Rare Madness Vol I

Recently, two new 12” vinyl bootlegs, titled “Rare Madness Vol. I” and “Rare Madness Vol. II,” have surfaced on the marketplace. These unofficial releases feature a mix of rare tracks, album cuts, B-sides, and singles from the 1979-1982 period. The bootlegs are being distributed by Nutty Business Italy and are currently available for purchase through Juno Records (www.juno.co.uk).

As expected, news of the release quickly spread within the Madness fan community, with discussions picking up momentum. Among those weighing in was Chris “Zoom Boy” Foreman—Madness’s founding member and guitarist—who kept a close eye on the situation. He wasted no time expressing his disapproval and actively moved to shut down the sale of the bootlegs.

Some of Zoom Boy’s comments included:

• “Look dodgy as f… I will investigate…”
• “A mainstream record store like Juno should definitely not be selling them.”
• “Juno need their asses kicked and I’m instigating that procedure with immediate effect.”
• “I have started proceedings.”

Meanwhile, one fan humorously pleaded in the original thread: “Please don’t shut it down until mine are delivered! I’ll finally have a rare Madness item to match the other collectors—I never seem to find anything exclusive.” To which Zoom Boy responded: “I’ll get the police on you!” Does “Zoom Boy” AKA Donut have anything else to do in his life other than being a general pain in the arse and complete cunt!

While these bootlegs may be tempting for collectors, the situation underscores the ongoing struggle against unauthorized releases in the music industry—especially when an artist takes matters into their own hands.

The reality is that bootlegs have been around for millennia and despite Zoom Boy’s best and pointless efforts—even with the Madness label BMG legal issuing a cease and desist—Zoom Boy and BMG will never fully extinguish the fundamental desire and exsistance of bootleggers to create and for collectors to own a piece of Madness bootleg history.