Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da
Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da is the tenth studio album by the British band Madness, released on their own Lucky 7 Records label through Cooking Vinyl in the United Kingdom on 29 October 2012 and in the United States on 13 November 2012. The album does not feature founding member and bassist Mark Bedford, who was on hiatus from the band at the time. The album cover is by Peter Blake and features rejected titles for the album crossed out. The album was preceded by a 'teaser' song, "Death  of a Rude Boy", available as a digital download from 12 August 2012 (along with a remix by Andrew Weatherall). "Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da" debuted at number No. 10 in the UK Albums Chart on 4 November 2012, becoming Madness' seventh studio album out of ten to reach the top 10 in the UK. It received favourable reviews in "Q", "Mojo", "The Arts Desk" and London evening newspaper "Evening Standard" amongst others, the notable exception being a poor review in the "NME". Critical reception. The review aggregating website Metacritic gave "Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja  Da Da" a "generally favorable" rating of 71% based on eight reviews. Among the most positive reviews were those from AllMusic and "Metro", giving the album 4 stars out of 5. AllMusic called the album a "mini latter-day gem," while "Metro" wrote, "If you wondered if this could be a classic Madness album, the answer's in the affirmative." AllMusic described the album as a "clever and confident collection of savvy pop and ska, tunes that are effervescently melodic, lyrically nimble, and giddy with their dexterity." Rating it 3 stars out of 5, the "Daily Express" called it a  rather good new album that "may lack a little of the energy of the early albums." The Punknews.org website gave it 3½ stars out of 5, writing that it is "a perfect example of the band's ability to mix a wide array of styles held together by ska and reggae rhythms." They added, ""Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da" isn't a perfect Madness album, but it is indeed a solid and fun listen." In a 1-star review in the "NME", the reviewer felt that Madness is "half-arseing" their way through "a thick slurry of  clod-hopping ska-by-numbers," and that it is "time to hang it up for good." Singles. The first single from the album – "My Girl 2" – was released in September 2012. "Never Knew Your Name" was the second single off the album, released in January 2013. Early that month it was added to the BBC Radio 2 A-list (high rotation), making the song their biggest airplay hit since 1999's Top 10 hit "Lovestruck". "Never Knew Your Name" reached UK Airplay Chart Top 25 and No. 88 in the UK Singles Chart. After performing the song on "The Jonathan  Ross Show" on 19 January, the album stormed back into the Amazon Album Top 3 and iTunes Top 20. It re-entered the UK Album Top 75 at No. 16 on 27 January. On 22 February 2013, radio DJ Chris Evans debuted "How Can I Tell You" as the new (third) single from the album during his "Breakfast Show" in which lead singer Suggs was his guest, it soon joined BBC Radio 2's and 106.9FM WHCR's playlists. It was released on Monday 8 April on iTunes with an extra live version and a demo version by second singer  Cathal Smyth. In the same week, the single landed on BBC Radio 2's A list. The fourth single off the album – "Misery" – was released in July 2013, and landed on BBC Radio 2's C-list on 15 June 2013. Deluxe 3-CD version. Guitar player Chris Foreman mentioned a planned box set version of the album, expected to be released in May 2013. On 28 February 2013, it was revealed the album would be re-released in a deluxe version, with an extra CD containing 20 songs in total including various original tracks not included on the album , a series of band demos and remixes and a John Lennon cover. This second CD's demo versions do not all feature Suggs on vocals, with "Black and Blue", "My Girl 2" and "Never Knew Your Name" having Mike Barson on vocals, "Death of a Rude Boy", "Misery" and "So Alive" feature Cathal Smyth on lead vocals, and "Rules of Deolali" and "Check Mate La Luna" being instrumentals, and the final demo, "I Got You (Kitchen Floor)" features Daniel Woodgate's brother Nick on vocals and a variety of instruments instead of Madness. A DVD of the band's performance  of the album at the Butlins "House of Fun" Weekender from 2011, along with a live CD of the following year's gig is also included. The latter CD also features Foreman's karaoke version of the Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" and Ian Dury's "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll". The deluxe version features new artwork, featuring the band in various fancy dress costumes representing the different rejected titles for the album, in a similar vein to the cover of their "The Rise & Fall" album from 1982. It is also notable for being the  first appearance of Sir Peter Blake on a record cover, who has never featured on any album artwork despite designing some of the most celebrated record sleeves in British music history. Personnel. Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.