Hi Chris,

Like everyone else I’m very excited about the new album. I love the unusual title and art work. Another cracking year for Madness!

I listened to a documentary about Robert Wyatt on Radio 4 last week. He spoke with great excitement about recording Shipbuilding with “Bedders from Madness” because “I never got to work with Madness and they, The Beatles,and The Kinks are the greatest ever Pop Bands”. I then started to wonder what Madness song I could imagine him singing – not sure – I was imagining the kind of treatment he gave to I’m a Believer.

I recently heard a version of Walking with Mr Wheeze with lyrics and it got me wondering if some of the instrumentals became so because the lyrics didn’t quite work out or whether they were always destined to be instrumentals. Just wondered.

All the best,
Richard

Dear Richard
That’s funny Robert was a great influence on Mike Barson especially the vocals. We recorded a slow ballad version of “Tommorow’s Just Another Day” with Elvis Costello [who I had suggested]. It came out really well. This is a live version:

Mike then said to me after we had recorded and released it, “I wish we’d asked Robert Wyatt”. You can easily imagine Robert Wyatt singing it.
CB