The Saints - A Little Madness To Be Free

Original Release Date

1984

Release Information

Australia LP 1984 (RCA Victor - VPL 1-0437)

1 Ghost Ships 3:39
2 Some One To Tell Me 2:45
3 Down The Drain 2:25
4 It's Only Time 3:24
5 Imagination 2:57
6 Wrapped Up And Blue 3:31
7 Walk Away 2:57
8 Photograph 3:49
9 The Hour 4:00
10 Angels 3:30

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France LP 1984 (New Rose - ROSE 38)
France CD 1989 (New Rose - ROSE 38 CD)

1 Down The Drain
2 Walk Away
3 Photograph
4 The Hour
5 Angels
6 Imagination
7 It's Only Time
8 Someone To Tell Me
9 Heavy Metal
10 Ghost Ships
CD Bonus Tracks:
+Free Live L.P.
11 Follow The Leader
12 Let's Pretend
13 Always
14 Walk Away
15 Imagination
16 Roses
17 Ghost Ships
18 Someone To Tell Me
19 The Waterfront
20 Angels

Chart Placings

None

Credits

LPs/CD:

Those Irresponsible (on the record):
Iain Shedden, Chris Burnham, Chris Bailey, Pearl Bayly, Michael Charles, Alex Hamilton, Sally Schinkle, Fiona Morphett, Emile Kiss, Ivor Hay, Richard Daniell and Janine Hall

Recorded at a studio and mixed at Alberts
Produced by Lurax Debris

Reviews & Opinions

GEOFF GINSBERG, ALL MUSIC GUIDE: On this album, the Saints shift gears yet again. A Little Madness to Be Free takes the band (which is actually just a vehicle for singer Chris Bailey at this point) in a denser more layered direction. This time, brass and strings dominate with lush acoustic guitars underneath. Obviously, any trace of the punk band that was, is gone. The power, however, remains. Like it's follow up, the devastating All Fools Day, this record explores the depths of irony, and the ironies of depth. Through exploration of the soul there is (musical at least) redemption. From the incredibly beautiful photo of a bay at sunset on the album cover, to the opening track, 'Down the Drain,' the tone is set. "Still I think it's better to stand out in the rain/ then go slipping on down the drain," Bailey sings. A melancholy rainy day vibe so damn gray it's vibrant. You can't help but be transported by it. This is the kind of album that makes you think about stuff. Stuff you'd rather not think about, like, "what the hell have I done with my life." Somehow there is catharsis, so the end result is not an overall bummer. The somber and powerful, "Photograph" tells of a lost love, and the beautiful, 'Angels' will leave you singing along ("we can't waste another day") to the point of wanting to play the track again. The album concludes with one of Bailey's all time classic songs, 'Ghostships,' a track so amazing he went and put it on several more albums, re-recording it twice. While electric guitars are not the centerpiece of the sound here, the layers make for an equally powerful experience. Suprisngly, there are really no keyboards to speak of, which is very unusual for a non-guitar rock album. By this point in his career, Chris Bailey had come into his own as an arranger and it really shows. Certainly one of their most obscure discs, but ultimately as rewarding as the classics, I'm Stranded, Eternally Yours and 'All Fools Day'.

Additional Notes

The New Rose LP a with different cover (and a slightly different track listing) was heavily exported into the UK (which is why it is included here). . The live tracks on the CD come from Live In A Mud Hut. Issued on CD in its entirety as part of The Greatest Cowboy Movie Never Made. Reissued in 1987 by Mushroom on vinyl in a completely different sleeve.

Images

Australia LP 1984 (RCA Victor - VPL 1-0437). Click here for more

France LP 1984 (New Rose - ROSE 38). Click here for more

France CD 1989 (New Rose - ROSE 38 CD). Click here for more