SkyHigh76 Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 I really don't see why they think MDNA is her worst album.The whole "chasing trends" argument is weak.Madonna is a pop artist.She shouldn't be expected to break new ground everytime.Is there any more ground to break,anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyHigh76 Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 I agree with everything they said about Hard Candy.Love that album.It's interesting that,right now,Pharrell is hotter than ever.His production on Robin Thicke's hit single "Blurred Lines" actually reminds me of "Give It 2 Me". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt420 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I really don't see why they think MDNA is her worst album.The whole "chasing trends" argument is weak.Madonna is a pop artist.She shouldn't be expected to break new ground everytime.Is there any more ground to break,anyway? Erotica, AL, HC all would've been at the very bottom of a "rank the Madonna albums" list when they were "new". All of them got slammed by either critics (Erotica, AL) or fans (AL, HC) at the time of their releases. Over time, MDNA will move on up too. Everything is rosier in retrospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocalism Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I'm Breathless. I get why it's not here. But it's not "always classified as a soundtrack album" XXL. It's a gray area and has been discussed on this forum many times. I think it deserves to be ranked with her albums, as it's one of her best. I can't believe I'm defending MDNA at this point, but I really do think it's gotten a bad rap. As much as I dislike the single choices, the overall album is very strong, it includes some of her most personal lyrics in years, the vocals are overall better than HC, and the trend-chasing is significantly less prominent. I would say it's pretty inspired, if not on the level of COADF or ROL and Music. It's toward the bottom of my list, but that's because Madonna's never put out a bad or even below average album. It's basically tied with True Blue (which gets the edge because of the strength of the singles): Like a Prayer Erotica Ray of Light Music I'm Breathless Confessions on a Dance Floor Bedtime Stories Madonna True Blue MDNA American Life Hard Candy Like a Virgin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 I think the single choices and weak tracks (GMAYL n Superstar are the big 2), as well as a BONUS TRACK that didn't appear on the 12-track album called B-day Song (thankgod), get in the way of allowing people to really appreciate the album. There are some deep tracks on that record, and I can understand that they wanted to go for this whole "light and dark" thematic, but they should have focused more on the "dark" side. When you remove tracks like TUTR, GMAYL, Superstar, and GGW, you can see that there was an inspired effort, I can at least, i'm surprised others can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick00 Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 It's too difficult to rank all the albums. In my opinion, all her albums are at least good to amazing. Each album has great songs on them. I also know some people will always slam HC and MDNA, but those albums are great fun to listen to, and I have come to appreciate them as part of Madonna's incredible discography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXL Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 I'm Breathless. I get why it's not here. But it's not "always classified as a soundtrack album" XXL. It's a gray area and has been discussed on this forum many times. I think it deserves to be ranked with her albums, as it's one of her best. Yes it is and it should be, no question I'm Breathless is not a studio album. It is a soundtrack album because with the exception of Vogue is completely tied and specifically came about with the production of a film. A studio album is a collection of never before released material by a musician/singer that is not associated in its entirety with any other project. Now Music and AL and many other Madonna studio albums may contain one song that was part of a film project but they stand as musical projects on their own, as Madonna's new music at any given time, not accompanying any other project, if not an expression of her music career. Not that Wikipedia is the bible as it's often full of shit but in terms of general definitions, this is hardly debatable. A studio album is an album of audio recordings made up of tracks recorded in a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or live recording made at a performance venue. A studio album is usually planned and scheduled in advance, and may take anywhere from a few days to more than a year to complete. Some studio albums may include one or more covers, occasionally as live tracks within the studio album. A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film. I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy is a soundtrack album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on May 22, 1990, by Sire Records to promote and accompany the film Dick Tracy, released in the summer of 1990. At the same time she released her fifth studio album, Erotica, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 1.Madonna 2.Like A Virgin 3.True Blue 4.Like A Prayer 5.Erotica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loowee Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 12. Like A Virgin 11. Hard Candy 10. True Blue 09. Bedtime Stories 08. Music 07. Madonna 06. MDNA 05. CODF 04. Erotica 03. Like A Prayer 02. American Live 01. Ray Of Light Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest astonishing! Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 I'd agree with the top 3 - but possibly switch them around a little - ROL 1st, Erotica and LAP tied for 2nd and 3rd. I'd also place HC much higher and AL lower but for the most part i agree with the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyHigh76 Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Madonna hasn’t released a truly bad album in her career. This I agree with.I like some albums more than others,but I don't think any of her albums are terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb19 Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 This I agree with.I like some albums more than others,but I don't think any of her albums are terrible. I think *and I am retreating slowly as I write this* that True Blue isn't a very good album, probably as far as "albums" go I'd say it's her worst, but it is 80% magnificent songs. But as an album it's incoherent and jumbled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madonnasuperfan01 Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 It became such a bandwagon effect to say Hard Candy and MDNA are her worst albums. Can't people have some originality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocalism Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Yes it is and it should be, no question I'm Breathless is not a studio album. It is a soundtrack album because with the exception of Vogue is completely tied and specifically came about with the production of a film. A studio album is a collection of never before released material by a musician/singer that is not associated in its entirety with any other project. Now Music and AL and many other Madonna studio albums may contain one song that was part of a film project but they stand as musical projects on their own, as Madonna's new music at any given time, not accompanying any other project, if not an expression of her music career. Not that Wikipedia is the bible as it's often full of shit but in terms of general definitions, this is hardly debatable. A studio album is an album of audio recordings made up of tracks recorded in a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or live recording made at a performance venue. A studio album is usually planned and scheduled in advance, and may take anywhere from a few days to more than a year to complete. Some studio albums may include one or more covers, occasionally as live tracks within the studio album. A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film. I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy is a soundtrack album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on May 22, 1990, by Sire Records to promote and accompany the film Dick Tracy, released in the summer of 1990. At the same time she released her fifth studio album, Erotica, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 1.Madonna 2.Like A Virgin 3.True Blue 4.Like A Prayer 5.Erotica There's really no reason to have this silly conversation again, because there's no definitive answer. It falls into a gray area. It is NOT a soundtrack album (despite what "Wikipedia," which is hardly a definitive source for anything, says) and it's NOT a traditional studio album either. Three songs are from the movie. The rest were "inspired" by it. It's a quasi-soundtrack concept album. In my opinion, it has a place in Madonna's album canon, while Who's That Girl, The Next Best Thing, etc. do not. From now on, instead of calling it a studio album or a soundtrack, how about all fans agree to just call it a "Madonna album"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXL Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat.Guy Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Not this again... If Madonna doesn't consider it a studio album, it is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Do you remember, it exists? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRVC Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 MDNA: "a good album but not an inspired effort" BANG ON. Love the album but it's her most incoherent (as was the whole era). That doesn't make it bad. Just not her strongest. deserving of 12th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adreeyen Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 I can't believe I'm defending MDNA at this point, but I really do think it's gotten a bad rap. As much as I dislike the single choices, the overall album is very strong, it includes some of her most personal lyrics in years, the vocals are overall better than HC, and the trend-chasing is significantly less prominent. I would say it's pretty inspired, if not on the level of COADF or ROL and Music. Yes, I agree completely. I feel there would have been a different perception of the album had it's release been handled properly and the album had more success. I think for anyone to say that the album isn't inspired is really dumb. I mean, does an eight year long failed marriage and messy divorce not count as a proper source of inspiration? Even if you make the argument that musically it isn't forward-thinking or inspired, as a concept, MDNA was inspired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt420 Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Yes, I agree completely. I feel there would have been a different perception of the album had it's release been handled properly and the album had more success. I think for anyone to say that the album isn't inspired is really dumb. I mean, does an eight year long failed marriage and messy divorce not count as a proper source of inspiration? Even if you make the argument that musically it isn't forward-thinking or inspired, as a concept, MDNA was inspired. Well said! I'm convinced if MDNA were just as it is but had been a Music/COADF sized hit that it would be perceived as one of her best albums. I don't think she's ever been as straight forward with her lyrics as she was on some of the songs on MDNA. I also find the era as a whole her most cohesive since COADF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeronicaElectronica Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 12. Like a Virgin11. Music10. Madonna09. MDNA08. COADF07. True Blue06. Like a Prayer 05. American Life04. Bedtime Stories03. Hard Candy02. Ray of Light01. Erotica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Yes it is and it should be, no question I'm Breathless is not a studio album. It is a soundtrack album because with the exception of Vogue is completely tied and specifically came about with the production of a film. A studio album is a collection of never before released material by a musician/singer that is not associated in its entirety with any other project. Now Music and AL and many other Madonna studio albums may contain one song that was part of a film project but they stand as musical projects on their own, as Madonna's new music at any given time, not accompanying any other project, if not an expression of her music career. Not that Wikipedia is the bible as it's often full of shit but in terms of general definitions, this is hardly debatable. A studio album is an album of audio recordings made up of tracks recorded in a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or live recording made at a performance venue. A studio album is usually planned and scheduled in advance, and may take anywhere from a few days to more than a year to complete. Some studio albums may include one or more covers, occasionally as live tracks within the studio album. A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film. I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy is a soundtrack album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on May 22, 1990, by Sire Records to promote and accompany the film Dick Tracy, released in the summer of 1990. Wikipedia is WRONG in this case. According to ASCAP, a soundtrack album must have these words written with the title of the album: "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" If it does not, it is classified as a studio album. The greatest examples are: Prince - Purple Rain The Who - Tommy The Who - Quadrophenia Pink Floyd - The Wall The Beatles - Help! I'm Breathless is a studio album. Fin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyHigh76 Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I have always considered 'I'm Breathless' to be a Madonna album.It's alot like Prince's 'Batman' album.That one also features a few songs included in the film plus several tracks that were "inspired" by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPowered Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 ''The funky "Beat Goes On" should have been a big single, and tracks like “Give It 2 Me” “She's Not Me” and “Devil Wouldn't Recognize You” sound remarkably fresh.'' Fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPowered Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 It became such a bandwagon effect to say Hard Candy and MDNA are her worst albums. Can't people have some originality? The same goes for calling Erotica her best or second best album. As underrated as it was when it came out, it's the most overrated of them all nowadays! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elysium Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 The same goes for calling Erotica her best or second best album. As underrated as it was when it came out, it's the most overrated of them all nowadays! ^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayGuy Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I'm Breathless isn't a "soundtrack album," simply because only three of the songs sung by Madonna appear in the movie. Hence, the "from and inspired by..." The official Dick Tracy soundtrack doesn't contain a Madonna recording. Obviously, IB isn't like a regular Madonna album- it's a concept album, built around the Breathless character. I see why some don't count it as one of her studio albums, but it's also definitely not a soundtrack of the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt420 Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Wikipedia is WRONG in this case. According to ASCAP, a soundtrack album must have these words written with the title of the album: "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" If it does not, it is classified as a studio album. The greatest examples are: Prince - Purple Rain The Who - Tommy The Who - Quadrophenia Pink Floyd - The Wall The Beatles - Help! I'm Breathless is a studio album. Fin. THANK YOU!! I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone that wouldn't consider Purple Rain as a "real" Prince album or The Wall as a "real" Pink Floyd album. I'm Breathless is no different than those albums. It's a concept album, Madonna isn't really Madonna on this album....she's Breathless just as the title says! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt420 Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I would like another concept album like this from Madonna. I would love it if those "Endzone" rumors from early this year ended up being true. A concept album attached to the Secret Project. What if it were to sell 10 million copies and gain the most critical acclaim of anything she's recorded?? Would there be any argument about it being a REAL Madonna album?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 It's absolutely true to say she's not produced one single bad album, but my list would have to be: 13 MDNA 12 I'm Breathless 11 Hard Candy 10 Bedtime Stories 09 Confessions On A Dancefloor 08 Like A Virgin 07 Music 06 American Life 05 True Blue 04 Madonna 03 Erotica 02 Ray Of Light 01 Like A Prayer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXL Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Soundtrack album or not it certainly isn't a studio album Call it concept album .... inspired by her character in Dick Tracy (hence related to anothe project alltogether) A studio album by any artist is just their music, not tied to another project Madonna has had 12 of them and that's why I'm Breathless isn't considered for this list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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