The Madman's Return

Last updated

The Madman's Return
Snap cover.jpg
Studio album by
Snap!
Released24 March 1992
Recorded1991–1992
Length41:00 (original eight-track disc)
Label
Producer Snap!
Snap! chronology
World Power
(1990)		The Madman's Return
(1992)		 Welcome to Tomorrow
(1994)
Singles from The Madman's Return
  1. "Colour of Love"
    Released: 9 December 1991
  2. "Rhythm Is a Dancer"
    Released: 30 March 1992
  3. "Exterminate!"
    Released: 7 December 1992
  4. "Do You See the Light (Looking For)"
    Released: 4 July 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Billboard (favorable) [2]
Calgary Herald B+ [3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Entertainment Weekly (favorable) [5]
Melody Maker (mixed) [6]
Music Week Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]

The Madman's Return is the second studio album by German Eurodance group Snap! It contains the international massive hit "Rhythm Is a Dancer", which reached No. 1 in France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom and peaked at No. 5 in the US and Canada. The album was certified platinum in Switzerland [8] and gold in Germany, [9] Austria [10] and the United Kingdom [11] but only reached No. 121 on the US Billboard 200. [12]

Contents

The earliest LP pressings didn't contain "Rhythm Is a Dancer". The album produced four singles; "Colour of Love", "Rhythm Is a Dancer", "Exterminate!" and "Do You See The Light (Looking For)".

Critical reception

AllMusic highlighted songs like "Rhythm Is a Dancer", "Don't Be Shy", "Believe in It", "Colour of Love", and "Who Stole It?" as "standout" tracks of the album, adding that the latter has a sound that recalls one of the group's earlier hits, "The Power". American magazine Billboard complimented new singer Thea Austin, who "does an admirable job" especially on "See the Light", and remarked that "Who Stole It?" "could break big." [2] Arion Berger from Entertainment Weekly also highlighted "Who Stole It?", with its "fuzzy, stop-start hook". He also felt that the band "proves its talent for complex, hard-hitting dance beats" on the "eerie, futuristic" "Ex-Terminator", and "a witty warning to female gold diggers" on "Money". Berger named "See the Light" the album’s "finest moment", describing it as "lilting" and "as lush as Soul II Soul’s best work, and even the sequences of mush-mouthed rapping can’t dull its gloss." [5] A reviewer from Melody Maker named "Colour of Love" the "highlight" of the album. [6]

Track listing

First edition

  1. "Madman's Return" – 4:35 (Durron Butler)
  2. "Colour of Love" – 5:32 (Butler, Penny Ford, Thea Austin)
  3. "Believe in It" – 5:08 (Benites, Garrett III, Austin, Butler)
  4. "Who Stole It?" – 5:10 (Butler)
  5. "Don't Be Shy" – 4:38 (Butler, Benites, Garrett III)
  6. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" – 5:32 (Austin, Benites, Garrett III)
  7. "Money" – 5:12 (Butler)
  8. "See the Light" – 5:45 (Butler, Ford, Austin)
  9. "Exterminate!" – 5:24 (Benites, Garrett III)
  10. "Keep It Up" – 4:05
  11. "Homeboyz" – 6:37
  12. "Sample City" – 1:08

Second edition

  1. "Madman's Return" – 4:35
  2. "Colour of Love" – 5:32
  3. "Believe in It" – 5:08
  4. "Who Stole It?" – 5:10
  5. "Don't Be Shy" – 4:38
  6. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" – 5:32
  7. "Money" – 5:12
  8. "See the Light" – 5:45
  9. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (7" Edit) – 3:45
  10. "Ex-Terminator" – 5:24
  11. "Keep It Up" – 4:05
  12. "Homeboyz" – 6:37
  13. "Sample City V2.01" – 1:10

Third edition (marked as such on the front cover)

  1. "Madman's Return" – 4:35
  2. "Colour of Love" – 5:32
  3. "Believe in It" – 5:08
  4. "Who Stole It?" – 5:10
  5. "Don't Be Shy" – 4:38
  6. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" – 5:32
  7. "Money" – 5:12
  8. "See the Light" – 5:45
  9. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (7" Edit) – 3:45
  10. "Exterminate" (Endzeit 7") – 4:20
  11. "Ex-Terminator" – 5:24
  12. "Keep It Up" – 4:05
  13. "Homeboyz" – 6:37
  14. "Sample City V2.01" – 1:10

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria) [27] Gold25,000*
Germany (BVMI) [28] Gold500,000 [29]
Netherlands (NVPI) [30] Gold50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [31] Platinum50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [32] Gold100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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<i>Snap! Attack: The Best of Snap!</i> 1996 compilation album by Snap!

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References

  1. ↑ AllMusic review
  2. 1 2 "Album Reviews". Billboard . 4 April 1992. p. 46.
  3. ↑ Muretich, James (19 April 1992). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald .
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Omnibus Press. p. 578.
  5. 1 2 Berer, Arion (15 May 1992). "The Madman's Return". Entertainment Weekly .
  6. 1 2 Push (25 January 1992). "Albums". Melody Maker . p. 28. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  7. ↑ Jones, Alan (23 January 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week . p. 25. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Hitparade.ch: Snap!". Schweizer Hitparade . Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Snap!)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  10. ↑ "Gold & Platin". IFPI Austria. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  11. ↑ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  12. ↑ "US Albums Positions to Snap!". Billboard Magazine . Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  13. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 258.
  14. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Snap! – The Madman's Return" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Snap! – The Madman's Return" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  16. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Snap! – The Madman's Return" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "Charts.nz – Snap! – The Madman's Return". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  18. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Snap! – The Madman's Return". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  19. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Snap! – The Madman's Return". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  20. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Snap! – The Madman's Return". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  21. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  22. ↑ "Billboard 200 Chart: Week of December 5, 1992". Billboard . Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  23. ↑ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1992". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  24. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1992". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  25. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  26. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1992". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  27. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Snap – The Madman's Return" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  28. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Snap; 'The Madman')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  29. ↑ Wolfgang Spahr (13 May 2000). Grammy's Two Way Street. Billboard . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  30. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Snap – The Madman's Return" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers . Retrieved 27 March 2022.Enter The Madman's Return in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1992 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  31. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Snap; 'The Madman's Return')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  32. ↑ "British album certifications – Snap – The Madman's Return". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
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