Madness B-sides: House of Fun or Living Endorsement?

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Everybody loves Madness. I'm considering upgrading from my old 'Divine Madness' tape to the all-encompassing 3 CD set 'The Business' (or is it 'The Lot'?), containing all the singles with their corresponding B-sides, together with essential rarities such as 'David Hamilton Jingle' and (one for the Pinefox) 'Terry Wogan Jingle'. My questions are: are the B-sides rubbish, and what is the 'Stretch Mix' of 'Our House' (everybody's favourite Madness song)? Please note: contains Scritti Politti cover version. Price: 11.99.

― Peter Miller, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Stretch mix - like many early eighties 12" is just a very long version of House Of Fun (extended insturmental break which is no fun at all). Still a lot of their B-Sides were very good.

― Pete, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i dont love madness i think there cunts so thats not everybody is it. do you research first before say things like that. night fever on channel 5 and i love 1981 its all there fault.

peopl lisen to b-sides get a lif.

― XStatic Peace, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Our House, Pete, not House of Fun. Actually a very good mix incorporating lots of bits of previous singles and was actually out on 7-inch as well for a bit (hence extended chart residency).

There isn't a satisfactory comprehensive Madness set out at the moment. The Business is ruined by chatter linking tracks (including over intros and fade-outs) while The Lot collects all the albums with the single videos on CD-ROM but not the non-album singles as tracks in themselves.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It is not a very good mix. It is awful, as Pete says. But Marcello is right that 'The Business' is ruined by quite a few of the tracks having chatter mixed over intros and outros. I got it for £9.99 in an HMV sale so I can't really complain, but it drove me up the wall at the time. There are some great Madness B-sides, like 'Shadow on the House', which is the very sad flip to 'It Must Be Love'. Also 'Riding on my Bike' is the terrific novelty brother of 'Driving In My Car'.

― N., Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Thank you all for your input. I don't like the sound of that chatter, but I do like the sound of that sad b-side to 'It Must Be Love', perhaps this is the saddest seven inch of all time? I like 'Our House' as it is, but in general I like 80s twelve inch mixes, a la King's 'Love and Pride'.

― Peter Miller, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Best Madness B-side I can think of is the alternate re-recorded version of Tomorrow's Just Another Day, sung by Elvis Costello. Slower, more melancholy, an altogether better interpretation of the song.

― Mike Atkinson, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'll second N. and Mike's suggestions.
I also used to like "Mistakes" and "Don't Quote Me On That" but can't say I've heard either in many a long year. Also "In The City" (which was an a-side in Japan and was on the 'Complete Madness' comp.)

― Jeff W, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

eighteen years pass...

Just reading about their comeback shows in '92 and '94; they played this at some of those.
It's a banger!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMi0loPuBlQ

― piscesx, Wednesday, 27 May 2020 23:38 (five years ago)

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