The Madness - Another World

Running off into the dark of night...

2011-12-17T13:59:00.000-08:00

It's a week till the holidays. I wont be back to Another World until the new year.

But the next stocking is going to be hung here at Christmas...

http://soundcloud.com/misonline

Thought I'd get you something a bit older...

Waa Hoo Haa

2011-11-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

Blah blah blah, blah blah blah, love the songs, love the rare tracks, got to hear it all, love love love.

Ok I know. I'm with you. With you all. But it's not all good you know. Songs can be underated true. But even in this world here, even taking into consideration the poor recording methods or experimentation involved in things we werent supposed to hear, even overlooking that, searching for lost gems, somewhere there still has to be a turd, and you have to flush...

WAA HOO HAA You wont find it here.

Dont forget that 15 brand new Madness tracks entered the real world together at The House of Fun Weekender and Madness are So Alive this band right now, and you are far better putting them in your ears in 2012 we hope. Look forward to that. Here's to the future on that other world, as well as our gems, It takes all kinds of songs to make the universe. Extinction included.

Most Days

2011-11-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

...and so due to "reasons" many days pass.

Which for those who wait, means days can be dull and empty of promise. Who knows how much longer you wait for "S" day, do suits with spreadsheets care? When it comes down to THE owner$hip. Future days will tell on that one. For now nothing.

And what of the blogger who brought you unpolished surprises? Many days a world away. Days of being silly for FUN In November http://youtu.be/TAu4CKooiUo Saturday is Miswas day ETA youtube December. Or great days following a Ska Orchestra (see http://www.ltso.mis-online.net/) I reccomend it.

6 months have passed on Another world... With nothing. Did you miss it?

"Most days are like that..."

But today is not like those days. It's THE day for ...

MOST DAYS

Today is once again June 24th 1987. The song is Most Days. Given the post fix (reggea jam). It's one of the ideas started but totally lost to the mists of time. One of last things you've never heard. But here is a room recording, a bit far from the vocals of Carl, but mostly auidible. Enjoy your Jam, mostly a live band with just a little of that programming. Cus some days. Are different. This is one of them. There will be another in day in December. And many more in 2012 before the final day comes on Another World. Welcome back.

I'll meet you beneath the moonlight.

2011-10-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ears required to hear somethings that are Not Of This World.

Are you Attending the House Of Fun Weekender?

Members wanted for a small cult. Apply. Jonsmad@hotmail.com

"I only hope you can rest in peace and cannot hear the tune they play"
"Because we're all tired of hearing that song"

4MB

2011-03-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Our 2nd cover version on Another World is a re-write. It's not hard to think that 4BF although about Brian Ferry leaving roxy music, may have been inspired by emotions closer to home and the break up of Madness.

4MB

Recorded in her school's music studio. Here's Shannan McBride on why she chose to put a spin of this song...

"I was eager to do this song as it is an under-rated track and also because really with out Mike there is the whole question of "Would Madness ever have happened?", and then Mike leaving "Would The Madness ever have happened?"

I know it may seem weird that I am a guitarist singing about a Keybord player, but I admire Mike. From a "quiet man who doesnt seem friendly" and turinng into a "man who is more with it now," Which is basically what this re-write of the song is about. I was looking back on mike, a quite strayed human being blossoming into a character of smiles and wry laughter." Shannan McBride.

Beat The Bride. Friday Night Live Backing Track. (A Big Thank You £277 raised to Comic Relief!!!)

2011-02-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

Dont beat the bride. Ride the wave. Face the tide. Sing the words.

Beat The Bride Friday Night Live Backing Track

Only the lead vocals were live in the studio on the day that THE Madness made their one and only appearance on TV. Backing tracks were recorded, for this appearance. Mixed in the recording studio before the album release, and delivered. Like many standard tv shows of the day. Here it is clean, instrumental, only backing vocals mix, a nice alternate studio cut, a unique mix version from the TV backing tape, not from Transmission. Go on. Have a sing a long. Have fun.

Heres the words to help you....

Don't treat the bride kneeling at your feet, feeling black and blue
Like an overworked upper cut side order of meat
Monkey see, what monkey do, looking up to you
Copy every move, they worship you

Look at yourself, self-respect
Dirt behind the ears
Gone is all that sense of pride
Run off with your tears

Don't beat the bride, ride the wave
Face the tide, and when the penny got tight
Take take off
Ride the wave, face the tide
And when the penny got tight

You're always hurting the one you love
And when they're dead and gone, the hurting gets even worse
So when tension, rears its ugly head
Look the other way, and stay just one step ahead
Don't beat the bride, ride the wave
Face the tide, and when the penny got tight
Take take off
Ride the wave, face the tide
And when the penny got tight

(This next bit is done for you, so wait for the last chorus)

Don't beat the bride, ride the wave
Face the tide and when the penny got tight
Take take off
Ride the wave, face the tide
And when the penny got tight

(And then we fade out earlier than the released full album mix)

Heres how Suggs sounded doing it, The one and only appearance in public of THE band was a comedy TV show Friday Night Live. Let's have a look at it with some Comic Relief from Joise Lawrence, as she satirises the overuse of journalistic stupidity that the nutty nutty nutty boys had endured previous to wanting to create a more mature sound in the later 80's and beyond, and the 2 songs.

And there we have the only full band outing (with John Halser too)

Thanks to this rare recording of a song that clearly speaks out about issues of Domestic Violence.
Fans helped raise £277 for charitys combating domestic violence in the UK by sponsoring a page for Comic Relief. Women and children as young as 11 receive help from projects they sponsor. Thanks to your genorosity we hit our target of £200, and went well beyond. Thank you for your time and a little money. You've helped make THIS world, all the better. When the penny got tight. Thank you.

HAPPY OLD YEARS! - NAIL THE EARLY DAYS

2011-01-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

So it's 2011. This year brings the return of THE Madness album. It's been deleted for a while. So this year is a year worth celebrating. While we wait the news of when we can buy the real thing again, and what the tracklisting of the full re-release will be, we continue here with another world of things you wont hear released ever. The rare, the rejected, the work in progress sounds from that 1988 year and even 1987 behind rehearsal room doors. Happy Old Years. More than 20 years in the past...

3 Nails from the mouth of Mr Viedt, from 3 early days.

Here's the Nailed Down day of June the 24th 1987.

Here's a captured snippet of Overdub work on programmed rhythms, a day in the studio 1988.

Thirdly a near complete version but before the brass tracks had their day and final mixing.

The Quare Fellow

2011-01-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

Who is "The Quare Fellow". It's an irish pronounciation of queer fellow meaning "The Strange Man" popularised as a saying by a 1950's play of that name written by Irish playwrite Brendan Behan. In which the Quare Fellow is a criminal about to be executed, who is refered to but never seen in the play.

In the song by The Madness, "I'll be the quare fellow" is a reference to irish roots and to Carl's early experiences of people standing out in other countrys. "On these great shores I was born an immigrant to this city"

It's a song of making your way in another world.

"Live and work for the best that they'll pay. Nail Down the days."

Dream On

2010-12-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

Dream On Piano Rehearsal

At some point there was a live piano rehearsal of this song that was a tune worked on during THE Madness's tenure. Then there was further work during the experimental sessions in 1987.

"Well I was just a poor boy
And in my cloak of many dreams
I looked at all the have nots
And the havents in the scream"

"Show me what a star is
How can you see the sky
From underneath the arches
You dream your dreams away"

"Dream, dream, dream on
Dream, dream, dream on
Dream, dream, dream on
Dream, dream, dream on"

Clearly what little can be garnered from the completed lyrics thus far, themes of religious imagery come through, in the same way as the completed Gabriel's Horn. Here's it's Joseph's coat being name dropped. The middle part points to star gazing from the gutter so maybe another homeless perspective on the world was being used in this song, clearly the dream is of things above where the protagonist currently finds himself. It's another world up wishing away from the present.

Dream On Studio Work

Dream on made it to the studio for the album work, but I'm guessing wasnt completed beyond this backing track, the programmed riff is rather Twilight Zone, and overbearing here, would have been mixed down no doubt and the vocal clearer when finished. What a completed improved version might have been, We can only exercise our imaginations from these snippets, and dream on ourselfs.

1987

2010-12-24T16:14:00.000-08:00

It's a rare time. 1987.

A time of no Madness in public. After the main band split, it wasnt until 1988 that THE relaunched line up put out music or appeared on tv or media etc. In 1987 they were twiddling technology behind closed doors in rehearsal rooms, experimenting with steps towards the more electronic soundscapes of THE Madness, looking for the new sound and direction and reinvention for the late 80's.

So although nothing heard here will be of a fully formed nature. It's an interesting privilege perhaps for some to eve's drop on June the 24th 1987, when keyboard programming and synth computer and drum technology was used on the early stages of new songs. Some like Nail Down the Days, would go on to be a released song, others like this "Dream On" wouldnt make it. (More from this rare day, in the new year.)

DreamOn87

From Another World

2010-11-21T17:49:00.000-08:00

Belgravia. Knightsbridge. Sloane Square. London. Another World.

South west of Buckingham Palace. Quite close to Mayfair, which everyone knows from Monopoly, is the expensive one. :-) This is an area of London populated by Dukes, high flying models, actresses, and people like Britain's 2nd richest man.

A setting for a song by The Madness, unreleased not quite finished off here...

From Another World

Full of clues to a dalliance between a working man of some kind, and a woman of higher status in the British class system. A door to door salesman? A beggar? A rag and bone man? with A rich woman? or a royal, even? Up the marble steps, a foot in the door, and a little bit more...

Here are the lyrics as best as can be currently transcribed...
(Bits in brackets are more gap filling ideas, not actual lyrics)

"Are You From Another World?"

Walking Streets
Door to door
Lost and found
In Belgravia

In the fading light
(Appears a) saviour
And up the marble steps
The kings' counting house

Find the foot in the door

And just a little bit more.

(Past the sound of)
Fox and Hounds
Came her lullaby
"But you must wear something
I recognise you by"

"I shall wear a suit"
But I did not own one then
And taking one last look
I went home again

But she says, "are you from another world?"
All she says is "are you from another world?"

Though she was only gone for one hour
She looked five years older
That came from watching the world
From over your shoulder

She said ... ?
and I ...?
I still am, I hope
For all was lost

But she says, "are you from another world?"
All she says is, "are you from another world?"

Walking Streets
Door to door
Lost and found
In Belgravia

In the fading light

(Appears a) saviour

And up the marble steps

The kings counting house

Find the foot in the door

And just a little bit more.

But she says, "are you from another world?"

All she says is "are you from another world?"

But she says, "are you from another world?"

Well she say "are you from another world?"

All she says is "are you from another world?"

Dread & Nightmares

2010-10-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

It cant have been the best of times to be in Madness those last years in the 80's. Internally speaking so much confusion for them about the next moves around that time and much of what worked or supported them in certainty in the past was gone... "Captain this ship is sinking."

Their final ideas for an album before Madness split were (according to their MIS fan club magazine) a Ghostly themed album. In the end only the Ghost Train single emerged from this work before the split and change into The Madness. Nightmare Nightmare seems to fit the theme though, so perhaps another held over track? It certainly seems to be a bit of a Jekyl and Hide moon barking cocktail about running away and drinking or instead clinging on and facing the future with the other hand.

NightmareDread

This earlier mix of the song reveals a tribute begining to Honey Boy Martin's Dreader than Dread, that was buried more in the final mix, (though they later would cover it in the Dangermen years.)

Consider for a minute now how songwriting changed for the 4 remaining members of the band at this difficult time. The entire rhythm section of the band gone, drums, bass and keyboards, that used to do the ground work a lot of the time when recording started. But now all different set of stand in members and technology being explored too especially for the precusion beats. Much more time spent on creating tracks and looking for the sound in this loose set up than in even the previous band then. Here's a much earlier drawing board day of working on a shape for Nightmare Nightmare. Which bass player, switch twiddler and/or key presser is helping Suggs make this is anyones guess, but it does show how many foundations were forged in building The Madness.

EarlyNightmares

But dont have too many Nightmares. Soon on Another World it will be time to " Dream On..."

Life of Bryan

2010-10-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

The roots of some songs from the era of "THE" Madness reach back into the era before it. 4BF was one of the last songs Madness worked on before finally spliting up in 1986. It never made it to a Madness album or single, (it became a "THE" Madness Bside and a bonus album track on the CD) but it had been played live by Madness on the Mad not Mad Tour extensively in 1985 and beyond into their final gigs in 1986. It was mentioned in Mad not Mad's tour programme as having just missed out on being on that album. If you think about it the writing of this song may go back as far as 1983....

Because this is a song for Bryan.

"The foundation member of a space age group..." Lee Thompson was a Roxy Music fan ever since he saw them on Top of The Pops. So when Bryan Ferry decided in 1983, (after the touring of sucessfull album "Avalon,") to end Roxy Music for his solo carea, it was a shock at the time to fans. Roxy Music were about the 4th most mentioned influence on Madness in press interviews, (though this was perhaps more evident in the bands later sounds, particularly Mad not Mad and The Madness.) So as Bryan left the band, Lee wrote a song in tribute.

Just as Roxy Music had recorded 2HB as a knowing wink to Humphrey Bogart on their 1st album. 4BF was Lee's knowing wink to Bryan Ferry. It named checked the songs "Beauty Queen" from 2nd Roxy album "For your Pleasure" and "Love is the Drug"a hit single from 5th album "Siren". (It's paraphrased as "Love was the drug") While also the lyric "Make me a deal" is lifted from a line in hit debut single "Virginia Plain", and "I'll take you there" is from "Amazona" on third album "Stranded".

In the early live Madness version there is verse about leaving behind a hungry crew, this was dropped when the song made it onto a "The" Madness record. Ironically by the time this song was played live by Madness, Mike Barson had left and the songs sentiment was now as close to home as it was to being a fan of other bands pop music. "I hope things work out for better..."

...Forever? Roxy Music reformed in 2001, for live concerts. While they did reportedly work on a new album, these colaborations will be coming out instead as "Bryan Ferry - Olympia..." next year and the band will be touring as Roxy Music in 2011. On Monday October 25th 2010 Bryan Ferry Won the Q Icon Award at the same time Madness won the Q Idol award.

From Madness Here's Four For Bryan Ferry Live.

1BF - Dublin October 1985
2BF - Manchester November 1985
3BF - London Hammersmith December 1985
4BF - Paris April 1986

Song In Rouge

2010-10-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

Some songs, some albums sadly have a short life.
Perhaps shorter than they deserve. It's a shame.
To be gone so quickly from the charts,
To fall on stony ears.
To have your band split and never revisit.
To pass by.

We gather this day to pay our respects, to a Song in Red.

October Came...

And with it comes a tribute. Song in Rouge.

A deeper red, French Band Indeed place a
deserving rose on the headstone of this
poignant song about death.

-----------------------------------------

"Hello. This is LES INDEED

Song in Red is sadly an universal song. Carl wrote it and we all can listen or sing it several times in our lives. Once, some years ago, Alex our guitar player played it once on his acoustic guitar at home. As I found the atmosphere nice, we tried to finish it, put piano and Emily's voice on it.

As it is universal song, Alex, the first time, applied the song to the person he lost at this time, changed "He" to 'She' and the "His" to "Her" (She meant everything), we kept it. We decided to put both voices on the song to keep the fact that everyone is concerned by this song. For the cover, we tried not to do a copy, as we did for the Sun and the Rain on the Madness Tribute album, we instead try to put our sound into the song.

All the best

Judge Fredd

-----------------------------------------

Please be upstanding for Hymn number 7.

Hear Song In Rouge Here.

More Televisions...

2010-09-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

The (Mcpherson/Smyth) written tune Patience, never quite fully made it, ending up as an Instrumental B side to The Madness first single - with just a few words remaining to allude to that fact that it was ever on the road to be a vocal song. Here is a "there's something missing" peak at early words tried out for the song, sung in an atmospheric echo by Carl. Pointing to religious overtones for the origin of this vision. It's incomplete as a recording so a reverse fade out has been used to smooth over the stop point. Tune in to the tune here.

Patience (Cathal Vocal)

Patience
What am I doing?
Constance
Are you still dreaming?

Patience
What am I doing here?
Constance
Are you still sleeping?

Silent sleeping
Stay over me
I am walking
Flow when the worlds are sleeping

I hope you have your way
'Cus I'll go my way
My way maybe the only way

Popular visions
For more televisions
Theres something missing
For we

Major decisions
Corporate religions
Homes into prisons
For we...

Nail Download The Days.

2010-08-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Whats That? Play back.
Rare Track. Tape Stash.
THE band. 2nd hand.
Nail Down. 4 Mad Fans.

Out Soon. RE-release.
Music in your mind that's sweet.
Watch Date. Hit Street.
Buy Disc. Shelf Complete.

Web Space. This place.
Hungry ears. Tune Chase.
Art. Words. Extra hears.
Kiss and tell your Mother dears.

It's all clear?

Start Here... Nail Down The Bagpipes?

Additional: Having uncovered this pipe laden version of the opening THE Madness track, we had the pleasure of playing it to official Piper of Madness gigs Johnny "Scabby Dug" Gauld, who gave us this insight...

"I listened to 'Nail Down The Bagpipes!'. It is Uilleann pipes being played through the track. These are small pipes that are bellow blown rather than by mouth and lung. It is a sweeter sound compared to its bigger brother the Highland Bagpipe which is the more popular version known to most folk.

As for the track itself, I think it worked well and was a nice change for Madness (like a lot of 'The Madness' material). Listen to The Waterboys song 'On My Way To Heaven', that has a cracking break with Uilleann pipes being used. "

Coming... From Another World...

2010-08-07T13:35:00.001-07:00

" THE " Madness. A celebration of rare and returning music. Pronouncing more soon...