Mad Not Mad

Mad Not Mad is the sixth studio album by the British ska-pop band Madness . It appeared in 1985 as the only album without pianist / founder Mike Barson . In England it reached the top 20 in the Netherlands, the album top 100 out of reach.

History [ edit ]
The recordings for Mad Not Mad began in the summer of 1984 ; a turbulent year for Madness because Barson had resigned and links with record label Stiff were broken because of the betrayal of owner / clip director Dave Robinson .

Madness started his own label ( Zarjazz ) and signed a distribution deal with Virgin, however, where no Dave Robinson figures walking around who knew exactly how to deal with the band. Also it was not easy to make a record without Barson (one of the main songwriters). Drummer Daniel 'Woody' Woodgate told in 1992 by the music magazine VOX "Every time we record a song we got the feeling that we repeated ourselves."

In February 1985 Madness tried the new material during a secret concert. The recordings were still in progress and to express the high costs incurred studio was called in a drum machine, which also explains why Woody posing on the inside cover behind a bunch of congas.

In June, the hard work is finally completed and the band organized a masquerade; saxophonist Lee Thompson, who after his father's loss Rabbi had left -like beard, went as Hare Krishna (ie not as Abraham Lincoln ) and used this image for the promotion of the single Yesterday's Men .

Mad Not Mad appeared late September (Europe) / early October (England) and was hailed by critics as the most convincing (serious) plate Madness ever made. The public thought otherwise and left Mad Not Mad left. During the 25 dates constituent tour through England and Ireland was constantly yelled at One Step Beyond, but that number was saved for last and even beaten some performances. Uncle Sam, the next single from Mad Not Mad, admittedly spent the days of Baggy Trousers and Embarrassment recall but could not stop the free fall in which madness was wrong. The album and the tour would not go down as artistic highlights; when the band broke up in 1986, Suggs spoke of "a polished turd". guitarist Chris Foreman had more than twenty years later, "our most dated plate."

In 1992, Madness came together again in the familiar seven mans occupation; Initially the numbers of Mad Not Mad and pastor were Keep Moving on beaten, but from 1993, Yesterday's Menagain long been part of the set. Uncle Sam is 00 years played a few times.