Madness - The Liberty of Norton Folgate
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CD Details
Artist: MadnessEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2009-09-29
Music Label: Yep Roc Records
Soundtracks:
- Overture
- We Are London
- Sugar and Spice
- Forever Young
- Dust Devil
- Rainbows
- That Close
- MKII
- On the Town
- Bingo
- Idiot Child
- Africa
- NW5
- Clerkenwell Polka
- The Liberty of Norton Folgate
Music reviews of The Liberty of Norton Folgate
Music Review: Madness at their Best
Rating: 5 Stars
It's really amazing that 30+ years on Madness are now producing some of the best music of their career. Simply put, The Liberty of Norton Folgate is a must-have for any Madness fan, and a great treat for any fans of distinctively English pop.
Madness, of course, were the flagship English ska band of the late 70's, taking 60's era Dance Hall Reggae from Jamaica (most notably Prince Buster), speeding it up and layering on a heavy dose of Cockney accents and London working-class wit to create their own unique sound. Their first two albums, One Step Beyond and Absolutely, are ska classics and if you want to have your Rude Boy friends over and skank through the night there's nothing else for it. However, beginning with their third album, 7, and to a much greater extent with the next two, The Rise and Fall and Keep Moving, the band cast off the rigorous adherence to that formula and matured as songwriters, creating richly layered, energetic pop concept albums. Through it all, they managed to maintain a charmingly characteristic sound, driven by Suggs' gravelly, working-class voice and Mike Barson's powerfully contagious piano work.
When Barson left the band after Keep Moving, it seemed like the end, and the disappointing Mad Not Men served to underscore that point. But amazingly they re-emerged in 1999 with the original lineup and Wonderful, a truly satisfying return to form. This was followed in 2005 by a brilliant - both in concept and execution - collection of mostly classic ska covers which the band had played live in their early years, called the Dangerman Sessions Vol 1.
Now, four years on and they've given us The Liberty Of Norton Folgate, easily among the best of their material, if not one of the better albums of the year overall. It most closely fits in with The Rise and Fall and Keep Moving era, but it's definitely not a throw-back album. It's infused with classic ska/Dance Hall ("Forever Young," "Bingo"), triumphant splashes of pop optimism ("Rainbows") and hooky piano-driven, characteristically Madness numbers ("Dust Devil," "That Close," "NW5"). It's all topped off with the epic, 10 minute title track, a storybook snapshot of an obscure street on the north end of London's Financial District. In fact much of the album plays out like a tribute to the band's hometown, while other themes circle around the melancholy of disappearing youth.
The production, while subtle, brings the infections melodies and Lee Thompson's driving sax to the front, while making effective use of strings and solid, danceable rhythms. It all feels very organic and natural - while the sound is contemporary and modern, it could also have come out 35 years ago. As such it feels fresh and timeless at the same time, a pretty rare accomplishment.
Madness are as relevant today as ever - their influence is painted all over Lily Allen's work, for example. But this album is really a surprise and delight.
Description of The Liberty of Norton Folgate
Limited two disc (CD + PAL/Region 0 DVD) edition features a bonus DVD that contains legendary director Julien Temple s film adaptation of the album, plus live performance footage from London s Hackney Empire stage directed by Luke Cresswell (of Stomp fame), entwined with Victorian London re-enactments from members of the band. 2009 studio album from the veteran British outfit, currently celebrating their 30th Anniversary as a recording unit (and all seven original members present and accounted for). The Liberty Of Norton Folgate is their first album of new material since their excellent 1999 album Wonderful. The album contains 14 tracks of quintessential Madness; subversive, expansive British Pop music at its finest. As with all previous Madness albums, The Liberty Of Norton Folgate features songwriting contributions from all band members and is a timely reminder of the ability of this unique act to turn their hand to multiple musical styles. Few bands have come close to soundtracking London in the way of Madness and The Liberty Of Norton Folgate is an audio guide to the greatest city on earth. Features the first single 'NW5'. Lucky 7.Alternative Rock CDs
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