Logo #185: Madness

Designed by the ever-brilliant Barney Bubbles in 1979 for the "One Step Beyond" 7." Madness? Brighter Death Now? You've crystallized my thoughts eloquently: it's Valentine's Day. Or Valentime's Day, depending on what part of the world in which words like "flustrated," "nucular," "expresso," and "Lemme axe you..." (yes, you may axe me - please make your first blow strong and to the head) drive you entirely too insane. My last girlfriend fell off a cliff and died on impact. Very sad. Oh well, guess that means I'm free for Valentime's Day! Bubbles also designed the logos for Hawkwind and Ian Dury & The Blockheads, which we shall of course examine in a future installment. A beautiful and breathtaking summation of his work can be found here and enjoyed through the coming weekend. On one particularly lovely weekend in summer 1992, 75,000 mad Madness fans danced so hard during a performance of "One Step Beyond" by the reunited band that they caused a tremor of 4.5 on the Richter scale. Is there any other kind of earthquake scale? If there is, it was probably invented by the guy who hangs out with that fifth dentist who recommended eating sugar, and Water, the guy they kicked out of Earth, Wind and Fire.