Complete Madness
title: "Complete Madness" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["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"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_Madness" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Complete Madness |
| type | Greatest hits |
| artist | Madness |
| cover | Complete Madness.jpg |
| released | 23 April 1982 |
| recorded | 1979–1982 |
| genre | {{flatlist |
| length | 45:24 (original) |
| 47:24 (reissue) | |
| label | Stiff |
| prev_title | 7 |
| prev_year | 1981 |
| next_title | The Rise & Fall |
| next_year | 1982 |
| misc | {{Extra album cover |
| header | Alternative cover |
| type | Greatest hits |
| cover | Madness - Complete Madness (Alternate cover).jpg |
| caption | Cover of the Virgin Records 1985 CD re-release |
| name | Complete Madness |
| type | greatest |
| single1 | House of Fun |
| single1date | 14 May 1982 |
| :: |
| name = Complete Madness | type = Greatest hits | artist = Madness | cover = Complete Madness.jpg | alt = | released = 23 April 1982 | recorded = 1979–1982 | venue = | studio = | genre = {{flatlist|
- Ska
- pop
- 2-tone | length = 45:24 (original) 47:24 (reissue) | label = Stiff | producer =
- Clive Langer
- Alan Winstanley | prev_title = 7 | prev_year = 1981 | next_title = The Rise & Fall | next_year = 1982 | misc = {{Extra album cover | header = Alternative cover | type = Greatest hits | cover = Madness - Complete Madness (Alternate cover).jpg | border = | alt = | caption = Cover of the Virgin Records 1985 CD re-release | name = Complete Madness | type = greatest | single1 = House of Fun | single1date = 14 May 1982
Complete Madness is the first greatest hits album by the English ska and pop band Madness. It was released on 23 April 1982 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 mixes of most tracks ("House of Fun" 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.
Reception
| rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide | rev2score = A− | rev3 = Record Mirror | rev3score = | rev4 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide | rev4score = | rev5 = Sounds | rev5score =
Reviewing Complete Madness for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine deemed the compilation "thorough and thoroughly entertaining, encapsulating exactly why Madness were significant and, more importantly, how much fun their 'nutty sound' was", while also serving as "definitive proof that Madness were one of the great singles acts of their era."
Track listing
The following track listing is for the original 1982 UK release (Stiff Records, HIT-TV1).
| headline = Side one | total_length = 22:24 | extra_column = Original release
| title1 = Embarrassment | writer1 = {{flatlist|
- Mike Barson
- Lee Thompson | extra1 = Absolutely, 1980 | length1 = 2:59
| title2 = Shut Up | writer2 = {{flatlist|
- Graham McPherson
- Chris Foreman | extra2 = 7, 1981 | length2 = 2:48
| title3 = My Girl | writer3 = Barson | extra3 = One Step Beyond..., 1979 | length3 = 2:38
| title4 = Baggy Trousers | writer4 = {{flatlist|
- McPherson
- Foreman | extra4 = Absolutely | length4 = 2:26
| title5 = It Must Be Love | writer5 = Labi Siffre | extra5 = Non-album single, 1981 | length5 = 3:19
| title6 = The Prince | writer6 = Thompson | extra6 = One Step Beyond... | length6 = 2:27
| title7 = Bed and Breakfast Man | writer7 = Barson | extra7 = One Step Beyond... | length7 = 2:29
| title8 = Night Boat to Cairo | writer8 = {{flatlist|
- McPherson
- Barson | extra8 = One Step Beyond... | length8 = 3:13
| headline = Side two | total_length = 22:49 | extra_column = Original release
| title1 = House of Fun | writer1 = {{flatlist|
- Barson
- Thompson | extra1 = New track | length1 = 2:47
| title2 = One Step Beyond | writer2 = Cecil Campbell | extra2 = One Step Beyond... | length2 = 2:17
| title3 = Cardiac Arrest | writer3 = {{flatlist|
- Cathal Smyth
- Foreman | extra3 = 7 | length3 = 2:52
| title4 = Grey Day | writer4 = Barson | extra4 = 7 | length4 = 3:30
| title5 = Take It or Leave It | writer5 = {{flatlist|
- Barson
- Thompson | extra5 = Absolutely | length5 = 3:17
| title6 = In the City | writer6 = {{flatlist|
- McPherson
- Barson
- Smyth
- Foreman
- Bill Crutchfield
- Daisuke Inoue | extra6 = B-side of "Cardiac Arrest", 1982 | length6 = 2:55
| title7 = Madness | writer7 = Campbell | extra7 = One Step Beyond... | length7 = 2:35
| title8 = The Return of the Los Palmas 7 | writer8 = {{flatlist|
- Barson
- Daniel Woodgate
- Mark Bedford | extra8 = Absolutely | length8 = 2:29
Personnel
;Madness
- Graham "Suggs" McPherson – vocals
- Mike Barson – keyboards, harmonica, vibraphone, marimba, tubular bells
- Chris Foreman – guitars
- Chas Smash – vocals, trumpet
- Lee Thompson – saxophones, vocals
- Mark Bedford – bass
- Dan Woodgate – drums, percussion
;Production
- Clive Langer – producer
- Alan Winstanley – producer
Chart performance
::data[format=table] | Chart (1982) | Peak position | |---|---| | UK Albums Chart | 1 | | Australia (Kent Music Report) | 2 | | Dutch Albums Chart | 7 | | New Zealand Albums Chart | 11 | ::
Certifications and sales
References
References
- (3 April 1982). "Record News: Madness in abundance".
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Complete Madness – Madness". [[AllMusic]].
- Christgau, Robert. (1990). "Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s". [[Pantheon Books]].
- Nicholls, Mike. (24 April 1982). "Loony tunes...".
- Considine, J. D.. (2004). "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". [[Simon & Schuster]].
- Millar, Robbi. (24 April 1982). "Nut supreme".
- [http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/complete%20madness/ ''Complete Madness'' at ''Official Charts''] Retrieved 26 August 2016
- Kent, David. (1993). "[[Kent Music Report". Australian Chart Book.
- [http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Madness&titel=Complete+Madness&cat=a ''Complete Madness'' at ''Dutch Charts''] Retrieved 20 June 2013
- [http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Madness&titel=Complete+Madness&cat=a ''Complete Madness'' at ''Dutch Charts''] Retrieved 26 August 2016
- "Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)".
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