Through extensive interviews with the band, as well
as producers Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley, Terry
Edwards tells the inside story of how Madness rose to be
the most successful singles band of the 1980s in the UK
charts. Madness came to prominence in the UK in the wake
of the Punk/New Wave explosion and must be seen in the
context of Britain in the late 70s, musically, socially
and politically. Their first single was released by
Two-Tone, an independent label run by fellow ska
enthusiasts. One Step Beyond isn't the best album in the
world - it's not even the best album by Madness. It is,
however, a great record and an exceptional debut album -
fully formed despite half the band still being in their
teens - and it remains as exhilarating, inspiring and as
much fun as when people first heard it nearly 30 years
ago. Through extensive interviews with the band, as well
as producers Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley, Terry
Edwards tells the inside story of how Madness rose to be
the most successful singles band of the 1980s in the UK
charts. ''33 1/3'' is a series of short books about a
wide variety of albums, by artists ranging from James
Brown to the Beastie Boys.Launched in September 2003,
the series now contains over 50 titles and is acclaimed
and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike. |
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