Madness Information Service Online Newsletter Issue Number: 857 – Sunday 11th October to Saturday 17th October 2015
Hello, and a very warm welcome to this week’s edition of the MIS Online Newsletter.
Madness’ Grandslam tour may be well and truly over, but it looks as if the band are continuing to meet up as work on the new album continues apace.
“Hi-Ho Hi-Ho it’s off to rehearse we go… Meeting up with The other Grumpys…” tweeted Mr. Bedford. “Deep in concentration. We’re getting there.”, added Woody, with some photos showing the band at work.
Naturally, if/when we hear anything further we’ll make sure it appears in a subsequent issue of this very newsletter.
Our feature this week comes in the wake of Clive Langer’s recent appearance on Koast Radio. We highlight some of the more interesting questions and answers and direct you to the full interview just in case you missed it when it originally aired.
For those of you who have yet to take part, we’re still running our Madstock competition, where two copies of the recently released double-pack are up for grabs. See elsewhere in this issue.
If that wasn’t enough, we have our usual roundup of gig news, items for sale and news from Lee Thompson relating to Prince Fatty who is The Ska Orchestra’s Producer. Why? Well he’s working on the band’s second album, ahead of appearing at House of Fun weekender again.
Enjoy the read,
Jon Young, Rob Hazelby, Simon Roberts, Paul Williams
SHOWTIMES
See below for all forthcoming Madness and Madness related gigs and events. If there’s something we’ve missed off or you feel should be added then please let us know.
Madness
2015
November 2015
November 1st – Wembley Stadium – NFL Kansas City Chiefs hosting Detroit Lions. *** Rumour Only – Pre Show before American Football Match A Short Feature concert couple of tracks***
November 20th – 23rd 2014 – Minehead – The House Of Fun Weekender Five
The Weekender also features sets by Woody Woodgate, Crunch!, Clang and much, much more….
The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra
January 15th 2016 – Jazz Cafe – Camden Town London
The Silencerz Featuring Lee Thompson
31st – Black Horse Barnet 8pm
With support from Reece & DJ Rebsie. In aid of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice
Deaf School
November
27th – Preston 53 Degrees
28th – Newcastle Think Tank
29th – York Duchess
December
9th Liverpool – Kazimier
10th Liverpool – Kasimier ** SOLD OUT **
12th – London, Hoxton, Bar & Kitchen
Near Jazz Experience
October
20 – The NJE + Support + DJ @The Indo 133 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1DT – 8.30pm, free entry
More info at: https://www.facebook.com/NearJazzExperience
November **NEW DATES**
24th – The NJE + Support + DJ @The Indo 133 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1DT – 8.30pm, free entry
More info at: https://www.facebook.com/NearJazzExperience
28th – The NJE + Louis Vause + DJs @Kino Teatr, 43-49 Norman Rd St Leonards, E Sussex – 8.30pm, free entry
More info at: https://kino-teatr.co.uk
BUY IT
Madstock – CD / DVD Edition ** OUT NOW **
Just over 23 years after the famous comeback gigs, and just a month before the live album’s 23rd anniversary of release, Madstock is back.
Last available on DVD in the guided tour boxset only, and last on CD via a crappy on demand print service option many years ago. For around £12 you can now get both together.
The CD contains Razor Blade Alley as a bonus track for the first time on CD from the weekend’s concerts, and collects tracks previously only available from the concerts upon the CD single of The Harder They Come. These 4 bonus tracks have been included at the end of the album, Chrissy Boy has pointed out they aren’t part of the Live Album’s original mixing by Clive Langer being sourced elsewhere and masters are impossible to find nearly 25 years on, so appear as the final bonus tracks on the album.
The album features a new montage of photographs from the weekend as it’s cover, much like the recent CD/DVD edition of Take It Or Leave it.
Grandslam T-Shirt Sale ** NEW **
Did you enjoy this summer’s concerts but perhaps forgot to pick up a souvenir, especially if you went Silverstone where the F1 merchandise overshadowed taking home any Madness goodies. The remaining Grandslam T-shirts are now just £10.
If you’re small you can get them in grey, and all three main sizes are still available in Blue.
http://madness.sandbaghq.com/home/navy-grandslam-t-shirt.html
Lincoln and Pompey specific football T-shirts are also still available at £15.
Punch and Judy Madness Toy Theatre
A pop-up miniature theatre, in card form, featuring Punch & Judy. The collage by artist Peter Quinnell was commissioned by British band ‘Madness’ to celebrate their single ‘Lovestruck’ – it features characters from Music Hall, Punch & Judy and Madness videos. Folds down neatly to the size of a 7 inch single, it can be sent as a card. £8.95
http://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/index.php/toy-theatres/punch-judy-lovestruck-diorama.html
Jennie & The Slingers
New album from Jennie Bellstar, this time with rockabilly band “The Slingers”. Featuring on one track are non other than Chrissy Boy and Thommo.
MIS FEATURE – CLIVE LANGER TALKS TO KOAST RADIO
This week, Mr Scurf’’s Koast Train Ska radio show featured an on air Chat with Mr. Clive Langer. You can listen again here via MIS youtube.
The interview began with a chat about Westside studios and hello message sent into the show via Mr. Big Jim Patterson from Dexys, saying hello, and also Chrissy boy saying Clive didn’t owe him any money!
Here are some of Clive’s answers to the main questions.
Clive: “I’m glad there are some people who are bothered. That’s marvelous.”. “Big Jim Love him”. ” That’s Great”
THE CLANG BAND @ HOUSE OF FUN
“That’s amazing that they’ve allowed us to play with them. We are going to be doing two sets down there. One in the main room where Madness play at the back there is some pubs bits there (Jaks) we are playing in one of those just after Madness finish their main set. I’m looking forward to that because everyone will be buzzed up.
Then an early Sunday afternoon show with Woody’s band and Lee’s band and everyone. It’s like a family thing with Madness. Madness is the mothership and we are little pods who come out and play around them”
– On Andy McKay from Roxy music being in the band.
“Hopefully Andy will be with us Saturday night and possibly Sunday. He’s getting on a little bit. It’s so great playing with him, he’s the sixth dimension of the band. Roxy music influenced deaf school so much. Almost to the put we tried to copy them and you find when you do copy you get it wrong and find your own variation”
– Favourite Roxy music track?
“I was in London, before I went to Liverpool, when the albums first came out was a bit of music snob didnt listen then,
I was into mahavishnu orchestra, i heard Roxy music i thought ‘they cant play’ didnt get it, then the third album came out.
I loved it. Street Life. Mother of Pearl. Then i went back to Virginia Plain and stuff. Street life was the one that clicked and was influential on Deaf School. It took a while to settle into Roxy music”
– What do Clang play?
“New Material. On my 60th I thought I want to be in band, I wanted to start a band. I had the Clive Langer and the boxes stuff to start with, so I formed a band, and started writing. Lawrence from domino said I’d quite like to work with you, so we made an EP and he wants more. It’s lower key from than when Deaf School were on Warner. I think Lawrence doesn’t think he’ll make money out of us.”
DEAF SCHOOL IN NEWCASTLE
“Yeah I looked back in the history. We played the university before. But it’s been about 37 years. Here we come. November 28th. Think Thank.”
– New Album Laundrette.
“It’s for the Japanese market, it’s not officially a full new Deaf School album. (Has some live classics and rarities amongst some new studio tracks) we’ve had a nice response from the fans”
– Favourite new song
“Falkner and hope. One Savage wrote with Enrico. And it’s very poignant about Liverpool, the strongest track.”
WORKING ON NEW MADNESS
“I played with Madness December Last Year. The new track that sticks out to me in the new ones is Mumbo Jumbo.
Yes it’s a possibility. They asked me to work on it (the new album) It’s one of those things, that was a year ago, the year goes by, so I don’t know what all of them are thinking. They are very good on their own without a producer so I don’t know if they need me and it’s something we have to look into.
Winstanley lives in Portugal now, he plays golf. I’m more a mad guitarist in a band now, golf i dont understand, but it’s great to see him when he’s in the country. We are attached. Madness morphs into new situations. It would be great if Alan can mix it”
ON WORKING ON DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS TOO RYE AYE
“We were lucky we were on a mission to get the album done it was very well rehearsed. It was in place and ready to record.
Celtic soul brothers was my favourite, we always believed it was a hit record, it wasn’t a hit until after Come on Elieen and we re-released it. It was very strict working with Kevin like an Army. Madness were loose and fun.”
WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO PRODUCE FROM ANY BAND FROM ALL TIME.
“I quite like Free. I mean The Beatles would be something. It’s a difficult question different answer every day. I mean I did end up working with Bowie. Which was incredible. Lennon was dead so couldn’t work with him, but I’ve full filled my dreams in many ways.”
THE FILM SOUNDTRACK TO STILL CRAZY
“That was a heavy rock band, and my input was them to be like Free, or Traffic than Deep Purple. I wanted them to have more Soul. And Bill Nighy was more into Soul so he was into that. Big Riffs and stuff but not Heavy Metal, that’s how I imagined that band Strange Fruit.”
LISTENER QUESTION – WHAT COLOUR SOCKS ARE YOU WEARING
“Gi. Japanese Shop. The Misses is away and the washing it out of hand, so they are a sort of washed out red. Pink socks I wouldn’t normally wear.”
AS YOU ARE C. LANGER, WHAT FLAVOUR SOUP FROM THE SOUP DRAGON DO YOU WANT FOR COMPLETING THE INTERVIEW?
“I know what soup I want, I want Hot and sour.”
Interview ends with Deaf School Enrico Song.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1634379343491135/
Clive Langer was talking to Mr Scurfs Koast Train
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Suggs on Sunset on Soho
As part of the raindance film festival on September the 24th, Suggs hosted an event at Vue Piccadilly. A screening of Sunset On Soho documentary with a Q and A.
‘A Riot Of Our Own’, documenting, the last days of the iconic 12 Bar music venue in the heart of Soho before it was lost to gentrification and re-development.
Special Screening of A Riot of Our Own, and a 3 minute trailer for Sunset on Soho was aired at the event, a 3 Minute teaser of Paul Kelly’s new documentary about Soho and a panel discussion hosted by Suggs about what Soho means to the creatives who work there and what the future holds.
Madstock – Madness (Sound Vision) : Scunthorpe Telegraph Review
It’s time for the record buying public of Britain to love Madness all over again. And this bumper Cd and DVD package should do the trick.The 24 tracks recapture the weekend in August 1992 when Suggs and Co reunited at Finsbury Park,London, after a six-year split. The ska boys from North London are true to form – transparently good-humoured and exuberant.All the hits are here, making it one of the best albums of all time 10/10.
PRINCE FATTY’S MASTERCLASS
Lee Thompson sent the following over, that relates to Prince Fatty who is The Ska Orchestra’s Producer working once again on their second album, ahead of appearing at House of Fun weekender again. Learn from the master…
Jamaica Funk
Prince Fatty and the Horseman are well known for their hip hop versions such as “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” as used in the infamous Breaking Bad series, DJ Muggs personal reggae favourite “Insane in the Membrane” and many more Raggamuffin specials.
It is well documented that the DNA of hip hop has its roots in dub and reggae from the concept of versions, sound systems, selectors and MCs and so on. New York and the East Coast has had large Jamaican community since the 60s the musical influence is similar to us here in the UK.
The Jamaica Funk club night hosted at the Fox and Firkin celebrates and high lights the musical journey as Reggae inspired Hip Hop in the early 80s and how the roles changed as Hip Hop developed and went mainstream it inspired the Jamaicans in reverse. Artists such as Super Cat and Shabba Ranks confirm this on vinyl in our collections.
A musical journey into the dub plate twilight zone starting with a 2 hour dub work shop and Q&A hosted by Prince Fatty and Nick Manasseh. http://tigerlilyproductionsuk.com/nick-manasseh/
A live dub tutorial, showing the fundamental principles of recording and mixing, discussing the concept of versions, alternative mixes and how to cut dub plates and specials.
Prince Fatty will dissect and breakdown some of his favourites such as Shimmy Shimmy Ya and other songs live with the original files using a mixing desk to demonstrate the construction and musical instrumentation involved. Detailed recording sessions will be revealed with legends such as Gregory Issacs, WInston Francis, Cornel Campbel, Marcia Griffiths, Big Youth and more.
Nick Manasseh is a pioneer DJ, Radio Broadcaster, Record Producer and Sound Engineer complemented by a Jedi knowledge of Reggae music. Having worked and recorded many great artists such as Dennis Brown, Johnny Osbourne, Sugar Minott, Earl 16 and sound system MCs such as Josie Wales, Charlie Chaplin, Brother Culture and Brigadier Jerry.
Nick Manasseh alongside Prince Fatty stay true to analog traditions and preserve the recording and mixing techniques pioneered by the greats such as King Tubby and Scientist.
Club Night Sets from both Prince Fatty and Manasseh to follow with MCs Horseman and Brother Culture, special guest DJ sets from Josh from The Skints and Prince Fatty’s DJ Posse featuring the turntable skills of Rasamurai and Noah.
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/909698622442585/
Ticket link – http://www.wegottickets.com/event/335259
MIS COMPETITION – WIN A COPY OF MADSTOCK!
Thanks to Holly Barringer and the rest of the team at BMG we have two copies of the forthcoming Madstock CD/DVD pack to give away.
To be in with a chance of bagging one of these beauties you just need to complete the following:
My favourite Madness song live is…
Because…
Send your answer to jonsmad@hotmail.com
Please try and send more than a one or two line response. A few of the best replies will appear in a future edition of the MIS.
Two lucky winners will get the CD/DVD pack in the post soon.
Unfortunately this prize draw is only open to UK-based readers. Sorry!
I REMEMBER WAY BACK WHEN
This week, MIS co-editor Rob Hazelby, goes back in time to report on what was going on in the world of Madness 5 years, 10 and 15 years ago this week.
5 years ago…
Issue Number 597 – Sunday 10th October – Saturday 16th October 2010
Fans had been trying to unearth it for the last 26 years, and this week we learned that our searching would soon be over.
What were we on about? The Madness sitcom pilot episode, of course, which would soon be available on the forthcoming multi-DVD compilation ‘The Gogglebox’.
Spanning 4 DVDs and weighing in at over 7 hours of footage, this would no doubt be appearing on the Christmas list of many a Madness fan this year.
The box set wasn’t yet available, but in this issue we explained how you could go about placing your order. Following that, our very own Jonathan Young gave you an in-depth review of this long lost recording, and detailing just how it came about.
On to our articles, and we got things off to a cracking start with a detailed review of the opening night of Two Tone Central.
Seven years after hearing Japanese visitors to Coventry ask “Where can we find 2Tone?”, many years of planning and countless favours from passionate 2Tone fans, Coventry based music journalist Pete Chambers finally saw his venue open.
By day it was a Café open to the public and housed in the student union building of Coventry University, the very building where Jerry Dammers and Horace Panter met (Pauline Black studied there, too). Blissfully unaware of its significance, students could sip their drinks in a room with black & white chequered floor, walls and wall blinds. There was also a museum with dozens of original 2Tone artefacts donated by fans and artists, including a set list written, (well more scribbled really) by Jerry Dammers on a small jotting pad.
Back to more Madness related news, and we passed the reigns over to Jonathan Young and an in-depth review and history lesson relating to the legendary Madness sitcom;
“Regardless of quality of content this has been on fan’s wish lists for years to see. Now, amazingly, this will happen.
It seems the title would have been “Madness”. The plot as revealed before in Madness interviews is that Thatcher has been voted out, and Madness voted in to run the country. The sitcom begins with the boys moving the cabinet to a Camden Cafe.
There’s those Madness sketches that link the videos and this has got a similar feel to those but a bit more longer in narrative form, and less real. There is a very early sense of roles being applied to band members for the situation comedy set up. Not just in Prime Minister Suggs or Chancellor Carl, but Bedders seems to be the mum, Chris the brains, Woody and Lee the kids. Mike is not in the show as he was on the verge of leaving the band at the time”
Further on we took a look at the Power Amp Music scheme. Some Madness fans may recall that instead of following the normal record company route, Madness became one of the first artists to be funded by Power Amp Music (an investment fund set up specifically to work with established artists).
This week’s Music Week contained an article about how well the fund has performed, and in particular whether their investment in Madness paid off.
We brought this week’s issue to a close with the news that the previous day Suggs stood in for Danny Baker on his Saturday show. If you’d missed it you didn’t have to worry as we had the audio link for you so you could catch-up at your leisure.
10 years ago…
Issue 337 – Sunday 9th October to Saturday 15th October 2005
It seemed that it was only a week or so back that we were wishing Jonathan Young all the best as he left the MIS fold to take a well earned three month break from work and other commitments.
This break had seen him travel to various corners of the planet, including a short stint Stateside which coincided with a chunk of the recent Madness tour – lucky swine!
Well, his three months were up. His days of travelling were at an end, and it also meant the MIS editorial team was now back up to full strength. Instead of easing himself back into the rat race he jumped straight on in with a number of articles in this very issue.
It was good to have him back!
Now, there’s one thing Madness had continually tried (and succeeded) to do over the years, and that was to get the fans involved.
Well, it would seem as if this long-running tradition would continue following the recent email via the official Madness email list;
“Bill & Ben Productions are offering an exclusive chance to feature in the new Madness ‘Dangerman’ DVD. We are looking for fans to film themselves singing along to THE DANGERMEN’s cover version of LOLA. We will then create a funky and fantastic music video from all the clips and include it as and exclusive extra on the Dangerman DVD new release.”
On to this week’s collection of articles, and we got underway by reporting that on BBC1 last night, Suggs appeared as a guest on “Test The Nation”, a regular interactive quiz, designed to see how clever Britain is.
This edition of the show was subtitled “Know your English” and all the questions were about language. Suggs was on the show as someone who uses language to write songs. He was spoken to at various points during the quiz.
After the first round, Anne Robinson asked Suggs “You’re a song writer so you must like language?”
Suggs: “I do love language, though I’m not really academic. Unlike my math teacher who gave me the option of never attending a class ever again, my English teachers did encourage me slightly. But I do love language, yes. Ian Dury and Ray Davies, who inspired me, were very good with language.”
Next-up, and over the past few months MTR/MIS subscriber Paul Muscat had been compiling your votes for the 2005 edition of the Madchart.
With the results being revealed gradually over the last couple of weeks the top 30 were now unveiled.
So, what was the winning track, as voted by us, the Madness fanbase?
Embarrassment, which last time trundled in at number 6.
Moving on, we reported on an Ebay seller who had been selling footage available freely on the MIS web site on DVD. Not only that, but the seller had been so daft, that links to ALL of the clips they were selling were in their auction description! A quick email to Ebay and the auction was promptly removed.
Elsewhere in this issue…
Like you, we were looking forward to tomorrow’s release of the USA Madness Dangermen Picture Disc.
But, we’d just been informed by Chuck Wren (head of Jump Up Records) that the release was to be put back AGAIN!
The delay was due to Chuck not being happy with the sound quality of the vinyl. He’d received the test pressing of the album & was not happy with them, so this had lead to another delay of up to 3 weeks.
Chuck had not given us a precise date for the release now, but insisted it should be out (all being well) around the first week of November!
Further on…
Following the sad news of the passing of Ronnie Barker this week the Official Madness website placed his picture in tribute on the main page.
Taken from www.madness.co.uk message board where a person with a username of Secret Squirrel asked the following question, which was answered by Chrissy Boy.
05/10/05
Glad to see you paying respect to Ronnie Barker.
Was it true that the Nutty train was based on a two Ronnies sketch ?
Regards and thanks for all the nuts !
SS
“NUTTY TRAINED”
says Chrissy Boy(05/10/05),
I heard about Ronnie Barker on the radio yesterday morning and felt really sad.
We all loved the Two Ronnies, Porridge and the man was a genius. I got the picture off the internet and put it on the site.
The sketch was really funny. Basically a man comes out of a house walks along the street and knocks on a door. A second man comes out of that door and walks really close behind him followed by a third and so on till there about 6 people walking in a tight formation train style.
They walk up the street and go into…The Sardine factory.
I thought this hilarious and was always trying to do it. Well with my mates that was when lagging. When we did a photo session for the NME we did a prototype walk but we were too far apart. It eventually got refined and also became the One Step Beyond album cover. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Chrissy Boy
We finished off this week’s issue with details of forthcoming MOT and Orange Street gigs, that were due to take place over the next month or so.
15 years ago…
Issue number 75 – Sunday 8th October to Saturday 14th October 2000
Did you fancy helping Madness get their name up in lights? If so, you were advised to get along to the Channel 4 web site, to vote for Madness in the station’s top 100 songs of all time survey. No doubt this would be used as the basis of one of Channel 4’s often repeated rundown programmes.
Unless you’d been living under a rock for the past year or so, you’d know that the Harry Potter series of books, had become such a phenomenon that the production of a full-scale movie was just about to start.
There were obviously a few fans lurking out there on the Total Madness Mailing List who were following the film as a mail appeared on the list during the week saying that a friend of one of the subscriberswho works for Warner Bothers had heard that Madness had been approached to be involved with the upcoming Harry Potter Soundtrack with that oh-so-catchy of track, `The Wizard`.
Being somewhat of a regular contributor to threads in the past couple of weeks, a certain Mr. Smash tapped out the following reply in response to the mail;
“about this “Madness involved in the Harry Potter film”. Having read all the Potter books ( after my son had read’em first), and being interested in things of an esoteric nature…twas I the Smash who thought it might be cool to get the Wizard included in the film…but as far as I know nothing has happened…..and as the dude wot wrote it i would be very happy if it was included….I am crossing my fingers…in fact I think I will ring our publisher and see what they are doing about it……..see you all later and have a happy halloween…
Mr. Smash”
Hopefully Cathal would keep us all informed with regards to the progress as `The Wizard` would make a blummin’ superb title track for the film.
Moving on, and if you were planning to see the Crunch gig in London on the 14th, and had still not purchased a ticket, you were advised to get your backside in gear and start making enquiries before they’d sell out. If, on the other hand you were one of the many who had already secured your ticket, then you could sit back and feel a little
smug as you’re not having to run round at the last minute trying to find the last unsold few.
Next, and although we still had a few months of the year to go, we decided to have a quick look at NEXT year, in a short article which gave readers the lowdown on what Madness weekends Butlins had planned for March 2001. Bad Manners would be appearing at the Bognor Regis Butlins between the 9th to the 12th, while Complete Madness would be performing at Skegness Butlins between the 27th and 30th of April.
We finished off this week’s edition of the MIS by announcing that the DotMusic web site were looking for all web site owners to submit their music site for this year’s DotMusic Online Music Awards. The event, now its fifth year, would see the awards handed over at a glittering awards ceremony on the 23rd of November.
Rob Hazelby
THAT FACEBOOK / TWEETS OF A DOVE
Various snippets and nuggets of info from Facebook and the Twittersphere.
Woody Woodgate.
“I’m taking a break from Facebook”
(Chris Foreman tongue in cheek reply… “Is it because I added you?”)
Woody Woodgate @woodymadness
“I’m supporting Schizophrenia Awareness Week. Together #LetsRethink stigma & fight for better care! http://www.rethink.org/letsrethink”
Darren Fordham
LEE THOMPSON SKA ORCHESTRA NEWS!!!!!!!!!
Following a band meeting last night (September 30th) , those of you that are of a nervous disposition….Be afraid, be VERY afraid …. Our next move may shock and (pleasantly) surprise you!!Sean Kelly – storage hunters reality tv star. (Dave channel)
“So Saturday night after my gig in Newcastle Lori and I head back to our small hotel and in the Lobby bar is the band Madness. They had just finished a gig also. The pic is of me and their guitarist Chris Foreman who’s a Storage Hunters fan. Great guys!
Now I am going to go see them at Wembley stadium Nov 1 they are playing at the NFL event.”
TIME…
Before we go we’d like to remind you that our Rhoda Dakar competition is still open for another week. This gives you that bit longer to be in with a chance to win tickets to her show at The Jazz Cafe on October 31st.
Now we’ve added a promo album and Press sheet into the prizes. All entrants can win that as well. Below is a link to the feature on our website in a shareable format.
http://www.madness-mis.com/rhoda-dakar-feature-interview-win-tickets-her-new-album/
Good luck!
Until next week, take care,
Jon Young, Rob Hazelby, Simon Roberts, Paul Williams
(With thanks to Gary Scurfield, Lee Thompson and Holly Barringer at BMG)
The Author
