The Liberty of Norton Folgate is the ninth studio album by the British band Madness

Madness (band)

In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...

, released on 18 May 2009. The band worked on the album for close to three years and it is their first album of new material since 1999's Wonderful

Wonderful (Madness album)

Wonderful is an album by the British ska band Madness. It was released in 1999 . Wonderful is their first studio album in original lineup since the 1984 Keep Moving LP.-Track listing:#"Lovestruck"...

. The band showcased a number of songs from the new album during three concerts at London's Hackney Empire

Hackney Empire

The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney, built in 1901 as a music hall.-History:Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building...

 in June 2008.

This 10-minute title track recounts the social history of a corner of east London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 that until 1900 was controlled by St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...

 and as such was legally independent from its surroundings. A shortened version of the track "The Liberty of Norton Folgate" was made available on YouTube

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

 in mid May 2008. In December a boxset of the album was offered for pre-order on the Madness website; those who ordered were entitled to a digital download of the album on 20 December. Twenty-three tracks were recorded for the album, although fifteen made it on to the album to be released in May. The twelve tracks issued in the digital download leaked onto the internet on December 25, 2008.
During concerts in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide at the end of March 2009, Suggs stated that "Dust Devil

Dust Devil (Madness song)

"Dust Devil" is a single by the band Madness, released on 11th of May 2009, precisely one week before their album The Liberty of Norton Folgate....

" would be the second single off the new album; second when accounting for the 2008 release of NW5

NW5

"NW5" is a single by the band Madness, released in January 2008.The band brought it out via their own label, Lucky 7 Records.The single entered the chart at no.24 on Sunday 20th Jan 2008....

. It was released on the 11th of May, one week before the album. A third single, "Sugar and Spice

Sugar and Spice (Madness song)

"Sugar and Spice" is a single by the band Madness, released on 3 August 2009. It is the third single from the album The Liberty of Norton Folgate and is the first ever Madness single to be released only digitally....

" (with slightly different lyrics and intro to the album version) was released to radio in July, and on 21 July it was confirmed that it would be made available as a download single from 2 August on iTunes

ITunes

iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 and 3 August from other retailers.

In November 2009 the band announced the release of a fourth single scheduled for 11 January 2010: "Forever Young

Forever Young (Madness song)

"Forever Young" is a single by the band Madness, released on 18 January 2010. It was the fourth and last single to be taken from the album The Liberty of Norton Folgate, peaking at #199 in the UK....

", a favourite of both fans and band (Madness' Chrissy Boy on the band's message board: 'a hit I think'). Apart from several remixes, one of the single formats contains Love Really Hurts (Without You), a Dangermen era cover of the Billy Ocean classic. The release was put back one week and the single was released on 18th January, becoming the second single from the album to fail to chart.

It was produced by Clive Langer

Clive Langer

Clive Langer is a British record producer active from the mid 1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films Still Crazy and Brothers of the Head. Prior to his record producing career he was a guitarist with the British cult band Deaf SchoolLanger...

 and Alan Winstanley

Alan Winstanley

Alan Kenneth Winstanley is a British record producer active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer.-Notable studio albums produced by Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer:* One Step Beyond... – Madness...

, who have worked with Madness on all but one of their albums. Recording sessions also took place in Toe Rag studios in late 2006 with Liam Watson

Liam Watson

Liam Watson is a Grammy Award-winning British record producer and owner of Toe Rag Studios. Watson is perhaps best known for his work engineering and mixing the White Stripes' Elephant, receiving the 2004 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album...

, who engineered and mixed Elephant

Elephant (album)

Elephant is the Grammy winning fourth album by the American alternative rock band The White Stripes. Released on April 1, 2003 on V2 Records, the album marks the band's major label debut...

by The White Stripes

The White Stripes

The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...

.

Reception

Critical reception to The Liberty of Norton Folgate was highly positive, with most critics hailing it as Madness's best album in their thirty year career. Financial Times

Financial Times

The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....

, in a five-star review, lauded that "[at] a stage of life when they might be endlessly revisiting "Our House

Our House (Madness song)

"Our House" is a single by English ska/pop band Madness, from their UK album The Rise & Fall and their US compilation Madness.-About:...

" and "Baggy Trousers

Baggy Trousers

"Baggy Trousers" is a song by English ska/pop band Madness from their 1980 album Absolutely. It was written by lead singer Suggs and guitarist Chris Foreman, and reminisces on school days....

" on the 1980s nostalgia circuit, the much-loved ska-pop band, 30 years after their debut, have ripped up the form book and delivered a knockout album." The BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 described it as a "magnificent magnum opus" and "the most sophisticated and satisfying album of their career." Uncut

UNCUT (magazine)

Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...

and Mojo

Mojo (magazine)

MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...

both gave the album four out of five stars, with Uncut stating it as "refreshingly, unexpectedly excellent" and "everything seems to gel – the arrangements are the best ever."
Online sources such as MusicOMH say "it may just be the best thing they have ever recorded" and "is everything you would expect of Madness and more."
The Word Magazine describes it as "Peter Ackroyd writing for The Kinks, it's Sherlock Holmes in Albert Square, it's a Mike Leigh movie of Parklife, it's Passport To Pimlico meets Brick Lane, and it is Madness's masterpiece."

The album also made 3rd and 9th place, respectively, in the BBC's and Mojo's "Best albums of 2009" lists (category rock & pop)

Chart performance

The Liberty of Norton Folgate reached #5 in the UK album charts on 24 May 2009, their highest charting studio album since 7 in 1981. The album also charted at #1 on the UK independent album chart. The album went Gold in the UK in October 2009.

Chart (2009)	Peak position	Total weeks
Belgian Albums Chart (Vl)	70	2
Belgian Albums Chart (Wa)	78	2
Dutch Albums Chart	52	4
European Hot 100 Albums Chart	?	3
French Albums Chart	110	3
German Albums Chart	80	1
Irish Album Chart	31	3
Swedish Albums Chart	47	2
UK Albums Chart	5	13
UK Independent Albums Chart	1	?

Standard edition (1 CD)

This edition was released on 18 May, 2009.

1. "Overture" 1:07 (McPherson/Barson/Smyth)
2. "We Are London" 3:40 (Smyth)
3. "Sugar and Spice
   Sugar and Spice (Madness song)
   "Sugar and Spice" is a single by the band Madness, released on 3 August 2009. It is the third single from the album The Liberty of Norton Folgate and is the first ever Madness single to be released only digitally....
   
   " 2:52 (Barson)
4. "Forever Young
   Forever Young (Madness song)
   "Forever Young" is a single by the band Madness, released on 18 January 2010. It was the fourth and last single to be taken from the album The Liberty of Norton Folgate, peaking at #199 in the UK....
   
   " 4:36 (McPherson)
5. "Dust Devil
   Dust Devil (Madness song)
   "Dust Devil" is a single by the band Madness, released on 11th of May 2009, precisely one week before their album The Liberty of Norton Folgate....
   
   " 3:44 (Thompson/Woodgate)
6. "Rainbows" 3:22 (Thompson/Woodgate)
7. "That Close" 4:10 (McPherson/Foreman)
8. "MK II" 2:22 (McPherson/Smyth)
9. "On the Town" 4:32 (Woodgate/Barson) with guest vocals by Rhoda Dakar
   Rhoda Dakar
   Rhoda Dakar is a British singer and musician, best known as the lead singer of The Bodysnatchers, who were signed to the 2 Tone record label.-Career:...
   
   
10. "Bingo" 4:06 (Thompson/Barson)
11. "Idiot Child" 3:18 (Thompson/Barson)
12. "Africa" 4:19 (Barson)
13. "NW5
    NW5
    "NW5" is a single by the band Madness, released in January 2008.The band brought it out via their own label, Lucky 7 Records.The single entered the chart at no.24 on Sunday 20th Jan 2008....
    
    " 4:14 (Thompson/Barson)
14. "Clerkenwell Polka" 4:20 (Smyth)
15. "The Liberty of Norton Folgate" 10:10 (McPherson/Barson/Smyth)

Special edition boxed set (3 CDs, 1 LP)

This edition was made available for pre-order in late 2008 and was released on March 23, 2009.
It contains a 2 CD version of the album and an additional CD of rehearsal recordings, demos and live recordings.
Also included is a Madness "M" pin, a poster, and access to an online area that will contain additional material.

Disc 1

1. "Overture" (McPherson/Barson/Smyth)
2. "We Are London" (Smyth)
3. "Sugar and Spice" (Barson)
4. "Forever Young" (McPherson)
5. "Dust Devil" (Thompson/Woodgate)
6. "Rainbows" (Thompson/Woodgate)
7. "That Close" (McPherson/Foreman)
8. "MKII" (McPherson/Smyth)
9. "On the Town" (Woodgate/Barson)
10. "Clerkenwell Polka" (Smyth)
11. "The Liberty Of Norton Folgate" (McPherson/Barson/Smyth)

Disc 2

1. "Let's Go" (McPherson/Barson)
2. "Idiot Child" (Thompson/Barson)
3. "Mission From Hell" (Thompson/Barson)
4. "Seven Dials" (McPherson/Barson)
5. "Hunchback of Torianno" (Thompson/Woodgate)
6. "Fish & Chips" (Smyth)
7. "Bingo" (Thompson/Barson)
8. "NW5
   NW5
   "NW5" is a single by the band Madness, released in January 2008.The band brought it out via their own label, Lucky 7 Records.The single entered the chart at no.24 on Sunday 20th Jan 2008....
   
   " (Thompson/Barson)
9. "One Fine Day" (McPherson/Foreman)
10. "The Kiss" (McPherson/Barson)
11. "Africa" (Barson)

Disc 3 - Practice Makes Perfect Plus Hackney Live

1. "Dust Devil"
2. "Let's Go"
3. "Clerkenwell Polka"
4. "Forever Young"
5. "Seven Dials"
6. "On the Town"
7. "Fish & Chips Parade"
8. "Idiot Child"
9. "We Are London [Chas Demo]"
10. "We Are London (Live)"
11. "Idiot Child (Live)"
12. "Bingo (Live)"
13. "NW5 (Live)"
14. "On the Town (Live)"
15. "MKII (Live)"
16. "Sugar and Spice (Live)"
17. "Dust Devil (Live)"
18. "Clerkenwell Polka (Live)"
19. "Forever Young (Live)"
20. "The Liberty of Norton Folgate (Live)"

Vinyl LP

Side A

1. "We Are London"
2. "Forever Young"
3. "Dust Devil"
4. "Sugar and Spice"
5. "The Liberty of Norton Folgate"

Side B

1. "Clerkenwell Polka"
2. "Bingo"
3. "Rainbows"
4. "That Close"
5. "MKII"
6. "Idiot Child"
7. "On the Town"

The Liberty of Norton Folgate film

A 64 minute long concert film, also titled The Liberty of Norton Folgate was directed by Julien Temple

Julien Temple

Julien Temple is an English film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including The Great Rock And Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners and a documentary film about Glastonbury.-Temple...

. It screened at the London Independent Film Festival on April the 17th 2009.