Wonderful (Madness album)
1999 studio album by Madness
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Wonderful is the seventh studio album by the British band Madness, released on 1 November 1999. It was the band's first studio album in eleven years since The Madness in 1988, and also the first to feature their classic seven-piece line-up since 1984's Keep Moving. The album saw Madness reunite with their original production team, Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who had produced all of the band's previous work.[1][2]
| Wonderful | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 November 1999 (UK) | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Studios | Westside Studios, London | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 41:54 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producers | ||||
| Madness chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wonderful | ||||
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Reception
The BBC's Chris Charles said "... Wonderful finds the boys in their best form since 1981's Madness 7."[4] Allmusic's Evan Cater gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and said "On the whole, it's a pretty successful return."[3] In a review of the 2010 re-release, Terry Staunton of Record Collector stated that although "All the essential components are in place...something doesn’t quite gel…". Staunton thought the opening single "Lovestruck" was well done but "elsewhere there’s a niggling feeling that the band are trying too hard to replicate the sound of yore, studiously ignoring the fact that times – and the players themselves – have changed."[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lovestruck" | Lee Thompson, Mike Barson | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Johnny the Horse" | Cathal Smyth | 3:20 |
| 3. | "The Communicator" | Graham McPherson, Smyth | 3:20 |
| 4. | "4 am" | McPherson, Barson | 3:50 |
| 5. | "The Wizard" | Smyth | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Drip Fed Fred" (feat. Ian Dury) | Thompson, Barson | 4:30 |
| 7. | "Going to the Top" | Barson | 3:56 |
| 8. | "Elysium" | Thompson, Daniel Woodgate | 3:52 |
| 9. | "Saturday Night Sunday Morning" | McPherson | 4:14 |
| 10. | "If I Didn't Care" | Jack Lawrence | 4:25 |
| 11. | "No Money" | Thompson, D. Woodgate, Nick Woodgate | 3:14 |
| Total length: | 41:54 | ||
2010 reissue
- Disc 1 - the original album
- Contains the full album plus three promo videos
- The promo videos
- "Lovestruck"
- "Johnny the Horse"
- "Drip Fed Fred"
- Disc 2 - the bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You're Wonderful" (remix) | Smyth | Japanese edition bonus track and B-side of "Johnny the Horse" | |
| 2. | "Round and Round" | Thompson, Barson | Japanese edition bonus track and B-side of "Lovestruck" | |
| 3. | "We Are Love" | Smyth | B-side of "Lovestruck" | |
| 4. | "Johnny the Horse" (radio edit) | Smyth | "Johnny the Horse" promo single | |
| 5. | "I Was the One" | Barson | B-side of "Johnny the Horse" | |
| 6. | "Dreaming Man" | Smyth, Chris Foreman | B-side of "Johnny the Horse" | |
| 7. | "Light of the Way" | Smyth | B-side of "Drip Fed Fred" | |
| 8. | "We Want Freddie" | Thompson, Barson | B-side of "Drip Fed Fred" | |
| 9. | "Drip Fed Fred" (The Conspiracy Mix) | Thompson, Barson | "Drip Fed Fred" single version | |
| 10. | "Maddley" (album sampler) | McPherson, Smyth, Barson, Thompson, D. Woodgate, N. Woodgate, Lawrence | B-side of "Lovestruck" | |
| 11. | "Simple Equation" | McPherson, Foreman | Our House: The Original Songs, 2002 | |
| 12. | "Sarah's Song" | Thompson, Barson | Our House: The Original Songs | |
| 13. | "It Must Be Love" (2002 mix) | Labi Siffre | Our House: The Original Songs | |
| 14. | "My Old Man" | Ian Dury, Steve Nugent | Brand New Boots and Panties, 2001 |
Chart performance
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[7] | 17 |
Personnel
- Madness
- Graham "Suggs" McPherson – lead vocals
- Mike Barson – keyboards
- Chris Foreman – guitar
- Mark Bedford – bass
- Lee Thompson – saxophones, guest vocals on track 6
- Daniel Woodgate – drums
- Cathal Smyth – backing vocals, lead vocals on track 3
- Additional personnel
- Jason Bruer – saxophone
- Terry Edwards – saxophone, brass arrangements
- Michael Kearsey – trombone
- Jason McDermid – trumpet
- Pablo Cook – percussion
- The London Session Orchestra – strings
- Gavyn Wright – orchestral and strings leader
- Simon Hale – string arrangements, conductor
- Ian Dury – guest vocals on track 6
- Steve Donnelley – dobro guitar on track 5
- Mitch – backing vocals on track 4
- Sarah Cracknell – backing vocals on track 8
- Technical
- Clive Langer – production
- Alan Winstanley – production
- Mark Bishop – assistant engineer
- Martin Parr – front cover photography
- Mark Bedford – design
- Robert Stimpson – design
- Dani Golfieri – design assistant
- Neil Evans – design assistant
- 2010 reissue
- Tim Turan – remastering
- Martin "Cally" Callomon – art direction, design
- Nik Rose – artwork ("re-jigging and fettling")
- Robert Elms – liner notes
Notes
- "4 am" is a re-recorded version of the song that appeared on Suggs' solo album The Lone Ranger in 1995.
- "If I Didn't Care" is a cover of a song originally recorded by the Ink Spots.
- Providing the vocals to "Drip Fed Fred" would be Ian Dury's last chart single release and final TV appearance on The National Lottery Show before his death in March 2000.
- Despite being the title of the album, "You're Wonderful" only made it as a b-side on one of the editions of the "Johnny the Horse" single. However, it is included on the Japanese version of the album, along with another song which was a b-side in the UK: "Round and Round".