Madness announce reissues of first five studio albums

Madness have announced the reissue of their first five studio albums.

The new editions of One Step Beyond… (1979), Absolutely (1980), 7 (1981), The Rise & Fall (1982) and Keep Moving (1984) will be released on January 29 on 180g black vinyl, strictly limited edition 180g coloured vinyl and CD.

The five albums chart the rise of the North London ‘Nutty Boys’, from their classic debut album – featuring the singles The Prince, One Step Beyond, My Girl and Night Boat To Cairoth – through to Keep Moving, their last album for Stiff Records.

Between 1980 and 1986 Madness’ singles spent 214 weeks on the UK singles chart, a joint record for a group during the decade.

Each vinyl edition has been pressed using a brand new 2026 vinyl remaster, cut from transfers from the original quarter-inch master tapes that were used for previous reissues. The CDs present the previous remasters in mini-LP replica sleeves.

For the first time, the complete lyrics to the Madness-composed songs are included on every reissue. Each reissue also reproduces the original artwork from the album’s first release.

The coloured vinyl editions are each a one-time pressing, never to be repressed, and together form a collectable set: violet (One Step Beyond…), blue (Absolutely), silver (7), red (The Rise & Fall) and white (Keep Moving).

The band say: “Five albums, a fair few dodgy haircuts and more than a couple of tunes that have stood the test of time! It’s quite something to look back at those early records and realise how much mischief we managed to get up to. We’re chuffed to be giving them a new lease of life and hope they bring back a few memories for those who were there the first time around, as well as hopefully finding their way into the collections of a new generation of Nutty Boys and Girls.”