So why was the “It’s… Madness” series so crucial to the Madness community?

Well, it was 1990, and the fans were in the emotional moments of the madness break-up, having split four years earlier in 1986; with that Nutty Sound now passé and nothing new to be heard from Madness, we were just left with time and then like Jones… along came the Pickwick distribution deal and Virgin released the first “It’s… Madness” album. Excuse me? MADNESS on Pickwick, WTF! It was a sad day in W.H. Smiths.

Pickwick Records was an American record label and British record distributor known for its budget album releases of sound-alike recordings, bargain bin reissues, and repackaging and was the dreaded imprint that only our grandparents seemed to own and the place for dead-end celebrities like Ken Dodd and the Diddy men. Gently now… I’m trying to overlook this trauma (because It’s… ‘still’ Madness). Okay, what was so special about these two half-like hit bargain basement releases?

Firstly, it was the first time that so many b’sides and the one remix (Victoria Gardens) had finally been released for the first time on CD, it was even marketed that way with “Includes tracks never previously available on CD”. You have to remember (if you were of age at this time) it was the beginning of the 90s, and we were yet to meet the MP3 phenomenon. Nobody had the technical ability to rip vinyl and distribute it other than recording it on tape cassette. I don’t recall there ever being a commercial or bootleg available featuring non-hit tracks other than live Madness tracks on bootleg tape cassettes.

Now at this point, Stiff was long gone. Virgin records owned the Madness catalogue, and the “It’s… Madness” series of releases was the first compilation album to be released since “Utter Madness”, and from this point forth, it was to be consistently reissued, repackaged right up until 2006 and left real collectors dazed and confused.

With 16 years of label reassignment, reissues, redesigned covers, different imprints, cancelled releases and label mix-ups … who wouldn’t be lost eh? During 1992 and the third reissue of the “It’s… Madness” series, Virgin decided to dump Pickwick distribution mainly due to Madness’s sudden and unexpected resurgence; Virgin records wanted total control of distribution rights, including copyright and publishing, and this remained until 1998.

10. One’s Second Thoughtlessness (Thompson/ Woodgate) 1983 – B’ side of Wings Of A Dove 12″ Only. A real rarity, this, having only been previously available on the 12-inch of “Wings Of A Dove”, the band asked especially that this track be included. You’ll be glad they did.

11. Grey Day (Barson) 1981 – Madness’ eighth single, eighth hit. Entered the Top 20 at twenty at the end of April 1981, shot to No.5, dropped a place to No.6, then revived to fight another day and bounced to its peak of No. 4.

12. Memories (Grey Day, B Side) (Foreman) 1981 – The ‘B’ side of “Grey Day”, enjoying ten weeks in the charts.

13. It Must Be Love (Labi Siffre) 1981 – Up to this one, the band’s tenth single, the singles had been Madness originals. This broke the tradition. Labi Siffre had begun his chart-making with “It Must Be Love”, his song, in 1971, reaching No. 14. Madness went ten places better at the end of 1980 and, to celebrate its release, featured Labi in their promo video.

14. Deceives The Eye (from Work Rest And Play E.P.) (Bedford/Foreman) 1980 – Another track from the “Work Rest And Play E.P.”. Not one of the better-known songs from that Top Ten hit, so well worth another airing here.

15. Driving In My Car (Barson) 1982 – Follow-up to the No. 1 hit, “House Of Fun”, and crashed at No.6 on the 24th of July 1982. Surprisingly, it only climbed two places to No.4 the following week, where it remained for three weeks.

Anyway, let’s continue… So the confusion deepened when, in the same year, the imprint “Disky Records”, a Dutch record label that operated from the early 1990s until the mid-2000s. During its existence, the label released numerous compilation albums featuring popular music from various genres. Disky, in 1997 suddenly appeared to be marketing and distributing the “It’s… Madness” series. Very early on, a handful of copies were pressed of “It’s… Madness” by Disky using the new artwork created by Mark Bedford and his team, a scarce pressing.

Once the confusion of the artwork was remedied, the original artwork was used but now was redesigned (adapted) again by Artiee, Broek op Langedijk for Disky; remember the 16 years of label reassignment, reissues, redesigned covers, different imprints, cancelled releases and label mix-ups? A challenging life for a hardcore collector, and I am sure after publishing this article, I will discover more physical variations of this series!

Let’s take a closer look at the tracks that graced the second of the “It’s… Madness” album series. “It’s… Madness Too”

1. The Prince (Album Version) (Thompson) 1979 – Madness, the first single, was released on 2-Tone (TT3) and reached No. 16 on 6th October 1979. However, the album version of the Prince was used on the album.

2. Madness (Album Version) (Campbell) 1979 – ‘B’ side of “The Prince”. Stayed in the charts for 11 weeks.

3. One Step Beyond… (Campbell) 1979 – The boys’ second single, first on Stiff Records. It entered the charts at No.51 on 10th November 1979, three weeks later achieving its pinnacle, No.7.

4. Mistakes (One Step Beyond, B Side) (Barson/Hasler) 1979 – ‘B’ side of “One Step Beyond” Over three months in the charts.

5. The Return of the Los Palmas 7 (Barson/Woodgate/Bedford) 1981 – Hit number seven hit No.7 on 25th February 1981.

6. Night Boat to Cairo (from Work Rest & Play EP) (Barson/McPherson) 1980 – The lead track on their first EP – a brave move so early on in a career – straight in at No. 14 on the 5th April ’80, climbing to its peak of No.6 the following week.

7. Shut Up (McPherson/Foreman) 1981 – Straight in at No. 10 on 3rd October 1981 – yet another No.7 peaker for the band.
8. A Town With No Name (Shut Up, B Side) (Foreman) 1981 – ‘B’ side of “Shut Up”, the ninth Top 20 in a row.

9. Cardiac Arrest (Smash/Thompson) 1982 – Entered the charts at No. 14 on 6th March 1982, dropped to No. 15 the following week, climbed back to fourteen the next week, finally giving up and dropping to twenty. The first single not to go Top 10 since “The Prince.”

10. In The City (Cardiac Arrest B Side) (McPherson/Barson/Smash/Foreman/ Crutchfield/Inoue) 1982 – “B’ side of “Cardiac Arrest”, which, despite missing the Top 10, still managed ten weeks in the charts.

11. Our House (Smyth/Foreman) 1982 – Ended 1982 with a Top 5 smash in the UK, and then it hit the Top 10 in the States five months later, the band’s American hit.

12. Walking With Mr. Wheeze (Our House, B Side) (Barson) 1982 – ‘B’ side of “Our House”, three months in the American Charts!

13. Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day) (Smyth/Barson) 1983 – Crashed up to No.9 in its second week, peaking at 8 in its third.

14. Victoria Gardens (Smyth/Barson/Smyth) 1984 – Nearly became hit number nineteen in April ’84, then withdrawn at the last minute as “One Better Day” was considered a better choice. Shame.

15. The Sun and the Rain (Barson) 1983 – The last Top 10 single for Madness, hitting No.5 on the 19th of November 1983.

16. Michael Caine (Smyth/Woodgate) 1984 – Still a classic, featuring the voice of Mr Caine himself. Hit No. 11 on the 17th of February, 1984.

We have yet to scratch the surface of the reissues, redesigned covers, different imprints, cancelled releases and, of course, the international releases that found their way into Madness history. It would take a book to cover all the releases and variants – the good news is that this article will be published on www.nuttysounds.com to subscribers and continue to grow in content and detail, and just maybe become part of a more comprehensive book.

Finally, let’s end this journey with the interestingly cancelled 2006 re-release of “It’s… Madness” called “Madness Collection”. EMI Records cancelled the release, a relatively rare unreleased CD on the EMI Gold label; however, it’s unknown who and why EMI pulled the plug.

Overall, “It’s Madness” is a great introduction to the band’s music and an essential album for any fan of ska or British pop music. If you have any further questions about the band or their music, feel free to ask!