Complete Madness
Greatest hits album by
Madness
Released23 April 1982
Recorded1979–1982
Genre
Length45:24 (original)
47:24 (reissue)
LabelStiff
Producer
Madness chronology
7
(1981)		 Complete Madness
(1982)		 The Rise & Fall
(1982)
Alternative cover
Cover of the Virgin Records 1985 CD re-release
Singles from Complete Madness
  1. "House of Fun"
    Released: 14 May 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link
Robert ChristgauA−[1]

Complete Madness is the first greatest hits album by ska/pop group Madness. It was released in 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.

Track listing

The following track listing is for the original 1982 UK release (Stiff Records, HIT-TV1).

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Original releaseLength
1."Embarrassment"
Absolutely, 19802:59
2."Shut Up"
7, 19812:48
3."My Girl"BarsonOne Step Beyond..., 19792:38
4."Baggy Trousers"
  • McPherson
  • Foreman
Absolutely2:26
5."It Must Be Love"Labi SiffreNon-album single, 19813:19
6."The Prince"ThompsonOne Step Beyond...2:27
7."Bed and Breakfast Man"BarsonOne Step Beyond...2:29
8."Night Boat to Cairo"
  • McPherson
  • Barson
One Step Beyond...3:13
Total length:22:24
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Original releaseLength
1."House of Fun"
  • Barson
  • Thompson
New track2:47
2."One Step Beyond"Cecil CampbellOne Step Beyond...2:17
3."Cardiac Arrest"
72:52
4."Grey Day"Barson73:30
5."Take It or Leave It"
  • Barson
  • Thompson
Absolutely3:17
6."In the City"
  • McPherson
  • Barson
  • Smyth
  • Foreman
  • Bill Crutchfield
  • Daisuke Inoue
B-side of "Cardiac Arrest", 19822:55
7."Madness"CampbellOne Step Beyond...2:35
8."The Return of the Los Palmas 7"
Absolutely2:29
Total length:22:49

Personnel

Madness
Production

Chart performance

Chart (1982) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[2] 1
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 2
Dutch Albums Chart[4] 7
New Zealand Albums Chart[5] 11

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[6] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Madness". Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  2. ↑ Complete Madness at Official Charts Retrieved 26 August 2016
  3. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ↑ Complete Madness at Dutch Charts Retrieved 20 June 2013
  5. ↑ Complete Madness at Dutch Charts Retrieved 26 August 2016
  6. ↑ "Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)". Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via Imgur.com.
  7. ↑ "British single certifications – Madness – Complete Madness". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
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