Madness of It All is the debut studio album from the British pop-rock band The Ward Brothers, which was released by Siren in 1987.
| Madness of It All | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 April 1987[1] | |||
| Length | 66:21 | |||
| Label | Siren A&M (US) | |||
| Producer | Mike Howlett Don Was Frank Filipetti | |||
| The Ward Brothers chronology | ||||
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The album was not a commercial success, but two of its singles were UK chart entries; "Cross That Bridge" reached No. 32 in December 1986 and "Why Do You Run?" peaked at No. 81 in April 1987.[2] In the US, "Cross That Bridge" reached No. 32 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[3] The title track was featured in the Miami Vice episode "Love At First Sight".
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer |   [4] |
Robin Denselow of The Guardian picked the "light and tuneful" "Cross That Bridge" as the best song on the album, adding: "The rest of the LP sounds classy but anonymous; it's full of throbbing synthesised ballads, with a little funk and even a fashionable burst of electro-heavy metal thrown in. Decidedly forgettable."[5] Billboard noted Dave Ward's "distinctive chops", but felt the "fairly straightforward pop material has a way to go before dividends will be accrued".[6]
Cash Box listed the album as one of their feature picks during February 1987. They described the album as an "impressive debut" with "largely crafty dance-oriented rock".[7] Jack Lloyd of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: "Though the material is a bit uneven, there are a couple of above-average numbers such as "Over the Border" and "Cross That Bridge". The obvious flaw with a band like this is that what it does is fine, but what it does is not especially exciting."[8]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Graham Ward
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Why Do You Run" | 5:13 |
| 2. | "Easy Prey" | 4:24 |
| 3. | "I Trusted You" | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Over the Border" | 5:04 |
| 5. | "Shadows of You" | 3:29 |
| 6. | "Don't Talk to Strangers" | 6:01 |
| 7. | "Limbo" | 4:22 |
| 8. | "Cross That Bridge" | 4:12 |
| 9. | "Madness of It All" | 4:24 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Easy Prey (Cloth Cap Mix)" | 6:12 |
| 11. | "Don't Talk to Strangers (Brown Mac Mix)" | 7:01 |
| 12. | "Cross That Bridge (Kitchen Sink Mix)" | 6:59 |
| 13. | "Madness of It All (Instrumental)" | 5:14 |
Personnel edit
The Ward Brothers
- Dave Ward - lead vocals, backing vocals, drums, percussion, arranger
- Derek Ward - keyboards, programming, arranger
- Graham Ward - guitar, backing vocals, arranger
Additional musicians
- Martin Bullard - synth bass, keyboards
- Wesley Magoogan - saxophone (track 1)
- Louis Resto - bass (track 9), additional keyboards (track 9)
Production
- Mike Howlett - producer
- Steve Power - engineer
- Don Was - producer (tracks 8, 9)
- Frank Filipetti - producer (track 9), engineer (track 9)
- Phil Brown - engineer (track 8)
- Ian Gillespie - digital editing
- Denis Blackham - digital EQ, digital mastering
- Kevin Metcalfe - direct metal mastering
Other
- The Design Clinic - design
- Paul Cox - photography
References edit
- ^ Smith, Robin (11 April 1987). "News Digest". Record Mirror. p. 27. ISSN 0144-5804.
- ^ "WARD BROTHERS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ "Ward Brothers". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ Lloyd, Jack (6 March 1987). "Albums". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 24.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (8 May 1987). "Ballads to please your banker". The Guardian. p. 16.
- ^ "Reviews: Albums". Billboard. 21 February 1987. p. 80.
- ^ "Album Releases". Cash Box. 7 February 1987. p. 8.
- ^ Lloyd, Jack (6 March 1987). "Albums". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 24.