Madness - the Kinks of the '80s?

Wish I could find out what this is too - I'd love a copy.

There were a number of Rise And Fall tracks on the US comp (plus some 'hits') simply named Madness. I wonder if it was to promote that?



http://www.discogs.com/Madness-Madness/master/19938

 

Sorry.......I was sort of joking. My Oasis being the Kinks of the 90s-00s was about Oasis being the later day group featuring 2 brothers who hated each other.

 

As soon as I heard them, I thought Slade! With The Jam to an extent - but Beatles I still can't see at all... not even Don't Look Back In Anger.

 

If anybody was The Kinks of the 90s, it was Pulp

 

Madness were good,but their lyrics were not on the same level of songs like "Sunny Afternoon","Waterloo Sunset",or "Celluloid Heroes".For me the only band of the era that fits the bill would be Squeeze.

 

What about The Specials? Terry Hall?

 

That would fit your theory of it getting worse by the decade.

I think finding a band that is witty, clever AND southern makes it hard - Pulp, Richard Hawley, Elbow, Arctic Monkeys all have well crafted, clever and/or witty lyrics but are Northern. Southern English whimsy long ago turned into laddish Estuary patois.

 

ad parklife: i always thought the melody of it was "inspired" by a song on the swell maps debut "a trip to marineville"

 

This is a great new release from Cathal Smyth (Chas Smash)...
http://www.qthemusic.com/9873/liste...rtable-man-plus-read-his-guide-to-the-record/

I certainly hear the influence of some of the more melancholic Kinks songs along with a dash of Michael Nyman

 

That's madness

 

Totally true.

 

I really like it. Very good.

 

That would be Weller not Madness

eg

 

This is a great interview he did to promote the album:
https://soundcloud.com/cathalsmyth/robert-elms-cathal

 

Madness was great. Never got the Jam.

 

i agree with you

 

I'd equate squeeze with the 80's kinks

 

To be fair there's not too many songs as good as Waterloo Sunset by anyone. You can make a case for both Squeeze and Madness, imho. Difford and Tilbrook were fantastic songwriters but I don't remember them sharing the same vaudevillian influence that Madness did.

 

They were great lyrically, too. I remember visiting Camden during a holiday around 1986, walking around when I noticed a sign that said "Arlington House" - I realized I had stepped right into the scene described in "One Better Day" and I appreciated just how vivid those lyrics were.

 

That's exactly what I was going to say, but I only know Madness from a couple of singles.

 

"The feeling of arriving when you've nothing left to lose".. great line.

 

I'd really recommend delving deeper, there's some brilliant stuff there.

 

Oh, you mean they were England's Black Crowes.

 

And "The Rise and Fall" is a beautiful reflection on childhood - inspired by Carl Smyth revisiting childhood haunts in Liverpool, if I recall correctly.

 

You know what, I've been a fan since I was a kid and I don't recall ever knowing Chas had a connection with Liverpool