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material_boy

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  1. i love this song so much! but it would flop as a single.

    Everything is going to flop as a single. It's a flop album. Who cares? Would make a fabulous video :wow:

    Anyway, LOVE this song. Should have closed out the album. Why on earth did they cut the album at 12 tracks? Tack "Beautiful Killer" and "I Fucked Up" on to the end and it's a 14-track masterpiece. Also ends with a big instead of a whimper, like it does with "Fallin' Free."

  2. Q: WTF Happened... ?

    A: Calendar changed from 1986 to 2012.

    Listen, Madonna is a lioness in winter. She's retired from the life of hit-maker. The thing is -- she seems to have accepted this, while her hardcore fan base rails against it.

    The swell of "This is the next 'Ray of Light' comeback" or "This is the next 'Like a Prayer' masterpiece" that fans have built-up ahead of every album release in the past decade is naive. In the U.S., she's had four top ten hits in the past 10 years. She enjoyed more success internationally -- and in Europe especially -- but still nothing like she experienced in the 80s and 90s. (The brief exception being the "Confessions" era in Europe, which was undeniably huge.)

    Madonna doesn't seem terribly concerned with being the biggest star in the world anymore. She seems much more content with charity work, films, other pet projects, and touring. And she is in good company doing just that -- alongside Prince, the Rolling Stones, and quite a few more.

    Just be happy that she gave us a fantastic new album. I was dearly worried that it would be another stinker along the lines of "American Life" or "Hard Candy."

  3. Holiday - Bring it back!

    Into the Groove - I don't care if she just did in 2008 / 2009 -- I'll never get sick of this song. Also, it could for an epic back-to-back dance number with "Turn Up the Radio."

    Open Your Heart - Seriously, now. What the fuck? We get cock-teased with it in 2001 and 2009 -- but somehow throwaway hits like "Hanky Panky" get toured and "La Isla" gets three turns before "OYH" gets a full performance. Bitch best change that.

    Express Yourself - Done just once since she started touring again in 2001 -- and 2004 was nothing to write home again. It's an anthem and it would shine in an MDNA setlist.

    Secret - And don't change a thing about. It's perfect and I just want to have a little sing along. Mmm mmm... Somethin's comin' over...

  4. It's hard to come up with a tracklist, cause I can't think of any other segments.

    We already know about this transgression segment.

    I have a good feeling we'll get some kind of swinging/surfer/60's section. But ever since M said she wouldn't repeat herself by bringing the Egyptian theme on tour, I've been out of idea. Maybe something W.E. related?

    Just saw a local band do a 60s surfer pop rendition of "True Blue" last weekend -- it was friggin' great!

  5. The top four are untouchable -- they are fucking works of art. Numbers one and two are especially close for me, and I have often flipped them around when asked which my is the best / my favorite. Same goes for three and four.

    1. Music
    2. Like a Prayer
    3. Erotica
    4. Ray of Light
    5. MDNA
    6. Bedtime Stories
    7. True Blue
    8. Madonna
    9. Confessions on a Dance Floor
    10. Hard Candy
    11. Like a Virgin
    12. American Life

    "MDNA" definitely benefits from its newness -- but it already much more interesting and listenable for me than "Hard Candy" ever was.

  6. 1. Turn up the Radio

    2. I'm a Sinner

    3. Superstar

    4. Gang Bang

    "GMAYL" and "GGW" are arguably the two weakest songs on the album. I have been a Madonna loon since the 90s and I said just weeks ago -- right after "GGW" was released -- that I was ready to jump off the Madonna bandwagon. I was uninspired by the "Hard Candy" era and these two singles were, somehow, worse than anything in that era, and it was just too much for me. I thought she'd lost it.

    Then, I decided to listen to the album leak. Holy F. Bitch cut a damn good album and has some good single material on here. Whoever told her that "GMAYL" and "GGW" were good singles must be canned.

  7. I like the arrangement of that, it was just the vocals that were horrifying.

    Truth.

    I've enjoyed a good many of her acoustic performances on tours over the past decade -- "Secret," "La Isla Bonita," "Miles Away," etc.

    It's the electric guitar you have to cringe for. I can only think of one that I really enjoyed -- "Candy Perfume Girl." ("Borderline" was good, if not for the vocals.)

    I would be quite content to see her retire the electric guitar.

  8. Dear God this song is shit. Worse that "Give Me All Your Luvin," which was pretty f-ing bad.

    I grew up loving Madonna. She was simply the queen. About 15 years ago, I converted into all out loon -- snatching up every album, every single, every poster, every concert ticket, every vinyl that I could get my hands on. Now, she's disappointed me so much for so long -- I haven't been excited for a new project since the Confessions Tour -- that I am close to falling off the bandwagon. Here's hoping something on "MDNA" can pull me back from the brink...

  9. La setlist "Officielle" du SuperBowl, selon le site Ultimate madonna :

    Gimme Me All Your Luvin Mix Stupid Hoe (feat Nicky Minaj and M.I.A)

    Vogue

    Mix 80s (Material Girl, Papa Dont Preach, Li ke a Virgin)

    Music 2012

    Holiday mix Celebration !

    I saw "Give Me All Your Love," "Vogue," "Music," and "Ray of Light" as the set list on the Huffington Post. Old rumor?

  10. What songs has she rehearsed to perform on tour, only to drop them from the setlist?

    For instance, I can recall various rumors from the tours of the past decade, such as --

    - "Open Your Heart" was supposedly rehearsed as a full performance, but dropped in place of the instrumental for the final show.

    - "Dress You Up" and "I'm So Stupid" for the Re-Invention Tour -- and Madge was supposed to play electric guitar on both -- before dropping them because she had trouble learning the chords.

    - "Everybody" was rehearsed for Confessions before being dropped for "La Isla Bonita." (Ugh.)

    - "Deeper and Deeper" was rehearsed for Confessions before being dropped for "Erotica." (Yay!)

    What other songs were rehearsed for shows before being axed? I'm especially interested to hear what was rumored to have been rehearsed for the pre-internet era tours.

  11. It's pretty great. I was ready to jump ship after "Give Me All Your Love" leaked. "Masterpiece" isn't her greatest -- but it's pretty damn good. I can't believe this is the finished version -- due to the uneven sound others have pointed to -- so here's hoping the finished product is good.

  12. You see, I don't think it's really that catchy.. the hook is very basic and monotone, it's not layered and there aren't different bits to like. This is from the woman who used to give us the best middle 8s in pop, now all we get is "give me all your lovin, give me your lurve" repeated ad nauseam, plus a "don't play the stupid game" guitar strummy bit and an extra shit Britney breakdown to mask the fact they can't find a proper bridge hook.

    All it does is make me want to sing "Over and Over" and "Run" (a much better Beautiful Stranger clone that really was good enough for release).

    That said, I don't think it's horrible.. I give it a cautious 5 or 6 out of 10. But I could only play it on repeat for a few times before I needed some insulin.

    Oh and that cheerleader chant is the most cringeworthy moment in a Madonna song EVER

    Yes yes yes. Spot on from beginning to end.

    (Except for that part about "Run," which I've never heard.)

  13. Yes, of course I have been disappointed. Many times, in fact. She has had such a long career that you'd have to be a bit blind (or, perhaps, in denial) to say that you loved absolutely everything she's produced -- albums, singles, videos, tours, films, commercials, books.

    But, looking at the things that I have been disappointed by, virtually all of them fall under one of two categories: 1) her record labels' malfeasance or 2) the 2000s.

    In regard to the former, I want to state up front that I think that Madonna has been extraordinarily well-served by her labels throughout the years. Both Sire and Warner stuck with her through episodes in which lesser labels would have blinked -- Like a Prayer, Justify my Love, Erotica / Sex. These labels weathered the storm of public criticism even through sales slumps, and we should recognize that. But they still did misfire on a number of occasions.

    We can all quibble about "Into the Groove" not getting a proper single release or "Nothing Really Matters" getting dropped without real promotion, but neither of these instances had any major impact on her career. The release of "American Life" very much did, though. This is where I am perhaps most disappointed.

    The release of "American Life" was a train wreck. I will be the first to admit that it was a pretty poor album -- at the time of its release, Madonna herself admitted that her heart wasn't really in it -- so perhaps not much could have been done here to save the project. But it was truly damned by the internal strife at Warner Bros. at the time. The label was in dire straights financially and its parent company was having a very public debate about selling it off. It was a pretty bad time to be at Warner. So, to choose this moment of chaos to release an album from its biggest artist seems ill-advised to say the least. To actually listen to the album and then listen to Madonna talk about it -- "Why release an album now?" "My contract says I have to every two years." -- makes me wonder if there were any adults in the room when the decision was made. This release destroyed her radio career in the States, and there's no getting it back at this point. This is a major disappointment, but I blame the label more than the artist.

    I do blame Madonna for the half-heartedness of future musical projects, though. She seemed desperate to get things back on track after "American Life" tanked, and she put real effort into the release of "Confessions." It was, in my mind, one of the best-executed releases of her career. The single, the video, the look, the persona she adopted -- It was fabulous. It smacked of "old school" Madonna. But then all "Sorry" got was a half-baked video. "Get Together" and "Jump" barely got that. I got the feeling at the time that she saw the sales coming in and realized that, while bigger than "American Life," it wasn't going to return her to "Music"-sized glory, so she just decided to drop it for a few months and then go on tour.

    "Hard Candy" played out much the same way. Though the overall release was a bit scatterbrained, there's no denying it shot out of the gate with a huge lead single. But again, after that initial interest, she seemed bored and disappointed with it all until she went on tour.

    Looking at the projects back-to-back, it looks like the work of an aging diva desperately searching for her glory days. Especially "Hard Candy."

    I will admit, there are moments when listening to "Confessions" that make me feel as though she really wanted to make good music, not just generate hits. But there's really none of that on "Hard Candy." It's a Timbaland / Pharell production, featuring Madonna. It's good Timbaland and Pharell music at times, but it is never Madonna music. That disappoints me. A lot.

    I get the sense post-"Hard Candy" that she's realized she isn't going back to "Like a Prayer"- or "Ray of Light"-sized success. I think that's why she's taking time off to work on projects not related to her music. I hope that she approaches this next album with a peace of mind and a story to tell -- and that she seeks a producer that can help her tell that story, not a producer that can help her sell records. That's when she makes not just good, but great music.

  14. RUMORED/FORTHCOMING:

    First There's a Kiss - (Like a Prayer Outtake) [1988]

    Can't You See My Mind - (Original Bond Theme/American Life Outtake) [2002]

    ...

    The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You - (Demo, Hello Suckers Outtake) [2004]

    Fuck the rest. If we got these three and only these three, I will be very happy.

  15. "Music" -- the best album of her career.

    This era is so special. She was so fucking hot in 2000 - 2001 -- the urban cowgirl look, the return of the platinum blond 'do, the one-liner t-shirts... the DROWNED WORLD TOUR.

    It was inspiring to watch this brilliant, strong woman almost 20 years into her career churning out groundbreaking songs like "Music," "Don't Tell Me," "WIFLFAG," "Impressive Instant," "Paradise" and so many more while music hacks were asking "Is Britney the new Madonna?" This album was the answer to that -- and it was not just "no" but "Hell no!"

    Just brilliant.

  16. I really enjoyed this episode! My favourite part was the Borderline/OYH mash up.

    LOVED the mash-up. I desperately want a mash-up on the next tour. "Holiday" sounded so good on Sticky and Sweet with bits "Celebration" and "Everybody" thrown in there. Ditto for "Frozen" with the "Open Your Heart" interlude. Why doesn't she do that more often?

  17. Thank God. The rumors of what she'd been working on were simply awful. I'd much rather have her take some time to produce something honest than put out some half-baked project every two years. Her career trajectory over the past several years is clearly that of an aging icon desperately searching for a hit, not of a musician producing art. I feel as though the last album she actually cared about was "Music."

  18. This is the only REMOTELY good POG :evil:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VvN0-SvaeU

    God. This just really is leagues better than other "TPOG" performances.

    Watching her perform with a real band tugs at the heartstrings a bit. She had such great backing bands throughout the 1990s. I wish she'd done a one-off show and recorded a live album that decade. A "Bedtime Stories"-era performance on MTV's "Unplugged" or a "Ray of Light"-era full-on orchestra performance (a la Portishead's live album) would have been phenomenal. These half-CD / half-DVD tour albums just aren't doing it for me.

  19. The tour isn't as cohesive as some other tours, and it's not the first tour I would direct someone to, to appreciate her mastery of the concert stage. But it's enjoyable in its own right, and, let's be honest- a lot better than most others' efforts.

    The sections I could skip right over:

    Frozen (out of place, and she is not the type of singer to command attention by just standing still at a mic)

    Hollywood (interlude; cool moves, but no Madonna, so what's the point)

    Hanky Panky (fun, but non-essential)

    Deeper and Deeper (not bad, but a drag to watch)

    Nothing Fails (also not bad, but it's this tour's "I Deserve It")

    Mother and Father

    Imagine (nice touch, but non-essential)

    Other than that, I enjoy everything else, even if the performances are basic (BU, MG, LAP).

    I have to agree with this almost 100 percent, including your specific problem spots. I will disagree you on a couple of points, though.

    First, "Hollywood" was a highlight. It was colorful (literally, the lighting was divine), it was fun and high-energy, and its bass line was relentless. Undoubtedly the most enjoyable interlude of the 2000-2009 tours and one of the most enjoyable performances of the 2004 tour, despite the fact that Madonna was offstage.

    Second, comparing "Nothing Fails" to "I Deserve It" is just wrong -- "I Deserve It" was a delight. The Drowned World Tour was a dark, violent show. Madonna was more a character of herself than herself. She was removed from us, part of a larger performance -- almost an actress in a theater production. "I Deserve It," which marks almost the perfect halfway point of the show, is the first time she takes off her mask. She breaks character and actually becomes Madonna, the person. It's the first time she smiles in the entire show, the first time she interacts with the audience and somehow it still makes sense in the context of the larger show considering the piece kicks off the cowgirl set, where Madonna's latest character is meant to be folksy and personable. It was also a delightful singalong interlude / breather for the audience after the eye-popping "Sky Fits Heaven" and the disjointed "What it Feels like for a Girl" remix interlude. It's almost perfect. "Nothing Fails" contains none of the emotional or theatrical impact that "I Deserve It" had for the audience. "Nothing Fails" was just... there.

    Still, you missed the show's biggest misstep: "Die Another Day" and "Lament." Why on earth didn't these performances follow "American Life" in the military set? As it was performed, the military set opened with a big, theatrical performance of "American Life" -- an otherwise awful song -- and then shifted awkwardly into a bland, robotic performance of "Express Yourself" and ended with two '80s classics badly banged out on electric guitar. The set was a mess.

    "Die Another Day" was a simple, dramatic piece and the choreography was sexy and violent. "Lament" was gorgeous. Combined with "American Life," they would have told a real story in the military set -- of combat, violence and death -- and would have given the show (and especially the military set) a much stronger, clearer political message. Truly a missed opportunity.

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