By Cameron Hale
Three years on and Madness are back with their new single “Mr. Apples”.
With the song heavily featuring Mark Bedford’s blues/funk bass, as well as Lee Thompson’s familiar saxophone solo (towards the end of the song), Mr. Apples is a reminder of the Camden Town band’s prominence established in the late 70’s and early 80’s with the likes of ‘One Step Beyond’ and ‘Our House’.
Lyrically, Graham McPherson (better known as ‘Suggs’), has produced a song significantly more unorthodox for Madness’ renowned descriptive lyrical content.
Instead, Mr. Apples tells the story of a fictional protagonist Mr. Apples, who appears to lead a double life, with the first line – “A devout and well respected man” – contrasting starkly to the second line of the following verse – “He’s heading off up the wrong side of town”.
Watching the video for the new single, all of the original Madness is undoubtedly still present, with the cuts from the band jamming to the tasteful movie-like narrative of the Mr. Apple’s story also adding a modern-day feel that comes with the majority of the latest tracks.
Mr. Apples is a bold statement for Madness’ return, and I am sure many of you will, like me, expect more of the same from Madness in the near future.
