Madonna

Well, in early September 2009, I learned that Madonna was putting out another Greatest Hits Package. She had one in 1990 which covered the early stuff, and she had one in 2001, which sort of covered the stuff inbetween (although in the godawful "remix" form). So I wasn't exactly thrilled with a third, I didn't think it was needed.

However, I looked at the track listing, and it had all the songs from the first two I liked, and not in stupid remix form, either. Plus it has the handful of tracks that have come out since the second one which I liked, so I looked into it. I was able to get one from one of my record label friends, which was a bonus, because I can't afford to be buying CD's when I'm unemployed.

The music here shows the vareity of Madonna's total catalogue, as it goes from the earliest days (shudder) through all the different phases. Also, unlike most Greatest Hits CD's, they're not in chronological order. The first several tracks on Disc 1 are from these years: 2005, 2000, 1990, 2008, 1983, 1982, 1984. So you get the point. This means there will be much skipping when I listen to the actual CD. The digital rip is easier, since I can just nuke the songs I don't like. Speaking of that, there's always a couple of songs one wishes were on there. I would have taken off a lot of the early 80's junk, and stuck on a few of the tracks I wished were on here (American Life, Mother & Father, Amazing, What It Feels Like for a Girl), but I still have those on their original CD's, so I can just add them in in iTunes. :)

But, overall, it's a great package, and is a good value. This was the last record on Madonna's contract with her label, so it was fulfilled with a nice Greatest Hits package.

This is an album that I had downloaded ages ago (illegally), and when I listened to it, I rather enjoyed it. The first song on the album (Hung Up) is a seriously big hook. That was the song that had an Abba sample in it, and wow did it hook me. In fact, I had previously bought that single off of iTunes when it was just a single, before the actual album came out.

Speaking of samples, when I had downloaded it illegally, track 2 (Get Together) started off with the sound of clocks ringing that sounded suspiciously like the same sound from the beginning of Time from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The legit version I bought doesn't have that sound effect in it. I wonder if she was forced to remove the sound effect by Floyd's people?

There's a lot to like about this album, and as I was listening to it again in mid October it occurred to me just how much I had been listening to it, and "went legit", and bought it from iTunes with some store credit I had, so didn't "technically" pay anything for it, but it is legit. :)

For a guy who is the webmaster for Black Sabbath, I always find myself amazed that I enjoy as much of Madonna's music as I do. Also, here is the music video for Hung Up. Album's good if you like dance music, or like Madonna. Worth it.

I really wasn't planning on buying new Madonna albums anymore after Music. However, I (ahem) downloaded this album a few weeks ago, and gave it a listen, figuring that was the last time I'd ever listen to it. Well, there were enough tracks that I liked that I went out and bought it. Plus Best Buy's $9.99 price helped. :) It's light years from Ray of Light (ha-ha), but there are some tracks that are worthy of the rest of her catalog (Hollywood, Die Another Day, Mother & Father, and the title track). I can't say I truly recommend this one because of her penchant for screwing up her own voice with a machine. But there's some worthwhile stuff - especially if you can get it cheap.

After the brilliance that was Ray of Light, I automatically picked up her next album, Music. I first heard the title track while laid out on a neck stretching machine in a physical therapy session I was at. I bring that up because I was stuck there and couldn't get away from it. The song was HORRID! I could not believe it was quite THAT BAD. I was utterly amazed at how awful it was. I know that anything she put out after such a brilliant album as Ray of Light would seem like a letdown, but I never thought it would be this much worse. Over time I've lightened up on the album, and I like about 3 or 4 songs, but overall, this is back to the way her albums used to be. A couple of good songs, but not much else. I'm not sure why I still hang on to it, though. I suppose in the back of my mind I think it might transform itself into a better album sitting next to Ray of Light on my shelf.

This is it - this is Madonna's Holy Grail. It's by far and away, without a shadow of a doubt, nothing even comes close her best album she's ever written, and I dare say ever will write. Every once in awhile an artist will put out an album that is so brilliant, it makes the rest of their work look pedestrian at best, or total shit at worst - this is such a work. If you don't have it, you really should, it's superb music, with great lyrics, and none of the usual stupid Madonna trappings. I never much cared for the albums after the Immaculate CD and before this one, because it was either the hyper sex stuff (Erotica), or totally boring (Bedtime Stories), but this was a masterful comeback from musical irrelevancy, in my opinion.