14 YEARS LATER, ANOTHER TOUCH OF MADNESS.Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer Don't call it a leap onto the '80s revival bandwagon. Madness is touring America primarily to escape the English rain. The band, which first got noticed in 1979 with its irresistible cover of the Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (born May 28, 1938), better known as Prince Buster, is a musician from Kingston, Jamaica and regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska and rocksteady music. ska classic ``One Step Beyond,'' boasted a lighthearted image and upbeat new wave-inflected sound. Like the English Beat, the Selecter and the more socially conscious Specials, Madness specialized in the bouncy Jamaican ska rhythm but added other elements such as soul and punk. The North London North London is a part of London, England which has several possible definitions. River & geography The part of London north of the River Thames (illustrated). band's U.S. hits included ``Our House'' and ``It Must Be Love,'' both in 1983. ``The reunion really started seven years ago,'' said Madness guitarist ``Chrissie Boy'' Foreman. ``There's always been interest, especially from the States, but the timing is right at the moment. The fact that the tour ends in Hawaii means a lot to us. It's pretty miserable weather in England now.'' Madness appears Sunday at the Universal Amphitheatre on a dance-pop packed bill with Royal Crown Revue The Royal Crown Revue is a band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. They play modern swing music and are credited with starting the Swing Revival movement.[1][2] , Dance Hall Crashers Dance Hall Crashers is a ska punk band from Berkeley, California, that formed in 1988. The band was originally made up of the members of seminal ska-punk band Operation Ivy, minus their singer and drummer. and Hepcat hep·cat n. Slang A performer or devotee of swing and jazz, especially during the 1940s. . It will be the band's first local date in 14 years. Foreman recalled the group's first visit to the States during Thanksgiving 1979. The tour included a stop at a San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden punk club where the Dead Kennedys opened. ``It was strange, because we were doing really well in England, and then we came over and just a small number of people had heard of us,'' the guitarist said. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if we thought we'd take the world by storm, but the only people that came out to hear us had read about us in the English music papers. Radio certainly hadn't caught up at that time.'' In Europe, Madness - led by singer Graham ``Suggs'' McPherson - had a string of hits throughout the '80s, including an item titled ``Michael Caine,'' which boasted a guest appearance by the actor. ``We were popular at home for what turned out to be a brief period,'' Foreman, 39, said. ``We didn't want to be lumbered with the ska thing forever. We developed our own genre.'' Now that watered-down ska beats and punk-inflected reggae rhythms are mainstays of the clubs, Foreman is looking forward to flying the flag. ``Of all the English ska bands of the early '80s, we were the jokers in the pack, because they were a bit more serious, and we were more fun,'' he said from his London home. ``I'm not tremendously familiar with that offbeat off·beat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor. rhythm played fast and monotonous with a bit of brass, which they call ska these days. We rock.'' Madness was offered the U.S. tour last year, but the members weren't sure they actually wanted to reunite at the time. ``It's not like megabucks A lot of money! , but we want to do it now partly out of curiosity,'' Foreman said. ``I think it might be quite funny. A couple of us are bringing our kids.'' The guitarist says he's kept an open mind about the new types of dance music that have come along over the years. ``I went to see a drum 'n' bass show with this young lady who's kind of involved in the dance scene, and after awhile it was just a drum machine really loud and someone rapping over it,'' he said. ``But you can see why people like it because it's really simplistic sim·plism n. The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications. [French simplisme, from simple, simple, from Old French; see simple . ``I've always been eclectic in my taste. If I like something, it doesn't matter if it's c&w or r&b. It's all the same to me.'' THE FACTS Who: Madness, with Royal Crown Revue, Dance Hall Crashers and Hepcat. Where: Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. When: 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $20. Information: (213) 480-3232. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Madness, whose hits include include ``Our House,'' headlines Sunday at the Universal Amphitheatre. |
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