To help promote the excellent Madness 30th Anniversary Tribute compilation (and functioning as a now belated Xmas present to the ska world and Madness fans in particular), the good folks over at French-MIS (Madness Information Service) and Big 8 Records are offering a free digital download of the unreleased version of the French band Indeed's cover of "The Sun and the Rain" (another cut of this song is included on the tribute album). So, to kick off the New Year, enjoy a guilt-free file sharing, kids!
Oh, and the guys at the French-MIS would probably be pissed at me if I didn't mention that the next single off of Madness'The Liberty of Norton Folgate, the bittersweet "Forever Young," is being released on January 18th through the Madshop, and will be available in various mixes on multiple formats (7" vinyl, CD, digital downloads).
The terrific 30 Years of Madness tribute album put together by the French MIS and released on Big 8 Records is now available through the official Madness website. While you are at the Madshop, you can also pick up the deluxe re-issue of One Step Beyond, the new Total Madness greatest hits comp, and the stunningly brilliant The Liberty of Norton Folgate.
Various Artists 30 Years of Madness: A 30th Anniversary Madness Tribute Big 8 Records 2009
Conceived by Jerome Lanvin of Big 8 Records and executed by Jean-Pierre Boutellier and his fellow Madness fans in the French MIS (Madness Information Service) as a means to honor the Nutty Boys three decades after the release of their first single in 1979 ("The Prince" b/w "Madness," of course), 30 Years of Madness: A 30th Anniversary Madness Tribute is a terrific celebration of this ska/pop phenomenon. As with any tribute or cover album, the challenge is for the bands to negotiate the right balance between staying true to a song's essence (and not violating the listener's overall familiarity and affection for it), while bringing something new, worthwhile, and compelling to their interpretation. Overall, the majority of the 23 bands on 30 Years of Madness have been able to achieve this--the quality control is fairly high--giving Madness fans a lot to like here.
Even though the quotient of ska dropped significantly with each subsequent album after Madness' superb debut--and most of their hits were out-and-out pop songs--it is gratifying to discover how many of the acts on 30 Years of Madness have reverse-engineered the pop hits into ska tunes (see Gordon's "Michael Caine" or Desorden Publico's "It Must Be Love" among others). In doing so, it's like they've reclaimed Madness for the ska scene--which seems appropriate, since the ska faithful never deserted the band.
From this album, it's also clear that, despite Madness' determined Anglo-centrism (which never played well in the US, with the great exception, of course, of "Our House"), the group's influence extended far beyond the British Empire: on this comp, acts from non-English speaking world (Venezuela, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, and the Czech Republic) vastly outnumber the few from the UK, US, and New Zealand (some of this may be due to the fact that the French MIS put this together; there are a ton of French acts represented; and a French label released it--and you know what? Vive le France, baby!).
Standout tracks on 30 Years of Madness include Steff Tej & Ejectes' "The Prince"; Inspector's rambunctious ska take on "Our House"; Indeed's gorgeously fragile "The Sun and the Rain," with its sweet female vocals; Desorden Publico's incredible Latin-goes-ska take on "It Must Be Love," turning a rather syrupy love song into a sexy romp; Statuto's Italian version of "Johnny the Horse"; Freddy Loco featuring Rocksteady Freddie from NY Ska Jazz Ensemble on a swinging vintage ska version of "The Return of The Los Palmas 7"; Gordon's urgently pleading "Michael Caine"; Cherry Boop & The Sound Makers' "Cardiac Arrest," whose female singer's seemingly helium-fueled voice is almost ethereal; and the simply awesome Lower East Side of Manhattan klezmer ska of "Nakht Shifi Ken Kayro," sung in Yiddish by King Django, but instantly recognizable as "Night Boat to Cairo."
There are a few covers that don't work as well as some of the aforementioned cuts, but when we are dealing with a catalogue as cherished as Madness', maybe it's just too hard to be objective when the originals are close to perfection and the versions seem just a bit off the mark (to me, you may love them--we're in very subjective territory here). And then there are some tracks that I wish had been covered here, like "Land of Hope and Glory" or "House of Fun" or "Driving in My Car." Yet these are mere quibbles with a tribute album that deserves a prominent place in the Madness-related canon.
Perhaps the critical comment that should carry the most weight regarding 30 Years of Madness is that, according to JP, Madness have heard this compilation and love it! Chris Foreman, Madness' guitarist, has told the French MIS that, "The tribute album is overall quite brilliant and very touching to me."
The Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A+ (for effort)/B+ (the results)
Here's a track by track preview of the upcoming 30 Years of Madness tribute album coming out on October 8 from Big 8 Records. From what I heard, it sounds quite good. (And you gotta love how DIY this video is...the French MIS fans who put all of this together are hardcore!)
Jeez, look how incredibly young those Nutty Boys were just before they hit it big back in 1979!?!? Click on the article to enlarge it for reading/gawking. (Thanks to John at Hoi Polloi Skazine for the NME clipping--he hopes the band keeps going for another 30 years, as do I!) JP from Skanews/French MIS is sending over a review copy of the Madness tribute album he's helped to produce, 30 Years of Madness, so I'll get a review of that up soon. YepRoc is releasing The Liberty of Norton Folgate CD on September 29th in the US (if you pre-order it, you receive two digital bonus cuts, plus a digital copy of the album now). In addition, for the ska collectors out there, YepRoc is carrying the UK 12-track vinyl release of The Liberty of Norton Folgate on the band's Lucky Seven Records, that features a different track order from the CD, which has 15 cuts. (I picked up the LP through YepRoc for $17.99, which is a lot cheaper than mail-ordering it from the UK.) Maybe I'll finally get my freakin' act together and write up my review of TLNF! Lastly, here is the UK Monty Python-esque telly advert for the latest in a long line of Madness greatest hits comps out there...(actually, it might be worth picking up for bonus DVD of all their videos).
TV Advert for the CD/DVD album 'Total Madness' Set for release on 21st September through www.madness.co.uk.
CD: The Hits 01. One Step Beyond 02. Baggy Trousers 03. House Of Fun 04. Embarrassment 05. My Girl 06. Our House 07. It Must Be Love 08. Wings Of A Dove 09. The Sun and The rain 10. Tomorrows Just Another Day 11. Cardiac Arrest 12. Driving In My Car 13. Bed and Breakfast Man 14. Grey Day 15. NW5 16. Lovestruck 17. One Better Day 18. Michael Caine 19. The Return Of The Los Palmas 7 20. The Prince 21. Shut Up 22. Madness 23. Night Boat To Cairo
DVD The Vidz: 01. One Step Beyond 02. Baggy Trousers 03. House Of Fun 04. Embarrassment 05. My Girl 06. Our House 07. It Must Be Love 08. Wings Of A Dove 09. Sun and The rain 10. Tomorrows Just Another Day 11. Cardiac Arrest 12. Driving In My Car 13. Bed and Breakfast Man 14. Grey Day 15. NW5 16. Lovestruck 17. One Better Day 18. Michel Caine 19. Los Palmas 7 20. The Prince 21. Shut Up 22. Night Boat To Cairo
[Editor's note: the fantastic Madness 30th Anniversary logo was designed by Lee Jepson at Kayfabe Design--and he was kind enough to let us use it here.]
According to Jean-Pierre Boutellier of Skanews and the French Madness Fan Club (French MIS: French Madness Information Service), the Madness double-CD tribute album 30 Years of Madness (Big 8 Records) will be released on October 5, 2009 in record shops across France and on the web via the Amazon in France and other fine internet retailers.
JP reports that members of Madness have heard advanced copies of the record and "love it." At the moment, the CD is the top selling 'World Music' album on Amazon.co.fr.
For more background about this project, check out the interview I did with JP (who is one of the producers of the album) back in November 2008.
The Duff Guide to Ska hopes to be posting a review of 30 Years of Madness in the near future...
In the meantime, here's the tracklist:
CD 1
THE MIS MC'S: "We Love You Madness" Featuring Jonathan Young, Robert Hazelby, Lee "Loobyloo" Buckley & Daughter Danni, Arno & Jean Pierre Boutellier , Benoit “MR B” De Gauléjac, Steve Bringe, Graham Yates, Owen "The Nutter" Collins, Garry Scurfield of Shut Up & Vince Carden.
Backy Skank: "In The Rain" (McPherson/Madness) Boy In The Boat: "Day On The Town" (McPherson/Foreman) Cherry Boop and the Sound Makers: "Cardiac Arrest" (Smyth/Foreman) Desorden Publico: "It Must be Love" (Siffre) Ejectés: "The Prince" (Thompson) Freddy Loco featuring "Rocksteady" Freddie of NYSJE: "Return of the los Palmas 7"Barson/Woodgate/Bedford) Gordon: "Michael Caine" (Smyth/Woodgate) Indeed: "The Sun And The Rain" (Barson) Inspector: "Our House" (Smyth/Foreman) JAG: You Said (McPherson/Barson) Jah On Slide: "Bed and Breakfast Man" (Barson) JNEB: "In The City" (McPherson/Smyth/Barson/foreman/crutchfield/inoue) King Django: "Nakht Shifl Ken Kayro" (Night Boat To Cairo) (McPherson/Barson) Les Touffes Krétiennes: "On The Beat Pete" (Thompson/Madness) MOT: "Sign Of The Times" (McPherson/Barson) No Dread & Black Sifichi: "Never Ask Twice" (McPherson/Barson) Niko Costello: "Drip Fed Fred" (Thompson/Barson) Statuto: "Un Fiore Nel Cemento" (Johnny The Horse) (Smyth) The Chancers: "Deceive The Eye" (Foreman/Bedford) The Inflatables: "One Better Day" (McPherson/Bedford) The Opium Eaters: "The Opium Eaters" (Barson)
THE MIS PLAYERS: "02 Ole Ole Ole" (Finally The Weather) Featuring Jonathan Young, Micheal Gillis, Benoit “Mister B” De Gaulejac and the Madness fans in the 02 Arena 19th December 2008.
What They're Saying About My Book "The Duff Guide to 2 Tone"
“An essential read…Stephen's eye for detail is incredible and his love for 2 Tone oozes from each page.” — Kevin Flowerdew, Do the Dog Skazine
“Written with a personal touch and with great passion about the bands and releases while giving a lot of emphasis to the lyrics, Stephen’s book is a great guiding hand to navigating your way to some great new music.” — Peter Walsh, 2-Tone.info
“It's some of the finest Madness analysis I've ever read.” —Donald Trull, Stateside Madness
“Steve's own story would make a great book, but instead he's written The Duff Guide to 2 Tone, a 250+ page collection of 2 Tone-related pieces from his blog. There are reviews of original pieces, but the book's real purpose is to show how the 2 Tone sound and—more importantly its ideals—carry on today...Get this book right away!" — Charles Benoit, Reggae Steady Ska
"...Shafer has definitely not forgotten how socially conscious issues were at the root of Ska even from the beginning. He makes certain to thread the political issues that motivated the development of Ska throughout his narrative; painting a picture that took both the oppressive political environments and the often ecstatic musical content into account. And in that, he nails down for me what the enduring pull of Ska was to its many fans. Was there ever a more upbeat dance music that combined its boundless energy with a push for progressive social values and calling truth to power?" —Post-Punk Monk
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In the mail today, I received the first copy of my new paperback book The Duff Guide to 2 Tone --and am thrilled to announce that it is now...
About Your Duff Guide
Steve Shafer/The Duff Guide to Ska For most of the 1990s, I was the promotions, marketing, production guy for Moon Records (RIP). It was one of the best jobs I ever had. Seriously, I miss it badly. During 1999/2000, I ran 7 Wonders of the World Music, the first digital download-only ska label that was too ahead of the curve for its own good (RIP).
I filmed and edited this Toasters video for $2,500, which made its debut on MTV's 120 Minutes. I also put together these compilations for Moon: the first three Skarmageddons; Ska United: A Global Ska Sampler; Skank Down Under; This Are Moon Ska I, II, and III; and Moonshot!
Here's an old interview with Adam Monkey from Read Magazine that covers my days at Moon and 7 Wonders. I also did a somewhat more recent interview with Read Junk.
I've been interviewed about ska music and Moon Records for The New York Times, Heather Augustyn's "Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation," Aaron Carnes' "In Defense of Ska," Kenneth Partridge's "Hell of a Hat: The Rise of '90s Ska and Swing," and Marc Wasserman's "Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History" (I also wrote the introductory chapter "1985: The Year American Ska Broke" for Wasserman's book).
And I'm the author of "The Duff Guide to 2 Tone," which can be ordered from Amazon--and is available in the US from Jump Up Records, and in Europe from the 2 Tone Village Shop (Coventry, UK), Champion Sound Records (Hull, UK), Aggroshop (Nijmegen, Netherlands), and Copasetic Mailorder (Hamburg, Germany). Plus, my book was on sale in the museum shop for the "2 Tone: Lives & Legacies" exhibition (May 28 - September 12, 2021), curated by Simon Reynolds, Cory Barrett, Pete Chambers, Jennifer Otter Bickerdike and Daniel Rachel, at the Herbert Art Gallery Museum in Coventry, UK.
I'm now working on my next book, "Calling All the Rude Boys: The Duff Guide to The Toasters, 1981-1992," to be published in 2023.
If you have a ska or reggae release that you'd like me to consider reviewing, please send an e-mail to Steve at duffguidetoska@gmail.com. You should know that I am old school and prefer music in tangible formats (plus I might use your music when I DJ ska events). I'd also appreciate any news or tips you may have about bands.
All reviews and interviews posted on The Duff Guide to Ska are copyrighted and are the sole property of Steve Shafer. Please contact me for permission to reproduce anything on this blog.
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Check out The Duff Guide to Ska Video Channel for footage of ska bands in action in clubs around NYC, as well as unusual and rare ska videos from the 90s! Bands featured include The Toasters, The Bluebeats, The Forthrights, Across the Aisle, The Caroloregians, The Moon Invaders, The Rudie Crew, Tip the Van, Hey Stranger, Beat Brigade, Bigger Thomas, King Chango, The Scofflaws, UB40, The Hard Times, Jah Love and the Valentinians, The Shifters, Rudies Don't Care, Big Audio Dynamite, Stranger Cole and Patsy with Crazy Baldhead, Queen P of Ocean 11, King Hammond, The Snails, King Django, Doomsday! The Ultimate Tribute to Mephiskapheles Consisting of Former Members of Mephiskapheles, Destroy Babylon, The Frightnrs, The Pandemics, Los Skarroneros, The Bullbuckers, The Scofflaws, The Reggay Lords, The Copacetics, Rude Boy George, Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, The Specials, Roddy Radiation and Lynval Golding, The Ladrones, Chris Murray, Radio Riddler, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro, and Mickey Virtue, Barbicide, The Twilights, Bim Skala Bim featuring John Bunkley (Gangster Fun), The Pomps, and more!
To help promote the excellent Madness 30th Anniversary Tribute compilation (and functioning as a now belated Xmas present to the ska world and Madness fans in particular), the good folks over at French-MIS (Madness Information Service) and Big 8 Records are offering a free digital download of the unreleased version of the French band Indeed's cover of "The Sun and the Rain" (another cut of this song is included on the tribute album). So, to kick off the New Year, enjoy a guilt-free file sharing, kids!
