Absolutely

by Chris WoodstraFor their second album, Madness continued the bright and bouncy fun of their debut. Absolutely placed slightly more emphasis on their novelty aspect, creating something of a fun-house atmosphere with stray sounds, exaggerated accents, faster tempos, and often unintelligible lyrics rattled off by Suggs at breakneck speed. Although the album shows a dip in quality control and much less diversity than One Step Beyond, it is nevertheless a charming romp with its share of inspired moments, like the classic singles "Baggy Trousers" and "Embarrasment."