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''Wonderful'' is the seventh studio album by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
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
Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954 in Hampstead, London, England) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards.
He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films '' Still Crazy'' and '' ...
and
Alan Winstanley
Alan Kenneth Winstanley (born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer.
His early career during the mid-1970s was as an audio engineer, working on albu ...
, who had produced all of the band's previous work.
Reception
The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's Chris Charles said "... ''Wonderful'' finds the boys in their best form since 1981's ''
Madness 7''."
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
'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
''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide.
History The early years
The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...
'' 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
#"Lovestruck"
#"Johnny the Horse"
#"Drip Fed Fred"
;Disc 2 - the bonus tracks
Chart performance
Personnel
;Madness
*
Graham "Suggs" McPherson – lead vocals
*
Mike Barson
Michael Barson (born 21 April 1958) is a Scottish-born multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Barson came to prominence in the late 1970s as the keyboard player for the band Madness.
Early y ...
– keyboards
*
Chris Foreman
Christopher John Foreman (born 8 August 1956), nicknamed Chrissy Boy, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Foreman came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the Engli ...
– 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
Terry Edwards (born 10 August 1960) is an English musician who plays trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophones, guitar and keyboards.
Biography
Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding me ...
– 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
Simon Hale is a British composer, arranger, and keyboardist.
Life
Hale was born in Birmingham, England in 1964, being dually raised there and in South Manchester before moving to London, where he studied popular music at Goldsmiths College, Uni ...
– string arrangements, conductor
*
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was a British singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Ian Dury and the Blockheads ...
– 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
Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954 in Hampstead, London, England) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards.
He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films '' Still Crazy'' and '' ...
– production
*
Alan Winstanley
Alan Kenneth Winstanley (born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer.
His early career during the mid-1970s was as an audio engineer, working on albu ...
– 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
Robert Frederick Elms (born 12 June 1959) is an English writer and broadcaster. Elms was a writer for ''The Face'' magazine in the 1980s and is currently known for his long-running radio show on BBC Radio London. His book, ''The Way We Wore'', ...
– liner notes
Notes
* "4 am" is a re-recorded version of the song that appeared on Suggs' solo album ''
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture.
He first appeared in 1933 in ...
'' in 1995.
* "
If I Didn't Care" is a cover of a song originally recorded by
the Ink Spots
The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely ac ...
.
* Providing the vocals to "Drip Fed Fred" would be
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was a British singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Ian Dury and the Blockheads ...
'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".
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1999 albums
Madness (band) albums
Virgin Records albums
Albums produced by Alan Winstanley
Albums produced by Clive Langer