Madness- Wonderful

Wonderful is Madness' eighth studio album. It was released in 1999, following a hiatus of eleven years after their previous album, The Madness.

Much of this album somehow seems like modern interpretations of The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby. The songs are very heavily centred around the narrative, and there's nothing wrong with that per se. But I think they need some form of musical interest- specifically a catchy chorus- to hold them together. Without it, songs like Lovestruck, Johnny The Horse, 4.A.M., If I Didn't Care and No Money end up as spoken word over a nondescript musical backing. Ska tragics like myself might like believe that Madness is defined by Night Boat to Cairo, One Step Beyond, Baggy Trousers, etc, but the reality is that they're as much a pop band with hits such as Our House and It Must Be Love.

Elysium is the sole example of this style that appeals to me, thanks to a wonderfully catchy melody.

But The Communicator is ska, and ska cures all ills ... right?? Unfortunately, not even for this ska fanboy. The song is kinda enjoyable, but nothing memorable. It also reminds me of Bad Manners' Sally Brown, or more specifically The Seen's slower tempo version thereof.

Now for the entire reason I bought the album: Drip Fed Fred. The groove is simple, yet catchy enough and powerful. Despite my moanings about the rest of the album, the narratives have always been very good, and the cartoon-ish gangster tale of Drip Fed Fred maintains that high standard. But the knockout punch is that irresistible chorus, which gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day. The four-and-a-half minutes disappears in a blissful trance, and it feels like they could keep easily the groove going for that time again without it getting at all stale. Brilliant!

Favourite songs

Elysium, Drip Fed Fred 

I diggit?

Madness have always been a favourite band of mine. The Prince, One Step Beyond, Night Boat to Cairo, House of Fun and many others are treasured songs. But I also appreciate bands need to evolve and try new directions, so I have to respect them for doing that. Unfortunately, said new direction happens to have very little appeal for me in this case.

But while I have no interest in 91% of this album (actually, a higher percentage if you include the B-side disc), Drip Fed Fred is a massive exception. So can one catchy chorus justify a whole album? In this case, it does for me.