| One Step Beyond... | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Madness |
| Cover: | Madness.jpg |
| Released: | [1] |
| Recorded: | September 1979[2] |
| Studio: |
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| Genre: |
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| Length: | 39:02 |
| Label: | |
| Producer: | |
| Next Title: | Work Rest and Play |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
One Step Beyond... is the debut studio album by the English ska and pop band Madness, released on 19 October 1979 by Stiff Records.[4] Recorded and mixed in about three weeks, the album peaked at number two and remained on the UK Albums Chart for more than a year. The album has received much critical praise. It was ranked 90th in a 2005 survey held by British television station Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time.
This was the first album produced by the team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who would go on to produce more Madness albums and to work with artists including 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.[5]
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 track "The Prince" is a tribute to Buster and a re-recording of the band's debut single, originally released on the 2 Tone label.[6] Its B-side, "Madness", another Prince Buster song, was also re-recorded for the album. "Madness" and "Bed and Breakfast Man" were released as singles in North America through Sire Records.[7]
After the album's initial release, reissues were released in 2009 and 2014 by Union Square Music's collector's label Salvo,[8] each containing additional material such as video productions featuring the band.
In Sounds, Garry Bushell praised One Step Beyond... as "an intensely enjoyable album, a disc of many moods", writing that "Madness manage to add a Billy Bentley cockney stamp to their very own brand of reggae crossed with sax embroidered, happy fairground nuttiness and it works surprisingly well." NME critic Deanne Pearson found that the album affirmed "that they have a style and distinctiveness of their own", observing "a warm, easy familiarity about Madness" distinguishing them from fellow ska band the Specials.[9]
One Step Beyond..., along with the Specials' self-titled debut—released on the same day in October 1979—played an important part in popularising 2 tone music in the UK. The albums were also a great influence on other bands of the genre.
The 2009 reissue also includes the music videos for "The Prince", "One Step Beyond", "My Girl", "Night Boat to Cairo" and "Bed and 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.[10]
Five promotional music videos were filmed to promote the singles during the album's release. All of these, with the exception of "The Prince" (which was in fact a Top of the Pops performance only released in the UK and used the single version for the video) were in rotation on MTV during its first few years. Some of these promo videos were also featured in other music TV outlets, such as Top of the Pops. However, in 2022 Madness released two new videos for the album versions of "The Prince" and "Madness", with footage taken from the 1981 Madness' documentary movie Take It or Leave It.
| 1979 | "The Prince" (single version & Top of the Pops performance clip) | Unknown |
| "One Step Beyond" | Dave Robinson | |
| "Bed and Breakfast Man" | ||
| "My Girl" | Unknown | |
| 1980 | "Night Boat to Cairo" | Unknown |
| 2022 | ""The Prince" (album version) | Dave Robinson |
| "Madness" |
Additional personnel
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.
Technical
2009 reissue
2014 reissue
| Chart (1979) | Peak position | Total weeks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart[11] | 11 | 10 | |
| Finnish Albums Chart[12] | 23 | 6 | |
| Dutch Albums Chart[13] | 22 | 12 | |
| German Albums Chart[14] | 14 | 37 | |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[15] | 27 | 9 | |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[16] | 24 | 7 | |
| Swedish Albums Chart[17] | 12 | 7 | |
| UK Albums Chart[18] | 2 | 78 | |
| US Billboard Hot 200[19] | 128 | 9 |
| Date | Single | Chart | Position | 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 | |
| Apr 1980 | "Night Boat to Cairo" | UK | 6 | 8 |
