Madness

…infectious; ska revivalists such as Madness and the Specials; genre-hopping Joe Jackson; synthesizer bands such as Human League, Heaven 17, and A Flock of Seagulls; and the so-called New Romantics, including the cosmetics-wearing Duran Duran, Adam and the Ants, and

…as the Specials, Selector, and Madness brought punk and more pop into ska. Madness’s music crossed the Atlantic Ocean and contributed to the success of ska’s third wave of popularity, in the mid-1980s in the United States, where another British group, General Public, had hits. The music’s fourth wave came…

…inspired series of singles by Madness in the early 1980s (all accompanied by witty videos directed by Robinson) epitomized the label’s unique flair. But when major labels, which had greater financial resources, realized that success was to be driven by marketing, it transpired that Stiff had provided the blueprint for…

Among 2-Tone’s alumni, Madness developed into a very English pop group (on the Stiff label), and the Beat (called the English Beat in the United States) split to become General Public and the Fine Young Cannibals. The legacy of 2-Tone would be explored during the American ska revival…