. It's okay, but nothing really sticks out to you.
Madness is only good in small and infrequent doses.
First off, this album is not on Amazon Music, so I checked out their greatest hits. Our House is a great song. And every other song sounds just like it.
I get that it's an iconic album with most of the hits...and I was surprised at the diverse sounds, lots of styles going on here...but Suggs' voice really starts to grate after a while. I wouldn't want to listen to the whole album again!
it was eh
The singles were fun but nothing else interest me on this album.
I wasn't sure I'd heard of these guys but then I recognized "Our House." All in all, though, I was underwhelmed.
Always found this band a little creepy. Their skinhead fans and the guy in blackface on the cover double down on that. Not for me.
Köpte den när den kom ut och blev besviken. Och fortfarande en aning så. Käckt sorglig och låtarna håller inte måttet.
A train wreck of noise, only saving grace is that it has character. Sounds dated even for the 80s. I HATE the pianos though. Atrociously tinny and soulless.
I found it difficult to enjoy
Nothing about this album is really connecting for me. It has “Our House!” Which is better than we all remember. Theres plenty of inventiveness in the arrangements, in some of the chords. A little off-kilter! I like some of the stranger stuff with the sitar record, the very strange rhythms.
Aika hajuton ja mauton, taustamusaa.
Vänkää kamaa, mut parilla biisillä ois pärjänny
Could only listen to a few songs and didn't really care for it.
I quite like the chaotic ska side to madness (house of fun, one step beyond) but this album was a bit dour, reminded me of chas and Dave in parts which isn't a good sign. I know our house was a big song but seems like an odd album choice to include.
Our House is good, nostalgic, but I couldn't get behind the rest of the album. Not a massive Suggs fan.
I had not listened to a whole album of The Madness previously, just their big hits. I occasionally enjoy a bit of Ska but this wasn't that good, sounded quite boring. Highlights: Rise and Fall Tomorrows Just Another Day Our House
Found this a slog to get through...way too long. I assume the remixes weren't on the original release, which would be for the best as they're all shit. I'm a fan of trumpets and ska generally but did not enjoy this. Tomorrow's is the best track imo... House of fun and our house are good too I guess but so overplayed. The rest was not great. Lyrically uninteresting and a bit all over the place too. All a bit silly Sorry Suggs, the fact you were the first tape I ever bought couldn't redeem this
Skiddly-skiddly doobie don't. Hip-hip skiddly doobie nope.
Das ist Our House drauf. Sonst nicht so viel spannendes.
Very basic
Alright. Kind of see where "concept album" comes into it. Not a huge fan overall, but listenable.
1.5/5
Another lame 80s UK group. It’s ska, but not done well. Overproduced. Could’ve died without hearing this.
Some interesting sounds and a few good songs but overall the album feel pretty generic and repetitive. Too dissonant for my taste, I wanted out by the fifth song.
Weird album didn't like it
Through half this album I kept thinking, what is this boring, Beatles influenced 80s schlock. Then it got to Our House and it was like, ok, I get why this is on here, it's a great song and a classic. But the rest...? Nah. And the white dude in black face on the album cover.. Ouch
This album was...fine? Our House is obviously a classic track, and the overall 'sound' of a swing-y version of new wave with horns was cool but not super inspiring to me.
I guess I'm a hipster since I much prefer the earlier Madness albums.