Keep Grooving
Well, I'm currently listening to my favorite perpetually-repeating 30 second clip from Madness' "Time for Tea." Here's what Trouser Press (remember them?) has to say about this period in Madness' career:
What followed (Geffen's "Madness") was a period of tumult: Madness left Stiff, keyboardist Mike Barson left Madness and the band set up their own Zarjazz label. Keep Moving, their final LP as a septet, offers a full platter of typically tuneful, thoughtful, lightweight pop songs covering familiar ground, musically and lyrically. "Wings of a Dove" incorporates a gospel choir; "Michael Caine" uses a cute pop-culture gimmick to sell an otherwise weak number. The growing vocal skills of Carl Smyth (aka Chas Smash) and Graham (Suggs) McPherson have made them the band's most recognizable trait; the others' seemingly effortless playing is easy to take for granted.
MTV offers the following:
At the end of 1983, Mike Barson -- the band's key songwriter -- left the group to settle down with his wife. Although Madness was able to stay near the top of the charts with their first post-Barson release, "Michael Caine," the band's fortunes began to decline over the course of 1984. Upon its release in the spring, Keep Moving hit number six on the British charts; in America, the record reached number 109. In June, the group released its final single for Stiff Records, "One Better Day," which peaked at number 17.
But maybe it's best to read some excerpts from Madness' own website:
[October] 4th [1983] Madness are rehearsing in Halligans Heap Holloway Road writing songs for a new album [which will be Keep Moving] and are excited about the possibility of making their own TV series after an approach from Ben Elton and Richard Curtis who they had met whilst appearing on The Young Ones.Mike then calmly said that he wouldn’t be able to do this as he wanted to leave the band....
[December] 21st [1983] London Lyceum Ballroom Madness Christmas Party for Greenpeace with all proceeds going to Greenpeace.It also features Bonsai Forest Ian Dury and the Music Students and Hippy Neil from the Young Ones.
Set:House Of Fun/Disappear/Close Escape/Bed and Breakfast Man/My Girl/The Sun and The Rain/Blue Skinned Beast/Tomorrow's Just Another Day/Take It Or Leave It/Razorblade Alley/Embarrassment/Grey Day/Tomorrow's Dream/Shut Up/Nightboat To Cairo/Madness/
Baggy Trousers/Our House/Madness Is All In The Mind/It Must Be Love
encore:The Prince/One Step Beyond.
This turns out to be Mike Barson’s last appearance with Madness for 9 years...
Continuing into 1984:
[January] 30th [1984] Madness film the video for Michael Caine.The video is based on the Micheal Caine film The Ipcress File.It was shot on 35mm film so each shot took far longer to light and set up than the 16mm film that they usually used. Mike Barson appears in it at the beginning but had to leave to get a plane home as it was taking so long to film....
[April] 9th [1984] Madness fly to New York via Paris where they film Victoria Gardens on the Isabella Ajanni TV Show with James Mackie as temporary keyboard player....
[June] 5th [1984] Madness film the video for One Better day in Arlington Road outside Arlington House which is mentioned in the song and is a homeless refuge.they also film near Camden Lock.Mike Barson flies over to participate.This single is to be the last one with Stiff records.Originally Dave Robinson wanted to release Victoria Gardens a the first single from Keep Moving but changed his mind at the last minute.He also didn’t want to do a video so the band had to finance it themselves.Stiff have now been swallowed up by Island records and Dave is in a small office so things are not the same as before.
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