Madness - Madstock!

*****

Let's dance ourselves all the way to Madstock!

The Madness CD+DVD package, everyone has been waiting for their classic headline performance at their first Madstock! festival in London's Finsbury Park back in 1992. This concert saw Madness return after a six year absence, having split up in 1986. The concert contained a great line-up including Morrissey, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Flowered Up and Gallon Drunk. I think a lot of people have really been waiting for this release, because it never came out on DVD before and most people have got rid of the VHS players.

You can feel the excitement and pure energy, that the event must have had from both the CD and the DVD. Again with these CD+DVD packages the CD is missing a few tracks due to length. Which for me is always a shame, because your not getting the full concert. But I can totally understand why they do this, because not all the songs would fit on one CD and they would have to make it a 2xCD+DVD package. Meaning it would be more expensive for the fan buying it.

The thing I always liked about Madness is their energy and sense of fun, that they put into everything they do. Also they have one hell of a frontman in the form of Suggs. You also could not get better with the line-up of the band, because you get all seven 'Nutty Boys', the full band. Also the atmosphere of the crowd of the concert is electrifying... a massive 72,000 fans, a total Sell Out!!! over the two nights of the classic concert.

Madness along with the The Smiths and the Pet shop Boys have been named as one of the most influential and typically British bands of their decade, and their popularity is still huge even to this day. You can see that the bad went all out with the staging of the concert, from the massive M above the stage, to all the Fez hats on the band members. This was a true Madness show, that went down in history as one of the concerts that you wished you had been at... I know I wish I had been there.

You can see how crazy!!! this concert must have been, and how much the fans had been looking forward to it from first song 'One step Beyond' to last song 'The Harder they Come'. And I can now understand, why people are still talking about it now. This was an event like Queen at Wembley in 1986 or Stone Roses at Spike Island back in 1990 or even The Smiths classic Glastonbury festival apperance back in 1984... these all were concerts that will live forever and Madstock! in 1992 is up their as well.

What I love about Madness, is that they always give the fans what they want, and Madstock! was not different. Fans got amazing renditions of the hits 'Our House, My Girl, It must be Love, Wings if a Dove, House of Fun' and 'Baggy Trousers' and so many more. Including the awesome sax on 'Embarrassment', the Jazz / Swing elements of 'Razor blade Alley', And the slide guitar on 'Shut Up'. 

But for everyone I am sure the real highlight of the show is when sax player Lee Thompson flies through the air playing the solo for 'Baggy Trousers'. Probably one of the bands most successful songs, must have been quite scary flying around on a wire in front of so many people.

The only thing I would have loved extra with this package would have been Morrissey's classic performance from the event, you know the one when he wore the gold shirt. Yes! the one when he waved the British flag... but I understand why this is not on the DVD bonus footage. This release is all about Madness and it is one Hell of a DVD. but if Morrissey is reading this!!! release your Madstock! performace on DVD please.

This release is great value for money and the footage, is great... I totally love it. Also the edition of great liner notes, interview material, really makes it a stand out package for any Madness fan. I have got mine, so it's time you went and got yours!!!

Review by Dan Devour

Check Out! a live performance Video for 'One step Beyond' live at Madstock! 1992 Finsbury Park Below...