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vinyl LP front cover detail
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
cover photo by Cameron McVey
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
cover photo by Cameron McVey
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
Today is the birthday of Chris Foreman, who formed the English ska band Madness with keyboardist Mike Barson and saxophonist Lee Thompson in 1976. Foreman was one of the group's main songwriters, mostly writing music with other members, usually Graham McPherson (Suggs) or Lee Thompson, providing the lyrics.
I had been going to gigs in the punk scene here in San Francisco in the late 70's and early 80's and One Step Beyond was a perfect addition to the literature. It had the gusto and fun of the punk sound but it was refined by the flavor of ska which predated reggae; probably not what a punk rocker might have liked but tough toenails.
The spoken intro by Graham McPherson (Suggs) snagged me at first:
Hey you
Don't watch that watch this
this is the heavy heavy monster sound
the nuttiest sound around
so if you've come in the off the street
and you're beginning to feel the heat
well listen buster you better start to move your feet
to the rockinest rock steady beat of madness
ONE STEP BEYOND!
This was followed by an instrumental with the echoey repetition by Suggs of the title of the song, "One Step Beyond", nothing more.
Then the sax by Lee "Kix" Thompson: fast and staccato-at-times, swooping at others, drove me out of my mind; I've always been a sucker for sax players and their sound.
vinyl LP front cover
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
cover photo by Cameron McVey
photo of album cover by Styrous®
One Step Beyond is one of my all-time favorite albums. My first awareness of it and Madness was the video of the song, One Step Beyond, I saw on MTV when the channel first started on cable in the early eighties (link below).
vinyl LP back cover
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
photos by C. Gabrin
photo of album back cover by Styrous®
I had been going to gigs in the punk scene here in San Francisco in the late 70's and early 80's and One Step Beyond was a perfect addition to the literature. It had the gusto and fun of the punk sound but it was refined by the flavor of ska which predated reggae; probably not what a punk rocker might have liked but tough toenails.
The spoken intro by Graham McPherson (Suggs) snagged me at first:
Hey you
Don't watch that watch this
this is the heavy heavy monster sound
the nuttiest sound around
so if you've come in the off the street
and you're beginning to feel the heat
well listen buster you better start to move your feet
to the rockinest rock steady beat of madness
ONE STEP BEYOND!
This was followed by an instrumental with the echoey repetition by Suggs of the title of the song, "One Step Beyond", nothing more.
Then the sax by Lee "Kix" Thompson: fast and staccato-at-times, swooping at others, drove me out of my mind; I've always been a sucker for sax players and their sound.
My next favorite song is Swan Lake.
The Discogs listing (below) has it credited as written by M. Barson and
written by Trad (meaning tradtional); neither is the case. The tune is
the Black Swawn Theme written in 1875 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for the ballet, Swan Lake. In the scene the evil Black Swan (Odile) tricks and seduces the Prince, so, the original ballet music is intensly dramatic and exquisitly beautiful. However, Madness flavors it with a bouncey reggae beat that is pretty cool and a lot of fun to dance to (links below).
In 2010 the music from the ballet was the basis for an American psychological horror film entitled, Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky. It is based on an original story by Andres Heinz. The film stars Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder. The plot revolves around a production of the Tchaikovsky Swan Lake ballet by the New York City Ballet company.
vinyl LP back cover detail
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
photo by Nutty Punters
detail photo of album back cover by Styrous®
Razor Blade Alley was written by Lee Thompson and has a moderate speed, jivey beat with great piano work by Mike Barson.
vinyl LP record sleeve
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
photos by Cameron McVey
photo of record sleeve by Styrous®
And last, but not least, a favorite is Night Boat To Cairo, written by Graham McPherson and Mike Barson. This is similar to One Step and the video is a lot of fun to watch; Madness is a good description of it (link below). It peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 30 in Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands. Night Boat has passed into cockney rhyming slang as a term for a giro, or unemployment benefit cheque.
Suggs has described it as "miles of introduction, a couple of verses
then miles of instrumental, no chorus and the title isn't even mentioned
apart from me shouting it at the beginning. It's an atmosphere with
great music and words- of course it IS a song, but not a traditional
one."
A low-budget karaoke-type video for the song was hastily filmed in a studio and featured the band dressed in stereotypical British colonial attire, including short trousers and "Zulu"-style pith helmets, in front of a blatantly chroma keyed backdrop of an Egyptian pyramid; the lyrics appearing on screen in "bouncing ball" style as Suggs sang them.
During the long instrumental sections of the song, the band ran and
jumped around the set, marching and performing their signature "Nutty
Train".
Despite – or perhaps because of – the poor effects and editing,
and all-round unprofessional feel, it became very popular with fans,
perhaps also due to the carefree nature and fooling around of the band
onscreen that can be attributed to the large amount of alcohol they
consumed while filming.
vinyl LP record sleeve
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
photos by Cameron McVey
photo of record sleeve by Styrous®
vinyl LP record sleeve
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
photos by Cameron McVey
photo of record sleeve by Styrous®
vinyl LP record sleeve
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
photos by Cameron McVey
photo of record sleeve by Styrous®
vinyl LP record sleeve
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
photos by Cameron McVey
photo of record sleeve by Styrous®
vinyl LP record sleeve
Artwork by Eddie And Jules + Stiff
photos by Cameron McVey
photo of record sleeve by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A1 - One Step Beyond…, written by C. Campbell* - 2:17
A2 - My Girl, written by M. Barson* - 2:44
A3 - Night Boat To Cairo, written by G. McPherson*, M. Barson* - 3:31
A4 - Believe Me, written by J. Hasler*, M. Barson* - 2:28
A5 - Land Of Hope & Glory, written by L. Thompson* - 2:56
A6 - The Prince, written by L. Thompson* - 3:18
A7 - Tarzan's Nuts, written by C. Smash*, M. Barson* - 2:24
Side 2:
B1 - In The Middle Of The Night, written by C. Foreman*, G. McPherson* - 3:01
B2 - Bed & Breakfast, written by M. Barson* - 2:32
B3 - Razor Blade Alley, written by L. Thompson* - 2:41
B4 - Swan Lake, written by M. Barson*, written by Trad.* - 2:35
B5 - Rockin' In A♭, written by W. Wurlitzer* - 2:28
B6 - Mummy's Boy, written by M. Bedford* - 2:24
B7 - Madness, written by Colin Campbell* - 2:37
B8 - Chipmunks Are Go!, written by B. Smyth*, C. Smash* - 0:52
Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Sire Records Company
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Sire Records Company
Published By – Warner Bros. Music Ltd.
Marketed By – Warner Bros. Records
Recorded At – Eden Studios
Recorded At – T.W. Studios
Mixed At – Rushent's Mansion
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Credits:
Artwork By [Cover Art] – Eddie And Jules + Stiff
Backing Vocals, Vocals [Various Shouts], Other [Fancy Footwork] – Chas Smash
Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Lee "Kix" Thompson
Bass – Mark Bedford (Bedders)*
Drums, Percussion – Woody Woods Woodgate (Don Woodgate)*
Guitar – Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy)*
Keyboards – Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso)*
Lacquer Cut By – SA.*
Other [Minder] – John Hassler
Photography By [Back Cover] – C. Gabrin*
Photography By [Front Cover And Mugshots] – Cameron McVey
Photography By [Inside Back] – Nutty Punters
Producer – A Clanger / Alan Winstanley Production*
Vocals – Lee "Kix" Thompson, Suggs (Graham McPherson)*
Notes:
This version appears to be Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Winchester on side 1 and Jacksonville on Side 2 ???
Recorded at Eden & T.W.Studios.
Mixed at Rushent's Mansion (The Lucky Bleeder).
A Clanger Winstanley Production.
℗ 1979 Sire Records Company
Sire Records Inc. Marketed by Warner Bros. Records Inc. Made in U.S.A.
Inner sleeve with photography & artwork credits.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout, etched a 6 is crossed out after WW): SRK-1-6085 WW 4 SP1-1 —◁
Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout, etched): SRK-2-6085- JW1 SPO-1
Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout, stamped): STERLING 0
Madness – One Step Beyond...
Label: Sire – SRK 6085
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock
Style: Ska
Madness ~
Styrous® ~ Saturday, August 8, 2020
Side 1:
A1 - One Step Beyond…, written by C. Campbell* - 2:17
A2 - My Girl, written by M. Barson* - 2:44
A3 - Night Boat To Cairo, written by G. McPherson*, M. Barson* - 3:31
A4 - Believe Me, written by J. Hasler*, M. Barson* - 2:28
A5 - Land Of Hope & Glory, written by L. Thompson* - 2:56
A6 - The Prince, written by L. Thompson* - 3:18
A7 - Tarzan's Nuts, written by C. Smash*, M. Barson* - 2:24
Side 2:
B1 - In The Middle Of The Night, written by C. Foreman*, G. McPherson* - 3:01
B2 - Bed & Breakfast, written by M. Barson* - 2:32
B3 - Razor Blade Alley, written by L. Thompson* - 2:41
B4 - Swan Lake, written by M. Barson*, written by Trad.* - 2:35
B5 - Rockin' In A♭, written by W. Wurlitzer* - 2:28
B6 - Mummy's Boy, written by M. Bedford* - 2:24
B7 - Madness, written by Colin Campbell* - 2:37
B8 - Chipmunks Are Go!, written by B. Smyth*, C. Smash* - 0:52
Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Sire Records Company
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Sire Records Company
Published By – Warner Bros. Music Ltd.
Marketed By – Warner Bros. Records
Recorded At – Eden Studios
Recorded At – T.W. Studios
Mixed At – Rushent's Mansion
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Credits:
Artwork By [Cover Art] – Eddie And Jules + Stiff
Backing Vocals, Vocals [Various Shouts], Other [Fancy Footwork] – Chas Smash
Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Lee "Kix" Thompson
Bass – Mark Bedford (Bedders)*
Drums, Percussion – Woody Woods Woodgate (Don Woodgate)*
Guitar – Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy)*
Keyboards – Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso)*
Lacquer Cut By – SA.*
Other [Minder] – John Hassler
Photography By [Back Cover] – C. Gabrin*
Photography By [Front Cover And Mugshots] – Cameron McVey
Photography By [Inside Back] – Nutty Punters
Producer – A Clanger / Alan Winstanley Production*
Vocals – Lee "Kix" Thompson, Suggs (Graham McPherson)*
Notes:
This version appears to be Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Winchester on side 1 and Jacksonville on Side 2 ???
Recorded at Eden & T.W.Studios.
Mixed at Rushent's Mansion (The Lucky Bleeder).
A Clanger Winstanley Production.
℗ 1979 Sire Records Company
Sire Records Inc. Marketed by Warner Bros. Records Inc. Made in U.S.A.
Inner sleeve with photography & artwork credits.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout, etched a 6 is crossed out after WW): SRK-1-6085 WW 4 SP1-1 —◁
Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout, etched): SRK-2-6085- JW1 SPO-1
Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout, stamped): STERLING 0
Madness – One Step Beyond...
Label: Sire – SRK 6085
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock
Style: Ska
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
YouTube links:
Madness ~
Night Boat To Cairo (Official HD Video)
One Step Beyond (Official Video)
One Step Beyond (Original Version Video)
One Step Beyond (Live At Madstock) (1998)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ~ Black Swan - Le Lac des Cygnes / Swan Lake 
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