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Ray Of Light 15th Anniversary Thread


cosmic_system

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I think Ray of Light was the last time Madonna was 100% interested in making amazing music. Since, its been more about the message (AL, COADF) and hit-hopes (HC, MDNA).

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she was into Kaballah, I think..

She was, it was the beginning and she was far more indirect about it than what she would become in the early 00's. The press was always asking her about it back then (98) and she would comment, but then it became all she would talk about a few years later (at her K height of 02-05).

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Music, American Life and Confessions On A Dancefloor are all strong post-Ray Of Light albums that have Madonna all up and through them.

I think she cares with all of her albums but her (creative) attention was severely divided during MDNA. She was at her hit-seeking lowest during Hard Candy.

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Music, American Life and Confessions On A Dancefloor are all strong post-Ray Of Light albums that have Madonna all up and through them.

I think she cares with all of her albums but her (creative) attention was severely divided during MDNA. She was at her hit-seeking lowest during Hard Candy.

Agreed 100%. Hard Candy was her most obvious move of "desperation" to date. Granted, Madonna's desperation is still far more grand and cool than what most artist end up resorting to in order to gain some form of relevance.

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I think Ray of Light was the last time Madonna was 100% interested in making amazing music. Since, its been more about the message (AL, COADF) and hit-hopes (HC, MDNA).

I don't really agree with this. I see your point about AL, but I think she was totally dedicated to that album, and can you really separate "making amazing music" from the message itself? AL wasn't really a bold new direction musically after Music, but I think she would say she was interested in making amazing music then.

And I know most won't agree with me, but I think Music is as good an album as ROL. There's admittedly something really special and consistent about ROL, but if I had to rate both albums, they'd probably get the same grade from me overall. I've always thought that album got unfairly overshadowed by ROL. It's probably justified, but I think if there'd been a fourth single, or if WIFLFAG had been handled differently, that album could have sold another million and been remembered a little differently. Its life was cut too short.

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I remembered when she performed Frozen on the National Lottery in England and she was all Goth /Pre Raphaelite-like in Gaultier outfit.She even did a yoga pose at the end. I was a little shocked but excited at the same time . I thought ' What /Who the hell is this ?'

When ROL came out I queued up at Midnight to get the first copy from Virgin Megastore . It was MEGA !

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I don't really agree with this. I see your point about AL, but I think she was totally dedicated to that album, and can you really separate "making amazing music" from the message itself? AL wasn't really a bold new direction musically after Music, but I think she would say she was interested in making amazing music then.

And I know most won't agree with me, but I think Music is as good an album as ROL. There's admittedly something really special and consistent about ROL, but if I had to rate both albums, they'd probably get the same grade from me overall. I've always thought that album got unfairly overshadowed by ROL. It's probably justified, but I think if there'd been a fourth single, or if WIFLFAG had been handled differently, that album could have sold another million and been remembered a little differently. Its life was cut too short.

She was totally 100% involved with AL, I feel that it is her most intimate record to date (a reason why I continue to adore it so much).....I just feel that her main focus with ROL was truly the music, the sound, the concept, the atmosphere. Everything was sonic and fluid. She lightened things up a bit with Music and created a strong and solid electro-pop record. With AL, she was obviously intrigued by the sound (I wish she would have explored the electric/classical/folk sound a bit longer), but it seems that she was bound and determined to convey her message as the top priority (there is nothing wrong with this and my statement was just an observation not a criticism).

I know she will soon feel the need to focus all of her energy back into her music and create something as magical and all-encompassing as ROL in the future. She just has to get her head out of her business-mind and back into her artistic eye (which she has used primarily on her film work and live stage shows in recent years)....

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I don't really agree with this. I see your point about AL, but I think she was totally dedicated to that album, and can you really separate "making amazing music" from the message itself? AL wasn't really a bold new direction musically after Music, but I think she would say she was interested in making amazing music then.

And I know most won't agree with me, but I think Music is as good an album as ROL. There's admittedly something really special and consistent about ROL, but if I had to rate both albums, they'd probably get the same grade from me overall. I've always thought that album got unfairly overshadowed by ROL. It's probably justified, but I think if there'd been a fourth single, or if WIFLFAG had been handled differently, that album could have sold another million and been remembered a little differently. Its life was cut too short.

I agree 100%. Music was totally overshadowed by ROL. Anything after ROL would have a big responsability and she delivered an amazing brilliant pop album with Music. That time was the peak of her creativity. She was 100% into making inovative music and it paved the way for AL and COAD. HC and MDNA marks a new direction where she is following trends. For her next album i hope she doesn't divide her attention into side projects. To do her best she needs to be 100% focused on it.

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TB, BS, ROL, AL, COADF are the best albums as concept with closed stories and artistic signature in music by M. All others are mash up albums. Considering time when AL was out we can tell it was too early while usa & uk were in pro war mood it couldnt have hits, but if it was only out one year later when globaly antiwar or antibushblair campain started AL, H, and LP would be great hits. DAD confirm that.

Anyway

ROL have great fusion between tracks. They fit together so well. I always feel it is somehow liquid art. Lyrisc are really on high level as production.

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I'm in full-on Ray Of Light mode. I blame cosmic_system. :lol:

In addition to compiling an 8 disc "ultimate anniversary edition" to spin this week, I brought out all of the old discs, records, magazines, posters... tattoos... and other paraphernalia.

Here's a smattering of what I'm talking about:

rayoflight2_zps76d2abfd.png?t=1362078440

I'm re-reading articles from this era and cannot believe how OLD magazines from 1998 look now. In '98, when I thumbed through one from the eighties, it seemed ancient. Now I'm getting the same vibe off of these. 15 years really is a long time.

I feel like everything's all 29.gif07.gif and I just want to be all like 31.gif33.gif .

Anyway, March 2/3 is fast approaching. Keep the ROL-love flowing...! :D

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The Capitol of India is NIPPLE!

(A Phoenix New Times Web Extra, April 1998.)

Madonna-Nipple.jpg

Like A Durga

Like a Virgin (Goddess)?

Plucky Star?

Madonna’s excursion into Hindu mysticism proves it—the capitol of India is NIPPLE!

by Serene Dhamonic

What a difference a few decades makes. When rock star millionaire George Harrison suddenly slammed the Material World and put his Eastern beliefs into music, he was branded a preachy bore. It didn’t escape the Dark Horse’s attention that most of his fans had a hard time sustaining enthusiasm for his steady diet of Krishna Dehli platters—he even subtitled one of his albums OHNONOTHIMAGAIN!

But for rock star millionairess Madonna, spiritual enlightenment has certainly been a welcome innovation thus far. At the very least, if Our Miss Plucky Star keeps saying “some things cannot be bought” long enough, maybe the damned press’ll stop calling her the Material Girl. Madonna’s greatest asset used to be that she could accompany each new release with a full blown controversy. With Like A Prayer she practically jammed the crucifix up her communion dress and extorted millions from Pepsi to distance themselves from her cagey Catholicism. From that lofty peak came Erotica, which succeeded only in making Madonna and sex boring by leaving both of them out in the open to spoil, in essence, putting the ho back into ho-hum. Then came Bedtime Stories, where the controversy was there was no controversy, a sleight of headline that only works once. Unable or unwilling to shock anymore, Madonna finally took the high road to nirvana. Guru-veee!

That’s why I love this new Madonna album. She’s sincere about her new beliefs (because a track as boring as “Mer Girl” has to be sincere or why else would it close out a record) and the album’s more solemn passages are bound to piss off her shallower followers into wondering “Where’s The Party” in all this Shanti business.

But don’t think for a moment Our Lady of Perpetuaul Flirt has lost the urge to, er… titilate. Shanti schmanti—she’s a business woman first and foremost and realizes her old stock in trade sex no longer sells records. It couldn’t have escaped her gaze that Maverick signee Alanis Morrisette’s debut moved more platinum than the previous two Madonna CDs and the <I>Evita<I> soundtrack combined. And Alanis looks like Joey Ramone for crying out loud!

Nope, Madonna ain’t gone holy, she’s just taken her little peep show indoors, the better to keep the K-Marts of the Material World happy. Let Sheryl Crow court that brouhahha. You’ll find nothing controversial about Ray Of Light’s front cover, unless fly away hair has suddenly become a crime. (illustration one)

Pages two and three form a spread of her touching a circle which could be a mandala, a ritualistic geometric design symbolic of the universe, used in Hinduism and Buddhism as an aid to meditation. (illustration two).

Here’s a shot sure to make even Buddha shout Hubba Hubba—now the mandala has a starlight starbright accent on it. Harmless enough until you realize that circle and star are an exact approximation of where Madonna’s exposed nipple is in relation to her left breast! Ha ha her flattened two dimensional image laughs back at you as if to say “suck on these spiritual rejuventors, ya heathen rubes.” Betcha can’t eat just one! (illustration three).

Once again nipple and lucky star are aligned! If only we were flies in the wall of that photography studio. Right about here the photographer’s probably informed Madonna that her third eye is most certainly peeking out of her blouse.

“Ah, we’ll just throw some circle and star over it and everyone will think my nipple is the center of the spiritual world.”

“Great idea, Miss Ciccione! Sure beats a dot in the middle of your forehead. Even Boy George has done that!”(illustration four).

Center spread, Madonna faces herself like bookends. No circle, no star. And no double teaming nipples, either!

Here Madonna’s left nipple insists its last fifteen minutes of fame wasn’t quite long enough and demands center stage. It looks hardened, almost “Frozen” one might say! (illustration five).

Say kids, here’s a fun idea! Using Madonna’s nipple as the point of perspective, draw a line that connects daughter Lourdes’ first source of supplement to the star and you too will find the true path to enlightenment! It’s fun! Better than safe sex, even! (illustration six).

The last spread provides the anti-climax for our nipple spotting activities. No nipple, no star, just a circle and what looks like Madonna playing air-sitar. Well, whudddya expect, she’s thanking Rabbi Eitan Yardeni for spiritual guidance on the opposite page, she couldn’t very well flash ya. Thanks for the mammeries, Madonna and for keeping hope alive.

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