DATABASE ABOUT MADNESS

THIS HIGHLY REGARDED UK SKA/POP GROUP EVOLVED FROM THE LONDON-BASED INVADERS IN THE SUMMER OF 1979.
 THEIR  LINE-UP COMPRISED SUGGS MCPHERSON (B. GRAHAM MCPHERSON, 13 JANUARY 1961, HASTINGS, SUSSEX .
 ENGLAND; VOCALS), MARK BEDFORD (B. 24 AUGUST 1961, LONDON, ENGLAND; BASS), MIKE BARSON (B. 21 APRIL 1958,
 LONDON, ENGLAND; KEYBOARDS), CHRIS FOREMAN (B. 8 AUGUST 1958, LONDON, ENGLAND; GUITAR), LEE THOMPSON
 (B. 5 OCTOBER 1957, LONDON, ENGLAND; SAXOPHONE), CHAS SMASH (B. CATHAL SMYTHE, 14 JANUARY 1959; VOCALS,
 TRUMPET) AND DAN WOODGATE (B. 19 OCTOBER 1960, LONDON, ENGLAND; DRUMS). AFTER SIGNING A ONE-OFF CONTRACT WITH
 2-TONE THEY ISSUED 'THE PRINCE', A TRIBUTE TO BLUE BEAT MAESTRO PRINCE BUSTER (WHOSE SONG 'MADNESS' HAD
 INSPIRED THE GROUP'S NAME). THE SINGLE REACHED THE UK TOP 20 AND THE FOLLOW-UP, 'ONE STEP BEYOND' (A BUSTER 
COMPOSITION) DID EVEN BETTER, PEAKING AT NUMBER 7, THE FIRST RESULT OF THEIR NEW CONTRACT WITH STIFF RECORDS. AN ALBUM
 OF THE SAME TITLE REVEALED MADNESS'S CHARM, WITH ITS ENGAGING MIX OF SKA AND EXUBERANT POP, A FUSION THEY
 HUMOROUSLY DUBBED 'THE NUTTY SOUND'. OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS THE GROUP ENJOYED AN UNINTERRUPTED RUN OF UK
 TOP 10 HITS, INCLUDING 'MY GIRL', WORK REST AND PLAY (EP), 'BAGGY TROUSERS', 'EMBARRASSMENT', 'THE RETURN
 OF THE LOS PALMAS SEVEN', 'GREY DAY', 'SHUT UP' AND 'IT MUST BE LOVE' (ORIGINALLY A HIT FOR ITS COMPOSER,LABI SIFFRE).
 ALTHOUGH MADNESS APPEALED MAINLY TO A YOUNGER AUDIENCE AND WERE KNOWN AS A ZANY, FUN-LOVING GROUP, THEIR WORK
 OCCASIONALLY TOOK ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE. BOTH 'GREY DAY' AND 'OUR HOUSE' SHOWED THEIR ABILITY TO WRITE ABOUT WORKING-CLASS
 FAMILY LIFE IN A FASHION THAT WAS PIERCINGLY ACCURATE, YET NEVER PATRONIZING. AT THEIR BEST, MADNESS WERE THE MOST ABLE
 COMMENTATORS ON LONDON LIFE SINCE THE KINKS IN THE LATE 60S. AN ABILITY TO TEASE OUT A SENSE OF MELANCHOLY BENEATH THE
 FUN PERMEATED THEIR MORE MATURE WORK, PARTICULARLY ON THE 1982 ALBUM THE RISE AND FALL. THAT SAME YEAR SUGGS MARRIED
 SINGER BETTE BRIGHT AND THE GROUP FINALLY TOPPED THE CHARTS WITH THEIR 12TH CHART ENTRY, 'HOUSE OF FUN' (WHICH CONCERNED TEENAGE SEXUALITY AND THE PURCHASE OF PROPHYLACTICS). MORE UK HITS FOLLOWED, INCLUDING 'WINGS OF A DOVE' AND 'THE SUN AND THE RAIN'
, BUT IN LATE 1983 THE GROUP SUFFERED A SERIOUS SETBACK WHEN FOUNDING MEMBER BARSON QUIT. THE GROUP CONTINUED TO RELEASE
 SOME EXCEPTIONAL WORK IN 1984 INCLUDING 'MICHAEL CAINE' AND 'ONE BETTER DAY'. AT THE END OF THAT YEAR, THEY FORMED THEIR OWN
 LABEL, ZARJAZZ. ITS FIRST RELEASE WAS FEARGAL SHARKEY 'S 'LISTEN TO YOUR FATHER' (WRITTEN BY THE GROUP), WHICH REACHED THE UK
 TOP 30. MADNESS CONTINUED TO ENJOY RELATIVELY MINOR HITS BY PREVIOUS STANDARDS WITH THE CONTEMPLATIVE 'YESTERDAY'S MEN'
, THE EXUBERANT 'UNCLE SAM' AND A COVER VERSION OF THE FORMER SCRITTI POLITTI SUCCESS, 'THE SWEETEST GIRL'. IN THE AUTUMN OF 1986,
 THE GROUP ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WERE SPLITTING. SEVENTEEN MONTHS LATER, THEY REUNITED AS A FOUR-PIECE UNDER THE NAME THE
 MADNESS, BUT FAILED TO EMULATE PREVIOUS SUCCESSES. ONE OF MARK BEDFORD'S PROJECTS WAS A COLLABORATION WITH EX- HIGSON
 MEMBER TERRY EDWARDS IN BUTTERFIELD 8. LEE THOMPSON AND CHRIS FOREMAN LATER WORKED UNDER THE APPELLATION THE NUTTY
 BOYS, RELEASING ONE ALBUM, CRUNCH, IN 1990, AND PLAYED TO CAPACITY CROWDS IN LONDON CLUBS AND PUBS. IN JUNE 1992 THE
 ORIGINAL MADNESS RE-FORMED FOR TWO OPEN-AIR GIGS IN FINSBURY PARK, LONDON, WHICH RESULTED IN MADSTOCK, A 'LIVE' DOCUMEN
T OF THE EVENT. THE GROUP'S RENEWED PUBLIC IMAGE WAS REWARDED WITH FOUR CHART ENTRIES DURING THE YEAR; THREE REISSUES
, 'IT MUST BE LOVE', 'HOUSE OF FUN', AND 'MY GIRL'; ALONG WITH 'THE HARDER THEY COME'. IN 1993, A 'MUSICAL ABOUT HOMELESSNESS'
, ONE STEP BEYOND , BY ALAN GILBEY, INCORPORATED 15 MADNESS SONGS WHEN IT OPENED ON THE LONDON FRINGE. - FURTHER EVIDENCE
 AS IF ANY WERE NEEDED, OF THE ENDURING BRILLIANCE OF MADNESS'S IRRESISTIBLE SONGCRAFT.