Well said!!! Steve Doidge -----Original Message----- From: Mason, Iain <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: 'Madness' <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: 03 November 1999 15:42 Subject: [total-madness] They'll always be Wonderful After reading all the mails about the disappointing chart posting for JTH, lack of promotion for Wonderful, crapness of today's music etc I'd just like to add my 2p's worth. (In fact it's more like �1.50's worth, so please bear with me...) During the recent Radio 2 interview, Carl himself says he's very proud of the new album and that's all that matters to him - it doesn't matter if it's a commercial success or not. Suggs also says it's very easy to become wrapped up in the charts, examining every individual sale and tiny movement of your record. And surely that's the whole point. Who needs charts to tell us that Madness are a great band? Yeah, I'd love it if JTH was No1 and a host of teenagers were suddenly converted and rushed out to buy the album. But if it doesn't happen I'm not gonna be too upset and throw away my pork pie hat. The band are happy with it and have come back for the right reasons, for the people who really matter; themselves, their families and US - their fans. Madness have got nothing to prove. They've been there, done it all and grabbed a place in pop history already. Today's miming munchkins would gladly swap their dance routines and empty lyrics for a tiny slice of what Madness have achieved. What other band could still be so loved after 20 years? Just look at the reviews - not a sneer among them. The press have rushed to embrace the lads all over again, like the long-lost friends they truly are. Yeah okay, the charts are packed with the latest teeny pop sensations. But how long do these cheesy flavours-of-the-month last? Until the next cheesy flavour-of-the-month comes along. Don't get me wrong, these slick marketing creations have their place and always have. (Bros anyone?) But we all know they don't stick. As their pre-pubescant fans get older and wiser, or a prettier boy band comes along, they are replaced. This lucrative cycle is how the record companies make their money - and they'd be daft not to do it. Madness won't replace 'em - but they will outlast 'em. Artists like Madness just keep going, untouched by fads and fashion, not relying on any new craze or Latino dance step and existing on only one thing: Talent. It might not be reflected in the charts, but to the people who know and matter - that's you and me, folks - they are always No1. Just like today's record-buyers, I'm sure lots of us seriously got into the band and jumped aboard the nutty train when we were still at school, ''pulling hair and eating dirt'' ourselves. But the difference is that as we grew, so did the band. That - along with cracking records and a b****y good laugh - is I'm sure why we love 'em. Yeah, they could easily have stayed doing the Two-Tone thing - and would have been part of a craze that lasted as long as The Bodysnatchers. But Madness are a one-off, a splendid institution that hit a nerve and found a place inside us all. If we bought the records just 'cos we fancied Suggs in 1981, or thought Carl was a cool dancer I don't think we'd be talking here today or turning up at the gigs in our thousands. Can you honestly see Steps, Five, 911, Westlife, S Club 7 or any of the other manufactured teeny bands returning for a two-day sell-out reunion concert in seven years' time? Will 60,000 people turn up to welcome them back, sing along to every song (more than certain bands do today) and cause a small earthquake? Will grown men embrace in tears? I think we all know the answer. Think back to how you felt when they walked back on that London stage after seven years away - that's why being a Madness fan is worth any amount of disappointing singles sales . We feel like we know 'em - they're as familiar as any childhood friend. That's why we all pretended to be Suggs in the playground - and 10 years later, did it all again as grown-ups in Finsbury Park and every concert since. Billie, Britney and Co are in today's charts because they're right for this time and place - and that's all. They'll have their 15 minutes of fame and disappear as a marketing supremo in an office somewhere thinks up a new gimmick. But you can't pigeon hole Madness - and you never could. Two Tone? Ska? Jazz? Cheeky chappies? Gloomy satirists? Brilliant singles band? All of that and lots, lots more - and that's why we all rushed down to HMV last Monday morning. Madness aren't just a band, they're a part of British life. Think HP sauce; black cabs; red buses; eggs, bacon, beans and a fried slice and there's Madness right among 'em. Do you honestly know anyone who really hates the band? Who can't hum at least one song? When John Lennon sings their praises and groups like Blur and Supergrass are inspired by them, you know they've got to be doing something right. So don't worry if JTH makes it no higher than No44, or the next single doesn't even chart. I doubt if Bedders is hunched round the radio waiting for the Top 40 every Sunday, or Woody spends his week frantically flicking through Ceefax for the album sales. They've been there, done that and are now enjoying the encore they so richly deserve. I, for one, am just happy to have the chance to enjoy another ride on the rollercoaster that is Madness. Be proud - be nutty! (Phew. I feel better for that) Iain - ______________________________________________________________ Visit the Total Madness Mailing List website for: latest news, madmeet info, list charter, games, and more ... http://members.xoom.com/totalmadmail/ Contact the TMML Moderators at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and in the message body put: unsubscribe total-madness - ______________________________________________________________ Visit the Total Madness Mailing List website for: latest news, madmeet info, list charter, games, and more ... http://members.xoom.com/totalmadmail/ Contact the TMML Moderators at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and in the message body put: unsubscribe total-madness
