The Mighty Musical Observations Thread

[revbob]

The first Madness song I ever heard was Our House. Ive never been inclined to hear anymore.

This is wronger than anything I have ever wronged on here.

It...actually kind of is. Damn.

I refer once again to the KISS thread and rest my case.

[101Walterton]

"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.

Madness call it the Nutty Sound. You could argue a lot of the songs sound like Ska but the Nutty Sound is ska based (or Blue Beat) emphasis on 3rd beat but Madness have adapted it to include their other influences RnB, Music Hall etc.. to get what they call the sound of the Fairground which is an overlap of music and sounds.

[Marky Dread]

"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.

Madness call it the Nutty Sound. You could argue a lot of the songs sound like Ska but the Nutty Sound is ska based (or Blue Beat) emphasis on 3rd beat but Madness have adapted it to include their other influences RnB, Music Hall etc.. to get what they call the sound of the Fairground which is an overlap of music and sounds.

I agree I see it as an amalgamation of all their influences from Prince Buster>Roxy Music>Kilburn & the High Roads>Bazooka Joe = Ska/Rock 'n' Roll/Ryhthm 'n' Blues/Music Hall. Interesting that besides Prince Buster they pretty much shared the same early influences as the Sex Pistols.

[Heston]

The first Madness song I ever heard was Our House. Ive never been inclined to hear anymore.

This is wronger than anything I have ever wronged on here.

It...actually kind of is. Damn.

I refer once again to the KISS thread and rest my case.

Nah, not liking Madness is worse than liking KISS.

[Marky Dread]

The first Madness song I ever heard was Our House. Ive never been inclined to hear anymore.

This is wronger than anything I have ever wronged on here.

It...actually kind of is. Damn.

I refer once again to the KISS thread and rest my case.

Nah, not liking Madness is worse than liking KISS.

It is a crime to be sure, so it is.

[Dr. Medulla]

Another one of those songs that has started to haunt my brain. Never thought much of Flock of Seagulls one way or the other, but I wonder if this is the perfect New Wave song to use as an example of the genre. Mainly because there's really nothing there. Just an assembly of half-riffs, -melodies, and -harmonies. Yet it works—if you like it, that is—because it's so deconstructed, just empty calories. It really is that virtue of punk simplicity turned into something radio friendly, which was supposed to be New Wave's distinction (punk without the anger or political edge).

[Marky Dread]

Another one of those songs that has started to haunt my brain. Never thought much of Flock of Seagulls one way or the other, but I wonder if this is the perfect New Wave song to use as an example of the genre. Mainly because there's really nothing there. Just an assembly of half-riffs, -melodies, and -harmonies. Yet it works—if you like it, that is—because it's so deconstructed, just empty calories. It really is that virtue of punk simplicity turned into something radio friendly, which was supposed to be New Wave's distinction (punk without the anger or political edge).

I'll fess up to having a soft spot for this band. I like that spacey guitar/synth sound they use. I guess there are worse crimes.

[matedog]

Another one of those songs that has started to haunt my brain. Never thought much of Flock of Seagulls one way or the other, but I wonder if this is the perfect New Wave song to use as an example of the genre. Mainly because there's really nothing there. Just an assembly of half-riffs, -melodies, and -harmonies. Yet it works—if you like it, that is—because it's so deconstructed, just empty calories. It really is that virtue of punk simplicity turned into something radio friendly, which was supposed to be New Wave's distinction (punk without the anger or political edge).

I had never heard this song until they were on that VH1 Bands Reunited show in the early aughts and immediately loved it. Way better than I Ran for my tastes though it's a mystery to me why one song is commonplace while the other is relatively obscure. Or has been obscure for the last 25ish years.

[matedog]

I haven't seen a ton of Queen live footage beyond like Live Aid, but this was exemplary:

And holy shit can Roger Taylor sing. I mean he's no Freddie, but holy shit does he sound good on the last minute or so, particularly that last note he does in the closing like 15 seconds.

[Heston]

I haven't seen a ton of Queen live footage beyond like Live Aid, but this was exemplary:

And holy shit can Roger Taylor sing. I mean he's no Freddie, but holy shit does he sound good on the last minute or so, particularly that last note he does in the closing like 15 seconds.

Brilliant, I'd never seen that before. Roger did all the high stuff on a lot of their back catalogue. He's very prominent on Bo Rap, that's him doing the high "Galileos".

Out of interest, have you seen the movie yet?

[gkbill]

Another one of those songs that has started to haunt my brain. Never thought much of Flock of Seagulls one way or the other, but I wonder if this is the perfect New Wave song to use as an example of the genre. Mainly because there's really nothing there. Just an assembly of half-riffs, -melodies, and -harmonies. Yet it works—if you like it, that is—because it's so deconstructed, just empty calories. It really is that virtue of punk simplicity turned into something radio friendly, which was supposed to be New Wave's distinction (punk without the anger or political edge).

I had never heard this song until they were on that VH1 Bands Reunited show in the early aughts and immediately loved it. Way better than I Ran for my tastes though it's a mystery to me why one song is commonplace while the other is relatively obscure. Or has been obscure for the last 25ish years.

Hello,

I have a spot for these guys as well as they were a part of my first Mayfest in college ('82?). Flock of Seagulls, Toots & the Maytals, then Squeeze - how's that for a lineup? FoS were okay but couldn't match the rest of the bill.

[Heston]

Another one of those songs that has started to haunt my brain. Never thought much of Flock of Seagulls one way or the other, but I wonder if this is the perfect New Wave song to use as an example of the genre. Mainly because there's really nothing there. Just an assembly of half-riffs, -melodies, and -harmonies. Yet it works—if you like it, that is—because it's so deconstructed, just empty calories. It really is that virtue of punk simplicity turned into something radio friendly, which was supposed to be New Wave's distinction (punk without the anger or political edge).

I'll fess up to having a soft spot for this band. I like that spacey guitar/synth sound they use. I guess there are worse crimes.

Agreed about the sound of the band, love that driving echoey guitar sound. Some choice singles, "The More You Live the More You Love" was another good one. God knows what Revbob would make of them.

[101Walterton]

I haven't seen a ton of Queen live footage beyond like Live Aid, but this was exemplary:

And holy shit can Roger Taylor sing. I mean he's no Freddie, but holy shit does he sound good on the last minute or so, particularly that last note he does in the closing like 15 seconds.

Brilliant, I'd never seen that before. Roger did all the high stuff on a lot of their back catalogue. He's very prominent on Bo Rap, that's him doing the high "Galileos".

Out of interest, have you seen the movie yet?

I was going to go and see it but read a scathing review which put me off. Nothing wrong with the film as such more that it is total fiction and depicts Mercury (regardless of how talented he is) in a totally false light.
And clincher for IMCT fans the timeline is all wrong!!

[Heston]

I haven't seen a ton of Queen live footage beyond like Live Aid, but this was exemplary:

And holy shit can Roger Taylor sing. I mean he's no Freddie, but holy shit does he sound good on the last minute or so, particularly that last note he does in the closing like 15 seconds.

Brilliant, I'd never seen that before. Roger did all the high stuff on a lot of their back catalogue. He's very prominent on Bo Rap, that's him doing the high "Galileos".

Out of interest, have you seen the movie yet?

I was going to go and see it but read a scathing review which put me off. Nothing wrong with the film as such more that it is total fiction and depicts Mercury (regardless of how talented he is) in a totally false light.
And clincher for IMCT fans the timeline is all wrong!!

I would watch it and decide for yourself. I've never seen a film which has divided the critics and punters so much. Every review I've read has said it's shit and everyone I know who's seen it has said it's great. I saw it with my 12 year old daughter who has minimal knowledge of Queen and she was crying at the end and wanted to see it again. I have to admit I was welling up myself at the Live Aid segments. Yeah, the timeline is wrong and they play with the facts a bit but it is a dramatisation not a documentary.

[101Walterton]

I haven't seen a ton of Queen live footage beyond like Live Aid, but this was exemplary:

And holy shit can Roger Taylor sing. I mean he's no Freddie, but holy shit does he sound good on the last minute or so, particularly that last note he does in the closing like 15 seconds.

Brilliant, I'd never seen that before. Roger did all the high stuff on a lot of their back catalogue. He's very prominent on Bo Rap, that's him doing the high "Galileos".

Out of interest, have you seen the movie yet?

I was going to go and see it but read a scathing review which put me off. Nothing wrong with the film as such more that it is total fiction and depicts Mercury (regardless of how talented he is) in a totally false light.
And clincher for IMCT fans the timeline is all wrong!!

I would watch it and decide for yourself. I've never seen a film which has divided the critics and punters so much. Every review I've read has said it's shit and everyone I know who's seen it has said it's great. I saw it with my 12 year old daughter who has minimal knowledge of Queen and she was crying at the end and wanted to see it again. I have to admit I was welling up myself at the Live Aid segments. Yeah, the timeline is wrong and they play with the facts a bit but it is a dramatisation not a documentary.

You are correct on both counts (not something that most would say around here ).
I should see it myself and make up my own mind and yes it is a dramatisation not a documentary.
Apparently Sacha Baron Cohen pulled out because Mercury is portrayed as a saint when in reality he was far from it especially in relation to his HIV denial (resulting in the death of others). Apparently they play it up for the Live Aid scene which is unnecessary as it stands up on its own merits plus he wasn't diagnosed until 2 years after Live Aid.