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Can't Touch Us Now

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Can't Touch Us Now
Studio album by
Madness
Released28 October 2016
Recorded2016[1]
StudioToe Rag Studios, London
Iguana Studio, London
Genre
Length58:59
LabelLucky 7
Producer
Madness chronology
The Very Best of Madness
(2014) 		Can't Touch Us Now
(2016) 		Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie
(2023)
Singles from Can't Touch Us Now
  1. "Mr. Apples"
    Released: 7 September 2016
  2. "Herbert"
    Released: 14 October 2016
  3. "Can't Touch Us Now"
    Released: 16 December 2016
  4. "Another Version of Me"
    Released: 24 February 2017
  5. "(Don’t Let Them Catch You) Crying"
    Released: 6 July 2017 [3]

Can't Touch Us Now is the eleventh studio album by the British band Madness, released on their Lucky 7 Records label through Universal Music Catalogue (UMC) on 28 October 2016. The album marked the return of founder member Mark Bedford but the departure of Cathal Smyth (Chas Smash).

The album received supportive reviews from a variety of publications. For example, critic Jon Dennis of The Guardian labelled the group "legends" and described them as being "as entertaining as ever" in the release. The song "Pam the Hawk" was highlighted in particular for its lyrical themes.[4]

A special collector's edition box set version of Can't Touch Us Now was released simultaneously with the album under the title "The Greatest Show on Earth".[5] This version was packaged to resemble a board game complete with a playable card game. It also contained a second disc consisting of demos.

Singles

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]
Financial Times[8]
The Guardian[4]
The Independent[9]

The first single from the album, "Mr. Apples", was released in September 2016 and A-listed on BBC Radio 2.[10] For the first time since Sugar And Spice in 2009 a scripted video was released. The song "Herbert" was released as a teaser on 14 October 2016, two weeks prior to the album.[11] It was accompanied by an animated lyric video in the style of the album's artwork. On Friday 18 November, at the start of the 2016 "House of Fun Weekender" at Butlin's, the band announced title track "Can't Touch Us Now" as the second single from the album, accompanied by a brand new video which contained a performance by the band and footage from the album's ad.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Can't Touch Us Now"Chris Foreman, Lee Thompson4:13
2."Good Times"Daniel Woodgate, Nick Woodgate2:53
3."Mr. Apples"Graham McPherson3:38
4."I Believe"Mike Barson, Thompson3:44
5."Grandslam"Foreman, McPherson2:35
6."Blackbird"Foreman, McPherson4:03
7."You Are My Everything"Barson4:08
8."Another Version of Me"D. Woodgate, N. Woodgate2:40
9."Mumbo Jumbo"Thompson, Keith Finch3:23
10."Herbert"Barson, McPherson3:57
11."Don't Leave the Past Behind You"D. Woodgate, N. Woodgate2:45
12."(Don't Let Them) Catch You Crying"Foreman, Thompson4:10
13."Pam the Hawk"Barson, McPherson4:37
14."Given the Opportunity"Foreman, Thompson3:31
15."Soul Denying"Barson, Thompson5:13
16."Whistle in the Dark"Barson, Thompson3:29
Total length:58:59

The Greatest Show on Earth (Can't Touch Us Now special edition)

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Disc 1
  • The first disc contains the sixteen tracks from the original album version.
Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mr. Apples" (alternate version)McPherson3:30
2."Grandslam" (instrumental demo)Foreman, McPherson2:04
3."Mumbo Jumbo" (demo)Thompson, Finch3:10
4."Good Times" (demo)D. Woodgate, N. Woodgate3:04
5."You Are My Everything" (demo)Barson4:45
6."Another Version of Me" (demo)D. Woodgate, N. Woodgate3:58
7."Blackbird" (instrumental demo)Foreman, McPherson3:04
8."Herbert" (demo)Barson, McPherson3:50
9."I Believe" (demo)Barson, Thompson3:33
10."Don't Let Them (Catch You Crying)" (demo)Foreman, Thompson3:27
11."Pam the Hawk" (demo)Barson, McPherson3:51
12."Soul Denying" (demo)Barson, Thompson5:33
13."Whistle in the Dark" (demo)Barson, Thompson3:11
14."Last Rag and Bone Man" (demo)Barson, McPherson4:15

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[12]

Madness
Additional personnel
The Greatest Show on Earth - disc 2
  • Madness – vocals (1)
  • Ade Omotayo – backing vocals (1)
  • Lee Thompson – vocals (3, 9, 10, 12, 13), production (3, 9, 13), mixing (3, 9, 13)
  • Nick Woodgate – vocals (4, 6)
  • Mike Barson – vocals (5), all instruments (9), production (5, 8, 9, 11-14), mixing (5, 8, 11-14)
  • Mark Bedford – bass (6)
  • Graham "Suggs" McPherson – vocals (8, 11, 14)
  • Clive Langer – production, mixing (1)
  • Liam Watson – production, mixing (1)
  • Chris Foreman – production, mixing (2, 7, 10)
  • Keith Finch – production (3)
  • Daniel Woodgate – production, mixing (4, 6)

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "2016". SevenRaggedMen.com. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  2. ^ Bonner, Michael (15 August 2016). "Madness announce new album, Can't Touch Us Now". Uncut. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  3. ^ https://www.7digital.com/artist/madness/release/don’t-let-them-catch-you-crying-leo-zero-remixes-6286366 [dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b Dennis, Jon (27 October 2016). "Madness: Can't Touch Us Now review – ska-pop legends as entertaining as ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  5. ^ "OUR NEW ALBUM – CAN'T TOUCH US NOW – PRE-ORDER NOW". madness.co.uk. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Reviews for Can't Touch Us Now by Madness". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  7. ^ Deming, Mark. "Review of Can't Touch Us Now". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  8. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (28 October 2016). "Madness: Can't Touch Us Now — review". Financial Times. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  9. ^ Gill, Andy (26 October 2016). "Album reviews: Empire Of The Sun - Two Vines, Madness - Can't Touch Us Now, Courteeners, and more". The Independent. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  10. ^ Madness – Mr. Apples at Discogs
  11. ^ Madness – Herbert at Discogs
  12. ^ Can't Touch Us Now liner notes. Lucky 7 Records. 2016.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Madness – Can't Touch Us Now" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Madness – Can't Touch Us Now" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  15. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 44, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  18. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2016". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  19. ^ "British album certifications – Madness – Can't Touch Us Now". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
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