Rewind: Madness and Specials Unleash Debut Albums On This Day in 1979

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One Step Beyond - Madness
Stiff Records
Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley
Released 19th October 1979
UK Chart #2

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Specials - Specials
2 Tone
Produced by Elvis Costello
Released 19th October 1979
UK Chart #4

Two of the bands at the forefront of the 2 Tone Ska Revival released their Debut Albums on this day in 1979. Madness of course had moved on from the 2 Tone label to the "Most Flexible Label in the World", Stiff Records and The Special A.K.A. had been dropped in favour of the more simple Specials.

Out of the two I preferred One Step Beyond, mainly because I didn't think that Elvis Costello had properly captured the urgency and frenetic nature of the Specials that they displayed when playing live, whilst with Madness, Langer and Winstanley did manage to capture the energy of the band.

It was One Step Beyond that had the upper hand when it came to the Charts peaking at #2 whilst Specials made it to #4.

Both bands are still out and about playing live (with newer personnel) and I think I read somewhere that the Specials are hoping to record a new album soon. Can't Touch Us Now in 2016 is the latest studio album from Madness (their 11th) and the first not to feature Cathal Symth (Chas Smash) who had left the band to focus on a Solo Career.