One Step Beyond... is the debut studio album by the British ska-pop group Madness, released by Stiff Records. Recorded and mixed in about three weeks, the album peaked at number two and remained on the UK Albums Chart for more than a year. The album has received much critical praise. It was ranked 90th in a 2005 survey held by British television station Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time.
| One Step Beyond... | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 19 October 1979[1] | |||
| Recorded | September 1979[2] | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:02 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Madness chronology | ||||
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| Singles from One Step Beyond... | ||||
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This was the first album produced by the team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who would go on to produce more Madness albums and to work with artists including Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Morrissey, Dexys Midnight Runners, They Might Be Giants and David Bowie.
Background
editThe "Nutty Train" photo on the sleeve, shot by Cameron McVey, was inspired by a photo of Kilburn and the High Roads roadie Paul Tonkin that appeared on the back cover of the band's album Handsome.[6]
The title track, released as a single, was originally written and recorded by the Jamaican ska musician Prince Buster, and its "Don't watch that, watch this ..." introduction is adapted from another Prince Buster song, "The Scorcher". The track "The Prince" is a tribute to Buster and a re-recording of the band's debut single, originally released on the 2 Tone label.[7] Its B-side, "Madness", another Prince Buster song, was also re-recorded for the album. "Madness" and "Bed and Breakfast Man" were released as singles in North America through Sire Records.[8]
After the album's initial release, reissues were released in 2009 and 2014 by Union Square Music's collector's label Salvo,[9] each containing additional material such as video productions featuring the band.
Critical reception and legacy
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[10] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [11] |
| Mojo | [12] |
| Q | [13] |
| Record Collector | [14] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
| Smash Hits | 6/10[15] |
This album, along with the Specials' self-titled debut—released on the same day in October 1979—played an important part in popularising 2 tone music in the UK. These albums were also a great influence on other bands of the genre.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Step Beyond" | Cecil Campbell | 2:18 |
| 2. | "My Girl" | Mike Barson | 2:44 |
| 3. | "Night Boat to Cairo" |
| 3:31 |
| 4. | "Believe Me" |
| 2:28 |
| 5. | "Land of Hope & Glory" | Lee Thompson | 2:57 |
| 6. | "The Prince" | Thompson | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Tarzan's Nuts" |
| 2:24 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "In the Middle of the Night" |
| 3:01 |
| 9. | "Bed and Breakfast Man" | Barson | 2:33 |
| 10. | "Razor Blade Alley" | Thompson | 2:42 |
| 11. | "Swan Lake" |
| 2:36 |
| 12. | "Rockin' in A♭" | Willy "Wurlitzer" Smith | 2:29 |
| 13. | "Mummy's Boy" | Mark Bedford | 2:23 |
| 14. | "Madness" | Campbell | 2:38 |
| 15. | "Chipmunks Are Go!" |
| 0:51 |
Extra material
editThe 2009 reissue also includes the music videos for "The Prince", "One Step Beyond", "My Girl", "Night Boat to Cairo" and "Bed and Breakfast Man". The first four of these were also included on the version of One Step Beyond... issued as part of the box set The Lot. The bonus disc contains B-sides as well as all three songs previously only released on the Work Rest and Play EP in April 1980.
A 35th-anniversary edition was released in 2014. It includes 14 of 20 tracks from a 1979 rehearsal tape entitled "Fab Toones" and a DVD featuring videos, Top of the Pops and Old Grey Whistle Test appearances and a BBC documentary.[16]
2009 reissue
edit- Disc 1
- The original album
- The first disc contains the fifteen tracks from the original album plus five promo videos.
- The promo videos
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Prince" | |
| 2. | "One Step Beyond..." | |
| 3. | "Bed and Breakfast Man" | |
| 4. | "My Girl" | |
| 5. | "Night Boat to Cairo" |
- Disc 2
- The John Peel Session
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Prince" | Thompson | 2:31 |
| 2. | "Bed and Breakfast Man" | Barson | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Land of Hope & Glory" | Thompson | 2:42 |
| 4. | "Stepping into Line" |
| 2:38 |
- The bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "One Step Beyond" (7" single version) | Campbell | 2:17 |
| 6. | "My Girl" (demo version with Mike Barson on vocals) | Barson | 2:58 |
| 7. | "Mistakes" (B-side of "One Step Beyond") |
| 2:52 |
| 8. | "Un Paso Adelante" ("One Step Beyond" Spanish version) | Campbell | 2:33 |
| 9. | "Nutty Theme" (B-side of "One Step Beyond" 12") |
| 2:10 |
| 10. | "My Girl" (ballad version) (from Flexipop flexi disc) | Barson | 2:28 |
| 11. | "Stepping into Line" (B-side of "My Girl") |
| 2:15 |
| 12. | "Un Passo Avanti" ("One Step Beyond" Italian version) | Campbell | 2:22 |
| 13. | "Deceives the Eye" (Work Rest and Play EP) |
| 2:00 |
| 14. | "The Young and the Old" (Work Rest and Play EP) |
| 2:04 |
| 15. | "Don't Quote Me on That" (Work Rest and Play EP) |
| 4:31 |
| 16. | "Razor Blade Alley" (Dance Craze live version) | Thompson | 2:35 |
| 17. | "Night Boat to Cairo" (Dance Craze live version) |
| 3:12 |
| 18. | "One Step Beyond" (Dance Craze live version) | Campbell | 2:53 |
- Notes
- Tracks 1-4 recorded 14 August 1979 at BBC's Maida Vale Studios.
- Track 6 recorded at Pathway Studios during sessions for 2 Tone single "The Prince".
2014 reissue
edit- Original album
- Contains the fifteen tracks from the original album plus fourteen bonus tracks.
- 'Fab Toones!' rehearsal tape, 1979
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Nutty Sounds" |
| 3:13 |
| 17. | "Mistakes" |
| 2:53 |
| 18. | "Sunshine Voice" |
| 3:32 |
| 19. | "My Girl" | Barson | 2:50 |
| 20. | "Memories" | Foreman | 2:31 |
| 21. | "Believe Me" |
| 2:39 |
| 22. | "Lost My Head" |
| 2:24 |
| 23. | "Razorblade Alley" | Thompson | 2:33 |
| 24. | "Land of Hope & Glory" | Thompson | 2:47 |
| 25. | "Mummy's Boy" | Bedford | 2:21 |
| 26. | "In the Middle of the Night" |
| 2:51 |
| 27. | "You Said" |
| 2:21 |
| 28. | "Stepping into Line" |
| 2:29 |
| 29. | "Bed and Breakfast Man" | Barson | 4:15 |
- All bonus tracks are previously unreleased and recorded in mono on a portable cassette recorder on 28 April 1979.
- The remaining six tracks from "Fab Toones!" were not included on the CD due to space constraints. However, these tracks were available as downloads.
- Downloads
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30. | "Madness" | Campbell | 2:20 |
| 31. | "My Mates" |
| 2:40 |
| 32. | "Shop Around" | 3:01 | |
| 33. | "There's Always Something There to Remind Me" | 4:05 | |
| 34. | "Swan Lake" |
| 2:49 |
| 35. | "Rockin' in A♭" | Wurlitzer | 2:09 |
Singles
edit- "The Prince" b/w "Madness" (2-Tone single version), August 1979
- "One Step Beyond" (single mix) b/w "Mistakes" on the 7" single, "One Step Beyond" (12" Mix) b/w "Mistakes", "Nutty Theme" on the 12" single, October 1979
- "My Girl" b/w "Stepping into Line" (plus "In the Rain" as an extra track on the UK 12" single), December 1979
- Work Rest and Play EP ("Night Boat to Cairo", "Deceives the Eye", "The Young and the Old" and "Don't Quote Me on That"), March 1980
- "Madness" b/w "Mistakes", US, March 1980
- "Bed and Breakfast Man" b/w "Night Boat to Cairo", Canada, April 1980
- "Tarzan's Nuts" b/w "Night Boat to Cairo" (Stiff 4338), The Netherlands, May 1980
- "Don't Quote Me on That" (4:08 Mix) b/w "Swan Lake", 1980
Music videos
editFive promotional music videos were filmed to promote the singles during the album's release. All of these, with the exception of "The Prince" (which was in fact a Top of the Pops performance only released in the UK and was used the single version for the video) were in rotation on MTV during its first few years. Some of these promo videos were also featured in other music TV outlets, such as Top of the Pops. However, in 2022 Madness released two new videos for the album versions of "The Prince" and "Madness", with footage taken from the 1981 Madness' documentary movie Take It or Leave It.
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "The Prince" (single version & Top of the Pops performance clip) | Unknown |
| "One Step Beyond" | Dave Robinson | |
| "Bed and Breakfast Man" | ||
| "My Girl" | Unknown | |
| 1980 | "Night Boat to Cairo" | Unknown |
| 2022 | ""The Prince" (album version) | Dave Robinson |
| "Madness" |
Personnel
edit- Graham "Suggs" McPherson – lead vocals
- Mike Barson – keyboards
- Chris Foreman – guitars
- Mark Bedford – bass
- Lee Thompson – saxophones, backing vocals, lead vocals on tracks 5 and 10
- Dan Woodgate – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Cathal "Chas Smash" Smyth – backing vocals, "various shouts and fancy footwork", lead vocals on tracks 1 and 15
- NOTE: Smyth was not an official member of the band at the time of the album's recording or release. He would formally join Madness only a few weeks after One Step Beyond... was issued in October 1979.
- John Hasler – minder
Technical
- Clive Langer – producer
- Alan Winstanley – producer
- Stiff Records – cover artwork
- Julian Balme – cover artwork
- Eddie King – cover artwork
- Cameron McVey – front cover and band photography
- Chris Gabrin – back cover photography
2009 reissue
- Tim Turan – remastering
- Bob Sargeant – producer on John Peel sessions
- Malcolm Brown – engineer on John Peel sessions
- Bob Jones – engineer on John Peel sessions
- Madness – producer on bonus tracks 6 and 10
- Martin "Cally" Callomon – design, art direction
- Kerstin Rodgers – photography
- Irvine Welsh – liner notes
2014 reissue
- Tim Turan – remastering
- Stevie Chick – liner notes
Chart performance
editOriginal album
edit| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart[17] | 11 | 10 |
| Finnish Albums Chart[18] | 23 | 6 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[19] | 22 | 12 |
| German Albums Chart[20] | 14 | 37 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[21] | 27 | 9 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[22] | 24 | 7 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[23] | 12 | 7 |
| UK Albums Chart[24] | 2 | 78 |
| US Billboard Hot 200[25] | 128 | 9 |
30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
edit| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[26] | 67 | 1 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1980) | Position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] | 46 |
Singles
edit| Date | Single | Chart | Position[26] | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1979 | "The Prince" (single version) | UK | 16 | 11 |
| Nov 1979 | "One Step Beyond" | UK | 7 | 14 |
| Jan 1980 | "My Girl" | UK | 3 | 10 |
| Apr 1980 | "Night Boat to Cairo" | UK | 6 | 8 |
Certifications and sales
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[28] | Gold | 100,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[29] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Madness – One Step Beyond... (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. 19 October 1979. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- ^ "The Madness Timeline – 1979". Madness official website. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ a b c Considine, J.D. (2004). "Madness". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 508. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ a b Greene, Jo-Ann. "One Step Beyond... – Madness". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ "The 50 Best New Wave Albums". Paste. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (25 November 2014). "Suggs and Mike Barson of Madness: how we made One Step Beyond". The Guardian.
- ^ Edwards, Terry (2009). Madness' One Step Beyond... (33 1/3). Continuum. p. 67. ISBN 978-0826429063.
- ^ "Madness – Discography". 45cat.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Salvo". Union Square Music. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Madness: One Step Beyond". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Madness". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ "Madness: One Step Beyond...". Mojo. No. 192. London. November 2009. p. 112. ISSN 1351-0193.
- ^ "Madness: One Step Beyond...". Q. London. p. 118. ISSN 0955-4955.
As acutely observed as The Kinks, as saucy as Ian Dury and as raucously tuneful as The Jam ...
- ^ Wilson, Lois (December 2009). "Madness – One Step Beyond". Record Collector. No. 369. London. ISSN 0261-250X. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ Starr, Red (15–28 November 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits. Vol. 1, no. 25. London. p. 31. ISSN 0260-3004.
- ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Madness – One Step Beyond (35th Anniversary Edition)". shieldsgazette.com.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 – Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 178. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ One Step Beyond ... at Dutch Charts Retrieved 18 June 2013
- ^ "Media Control Charts". charts.de. Retrieved 18 September 2013.[dead link]
- ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ Steffen Hung (15 June 2006). "Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "UK Singles & Albums Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "AllMusic". AllMusic. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ a b Madness at Official Charts Company Retrieved 21 June 2013
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. 1980. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "French album certifications – Madness – One Step Beyond" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 12 March 2022. Select MADNESS and click OK.
- ^ "British album certifications – Madness – One Step Beyond". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
Further reading
edit- Draper, Jason (2008). A Brief History of Album Covers. London: Flame Tree Publishing. pp. 200–201. ISBN 9781847862112. OCLC 227198538.
External links
edit- One Step Beyond... at Discogs (list of releases)