"What's That"
Single by the Madness
from the album The Madness
ReleasedMay 1988
Recorded1987
GenrePop
Length3:34
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Cathal Smyth (music/lyrics)
Producer(s)The Three Eyes
The Madness singles chronology
"I Pronounce You"
(1988)		 "What's That"
(1988)

"What's That" is the second and final single by English band the Madness from their 1988 eponymous studio album. It was released in the UK only on 7" and 12" vinyl, and also as a 10" vinyl picture disc.[1] It was the first release by Madness or any of its spin-off bands not to reach the top 75 in the UK. It peaked at No. 92 and lasted two weeks on the chart, dropping to No. 98 the following week after its debut.[2]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Lesley O'Toole of Record Mirror considered "What's That" to be so different from its predecessor "I Pronounce You" that it "might as well be the work of a different collective entirely". She concluded, "Jaunty nursery rhyme scansion meets rumbustious techno-noises in a characteristically off the wall offering."[3] Jerry Smith of Music Week noted, "The revitalised Madness are having a few problems regaining the hit trail with their new, more reflective sound, but this moody number is real grower and could set them right."[4] Ian Gittins of Melody Maker was critical, describing it as "a boring stick of nothing" and Madness "scrap[ing] the barrel". He wrote, "They open up like Raw Sex, bouncing a finger off a Hammond organ, then kind of... stay there, refusing all options open to them."[5]

Track listing

  • 7"
  1. "What's That" (Smyth) – 3:34
  2. "Be Good Boy" (Thompson, Foreman) – 4:26
  • 12"/CD
  1. "What's That" (Smyth) – 3:34
  2. "Be Good Boy" (Thompson, Foreman) – 4:26
  3. "Flashings" (Smyth, McPherson) – 3:21

There were also two 5" interlocking vinyl picture discs issued; one featured "Be Good Boy" on the B-side, the other "Flashings".

References

  1. ↑ "Madness, The - What's That at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
  2. ↑ "The Official Charts Company - What's That by Madness Search". The Official Charts Company. 10 May 2014.
  3. ↑ O'Toole, Lesley (28 May 1988). "45". Record Mirror. p. 37. ISSN 0144-5804.
  4. ↑ Smith, Jerry (28 May 1988). "A&R: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 21. ISSN 0265-1548. Retrieved 15 December 2022 – via World Radio History.
  5. ↑ Gittins, Ian (21 May 1988). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 32.
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