Homage or Rip Off?

Look what was uncovered:

Cover Art for Madness’ “The Liberty of Norton Folgate”

Book Cover for Peter Ackroyd’s “Dan Leno & the Limehouse Golem”

Says Jon Young (who ferreted out the graphical parallel):

“It looks to me as both carrying on the Madness tradition of album cover shadows like the Our House album and referencing a book that influenced the title track on the album making a Madness-like version of it.”

Are the two connected, did Madness nick the idea from Peter Akroyd, are they setting themselves up to be sued again like they were with the Madstock album cover art? You be the judge. You know you like to judge.

(And before you start debating the bichromatic nature of the blog entry title, I’m only kidding about it being a rip off - it’s all media sensationalism to lure you into reading the blog!)