The Dangermen Sessions

Product Description:

Madness: Chris Foreman, Daniel "Woody" Woodgate, Graham "Suggs" McPherson, Lee Thompson, Mark Bedford, Mike Barson, Chas Smash.

Recording information: 2005.

Ten years after their 1994 reformation, '80s British pop-reggae heroes Madness adopted the Dangermen moniker to enable a return to their roots performing reggae and ska in sweaty London pubs. In placing their own inimitable stamp both on reggae classics like Max Romeo's "Chase the Devil" and pop covers like Jose Feliciano's "Rain," THE DANGERMEN SESSIONS captures the band sounding just as fresh and energized as when they first erupted onto the London scene in 1979. Their irresistibly danceable take on the Kinks' "Lola" recalls a rootsier UB40, while over the churning rhythm of "Israelites" vocalist Suggs provides the best approximation of Desmond Dekker's patois-laced lyrics to date.