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
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
"Lovestruck" "Johnny the Horse" "Drip Fed Fred"
Disc 2 - the bonus tracks
Chart performance
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".