IT'S
MADNESS - BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT by Marjorie
Kerr.
One of
the first singles I ever owned was Baggy Trousers by Madness. And as a result I
now have a soft spot for Suggs and the boys despite his stint on Channel Fives
karaoke programme Night Fever.
But I
can't quite make my mind up on Drip Fed Fred, the new single from
Madness.
The
song has a all the modern day Madness qualities but lacks the classic ska beats
that made them the success they were in the 80's. vocals on the tune are by Ian
Dury who sounds remarkably like Keith Allan on Vindaloo (?) which is probably
the reason why I'm not too sure about this track.
I
prefer Madness when Suggs's tuneless but, characteristic, tones are the main
source of vocals rather than the very hoarse Cockney-sounding Ian
Dury.
The
only word to describe the lyrics is strange. Basically the narrative-style setup
depicts a gang of criminals trying to elect a leader to control their unruly
mob.
The
music helps carry the story very well with a particularly good instrumental
arrangement when Fred is dying.
this is
the type of tune Madness do best.Their songs are not just a string of random
lyrics
but
each track actually tells a story - first captured in the House of Fun in the
mid 80's.
My
favourite song from the single is Elysium. It kind of reminds me of a kids
programme called Book Tower about fifteen years ago. This is Madness at
their best. The build up to Elysium sounds like a funky version of Imagine and
changes into Variations on a Theme by Julian Lloyd Webber before branching out
into a similar tune to One Step Beyond. (???)
If they
release Elysium on its own without Fred then I'll certainly be buying it. But as
for Drip Fed Fred - I'm still undecided. Why try to improve on perfection Suggs?
Re-release the old tracks to an unsuspecting generation now...and give us the
Madness that we all love to hate.
What
more can i say....is she reviewing DDF/Elysium or another
single????
Comments please!!!!!!!
Stu.
A
geordie in Scotland
