7 (Madness album)

7 (also known as Madness 7)[6] is the third studio album by the English ska and pop band Madness. Released in October 1981, it peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums 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 much of the album was re-recorded in London when they returned from Nassau.

7
Studio album by
Madness
Released2 October 1981 (1981-10-02)
RecordedJuly–August 1981
StudioCompass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas
("Grey Day" recorded early 1981 in London)[1]
Genre
Length38:35
LabelStiff
Producer
Madness chronology
Absolutely
(1980)		 7
(1981)		 Complete Madness
(1982)
Singles from 7
  1. "Grey Day"
    Released: 17 April 1981
  2. "Shut Up"
    Released: 11 September 1981
  3. "Cardiac Arrest"
    Released: 12 February 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Record Mirror[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Smash Hits8/10[5]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cardiac Arrest"Chas Smash, Chris Foreman2:52
2."Shut Up"Graham McPherson, Foreman4:07
3."Sign of the Times"McPherson, Mike Barson2:43
4."Missing You"McPherson, Barson2:32
5."Mrs. Hutchinson"Barson2:17
6."Tomorrow's Dream"Lee Thompson, Barson3:54
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Grey Day"Barson3:40
8."Pac-a-Mac"Thompson, Barson2:37
9."Promises Promises"Thompson, Barson2:52
10."Benny Bullfrog"Thompson, Foreman1:51
11."When Dawn Arrives"Thompson, Barson2:43
12."The Opium Eaters"Barson3:03
13."Day on the Town"McPherson, Foreman3:24
Total length:38:35

There were several different versions of the album released throughout the world. Some territories removed the not so tourist-friendly "Day on the Town" while others replaced it with "Never Ask Twice (a.k.a. Aeroplane/Airplane)", which was issued on the "Shut Up" 12" single in the UK. In Belgium "Never Ask Twice" was issued on a one-sided 7" single with initial copies of the album. France renamed "Day on the Town" as "A Place in the City". Australia added "It Must Be Love" and "Never Ask Twice", 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 television commercials.

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

2010 reissue

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. 7 was reissued by Union Square Music's collector's label Salvo on 12 April 2010.[7]

CD 1
The original album
*The first disc contains the thirteen tracks from the original album plus four promo videos.
The promo videos
  1. Grey Day
  2. Shut Up
  3. It Must be Love
  4. Cardiac Arrest
CD 2
The Richard Skinner session
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Missing You" (recorded 27 September 1981 for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studio 4, London)McPherson, Barson2:41
2."Sign of the Times" (recorded 27 September 1981 for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studio 4, London)McPherson, Barson2:37
3."Tiptoes" (recorded 27 September 1981 for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studio 4, London)McPherson, Barson2:40
The bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Memories" (B-side of "Grey Day" single)Foreman2:24
5."A Town with No Name" (B-side of "Shut Up" single)Foreman2:51
6."Never Ask Twice" (B-side of "Shut Up" 12" single)McPherson, Barson3:00
7."It Must Be Love" (non-album single, 1981)Labi Siffre3:26
8."Shadow on the House" (B-side of "It Must Be Love" single)Foreman3:21
9."In the City" (B-side of "Cardiac Arrest" single)McPherson, Barson, Smash, Foreman, Bill Crutchfield, Daisuke Inoue3:00
10."Cardiac Arrest" (12" extended version)Smash, Foreman4:17
11."Grey Day" (live) (from NME Racket Packet cassette, 1983)Barson4:32
Total length:34:56

Personnel

Madness

Technical

  • Clive Langer – producer, engineer
  • Alan Winstanley – producer, engineer
  • Arun Chakraverty – mastering
  • Stella Artwork – cover
  • C-More – cover
  • Mike Putland – photography

2010 reissue

  • Dale Griffin – producer on Richard Skinner session
  • Mike Engels – engineer on Richard Skinner session
  • Tim Turan – remastering
  • Martin 'Cally' Callomon – art direction, design
  • David Quantick – liner notes

Chart performance

Album
Chart (1981) Peak
position		 Total
weeks
Dutch Albums Chart[8] 5 17
Swedish Albums Chart[9] 41 1
UK Albums Chart[10] 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

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "The Madness Timeline: 1981". Madness Official Website. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "7 – Madness". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  3. Ludgate, Simon (3 October 1981). "Heaven 7". Record Mirror. p. 11.
  4. Considine, J. D. (2004). "Madness". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 508. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. Silverton, Pete (1–14 October 1981). "Madness: 7". Smash Hits. Vol. 3, no. 20. p. 19.
  6. "Madness - Madness 7". BPI. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  7. "10. Full details of the Seven re-issue tracklisting". Madness Central Newsletter: Issue 15. January 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  8. 7 at Dutch Charts Retrieved 18 June 2013
  9. Steffen Hung. "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  10. "UK Singles & Albums Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  11. "British album certifications – Madness – Madness 7". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
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