''Universal Madness'' is the second

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

by the

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

band

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

, released on 2 March 1999 (see

1999 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in 1999. Specific locations * 1999 in British music * 1999 in Norwegian music * 1999 in South Korean music Specific genres * 1999 in classical music * 1999 in country music * 1999 in ...

) through the Goldenvoice label. It was recorded at the

Universal Amphitheater Universal Amphitheatre (later known as Gibson Amphitheatre) was an indoor amphitheatre located in Los Angeles, California, within Universal City. It was built as an outdoor venue, opening in the summer of 1972 with a production of ''Jesus Christ ...

on 26 April 1998 in Los Angeles. The show was Madness' first in America since 1984.

Reception

As the album features most of the band's singles, it "ultimately serves as mere nostalgia," according to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, "not quite a hollow experience, but not an epiphany either." They felt that while the album "doesn't disappoint too greatly, it rarely captures the giddy glee Madness can pull off," adding that the band "sounds fine in a workmanlike way." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' wrote, "The musicianship is tight as ever ( eeThompson sounds particularly inspired on sax) and the sound quality is good, but rahamMcPherson's singing falters more and more as the disc goes on. ... ''

Madstock! ''Madstock!'' is the first live album by ska/Pop music, pop band Madness (band), Madness, released on 2 November 1992 (see 1992 in music) by Go! Discs Records, Go! Discs. The album includes highlights from Madness' first concerts since their di ...

'' is the better choice for anyone searching for a disc of live Madness."

Track listing

Personnel

;Madness * Graham "Suggs" McPherson – lead vocals *

Mike Barson Michael Barson (born 21 April 1958) is a British multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning 45 years, Barson came to prominence in the late 1970s as the keyboard player for the band Madness. Early years Barson wa ...

– keyboards *

Chris Foreman Christopher John Foreman (born 8 August 1956), nicknamed Chrissy Boy, is an English musician, songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning 45 years, Foreman came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the English band Madness. ...

– guitar * Lee Thompson – saxophone, backup vocals *

Daniel Woodgate Daniel Mark "Woody" Woodgate (born 19 October 1960) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. In a career spanning 45 years, Woodgate came to prominence in the late 1970s as the drummer for the English ska band Madness a ...

– drums *

Mark Bedford Mark William Bedford (born 24 August 1961),Strong, Martin C. (2002) ''The Great Rock Discography'', Canongate, , p. 638 nicknamed Bedders, is an English musician, songwriter and composer. Bedford came to prominence in the late 1970s as the bass ...

– bass *

Cathal Smyth Cathal Joseph "Carl" Smyth (born 14 January 1959), also known as Chas Smash, is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the secondary vocalist, trumpet player and dancer for the English band Madness from their inception ...

– backup vocals, trumpet ;Technical *Cedric Singleton – executive producer *Guy Charbonneau – engineer *Charlie Bouis – assistant engineer *

Jerry Finn Jermone Gregory Finn (March 31, 1969 – August 21, 2008), sometimes credited as "Huckle" Jerry Finn, was an American record producer and mix engineer. He worked with numerous punk rock and pop-punk artists such as Blink-182, AFI, Sum 41, Alka ...

– mixing *Chuck Sperry – artwork *Ron Donovan – layout, design

References

External links

* 1999 live albums Madness (band) live albums {{1990s-pop-album-stub