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Madness to drop five new tracks on expanded issue of Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est La Vie

Madness are releasing five new tracks on the expanded edition of their number one album, ‘Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est La Vie’.

The Enhanced Edition is set for release on June 7, and the first outtake, ‘No Reason’, is out now.

The other tracks are ‘I’d Do Anything (If I Could)’, ‘Hello Sun’, ‘Long Goodbye’ and ‘Culture Vulture’.

As a bonus, there are seven live tracks from the ‘C’est La Vie tour: Theatre of the Absurd, C’est La Vie, Hour of Need, Round We Go, Run For Your Life, In My Street’, plus their popular cover of The Specials’ ‘Friday Night Saturday Morning’.

Frontman Suggs said: “What do we ave ere’ then? Only some more blinding tunes for a bumper version of our no.1 album ‘Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est La Vie.’ We’ve had a blast playing the new songs for you so thought we’d throw in some live version too. Hope you like them!”

The extended edition is available as a limited-edition hardback book 2CD or very limited-edition vinyl format available exclusively via townsendmusic.store.

The legendary Ska band knocked Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ to No 2 following its three consecutive weeks at the top of the Official Albums Chart last year.

Madness said in a statement at the time: “Thank you so much to everyone who worked with us, our record company, our management, and especially you, the fans, for making us No 1!”

Meanwhile, the Camden legends behind crowd-pleasers, including ‘House of Fun’ and ‘Baggy Trousers’, are set to bring their ‘C’est La Vie’ summer tour to various venues across the UK and Ireland, including racecourses and castles.

The tour’s stops include Margate, Southampton, Plymouth, Newcastle, Lincoln, Edinburgh, Lytham Festival, Scarborough, Llangollen, Derby, Cardiff, Englefield Estate, Leeds, Ludlow Castle, Blackheath, Esher, Audley End, Belfast and Galway Airport. Tickets are available from Madness.co.uk.

Tracklistings: (*Denotes previously unreleased tracks)

CD1

1. Prologue: “Mr Beckett Sir…”

2. Theatre Of The Absurd

3. If I Go Mad

4. Baby Burglar

5. Act One: “Surrounded on all sides..”

6. C’est La Vie

7. What On Earth Is It (You Take Me For?)

8. Hour Of Need

9. Act Two “The damsel in distress..”

10. Round We Go

11. Act Three: “The situation deteriorates..”

12. Lockdown And Frack Off

13. Beginners 101

14. Is There Anybody Out There?

15. The Law According to Dr. Kippah

16. Epilogue: “And so Ladies and Gentlemen..”

17. Run For Your Life

18. Set Me Free (Let Me Be)

19. In My Street

20. Fin.: “Ladies and Gentlemen..”

CD2

1. I’d Do Anything (If I Could)*

2. No Reason*

3. Hello Sun*

4. Long Goodbye*

5. Culture Vulture*

6. Theatre of the Absurd (Live From The C’est La Vie Tour)*

7. C’est La Vie (Live From The C’est La Vie Tour)*

8. Hour of Need (Live From The C’est La Vie Tour)*

9. Round We Go (Live From The C’est La Vie Tour)*

10. Run For Your Life (Live From The C’est La Vie Tour)*

11. In My Street (Live From The C’est La Vie Tour)*

12. Friday Night, Saturday Morning (Live From The C’est La Vie Tour)*