Wonderful (Madness album) explained

Wonderful
Type:	Studio album
Artist:	Madness
Cover:	Wonderful Madness.jpg
Released:	1 November 1999 (UK)
Recorded:	1999
Studio:	Westside Studios, London
Length:	41:54
Label:	Virgin
Producer:	Clive Langer Alan Winstanley
Prev Title:	Universal Madness
Prev Year:	1999
Next Year:	2002

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 fourteen years since Mad Not Mad in 1985, 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]}

Reception

The BBC's Chris Charles said "... Wonderful finds the boys in their best form since 1981's Madness 7." Allmusic's Evan Cater gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and said "On the whole, it's a pretty successful return." 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."

Track listing

2010 reissue

Disc 1 - the original album

• Contains the full album plus three promo videos

The promo videos

1. "Lovestruck"
2. "Johnny the Horse"
3. "Drip Fed Fred"

Disc 2 - the bonus tracks

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".

Notes and References

1. Web site: Madness Previewing Album Online. https://web.archive.org/web/20211001142538/http://www.mtv.com/news/519380/madness-previewing-album-online/. dead. 1 October 2021. 28 October 1999. MTV. 1 October 2021.
2. Web site: Brand New Beat. 1999. sevenraggedmen.com. 1 October 2021.
3. Web site: UK Singles & Albums Official Charts Company . . 2012-01-12.