7 (Madness album)

7
Studio album by Madness
Released October 2, 1981
Recorded 1981
Genre
Length 38:35
Label Stiff
Producer Clive Langer
Alan Winstanley
Madness chronology

Absolutely
(1980)
7
(1981)
Complete Madness
(1982)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

7 is the third album from the British ska/pop band Madness. Released in October 1981, it reached No. 5 in the UK album chart. All but one track was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas in the summer of 1981, the exception being Grey Day which was recorded in London earlier in the year. Although in 2011 co-producer Alan Winstanley stated in the 'Guided Tour of Madness' boxed-set that a lot of the album was re-recorded in London when they returned from Nassau.

Track listing

Side one

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Cardiac Arrest"  C. Smash / C.J. Foreman 2:52
2. "Shut Up"  G. McPherson / C.J. Foreman 4:07
3. "Sign Of The Times"  G. McPherson / M. Barson 2:43
4. "Missing You"  G. McPherson / M. Barson 2:32
5. "Mrs. Hutchinson"  M. Barson 2:17
6. "Tomorrow's Dream"  L. Thompson / M. Barson 3:54

Side two

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
7. "Grey Day"  M. Barson 3:40
8. "Pac-A-Mac"  L. Thompson / M. Barson 2:37
9. "Promises Promises"  L. Thompson / M. Barson 2:52
10. "Benny Bullfrog"  L. Thompson / C.J. Foreman 1:51
11. "When Dawn Arrives"  L. Thompson / M. Barson 2:43
12. "The Opium Eaters"  M. Barson 3:03
13. "Day On The Town"  G. McPherson / C.J. Foreman 3:24

There were several different versions of the album released throughout the world. Some territories removed the not so tourist-friendly A Day On The Town while others replaced it with Never Ask Twice (aka Aeroplane / Airplane), which was issued on the Shut Up 12" in the UK. In Belgium Never Ask Twice was issued on a one-sided 7" single with initial copies of the album. France renamed A Day On The Town as A Place In The City. Australia added It Must Be Love, Spain replaced Cardiac Arrest with It Must Be Love and Japan added In The City, which was issued there as a single after it was initially written for and used to promote Honda City cars in TV commercials.

Initial vinyl pressings featured different mixes of some tracks (most notably Mrs Hutchinson and A Day On The Town), which haven't been used since.

2010 re-release

In 2009 and 2010, Madness re-released their entire back catalogue of studio albums up until 1999's Wonderful with a bonus CD and extra tracks.

CD 1

  1. "Cardiac Arrest"
  2. "Shut Up"
  3. "Sign Of The Times"
  4. "Missing You"
  5. "Mrs Hutchinson"
  6. "Tomorrow's Dream"
  7. "Grey Day"
  8. "Pac-a-mac"
  9. "Promises Promises"
  10. "Benny Bullfrog"
  11. "When Dawn Arrives"
  12. "The Opium Eaters"
  13. "Day On The Town"
Promo Videos (Enhanced CD content)
  1. "Grey Day"
  2. "Shut Up"
  3. "It Must be Love"
  4. "Cardiac Arrest"

CD 2

The Richard Skinner Sessions
  1. "Missing You"
  2. "Sign of the Times"
  3. "Tiptoes" (McPherson / Barson)
The Bonus Tracks
  1. "Memories" (M.W. Barson) [B-side "Grey Day" single]
  2. "A Town With No Name" (C.J. Foreman) [B-side "Shut Up" single]
  3. "Never Ask Twice" (G. McPherson / M. Barson) [B-side "Shut Up" 12" single]
  4. "It Must Be Love" (Labi Siffre) [Single]
  5. "Shadow on the House" (C.J. Foreman) [B-side "It Must Be Love" single]
  6. "In the City" (McPherson / Barson / Smash / Foreman / Crutchfield / Inoue) [B-side "Cardiac Arrest" single]
  7. "Cardiac Arrest" [12" Extended Version]
  8. "Grey Day" (live) [From NME Racket Packet Cassette]

Personnel

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Total
weeks
Dutch Albums Chart[2] 5 17
Swedish Albums Chart[3] 41 1
UK Albums Chart[4] 5 28

Singles

Date Single Chart Position
Apr 1981 Grey Day UK No. 4
Sep 1981 Shut Up (edited to 3:26 for issue as a single) UK No. 7
Feb 1982 Cardiac Arrest (remixed for issue as a single) UK No. 14

References

  1. 7 Madness Allmusic.com, Stephen Thomas Erlewine
  2. 7 at Dutch Charts Retrieved 18 June 2013
  3. Steffen Hung. "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  4. "UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive". Chart Stats. Retrieved 5 September 2011.