''Complete Madness'' is the first
greatest hits album
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
by ska/pop group
Madness. It was released in
1982
Events
January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
and included Madness' biggest hits from their first three studio albums and the stand-alone singles. ''Complete Madness'' spent 99 weeks on the UK charts, peaking at number 1.
Content
This compilation includes the original
7-inch single
In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...
mixes of most tracks (''
House of Fun
"House of Fun" is a song by English ska/pop group Madness, credited to Mike Barson and Lee Thompson. Retrieved on 28 June 2007. It was released as a one-off single on 14 May 1982 and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, spending nine ...
'' being an exception). The vinyl and initial CD releases have shortened fade-outs for many tracks, to reduce the running time of each side of the original LP version. The first time the songs appeared in full for this compilation was on the 2003 Virgin CD reissue.
The original Australian version of the album, issued some months later than in the UK, replaces ''In the City'' with 13th UK single ''
Driving in My Car''.
Music video
An accompanying video cassette was also released, containing all thirteen of the group's music videos up to that point (the twelve UK singles plus ''Bed and Breakfast Man'', which was a single in Canada), with specially filmed introductions to each video, together with the car commercials the band had done for Honda in Japan.
Track listing
The following track listing is for the original 1982 UK release (
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007.
Established at the outset of the p ...
, HIT-TV1).
Personnel
;Madness
*
Graham "Suggs" McPherson – vocals
*
Mike Barson – keyboards, harmonica, vibraphone, marimba, tubular bells
*
Chris Foreman
Christopher John Foreman (born 8 August 1956), nicknamed Chrissy Boy, is an English musician, songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning 45 years, Foreman came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the English band Madness. ...
– guitars
*
Chas Smash
Cathal Joseph "Carl" Smyth (born 14 January 1959), also known as Chas Smash, is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the secondary vocalist, trumpet player and dancer for the English band Madness from their inception ...
– vocals, trumpet
*
Lee Thompson – saxophones, vocals
*
Mark Bedford – bass
*
Dan Woodgate – drums, percussion
;Production
*
Clive Langer
Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954) 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 '' Brothers of the Head''.
Biog ...
–
producer
*
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.
Early life
He was born in Fulham in November 1952 to parents Ken and Doreen. ...
– producer
Chart performance
Certifications and sales
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1982 greatest hits albums
Albums produced by Alan Winstanley
Albums produced by Clive Langer
Madness (band) compilation albums
Madness (band) video albums
Stiff Records compilation albums