News

Madness may be all in the mind, but in October it’ll be on your TV screens thanks to a new reissue of the band’s film, Take It or Leave It, coming from Salvo Music in October.

Directed by Stiff Records founder Dave Robinson and released in 1981, Take It or Leave It is a docudrama about the beloved British ska group, combining staged vignettes with live footage and other fun stuff. Released in conjunction with the band’s third album, 7, the film features various studio and live versions of songs from the band’s discography up to that point, including “One Step Beyond,” “Baggy Trousers” and many more. (One song, “Sunshine Voice,” remains unreleased on any album.)

Salvo’s new reissue of Take It or Leave It features, for the first time, a soundtrack CD. Alas, “Sunshine Voice” isn’t included, in favor of a simple compilation of released songs from the film (including two non-Madness tracks). The new DVD does, however, retain a 2002 commentary on the film recorded by Robinson with Madness guitarist Chris Foreman. (A bit of bad news for collectors outside of the U.K., though: Amazon lists the DVD as PAL formatted only.)

In any case, it’s due out on October 7; pre-order links and a track list for the soundtrack are after the jump.

Take It or Leave It (Salvo SALVOSVX010 (U.K.), 2013)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Disc 1: DVD feature film

• Commentary with Chris Robinson and Chrissy Boy Foreman
• Theatrical trailer

Disc 2: soundtrack CD

1. Don’t Quote Me on That
2. The Business
3. I’m Walkin’ – Fats Domino
4. On the Beat Pete
5. Don’t Look Back
6. Reach Out I’ll Be There – The Four Tops
7. Embarrassment
8. Mistakes
9. That’s The Way to Do It
10. Rockin in A♭
11. Day on the Town
12. Swan Lake
13. In the Middle of the Night
14. Razor Blade Alley
15. Madness
16. Steppin’ Into Line
17. Night Boat to Cairo
18. Sign of the Times
19. Solid Gone
20. One Step Beyond
21. Bed & Breakfast Man
22. The Prince
23. Baggy Trousers
24. Grey Day
25. My Girl
26. Take It or Leave It

Track 1 from Work, Rest and Play EP (Stiff, 1980)
Track 2 was the B-side to “Baggy Trousers” (Stiff, 1980)
Tracks 4, 7, 19, 23 and 26 from Absolutely (Stiff, 1980)
Track 5 was the B-side to “House of Fun” (Stiff, 1982)
Track 8 was the B-side to “One Step Beyond” (Stiff, 1979)
Track 9 was the B-side to “The Return of the Los Palmas 7” (Stiff, 1981)
Tracks 10, 12-15, 17, 20-22 and 25 from One Step Beyond… (Stiff, 1979)
Tracks 11, 18 and 24 from 7 (Stiff, 1981)
Track 16 was the B-side to “My Girl” (Stiff, 1979)