From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
One Step Beyond... is the 1979 debut album by the British ska group Madness. The album is often regarded as their best album. It was ranked 90th in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time. The album peaked at number 2 and remained in the British record charts for over a year. One Step Beyond... has a much heavier ska influence than later Madness albums. It was also the first album produced by the team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who would go on to work with groups such as Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Dexys Midnight Runners and Bush, as well as producing all but one of Madness' subsequent albums.
The title track, released as a single, was originally written and recorded by the Jamaican ska musician Prince Buster. It was their second single after "The Prince" which was a tribute song to this musician.
[edit] Track listing
- "One Step Beyond" - 2:18 (Campbell)
- "My Girl" - 2:44 (Barson)
- "Night Boat to Cairo" - 3:31 (Barson, McPherson)
- "Believe Me" - 2:28 (Barson, Hasler)
- "Land of Hope and Glory" - 2:57 (Foreman, Thompson)
- "The Prince" - 3:18 (Thompson)
- "Tarzan's Nuts" - 2:24 (Barson)
- "In the Middle of the Night" - 3:01 (McPherson, Foreman)
- "Bed and Breakfast Man" - 2:33 (Barson)
- "Razor Blade Alley" - 2:42 (Thompson)
- "Swan Lake" - 2:36 (Tchaikovsky arr. Barson)
- "Rockin' in A-flat" - 2:29 (Wurlitzer)
- "Mummy's Boy" - 2:23 (Bedford)
- "Madness" - 2:38 (Campbell)
- "Chipmunks Are Go!" - 0:51 (Smyth)
- Chas Smash did not appear with the rest of the group on the front cover, as at the time of release he was not a full member. However, he features on the cover's reverse in various dancing poses.
- "The Prince" is sometimes referred to as "Prince" on track listings.
- "Bed & Breakfast Man" was earmarked to be a single release after the "Work, Rest & Play" EP but the decision was cancelled despite a promo video being made for the song.
- "Land of Hope and Glory" was written by Thompson about his real-life experience in borstal after being convicted of theft as a teenager.
- Track 11 is a ska version of Pyotr Tchaikovsky theme from the Swan Lake ballet and is based on an earlier version by ska group The Cats, though Barson is credited for Madness' arrangement.
- "Rockin' in A Flat" is a cover of a song by the group Bazooka Joe, which was for a time fronted by Dan Barson, brother of Madness' Mike Barson. Another member of this group was Stuart Goddard, later to find fame as Adam Ant.
- The song heard between the two last titles on the album's original track list is "Madness", a cover of the Prince Buster song. While it is not listed on the UK LP sleeve or label, it was appended to the U.S. Sire LP release and later releases on CD. This recording is different from the version found as the B-side of the "The Prince" single.
- UK LP has following matrix inscriptions; A matrix: "THAT NUTTY SOUND...", B matrix: "DIRECT FROM CAMDEN TOWN".
- On the 12 inch vinyl the sides are divided after track seven.
[edit] Personnel
- Suggs (Graham McPherson) – lead vocals
- Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso) – keyboards
- Chris Foreman (Chrissie Boy) – guitar
- Mark Bedford (Bedders) – bass guitar
- Lee "Kix" Thompson – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, backing vocals, lead vocals on tracks 5 and 10
- Daniel Woodgate (Woody Woods Woodgate – drums, percussion
- Chas Smash – backing vocals,various shout and fancy footwork, lead vocals on tracks 1 and 15
- John Hasler - minder
[edit] Singles
Singles from the album:
- "One Step Beyond" / "Mistakes" (October 26, 1979)
- "My Girl" / "Stepping Into Line" (December 21, 1979)
- Work, Rest and Play EP: "Night Boat To Cairo" / "Deceives The Eye" / "The Young and The Old" / "Don't Quote Me On That" (1980)
[edit] References
