The North London seven piece, Madness, originally known as The Invaders, had a reputation for brilliant three minute singles in their glory days during the 80s, backed up by humorous videos. The Liberty of Norton Folgate is the album they were always capable of making but never quite managed.
Allmusic.com notes that it "is an album of craft — so much so that the album has no such stand-out hit single as Our House, but then again, those were different times.” Indeed they were. In the age of the download, singles have lost their value, but Liberty has already reached Gold status in Britain.
Ska Movement in England
Madness were essentially a British phenomenon with their peak years from 1979 to 1983. The band’s first two albums had not sold well in the States and they were subsequently dropped by Sire. The ska sound that they had perfected on One Step Beyond and Absolutely were exciting the pubs and clubs of London, but it was a movement that was still largely unknown in mainstream America.
Our House Reaches Top 10 in America
However, the pop sensibility of Our House had crossover appeal and thanks to heavy airplay by MTV, reached a high of number 7 on the Billboard Chart in 1983. New label Geffen rushed out the compilation album Madness to reintroduce the group to the American audience and it duly peaked just outside the top 40. One other minor hit, It Must Be Love, followed.
Main Songwriter Mike Barson Departs
That was as good as it got for the band across the pond and they even began to struggle on home soil. After main songwriter Mike Barson decided to quit the group in 1984 to live with his wife in Holland, the run of 20 top 20 singles was broken as was the will of the band. Their last studio album, Mad Not Mad, was a tinny, pre-programmed affair and received a lukewarm reception.
Madstock Concert Causes Earthquake
Twenty-three years on since the original spilt in 1986, Madness have reformed for one-off concerts, including Madstock in 1992, which started a mini-earthquake such was the foot-stomping intensity of the crowd, Christmas tours, and a 1999 album called Wonderful, spawning a classic pop single in Lovestruck, the band’s only UK top 10 single in the last 26 years.
Liberty of Norton Folgate Paints Picture of London
Despite keeping busy on solo projects, radio shows and TV appearances, main vocalist Suggs maintained that the band “had one good album left in us.” Almost three years in the pipeline, The Liberty Of Norton Folgate is an epic trawl through the streets of London, evoking images of every moving facet of street life from “night wanderers” and extortionists to flagrants selling dodgy DVDs.
The American audience that lapped up the English etiquette period pieces of EM Forster on film in the 80s and 90s would do well to lend an ear to the treasure chest of London history on offer here. Madness are true to their sound and although they may be pushing 50, there is a freshness to this record that displays mastery of the art of a pop record. It is timeless.
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