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Talk:Harry Turtledove

List of books, divided by series
I wonder if someone could add a list of his books, divided according to the series? For example, I know of two sequences: The Great War, and Colonisation. User:Tony Vignaux
 * That was done quickly - thanks User:Tony Vignaux

best known
I just added a statement to the effect that he's probably the best-known and most people author of Alternate History. Technically that's my POV, and I'm not sure where I would go to get a citation for this claim, but it seems obvious to me. I can name other authors who've written alternate history, but none who've written as many stories or been so consistently popular as Turtledove. Isomorphic 02:56, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * No argument here. I've read a fair bit of alternate history, & he's the first guy I think of, too. Trekphiler 13:14, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Lots of books
I love Turtledove, but does anyone know if he uses a ghostwriter or assistants or something? Jeez, the guy is prolific. --Jfruh 03:07, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

 * No ghostwriters, no assistants. He is a full time writer.  If he doesn't write and get his book published, he and his family don't eat.Shsilver 03:38, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

 * This is true of many people who do not publish one or more 500+ page books per year. I'm not slamming on him -- I'm a fan -- I'm just a little in awe of his output. It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.  --Jfruh 22:50, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

 * I'm fairly postive that Turtledove writes so much because it's what he loves and not so much for the money. His interest in his stories shows up in the writings. As to starving if he didn't write, I doubt that given how many copies of Guns of the South, How Few Remain, and many, many previously written books he's sold. Jon 19:42, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

 * They wouldn't eat ? I suspect that Harry could stop writing this very moment and he'd still have enough money to keep food bountiously heaped on the table for several generations. And yes, I'm also fan who is in awe of his combined prolificness and quality. 128.173.242.122 18:33, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

 * He's not related to Isaac Asimov, by any chance? *grin* Trekphiler 13:16, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Writing Style and/or Criticisms
Would it be appropriate to include some criticisms or complaints of his writing style? I'm a fan, and I've read all of the TL-191 books (9 so far) in addition to Guns of the South and from reviews I've read, I think there is some widely shared criticisms of his writing. Namely that he's very redundant with certain aspects of his characters. Such as how he mentions that Sam Cartsen has fair skin and sunburns easily every time we switch to his point of view. Also, some find his sex scenes a little out of place and/or weird. I personally could have done with out the Teddy Roosevelt and Robert E. Lee sex scenes. --Viper Daimao 14:29, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

 * I wouldn't think literary criticism belongs on wiki. yes, I agree with some of your critiques, but wiki isn't really the place for that discussion.Shsilver 16:00, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

 * This is silly, but a quick read of the grandparent comment made me visualize Teddy Roosevelt and Robert E. Lee sex scenes with each other! Holy historical slash fiction, batman! --Jfruh 16:29, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

 * I agree with the other poster that it doesn't belong in a wikipedia article. Also I disagree with both of your examples. I think the sex scenes help make those characters more "real," less of statues on a pedestal even if they might be slightly heretical =) Similarily a sunburn is something that's constantly itching and bugging you. To be reminded of it repeatedly makes it more part of the character than if it was mentioned once in book #1 never to be said again.
 * OTOH IMHO he's done more than enough retellings of WW2-with-a-twist 82.135.15.28 22:30, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

 * A criticism section would not be inappropriate, so long as (1) it doesn't become disproportionately long compared to the rest of the article, (2) it cites its sources—we don't include our own criticism of his work, only criticism in widely-read and respected publications, & (3) it remains balanced—if the majority of published criticism of Turtledove's work is positive, then so should be the majority of the criticism cited in the criticism section. Binabik80 20:05, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

 * Well, Turtledove's characters talk and think about what is most important to them at the moment. If you burn as easy as Cartsen did and are living in a time prior to effective sunscreen lotions (first effective ones invented in our timeline late WW-II; athough numerous ineffective ones were around before then), unforunately that's going to be what your going to be thinking about much of the time. This is also why reports of what going on in Europe are generally extremely sketchy. (The characters generally don't care.) Jon 19:32, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

Some series sections turned into empty links
As a way to strongly sugest someone write fuller articles about them. The books could also use them, except in many cases they need disambig. Similarly, a different name than "Pacific War" is needed because it's already in use by the historic WW II in the Pacific (AND timeline-191 also has it's own "Pacific War" article as well). Maybe something like Japanese Occupation of Hawaii. Jon 15:48, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

On the gripping Mahan
I like the list. I haven't read all of those (yet...), but I don't see the one where Mahan becomes President. So which was it? Trekphiler 13:13, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Opening Atlantis
Anybody have any idea what the new Atlantis trilogy is called? The first book, due out in December, is Opening Atlantis. Corvus cornix 18:28, 23 July 2007 (UTC)
 * To my knowledge, there is no official overarching, must as his Hawaii duology doesn't have an overarching title and the series from How Few Remain through In at the Death doesn't. For that matter, neither does the "Darkness" series.Shsilver 19:32, 23 July 2007 (UTC)
 * So I guess we could just call it the "Atlantis trilogy", until something more official comes out. :)  Corvus cornix 20:48, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Seems okay...
Would it be alright if I created a page for Into the Darkness? It seems that you do it for other of his books, so it shouldn't be a problem. I just didn't want to create it and have some people who have been working on pages for a long time yell at me. Its happened before. o_o;Silver seren 23:04, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

 * Of course it is okay, or you can take a look at the Turtledove Wiki, where there are already at least stubs for those items that can use expansion. Shsilver 01:25, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

 * I'll have to get to it another time. Busy in RL, but I will get to it! The Wiki doesn't help, it only has one sentence. XD Isn't the cover copyright though?Silver seren 03:03, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Colonization section
The recreated second contact link was redirecting to the Colonization series again, so I have cut it again since it's refering to the exact same article as the line above. Jon 21:52, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Title needs reformating: Worldwar / Colonization appears to read "Worldwar I Colonization" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.189.64.251 (talk) 17:55, 11 November 2013 (UTC)

Rush Limbaugh?
Someone added that Turtledove is friends with Limbaugh, is there proof to this? Zombie Hunter Smurf (talk) 22:47, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

 * Whether he is or isn't really isn't germane to his wiki article. I've removed the passage. Shsilver (talk) 00:19, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

 * Sounds good to me. Zombie Hunter Smurf (talk) 01:26, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

List of Book and Story Ideas.
I would LOVE a Crosstime Traffic novel covering if the Louisiana Purchase never happened. Would the added resources help the French Empire? Would they have decimated Germay? Would Socialism have arrived earlier? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Whiterussian1974 (talk • contribs) 04:38, 27 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Well, I think we can be pretty sure it never happened in The Disunited States of America, since there would have been no U.S. government to make the purchase at the time, but that hardly answers your question. The westward expansion of the Anglo-American population seems to have occurred there despite the lack of a central government, however, since that timeline has a (somewhat more Spanish-influenced) California. BPK (talk) 14:16, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

The War That Came Early: Hitler's War
The series has been officially named The War That Came Early. Please see the Del Rey website. Also, amazon.com lists the sequel, The War That Came Early: West and East. Commonlaw504 (talk) 22:55, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Short stories
I've noticed that there is no mention in this article of Turtledove's short stories. Perhaps a list of short stories (or anthology contributions) could be added to this article?

R.E. (talk) 08:38, 21 March 2011 (UTC)

Supervolcano
This is only a trilogy. The last volume was published in 2013. I've deleted the title of the fourth novel. Also, Turtledove deliberately made when it was set ambiguous; the eruption does not take place in 2011, as was previously claimed. Commonlaw504 (talk) 22:00, 24 June 2014 (UTC)

Atlantis Series Articles
Could articles about the three novels and the short stories of the Atlantis series be created? It would help out with adding more info about Turtledove. The other books and short stories by Turtledove such as Joe Steele, Must and Shall, and Lee at the Alamo should have articles made about them, too. --75.68.122.13 (talk) 14:31, 18 January 2015 (UTC)Jacob Chesley the Alternate Historian

External links modified
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External links modified (January 2018)
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Videssos cycle
There is no summary nor any mention of the Videssos cycle, it can only be found in the detailed article at another Wikipedia page - Harry Turtledove bibliography... --Wisdood (talk) 09:27, 5 May 2022 (UTC)

Official Website
This gives a 404 not found Jokem (talk) 05:34, 6 July 2022 (UTC)

Alternate Generals
The pages for: Alternate Generals, Alternate Generals I, Alternate Generals II, Alternate Generals III, Alternate Generals IV; should be restored. Kenixkil (talk) 10:09, 10 May 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Harry Turtledove


text:
Archaeology of Algeria

The archeology in Algeria is rich in prehistoric memorials of human occupation. Algeria contains many Roman remains and is rich in monuments of Saracenic art.

Megalithic remains
Algeria has many megalithic remains, of which nearly every known kind has been found in the country. Numerous flints of palaeolithic type have been discovered, notably at Tlemcen and Kolea. Near Djelfa, in the Great Atlas, and at Mechra-Sfa ("ford of the flat stones"), a peninsula in the valley of the river Mina not far from Tiaret, are vast numbers of megalithic monuments.

Notable among the prehistoric cultures of the area is the Capsian culture, whose shell-mounds are found throughout the north.

Madghacen

Madghacen is a monument similar to the Qabr-er-Rumia, but older. It was built around 150 B.C. as the burial place of the Numidian kings, and is situated 35 mi southwest of Constantine. The form is that of a truncated cone, placed on a cylindrical base, 196 ft in diameter. It is 60 ft high. The columns encircling the cylindrical portion are stunted and much broader at the base than the top; the capitals are Doric. Many of the columns, 60 in number, have been much damaged. When the sepulchral chamber was opened in 1873 by Bauchetet, a French engineer officer, clear evidence was found that at some remote period the tomb had been rifled and an attempt made to destroy it by fire.

Qabr-er-Rumia
The Qabr-er-Rumia-- best known by its French name, Tombeau de la Chrétienne (grave of the Christian lady), tradition making it the burial-place of Florinda, la Cava Rumía, the beautiful and unfortunate daughter of Count Julian—is near Kolea, and is known to be the tomb of the Mauretanian king Juba II and of his wife Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. It is built on a hill 756 ft above the sea. A circular stone building surmounted by a pyramid rests on a lower platform, 209 ft square.

Originally the monument was about 130 ft in height, but it has been wantonly damaged. Its height is now 100 ft: the cylindrical portion 36 ft, the pyramid 64 ft The base, 198 ft in diameter, is ornamented with 60 engaged Ionic columns. The capitals of the columns have disappeared, but their design is preserved among the drawings of James Bruce, the African traveller.

In the centre of the tomb are two vaulted chambers, reached by a spiral passage or gallery 6+1/2 ft, about the same height, and 489 ft. The sepulchral chambers are separated by a short passage, and are cut off from the gallery by stone doors made of a single slab which can be moved up and down by levers, like a portcullis. The larger of the two chambers is 142 ft long by 11 ft broad and 11 ft high. The other chamber is somewhat smaller.

The tomb was previously looted, probably in search of treasure. In 1555, Salah Rais, pasha of Algiers, set men to work to pull it down, but the records say that the attempt was given up because big black wasps came from under the stones and stung them to death. At the end of the 18th century, Baba Mahommed tried in vain to batter down the tomb with artillery. In 1866 it was explored by order of the emperor Napoleon III, the work being carried out by Adrien Berbrugger and Oscar Maccarthy.

The Jedars

The Jedars (Arabic "walls" or "buildings") is the name given to a number of sepulchral monuments placed on hill-tops. A rectangular or square podium is in each case surmounted by a pyramid. The tombs date from the 5th to the 7th century of the Christian era, and lie in two distinct groups between Tiaret and Frenda. Frenda, which has largely preserved its old Berber character, has numerous dolmens and prehistoric rock sculptures close by.

Tassili n'Ajjer

Tassili n'Ajjer is a national park in the Sahara desert, located on a vast plateau in south-east Algeria, covering an area of over 72000 km2. It has one of the most important groupings of prehistoric cave art in the world, and was inducted into UNESCO's World Heritage Site list in 1982.

Tassili n'Ajjer is known in the New Age culture for its Fungoid rock art, the primitive yet elaborate drawings of psychedelic mushrooms that hints on a shamanic consumption of those plants by the native people of this land.

Other sites

 * Lambaesis
 * Tebessa
 * Tipasa
 * Timgad (the Pompeii of Africa)
 * Thubursicum (Thubursicum): Well-preserved Roman theater
 * Beni Hammad Fort (contains second oldest minaret in the country)

Recent discoveries
In 2009, when the Place des Martyrs in Algiers was closed to build the subway station, Algerian and French archeologists found a 5th-century (Christian) basilica below layers of concrete.

In November 2018, archeologists in Algeria announced the discovery, on the site of Ain Boucherit near Sétif, of what seems to be stone tools (similar to Oldowans) and cut animal bones dated back to 2.4 million years old. This discovery turned Ain Boucherit into the oldest human site known today, and shook the theory of East Africa being the cradle of humanity.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Archaeology of Algeria


text:
Geography of Algeria

Algeria comprises 2,381,740 km2 of land, more than 80% of which is desert, in North Africa, between Morocco and Tunisia. It is the largest country in Africa. Its Arabic name, Al Jazair (the islands), is believed to derive from the rocky islands along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. The northern portion, an area of mountains, valleys, and plateaus between the Mediterranean and the Sahara Desert, forms an integral part of the section of North Africa known as the Maghreb. This area includes Morocco, Tunisia, and the northwestern portion of Libya known historically as Tripolitania.

Size and boundaries
Land boundaries: Total: 6734 km Border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km.

Area – comparative: slightly larger than the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Saudi Arabia

Coastline: 2148 km

Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 12 nmi, contiguous zone: 24 nmi; exclusive fishing zone: 32 to 52 nmi

The Tell
The fertile Tell is the country's heartland, containing most of its cities and population. Made up of hills and plains of the narrow coastal region, the several Tell Atlas mountain ranges, and the intermediate valleys and basins, the Tell extends eastward from the Moroccan border to the mountains of the Grande Kabylie and the Bejaia Plain on the east. Its eastern terminus is the Soummam River.

The best agricultural areas are the gentle hills extending 100 kilometers westward from Algiers; the Mitidja Plain, which was a malarial swamp before being cleared by the French; and the Bejaia Plain. The alluvial soils in these areas permitted the French to establish magnificent vineyards and citrus groves. By contrast, in the great valley of the Chelif River and other interior valleys and basins, aridity and excessive summer heat have limited the development of agriculture. The Grande Kabylie is a zone of impoverished small farm villages tucked into convoluted mountains.

The High Plateaus and the Saharan Atlas
Stretching from the Moroccan border the Tell Atlas, including the Djebel Babor formation, is the dominant northwestern mountain range. Stretching more than 600 kilometers eastward from the Moroccan border, the high plateau area (often referred to by the French name Hautes Plaines or Hauts Plateaux) consist of undulating, steppe-like plains lying between the Tell and Saharan Atlas ranges. The elevation averages between 1100-1300 m in elevation in the west, dropping to 400 m in the east. The climate is so dry that these plains are sometimes thought of as part of the Sahara. The plateau area is covered by alluvial debris formed when the mountains eroded. An occasional ridge projects through the alluvial cover to interrupt the monotony of the landscape.

Higher and more continuous than the Tell Atlas, the Sahara Atlas range is formed of three massifs: the Ksour Range near the Moroccan border, the Amour Range, and the Ouled-Naïl Range south of Algiers. The mountains, which receive more rainfall than those of the High Plateaus, include some good grazing land. Watercourses on the southern slopes of these massifs disappear into the desert but supply the wells of numerous oases along the northern edge of the desert, of which Biskra, Laghouat, and Béchar are the most prominent.

Northeastern Algeria
Eastern Algeria consists of a massif area extensively dissected into mountains, plains, and basins. It differs from the western portion of the country in that its prominent topographic features do not parallel the coast. In its southern sector, the steep cliffs and long ridges of the Aurès Mountains create an almost impenetrable refuge that has played an important part in the history of the Maghrib since Roman times. Near the northern coast, the Petite Kabylie Mountains are separated from the Grande Kabylie range at the eastward limits of the Tell by the Soummam River. The coast is predominantly mountainous in the far eastern part of the country, but limited plains provide hinterlands for the port cities of Bejaïa, Skikda, and Annaba. In the interior of the region, extensive high plains mark the region around Sétif and Constantine; these plains were developed during the French colonial period as the principal centers of grain cultivation. Near Constantine, salt marshes offer seasonal grazing grounds to seminomadic sheep herders.

The Sahara
The Algerian portion of the Sahara extends south of the Saharan Atlas for 1500 km to the Niger and Mali frontiers. The desert is an otherworldly place, scarcely considered an integral part of the country. Far from being covered wholly by sweeps of sand, however, it is a region of great diversity. Immense areas of sand dunes called areg (sing., erg) occupy about one-quarter of the territory. The largest such region is the Grand Erg Oriental (Great Eastern Erg), where enormous dunes 2 to 5 m high are spaced about 40 m apart. Much of the remainder of the desert is covered by rocky platforms called humud (sing., hamada), and almost the entire southeastern quarter is taken up by the high, complex mass of the Ahaggar and Tassili n'Ajjer highlands, some parts of which reach more than 2000 m. Surrounding the Ahaggar are sandstone plateaus, cut into deep gorges by ancient rivers, and to the west a desert of pebbles stretches to the Mali frontier.

The desert consists of readily distinguishable northern and southern sectors, the northern sector extending southward a little less than half the distance to the Niger and Mali frontiers. The north, less arid than the south, supports most of the few persons who live in the region and contains most of the desert's oases. Sand dunes are the most prominent features of this area's topography, but between the desert areas of the Grand Erg Oriental and the Grand Erg Occidental (Great Western Erg) and extending north to the Atlas Saharien are plateaus, including the Tademaït and a complex limestone structure called the M'zab where the Mozabite Berbers have settled. The southern zone of the Sahara is almost totally arid and is inhabited only by the Tuareg nomads and, recently, by oil camp workers. Barren rock predominates, but in some parts of Ahaggar and Tassili n'Ajjer alluvial deposits permit garden farming.

Climate and hydrology
Northern Algeria is in the temperate zone and enjoys a mild, Mediterranean climate. It lies within approximately the same latitudes as southern California and has somewhat similar climatic conditions. Its broken topography, however, provides sharp local contrasts in both prevailing temperatures and incidence of rainfall. Year-to-year variations in climatic conditions are also common. This area, the most inhabited in Algeria, is commonly referred to as the Tell.

In the Tell, temperatures in summer average between 30 and 43 °C and in winter drop to 10 to 12 °C. Winters are not cold, but the humidity is high and houses are seldom adequately heated. In eastern Algeria, the average temperatures are somewhat lower, and on the steppes of the High Plateaus winter temperatures hover only a few degrees above freezing. A prominent feature of the climate in this region is the sirocco, a dusty, choking south wind blowing off the desert, sometimes at gale force. This wind also occasionally reaches into the coastal Tell.

In Algeria only a relatively small corner of the Sahara lies across the Tropic of Cancer in the torrid zone, but even in winter, midday desert temperatures can be very hot. After sunset, however, the clear, dry air permits rapid loss of heat, and the nights are cool to chilly. Enormous daily ranges in temperature are recorded.

Rainfall is fairly abundant along the coastal part of the Tell, ranging from 400 to 670 mm annually, the amount of precipitation increasing from west to east. Precipitation is heaviest in the northern part of eastern Algeria, where it reaches as much as 1000 mm in some years. Farther inland the rainfall is less plentiful. Prevailing winds that are easterly and northeasterly in summer change to westerly and northerly in winter and carry with them a general increase in precipitation from September to December, a decrease in the late winter and spring months, and a near absence of rainfall during the summer months.

Terrain

Clearing of land for agricultural use and cutting of timber over the centuries have severely reduced the once bountiful forest wealth. Forest fires have also taken their toll. In the higher and wetter portions of the Tell Atlas, cork oak and Aleppo pine grow in thick soils. At lower levels on thinner soils, drought-resistant shrubs predominate. The grapevine is indigenous to the coastal lowlands, and grasses and scrub cover the High Plateaus. On the Saharan Atlas, little survives of the once extensive forests of Atlas cedar that have been exploited for fuel and timber since antiquity.

The forest reserves in Algeria were severely reduced during the colonial period. In 1967 it was calculated that the country's forested area extended over no more than 24000 km2 of terrain, of which 18000 km2 were overgrown with brushwood and scrub. By contrast, woodlands in 1830 had covered 40000 km2. In the mid-1970s, however, the government embarked on a vast reforestation program to help control erosion, which was estimated to affect 100000 m3 of arable land annually. Among projects was one to create a barrage vert (green barrier) more or less following the ridge line of the Saharan Atlas and extending from Morocco to the Tunisian frontier in a zone 1500 km long and up to 20 km wide.

The barrage vert consists principally of Aleppo pine, a species that can thrive in areas of scanty rainfall. It is designed to restore a damaged ecological balance and to halt the northern encroachment of the Sahara. By the early 1980s, the desert had already penetrated the hilly gap between the Saharan Atlas and the Aurès Mountains as far as the town of Bou Saâda, a point well within the High Plateaus region. The barrage vert project was ended in the late 1980s because of lack of funds.

Algeria had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.22/10, ranking it 106th globally out of 172 countries.

Statistics
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

Natural hazards: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season

Environment – current issues: air pollution in major cities; soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment – international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

Protected areas
Algeria has a number of protected areas including National Parks and nature reserves. An example of such a protected area is the Djebel Babor Nature Reserve within the Djebel Babor Mountains; the Djebel Babor is also one of the few relict habitats for the endangered Barbary macaque, Macaca sylvanus.

The national parks in Algeria are: Ahaggar, Belezma, Chréa, Djurdjura, El Kala, Gouraya, Tassili n'Ajjer, Taza, Théniet El Had, and Tlemcen.

Extreme points
Elevation extremes: Points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location:
 * Lowest point: Chott Melrhir: -40 m
 * Highest point: Mount Tahat: 2908 m

 * Northernmost point – Cap Takouch, Annaba Province or Cap Bougaroûn, Skikda province
 * Easternmost point – the tripoint with Niger and Libya, Djanet Province
 * Southernmost point – unnamed location on the border with Mali east of the Malian village of In-Abalen, In Guezzam Province
 * Westernmost point – the western section of the border with Morocco/Western Sahara, Tindouf Province (Note: Algeria does not have a westernmost point, the border being formed by a line of longitude)

title: Geography of Algeria


text:
Politics of Algeria

Politics of Algeria takes place in a framework of a constitutional semi-presidential republic, whereby the President of Algeria is head of state while the Prime Minister of Algeria is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the People's National Assembly and the Council of the Nation.

Since the early 1990s, a shift from a socialist to a free market economy has been ongoing with official support.

History
The civil war resulted in more than 100,000 deaths since 1991. However, Algerians believe that the national death count was close to 3,000,000. Although the security situation in the country has greatly improved, addressing the underlying issues which brought about the political turmoil of the 1990s remains the government's major task. The government officially lifted the state of emergency declared in 1999.

Constitution
Under the 1976 Constitution (as modified 1979, and amended in 1988, 1989, and 1996) Algeria is a multi-party state. All parties must be approved by the Ministry of the Interior. To date, Algeria has had more than 40 legal political parties. According to the Constitution, no political association may be formed if it is "based on differences in religion, language, race, gender, or region."

Executive branch
The head of state is the President of the republic, who is elected to a five-year term, renewable once (changed by the 2008 Constitution to an infinite mandate but reinstated in 2016). Algeria has universal suffrage. The President is the head of the Council of Ministers and of the High Security Council. He appoints the Prime Minister who also is the head of government. The Prime Minister appoints the Council of Ministers.

 * President
 * Abdelmadjid Tebboune
 * Independent
 * 19 December 2019
 * Prime Minister
 * Nadir Larbaoui
 * Independent
 * 11 November 2023
 * }
 * }

People's National Assembly
The People's National Assembly has less power relative to the executive branch than many parliaments and has been described as "rubber-stamping" laws proposed by the president.

As of 2012 there were 462 seats in parliament. In the May 2012 election the government reported a 42.9% turnout, though the BBC reported that correspondents saw "only a trickle of voters" at polling places. In that election 44 political parties participated with the ruling National Liberation Front winning more than any other group—220 seats—and an alliance of moderate Islamists coming in second with 66 seats. The Islamists disputed the results.

Political parties and elections
In keeping with its amended Constitution, the Algerian Government espouses participatory democracy and free-market competition. The government has stated that it will continue to open the political process and encourage the creation of political institutions. More than 40 political parties, representing a wide segment of the population, are currently active in Algerian national politics. The most recent legislative election was 2012. President Bouteflika pledged to restructure the state as part of his overall reform efforts. However, no specifics are yet available as to how such reforms would affect political structures and the political process itself.

In the 2002 elections, there were 17,951,127 eligible voters, and 8,288,536 of them actually voted which made a turn out of 46.17%. Out of the ballots cast, there were 867,669 void ballots according to the Interior ministry and 7,420,867 which went to the various candidates.

Legislative elections
The most recent legislative election now is the 2017 one:

Administrative divisions
Algeria is divided into 58 wilaya (province) headed by walis (governors) who report to the Minister of Interior. Each wilaya is further divided into daïras, themselves divided in communes. The wilayas and communes are each governed by an elected assembly.

Media
Algeria has more than 30 daily newspapers published in French and Arabic, with a total publication run of more than 1.5 million copies. Although relatively free to write as they choose, in 2001, the government amended the penal code provisions relating to defamation and slander, a step widely viewed as an effort to rein in the press. Government monopoly of newsprint and advertising is seen as another means to influence the press, although it has permitted newspapers to create their own printing distribution networks.

See also List of Algerian newspapers.

International organization participation
AU, ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, International Maritime Organization, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, INTOSAI, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (applicant)

title: Politics of Algeria


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Steve Goodman

Steven Benjamin Goodman (July 25, 1948 – September 20, 1984) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter from Chicago. He wrote the song "City of New Orleans", which was recorded by Arlo Guthrie and many others including John Denver, The Highwaymen, and Judy Collins; in 1985, it afforded Goodman the Grammy songwriter award for best country song, as performed by Willie Nelson. Goodman co-wrote "You Never Even Called Me by My Name", which became the best-selling song of country musician David Allen Coe. Goodman had a small but dedicated group of fans for his albums and concerts during his lifetime. His most frequently sung song, "Go Cubs Go", is about the Chicago Cubs. Goodman died of leukemia in September 1984.

Personal life
Goodman was born on Chicago's North Side to a middle-class Jewish family. He began writing and performing songs as a teenager. He graduated from Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois, in 1965, where he was a classmate of Hillary Clinton. During high school he began his public singing career by leading the junior choir at Temple Beth Israel in Albany Park. In the fall of 1965, he entered the University of Illinois and pledged the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. In college he formed a cover band called The Juicy Fruits, with Goodman on lead guitar, Ron Banyon on rhythm guitar, Steve Hartmann on bass, and Elliot Englehardt on drums. He left college after one year to pursue his musical career. In the early spring of 1967, Goodman went to New York, staying for a month in a Greenwich Village brownstone across the street from the Cafe Wha?, where he performed regularly.

Returning to Chicago, he intended to restart his education. In 1968 Goodman began performing at the Earl of Old Town and The Dangling Conversation coffeehouse and attracted a following. By 1969, Goodman was a regular performer in Chicago, while attending Lake Forest College. During this time Goodman supported himself by singing advertising jingles. It was during this time he discovered the cause of his continuous fatigue was actually leukemia. This led him to drop out of school again to pursue his music full-time.

In September 1969 he met Nancy Pruter (sister of R&B writer Robert Pruter), who was attending college and working as a waitress. They were married in February 1970. Though he experienced periods of remission, Goodman never felt that he was living on anything other than borrowed time, and some critics, listeners and friends have said that his music reflects this sentiment. His wife, writing in the liner notes to the posthumous collection No Big Surprise, characterized him this way:

"Basically, Steve was exactly who he appeared to be: an ambitious, well-adjusted man from a loving, middle-class Jewish home in the Chicago suburbs, whose life and talent were directed by the physical pain and time constraints of a fatal disease which he kept at bay, at times, seemingly by willpower alone... Steve wanted to live as normal a life as possible, only he had to live it as fast as he could... He extracted meaning from the mundane."

Musical career
Goodman's songs first appeared on Gathering at The Earl of Old Town, an album produced by Chicago record company Dunwich in 1971. As a close friend of Earl Pionke, the owner of the folk music bar, Goodman performed at The Earl dozens of times, including customary New Year's Eve concerts. He also remained closely involved with Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, where he had met and mentored his friend, John Prine.

Later in 1971, Goodman was playing at a Chicago bar called the Quiet Knight as the opening act for Kris Kristofferson. Impressed with Goodman, Kristofferson introduced him to Paul Anka, who brought Goodman to New York to record some demos. This resulted in Goodman signing a contract with Buddah Records.

All this time, Goodman had been busy writing many of his most enduring songs, and this avid songwriting would lead to an important break for him. While at the Quiet Knight, Goodman saw Arlo Guthrie and asked him to let him play a song for him. Guthrie grudgingly agreed on the condition that Goodman buy him a beer first; Guthrie would then listen to Goodman for as long as it took Guthrie to drink the beer. Goodman played "City of New Orleans", which Guthrie liked enough that he asked to record it.

Guthrie's version of Goodman's song, about the Illinois Central's City of New Orleans train, became a Top 20 hit in 1972 and provided Goodman with enough financial and artistic success to make music a full-time career. The song would become an American standard, covered by such musicians as Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Chet Atkins, Lynn Anderson, and Willie Nelson, whose recorded version earned Goodman a posthumous Grammy for Best Country Song in 1985. A French translation of the song, "Salut Les Amoureux", was recorded by Joe Dassin in 1973.

A Dutch singer, Gerard Cox, heard the French version while on holiday and translated it into Dutch, titled "'t Is Weer Voorbij Die Mooie Zomer" ("And again that beautiful summer has come to an end"). It reached number one on the Dutch Top 40 in December 1973 and has become a classic which is still played on Dutch radio. Inspired by this version Rudi Carrell, a Dutch TV host and entertainer who was also very successful in Germany, covered the song with German lyrics ("Wann wird's mal wieder richtig Sommer?") in 1975. It peaked #18 in the Top 40 and has become a radio classic which gains airplay in rainy summers. A Hebrew version of the song "Shalom Lach Eretz Nehederet" was sung by famous Israeli singer Yehoram Gaon in 1977 and became an immediate hit. Lyrically, the French, Dutch, German and Hebrew versions bear no resemblance to Goodman's original lyrics.

According to Goodman, the song was inspired by a train trip he and his wife took from Chicago to Mattoon, Illinois. According to the liner notes on the Steve Goodman anthology No Big Surprise, "City of New Orleans" was written while on the campaign trail with Senator Edmund Muskie.

In 1974, singer David Allan Coe achieved considerable success on the country charts with Goodman's and John Prine's "You Never Even Called Me by My Name", a song which good-naturedly spoofed stereotypical country music lyrics. Prine refused to take a songwriter's credit for the song, although Goodman bought Prine a jukebox as a gift from his publishing royalties. Goodman's name is mentioned in Coe's recording of the song, in a spoken epilogue in which Goodman and Coe discuss the merits of "the perfect country and western song".

Goodman's success as a recording artist was more limited. Although he was known in folk circles as an excellent and influential songwriter, his albums received more critical than commercial success. One of Goodman's biggest hits was a song he didn't write: "The Dutchman", written by Michael Peter Smith. He reached a wider audience as the opening act for Steve Martin while Martin was at the height of his stand-up popularity.

During the mid and late seventies, Goodman became a regular guest on Easter Sunday on Vin Scelsa's radio show in New York City. Scelsa's personal recordings of these sessions eventually led to an album of selections from these appearances, The Easter Tapes.

In 1977, Goodman performed on Tom Paxton's live album New Songs From the Briarpatch (Vanguard Records), which contained some of Paxton's topical songs of the 1970s, including "Talking Watergate" and "White Bones of Allende", as well as a song dedicated to Mississippi John Hurt entitled "Did You Hear John Hurt?"

During the fall of 1979, Goodman was hired to write and perform a series of topical songs for National Public Radio. Although Goodman and Jethro Burns recorded eleven songs for the series, only five of them, "The Ballad of Flight 191" about a plane crash, "Daley's Gone", "Unemployed", "The Twentieth Century is Almost Over", and "The Election Year Rag", were used on the air before the series was cancelled.

Goodman wrote and performed many humorous songs about Chicago, including three about the Chicago Cubs: "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request", "When the Cubs Go Marching In" and "Go, Cubs, Go" (which has frequently been played on Cubs broadcasts and at Wrigley Field after Cubs wins). He wrote "Go, Cubs, Go" out of spite after then GM Dallas Green called "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" too depressing. The Cubs songs grew out of his fanatical devotion to the team, which included many clubhouse and on-field visits with Cubs players. He wrote other songs about Chicago, including "The Lincoln Park Pirates", about the notorious Lincoln Towing Service, and "Daley's Gone", about Mayor Richard J. Daley. Another comic highlight is "Vegematic", about a man who falls asleep while watching late-night TV and dreams he ordered many products that he saw on infomercials. He could also write serious songs, most notably "My Old Man", a tribute to Goodman's father, Bud Goodman, a used-car salesman and World War II veteran.

Goodman won his second Grammy, for Best Contemporary Folk Album, in 1988 for Unfinished Business, a posthumous album on his Red Pajamas Records label.

Many fans become aware of Goodman's work through other artists such as Jimmy Buffett. Buffett has recorded several of Goodman's songs, including "This Hotel Room", "Banana Republics", and "California Promises", as well as songs co-written with Buffett: "Door Number Three", "Woman Goin' Crazy on Caroline Street", "Frank and Lola", "It's Midnight and I'm not Famous Yet", and "Where's the Party?". Jackie DeShannon covered Goodman's "Would You Like to Learn to Dance" on her 1972 album, Jackie.

Death
On September 20, 1984, Goodman died of leukemia at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. He had anointed himself with the tongue-in-cheek nickname "Cool Hand Leuk" (other nicknames included "Chicago Shorty" and "The Little Prince") during his illness. He was 36 years old.

Four days after Goodman's death, the Chicago Cubs clinched the National League East division title for the first time ever, earning them their first post-season appearance since 1945, three years before Goodman's birth. Eight days later, on October 2, the Cubs played their first post-season game since Game 7 of the 1945 World Series. Goodman had been asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before it; Jimmy Buffett filled in, and dedicated the song to Goodman. Since the late 2000s, at the conclusion of every home game win, the Cubs play (and fans sing) "Go, Cubs, Go", a song Goodman wrote for his beloved team.

In April 1988, some of Goodman's ashes were scattered at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs.

Goodman's posthumously released album, Santa Ana Winds, included a tribute to the recently deceased Carl Martin, "You Better Get It While You Can (The Ballad of Carl Martin)", celebrating the joy both found in their music, and a refrain of, "From the cradle to the crypt, Is a mighty short trip. So you better get it while you can".

Goodman was survived by his wife and three daughters.

Legacy
In 2006, Goodman's daughter, Rosanna, issued My Old Man, an album of a variety of artists covering her father's songs.

Interest in Goodman's career had a resurgence in 2007 with the publication of a biography by Clay Eals, Steve Goodman: Facing the Music. The same year, the Chicago Cubs began playing Goodman's 1984 song "Go, Cubs, Go" after each home game win. When the Cubs made it to the playoffs, interest in the song and Goodman resulted in several newspaper articles about him. Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn declared October 5, 2007, Steve Goodman Day in the state. In 2010, Illinois Representative Mike Quigley introduced a bill renaming the Lakeview post office on Irving Park Road in honor of Goodman. The bill was signed by President Barack Obama on August 3, 2010.

title: Steve Goodman


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Madness (band)

Madness are an English ska and pop band from Camden Town, north west London, who formed in 1976. One of the most prominent bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s two-tone ska revival, they continue to perform with six of the seven members of their original line-up. Madness's most successful period was from 1980 to 1986, when the band's songs spent a total of 214 weeks on the UK Singles Chart.

Madness have had 16 singles reach the UK top ten, including "One Step Beyond", "Baggy Trousers" and "It Must Be Love", one UK number-one single "House of Fun" and two number ones in Ireland, "House of Fun" and "Wings of a Dove". "Our House" was their biggest US hit, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2000, the band received the Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for Outstanding Song Collection.

1976–1978: Formation
The core of the band formed as the North London Invaders in 1976, and included Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso) on keyboards and vocals, Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) on guitar and Lee Thompson (Kix) on saxophone and vocals. They later recruited John Hasler on drums and Cathal Smyth (better known as Chas Smash) on bass guitar. Later in the year, they were joined by lead vocalist Dikran Tulaine.

This six-piece line-up lasted until part-way through 1977, when Graham McPherson (better known as Suggs) took over the lead vocals after seeing the band perform in a friend's garden. Tulaine went on to be an actor. Smyth, who left after an argument with Barson, was replaced by Gavin Rodgers, Barson's girlfriend's brother. McPherson was kicked out of the band for choosing too often to watch Chelsea instead of rehearsing. Thompson left the band after Barson criticised his saxophone playing.

By 1978, the band had allowed McPherson to return as a vocalist after he had filled in temporarily for Hasler (who had taken over vocals when McPherson was removed). Thompson returned after patching things up with Barson. Drummer Dan Woodgate (Woody) and bassist Mark Bedford (Bedders) also joined the band, replacing Garry Dovey and Rodgers, respectively. After briefly changing their name to Morris and the Minors, the band renamed itself as Madness in 1979, paying homage to one of their favourite songs by ska and reggae artist Prince Buster. The band remained a sextet until late 1979 when Chas Smash rejoined and officially became the seventh member of Madness as a backing vocalist and dancer.

1979–1981: Early success
During 1979, the band began to attract a live following in London, being regulars at the Dublin Castle in Camden Town. The band's first commercial recording was 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 and keyboardist Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts at number 16. Madness toured with fellow 2 Tone bands the Specials and the Selecter, before recording their debut studio album.

That debut studio album, One Step Beyond... was released by Stiff Records. The album included a re-recording of "The Prince" and its B-side "Madness", and the band's second and third singles: "One Step Beyond" and "My Girl". The title song was a cover of the B-side of the 1960s Prince Buster hit "Al Capone". The One Step Beyond... album stayed in the British charts for 78 weeks, peaking at number 2. Smyth performed on the album but was not an official member of the band at the time of the album's recording or release. He would formally join Madness a few weeks after One Step Beyond... was issued in October 1979.

After the release of "My Girl", the band felt that they had exhausted the material from One Step Beyond..., and did not want to release any more singles from the album. However, Dave Robinson, head of Stiff Records, disagreed. Eventually, a compromise was made, and the band decided to release an EP featuring one album track and three new tracks. The result was the Work Rest and Play EP, which was headlined by the song "Night Boat to Cairo", from the One Step Beyond album. The EP reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart.

In 1980, the band's second studio album, Absolutely reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart. Absolutely spawned some of the band's biggest hits, most notably "Baggy Trousers", which peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart. "Embarrassment" reached number 4 in the charts, and the instrumental song "The Return of the Los Palmas 7" climbed to number 7. Although the album reviews were generally less enthusiastic than those of One Step Beyond..., they were mostly positive. Robert Christgau gave the album a favourable B− grade, but Rolling Stone awarded the album just one out of five stars. Rolling Stone was particularly scathing of the ska revival in general, stating that "The Specials wasn't very good" and Madness were simply "the Blues Brothers with English accents".

A drama-documentary film titled Take It or Leave It was released in 1981, featuring the band members playing themselves in a re-creation of their early days to the then-current period. Live recordings of Madness performances as well as those by other 2 Tone bands were used in the 1981 documentary film and soundtrack album Dance Craze.

1981–1983: Change of direction
In 1981, the band's third studio album, 7, reached number 5 in the UK Albums Chart and contained three hit singles: "Grey Day" (no. 4, April 1981), "Shut Up" (no. 7, September 1981), and "Cardiac Arrest" (no. 14, February 1982). In an article in 1979, Chris Foreman explained that the band's music would move with the times, and change styles as time goes on. This was shown to be the case, as unlike the two ska-filled, fast-paced albums that preceded it, 7 was something of a change in direction. Suggs' vocal performance changed significantly, and his strong accent from the previous studio albums had been watered down. The album strayed from the ska-influenced sound of One Step Beyond... and Absolutely and moved towards a pop sound; a trend that continued with subsequent studio albums.

Near the end of 1981, Madness released one of their most recognised songs: a cover of Labi Siffre's 1971 hit "It Must Be Love". The song climbed to number 4 in the UK, and in 1983, the song peaked at number 33 in the US charts. In 1982, Madness released their only number 1 hit to date, "House of Fun" and also reached number 1 in the album charts with their first compilation, Complete Madness (1982).

In November 1982, they released their fourth studio album, The Rise & Fall, which was well received in the UK, but did not get an American release. Instead, many of its songs were included on the US compilation Madness (1983), including "Our House", which was their most internationally successful single to date. "Our House" reached number 5 in the UK music charts and number 7 in the US charts; it was also performed on The Young Ones. Many reviewers compared The Rise & Fall to the Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society (1968), and it is at times retrospectively considered a concept album. The album also featured "Primrose Hill", which was more similar to the Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever", containing similar psychedelic imagery and a layered arrangement.

1983–1986: Decline and break-up
In 1983, their single "Wings of a Dove" peaked at number 2 in the UK charts, followed by "The Sun and the Rain" (no. 5, November 1983). Their following studio album, Keep Moving, peaked at number 6 in the UK Albums Chart, and two singles from that album reached the top 20 in the UK Singles Chart. The album received some good reviews, with Rolling Stone magazine giving the album four out of five stars, applauding the band's changing sound. This was an improvement as the last album reviewed by the magazine, Absolutely, was heavily criticised.

On 5 October 1983 the band were rehearsing and discussing a possible television series, which was being written for them by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis. Barson then informed the band that he would not be able to take part, as he was tired of the music business and wanted to spend more time with his wife. They had recently relocated to Amsterdam. Barson agreed to finish recording the album Keep Moving; he left after playing for the last time with the band at the Lyceum Ballroom on 21 December 1983. James Mackie took Barson's place appearing with Madness on the US television show Saturday Night Live on 14 April 1984. After leaving the band, Barson returned to the UK for the filming of two music videos as he had played on the tracks, "Michael Caine" and "One Better Day". Barson finished live performance with the band in 1983, and officially left the band in June 1984, following the release of "One Better Day". Paul Carrack took Barson's place whilst the band toured America in early 1984. The six remaining members left Stiff Records and formed their own label, Zarjazz Records, which was a sub-label of Virgin Records.

In 1985, the label released the band's sixth studio album, Mad Not Mad. Barson's usual keyboard parts were filled by an emphasis on synthesisers provided by Steve Nieve of the Attractions. In later years, frontman Suggs has described the album as a "polished turd". The album reached number 16 in the UK charts, which is the band's lowest position on the album charts to date. Despite the poor chart showing, the album was listed as number 55 in NME's "All Time 100 Albums". The singles for the album fared even worse, with "Yesterday's Men" peaking at number 18 in the UK charts. The subsequent singles, "Uncle Sam" and "Sweetest Girl", failed to make the top 20, which was a first for Madness singles.

The band then attempted to record a new studio album, and 11 demo tracks were recorded. However, musical differences arose between the band members. The untitled album went unreleased, and in September 1986, the band announced that they were to break-up. Barson rejoined the band for a farewell single, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", but did not appear in the music video. The band officially broke up following the release of the single, which reached a high of number 18 in the UK. In 1988, four members of the band – Suggs, Chas Smash, Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman – continued under the name The Madness. After one self-titled studio album and two singles that failed to make the top 40, the band broke up.

1992–2003: Reunion and Our House musical
Towards the end of 1991, "It Must Be Love" was re-released and eventually reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1992. Following that, the singles compilation album Divine Madness (1992) was released and peaked at number 1 in the album charts. Madness then announced plans for a reunion concert, Madstock!, which was held at Finsbury Park, London on 8 and 9 August of that year. The original line-up reunited, performing together for the first time since Barson left the band in 1984. Over 75,000 fans attended the weekend festival, and the dancing of the crowd caused some nearby tower blocks to shake perceptibly as they resonated with the frequency of the music.

After the Finsbury Park comeback, a live album was released, and the associated single, "The Harder They Come" (a cover of Jimmy Cliff's 1973 song) reached number 44 in the UK, with the album reaching number 22.

The band continued to reunite for annual UK Christmas season tours and held three more Madstock! festivals; in 1994, 1996 and 1998. Also in 1998, Madness returned to America for their first tour there since 1984. The live album Universal Madness was recorded at the Universal Amphitheatre in L.A. and released the following year. In 1999, Madness released their first studio album since 1986, entitled Wonderful. The album reached number 17 in the UK Albums Chart, and the lead single, "Lovestruck", gave the band their first new top 10 hit in the UK since 1983. Neither of the two subsequent singles from the album, "Johnny the Horse" and "Drip Fed Fred" (featuring Ian Dury on vocals), entered the top 40 of the UK chart.

From 28 October 2002 to 16 August 2003, a musical based on Madness songs, Our House, ran at the Cambridge Theatre in London. Madness played a role in the executive production of the show, and Suggs played a role in the production for a period, playing the central character's father. It won an Olivier Award for best new musical of 2003, and the performance was released on DVD on 1 November 2004. There was also a previous musical based on Madness songs, One Step Beyond!, written by Alan Gilbey. The musical had a brief run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1993 and a run at Putney Arts Theatre, London in 2012.

2004–2010: The Dangermen and The Liberty of Norton Folgate
In 2004, the band played a series of low-key concerts as the Dangermen, performing covers of classic reggae and ska songs. A lot of the songs were those played by the band when they were first forming, and the band performed the songs as a celebration of their 25th anniversary.

This led to the release of the cover album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 in August 2005 by V2 Records. During the sessions which produced the album, in mid-2005, guitarist Chris Foreman announced his departure, citing "the petty, time consuming bollocks that goes on in the band" as his reason for leaving. The band completed the album without him, and on release, it peaked at no. 11 in the UK Albums Chart, which was the band's highest studio album chart position in 21 years. Although two singles were released, neither was a major success in the UK. The more successful of the two, "Shame & Scandal", reached number 38, but was more successful in France where it peaked at number 12. "Girl Why Don't You" did not chart and the band left the V2 record label shortly after. At this time, Kevin Burdette joined as the band's guitarist for live appearances and also appeared in the videos for both "Sorry" and "NW5" in early 2007.

The six remaining original members of Madness began working on their first original studio album in seven years. In March 2007, the non-LP single "Sorry" was released on the band's own record label Lucky 7 Records, peaking in the UK charts at number 23. The single included a version featuring UK hip hop artists Sway DaSafo and Baby Blue.

The new Madness song "NW5" (then still titled "NW5 (I Would Give You Everything)") and a re-recorded version of "It Must Be Love" were featured in the German film Neues vom Wixxer. The two songs were released in Germany as a double A-side, and both of them were turned into music videos, which – besides members of the film's cast – featured Suggs, Chas Smash, Woody and stand-in guitarist Burdette. A re-recorded version of "NW5" was released as a single on 14 January 2008 in the UK reaching no. 24 – this recording featured original Madness guitarist Chris Foreman, who had rejoined the band in time for the 2006 Christmas tour but had not participated in the original recording of the song.

In June 2008, Madness played the majority of their new studio album The Liberty of Norton Folgate at London's Hackney Empire for three nights. The Hackney Empire performances were recorded and sold to fans on USB wristbands as they left the show. Madness played two dates in December 2008, firstly in Manchester on 18 December, and secondly a return gig to The O2 in London on the 19th.

In December 2008 the band also announced that for their thirtieth anniversary in 2009, they would be staging a fifth Madstock Festival in London's Victoria Park on 17 July, 11 years after the last Madstock concert. It was originally rumoured that the newly reformed the Specials would make an appearance after finishing their reunion tour. However, this did not occur, although original Specials keyboardist Jerry Dammers – who was not part of the reunion line-up – was announced as a support act with the Spatial AKA Orchestra shortly before the festival. Dammers supported Madness again during their 2009 Christmas tour when he opened each night with a DJ set.

Through late March and early April 2009, the band played a series of festival and separate headlining dates across Australia. The lead-up single from their latest studio album, titled "Dust Devil", was released on 11 May on Lucky 7 Records. Actors Alfie Allen and Jaime Winstone co-starred in the music video. The single charted at No. 64 on the UK Singles Chart and at No. 1 on the UK Independent charts on 17 May 2009.

The new studio album, entitled The Liberty of Norton Folgate, was released a week later, on 18 May 2009. It charted at No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart. The band continued to play various festivals, including Pinkpop, Splendour, and Glastonbury. On 27 September 2009, the band also played a free concert on a closed-off Regent Street in association with Absolute Radio.

On 28 August, Madness played the Rock en Seine festival near Paris, on the same night where Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher engaged in a physical altercation, resulting in the break-up of the band. As Oasis cancelled their headlining slot, Madness, even though having played earlier in the evening, were asked to replace them. They accepted the invitation and both of their sets during the festival were said to have been well received.

As in previous years, the band embarked on a Christmas tour of the UK (also playing one concert in Dublin), playing at various medium-sized venues. Mark Bedford took a break from the band and was replaced by Graham Bush for the tour.

Some members of the band appeared in Catherine Tate's Nan's Christmas Carol. They first posed as carol singers, then played "Baggy Trousers" over the credits. On 18 January 2010, Madness released a fourth single, "Forever Young", from The Liberty of Norton Folgate. The single failed to chart.

During an interview with RTÉ 2fm radio host Dave Fanning on 24 May 2010, drummer Daniel Woodgate stated that the members of the band were in the final stages of preparing songs for the follow-up to The Liberty of Norton Folgate. The band hoped to be able to start recording the album later on in 2010.

In September 2010, Madness were awarded the Idol Award at the Q Awards in London. Guitarist Chris Foreman stated in his acceptance speech that Madness were recording a new album.

Madness toured the UK throughout November and December 2010 with their final show at London's Earl's Court, where they played a new song from their upcoming album. However, two concerts, in Hull and Sheffield, were cancelled due to heavy snowfall, although they were later rescheduled for 5 and 6 February 2011 respectively.

2011–2015: Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da
In June 2011, the band performed at Meltdown Festival at the Royal Festival Hall, curated by inspiration Ray Davies of the Kinks, who also introduced the band on stage. The concert served as the premiere of three new songs – "1978", "Can't Keep a Good Thing Down" and "Death of a Rude Boy".

The summer of 2012 saw two notable performances. In June, the band performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace. The band performed "Our House" and "It Must Be Love" from the roof of the palace with accompanying animations projected onto the palace front. In August, the band was the first to perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympic Games. Departed bassist Bedford rejoined the band for both performances. In August 2012, Madness released "Death of a Rude Boy" as a free teaser track from their new studio album. Madness' tenth studio album Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da was released on 29 October 2012 and entered the UK Albums Chart at no.10. In January 2013 the album re-entered the chart at no. 16 on the back of the airplay success of the single "Never Knew Your Name".

From the start of 2013, Bedford increased his performances with the band building to his full-time return to the group, which meant a close to the four years Graham Bush had spent with the band.

On 22 March 2013, the band performed outside the BBC Television Centre in a live broadcast for BBC Four. This was followed by Goodbye Television Centre, a celebration of 50 years of the television centre, marking the closure of the building and the last show to be broadcast from it. Following that the band was the closing act to the new year celebration of 2014 in Dublin, Ireland.

On 22 March 2014, Suggs confirmed that Madness were writing a new studio album which he stated "the band plan to record in the summer and release by the end of 2014".

In October 2014, Cathal Smyth, aka Chas Smash, left Madness to pursue a solo career. His debut solo studio album, A Comfortable Man, was released on 11 May 2015 by Phoenix Rising Recording Co. Although Smyth's departure was characterized at the time as a 'break' to concentrate on his solo career and not necessarily a permanent departure, Smyth has not rejoined Madness in the years since the break was announced. Madness has continued as a six-piece.

2016–2022: Can't Touch Us Now
The band announced their new studio album Can't Touch Us Now in May 2016. In support of the album, the band played the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival in June. Lead single "Mr. Apples" was accompanied by a scripted video (first one since 2009) and A-listed by BBC Radio 2. The song "Herbert" was released as a taster accompanied by an animation video. Further singles "Can't Touch Us Now" and "Another Version of Me" were also playlisted by BBC Radio 2. The album itself entered the UK Albums Chart at number 5 in November 2016. The band finished the year on a UK arena tour in December.

Throughout 2017, the band played at several festivals and concerts worldwide including mainland Europe, Asia, and Australia. In April their first Australian gig at the Fremantle Arts Centre in Western Australia sold out, necessitating a second gig the following night. In August, the band hosted their own "House of Common Festival" for the second year on Clapham Common. This was the band's only London gig of the year.

In 2018, the band embarked on a summer tour of stately homes in the UK before a Christmas arena tour in December. Madness performed on New Year's Eve through to New Year's Day at "Madness Rocks Big Ben Live". The entire performance was shown on BBC One before and after that year's fireworks.

In March 2019, Madness announced the release of their group autobiography, Before We Was We: Madness by Madness, to be released on hardback that October. The book includes commentary from all seven members telling the story of their early days and childhoods up until their breakthrough as a group. In May 2021, the book was adapted as a three-part TV documentary on AMC, with the first part free on BT's YouTube channel.

The band celebrated 40 years since their debut studio album release with several special live appearances throughout 2019. The band performed at their own "House of Common" festival in August and held a special concert with a full orchestra at Kenwood House. In November they played at Electric Ballroom in Camden; forty years to the day since one of their first appearances there. The performance was broadcast on Sky Arts in 2020. The band saw the year out with three concerts at The Roundhouse.

In December 2019, the band released a new single, "Bullingdon Boys (Don't Get Bullied by the Bully Boys)". The NME described the song as a 'barbed swipe at Boris Johnson and his Eton cohorts'.

In April 2021, following some special videos created during the COVID-19 pandemic, Madness announced their first global live stream, titled "The Get Up!", to be held the next month. It featured live music and comedy from the group and Charlie Higson, pre-recorded at the London Palladium. During the live stream, the band was accompanied by Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals and Paul Weller of the Jam and had a cameo by Queen Elizabeth II, played by Mike Barson. They announced their 2021 tour, The Ladykillers Tour, the next day, to be held alongside Squeeze.

2023-present: Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie
In September 2023, the band announced their thirteenth studio album Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie, which was released on 17 November 2023. It WAS followed by a UK tour with the Lightning Seeds, including stops in Liverpool, Manchester and London.

The album was preceded by the single "C'est La Vie" and "Baby Burglar", a song inspired by the antics of band members in their youth, including breaking into singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul's house. A new video featured these two singles plus a performances of Round We Go.

It would become Madness' first ever number one studio album in the UK. The album also made the album charts in Ireland, Germany and The Netherlands.

On 11 December a full version of the "C'est La Vie" video was released. Follow by "Baby Burglar" on 23 January 2024.

In February it was announced that "Round We Go" would be released as the official new single. A full video was released on 6 February, followed by a single edit on February 16. On February 23 the song was added to BBC Radio 2's New Music Playlist.

In April the enhanced version of Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C'est La Vie was announced, featuring 5 new songs and 7 unreleased live songs from the December tour, including the band's version of The Specials's "Friday Night Saturday Morning". "No Reason" - written by Suggs - was made available directly.

On 17 May - just before the band would go on their first US tour in 12 years - "Hour Of Need" was released as a single and went straight to the BBC Radio 2 playlist. The release was accompanied by the announcement of the 'Hour Of Need' Award, for which fans could honour an unsung hero in their lives.

The Fink Brothers
The Fink Brothers were a short-lived alter ego created by Madness members Suggs and Chas Smash, working under the aliases Angel and Ratty Fink, using characters from the science fiction comic 2000 AD.

 * Single

The Madness
The Madness was a line-up of Madness without bassist Mark Bedford, drummer Daniel Woodgate and keyboardist Mike Barson, active between 1988 and 1989. Formed by Suggs, Chas Smash, Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman in 1988, they distinguished this line-up from the previous Madness line-up only by adding the word "The" to the band's name. The band had held a competition to find a new name on BBC Radio 1. They decided on 'The Wasp Factory' after the Iain Banks novel of the same name, but that name had already been taken by another band.

The album is notable for featuring guest performers including the Specials' Jerry Dammers, early Madness member John Hasler and Earl Falconer of UB40. It is also the first studio album produced by the band themselves under the alias 'The Three Eyes'.

The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and many online discographies consider this band to be the same as "Madness". Several of the songs on the album ("4BF", "Be Good Boy", "Gabriels Horn", "In Wonder") were reworked songs from the cancelled 1986 Madness studio album and had been performed live or demoed in 1986 before the band broke up. Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman also alluded to this view on their sole studio album Crunch! (1990), which was dedicated to "the good ship Madness and all who sailed in her (1979 to 1989)".

 * Studio album
 * 1988: The Madness

 * Singles

The Nutty Boys
The Nutty Boys were Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman of Madness. The name "The Nutty Boys" was actually the name of their studio album, while the new band was called "Crunch!". The posters for their first concert mistakenly listed the band as "The Nutty Boys" instead of "Crunch!", and the name stuck. While the members of the band Madness were nicknamed "The Nutty Boys" as a whole, this section lists only the work released by Thompson and Foreman under "The Nutty Boys" name in the early 1990s.

 * Single

 * Studio album
 * 1990: Crunch!

Crunch!
Crunch! were also Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman. At this point, the band formally corrected the earlier mistake and officially adopted their original name of "Crunch".

 * Single

Collaborations
Madness collaborated with Elvis Costello in 1983 on a version of their song "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)". It was released as a bonus track to the 12" copy of the single. In later years, Barson stated that Costello's "Watching the Detectives" was the main influence on the song "My Girl". For Wonderful in 1999, Ian Dury laid down vocals on the track "Drip Fed Fred" which was released as the last single from the album. It was Dury's last recording before his death. Ill health prevented Dury from actively promoting the single, although he did appear on the National Lottery Show, for a later performance on TFI Friday, the song was reworked to incorporate Phill Jupitus on vocals. Live, Madness have collaborated with artists including UB40 and Prince Buster, notably at their first Madstock concert. They have also played live frequently with members of the other 2 Tone bands including the Specials. In May 2008, Suggs and Carl performed live with Pet Shop Boys at London's Heaven collaborating on a new arrangement of "My Girl", as part of a tribute evening to their former minder Dainton 'The Bear' Connell, called Can You Bear It?. A few days afterwards, Pet Shop Boys posted their own version of the track on their official website.

In late 2010, the band collaborated in the Cage Against the Machine project, in which numerous artists performed John Cage's 4′33″ for a charity single intended to prevent the winner of The X Factor claiming the Christmas Number 1. The title refers to the previous year's successful campaign to get Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" to chart above X Factor winner Joe McElderry.

Lyrical themes
Frequent themes in Madness' songs included childhood memories (e.g., "Baggy Trousers", and "Our House") and petty crime (e.g., "Shut Up", and "Deceives the Eye"). Although Madness were seen by some as somewhat of a humorous band with catchy, bouncy songs, many of their songs took a darker tone (such as the singles "Grey Day" and "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)") and they sometimes tackled what were, at the time, controversial issues in their lyrics. "Embarrassment" (from the Absolutely album) was written by Lee Thompson, and reflected the unfolding turmoil following the news that his teenage sister had become pregnant and was carrying a black man's child. Madness discussed animal testing in the song "Tomorrow's Dream". The band criticised the National Health Service (NHS) in "Mrs. Hutchinson", which told the story of a woman who, after several misdiagnoses and mistreatment, became terminally ill. The story was based on the experiences of Mike Barson's mother. Madness' final single prior to disbanding, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", commented on apartheid in South Africa.

Awards
The band's first notable musical award came in 1983 when Chris Foreman and Cathal Smyth won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song for the international hit "Our House". Madness received another Ivor Novello Award 17 years later for an "Outstanding Song Collection". In 2005, they were awarded the Mojo "Hall of Fame" Award, notably for being "an artist's artist". In 2007, a campaign took place by fans of Madness for the band to be awarded a Brit Award. Many fans and critics feel they have been overlooked over their past 30 years in the music industry. In July 2009, Madness were awarded the 'Silver Clef' Icon Award. In September 2010, Madness were awarded the 'Idol Award' at the 2010 Q Awards in London.

Members
Members of the classic line-up are listed in bold.

Current members
 * Chris Foreman – guitar (1976–1986, 1992–2005, 2006–present)
 * Mike Barson – keyboards, piano, percussion, backing vocals (1976–1984, 1992–present)
 * Lee Thompson – saxophone, percussion, vocals (1976–1977, 1978–1986, 1992–present)
 * Graham "Suggs" McPherson – vocals (1977, 1978–1986, 1992–present)
 * Dan Woodgate – drums, percussion (1978–1986, 1992–present)
 * Mark Bedford – bass (1978–1986, 1992–2009, 2012, 2013–present)

Former members
 * Cathal "Chas Smash" Smyth – bass (1976–1977), vocals, trumpet, dancing (1979–1986, 1992–2014)

Touring members and regular guests
 * Dick Cuthell – French horn, flugel horn, cornet (1983–1985) (live and studio)
 * Nick Parker – violin (1983) (live)
 * Jonathan Kahan – violin (1983) (live)
 * Suzanne Rosenfeld – viola (1983) (live)
 * Caroline Verney – cello (1983) (live)
 * Paul Carrack – keyboards (1984) (live)
 * James Mackie – keyboards (1984) (live)
 * Steve Nieve – keyboards (1985, 1988) (live and studio)
 * Terry Disley – keyboards (1985–1986) (live)
 * Seamus Beaghan – keyboards (1985–1986, 2009, 2012, 2021) (live and studio)
 * Jimmy Helms – backing vocals (1985–1986) (live and studio)
 * Jimmy Thomas – backing vocals (1985–1986) (live and studio)
 * Lorenza Johnson – backing vocals (1985–1986) (live)
 * Bosco De Oliveira – percussion (1985–1986) (live)
 * Norman Watt-Roy – bass (1995–1996) (live)
 * Mike Kearsey – trombone (1999, 2004, 2005–present) (live and studio)
 * Terry Edwards – saxophone, trumpet (2003) (live)
 * Steve Turner – saxophone (2003, 2005–c. 2016) (live and studio)
 * John "Segs" Jennings – guitar (2005) (live and studio)
 * Kevin Burdett – guitar (2005–2006, 2013) (live and studio)
 * Graham Bush – bass (2005, 2009–2013) (live and studio)
 * Joe Auckland – trumpet (2005–present) (live and studio)
 * Steve Hamilton – saxophone (2011–2012, c. 2016–present) (live and studio)
 * Paul Fisher – trombone (2016–2017) (live)
 * Mez Clough – percussion (2016–present) (live and studio), drums (2017, 2021) (live)
 * Neil Waters – trumpet (2017–2019) (live)
 * Paul Burton – trombone (2019) (live)

Members of North London Invaders only (band changed name to "Madness" in 1979)
 * John Hasler – drums (1976–1977), vocals (1976–1977, 1977–1978)
 * Dikran Tulaine – vocals (1976)
 * Gavin Rodgers – bass (1977–1978)
 * Garry Dovey – drums (1977–1978)

Discography

 * One Step Beyond... (1979)
 * Absolutely (1980)
 * 7 (1981)
 * The Rise & Fall (1982)
 * Keep Moving (1984)
 * Mad Not Mad (1985)
 * The Madness (1988)
 * Wonderful (1999)
 * The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 (2005)
 * The Liberty of Norton Folgate (2009)
 * Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da (2012)
 * Can't Touch Us Now (2016)
 * Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie (2023)

Tours

 * Two Tone Tour (1979)
 * Absolutely Tour (1980)
 * Seven Tour (1981)
 * Complete Madness Tour (1982)
 * Rise and Fall Tour (1983)
 * Keep Moving Tour (1984)
 * Mad Not Mad Tour (1985)
 * Christmas Madness (1992)
 * The Man in the Mad Suit (1993)
 * Mad Dogs (1995)
 * The Maddest Show on Earth (1999)
 * Welcome to the Wonderful World of Madness (2003)
 * To the Edge of the Universe & Beyond (2006)
 * On Board the Nutty Express (2007)
 * The Liberty of Norton Folgate (2009)
 * Do Not Adjust Your Nut (2010)
 * House of Fun Weekender (2011–2021)
 * Charge of the Mad Brigade (2012)
 * Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da (2013)
 * All for the M.A.D.H.E.A.D. (2014)
 * Grandslam Madness (2015)
 * Can't Touch Us Now (2016)
 * Stately Madness (2018)
 * The Sound of Madness (2018)
 * Madness XL (2018–2019)
 * The Ladykillers Tour (2021)
 * The Great European Roadtrip (2022–2023)
 * C'est La Vie (2023)

title: Madness (band)