Madpost – December 1997
Greetings fellow Nutties!
And a warm welcome to the December issue of the Monthly Madness Mailing List Madpost. With the nights continuing to draw in (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere!) and the evenings getting colder and less hospitable I’m expecting the list to spring into a whole new lease of life. Come on, you’ve got no excuses now!!
‘Official’ news is a bit thin on the ground this month. I’ve only managed to speak to Mark (Bedford) a few times over the past few weeks. All I can tell you is that there are a few new sections of the official site in development, but these may take a while longer to appear than was originally planned due to the fact that Mark has been swamped in pre-Christmas work. Oh, and Chris’ Apple Mac decided to explode! Well, that’s what I was told!!
Other news now… The ‘Internut’ t-shirts that have been in the planning stages for what seems like an age now may finally be getting off the ground. I’ve been sent a few items of possible t-shirt artwork and will be showing them off to Mark in the not too distant future. One main hurdle is ‘copyright’. We think that this small run of t-shirts should be ok but we don’t want to take any risks. If anyone knows anything about this sort of thing then please get in touch with Dave at dubpoet@as.net as soon as possible.
So, who was sad enough to spend their Friday night in front of the TV the other week? Those who were may have spotted Suggs doing a version of his show ‘Night Fever’. This time on BBC1. Why you may as. Well, it was all in aid of the BBC’s ‘Children in Need’ appeal which is run every year. I’m not sure what exactly went on during Suggs’ chunk of the show, but you can take a look by pointing your browser to http://www.bbc.co.uk and then going to the ‘entertainment’ section. I’ve had a quick look and there are various pictures, a windoze backdrop, and even an autograph!
And finally, for all those people hoping to go to Madstock 4 next year but are now stuck with what to do after hearing the news that there won’t be one can put a smile back on their face with the news that we WILL be holding a meet (or 3) over the course of next year. The last meet-up at the Terry Edwards gig was the first one where the majority stayed overnight somewhere in the locality, and now we know where the good sleeping spots are I’m sure we can look forward to a few more meets that span an entire weekend!!
Right, without further ado, onto this months Nutty postings…
Have a Happy Christmas,
Contents – December 1997
[1] – JOOLS HOLLAND AND MADNESS – Resident Nutty, Ed obviously spends his spare time watching ‘Challenge TV’. So, what do Jools Holland and Madness have in common?
[2] – LANGER, WINSTANLEY, AND THE NORTHUMBERLAND NUTTY BOYS – Peter Gardner and new list member Jay are here with gossip and links relating to the two famous Nutty producers – Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.
[3] – THE BUSINESS – IT’S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT IT – Jordan Lee is here with links to a number of music shops on the net. So, just because you live in Outer Mongolia you’ve now got now excuse to be without your copy of ‘The Business’, and because we’re all getting festive, Maareten has put a few Christmas Nutty tunes on his website for all to listen to.
[4] – STEP RIGHT UP, GET YOUR MADNESS SCREENSAVER – After what seems like a complete age someone has finally got round to producing some Madness computer software. That someone is the famous beer-drinking-nutty – Kevin Tizzard, and the software is a superb screensaver for Windoze. Download and enjoy!
[5] – CAMDEN’S DUBLIN CASTLE ON THE INTERNET – If Camden’s most legendary of bands can get themselves a bit of space on the internet then it should come as now suprise to see the ever-almight Dublin Castle to get in on the act should it? Northern-Nutty, Simon Roberts is here with the info.
[6] – THIS SKA THING – Joseph Schipsi is here with a review of a new ska CD that’s been released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ‘Island Records’.
[7] – MAARTEN’S NEW NUTTY SHRINE – Yet another Madness site makes its debut. Remember though, this is from the chap who brought you all the MP3 rarities that you’ve been logging on his webiste to listen to, so you can be sure this website will be getting updated all the time.
[8] – SCRIBES ON RECORDS – It wouldn’t be a true Madpost without a large article of bygone nutty-antics painstakingly typed in by Suggsylia, could it? Exactly, and that’s why she’s back with an article from MIS Comic No 12.
[9] – STEP RIGHT UP, COMPLETE YOUR NUTTY COLLECTION – In a recent spell of Madness, Jacqueline Arent has decided that she has to part with a large selection of Nutty vinyl. She’s not gone totally mad though as she wants to make sure this stuff goes to a good home.
[10] – THE CONTINUING ‘NO DOUBT’ SAGA – Did he do this to get the horrible ‘No Doubt’ thread up and running again? Who knows. What am I on about?! Take a look at this little snippet sent in by Paul Andrews and make up your own mind. (just kidding Paul).
[11] – THE NATIONAL ANTHEM – And so ends another Madpost.
[1]
Hey list, this might be of interest to some of you.
I was watching Challenge TV the other day (don’t laugh, I was just flicking through) and I found a show called name that tune with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Band, (although the only guy that I recognised was the bald sax player). In the bonus round for the player, they get played a tune, it could be any tune, and they have to name it to get a special prize. The 3rd and final special tune was none other than One Step Beyond (played far too straight to be any good though)
Well, that’s all, I just thought at least one person might find that vaguely interesting, I hope I wasn’t wrong.
[2]
During the first half of November there seemed to be a surge in mails all asking and answering questions related to top Madness producers – Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. Well, I’ve dug through all the postings related to the producing duo, and here, for anyone who missed them, a selection of those posts. First up is Peter Gardner’s contribution…
Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley have produced loads of great artists and tracks. As well as those already mentioned, they have produced for Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Hothouse Flowers, and Tim Finn and not a bad track among them. I seem to remember hearing they were currently producing a young, up and coming band, which might be Symposium (can anyone clarify this?-I’ll check their single I have). Clive Langer also has a solo album which I managed to get my hands on which includes contributions from such Mad-related people as Steve Neive, Ben Barson, Bette Bright, and Mr Winstanley of course.
Cheers for now,
Hi all,
This is my first contribution to the list but i think you will find it useful.
Whilst browsing i have come across a web page listing everything Clive and Alan have done. The adress is:
www.worldsend.com/bios/langer-winstanley.html
It has everything on it, plus a couple of good links to other great producers. You might also like to know that the duo compiled a promotional album of their best work, which as far as I know was never released I know of three copies in circulation, all owned by a group of lads calling themselves the Northumberland Nutty boys, of which i am a member although i do not have an album, i know a man who does and it is very impresive.
I hope that this has been some help
It’s just gone noon
[3]
Junior Nutty – Jordan Leigh has obviously been browsing the CD stores on the internet for anything Madness-related he could find.
Well, during his travels he’s found two sites that he recommends to all Stateside Maddies who are finding it a tad on the tricky side to get hold of that elusive compilation – ‘The Business’. The two sites are:
Jordan points out that CD number 3 has one or two Christmas tunes by our favourite band so if you want to hear them in time for the festivities, you’d better get your skates on.
You should be able to find quite a collection of Madness Christmas and New Year material during December at:
http://www.introweb.nl/~bongo/
All kindly provided by the mailing list’s very own Maarten K.
[4]
Yes, it’s been a long time, but finally there’s a piece of Madness computer software. I kid you not! It’s the ‘Madness Screensaver’ and it’s been put together by the mailing list’s very own Kevin Tizzard.
I’ve downloaded the software at work and it’s currently doing its thing whenever I’m not doing any work (which is a fair amount of the time).
Anyway, enough of my waffling. Here’s Kevin…
Hi List,
After receiving a number of mails recently enquiring about the ‘Madness’ Screensaver I promised some 2-3 months ago, I’ve finally managed to get my arse into gear, shrugged off the ‘Terry Edwards’ hangover (and a few more since!), and have finally completed it.
Listed below are a few details about the Screensaver, and where to download it from …
System requirements;
Operating System: Microsoft Windows ’95. (4.00+) /NT (3.51+)
Display: 256 Colour (8-bit).
Brief Description:
The screensaver’s theme is based on all of the bands album releases from 1979-1986. Each album cover will be displayed on-screen along with various information on that album.
Installation:
The screensaver is packaged in an easy to install setup program. Full help will be given during installation, and on completion, a User Manual will be installed to help with the various configuration aspects and more.
Additional features:
A number of the screensavers options can be configured, including;
Password protection, the amount of info shown on-screen, Image time and the display of images in a random order.
How much does it cost:
A pint at the next Mailing List meet will do 
Where to get it:
The setup package can be downloaded from the Screensaver homepage:
http://www.btinternet.com/~k.tizzard/
File size: 517kb. Note: This page will only be accessible up until 15th December.
Any comments (good or bad!) will be appreciated.
Hope it was worth the wait …
E-Mail: k.tizzard@btinternet.com
[5]
Hi MadGang:
For all those pining for the Dublin Castle.. I’ve found a rather interesting site all about the DC.
Of course, the most famous venue in the world is all down to Madness. Apart from playing their first ever gig there, it was also the first gig for the Dublin Castle!
Interview with the governor ‘Alo’ also. Read all about it!!
http://www.shiftcontrol.com/archive/plugnplay/dub1.html
Simon also tells me that he’s planning to put MPEG3 audio on his site so you’ll be able to listen to the nutty tune of Madness whilst you’re checking out the pics. As well as that, Simon is still awaiting pictures from one or two people, so there will be more to look at in the not too distant future.
[6]
Hello Maddies!
In response to Luke Roberts e-mail of 11/19, 19/11 for our friends on the other side, last weekend I purchased a cd at Tower Records in Philly ( 5th & South, Lou! Site of the old Roxy) that is a retrospective of ska.
Produced by Gaz Mayhall of The Trojans and on Island Records, the cd is fabulous!!! It includes Prince Buster, Laurel Aietken, Skatellites, Ocean 11, and many more old and new ska bands. All songs recently recorded (April 28, 1997 in London) The booklet in the cd includes a bio of all the artists. In Prince Busters bio it credits him for influencing many bands and mentions MADNESS.
This cd is part of the 40th anniversary of Island Records and has its own web site at www.island40th.com Check it out, it’s really good!!
Regards,
[7]
It seems like everyone and their dog is putting up a Madness or Madness-related site up at the moment. Still, as long as each site is showing different material and has something different to offer then surely this can only be a good thing for the net-nutty out there.
Here’s Maarten with the details of his new Madsite…
I’ve started a homepage entirely about Madness, because a friend (RJ Breeman) and myself a have saved a lot of Madness articles down through the years. Go check it out at:
Please let me know if you’re interested.
Bye for now,
Well, you heard him. If you want to see and read more Nutty goings on from yesteryear then give Maarten a nudge by sending him an e-mail.
[8]
Lets face facts, it wouldn’t be a Madpost without a large chunk of an issue painstakingly typed-in by the list’s very own Suggsylia, and she’s not let us down this month either as she’s typed out an article from the issue 12 of the’ Madness Information Service’ comic…
A: Nut, Nut, Nutty / B: Watch This
I can’t be certain for sure, I think Stiff came up with the little extra on the asterisx for this one.
A: Sweet! / B: Double Sweet!
This sounds like something Carl may have said to the hotel doorman as they hinted for a tip on the Two Tone Tour.
A: Goes Around and Around… / B: The Rockingest Sound
When we had finally decided to release this as a single and Night Boat had gone to be pressed. We were somewhere in the States. Stiff had written the scribes to another single.
A: We Have Lift Off / B: Wind Me Up
This was the first scribe I’d got to write. The battle for Chris, Carl, Suggs and Lee to write the scribe had begun. V.F.M. had become the Madness motto. We should try and keep all our flip sides off the albums, I heard Chris shout.
A: Donk You’ve Been Danked / B: No Cards Required
The scribe reared its beady head yet again. I’d just managed to get my scribe onto asterix, when me being Mr.Donk had finally been Danked.
The scribe I had originally put on Los Palmas 7 had been sabotaged, I’m not saying who it could have been, but he has not got two sutting Black Teunts my Peunts. No P45 required for odd job men.
Just as our Artwork started to get stale, along comes Ian Write to give us the Grey Day cover. After we all sneeze we decide it looks FAB. The ‘A’ side doesn’t get scribed but the flip gets a “Play Quietly.”
A: Pass The Buck / B: Good Luck To The Faithful Sherpas
At the time of recording Shut Up we were out on some Specific Island. On returning to England that night, I found myself in a river of salt. The Buck had been passed, 2 from 9 equals nothing and The Best of Luck went out to Chalky and Toks on their third and final warning. Paul Clewley had made an appearance with the artwork for Shut Up via the Fan Club.
A: Look Up At The Roof Tops / B: At The Arse Of A Crow
Paul Clewley helps out with the artwork for Wings Of A Dove. I’m not sure who came up with the scribes for this but my guess is the Co-Co Twins.
A: The Music Makers Scream / B: Boo Hoo Boo Hoo
Mike’s getting bored, I think he should stretch his arms from playing for little, Sob! The flip side was written in an evening with Madness.
Merry Christmas!
Cheers,
[9]
Mailing list nutty Jacqueline Arent has been having a little clearout of her beloved Madness collection and has subsequently found quite a list of nutty blasts from the past.
I’ll let Jacqueline take over with her sales pitch…
All imports and picture discs still in plastic. I’m not sure what they are worth. They were important to me at one time and I enjoyed having them very much, but I’ve gotten interested in other things lately and I thought someone else might like to have them (I’m not trying to be mercenary!).
Absolutely
Madness
Keep Moving
Mad not Mad
Our House-12 inch single
Our House-45
It Must Be Love-45
The Sun and the Rain-45
Imports (to the U.S. of course):
Complete Madness
7
The Rise & Fall
Tomorrow’s Just Another Day-4 selections
The Nutty Boys
Wings of a Dove-12 inch single
The Sun and the Rain-12 inch single
One Better Day-12 inch single
Michael Caine-12 inch single
Sweetest Girl-12 inch single
Wings of a Dove-45
The Sun and the Rain-45
Michael Caine-45
One Better Day-45
Cardiac Arrest-45
Embarrassment-45
Work Rest and Play-45-4 selections
Picture Discs:
Wings of a Dove-45
Guns-45
Keep Moving (never opened)
[10]
Paul Andrews has kindly sent me this article that he found whilst exploring the MTV website a few weeks back. As Paul so rightly points out. MTV don’t seem to class Madness’ UK chart domination amongst their accolades as this article seems heavily biased towards the US markets.
Hopefully this won’t start another ‘Madness/No Doubt’ thread again, but you never know!
America. Third-wave ska bands like No Doubt,
Rancid, and Sublime have reached chart heights
previously merely glimpsed by Madness in 1983 with
their hit, “Our House.” These bands happily recognize
and embrace their ancestry. No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani
says of the singer of Madness, “I would probably
freak out if I met Suggs.” Well Gwen, in light of No
Doubt’s chart-topping success of late, it’s safe to
say Suggs Mcpherson might just freak out if he met you,
too.
[11]
And so, another Madpost draws to a close, and with it 1997. Many thanks to everyone who made this the best year yet on the mailing list. I receive many mails from people telling me that it’s one of the friendliest mailing lists they’ve been on – keep up the good work!!
The next issue of the Madpost should be released in the first few days of January, but before over the next few weeks I’ll be putting together the ‘Lookback of 1997’ as a special Christmas edition of the Madpost. Hopefully it’ll bring back memories to all those people who’ve spent most of the year in an alchohlic haze of one form or another (you know who you are!).
Well, if I don’t speak to you before Christmas, have a good one, and I hope to see you again in 1998 where we’ll be organising one or two special nutty events! Stay tuned.
Have a good one,
THANKS FOR HELP WITH THIS ISSUE GO TO: Ed Stebbing-Allen (the Maddie from Manchester), Pete Gardner (where are you these days?), Jordan Leigh, Maarten K, Kevin Tizzard (another beer?), Simon Roberts, Joeseph Schipsi (and family), Suggsylia (thanks for the articles), Jacqueline Arnt (hope you pass your stuff on to a good home), and the manic but all-round-good-bloke Paul Andrews. Cheers!!!
The Author
