Question for the Two-Tone crowd: What's the view on Madness' "Our House"? It's popped in my head a few times the last several days—I think it's being used for a commercial and it's penetrating my skull—and I've wondered if it's treated as legit in their catalogue or a dumb tune that caught the ear of the masses.
"Our House" is a legit great pop song. No thoughts ever about Madness selling out as they were never a Ska band but just a band that liked Ska among many other music varieties. They were always a fun band but they were never just a throwaway pop band either as in a lot of their music you will find an underlying message. Madness played just as much RnB as they did Ska.
I agree. They made quite a few great ska/rocksteady songs, but even the first album isn’t pure ska and they branched from there.
Our House is excellent and I’m disappointed that isn’t a unanimous decision.
”INDER LOCK THE THE KISS THREAD IVE REALISED IM A PRZE IDOOT” - Thomas Jefferson
The first Madness song I ever heard was Our House. Ive never been inclined to hear anymore.
"One Step Beyond" is the other one I heard a ton growing up. I think that's it. Is the Rudy a Message to You them as well? Or the Specials. I'll see what's popular on Spotify.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.
Have to confess to not being a huge fan of early Madness. Most of my favorite early songs would be album tracks as opposed to the singles, apart from Grey Day which is magnificent. The Liberty Of Norton Folgate, though, would be among my top 5 albums of the last 10 years. Great vibe and atmosphere to it.
The first Madness song I ever heard was Our House. Ive never been inclined to hear anymore.
"One Step Beyond" is the other one I heard a ton growing up. I think that's it. Is the Rudy a Message to You them as well? Or the Specials. I'll see what's popular on Spotify.
"It Must Be Love" is really nice. I mean it's pretty clean/mainstream, but it's a good melody.
"Baggy Trousers" is that early 80s ska stuff. It's good. Not something I crave often, but solid.
"House of Fun" oh, i've heard this one. It's kinda goofy, but fine
"Night Boat to Cairo" same as Baggy Trousers. Their popular songs seem to be predominately ska.
"My Girl" same as above but more of that R&B feel that Marky mentioned
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.
They're one of the most well loved bands of all time in the UK, but still underrated.
It’s so weird. In the US they really are considered a one hit wonder by most people.
One and a half if you count House Of Fun.
It Must Be Love made 33 in the States, HoF never charted. Unless it was a radio hit?
I never heard It Must Be Love on the radio, but I heard House of Fun a few times. Charts in America are fucking weird and should be taken with a grain of salt.
”INDER LOCK THE THE KISS THREAD IVE REALISED IM A PRZE IDOOT” - Thomas Jefferson
The first Madness song I ever heard was Our House. Ive never been inclined to hear anymore.
"One Step Beyond" is the other one I heard a ton growing up. I think that's it. Is the Rudy a Message to You them as well? Or the Specials. I'll see what's popular on Spotify.
"It Must Be Love" is really nice. I mean it's pretty clean/mainstream, but it's a good melody.
"Baggy Trousers" is that early 80s ska stuff. It's good. Not something I crave often, but solid.
"House of Fun" oh, i've heard this one. It's kinda goofy, but fine
"Night Boat to Cairo" same as Baggy Trousers. Their popular songs seem to be predominately ska.
"My Girl" same as above but more of that R&B feel that Marky mentioned
"It Must Be Love" is a cover version of an old Labi Siffre song. Of those you have mentioned here the only one I consider Ska is "Night Boat to Cairo" which has that choppy riff but mixed with Lee's RnB saxophone.
Listening back to their first "One Step Beyond" album there are only four Ska tunes on it the two Prince Buster covers "One Step Beyond" "Madness" and the tune they dedicated to him "The Prince" and the Ska'd up version of "Swan Lake"(Tarzan's Nuts).
The Ska is finished.
Last edited by Marky Dread on 16 Nov 2018, 12:19pm, edited 1 time in total.
Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty
We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.
The first Madness song I ever heard was Our House. Ive never been inclined to hear anymore.
"One Step Beyond" is the other one I heard a ton growing up. I think that's it. Is the Rudy a Message to You them as well? Or the Specials. I'll see what's popular on Spotify.
"It Must Be Love" is really nice. I mean it's pretty clean/mainstream, but it's a good melody.
"Baggy Trousers" is that early 80s ska stuff. It's good. Not something I crave often, but solid.
"House of Fun" oh, i've heard this one. It's kinda goofy, but fine
"Night Boat to Cairo" same as Baggy Trousers. Their popular songs seem to be predominately ska.
"My Girl" same as above but more of that R&B feel that Marky mentioned
"It Must Be Love" is a cover version of an old Labi Siffre song. Of those you have mentioned here the only one I consider Ska is "Night Boat to Cairo" which has that choppy riff but mixed with Lee's RnB saxophone.
Listening back to their first "One Step Beyond" album there are only four Ska tunes on it the two Prince Buster covers "One Step Beyond" "Madness" and the tune they dedicated to him "The Prince" and the Ska'd up version of "Swan Lake"(Tarzan's Nuts).
I'd have House of Fun down as a Ska tune. Very poppy but has the skanking guitar.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board
The first Madness song I ever heard was Our House. Ive never been inclined to hear anymore.
"One Step Beyond" is the other one I heard a ton growing up. I think that's it. Is the Rudy a Message to You them as well? Or the Specials. I'll see what's popular on Spotify.
"It Must Be Love" is really nice. I mean it's pretty clean/mainstream, but it's a good melody.
"Baggy Trousers" is that early 80s ska stuff. It's good. Not something I crave often, but solid.
"House of Fun" oh, i've heard this one. It's kinda goofy, but fine
"Night Boat to Cairo" same as Baggy Trousers. Their popular songs seem to be predominately ska.
"My Girl" same as above but more of that R&B feel that Marky mentioned
"It Must Be Love" is a cover version of an old Labi Siffre song. Of those you have mentioned here the only one I consider Ska is "Night Boat to Cairo" which has that choppy riff but mixed with Lee's RnB saxophone.
Listening back to their first "One Step Beyond" album there are only four Ska tunes on it the two Prince Buster covers "One Step Beyond" "Madness" and the tune they dedicated to him "The Prince" and the Ska'd up version of "Swan Lake"(Tarzan's Nuts).
I'd have House of Fun down as a Ska tune. Very poppy but has the skanking guitar.
Yeah, the beat is technically ska.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison
The first Madness song I ever heard was Our House. Ive never been inclined to hear anymore.
"One Step Beyond" is the other one I heard a ton growing up. I think that's it. Is the Rudy a Message to You them as well? Or the Specials. I'll see what's popular on Spotify.
"It Must Be Love" is really nice. I mean it's pretty clean/mainstream, but it's a good melody.
"Baggy Trousers" is that early 80s ska stuff. It's good. Not something I crave often, but solid.
"House of Fun" oh, i've heard this one. It's kinda goofy, but fine
"Night Boat to Cairo" same as Baggy Trousers. Their popular songs seem to be predominately ska.
"My Girl" same as above but more of that R&B feel that Marky mentioned
"It Must Be Love" is a cover version of an old Labi Siffre song. Of those you have mentioned here the only one I consider Ska is "Night Boat to Cairo" which has that choppy riff but mixed with Lee's RnB saxophone.
Listening back to their first "One Step Beyond" album there are only four Ska tunes on it the two Prince Buster covers "One Step Beyond" "Madness" and the tune they dedicated to him "The Prince" and the Ska'd up version of "Swan Lake"(Tarzan's Nuts).
I'd have House of Fun down as a Ska tune. Very poppy but has the skanking guitar.
It's not on the first album. I wouldn't really call it a Ska song as such although it certainly has elements of Ska in it. Mike's choppy piano and Chris plays a choppy guitar in the chorus. Interestingly the chorus was only written at the request of Stiff boss Dave Robinson. If you listen to the demo of "Chemist Facade" some nice geezer uploaded a while back you'll hear this.
Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty
We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.
"One Step Beyond" is the other one I heard a ton growing up. I think that's it. Is the Rudy a Message to You them as well? Or the Specials. I'll see what's popular on Spotify.
"It Must Be Love" is really nice. I mean it's pretty clean/mainstream, but it's a good melody.
"Baggy Trousers" is that early 80s ska stuff. It's good. Not something I crave often, but solid.
"House of Fun" oh, i've heard this one. It's kinda goofy, but fine
"Night Boat to Cairo" same as Baggy Trousers. Their popular songs seem to be predominately ska.
"My Girl" same as above but more of that R&B feel that Marky mentioned
"It Must Be Love" is a cover version of an old Labi Siffre song. Of those you have mentioned here the only one I consider Ska is "Night Boat to Cairo" which has that choppy riff but mixed with Lee's RnB saxophone.
Listening back to their first "One Step Beyond" album there are only four Ska tunes on it the two Prince Buster covers "One Step Beyond" "Madness" and the tune they dedicated to him "The Prince" and the Ska'd up version of "Swan Lake"(Tarzan's Nuts).
I'd have House of Fun down as a Ska tune. Very poppy but has the skanking guitar.
It's not on the first album. I wouldn't really call it a Ska song as such although it certainly has elements of Ska in it. Mike's choppy piano and Chris plays a choppy guitar in the chorus. Interestingly the chorus was only written at the request of Stiff boss Dave Robinson. If you listen to the demo of "Chemist Facade" some nice geezer uploaded a while back you'll hear this.
Yeah, that's a great story how they edited the chorus in. You would never have noticed.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board
