[Music] The Specials or Madness

[POSKETT AT THE VALLEY]

Specials all the way for me.

 

[Chicken Run]

Madness

 

[Wellesley]

Both

 

[POSKETT AT THE VALLEY]

Both

If you had to make a choice

 

[A mex eyecan]

If you had to make a choice

Special Madness

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Oh lord what sort of question’s that this time of the morning?

Funny enough I’m presently listening to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake (I kid you not) that of course takes me back to that great first album.

Thing with Madness is the singles have been played to death. I still listen to many of the Album tracks. In The Middle Of The Night, Close Escape, Mrs Hutchinson to name just a few. The Liberty of Norton Folgate is outstanding.

Specials are great, but Madness edge it for me.

 

[Wellesley]

If you had to make a choice

I can't, I'm not feeling well today and this is all too much.

 

[Comrade Sam]

Specials

 

[Guinness Boy]

Specials

Yep, Specials.

 

[Davidg1957]

Madness for me

Yesterday was one step beyond

 

[timbha]

Specials for me altho I liked Madness a lot. Thought Madness were more of a fun band whereas Specials had a message.

 

[WATFORD zero]

 

[studio150]

The Specials

 

[Baldseagull]

Jerry Dammers formed The Specials and started Two Tone records, I don't think you get Madness without The Specials.

 

[Live by the sea]

Fun boy 3

 

[Mr Bridger]

Specials for me as they captured a moment in time.
Early madness were right up there but have diluted over the years.

 

[carlzeiss]

Saw the Specials with Madness and Selector at the Top Rank , 81 , can't remember the exact year now .
The Specials were in a class of their own , Madness had a NF following that night which was unfortunately not unusual at gigs in those days

 

[Hugo Rune]

Madness by a distance for me based on the sheer amount of high quality songs although I do conceded that The Specials are ‘cooler’ and more ‘serious’. I think Madness are the better musicians but not lyricists.

 

[BN9 BHA]

The Specials are one of my favourite bands.

I like Madness, I was playing the first album on Friday and I’ve seen them live a few times. They turned into more of a comedy band though.

 

[Stato]

It isn't a competition and I would argue that Madness's lean towards the comedic has led to them being underrated as a quirky singles band. Some of their finest moments are up there with Ray Davies and Ian Dury's masterful portraits of English life. Stuff like Embarassment & Our House are like little Mike Leigh films.

However, the question reminds me of this lovely story that was told on Twitter last December after the awful news of Terry Hall's death:

Thread by @estellecostanza on Thread Reader App

@estellecostanza: Oh man - Terry Hall. Me and some pals have an occasional covers band - weddings, parties, anything. Due to all of us having worked in 'the biz' we've brought in some powerful ringers to...…

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