Total Madness – The Very Best of Madness

For the 2009 compilation, see Total Madness.

Total Madness – the Very Best of Madness
Greatest hits album by Madness
Released	9 September 1997
Recorded	1979–1985
Genre	Ska pop [1]
Label	Geffen
Producer	Clive Langer Alan Winstanley
Madness chronology
The Business – the Definitive Singles Collection (1993) Total Madness – the Very Best of Madness (1997) Universal Madness (1998)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

Total Madness – the Very Best of Madness is a greatest hits album by a British ska/pop band Madness, released in 1997. It was released exclusively in the United States and Canada. It features liner notes from the former frontman of The Might Mighty Bosstones Dicky Barrett. ^[3]

Critical reception

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars and wrote that the album "[is] an overview of Madness in their decline, with a couple of earlier hits thrown in for good measure."

Track listing

1. "Our House" (Cathal Smyth, Chris Foreman) – 3:20
2. "It Must Be Love" (Labi Siffre) – 3:18
3. "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" (Smyth, Michael Barson) – 3:09
4. "Shut Up" (Foreman, Graham McPherson) – 3:26
5. "Grey Day" (Barson) – 3:38
6. "The Sun and the Rain" (Barson) – 3:30
7. "Wings of a Dove (A Celebratory Song)" (Smyth, McPherson) – 3:03
8. "Michael Caine" (Smyth, Daniel Woodgate) – 3:36
9. "One Better Day" (McPherson, Mark Bedford) – 4:06
10. "Uncle Sam" (Foreman, Lee Thompson) – 4:16
11. "Yesterday's Men" (Foreman, McPherson) – 4:32
12. "One Step Beyond" (Cecil Campbell) – 3:33 (Version exclusive to compilation)

References

1. 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.
2. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r315569
3. "TOTAL MADNESS, USA, 1997". Madnessography. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2025.

External links

• Total Madness – The Very Best of Madness at Discogs (list of releases)