Customer Reviews

Absolutely

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

 

 

I believe Madness started things powerfully with "One Step Beyond" and "Absolutely." Their vibrant spirit dwindled a bit with each release afterwards, until I hardly recognized their sound by the time "Our House" became a hit in 1983.

While "One Step Beyond" is my personal favorite release by Madness, this album comes in a very close second. The opening song "Baggy Trousers" foretells the prankster essence of the entire CD--- where "One Step Beyond" had the soul of happy-go-lucky nutzy young men, "Absolutely" brings out a rowdier, slightly brattier crew, yet still shining that innocent funboy spirit.

The songs on this CD were never hits here in the U.S.A., which means there are a lot of past & modern day ska fans missing out. The show stealer is "On the Beat Pete," the leader of the high-gear songs like "E.R.N.I.E" and "Not Home Today."

I hate to spend to much time pointing out which song rules over another on "Absolutely," only because this is a fantastic and one of the most underrated albums within the 1970s-80s ska archive. This CD is just plain fun. Give it a go!

When I bought Madness 1st album, I thought there was nowhere to go but down. How could they possibly improve on a debut where EVERY song was so good, it just had to be played over and over? Then I heard Baggy Trousers on the Rodney on the ROQ show and I knew they did it again. I was never really sure which album was better until I found myself playing it twice as much over the next 18 years!!! If you like the first album, you HAVE to get this one or you will be seriously denying yourself the joy and pleasure that only a truly great record can bring. By my definition, a record you can listen to over and over for 18 years and never gets old or out-dated. Buy it before its out of print forever!!!!

Two more masterly remastered and expanded reissues from Madness, and once again, their new parent label Salvo does a fantastic job. Absolutely and 7 were the sophomore and junior (third) efforts from Camden Town's Nutty Boys, and instead of proving the rule that the second outing is usually nowhere near as good as the first, they disproved it by a landslide. (Quite possibly the worst mixed metaphor I've ever committed to paper... Oops, there I go again!)

Absolutely, released in late 1980, featured the singles "Baggy Trousers," "Embarrassment" (one of my top Madness tunes) and "The Return of the Los Palmas 7," and continued the band's chart reign. Bubbly, fun melodies were still to the fore, but beginning to get noticed was the melancholy subject matter. Sure, they didn't say directly that the girl got knocked up and made her family look bad in "Embarrassment," but that's clearly the story. "In the Rain," a different recording than the one that appeared prior as a B-side (though both are here), also isn't exactly chipper. Whatever--Madness still had it goin' on.

In 1981 they released 7, their third longplayer and another successful outing. More big singles here, including "Cardiac Arrest" and "Shut Up" (a lot like "Embarrassment" and another Marsh-certified goodie), kept Madness in the NME and other papers, and paved the way for eventual US success ("Our House" from the following album). They hadn't changed the formula yet, and since these two albums followed in such quick succession, nobody seemed to notice. Original label Stiff could barely keep up with these guys, nor could those of us over here who'd already discovered them despite little or no promotion from American label Sire.

Salvo's treatment of the band's catalog so far has been great... all the videos are on the corresponding CDs, bonus tracks are in abundance (Absolutely features seven bonus cuts plus a 21-song live show from London), the notes and photos of ephemera are also plentiful, and the mastering is superb. No qualms here at all! Can't wait to hear and see what they do with The Rise and Fall. Review originally appeared on [...]

Having followed Madness from the beginning through to their embarassing demise (after the departure of Mike Barson). I have to say - 20 years on this CD is still the best they did. One Step Beyond was great - always a classic, but the songs on Absolutely make this a great CD. The next CD Madness 7 had it's moments - both good and bad but this was Suggs & Co. at their very best. Great band, great memories.

Certainly, it doesn't radiate the same sort of classicism that made One Step Beyond so exceptional, but there's lots of nice stuff here nonetheless. Baggy Trousers and Embarassment are both classic singles, and songs like Close Escape, Solid Gone, and Shadow of Fear are the sort of fun ska-pop that make Madness so irresistable. Worthwhile.

I've been a fan of Madness since the '80s and I have never heard the songs on "Absolutely" sound as good as they do here. If you're wondering if you should replace your old CDs with this new remaster, my response is an unqualified "yes"!
In addition to some nice bonus tracks, the second disc is a complete BBC concert from 1980. It's fantastic. Getting to hear Madness play live during their early years is a treat. If you're a fan of Madness, this new remaster is a must.

Union Square has done it again with great re-mastering, excellent packaging, and the inclusion of a complete concert from 1980 at the Hammersmith Odeon. While the Bonus studio tracks on this one are not as all encompassing as those on One Step Beyond they still cover pretty much all the material from that time period in Madness lore. The live disc is a great snapshot of a very talented and very young (at the time) band. Well done.