Madness - Madstock! (1992) {2015, Reissue}

Madstock! is a live album by ska/pop band Madness, released on 2 November 1992. The album includes highlights from Madness' first concerts since their disbanding in 1986, on 8 and 9 August 1992 at Finsbury Park in London. The bill included Flowered Up, Gallon Drunk, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, Morrissey and Madness. At the Saturday show, Morrissey wrapped himself in a Union Jack flag, attracting a group of right-wing types to gather close to the stage. This controversy ended up garnering more attention than the re-union of Madness. The album reached #22 in the UK album charts. "The Harder They Come", a cover of the Jimmy Cliff song, was released as the only single off this album and reached #44 in the UK charts.

The summer of 1992 marked the first public appearance by all seven "nutty boys" since pianist Mike Barson left the band in 1984. It was a jubilant reunion, drawing 72,000 rabid fans for two jammed concerts in Finsbury Park and creating enough noise to register a 4.5 on the Richter scale. The primary objective of longtime Madness producers Clive Langer and Alan Wistanley in producing Madstock! seems to have been to capture the atmosphere of the massive summer party by turning the crowd into the eighth member of the band. On that level, the album is a smashing success, painting a vivid portrait of the event that transports the listener into the boisterously sweaty masses. The enormous audience is a constant presence on the disc, singing along cheerfully, chanting "Madness," and generally venting eight years of pent-up enthusiasm for the band. As for the band's performance, it benefits from the sheer adrenaline rush of playing their first concert in eight years in front of 36,000 adoring fans. These guys were juiced, and it shows. In the case of lead singer Graham "Suggs" McPherson, it shows perhaps a bit too much, despite his attempts to sound blasé about the whole thing in his glib comments between songs. Suggs sounds hoarse and out of breath for much of the show, and struggles to get through the band's sole American hit "Our House." But Suggs' decision to sacrifice vocal quality for exuberance is more excusable than the unimaginative arrangements of the songs, which vary little from the original studio recordings. Moreover, the singles-heavy song selection ("Close Escape," "Madness," and the Jimmy Cliff cover "The Harder They Come" are the only non-singles on the record) is a little boring for serious fans. Casual fans will probably want to skip Madstock! altogether and opt instead for the studio recordings. But for diehards who missed the event, the album is worth buying just for the crowd noise. ~ Evan Cater, All Music

Track List

01. One Step Beyond… [3:33]
02. The Prince (Madstock 1992) [2:33]
03. Embarrassment (Madstock 1992) [3:18]
04. My Girl (Madstock 1992) [2:58]
05. The Sun And The Rain (Madstock 1992) [3:27]
06. Grey Day (Madstock 1992) [5:15]
07. It Must Be Love (Madstock 1992) [3:38]
08. Shut Up (Madstock 1992) [3:37]
09. Driving In My Car (Madstock 1992) [3:40]
10. Bed And Breakfast Man (Madstock 1992) [2:29]
11. Close Escape (Madstock 1992) [2:54]
12. Wings Of A Dove (Madstock 1992) [3:26]
13. Our House (Madstock 1992) [3:32]
14. Night Boat To Cairo (Madstock 1992) [3:44]
15. Madness (Madstock 1992) [3:08]
16. House Of Fun (Madstock 1992) [2:55]
17. Baggy Trousers (Madstock 1992) [2:39]
18. The Harder They Come (Madstock 1992) [5:50]
Bonus Tracks
19. Land of Hope & Glory [4:05]
20. Razor Blade Alley (previously unreleased) [2:58]
21. Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) [3:23]
22. Take It Or Leave It [3:52]