プリンス・バスターのスカ(『Madness』)に刺激を受け、ブリティッシュ・ミュージックの狂気に触発されたマッドネスは結成当初から典型的な英国バンドだった。事実より連想からツートンと言われる彼らはスカ・ビートとポップスの感覚、狂気じみた微笑み(ほかの誰があんな型破りなアレンジで「Swan Lake」(邦題「白鳥の湖」)をやろうと思うだろうか)を持つバンドで、ザ・スペシャルズと同時期にクローズアップされてきた。タイトル曲は彼らより1歩先にあるものの、「Night Boat to Cairo」や「My Girl」など、ここにはたくさんの宝石がある。“ナッティ・サウンド”は“はしか”のようにうつりやすい。だが、おもしろさでは格段の違いだ。(Chris Nickson, Amazon.com)
Product Description
Limited edition double 10 inch vinyl gatefold pressing. Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the British Pop band's 1979 album including bonus tracks. While One Step Beyond may have been one of the biggest selling albums released during the Ska/2-Tone craze of 1979-1980, the album still sounds fresh and exciting three decades after its original release. There are many Ska influences on the album, but the band dabbles in all sorts of musical genres on One Step Beyond, creating their own unique brand of Pop. Sides One to Three contain the original album while Side Four contains non-album bonus tracks. Captain Oi. 2010
Amazon.com
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. Chris Nickson