Wonderful (Madness album)

Wonderful
Studio album by
Madness
Released 1 November 1999 (UK)
Recorded 1999
Studio Westside Studios, London
Genre
Length 41:54
Label Virgin
Producer
Madness chronology
Universal Madness
(1999) 		Wonderful
(1999) 		Our House: The Original Songs
(2002)
Singles from Wonderful
  1. "Lovestruck"
    Released: 19 July 1999
  2. "Johnny the Horse"
    Released: October 1999
  3. "Drip Fed Fred"
    Released: January 2000

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.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic
BBC News favourable
NME
Record Collector

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

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
  1. "Lovestruck"
  2. "Johnny the Horse"
  3. "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 17

Personnel

Madness
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