Afternoon punters! Below is an article. Please have a read.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ One Step Beyond Too Far? Ageing nutty boys across the country may be shaking in their boots at the very thought of it. The once carefree youths of the 1980's have since grown out of their pork-pie hats and Fred Perry tops, and exchanged them for mortgages, wives, sometimes children, and a quiet pint on a Sunday afternoon down the local pub. Yet on the crest of the semi-commercial trend of un-inspired West End shows like AbbaMania, Taboo and We Will Rock You, the 80's pop band MADNESS have wandered into that most sacred of arena's ? the Theatre. OUR HOUSE claims to be "the first new musical in decades which celebrates London". It goes on to be described as "a pacey, hilarious and often touchingly romantic journey through one boy's London life. " Which is what it is. It is the story of Joe and his girlfriend Sarah who live in London, and follows the two very different courses his life could have taken following a petty crime. It is essentially a love story to the backdrop of Madness' hit songs. But just how seriously can we take this as an attempt at creative theatricals, rather than just another attempt at fleecing the pockets of the fans, or the execution of a massive marketing strategy? If we take a look at Madness' recent history, we can see that they have played four final farewell concerts in London's Finsbury Park. In between that they have released no less than five 'Greatest Hits' albums, all of which were the same album but with a different cover. Coupled with this, their serious but failed attempt to break back into the UK music scene in 1999 with the release of their last album Wonderful, various promotional TV appearances including performances on Top of the Pops. Sandwiched between a US West Coast rapper and your typical squeaky-clean boy band, did not do them any favours as "everyone's favourite band". Indeed, they were largely greeted by a chorus of "Who are these old blokes?" by the TOTP audience to "What ARE they trying to do?" by the people in the crowd at Jools Holland's Late Night Show. Apathy and bewilderment has been by far the most common response by those who agree that they were good in their day, but should really be sunning it up in the Bahamas by now with a Tequila Sunrise and an unfeasibly large cigar. The truth is though, that had Madness been doing it all for the first time in 2002, then they would undoubtedly all have become millionaires overnight. Unfortunately for them, in 1979 the music scene was slightly different. It cost 20p for a 7" single compared to �3.49 for the CD equivalent today. Back then, you had to sell about 300,000 copied of a single to challenge for the coveted Number 1 slot. These days you can sell 10,000 copies and be in with a chance. This, of course, is not a reflection on Madness' talent or marketability. It is, however, a sad indictment of the music industry as a whole throughout the UK today. Honest, hard working bands, which wrote and performed their own songs, are no longer looked upon as a requirement to the invisible men who sit up top locked in their grey offices, deciding what the nation should listen to. Bands are not even picked any more based on the appeal factor to the 13 - 18 age group. Nor are they picked for their rebellious qualities. Instead they are plucked from dance lessons, acting courses and singing lessons, they are then transformed into 'talents' (sic) by the amazing use of make-up and mixing rooms with the sole aim of producing unoriginal, dispassionate and empty songs about love. There is no heart or soul in it. Freedom of choice is not a reality any more. Madness however, have written two new songs for the musical, to coincide with another re-release of their original hits package, and a UK tour this Christmas - another spin-off from the greasy marketing machine. All of this points to a level of greed that we are already used to from the studio fat cats, but it also makes Madness look like greedy has-beens, squeezing every drop of money from the remnants of a once great nutty empire. While Madness were indeed the first band of the 80's to reform back in 1992 (for a one-off concert that went on and on for 6 years), they have long since lost their original innocent nutty charm. Many of them are bald or overweight, and some look like they have just been released from a long stretch in prison. They were however great at what they did. They wrote catchy, sometimes timeless tunes with lyrics that actually meant something to the youth of the day. Songs about growing up, buying your first condom and criminal activity were all there. And as they grew more mature, songs reflecting the social state of the country became written and performed about. There is no doubt that Madness were very conscious of the world about them, and they sang about what they saw and felt in an original and exciting way, managing to fill dance halls and gig venues along the way with foot stomping regularity. So will this show be any different from the rest? Well it's not a celebration of their musical appeal ? that is being done at Christmas over nine gigs in the UK. At least the story is original and there are two fresh new songs to add into the equation. Indeed, writer Tim Firth, who's previous work include TV's Preston Front, said: "I really wanted the songs to do more than just be sung. It is more a workout for the catalogue of Madness songs rather than just a fly-by of them." Michael Jibson who is to play Joe is reputed to be a star in the making, though how he and the rest of the young unknown's will perform the various Madness songs chosen for the musical, will remain to be seen. The one other factor that should be really worrying the pot-bellied nutty boys of yesteryear, is whether there is still an appetite for Madness and their songs any more in the increasingly saturated market of 80's revivalists. The Theatre critics are never far away from a show of this type, and if the numbers don't add up, or indeed the performances, then the teeth will be flashed, and the nails will become long. OUR HOUSE previews at the Cambridge Theatre London from October 2nd 2002. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Regards, Mr.G ______________________________________________________________ Visit the Total Madness Mailing List website for: news, members section, madmeet info, list charter, competitions, & more... http://www.madness7.com 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
