Absolutely
Studio album by
Madness
Released26 September 1980 (1980-09-26)
Recorded1980
StudioEden, London[1]
Genre
Length39:15
LabelStiff
Producer
Madness chronology
Work Rest and Play
(1980)		 Absolutely
(1980)		 7
(1981)
Singles from Absolutely
  1. "Baggy Trousers"
    Released: 5 September 1980
  2. "Embarrassment"
    Released: 14 November 1980
  3. "The Return of the Los Palmas 7"
    Released: 16 January 1981

Absolutely is the second studio album from the British ska band Madness. The album reached number 2 in the UK album charts.[2]

Absolutely spawned some of the band's biggest hits, most notably "Baggy Trousers", which peaked at number 3 in the UK and spent more than four months in the singles chart.[2] "Embarrassment" reached number 4, and the instrumental "The Return of the Los Palmas 7" climbed to number 7.[2] Although the album reviews were generally less enthusiastic than those of One Step Beyond..., they were mostly positive.

In 2009 and 2010, Madness re-released their back-catalogue of studio albums up to and including 1999's Wonderful with a bonus CD and extra tracks. The re-release of Absolutely has seven bonus tracks plus an additional CD featuring a 1980 concert recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon.

In a 2020 interview with GQ magazine Lee Thompson said it was his favourite Madness album.[1]

Album title

The album is named after one of the oft-said expressions of the band's then tour manager and sound man Tony Duffield.[3]

Cover

Inner sleeve illustration

The front cover sees the band standing in front of Chalk Farm tube station in Camden. When the original vinyl was released the first, more sombre, cover photograph was changed to a more animated pose after around 10,000 albums were pressed. The two sleeves can be distinguished by keyboardist Mike Barson's holding of the umbrella: in the earlier pressing he holds it up to his chin while in the later, and subsequently used, releases the umbrella is on the ground.[4]

The inner sleeve features a London Underground-style roundel for a railway station called "Cairo East" on one side (this roundel later reappeared in the video for "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train") and a history of the group on the other. The "Cairo East" roundel is illustrated by painter, and former bass player with Kilburn and the High Roads, Humphrey Ocean.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[7]
Record Mirror[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]

The album received mixed reviews at the time of release.[1] Billboard recommended Absolutely to consumers, noting that it was "less gimmicky and more R&B/funk oriented" than Madness' debut album One Step Beyond..., while still retaining enough of the band's "'nutty' sound" to appeal to fans of the debut.[11] Greil Marcus, however, likened Madness to "the Blues Brothers with English accents" in a scathing review for Rolling Stone that also took aim at fellow ska revivalists the Specials.[9]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "Absolutely does motor ahead on breakneck ska rhythms, but it never quite feels as raw as its predecessor, and that hint of gloss serves the three big hit singles very well." Erlewine felt that Absolutely usually delivers more of the same as the debut in "a highly appealing fashion."[6]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Baggy Trousers"
2:45
2."Embarrassment"
3:13
3."E.R.N.I.E."
  • McPherson
  • Foreman
2:08
4."Close Escape"
  • Thompson
  • Foreman
3:29
5."Not Home Today"
2:30
6."On the Beat Pete"
3:05
7."Solid Gone"Chas Smash2:22
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Take It or Leave It"
  • Thompson
  • Barson
3:26
9."Shadow of Fear"
  • McPherson
  • Barson
1:58
10."Disappear"
  • McPherson
  • Bedford
2:58
11."Overdone"
  • Thompson
  • Foreman
3:45
12."In the Rain"
  • Barson, Bedford, Foreman, McPherson, Smyth, Thompson and Woodgate
2:42
13."You Said"
  • McPherson
  • Barson
2:35
14."The Return of the Los Palmas 7"
2:01
Total length:39:15

2010 reissue

Personnel

Madness
Technical
2010 reissue
  • Jeff Griffin – producer on disc two
  • Tim Turan – remastering
  • Martin "Cally" Callomon – art direction, design
  • Paul Lester – liner notes

Chart performance

Chart (1980) Peak
position		 Total
weeks
Dutch Albums Chart[12] 2 43
Finnish Albums Chart[13] 24 3
German Albums Chart[14] 21 9
New Zealand Albums Chart[15] 31 4
Norwegian Albums Chart[16] 26 4
Swedish Albums Chart[17] 15 3
UK Albums Chart[18] 2 47
US Billboard Hot 200[19] 146 4

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Platinum 300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Chick, Stevie (24 December 2020). "An exclusive interview with Madness to mark 40 years of Absolutely". GQ. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Madness Timeline: 1980". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
  3. ↑ Archived 18 January 2004 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Smash Hits magazine March 31 – April 13, 1983 page 10".
  5. ↑ "Absolutely". Discogs. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  6. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Absolutely – Madness". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Madness: Absolutely". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Martin, Alf (27 September 1980). "Madness in Same". Record Mirror. p. 18.
  9. 1 2 Marcus, Greil (19 February 1981). "Madness: Absolutely". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ "Billboard's Recommended LPs" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 44. 1 November 1980. pp. 88, 91. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via World Radio History.
  12. ↑ Absolutely at Dutch Charts Archived 11 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 18 June 2013
  13. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 178. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  14. ↑ "Media Control Charts". charts.de. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  15. ↑ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  16. ↑ Steffen Hung (15 June 2006). "Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  17. ↑ Steffen Hung (7 October 2011). "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  18. ↑ "UK Singles & Albums Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  19. ↑ "AllMusic". AllMusic. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  20. ↑ "British album certifications – Madness – Absolutely". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
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