One Step Beyond...

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One Step Beyond...
Madness.jpg
Studio album by
Madness
Released19 October 1979[1]
Recorded1979
StudioEden and TW, London. Mixed at Genetic, Streatley, Berkshire
Genre
Length39:02
LabelStiff, Sire
ProducerClive Langer, Alan Winstanley
Madness chronology
One Step Beyond...
(1979) 		Work Rest and Play
(1980)
Singles from One Step Beyond...
  1. "The Prince"
    Released: 10 August 1979
  2. "One Step Beyond"
    Released: 26 October 1979
  3. "My Girl"
    Released: 21 December 1979
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4.5/5 stars[3]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music4/5 stars[5]
Mojo4/5 stars[6]
Q4/5 stars[7]
Record Collector5/5 stars[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide3.5/5 stars[9]
Smash Hits6/10[10]

One Step Beyond . . . is the 1979 debut album by the British ska-pop group Madness. Recorded and mixed in about three weeks, the album peaked at number two and remained on the U.K. Albums Chart for more than a year.

This was the first album produced by the Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley team, who would go on to produce more Madness albums and to work with artists such as Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Morrissey, Dexys Midnight Runners, They Might Be Giants and David Bowie.

The "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.[11]

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 North American release of One Step Beyond... features a cover of Buster's "Madness", as the song was released as a single there, and the track "The Prince" is a tribute to Buster.

After the album's initial release, reissues were released in 2009 and 2014, each containing additional material such as video productions featuring the band.

The album has received much critical praise. It was ranked 90th in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time.

Track listing[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One Step Beyond"Cecil Campbell2:18
2."My Girl"Mike Barson2:44
3."Night Boat to Cairo"
  • Graham McPherson
  • Barson
3:31
4."Believe Me"
  • John Hasler
  • Barson
2:28
5."Land of Hope and Glory"Lee Jay Thompson2:57
6."The Prince"Thompson3:18
7."Tarzan's Nuts"
2:24
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."In The Middle of The Night"
3:01
9."Bed and Breakfast Man"Barson2:33
10."Razor Blade Alley"Thompson2:42
11."Swan Lake"Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; arranged by Barson2:36
12."Rockin' in A♭"Willy Wurlitzer2:29
13."Mummy's Boy"Mark Bedford2:23
14."Madness"Campbell2:38
15."Chipmunks Are Go!"
  • Brendan Smyth
  • Smash
0:51

Extra material[]

The 2009 reissue also includes the music videos for "The Prince", "One Step Beyond...", "My Girl", "Night Boat to Cairo" and "Bed & 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.[12]

Reissues[]

2009 reissue – bonus disc[]

  1. "The Prince" (Thompson) [Peel Session] — 2:31
  2. "Bed and Breakfast Man" (Barson) [Peel Session] — 3:24
  3. "Land of Hope and Glory" (Thompson, Foreman) [Peel Session] — 2:42
  4. "Stepping into Line" (Hasler, McPherson, Thompson) [Peel Session] — 2:38
  5. "One Step Beyond . . ." (Campbell) [7" Single version] — 2:17
  6. "My Girl" (Barson) — 2:58 [Recorded at Pathway Studio with 2-Tone single The Prince / Madness. Mike Barson: Vocal]
  7. "Mistakes" (Hasler, Barson) — 2:52 [B-Side "One Step Beyond..."]
  8. "Un Paso Adelante" (Campbell) — 2:33 ["One Step Beyond..." Spanish version]
  9. "Nutty Theme" (Thompson, McPherson) — 2:10 [B-Side "One Step Beyond..." 12"]
  10. "My Girl" (Ballad version) (Barson) — 2:28 [From Flexipop flexi disc]
  11. "Stepping into Line" (Hasler, McPherson, Foreman) — 2:15 [B-Side "My Girl"]
  12. "Un Passo Avanti" (Campbell) — 2:22 ["One Step Beyond..." Italian version]
  13. "Deceives the Eye" (Bedford, Foreman) — 2:00 [Work Rest and Play EP]
  14. "The Young and The Old" (McPherson, Barson) — 2:04 [Work Rest and Play EP]
  15. "Don't Quote Me on That" (Smyth, Barson, Foreman, McPherson, Bedford, Thompson, Woodgate) — 4:31 [Work Rest and Play EP]
  16. "Razor Blade Alley" (Thompson) — 2:35 [Dance Craze live version)
  17. "Night Boat To Cairo" (McPherson, Barson) — 3:12 [Dance Craze live version]
  18. "One Step Beyond . . ." (Campbell) — 2:53 [Dance Craze live version]

2014 reissue - Featuring 14 rehearsal demos from Fab Toones[]

  1. "Nutty Sounds" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (McPherson, Thompson, Bedford, Foreman) — 3:13
  2. "Mistakes" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Hasler, Barson) — 2:53
  3. "Sunshine Voice" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Hasler, Barson) — 3:32
  4. "My Girl" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Barson) — 2:50
  5. "Memories" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Foreman) — 2:31
  6. "Believe Me" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (McPherson, Barson) — 2:39
  7. "Lost My Head" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (McPherson, Barson) — 2:24
  8. "Razorblade Alley" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Thompson, Barson) — 2:33
  9. "Land of Hope and Glory" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Thompson, Foreman) — 2:47
  10. "Mummy's Boy" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Bedford) — 2:21
  11. "In the Middle of the Night" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (McPherson, Foreman) — 2:51
  12. "You Said" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Barson) — 2:21
  13. "Stepping into Line" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (McPherson, Bedford) — 2:29
  14. "Bed and Breakfast Man" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Barson) — 4:15

In addition, the remaining 6 tracks from "Fab Toones" were not included on the CD due to space constraints. However, these tracks were available as downloads

  1. "Madness" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Campbell) — 2:20
  2. "My Mates" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Bedford, Barson) — 2:40
  3. "Shop Around" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy) — 3:01
  4. "There's Always Something There to Remind Me" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) — 4:05
  5. "Swan Lake" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Tchaikovsky, arranged by Barson) — 2:49
  6. "Rockin in A♭" (Rehearsal 28 April 1979) (Willy Wurlitzer) — 2:09

Singles[]

Singles and EP from the album:

  • "The Prince" (2-Tone single version)/"Madness" (2-Tone single version)
  • "One Step Beyond" (single mix)/"Mistakes" on the 7" Single, "One Step Beyond" (12" Mix)/"Mistakes"/"Nutty Theme" on the 12" single – October 1979
  • "My Girl"/"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"/"Don't Quote Me On That" – March 1980
  • "Tarzan's Nuts"/"Night Boat To Cairo" – Stiff 4338, The Netherlands, 1980
  • "Don't Quote Me On That" (4:08 Mix)/"Swan Lake"

Chart performance[]

Original album[]

Chart (1979) Peak
position 		Total
weeks
Austrian Albums Chart[13] 11 10
Dutch Albums Chart[14] 22 12
German Albums Chart[15] 14 37
New Zealand Albums Chart[16] 27 9
Norwegian Albums Chart[17] 24 7
Swedish Albums Chart[18] 12 7
UK Albums Chart[19] 2 78
US Billboard Hot 200[20] 128 9

30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition[]

Chart (2009) Peak
position 		Total
weeks
UK Albums Chart[21] 67 1

Singles[]

Date Single Chart Position[21] 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
Aug 1992 "My Girl" UK 27 4
Feb 1993 "Night Boat to Cairo" UK 56 2

Personnel[]

with:

  • Cathal Smyth (Chas Smash) – backing vocals, 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.
Additional personnel
  • John Hasler – minder

References[]

  1. ^ "Madness – One Step Beyond... (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 19 October 1979. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  2. ^ "The 50 Best New Wave Albums". Paste. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  3. ^ Greene, Jo-Ann. "One Step Beyond... – Madness". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Madness: One Step Beyond". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Madness". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  6. ^ "Madness: One Step Beyond...". Mojo. No. 192. London. November 2009. p. 112. ISSN 1351-0193.
  7. ^ "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 ...
  8. ^ Wilson, Lois (December 2009). "Madness – One Step Beyond". Record Collector. No. 369. London. ISSN 0261-250X. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Starr, Red (15–28 November 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits. Vol. 1 no. 25. London. p. 31. ISSN 0260-3004.
  11. ^ Simpson, Dave (25 November 2014). "Suggs and Mike Barson of Madness: how we made One Step Beyond" – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Madness - One Step Beyond (35th Anniversary Edition)". www.shieldsgazette.com.
  13. ^ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 – Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  14. ^ One Step Beyond ... at Dutch Charts Retrieved 18 June 2013
  15. ^ "Media Control Charts". charts.de. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  16. ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  17. ^ Steffen Hung (15 June 2006). "Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  18. ^ Steffen Hung. "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  19. ^ "UK Singles & Albums Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  20. ^ "AllMusic". AllMusic. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Madness at Official Charts Company Retrieved 21 June 2013

External links[]

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