Short bio:

The band was formed in London, England in 1976, by Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso) on keyboards and vocals, Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) on guitar and Lee Thompson (Kix) on saxophone and vocals under the name The North London Invaders. In 1978 they were joined by frontman Graham McPherson (Suggs) on vocals, Mark Bedford (Bedders) on bass guitar and Daniel Woodgate (Woody) on drums. After performing periodically as The North London Invaders the group changed their name to Madness. Carl Smyth (Chas Smash) on trumpet and vocals, joined in early 1980.

The band's first single, released September 1st 1979 on The Specials' 2 Tone label, was "The Prince". The song, written by Lee Thompson, was a tribute to the Jamaican ska musician Prince Buster, whose song, "Madness", the band had named themselves after and which also was released as the B-side of "The Prince". This was followed by the album One Step Beyond... in 1979, named after another Prince Buster song, which stayed in the British charts for over a year, peaking at number 2. One Step Beyond... was released on Stiff Records, which became the band's recording label. From 1979 through 1988, the band released 25 singles and eight albums (including two compilation albums) in the UK. During the early 1980's Madness was one of the most popular bands in Britain. In 1984 the band formed their own record label; Zarjazz Records. The album "Mad Not Mad" was the first Madness album released on this label, in 1985.

One Step Beyond... is the 1979 debut album by the British ska group Madness. The album is often regarded as their best album. It was ranked 90th in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time. The album peaked at number 2 and remained in the British record charts for over a year.

The title track, an instrumental, was released as a single and was originally written and recorded by the Jamaican ska musician Prince Buster. Madness had to date released one previous single; "The Prince" / "Madness".

http://rapidshare.de/files/14062578/One_step_beyond.zip

7 is the third album from the British ska group Madness. Released in 1981 it reached #5 in the UK album chart.

http://rapidshare.de/files/14114158/Seven.zip

Absolutely is the 1980 second album from the British ska band Madness.

http://rapidshare.de/files/14064577/Absolutely.zip

The Rise & Fall is the fourth album by the British ska band Madness. This is a concept album about a lost childhood. Though the album was never released in the USA, several tracks were later placed on the compilation Madness, including "Our House", their biggest stateside hit.

http://rapidshare.de/files/14116217/The_Rise_And_Fall.zip

Tracklists in comment