Kirsty Wark in discussion with Mike Barson, Mark Bedford, Chris Foreman, producer Clive Langer and lead singer Suggs.
Having dropped on Mrs F and Offspring The Elder in town, I raced back to listen to this… and my mother appeared at the door. So I’m off to listen on catchup.
An excuse to post this.
The bloke who put this together was later the DJ for Age of Chance.
You don’t have to be Chas if you want to dance…
Is this a safe thread for me to say that I think they have the best greatest hits collection of any British band?
I think Madness are one of the best British bands ever.
Wonderful band & a fabulous live act.
Divine Madness is the best single-disc singles collection of any British band, yes.
Just pushing Complete Madness into second place (primarily because Complete is not just singles).
Other contenders?
Buzzcocks – Singles Going Steady
Squeeze – 45s And Under
Divine Madness is 2 LPs, as is Snap! Another 2LP CD would be Pet Shop Boys Discography,,
Tchuh. Who the bloody hell bought Divine Madness on vinyl?
I bought the 21-track Compact Snap and didn’t much care for the extra eight tracks when I eventually bought the 29-track 2LP.
Similarly, Singles Going Steady is another cracker. There’s a US 2LP version on orange vinyl (sigh) with a few extra tracks which will be released in the UK for Record Store Day. Honestly, why bother?
I’d buy a decent pressing of 45s and Under, though. Mine’s almost see-through.
In my view, Madness’s “Full House” 2CD collection, released in 2017 is the ultimate compilation of the band’s songs, just edging out “Complete Madness” and “Divine Madness”. It’s absolutely ace, and if it had had “Blue-Skinned Beast” on it, it would’ve been perfect. Fantastic band.
https://www.discogs.com/Madness-Full-House-The-Very-Best-Of-Madness/release/11128834
@duco01
That does look good! Plus it contains a great lost single from 2011, “Never knew your name” which is ace.
And “Sugar & Spice” from the Liberty of Norton Folgate, up there with “Bed & Breakfast Man” as one of the best album tracks not released as a single.
Prospects. Disappear. Coldest Day. Song in Red. Mr Speaker. Always so much more than a singles band.
And they’re still doing it – “Don’t Leave the Past Behind You” from Can’t Touch Us Now
Great call for the Squeeze compilation.
Squeeze’s “45s and Under” was indeed a great compilation of its time.
I must admit, though, that nowadays, my preferred Squeeze compilation is “The Squeeze Story” (2006). 34 tracks of prime Deptford pop goodness, including all the classic early hits, as well as deeper cuts like “Woman’s World”, “Last Time Forever”, “Cold Shoulder” and “Some Fantastic Place”. What more could one want?
https://www.discogs.com/Squeeze-The-Squeeze-Story/master/936578
Some Fantastic Place is my fave Squeeze album, and Chris Difford’s fave Squeeze track.
A shame Difford descended into full-blown alcoholism soon after, the following album(s), and he himself, suffered greatly. Domino was so dreadful, I took my copy back for a refund.
I’ve heard Domino – never felt the need to buy it though.
Cradle To The Grave though I really do like
(another one to add to my “Must play it again now I’ve remembered about it” list)
Beatles 1
Rolling Stones Big Hits…
The Who – Meaty Beaty…
Kinks – loads of them
But, Madness have a very good one as indeed do The Jam and Squeeze.
Divine Madness is better than all of those.
Hmmm. Define “better”
Better record. Contains better songs.
Marcello Carlin gets to the nub of the nutty/grimness paradox at the heart of even Madness’s biggest hits.
https://nobilliards.blogspot.com/2020/12/madness-divine-madness.html
Hawkfall prefers it to your one. Next!
Yes, that was my point. There is no answer just personal preferences. Madness comp was certainly the best thing to play at parties in my 20s and 30s, got everybody going.
This Kinks one
https://www.discogs.com/The-Kinks-The-Ultimate-Collection/release/1658176
is hard to beat. But I think Divine M does it. Probably you had to have been young in the 80s (ahem)
You don’t mean me do you? I was 17 when their first single came out. They had a great run but a few duffers like Wings of a Dove, Uncle Sam and Driving in my Car. Way below their usual standards. I think The Jam bettered them and maybe Squeeze too but both were over shorter periods. The Smiths are up there too from a similar period.
This one was pretty good too. A great period for British music.
https://www.discogs.com/Echo-The-Bunnymen-Songs-To-Learn-Sing/master/29088
When Cardiac Arrest (possibly Grey Day) came out you’d be forgiven for thinking “Right, just another great single from Madness,” when they were about 10 singles away from their peak (I’m saying Michael Caine/The Sun and the Rain)!
They had a bit of a good run, to be sure.
And Two Tone had the best hit-acts-on-label-ratio.
It probably isn’t my fave label – Ensign probably takes that crown – but the Specials, the Selecter, Rico, Madness, the Beat, the Higsons, the Bodysnatchers.
No wonder Jerry Dammers went a bit stir-crazy, he must have been absolutely knackered after three or four years of that momentum, and he lived above – in – the shop.
He cut his hair and got a job, smoked some fags and played some pool, pretended he never went to the dentist…
I would argue for The Jam but I’m also more than happy for Madness to hold the accolade. ** Sings “My girls mad at me….:
“How can we know the artist from the video?”,
William Butler Yeats’ famous query in 1983’s NME seems so quaint now.
Madness’ commercial peak came at exactly the right time and they were so very good at it, their image seems inextricable from their Nutty Boys films from the time. I can’t think of another artist, apart from Michael Jackson, where, when I picture them, I automatically think of their videos first.
Pop videos used to be thrust upon you like phone updates. They even had them on MTV once. Nowadays I have to go onto YouTube to find out what my latest pop crush looks like..
By the time Yeats reviewed the Stone Roses album in 1994 he was less optimistic.
Hardly surprising, he’d been dead for 55 years.
He had a lucky escape.
You’re thinking of Jimmy Joyce who, upon hearing The Second Coming for the first time, asked, “What is this snot green, scrotumtightening shite?”
Read their early days memoir Before We Was We a few months ago. The film version aired last night on BT. Hopefully will get an airing on SkyArts or BBC4 soon ( or even just an old fashioned DVD release would suit me).
Was listening to comeback albums Dangermen Sessions and Wonderful recently. Much better than I remember.
The Undertones – all wrapped up – 1983 – Double album 13 a sides and 17 b sides – and I would say with the exception of a couple of not quite up there throwaways – every single track an absolute corker. Up there with Singles Going Steady
and a contender for the worst sleeve of all time.
What were people thinking?
I bought it – because it was some of the greatest songs ever by the greatest band ever (ok, I’m a bit of a fan) but I have it hidden away.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24942186
The Undertones – all wrapped up – 1983 – Double album 13 a sides and 17 b sides – and I would say with the exception of a couple of not quite up there throwaways – every single track an absolute corker. Up there with Singles Going Steady
The Undertones – all wrapped up – 1983 – Double album 13 a sides and 17 b sides – and I would say with the exception of a couple of not quite up there throwaways – every single track an absolute corker. Up there at the very top along with Singles Going Steady, KInks 20 Golden Greats and High Tide Green Grass,
I thought you said it was only a double?
Kudos 😀
Re: the Undertones’ “All Wrapped Up”
I’m not keen on that cover design, with the woman wrapped in bacon and cellophane.
One thing nearly all of these compos have in common is crap sleeves.
Or sleeveless in the case of The Berry Vest of Gilbert O’Sullivan, a cover as bad as the pun.
I had an Undertones compilation called “Cher o’ Bowlies” .
Yeah, me too, but nobody is wearing a bacon dress on that one. Thankfully, as the five band members feature.
I think you’re forgetting that wonderful Undertones collection. The name escapes me for the moment.
True Confessions?
Best of the Undertones?
Yes, I have that. Excellent music, dreadful cover. Singles Going Steady also great.
What Is Beat? is pretty close to perfect.
re: Cardiac Arrest – how many bands were writing knockabout Pop Songs about someone having a heart attack.
And Grey Day – there aren’t too many top 10 songs about depression.
There’s a dark side to Madness often missed in the Nutty Boys
https://rigiddigithasissues.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-dark-side-of-madness.html
Kinks knew quite a bit about depression too. Sunny Afternoon, I’m Not Like Everybody Else. Then there’s Mister Pleasant about being cuckolded and extreme poverty in Dead End Street etc
– yes, and alcoholism in “Sweet Lady Genevieve”.
Indeed. I am biased of course, because I believe that Ray Davies in his peak years was the greatest British songwriter there has been in rock/pop music.
Lola is about taking a chick home to find out she’s not a chick at all. You can’t bloody get worse than that.
(I should imagine)
But it is ambivalent as to whether he enjoyed the experience in the end …
There’s supposed to be a gay element to See My Friend, as I recall. Ray explained it once but I can’t remember what he said.
Fuckn amazing record, whatever – very much proto-psychedelia.
I can’t remember which Kinks track Suggs chose on DiD but I’ll always point out that Paul Merton picked Arthur – a very cool choice.
I guess crossing the river could mean moving from female sexual partners to male ones?
Yeah, It’s kind of Biblical isn’t it…?
You weren’t getting this kind of stuff from Herman’s Hermits.
Not according to this about SMF.
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-kinks/see-my-friends
I believe Dave was said to be quite experimental in his sexual experiences and Ray would base some songs on his experiences.
It’s a wonder he had any after the frilly nylon panties incident.
I was expecting someone to add Carry On Up The Charts by The Beautiful South into the suggestion box.
Natural History by Talk Talk is an impeccable collection of songs.
I can’t think of a better collection of hits than Complete Madness though.
Madness are the musical love of my life. I should probably put in some effort and do an album by album review thing on here.
Do it! The albums don’t get the respect they deserve.
They’re all being re-released every few months – on black vinly – so what better time to do it? First two done, 7 just out. I wonder if they’ll bother after Keep Moving?
Mad Not Mad will probably be there. It was with the CD re-issues a few years ago.
Primarily so the last S could be done for the letters MADNESS on the spines
I’ve just checked – the vinly don’t do that. An opportunity missed.
When they re-released SAHB’s first 8 albums on double CDs in 2002, two albums to a set in chronological order, they put a couple of pictures of Alex across each of the jewel case spines. Unfortunately the two pictures are printed newest to oldest instead of oldest to newest, so you either have to shelve them in reverse order or scramble the images.
I’m going to do this. Problem is it’s likely to get terribly self indulgent. I can’t write record reviews like so many on here so it’s going to be as much about my relationship with the music over the last 40 years as it is about the albums themselves.
Perfect! Enthusiasm. That’s why we’re here, and we’re not professional journos.
U dissin’ Tiggs Da Author?
It would seem that Chas Smash is The Man Who Never Really Was, these days.
A brief mention in regard to the intro for Night Boat To Cairo and that was that.
I would have been interested to know why he’s no longer part of the gang.
And seemingly Lee Thompson wasn’t invited or else wasn’t interested. Possibly a little too brash for a nice genteel Radio 4 show. Might have said something rude.
The width of the studio couldn’t accommodate his trousers.