Theatre of the Absurd presents C'est La Vie Madness

• 1Prologue: "Mr Beckett Sir..."00:11
• 2Theatre of the Absurd04:13
• 3If I Go Mad04:36
• 4Baby Burglar04:05
• 5Act One: "Surrounded on all sides.."00:10
• 6C'est La Vie03:10
• 7What On Earth Is It (You Take Me For?)03:07
• 8Hour of Need04:07
• 9Act Two "The damsel in distress.."00:12
• 10Round We Go04:18
• 11Act Three: "The situation deteriorates.."00:20
• 12Lockdown and Frack Off03:12
• 13Beginners 10104:21
• 14Is There Anybody Out There?03:22
• 15The Law According to Dr. Kippah05:35
• 16Epilogue: "And so Ladies and Gentlemen.."00:17
• 17Run For Your Life04:00
• 18Set Me Free (Let Me Be)03:39
• 19In My Street03:38
• 20Fin.: "Ladies and Gentlemen.."00:13
• Total Runtime56:46

Info for Theatre of the Absurd presents C'est La Vie

After a disparate couple of years which saw the band at their most polarised and fragmented, Madness reunited in an industrial unit in Cricklewood at the beginning of the year, where Suggs, Mark, Chrissy Boy, Mike, Lee and Woody realised that what united them was always bigger than what divided them. Emerging re-energised and reinvigorated with a fresh bounce in their nutty step, the result was their most harmonious recording experience to date. For the first time ever, a brand new album came into the world that they were all completely agreed on. Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’Est La Vie is the band's inaugural foray into self producing, working alongside engineer and mixer Matt Glasbey (Ed Sheeran, Maisie Peters, Rag’N’Bone Man). The governing principle behind Theatre Of the Absurd Presents C’Est La Vie, is: “let Madness be Madness”. The result is an album of typically timeless brilliance that also reflects the wonky years of its creation, these 14 songs representing the cream of the bumper crop of tunes the group cooked up, whittled down this punchy, focused set.

Madness

Madness
Nutty ska-revivalists and 80s pop titans led by the inimitable Suggs

Madness may have been at the forefront of the late ’70s ska revival, but the band quickly moved beyond the constraints of two-tone. By the time the ’80s were in full swing, their embrace of everything from Motown to pure pop had made them one of the biggest British bands of their time.

Madness’s earliest days were as ska band The Invaders, formed in 1976 by Lee Thompson, Mike Barson and Chris Foreman. With the addition of Graham McPherson (aka Suggs), Mark Bedford, Dan Woodgate and Chas Smith, the band changed their name to Morris And The Minors before finally settling on Madness in 1978.

The newly renamed band owed a debt to Prince Buster for their first two singles. Their debut The Prince was a tribute to the Jamaican ska pioneer, while their second, the No.7 hit 'One Step Beyond', was a cover of one of his songs.

Madness’s first hit lent its name to their debut album too. One Step Beyond came out in late 1979 and proved hugely successful. 'My Girl' gave them another hit single, the second in a remarkable run of Top Ten singles that saw Madness become one of the biggest bands in the country.

The ’80s progressed at an impressive clip for the band, landing more hit singles and two albums in the top five, Absolutely and Seven. They bagged their first UK No.1 single in 1982 with 'House Of Fun'.

By the time Madness returned with The Rise And Fall in 1982, their music bore little resemblance to their ska origins. 'Our House' and 'It Must Be Love' were as purely pop as the band could get and the songs worked their way up the charts accordingly.

Mike Barson, one of Madness’s main songwriters, departed the band in 1983, marking a slow decline for the band. By 1986, they announced they were calling it a day and bowed out with Waiting For The Ghost Train in November of that year.

After a year and a half absence, Madness reunited (with a The added to the name) with a new line-up that featured Suggs, Smash, Foreman and Thompson alongside two Specials and one Attraction. The Madness released one single and one album – 1988’s The Madness – before splitting up again.

The original Madness eventually resurfaced in 1992 with a huge one-dayer in Finsbury Park called Madstock. The event became an annual reunion show for the band over the next four years. In 1995, Suggs stepped out on his own with a solo album The Lone Ranger and a hit single with his cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s 'Cecelia'.

Despite the regular reunions, Madness didn’t manage new material until 1999’s Wonderful, folloed by 2005’s Dangermen Sessions Vol.1 and 2009’s The Liberty Of Norton Folgate. The band’s national treasure status was ratified in 2012 when they performed for both the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games closing ceremony. Those performances coincided with their 11th album Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da. The band returned in 2016 with their 12th studio album Can’t Touch Us Now.

This album contains no booklet.