Welcome to this weeks’ issue of the MIS Online bulletin.
Things have taken a rather quiet turn over the past seven days, with very little Madness or Madness related news of note surfacing.
This quiet spell is clearly getting to the Madness fanbase as Paul Punter was either bored or going stir crazy due to lockdown. We’re not quite sure of the exact reason, but we do like the cover for his new “Maskness” single.
While there is very little to report in this issue Colin Hinchley has given us the heads-up on something that could be a lot of fun and that takes place this coming Friday. Check out our “MIS Feature” for more information.
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.
16th – The Courtyard, Herefordshire’s Centre for the Arts
17th – Bristol, Royal Redgrave Theatre
19th – Exeter, Corn Exchange
20th – Westlands, Yeovil
21st – Aldershot, Princes Hall
22nd – Hertford Theatre
23rd – Forum Theatre (Malvern Theatres)
24th – Warrington, Pyramind and Parr Hall
25th – Lythan St. Annes, Lowther Pavilion
27th – Hexham, Queens Hall Arts Centre
28th – Dundee Rep Theatrre
29th – Aberdeen Music Hall
30th – Edinburgh, The Queen’s Hall
Buy It
Record Store Day – Work Rest and Play ** confirmed release date **
Release date: 29th August
Format: Double 7″ single
Cat No. BMGCAT430DSV
Overview:
Fortieth anniversary re-issue of Madness’ “Work Rest & Play EP” – the follow-up to their debut album, 1979’s “One Step Beyond…”
Limited edition Record Store Day 2020 release on double 7” format with a triple gatefold sleeve including photos from the time of the original release.
Track listing:
Side One
Night Boat To Cairo
Side Two
Deceives The Eye
Side Three
The Young And The Old
Side Four
Don’t Quote Me On That
Record Store Day – Dance Craze 40th Anniversary Edition ** confirmed release date **
This is a new half-speed master exclusively for RSD and part of the Two Tone Records 40th Anniversary celebrations. This is a soundtrack to the live movie of the same name featuring exclusive live recordings by The Specials, Madness, The Selecter, The Beat, Bad Manners and The Bodysnatchers. This is also first vinyl repress since its original release in 1981.
Tracklisting:
Concrete Jungle
Mirror in the Bathroom
Lip up Fatty
Razor Blade Alley
Three Minute Hero
Easy Life
Big Shot
One Step Beyond
Ranking Fullstop
Man at C&A
Missing Words
Inner London Violence
Night Boat to Cairo
Too Much Pressure
Nite Klub
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, 10, 15 and 20 years ago this week.
5 years ago…
Issue Number 842 – Sunday 28th June to Saturday 4th July 2015
There was one week to go until the Montrose Golf Course gig of the Grandslam tour, and the news had just landed that a Happy Bus to Madness had been arranged to pick up fans from various towns around the area. If you were in the locality and were wondering how to get along to the gig then this would hopefully solve all your problems.
The Grandslam tour was going from strength to strength with another new song “Mumbo Jumbo” emerging at Newmarket, which sold out all normal seating leaving only a few grandstand tickets.
Over in Sign of the Times we gave you the heads-up of an interview Suggs gave to Jo Good on BBC London. Suggs spoke about the fact that people are mostly nice to him and that people often shouted out to him as they pass in vans.
Also in this section we featured a review of Woody’s new album “In Your Mind”. which appeared over on the Hell Hound Music web site. The review was glowing and hopefully encouraged more people to get ordering this new release.
Carl also appeared here, where we pointed you in the direction of three live sessions performed on the piano courtesy of Ireland’s Today FM.
Moving on to “Live and Intensified” and we featured the Newmarket track listing and highlighted the new song “Mumbo Jumbo”. This was backed up with a great review of the gig from MIS subscribers Clare Marshall and Darren Jones.
On to our “MIS Feature” for this week, and we moved away from Madness to give you the heads-up on the 35th anniversary of ska band “The Inflatables”. You could hear the band talking about their early days courtesy of the BBC’s iPlayer app.
We brought this issue to a close with a snippet from the one and only Chris Foreman;
“Personally speaking, I’d like to get it all recorded this year once the tour is finished. Then release early next year. This may not happen of course. At the moment we are writing/rehearsing three days a week and then getting songs ready to play live. “Mumbo Jumbo” was only rehearsed last week. Still a “work in progress”. We are all having a great time. We are rehearsing next Wednesday. The place we are using is very cheap (£44 for six hours! ) with no windows or distractions”.
10 years ago…
Issue Number 582 – Sunday 27th June – Saturday 3rd July 2010
Things may have been quiet in the Madness camp at the moment, but regardless of that we still had a mammoth issue for you this week.
We kicked things off with the news that BBC Radio 4 would be broadcasting a two week season of programmes exploring how London had changed over the previous 25 years. What did this have to do with Madness? Well, one of the presenters and contributors was non other than our man Suggs.
Next, we moved on to The Blockheads’ Chaz Jankel, who was releasing his first solo album in ten years. In this section we included a review with the man and one of the first independent reviews of this forthcoming release.
Further on, and we had some birthday news, as the Retro Madness web site celebrated its first birthday. To mark the occasion they were offering a cashback deal to all customers – for every £50 you spent in a single transaction, they wouldl refund £5 back to you…spend £100 receive £10 back, £150 receive £15 back etc. This was in addition to free UK postage on all orders. Crazy!
Next, it was on to the subject of discount tickets, as Epsom Downs Racecourse were offering a 25% discount on all tickets sold prior to the Madness Racecourse event on the 29th July. Not bad at all!
Further on, and it was over to the stat-meister himself, Mr. Paul Rogers. Paul was back with yet another one of his chart-stat based emails, and this week he began with news of the Ultimate Madness album which had been heavily promoted by Tesco.
“As I expected, the Tesco promotion of Ultimate Madness and One Step Beyond… caused a minor surge in popularity of Madness albums currently available to buy. Somewhat surprisingly Complete Madness was the biggest beneficiary of this publicity, surging from number 50 to number 24 on the indie album chart, where One Step Beyond… leapt from 48 to 39 and Total Madness was a re-entry at number 42. Who cares I hear you cry? Well the thing is the number 20 on the indie chart made the top 200 on the main album chart. So sales are respectable.”
Paul also reported on forthcoming releases, and it was nice to see that both the Rise and Fall and Keep Moving re-issues had spent a large chunk of the previous week in Amazon’s top 10 pre-order charts.
We continued with Paul, who, in the next article reviewed the forthcoming Rise and Fall and Keep Moving re-issues. With all the care and attention applied to each album, and the mountains of extras on each Paul was faced with no option but to give each of them 5 out of 5!
It was time for a bit of Madness history next, as Jon Young, Looby and Andrew Sandoval gave regaled us with the band’s numerous appearances between 1980 and 1984 on American Bandstand, the long running music show. Madness Central had managed to not only source recordings of these performances but make them available on YouTube for the rest of us to enjoy.
We brought this issue of the MIS to a close with the news that the next Big 10 gig would take place at The Dublin Castle on Saturday 17th July, and that Suggs had been spotted DJing at the 40th anniversary Glastonbury Festival.
15 years ago…
Issue Number 320 – Sunday 26th June to Saturday 2nd July 2005
With further concerts having taken place since our last issue we once again started off by welcoming all those who had signed up since last Sunday’s MIS.
News in from Dan Burdett of JAG, was that Stuart Wright of fanzine Nut Inc had spent the last few months attending gigs, the studio and \ drinking sessions with the band, and would now be putting together a weekly JAG newsletter. Not only that, but the newsletter was strictly old skool, meaning it would land on your door mat, and not your email inbox.
Madness’ recent performance at Westonbirt Arboretum hadn’t gone un-noticed by Bristol’s Evening Post, as the local paper dedicated a massive article to the gig, describing it as one of the most fun filled gigs they’d been to in ages, and the best they’d seem of Madness.
Continuing on the subject of the band’s current tour was Graham Whitfield, who sent us a massive article covering the Dalby Forest gig. Being so near the venue, Graham finished off his article, declaring it as “The best ever Madness show – almost in our back garden”.
MIS subscriber Richard Stinson continued the string of rave reviews of the Forest Tour, with a detailed and glowing write-up of the Sherwood Forest gig. Could the boys do no wrong?
Moving away from the tour reviews saw us print a complete transcript of Skanews’ interview with Woody, Lee and Mark, a few hours before recording the Taratata broadcast to the Plaine Saint Denis. The three of them talked in-depth about The Dangermen Sessions and working with V2 Records.
It was back to The Forest Tour in the next article, where we passed the reigns over to Paul Williams with his lowdown on the Dalby Forest gig, which took place on the 24th of June. Paul’s what yet another in a long line of glowing reviews from fans and press alike.
We finished off this week’s issue with Lee Hookway’s review of MOT, and their gig at The Metro Club on Saturday the 18th of June.
20 years ago…
Issue Number 58 – Sunday 25th June to Saturday 1st July 2000
We started off this weeks’ issue with details of how you could get hold of tickets to the Crunch! gig due to take place at Camden’s Underworld on the 14th of July.
As The Dublin Castle was still closed for some much needed refurbishment on the date of the gig, people were already asking where could the event meet-up be held. There had been no definite decision as of yet, but a number of people had suggested `The Spreadeagle`, which could (and still can!) be found a few hundred yards down from the DC on the opposite side of the road.
Next-up, saw us dish out the “Rhythmstock Awards”, where we highlighted the antics of a few of those who attended the recent fundraising event, and promptly embarrassed them for things they got up to while under the influence.
With news thin on the ground we took a look at the forthcoming record fairs planned by VIP Events. Of interest to most Madness fans had to be the regular record fairs held at the famous Electric Ballroom in Camden Town. You could get a good morning’s record hunting done before heading off to one of the local pubs.
Next was Simsey, who was keen to put up a list of “Who got what” on his web site, so you could see who beat your bid(s) at the recent Rhythmstock fundraising event.
Moving on, and we took a look at issue 6 of Ian Taylor’s excellent Mad Not Mad fanzine. With a cover price of a mere £2, this issue was fantastic value, and one that deserved to sell like proverbial hot cakes.
We finished off this issue by looking at the new Velvet Ghost web site, and giving the place a section by section lowdown. Simon Roberts (the reviewer) told us to keep an eye on the place, as it was being updated more often than some official sites he could mention. With the official Madness site receiving very infrequent updates at the time, it wasn’t hard to work out what he was referring to.
Rob Hazelby
MIS Feature
Twitter Listening Party Goes One Step Beyond
Earlier this week we were contacted by subscriber Colin Hinchley who gave us the heads up on something rather exciting taking place this coming Friday…
“Not sure if Tim Burgess from The Charlatans Twitter listening parties are on your radar at all? If not, to summarise, basically, everyone presses play at a pre agreed time for a specific album and then the artist and other key individuals associated with it tweet stuff about it. It’s been brilliant. I’ve done approx 10 so far and love them. Tim is a total legend. Anyhoo, it looks like Madness are doing one for OSB next Friday.
No more details than that as yet. For those who can’t listen live, there is a “replay” option where you can listen along and follow it as live.”
Click on the above link and then scroll down to the “One Step Beyond” section. There’s a Twitter link which will take you to the Twitter Listening Party. We’ve had a click, and we noticed that Tim has posted;
“@CBoyForeman will be our host for a very special @LlSTENlNG_PARTY featuring One Step Beyond, the ace debut album by Madness
#TimsTwitterListeningParty
@MadnessNews”
Check it out this coming Friday!
Time
That’s just about it for this weeks rather lean edition of the MIS Online newsletter.
We’ll be back next Sunday with the latest roundup of Madness news (if there is any!).
