Madness - 7 (1981)

Along with the Specials, Madness were one of the leading bands of the late-'70s ska revival that swept the U.K. They were known for their "nutty sound," blending ska rhythms with catchy melodies and a showman's sense of humor. As their career progressed, they folded in touches of Motown, soul, and British pop to their formula.

The third album is often where a band makes a great leap forward, and so it is with Madness’ "Seven". Although they’re still clearly the same nutty band that tore it up with" One Step Beyond", "Seven" finds the group expanding its horizons considerably, ratcheting up the melodious pop quotient in their songwriting, as well as the distinctly English character sketches. Much of the album comes across as a blend of the Kinks and Ian Dury backed by a propulsive ska beat, and the production is a appropriately just as imaginative, colored by the odd sitar, finding new carnivalesque flourishes for the horns, and expanding the rhythmic palette considerably. Sometimes, the group still gets ridiculously silly -- “Benny Bullfrog” is a novelty by any other name -- but the genius of Madness is that they would toss off these frivolous numbers as easily as they would throw out something as elegiac as “Grey Day,” while finding the sweet spot between those two extremes on singles like “Cardiac Arrest.” Not every band possesses such a light touch, and while they certainly got more refined just an album later with "The Rise & Fall", "Seven" is where they revealed the full potential of their talents.

"When I get home it´s late at night 

I´m black and bloody from mylife 

As I lie in a semi-conscious state 

I dream of people fighting me 

Without any reason I can see" 

("Grey Day")

Tracklist:

A1 Cardiac Arrest 2:53

A2 Shut Up 3:05

A3 Sign Of The Times 2:43

A4 Missing You 2:32

A5 Mrs. Hutchinson 2:16

A6 Tomorrows Dream 3:54

B1 Grey Day 3:38

B2 Pac-A-Mac 2:38

B3 Promises Promises 2:52

B4 Benny Bullfrog 1:51

B5 When Dawn Arrives 2:43

B6 The Opium Eaters 3:03

Madness - 7 (1981)

(192 kbps, cover art included)