agclef
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Posts posted by agclef
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Since when are hits compilations included on Metacritic?
Here is the All Music review. System's moving too slow to go through the last couple of pages to see if it ewas posted.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Madonna's run at the top of the charts lasted so long, longer than almost any other star, it's almost impossible to squeeze all the hits onto one collection. And so it is that Celebration, a double-disc, 36-track set that also has a companion single-disc condensation, misses a few songs, hits as gorgeous as "Rain" and as goofily camp as "Hanky Panky," but truth be told, they're not greatly missed on this parade of pop genius that's hampered only slightly by its non-chronological order. Out of order, it does emphasize Madonna's consistency, and the bigger problem with the collection is that it mixes up album mixes, single edits, Q-Sound mixes pulled from The Immaculate Collection, and a couple of stray odd edits and mixes. This is a mess, but not quite enough to dilute what is one of the greatest bodies of work in modern pop — even in this mixed-up confusion, these singles are a joy to hear.
I always love the back-handed complements although less about Madonna and more about the actual putting together of the compilation, AMG makes very good points:
1 - Madonna's run at the top of the charts lasted so long, longer than almost any other star
2 - misses a few songs, hits as gorgeous as "Rain" and as goofily camp as "Hanky Panky,"
3 - it does emphasize Madonna's consistency
4 - one of the greatest bodies of work in modern pop
5 - these singles are a joy to hear - MY FAVORITE!
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mmm, me too.
ME TOO!!! BIG JUICY, LUSCIOUS RED-LIPS!!!
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COOL, I am excited about BARBRA - she's the best, I am surprised Mimi charted so high and Madonna didn't do terrible for a Greatest Hits. Tough competition out there!!!
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Now THIS is the look Madonna should have had in the "Celebration" video! Too bad she didn't perform the song (or even a clip) during the sketch.
AGREED
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Source: COMMENTARY on Madonna By Tony Sclafani
At 50, has Madonna surpassed the Beatles?
A quarter century after she emerged, the icon's allure is still in full effect
There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just come right out with it. As Madonna's
50th birthday approaches on Aug. 16, it's looking like her influence on pop music has outshone that of the Beatles.Let me qualify the above statement before all the peace-and-love baby boomers start hating. It's Madonna's impact on the course of pop music that bests the Fab Four, not her sociological importance, songwriting skills or recording innovations. Influence means an artist has an effect on the future direction of music. While the Beatles influenced scads of artists in their time, after their breakup, their sound became yesterday's news. Artists that tried to copy them (Badfinger, the Raspberries, Squeeze) seemed quaint or quirky. But a quarter century after Madonna emerged, artists still use her ideas and seem modern and edgy doing so. Beyond the obvious Madonna wannabe 1980s singers, Madonna's influence is felt in artists from Gwen Stefani to Britney Spears to boy bands, who found in the 1990s there was an audience beyond the old rock crowd.
Madonna, like Elvis, recast the focus of popular music. By emphasizing modern R&B grooves where most singers used rock beats, she was the catalyst that changed music from being rock-centric to being dance and R&B-oriented. (Disco, which influenced Madonna, might have done the same thing had it not died because of rock resentment.) It's worth noting that before Madonna, most music mega-stars were guy rockers; after her, almost all would be female singers.
Combining genres, inventing styles
How did this happen? Let's scroll back to 1983, the year of Madonna's first album.
Like Elvis and the Beatles, Madonna combined genres. So her first two singles ("Everybody" and "Burning Up") may have been lost on people because of the way they didn't quite fit in with R&B or rock. Top 40 and MTV back then treated black music like a subgenre — not the backbone of 20th century American music, as it's recognized now. With her music and videos, Madonna sliced away at genre straightjackets like a surgeon, opening the doors for the future hip-hop explosion.
As for style, well, Madonna's rag-tag early clothing get-up defined much of what was to come in the 1980s. She was also perhaps the ultimate video pioneer, because her videos were integral to her presentation, not an appendage of it.
Her career highlights came early on. She famously rolled around on the stage singing "Like a Virgin" in a wedding dress at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards. She had a featured role in "Desperately Seeking Susan" and got a huge hit out of that with "Into the Groove." She topped the charts with "Crazy for You," which wasn't even on one of her albums. Forbes recently dubbed her the richest woman in music. The Billboard Book of Top 100 Hits lists her as the top female pop artist of the 1980s. (For a roll call of her accomplishments, check Wikipedia or Madonnalicious.)
Women's work
The word "female" is significant in that assessment of Madonna because she presented herself in a fresh way for women artists. She didn't try to be one of the boys, but she wasn't a girly-girl or a singer-songwriter.
When the Beatles hit America, they changed the paradigm of performer from solo act to band. Madonna changed it back — with an emphasis on the female. With female artists everywhere these days, it's easy to forget how revolutionary her success was (historically challenged Millennials especially seem not to realize this). But look at old music magazines or Billboard charts for proof that in the pre-Madonna era, women were the aberration, not the norm.
Madonna's countless hit records opened people's minds as to how successful a female artist could be. Nineties artists such as Tori Amos
and Bikini Kill have zilch in common with Madonna, but benefited from her opening the ears of teen-female pop fans to something other than the usual heavy metal shouters (trust me, teen girls in the 1980s loved that stuff). Her early audience was the recipient of some panic-stricken journalism early on, much of which took the tone of: "Madonna's come to ruin your daughters!! Arghghgh!" The consensus then was that Madonna probably wouldn't have the longevity of Cyndi Lauper
(who immediately preceded her) and would disappear like other recent suggestive singers (remember Dale Bozzio? Terri Nunn?). But Madonna also had the Beatles-like tendency to anticipate the maturing of her audience and also the ability to reinvent her style. Her personal life became fodder for 1989's "Like a Prayer," just when her audience was looking beyond dance music. When Gen X grew more mature, she told erotic "Bedtime Stories" and unleashed her "Sex" book on the world.
Still in vogue
Madonna's no-holds-barred example broadened the palette of what artists — especially female artists — could attempt. Liberate yourself, Madonna seemed to say, and the rest will follow. When her popularity didn't fade, as predicted, people — especially skeptical Boomer critics — were forced to take her seriously.
Madonna was also responsible for throwing off some of the unconscious modesty of pop music. Peripheral artists had attempted this, but Madonna was unique in that she brought a no-apologies approach to sex to her music. As she sung in "Burning Up:" "Unlike the others, I'd do anything / I'm not the same, I have no shame." She could be calculating one minute and coy the next. Her concert tours, like 1992s
brought this to the fore, blurring sexuality, satire and social commentary.It's hard to get nostalgic about Madonna, though, because her influence stayed current. Not bad for someone who is about to hit the half-century mark.
This is a GREAT article, thank you for bringing it to our attention. A lot of relevant points and, as we all know, so true!!!
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Watched it again, it was B-A-D, but hot damn Madonna looked HOT
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It's unfortunate for GaGa - but - Madonna has better features than most, and looks INCREDIBLE for her age, her BODY is phenomenal!!! The skit was cute. Best hair on Madonna in years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Love the ENTIRE collection - no complaints!!!
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at least u werent in stilettos lol
Loving the SIG - where'd you get it?
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She was nothing short of spectacular - easily her BEST television appearance in years. Could have done without the pot-shot at America but I understand her Bush reference, who cares old-news now.
With that said, she was perfection, loved it!!!
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no vinyl at amoeba.
Bought the CD - love it, hated the buying experience at Best Buy, these will probably be my last physical CD's I will ever buy - BEST BUY SUCKS!!!! Boy do I miss Tower Records or Virgin MegaStore or even better little mom & pop shops - GONE. Oh well.
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Best Buy (on 5th Avenue no less) is a God-damn mess!!! Madonna was sitting next to Streisand one stack for each - but - Mariah had multiple version and stacks of her crap.
Anyway, at least they had Madonna's video collection directly underneath the double-cd. This is why I hardly EVER go to record stores anymore, it's not a nice experience. Gone are the days of Tower (I miss that place), even Virgin had a little more flair, I couldn't get over how insignificant the CD section has become, absolutely ON-Line is the way to go.
I actually felt a little out of place looking for CD's at this stage of the game---what a snob I've become, but honestly, looking on-line for music is such a comfortable experience now, and second nature.
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i think were going to have an international number one again. although my friend told me mariah dropped her price to 6.99 on amazon.
$5.99 actually.
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Finally,she's doing some promotion for Celebration!! I wish she would spend the entire week going on various shows to talk about the album....
Monday=The Today Show and Tyra Banks
Tuesday=Oprah
Wednesday=David Letterman show
Thursday=Ellen
Friday=Good Morning America
Come on,Madonna! Don't let Mariah and Barbra Streisand steal the spotlight this week! Get out there and work!
Like this would EVER happen, no need really. Tyra is way-too low brow for her. Oprah would probably be good but not the RIGHT audience, she's not the crac-head Whitney. David's perfect. Ellen I think would be good, more hip and happening show, probably her best target audience. Good morning America would might be ok, not quite her audience either.
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http://slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1858
4 stars (out of 5)
Madonna
Celebration
by Eric Henderson
Posted: September 23, 2009
but "Lucky Star" (which, best I can tell, seems to be a smartly remastered hybrid of the original track and the Pettibone remix) emerges as an absolute monster, a Larry Levan-worthy concoction of clanging rhythm guitars, synth atmospherics, and chugging bass.
THIS is my favorite part and I CAN'T wait to hear it!!! -
Sounds great!
Just hope she does some skits and not just musical guest!
Hey Moe - you never told me what app helped you do that on your iPhone???
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How cool would this be - I'd like to really see her cut-loose again on SNL, she was so good the first time around.
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Rain,
I have another idea for you.
When the DVD of videos comes out, do you think it would be possible to do a remastered version of "Vogue" (album/video version) based upon the audio track from the DVD? After all, the sound on the DVD is supposed to be remastered too.
For those of us who long for a really good remastered version of "Vogue" (album version), that would great!
Thanks in advance for your consideration.
Just listen to the "I'm Breathless" album version or record it at a very high bitrate (or lossless) on your computer, it sounds GREAT to me!
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I miss the days when lyric sheets were the norm. I know others have no use for them, but I've always found them to be a major part of the album listening experience.
I AGREE wholeheartedly - a lot is missing from the "album experience" nowadays, let's see how iTunes new "iTunes LP" handles this one, at least they are trying somewhat.
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yeah, and i think freddy said something like, "i'll never let her do live television again".
oh, little did they know what happened the next day. of course they found out when the song was released and went straight to number one. dont forget, the song wasnt out yet - that was the first the public had ever heard it and we had a good month more to wait for it to be released to radio and as a single. longest wait in history.
Man, that was like torture waiting for the "official" release, the term leak wasn't even around back then, not in my vocabulary! All I can remember was that I was sooo pissed I didn't have a VCR yet, they were too expensive, I do however remember you could "rent" them from video stores but I didn't have enough foresight to do that either....thank God for digital video nowadays.
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Please do.
I wonder why this didn't make it into the booklet, not the full lyrics, but looks awesome:
WOW, lyric sheets...remember them? Techy, where'd this come from?
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im so glad the internet was NOT around when i was growing up. i can only imagine the complaints about you can dance if the internet was around. and i love me some you can dance. fall of 1987 - summer of '88 baby!!!
Me too Pud! I was just saying that in the other thread about "Loving M", this immediate access to everything is not always so good, you never have the anticipation and appreciation of waiting - there's a lot to be said for "good things come to those who wait". As for YCD, I played the hell out of that when I first got it, I remember even bringing my large CD player to my job so I could hook it up and play it over the loud speakers on REPEAT again and AGAIN, I drove everyone nuts with the CCCCCCCCCCCC'cmon. ;-)
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I'm loving all of these great sentiments and memories in photos, it's great! Aren't we all here because we DO LOVE HER, why else be on the board, right!?! As for me, I've love her from the first time I heard Everybody, then Holiday, THEN I saw LUCKY STAR and I was soooooo hooked! I couldn't even take it, I started researching all I could get my hands on (keep in mind this was way before the internet), I used to literally go to the library and raid all the periodical shelves and ask and look her up any way I could, believe it or not it was pretty slim pickens back then, something Pud and a few others can relate to I'm sure! Between her beauty, her voice her BODY, EVERYTHING, she is and will remain EVERYTHING, musically, culturally and everything in-between...SHE IS THE BEST!
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Yeah, I made tons of different M ones in diferent settings.
Uhhh, Moe - what APP is that?
ROLLING STONE (USA): October 29th Cover
in ARCHIVE - Madonna
Posted
I TOTALLY AGREE!!! Best time in her career, white-hot, MOST favorite photographer for her, truly ICONIC - loved the idea, the pose and everything.