As the recent smash hit musical Our House showed, the public's affection for the sound of Madness is as undiminished as ever. The nutty boys have been semi-retired for some time now, but every so often they get together to play old ska tunes under the stage name The Dangermen. Maybe they should have turned one of these gigs into a live album, because these studio recordings turn out to be disappointingly on the flat side. Old reggae classics such as 'Shame and Scandal' and 'The Israelites' are fathfully reproduced, but crucially they lack the quirky sense of humour that's always been the band's trademark. The 'Vol 1' in the title suggests that there'll be more of this stuff to come. Mildly enjoyable though it is, most sensible people would much prefer some new Madness material instead.
