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

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[3]
BBC News	favourable^[4]
NME	^[5]
Record Collector	^[6]

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
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

References

External links

Madness

Madness
Chris Foreman Mike Barson Lee Thompson Suggs Dan Woodgate Mark Bedford Chas Smash
Studio albums	One Step Beyond... Absolutely 7 The Rise & Fall Keep Moving Mad Not Mad The Madness Wonderful The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 The Liberty of Norton Folgate Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da Can't Touch Us Now Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie
Compilation albums	Complete Madness Madness Utter Madness It's... Madness It's... Madness Too Divine Madness The Business Total Madness (1997) Our House Total Madness (2009) Ultimate Madness A Guided Tour of Madness Forever Young: The Ska Collection
Live albums	Madstock! Universal Madness Madness Live: To the Edge of the Universe and Beyond
Box sets	The Business A Guided Tour of Madness
Extended plays	Work Rest and Play The Peel Sessions
Singles	"The Prince" "One Step Beyond" "My Girl" "Night Boat to Cairo" (Work Rest and Play EP) "Baggy Trousers" "Embarrassment" "The Return of the Los Palmas 7" "Grey Day" "Shut Up" "It Must Be Love" "Cardiac Arrest" "House of Fun" "Driving in My Car" "Our House" "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" / "Madness (Is All in the Mind)" "Wings of a Dove" "The Sun and the Rain" "Michael Caine" "One Better Day" "Yesterday's Men" "Uncle Sam" "Sweetest Girl" "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train" "The Harder They Come" "Night Boat to Cairo" "Lovestruck" "Johnny the Horse" "Drip Fed Fred" "Shame and Scandal in the Family" "Girl Why Don't You" "Sorry" "NW5" "Dust Devil" "Sugar and Spice" "Forever Young"
Related articles	Discography Lucky 7 Records Dikran Tulaine Our House the Musical 2 tone Zarjazz Records "Starvation/Tam Tam Pour L'Ethiopie" The Madness Take It or Leave It The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra Boring (The Young Ones) Sick (The Young Ones) Unreleased album

Authority control databases