Madness (band)

From Conservapedia

Madness were a British ska band of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

They had a string of hits that combined their love for Jamaican music with the pop sensibility and self-conscious Englishness of earlier groups such as The Kinks.

Releasing their debut single "The Prince" on the 2 Tone label in 1979, the group initially attracted a large following among young supporters of the British National Front (Madness being the only all-white band on the 2 Tone roster), which drifted away as the group began to express their initially ambiguous anti-racist stance more clearly, and the group began to appeal to a more mainstream audience.

Arguably the most successful of the British second-wave ska bands (their main competition being The Specials), Madness went on to achieve 23 top 40 hits between 1979 and 1986, including fifteen in the top ten. Their exuberant videos led to Madness being heavily played on MTV, leading to them having a 1982 US hit with "Our House".

The departure of co-founder Mike Barson in 1984 signaled a decline in fortunes for the group, which disbanded in 1986. Four of the original seven members then formed a spin-off group, The Madness, with members of the Specials and the Attractions, which issued one poorly-received LP.

Prompted by the use of their single "It Must Be Love" in an advertisement for a British bank, Madness reformed for two gigs, dubbed "Madstock" in 1992, and continued to headline intermittent concerts throughout the 1990s, before reforming properly for 1999's comeback album Wonderful. The band went on to issue an album of cover versions, The Dangermen Sessions Volume 1 in 2005, and a new album is scheduled for 2007.

Frontman Graham McPherson (usually known as Suggs) has also enjoyed a solo career and has also become an occasional TV and radio presenter.