1) a British ba… Read Full Bio ↴At least four artists exist by this name on last.fm:
1) a British band
2) an American rapper
3) a Brazilian death metal group
4) a Mongolian rock band
1) Madness is a British pop and ska band from Camden Town, London, England that was formed in 1976. As of 2012, the group has continued to perform with their most recognised lineup of seven members, although that has varied slightly over the years. Known for their cheeky humour and musical eclecticism, the band members called a "dysfunctional family", the group was one of most prominent artists in the late-70s 2 Tone ska movement. As their career progressed, Madness moved closer toward conventional pop music and has become one of the most successful British bands of all time.
The guys achieved most of their success in the 80s, often picking up new wave fans who enjoyed the band's eclectic sound. Madness, in fact, spent exactly 214 weeks on the U.K. singles charts from 1980-89, thereby sharing the record for most weeks spent by a group in said charts with UB40. Examples of some of their most popular songs include 1979's "One Step Beyond", 1982's "Our House", and 1984's "Keep Moving".
Formation
The core of the band formed as "The North London Invaders" in 1976. This outfit included Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso) on keyboards and vocals, Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) on guitar and Lee Thompson (Kix) on saxophone and vocals. They later recruited John Hasler on drums and Cathal Smyth (better known as Chas Smash) on bass guitar. Later in the year, they were joined by lead vocalist "Dikron". This six-piece lineup lasted until part way through 1977, when Graham McPherson (better known as Suggs) took over the lead vocals after seeing the band perform in a friend's garden. Smyth, who was poor on bass guitar, was replaced by Gavin Rogers, an acquaintance of Barson. McPherson was kicked out of the band for too often choosing to watch football instead of rehearsing. As well, Thompson left the band after Barson criticised his saxophone playing.
By 1978, the band had allowed McPherson to return, after filling in temporarily for Hasler (who had taken over vocals when McPherson was removed). Thompson returned after patching things up with Barson, and Daniel Woodgate (Woody) and Mark Bedford (Bedders) also joined the band, on drums and bass guitar respectively. After briefly changing their name to Morris and the Minors, the band renamed itself as Madness; paying homage to one of their favourite songs by ska/reggae artist Prince Buster. The band remained a sextet until late 1979, when Chas Smash rejoined and officially became the seventh member of Madness as a backing vocalist and trumpet player.
Early success
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts at #16. A performance of "The Prince" on popular UK music show Top of the Pops helped Madness gain public recognition. Madness then toured with fellow 2 Tone bands The Specials and The Selecter, before recording their debut album, One Step Beyond..., which was released by Stiff Records. The album included a re-recording of "The Prince" and the band's second and third singles: "One Step Beyond" and "My Girl". The title song was a cover of the B-side of the 1960s Prince Buster hit "Al Capone". One Step Beyond... stayed in the British charts for over a year, peaking at #2. After the release of "My Girl", the band felt that they had exhausted the material from One Step Beyond..., and did not want to release any more singles from the album. However, Dave Robinson, head of Stiff Records, disagreed. Eventually, a compromise was made, and the band decided to release an EP featuring one album track and three new tracks. The result was the Work Rest and Play EP, which was headlined by the song "Night Boat to Cairo", from the One Step Beyond album. The EP reached #6 in the UK singles chart.
The following year, the band's second album, Absolutely reached #2 in the UK album charts. Absolutely spawned some of the band's biggest hits, most notably "Baggy Trousers"; which peaked at #3 in the UK singles chart. "Embarrassment" reached #4 in the charts, and the instrumental song "Return of the Los Palmas 7" climbed to #7.
Change of direction
In 1981, the band's third studio album, 7 reached #5 in the UK album charts and contained three hit singles. In an article in 1979, Chris Foreman explained that the band's music would move with the times, and change styles as time goes on. This was shown to be the case, as unlike the two ska-filled, fast-paced albums that preceded it, 7 was somewhat of a change in direction. Suggs' vocal performance changed significantly, and his strong Cockney accent from the previous albums had been watered down. The album strayed from the ska-influenced sound of One Step Beyond... and Absolutely, and moved towards a more conventional and mature pop sound; a trend that continued with subsequent albums. Near the end of 1981, Madness released one of their most recognised songs; a remake of Labi Siffre's 1971 hit "It Must Be Love". The song climbed to #4 in the UK and entered the US charts at #33. In 1982, Madness released their only #1 hit to date, "House of Fun"; as well as their fourth studio album The Rise & Fall. The album contained their most internationally successful single to date, "Our House", which reached #5 in the UK music charts and # 7 in the US charts. In 1983, their single "Wings of a Dove" peaked at #2 in the UK charts. Their following album, Keep Moving, peaked at #6 in the UK album charts, and several singles from that album reached the top 20 in the UK music charts.
Decline and breakup
In October 1983, the band's founder, keyboardist and prominent songwriter Mike Barson decided to leave the band, partly because he had relocated to Amsterdam, Netherlands. He officially left the band in June 1984, following the release of "One Better Day". The six remaining members left Stiff Records and formed their own label, Zarjazz Records, which was sub-label of Virgin Records. In 1985, the label released the band's sixth album, Mad Not Mad. Barson's keyboard parts were filled by synthesisers, and in later years, frontman Suggs described the production as "polished turd". The album reached #16 in the UK charts, which was the band's lowest position on the album charts to date. Despite the poor chart showing, the album was listed as #55 in NME's All Time 100 Albums. The singles for the album fared even worse, with "Yesterday's Men" peaking at #18 in the UK charts. The subsequent singles, "Uncle Sam" and "Sweetest Girl", failed to make the top 20, which was a first for Madness singles.
The band then attempted to record a new album, and 11 demo tracks were recorded. However, musical differences arose between band members, and in September 1986, the band announced that they were to split. Barson rejoined the band for a farewell single, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", but did not appear in the music video. The band officially split following the release of the single, which reached a high of #18 in the UK. In 1988, four members of the band — Suggs, Chas Smash, Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman — created a new band, using the name The Madness. After one self-titled album and two singles that failed to make the the top 40, the band split.
Reunions and The Dangermen
In early 1992, "It Must Be Love" was re-released and reached #6 in the UK singles chart. Following that, the singles compilation Divine Madness was released and peaked at #1 in the album charts. Madness then announced plans for a reunion concert, Madstock!, which was held at Finsbury Park, London on August 8 and 9 of that year. The original lineup reunited, performing together for the first time since Mike Barson left the band in 1984. Over 75,000 fans attended the weekend festival, and during "One Step Beyond", the crowd danced so much they caused an earth tremor which measured over 4 on the richter scale. A subsequent live album was released, and the associated single, "The Harder They Come" (a cover of Jimmy Cliff's 1973 song) reached #44 in the UK.
The band continued to reunite for annual UK Christmas season tours and held three more Madstock! festivals; in 1994, 1996 and 1998. In 1999, Madness released their first studio album since 1986, entitled Wonderful. The album reached #17 in the UK album charts, and the lead single, "Lovestruck", gave the band their first new top 10 hit in the UK since 1983. Neither of the two subsequent singles from the album, "Johnny The Horse" and "Drip Fed Fred", entered the top 40 of the UK charts.
From October 28, 2002 to August 16, 2003, a musical based on Madness songs, Our House, ran at the Cambridge Theatre in west London. Madness played a role in the executive production of the show, and Suggs played a role in the production for a period of time, playing the central character's father. It won an Olivier Award for best new musical of 2003, and the performance was released on DVD on November 1, 2004. There was also a previous musical based on Madness songs, One Step Beyond!, written by Alan Gilbey. The musical had a brief run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1993.
In 2004, the band played a series of low-key concerts as The Dangermen, performing covers of classic reggae and ska songs. A lot of the songs were those played by the band when they were first forming, and the band performed the songs as a celebration of their 25 year anniversary. This led to the release of the album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 in August 2005. However, during the sessions which produced the album, the band's guitarist Chris Foreman announced his departure. Foreman left the band in mid 2005, citing "the petty, time consuming bollocks that goes on in the band" in a statement announcing his decision to leave. The band completed the album without him, and on release, it peaked at #11 in the UK album charts, which was the band's highest studio album chart position in 21 years. Although two singles were released, neither was a major success in the UK. The more successful of the two, "Shame & Scandal", reached #38. Despite the poor chart showing, the single reached #12 in France.
In late 2006, this six remaining members of Madness began working on their first original album in seven years. However, for Madness' 2006 Christmas season tour, Foreman rejoined the band. In March 2007, the single "Sorry" was released from the band's upcoming album, peaking in the UK charts at #23. The single included a version featuring UK hip hop artists Sway DaSafo and Baby Blue. Both artists were included on the music video which accompanied the hip-hop version of the song, but not on the original music video. Both music videos were also without Chris Foreman, despite the fact that he was a band member at the time of release.
The new Madness song "NW5 (I Would Give You Everything)" and a re-recorded version of "It Must Be Love" were featured in the German film Neues vom Wixxer. The two songs were released in Germany as a double A-Side, and both of them were turned into music videos. While promoting "Sorry", Sway DaSafo confirmed in an interview with NME that he will perform in the recording of Madness' updated version of their song "Baggy Trousers", entitled "Baggy Jeans". The updated song will be featured on Madness' upcoming studio album, and also released as a single. DaSafo predicted the song will be a "huge smash gaurenteed", although the date of release is not yet known.
Lyrical themes
Although Madness were seen by many as somewhat of a humorous band with catchy, bouncy songs, they sometimes tackled, what were at the time, controversial issues in their lyrics. "Embarrassment" (from the "Absolutely" album) was written by Lee Thompson, and reflected the unfolding turmoil following the news that his teenage sister had become pregnant and was carrying a black man's child. The band discussed animal testing in the song "Tomorrow's Dream". The band criticized the National Health Service in "Mrs. Hutchinson"; which told the story of a woman who, after several misdiagnoses and mistreatment, became terminally ill. The story was based on the experiences of Mike Barson's mother. Madness' final single prior to disbanding, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", commented on apartheid in South Africa.
Skinhead controversy
Early in their career, Madness were linked to skinheads; members of a British working class subculture that the media often stereotyped as racist (although the clear majority of skinheads were anti-racist). Not only were Madness, along with other 2 Tone bands, popular with skinheads, but it was said that the band members themselves were associated with the subculture. The band's relationship with the skinheads varied at times. Mike Barson was particularly displeased with the band's skinhead following, often finding it disappointing that so many were present at performances. Prior to becoming a full member of the band, Chas Smash had been involved in fights with skinheads at performances. In one particular incident on November 18, 1979, Madness were supported by "Red Beans and Rice", who featured a black lead singer, and the band were prevented from completing the performance due to the racist chants from certain members of the skinhead filled audience. Suggs later came on stage to show his displeasure at their behaviour, but this didn't stop much of the audience from Nazi saluting at the end of the show.
In a 1979 NME interview, Madness member Chas Smash was quoted as saying "We don't care if people are in the NF as long as they're having a good time." This added to speculation that Madness was a racist band supporting the fascist group National Front, although the band members denied those allegations. Numerous fans felt upset that Chas Smash's views were mispresented by the media, with yellow journalists just looking for a story in their eyes. Smash responded to the NME article in the song "Don't Quote Me On That". Eventually, band members denied their skinhead roots, which disappointed much of their skinhead fan base. The issue faded as the years went by and the far-right skinhead groups failed completely in winning converts, their particular fringe shrinking massively while in the meantime Madness' international popularity grew.
Awards
The band's first notable musical award came in 1983 when they won an "Ivor Novello Award" for Best Song for the international hit "Our House". They received another "Ivor Novello Award" 17 years later for an "Outstanding Song Collection". In 2005, they were awarded the Mojo Magazine "Hall Of Fame" award, notably for being 'an artist's artist'. As of 2007, a campaign is taking place by fans of Madness for the band to be awarded a Brit award. Many fans and critics feel they have been overlooked over their past 30 years in the music industry.
Website
madness.co.uk
2) Madness is also the name of a hip-hop artist from Florida in the U.S. He has competed in many Grindtime Rap Battle events, and the rapper work is featured on the release 'Fresh Coast Perishables Volume One' as well as in his own underground albums.
3) Madness is a Brazilian death metal band.
4) Madness is a Mongolian rock band.
Visit to Dracstein Castle
Madness Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
somewhere in Germany
In a bucket, he he he
Hold up!
Shine the lamp in the air - Count Dracstein's Castle
Dissss issss assss far as I can go!
See de tramp here asleep on de bench?
The castle is just beyond heem
There are some thingssss about the casssstle
Yes, yes?
Some people dare not mention!
Like what?
I dare not mention!
Ha ha ha
Ding dong!
Hello, we're from the megaband Madness
Oh I see, you must have the wrong wing
Try further up, yes?
Ding dong!
Oh, you must be the Madness
No, we're exhausted!
Ha ha ha...
Bellboys come take their luggage into their rooms and kill 'em...
Oi! Rest your feet now and take off those heavy boots
No thanks I'd rather not
Get em' off you little rat!
Off with the boots! Off with the boots!
Pooooooooooo!!!!!
Jesus wept! Put 'em back on!
What is the meaning of this outrage?
Who are these people? What are you doing in my house?
I want you to leave this instant
Where did all these people come from?
I don't wish to see anyone anymore
Go immediately or I shall call the guards!
What is the meaning of this?
Where did all these people come from?
Get out of my bloody house immediately!
My dear guests here is the Lady Baron Von Robinstein
You can say that again!
Baron Von Robinstein....
You can say that again!
Baron Von Robinstein.....
You can say that again!
Baron Von Robinstein.......but alas!
Macbeth......!
Attention! Madam Varicose Vein.....
Butler! Bring me a lemon tea!
Have you no offered our guests a drink?
No..........er.......
Then do so!
Yes madam........
No doubt I've already been told I am Madam Varicose Vein.......
But for short you may call me Vu.......
If you desire, if you so desire
Ah.....hiya VB babe, my name is er Billy Bedds, if you call me lover, I'll pull your wig off
Hi, I'm Chris/Suggs.........
Hello, I'm Chris, and if you can reach a high 'F' you can treat me nice.....
Hi, I am Chris, you don't mess about with me, spin on that!
Ooh yes, what a lovely young girl.....
Hello! My name's Kix, I try to be like Chris
If you don't want an intelligent conversation, come knock on my four-poster immediately!
How come you're not the intelligent one?
Because I wrote this!
Hi I'm Woods, I make the four-poster bed, Woody Woodpecker if you like.....
Hi I'm crazy Carl........are you alright......
Haven't you got any Bob Hope here?
Or Bob Marley..........
Madam, your lemon tea and hot toddies are here for the guests......
Suggestive, digestives eh?
Eat, drink and be merry!!!
Guzzle, guzzle, guzzle
I've come over all giddy.......what odd-tasting toddy etc!
Weird........
Where on earth are we?
Lee?
It looks to me like the basement of the old Stiff Records......I just saw a rat....
Really?
It coulda been, it coulda well been....
Let's see what's behind that door
Let's take a look, yee-ha!
(Music plays 'The Conga' in the background)
What actually did this place used to be?
Torture chamber.....
Who's throwing the party then?
Virgin silly.......
Where's the grub then?
WHERE IS THE RECORD DECK!!!
And sounds more to the point.....
Who may I ask......actually owns this place?
We were under the impression it was Count Dracstein!!!!
And the girls.......?
He died over two hundred years ago......
And the food........?
WHERE'S THE YOUNG LADIES?!!!!!!
The song takes the form of a comedic dialogue with Count Dracstein in his castle. It starts with the band being invited to celebrate Christmas at the castle, but they eventually end up getting lost and stumbling upon a basement where they discover that the castle used to be a torture chamber. The dialogue becomes increasingly chaotic, with Count Dracstein getting angry and insisting that the band leave his house immediately. The lyrics are filled with humorous lines and absurd comments that make the song an entertaining listen.
The song is a satirical take on traditional horror and gothic themes, with the band poking fun at everything from vampires to ancient castles. The visit to the castle becomes a parody of the classic horror trope of innocent people being lured into a trap by a mysterious figure. However, in this case, the trap is revealed to be nothing more than a rather uneventful party with strange characters and questionable refreshments.
Overall, the song is a light-hearted and amusing take on horror traditions, making it a perfect fit for the band's unique style.
Line by Line Meaning
Hi, an invite to Christmas at Count Dracstein's
We received an invitation to Christmas at Count Dracstein's
somewhere in Germany
The location of the castle is somewhere in Germany
In a bucket, he he he
There is laughter as the person describes the invitation being delivered in a bucket
Shine the lamp in the air - Count Dracstein's Castle
The castle is identified by shining a lamp in the air
Dissss issss assss far as I can go!
The person is unable to go any further due to the location of the castle
See de tramp here asleep on de bench?
A tramp is seen sleeping on the bench nearby
Yes! Oh what a stink!
There is a bad odor coming from the tramp
The castle is just beyond heem
The castle is located beyond the sleeping tramp
There are some thingssss about the casssstle
There are secrets/mystery associated with the castle
Yes, yes?
The person listening to the artist is curious and prompting for details
Some people dare not mention!
There are things about the castle that some people are afraid to mention
Like what?
The person listening is prompting for more details
I dare not mention!
The singer is afraid to reveal the secrets about the castle
Ha ha ha
The singer laughs at the situation
Ding dong!
The doorbell rings
Hello, we're from the megaband Madness
The group announces their arrival
Oh I see, you must have the wrong wing
The person they are speaking to thinks they are in the wrong part of the castle
Try further up, yes?
They are directed to go further up in the castle
No, we're exhausted!
The group is tired
Ha ha ha...
Laughter is heard
Bellboys come take their luggage into their rooms and kill 'em...
A joking threat is made about what the bellboys will do with their luggage
Oi! Rest your feet now and take off those heavy boots
One of the guests is instructed to take off their boots and rest
No thanks I'd rather not
The guest declines to take off their boots
Get em' off you little rat!
They are forced to take off their boots
Off with the boots! Off with the boots!
More forceful instructions to take off the boots
Pooooooooooo!!!!!
A bad stench is detected
Jesus wept! Put 'em back on!
The bad odor causes them to change their mind about removing the boots
What is the meaning of this outrage?
The host is angry and demanding an explanation
Who are these people? What are you doing in my house?
The host is questioning the presence of the guests
I want you to leave this instant
The host demands that the guests leave immediately
Where did all these people come from?
The host is curious as to how the guests arrived
I don't wish to see anyone anymore
The host no longer wants any guests visiting
Go immediately or I shall call the guards!
The host threatens to call the guards if the guests don't leave
My dear guests here is the Lady Baron Von Robinstein
A lady is introduced to the guests
You can say that again!
The guests show amusement at the lady's name
Baron Von Robinstein....
The lady's name is repeated
but alas!
Sadness is implied
Macbeth......!
The play Macbeth is mentioned
Attention! Madam Varicose Vein.....
Another lady is introduced
Butler! Bring me a lemon tea!
A request for a drink is made
Have you no offered our guests a drink?
The butler is prompted to offer the guests a drink
No..........er.......
The butler didn't offer the guests a drink initially
Then do so!
They are instructed to offer the guests a drink
Yes madam........
The butler complies with the request
No doubt I've already been told I am Madam Varicose Vein.......
The lady is aware of her nickname
But for short you may call me Vu.......
The second lady suggests calling her Vu as a nickname
If you desire, if you so desire
The guests can call her by the suggested nickname if they prefer
Ah.....hiya VB babe, my name is er Billy Bedds, if you call me lover, I'll pull your wig off
One of the guests introduces himself in a jokey manner
Hi, I'm Chris/Suggs.........
Another guest introduces himself
Hello, I'm Chris, and if you can reach a high 'F' you can treat me nice.....
Chris makes an unusual joke about treating him nicely if you can sing a high note
Hi, I am Chris, you don't mess about with me, spin on that!
Chris makes another jokey introduction
Ooh yes, what a lovely young girl.....
An inappropriate comment about a girl is made
Hello! My name's Kix, I try to be like Chris
Another guest introduces himself and mentions trying to be like Chris
If you don't want an intelligent conversation, come knock on my four-poster immediately!
A guest jokes about having a different type of conversation
How come you're not the intelligent one?
Chris jokes back that Kix is not the most intelligent
Because I wrote this!
Kix explains he wrote the song they are singing
Hi I'm Woods, I make the four-poster bed, Woody Woodpecker if you like.....
Another guest introduces himself with a joke about making four-poster beds
Hi I'm crazy Carl........are you alright......
Another guest introduces himself in a strange way
Haven't you got any Bob Hope here?
A request is made for a specific person to be present
Or Bob Marley..........
Another person is requested
Madam, your lemon tea and hot toddies are here for the guests......
The drinks have arrived for the guests
Suggestive, digestives eh?
A play on words with the type of biscuits offered
Eat, drink and be merry!!!
A joyful expression encouraging guests to enjoy themselves
Guzzle, guzzle, guzzle
Another expression of enjoyment while drinking
I've come over all giddy.......what odd-tasting toddy etc!
One of the guests is feeling strange after drinking the toddy
Weird........
An expression of confusion or concern
Lee?
Someone is looking for Lee
It looks to me like the basement of the old Stiff Records......I just saw a rat....
The location is recognized as the basement of the old Stiff Records and a rat is seen
Really?
Someone is surprised by the location
It coulda been, it coulda well been....
Someone is uncertain about what they saw
Let's see what's behind that door
Someone suggests exploring what is behind a door
Let's take a look, yee-ha!
An expression of excitement about exploring
(Music plays 'The Conga' in the background)
Music is playing in the background
What actually did this place used to be?
Someone is curious about the history of the location
Torture chamber.....
The location was once a torture chamber
Who's throwing the party then?
Someone is trying to figure out who organized the party
Virgin silly.......
The party was thrown by the record label Virgin
Where's the grub then?
Someone is wondering where the food is
WHERE IS THE RECORD DECK!!!
Someone is looking for a record deck
And sounds more to the point.....
Someone is suggesting that music is more important than food
Who may I ask......actually owns this place?
Someone is questioning who owns the location
We were under the impression it was Count Dracstein!!!!
They believed Count Dracstein was the owner
And the girls.......?
Someone is questioning who the girls are
He died over two hundred years ago......
Count Dracstein died a long time ago
And the food........?
Someone is still wondering where the food is
WHERE'S THE YOUNG LADIES?!!!!!!
Someone is demanding to know where the young women are
Contributed by Xavier T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@richardfox913
OMG, I've never heard this extended track. Thank you for posting this!
@DanielMumby
Been looking for this for ages - thank you!
@jeremyadams932
I had no idea this song was so truncated on the box set. Thanks for this unexpected gem. I would love to hear more unedited flexi tracks :)
@Shiny317
any tracks from flexi that didn't get pulled for copyright are still up on my channel. Obviously it's for people that own it :P but if you have flashgot for firefox you can save the m4a audio and covert to mp3 and it saves cleaning or playing flexis. As noted most of my stuff hasn't been issued so it may be the only way to get it or save paying your are flexis.
@maddiebuyer84
There are some songs on the MIS Radio Players Cassette that have not been released elsewhere since