Madness - 7
#473
By Michael Gaynor
October 2 1981
Madness (“Madness, Madness, they call it Madness!”)
7 (idk why, 7 members on cover?)
Genre: Bluebeat
Allen’s Rating: 2 out of 5
Michael’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Highlights:
Cardiac Arrest
Shut Up
Grey Day
Benny Bullfrog
Full disclosure: I once spent a couple hours watching every Madness video on youtube (and it was pre-covid so I’m pretty sure there were other things I could have been doing). I love English bands that are huge at home but are one-hit wonders who can’t get arrested over here (see also: Dexys). I played the shit out of “One Step Beyond…” on the cassette deck in my mom’s minivan in high school.
7 is two steps beyond and pre-“Our House” (which can never, ever be overplayed it’s so musically and lyrically beautiful).
“Cardiac Arrest” has the signature bluebeat bounce.
“Shut Up” has music hall echoes and a classicalish piano riff.
“Grey Day” has a darker reggae sound (as does the bass line in “Day on the Town”).
“Benny Bullfrog” is your typical “nutty” Madness tune (like “Chipmunks Are Go” on “One Step Beyond”).
Great album? No. Good album by a great band? Yes.
p.s. Grateful to The Listening Post for making me research this album, “It Must Be Love” is a fave (song AND video), it wasn’t on this album originally (only 1st 13 tracks) but it’s on there on spotify, anyway I discovered to my delight and surprise that it’s actually a cover of an early 70s English hit by Labi Siffre, a Black, gay musician/poet/playwright! It’s a lovely song, check it out! (Maybe you all already knew this.)
https://open.spotify.com/album/5TdKeSLPSowWxKkenaEK04?si=ozb9uSc3Qp68mN_08HTc1A
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