Customer Reviews

Absolutely

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When this album was released in 1980 I remember there being much discussion at school about which album was better: this one or their first, One Step Beyond. Opinion was always divided, pretty much 50/50, so we never got a majority decision either way. Even amongst long term Madness fans, I think that still holds true today.

However, for me, this has always been the better of the 2 albums. All songs here are Madness originals (One Step Beyond had some, admittedly very good, covers) and showcased over an entire album what brilliant songwriters they all were.

There were 3 singles taken from this album, 2 of which (Baggy Trousers and Embarrassment) rank amongst their very best (and they had a lot of singles!). The third (Return of the Los Palmas 7) was a great instrumental, the single version being (I think) a complete rerecording of the album version, which is shorter and has a more low key and laid back sound to it (you can almost feel the smoky atmosphere of the jazz club that they could be playing in).

Every Madness album has one track that positively screams at you 'Should Have Been a Single!'. On One Step Beyond it was Bed and Breakfast Man. Here it is E.R.N.I.E., a great music hall style song about the Premium Bond number generator machine (I kid you not). At the time, I actually thought this should have been chosen over Los Palmas 7 as the third single. It is such a little gem of a song, and is really worth hearing if you have never listened to this album before.

What I think sets Absolutely apart from other Madness albums is the sheer number of would-be singles. Almost every track could have been one. As well as E.R.N.I.E., there's Close Escape, Not Home Today (a beautifully melancholy song), On The Beat Pete, Take It Or Leave It (a great opener to 'side 2'), Disappear (I know a number of fans who, even to this day, rate this as Madness's best ever song), You Said and, my favourite track from the album, In the Rain (Suggs even sings it with a cold for some added authenticity!).

This 30th Anniversary edition also has all the B-sides of the singles and a great BBC recording of a Hammersmith Odeon concert from December 1980 (the end of a year when Madness had completely dominated the singles charts).

It has often been said that Madness were a great singles band. Do you know what, I completely agree. This album's got 14 of 'em!

Well, what is there to say about this album? It is a Madness Masterpiece. Three top-twenty singles taken from this album alone do it credit ('Baggy Trousers', 'Embarrassment' and 'Return of the Los Palmas 7'), but there are many other great tunes to choose from.

'On The Beat Pete' is a stomping Ska/Pop tune to really get your teeth into; 'You Said' is another darker song for the fans and non-fans alike; 'Disappear' will lull and calm you with its bright tones and lucid rhythms; 'In The Rain' sings of the all-to-often bleak weather one experiences as a youth in Blighty.

Simply excellent, simply Madness at their greatest. Forget the Best Of's and the Greatest Hits, this is the album for those fans who want to leave the fake fans behind and explore that long-and-winding road to Madness themselves.

Many records of the time capture the feeling of the early 80s, but this one does that time period justice - truly a heavenly record.

If you think of Madness as a singles band,think again.
This album is absolutely crammed with well-crafted tunes that reflect both the melancholy and more frivolous approach that really define the band.Highlights include Close Escape Not Home Today,Take It Or Leave It,the classic singles Baggy Trousers and (The peerless) Embarrassment,and Disappear,arguably the bands best ever track.
I've had the album since 1981 and now on CD and although Madness's time has been and gone,it still stands up today,and i can literally smell those school corridors it reminds me of !

This is Madness at their best - they'd freed themselves from the constraints of trying to be a ska band (they never really were) - and became a pop band (which underneath it all, they always were). Brilliant tunes, great singles and top production - it still sounds fantastic today.

I bought this yesterday, having not heard this album for thirty years! It greeted me like an old friend. This wonderful, lovingly expanded edition includes the original album (such greats as Baggy Trousers, Embarrassment, E.R.N.I.E) as well has a host of B sides and oddities, three DVD promo films AND a whole 21 track BBC live in concert covering material from the first two albums. Great sleeve notes as well. Priceless! Who could ask for more?

I remember buying this the day it was released back in the early 80's and its as good now as it was then. It was this album that inspired me to go to my very first concert and madness were as brilliant live as they were on record. If you only ever buy one madness album, make it this one. A combination of well known chart hits and great album tracks although in fairness I think that almost every track on this album would have been strong enough to release as a single.

Absolutely, the second studio album from Madness is perhaps one of their strongest. It features hit singles Baggy Trousers, Embarrassment, and the Return of the Los Palmas 7, amongst many great album tracks. There isn't a bad song on this album with most of them have a 'single' quality written all over them. My personal favourites are 'On The Beat Pete', 'Disappear' and 'You Said' all brilliant songs.

In addition to the original album you get the b-sides to the singles which are equally just as strong, along with a live recording of them in concert featuring songs from the album.

All of this for such a low price, there's no excuse not to buy!

I couldn't resist buying this. I have the LP, the CD and the tape. I remember when I bought the LP. Every song is classic Madness.
I still know the words to all of them even though the years have passed.....
This is THE Madness album for me.

Truly magical from a time in the British music industry when the bands made some real music. The best British band at the top of their game.

I have Absolutley on LP from the first release back in the day so to complete my collection of CDs from madness just takes you back in time and I am there with Two-Tone Suit and Crombie stomping away to that nutty sound, keep it up boys The Liberty of Norton Folgate just shows you have lost that sound cannot wait for MADSTOCK in July, Victoria Park Here I come

By the time this was released, Madness had a huge recording budget. This meant their best songs got the best production possible: you can hear every subtle bit of fun on these tracks.

This was the phase before they went a bit serious and still enjoyed singing about quirky, unusual and strange aspects of life, all with the sense of fun and stupidity of a Carry On film.

The hit singles are there, and album tracks like In the Rain and Disappear are better than their later singles.