Fuelled by the ska of Prince Buster ("Madness"), and inspired by the insanity of British music, right from the start Madness were a quintessentially English band. Two-tone more by association than fact, they came to the fore at the same time as the Specials, with a ska beat, a pop heart, and a lunatic smile (who else would update "Swan Lake" in such an unorthodox way?). While the title track lives on beyond them, there were plenty of other gems here, including "Night Boat to Cairo" and "My Girl." The Nutty Sound was infectious as measles, but a lot more fun.
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