{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Use British English|date=May 2012}} {{Infobox album | 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)<br>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 }}{{Singles | 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<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Record News: Madness in abundance |magazine=New Musical Express |date=3 April 1982 |page=34 |issn=0028-6362}}</ref> 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== {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Erlewine">{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/complete-madness-mw0000741947 |title=Complete Madness – Madness |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> | rev2 = ''Christgau's Record Guide'' | rev2score = A−<ref>{{cite book |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |chapter=Madness: Complete Madness |chapter-url=https://robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=2200 |access-date=23 August 2025 |title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s |title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s |publisher=Pantheon Books |year=1990 |isbn=0-679-73015-X |page=256}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Record Mirror'' | rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Nicholls |first=Mike |title=Loony tunes... |magazine=Record Mirror |date=24 April 1982 |page=14}}</ref> | rev4 = ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'' | rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Considine |first=J. D. |author-link=J. D. Considine |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |chapter=Madness |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/508 508]}}</ref> | rev5 = ''Sounds'' | rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Millar |first=Robbi |title=Nut supreme |magazine=Sounds |date=24 April 1982 |page=38}}</ref> }}
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."<ref name="Erlewine"/>
==Track listing== The following track listing is for the original 1982 UK release (Stiff Records, HIT-TV1).
{{Track listing | 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 }}
{{Track listing | 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== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Chart (1982) !Peak<br>position |- |align="left"|UK Albums Chart<ref>[http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/complete%20madness/ ''Complete Madness'' at ''Official Charts''] Retrieved 26 August 2016</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |align="left" |Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="auchart">{{Cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |publisher=Australian Chart Book |location=St Ives, NSW |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref> |align="center" |2 |- |align="left"|Dutch Albums Chart<ref>[http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Madness&titel=Complete+Madness&cat=a ''Complete Madness'' at ''Dutch Charts''] Retrieved 20 June 2013</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|7 |- |align="left"|New Zealand Albums Chart<ref>[http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Madness&titel=Complete+Madness&cat=a ''Complete Madness'' at ''Dutch Charts''] Retrieved 26 August 2016</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|11 |}
==Certifications and sales== {{Certification Table Top}} {{certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|certyear=1982|relyear=1982|artist=Madness|title=Complete Madness|award=Platinum|certref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/aNf84lX.jpg|title=Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)|via=Imgur.com|access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref>}} {{certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|certyear=1982|relyear=1982|artist=Madness|title=Complete Madness|award=Platinum|id=1485-259-2|type=single|access-date=12 March 2022}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Discogs master|type=album|19921|name=Complete Madness}}
{{Madness}} {{Authority control}}
Category:1982 greatest hits albums Category:Albums produced by Alan Winstanley Category:Albums produced by Clive Langer Category:Madness (band) compilation albums Category:Madness (band) video albums Category:Stiff Records compilation albums