Madonna album-by-album thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by aseriesofsneaks, Jan 12, 2017.

  1. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    I bought Remixed & Revisited when it came out, played a couple times, and filed it away for 14 years. I heard it for the first time this week thanks to this thread. The remixes do nothing for me and don't make the songs any better in my opinion nor does the live/remake tracks. I love Missy Elliot too so it's a shame. A waste of a release aside from Your Honesty which I do like. I have all the CD singles and haven't played those in 14 years either. I didn't realize this was a contract driven release until mentioned here.
     
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  2. SITKOL'76

    SITKOL'76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colombia, SC
    Looking through this thread is tiring and makes my head hurt. It's a great thread too. The reason it does that to me however is because Madonna is ridiculously chameleon like. The amount of phases and eras she's had and gone through are just ludicrous. I mean here we are in 2003, 20 years since her debut record and we still have so much to cover. I wonder if Madonna ever looks back at all she's done. 2003 must feel like a million years ago, and if it does then what the hell does 1987 feel like for her lmao. Her life is like earths revolutionary history, the longest surviving species is her blonde hair.
     
  3. GreenDrazi

    GreenDrazi Truth is beauty

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    I’m afraid that the American Life era was one of her brunette era’s. ;)
     
  4. Troystar

    Troystar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria BC Canada
    I bought Remixed & Revisited when it came out all those years ago, I remember being excited about it after hearing the Gap ad, but I too shelved it and haven't played it since, I never ripped it onto my computer or phone, I'll have to get it out and revisit it.
     
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  5. JackS

    JackS Then Play On

    History
     
  6. Troystar

    Troystar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria BC Canada
    Just listening to the remix of Nothing Fails, don't like it at all, I actually liked the album version. Somebody needs to re-produce the song.
     
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  7. Troystar

    Troystar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria BC Canada
    OMG why did I buy this, waste of money not one track is worth it. Why can't she release a proper remix album?
     
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  8. aseriesofsneaks

    aseriesofsneaks Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    St. Catharines, ON
    I guess my experience may be different because I'd heard so few of the other mixes beforehand. By that point, I was usually only buying singles that included non-album tracks as b-sides and avoiding those that consisted of just multiple remixes of the same track. While it doesn't surprise me there are superior mixes out there, I still enjoy these ones a lot and prefer each one over the original album mixes.

    On Remixed & Revisited, "Your Honesty" is at a bit of disadvantage, though, having been recorded almost a decade earlier during the sessions for a much different (though very contemporary sounding at the time) album. It was going to be an outlier, not sharing any sonic characteristics with the other tracks. Do you think you would feel any different about the quality of the song had it been released during the Bedtime Stories era?
     
  9. John Adam

    John Adam An Introvert In Paradise

    Location:
    Hawaii
    I liked "Remixed and Revisited" better than the album "American Life." But that's not saying much. I never listen to the EP or the album, the only Madonna collection I regret buying.
    I think it gets much better after this unfortunate "brunette" moment! :)
     
  10. aseriesofsneaks

    aseriesofsneaks Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    St. Catharines, ON
    [​IMG]

    Confessions on a Dance Floor
    Release date: November 9, 2005
    Billboard 200 Chart Peak: No. 1

    Track list:

    01. Hung Up (Madonna/Price/Andersson/Ulvaeus)
    02. Get Together (Madonna/Bagge/Åström/Price)
    03. Sorry (Madonna/Price)
    04. Future Lovers (Madonna/Ahmadzaï)
    05. I Love New York (Madonna/Price)
    06. Let It Will Be (Madonna/Ahmadzaï/Price)
    07. Forbidden Love (Madonna/Price)
    08. Jump (Madonna/Henry/Price)
    09. How High (Madonna/Karlsson/Winnberg/Jonback)
    10. Isaac (Madonna/Price)
    11. Push (Madonna/Price)
    12. Like It or Not (Madonna/Karlsson/Winnberg/Jonback)

    Note: A Special Edition was released with "Fighting Spirit" as a bonus track. Icon members received "Super Pop" as a download. Most (all?) commercial CD pressings present the album in its "mixed" form, with all the songs sequenced and blended together similar to a DJ mix. All vinyl issues contain the unblended version of the album, with all the songs presented as individual tracks with proper beginnings and endings. Both versions of the album have been available through digital download sites.

    Known outtakes:
    "History" (released as a "Jump" b-side)
    "Keep the Trance"
    "Triggering"

    Singles:

    1. Hung Up (Billboard Hot 100: No. 7; US Dance: No. 1; US Adult Top 40: No. 16; US Mainstream Top 40: No. 17)
    2. Sorry (Billboard Hot 100: No. 58; US Dance: No. 1; US Dance/Mix Show Airplay: No. 1; US Adult Top 40: No. 36)
    3. Get Together (US Dance: No. 1; US Dance/Mix Show Airplay: No. 1; US Hot Singles Sales: No. 2)
    4. Jump (US Dance: No. 1; US Dance/Mix Show Airplay: No. 1; US Hot Singles Sales: No. 1; US Adult Contemporary: No. 21)


    After completing her Re-Invention Tour, Madonna started work on a follow-up to American Life with Mirwais again producing, but was unhappy with the initial results of their collaboration. She then decided to start anew, turning to Stuart Price, who co-wrote "X-Static Process" on her previous album and had served as the musical director for her previous two tours. She had already been collaborating with Price on material for a musical to be directed by Luc Besson, asking him to write disco songs that sounded like "ABBA on drugs". When Madonna was dissatisfied with the script and put the breaks on the project, they decided to use their compositions on the album instead.

    Perhaps feeling she had taken the electro-folk sound of her recent work as far as it could go or stung by the commercial failure of American Life, Madonna had a much different stylistic approach in mind this time around. The new album would be a synthesis of '70s disco, '80s electropop and contemporary club music. It would be a dance album through and through, with no ballads or other stylistic detours, and its songs would sample or pay homage to other dance-oriented artists, most notably ABBA, the Pet Shop Boys, and Donna Summer's work with Giorgio Moroder.

    The resulting album would be a complete departure from her more recent work; it had been a while since Madonna last made an record this engaging and euphoric. It was a winning approach, as the album was enthusiastically embraced by critics and fans. Many critics praised it as both a return to form and to her roots, and it went on to win a Grammy for Best Electronic/Dance Album. The album peaked at No. 1 in 40 countries, earning recognition in the 2007 Guiness Book of World Records for topping the charts in the most countries. It also more than doubled the sales of its predecessor; American Life sold only 5 million copies worldwide, while Confessions would go on to sell 12 million.

    I absolutely, unabashedly love Confessions and consider it the last of Madonna's classic albums (to date, anyway). I know some fans feel it was a retreat to safer territory, Madonna doing damage control after American Life's poor reception, which is hard to argue with. It's not as defiant as that album or Erotica, not as confessional as Like a Prayer, and not as experimental as Music and Ray of Light. While it may not be as groundbreaking or revealing, it's the sound of Madonna coming full circle, a return to the club roots of her debut and the pure pop pleasures of her other early records.

    "Hung Up" was deservedly a huge hit and the equal of earlier dance classics like "Into the Groove" and "Vogue", but I think "Jump" is even better. The album's other two singles, "Get Together" and "Sorry" are also exceptional but far from the album's only other standouts; "Forbidden Love", "How High" and "Future Lovers" are all worthy highlights as well. It's stunningly consistent as far as Madonna albums go, the only low points being "Isaac" and some of the cringeworthy lyrics on the otherwise enjoyable "I Love New York".

    With Confessions, Madonna was back to striking a balance between making an album that was distinct enough from prevailing mainstream trends while still holding great commercial appeal. After the miscalculation of American Life, it was an especially welcome return.
     
  11. aseriesofsneaks

    aseriesofsneaks Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    St. Catharines, ON
  12. aseriesofsneaks

    aseriesofsneaks Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    St. Catharines, ON
  13. aseriesofsneaks

    aseriesofsneaks Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    St. Catharines, ON
  14. aseriesofsneaks

    aseriesofsneaks Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    St. Catharines, ON
  15. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    I'm not too crazy about this album beyond the hit single "Hung Up".
     
  16. LarsO

    LarsO Forum Resident

    As I've said earlier in the thread I've never really been a Madonna fan but I have occasiaonally been on track with what she's been doing. First time was the Like A Prayer era, then I lost track for quite some time before I got reconnected with Ray Of Light and (to a lesser degree) Music. Confessions was the last time I peeked in to see. Cool album with cool singles. The "let's make the dance remixes the actual album" approach worked pretty well. Since then I've lost track but will follow the thread to learn a bit.
     
  17. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    After the curveball that was American Life, I think her fans were desperate for a 'proper' Madonna album. As a result, when COADF turned up, I think I wanted to like it more than I did. If that makes sense. There's no doubt that this was what Madonna does best, but this time I just don't think the songs are that great. The clever hooks, choruses and bridges that make her songs pop out at you don't here for the most part. Jump and Sorry are probably the best tracks. The fact that Hung Up had to be given a lifeline with that riff from the Abba song speaks volumes. It'd be pretty average without it.

    I'm not suggesting the album is bad. Of course it's not. But the fire had gone out of Madonna, I think. It didn't feel like she was calling the shots anymore. A lot of the songs just plod here. I actually prefer her next album, Hard Candy, to this. It's true Confessions doesn't have the 2 or 3 outright duds HC has, but I think the latter has more interesting material. And better tunes much of the time.

    I probably play Confessions once a year or so, and enjoy it when I do. I bought the deluxe edition which featured amongst the needless packaging, an extra song, the underwhelming Fighting Spirit. It's easy to see why it didn't make the album. Deluxe editions were crap in the early days, weren't they?:)

    Not fond of the album artwork either. It looks like a cheapo comp from the 70s. Like those awful Top Of The Pops albums that we were awash with in the U.K.:D Perhaps that's what she was going for. I don't know.

    Anyway, COADF is OK. I can see why it did well. Up to press it's looking like her last hurrah. However, it's not one of my favourite albums by her.
     
  18. ascot

    ascot Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    To date, Confessions is the last great Madonna album. It's far more accessible than American Life and the most consistent offering since Ray Of Light. The lack of any ballads or slower material may be a bit wearing by the end, but for me this is one hour of Madonna playing to her strengths while fusing past and present styles with catchy hooks.



    By the way, the 2016 pink vinyl reissue sounds great. :)
     
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  19. GreenDrazi

    GreenDrazi Truth is beauty

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Confessions on a Dance Floor - Layered synths create a sonic rapture of contemporary Disco fueled by an Ecstasy haze. The love affair with dance has returned and so has the joy, as well as the fans. Her most dance oriented album since her first - this is her lane, her gift and she couldn't have returned soon enough. This may not be the innovative, cutting edge material that she had been pursuing of recent years, but most great artists return to their roots at some point to show that they still have the stuff that made them a success.

    The Brit remix master Stuart Price (aka Jacques Lu Cont, Thin White Duke and many other aliases) and Madonna musically and lyrically reference, sample, lift, steal, invoke and reimagine many dance hits, mostly electronic, of the late 70's & 80's, as well as songs from Madonna's catalog to create a loose concept album of a non-stop night club set. Brit synth-Pop Goldfrapp's sound would also figure heavily as an influence. There's a lot of compression and vocal processing on this album, which I think it could sound much better with a lot less of, but it's far more appealing and sympathetic to the music (part of the haze?) than in the production hands of Mirwais.

    Lyrically, Madonna revisits many of the same themes from the last three albums, but this time out, "Confessing" her past instead of purging and, all the while, blurring the lines between the spiritual and secular.

    Compared to previous releases and proportionally speaking, the commercial success of this album was much greater outside of the US. The sales in the UK were nearly as great as the US, as US radio and the charts were focused on urban hip-hop. The ageist criticism really ramped up with this album in the US, especially with her (intentionally) youthful appearance on the cover.


    Hung Up - Galloping, circular, heavy beat synched with the synth-flute motif from ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" The vocals are chorused and compressed to add weight to the frustration and the urgency in the lyrics. The single was an incredible return to commercial success all over the world, except for, inexplicably, the US.

    Get Together - Wave after wave of pulsating synth lines and beats in a wall-of-sound punctuated by momentary slow downs only long enough to rest your senses for a build up to another dopamine high. Her vocals are relaxed, charming and seductive, enticing you to a "get together - it's "Physical Attraction" reimagined. This is one of the most infectious and uplifting songs on an album brimming with positivity. Hypnotic, entrancing and intoxicating, it embodies this album's concept more than any other track and may well be one of her finest recorded and performed performances. Has strong ties with the House track Stardust - "Music Sounds Better With You" (Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk), which was a huge hit in the UK.

    The video, an animated overlay of a TV promo performance, was a disappointment for me. But watching the real performance, the other various TV promo spots and her concert performance are a real joy because she breaks out some Travolta/SNF dance moves and seems to have fun decked out in her Farrah Fawcett feathered curls. The "Confessions Tour" stutter step leading to her hip throbbing pirouette is nothing short of magical bliss

    Madonna busting a spin move at about 2:15 in the video is pure magical disco bliss.


    Sorry - "I've heard it all before." Madonna beats Bieber to the punch of his insincere apologies by about 10 years. Musically, this is similar to "Hung Up," but without the galloping. What sets it apart is the chorus sections with the 2x repeated lines "I don't wanna hear, I don't wanna know" and "please don't say you're sorry (or "forgive me"). The video is like an extended version of "Hung Up" and seemed a bit lazy to me.

    Future Lovers - Madonna is your host, with a full 1 1/2 minutes of build-up to start the track, for an updated sci-fi fantasy ride on Donna Summer's - "I Feel Love." The sound is techno, syncopated lines that rise and fall, building tension and then release. And oh, those wonderful Moroder arpeggios. My only disappointment with this song is that the up-tempo portions should be longer and fleshed out more. This was used as the opener for the Confessions tour (combined with "I Feel Love") and thematically, should have also been the opener for the album.

    I Love New York - A driving, relentless song with a soaring chorus and a searing guitar riff that Madonna loved to play in concert. Harkens back to the critical nature of American Life, this time lampooning intolerance. Co-written and produced by Price, the camp, "Mean Girls" movie delivery, the intentionally "dork"-y lyrics and the upbeat tone of the album keeps this in a fun place. Now, get off of my street.

    Let It Will Be - Another piece in which Madonna reflects on her career and life with the resolution to leave the past behind. The most introspective piece for this album, with the line "Let It Be" repeated often, this still has a mid-tempo beat in the hands of Price.

    Forbidden Love - A simple and sweet track, the impact of this song is placed in Madonna's seductive, soft voice (close to whispering at points) to deliver the hooks. And they get repeated, very effectively, over and over again.

    Jump - A pumping, upbeat anthem about declaring independence. Although still synth based, this is musically, the most conventional Pop sounding track on the album and was a natural for a single release, but failed to get any traction in the US. And another fine contribution from Bro-in-law Joe Henry.

    How High - Another career reflection song focused on the relevance of success, it was written by Swedish team Bloodshy & Avant. The vocals are heavily vocoder and auto-tune processing through much of the song to give it a more bluesy feel, but I can't help feel that this would have been better with less processing.

    Isaac - Trippy, trip-hop returns with a fellow Kabbalahist singing a Hebrew poem interspersed in the track to give it an air of mysticism and urgency. Madonna's vocals float over the punctuated middle-eastern textured rhythm to lend it an ethereal, spiritual quality. This track digs deeper into the spiritual than any other, but never completely leaves its humanistic core. Intentionally vague? Or is this how Madonna sees the world/spirituality?

    Push - Ball & chain beat reflecting the push & pull, give and take subject of the lyrics. While this is not the strongest song on the album, it does bring the mood of the album firmly back down to earth.

    Like It or Not - Bluesy, swing-beat gives this song some swagger, as Madonna is resolute that you can love her or leave her. Also written by Bloodshy & Avant, this draws strong similarities to Goldfrapp's "Black Cherry."

    Fighting Spirit - Sounds like a demo track, pre-Price mix/remix. The empowerment nature of the lyrics and the music have already been done enough on this album. The lack of this track being blended in with the previous track makes for a bit of an unwanted, jarring listening experience.

    Super Pop - The name-dropping game gets wwwaaaayyyy over-used here.
     
  20. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    OMG, that version of the video sucks. This one is so much better:



    It's much more (delightfully) '70s retro and reminds me of one of those Robert Abel 7 Up commercials from the '70s, as seen here (it even has the bubbles!).
     
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  21. Torontotom

    Torontotom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I think Confessions was a fantastic ERA whereas I like the album very much but I don't think it's one of Madonna's best. I liked the uniformity throughout the campaign - the disco balls, the fonts on each of the singles, the purple-pink hues, etc. The tour looked amazing, and I regret not getting to see it in person. I also loved seeing Madonna hit number one worldwide and reclaiming her title as Queen of Pop.

    "Hung Up" is a terrific single but, yes, the ABBA sample is the clincher. I love "Get Together", "Forbidden Love", "Jump", and "How High". The transition from "Forbidden Love" to "Jump" is amazing.

    But I find the album lacks... Madonna, if that makes sense. I feel like it lacks her personality, her opinions, her thoughts, her ideas, her point of view. Perhaps this was intentional - to be the complete opposite of American Life, which had a stream of consciousness spirit and strongly presented Madonna's views at the time, and to be just a straight-up dance album (I also agree that Hard Candy is a better album). Even when some songs like "How High" and "Like It Or Not" dig a little deeper, I find Madonna's vocals on this album lack the urgency and passion of her previous albums. There's a certain detachment throughout the album.

    I liked Stuart Price and Madonna's partnership. But over time, I think Stuart went on to make stronger albums with other artists. I think Kylie Minogue's "Aphrodite" is much more consistent. I liked Stuart's arrangements of the Confessions Tour songs, particularly "Get Together", "Isaac" and "Let It Will Be".

    In fact, I think I prefer the Confessions Tour album (although it left out too many songs).
     
  22. MarilynsPickle

    MarilynsPickle Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I love the 70's imagery and sound of Confessions On A Dance Floor! She was originally an artist of the 80's, and was having fun revisiting the decade before she became a superstar! I've never seen those 7-Up commercials before, but they totally match that version of the "Get Together" video! They also remind me of Ken Russell's films, especially The Boyfriend and also his film of The Who's Tommy (the latter which Madonna uses a lot of imagery from for the Confessions On A Dance Floor album artwork and photoshoots.) They must've been worried about being sued or something, cuz they obviously tried to not blatantly show how much they stole (I mean--were "inspired by" the film Tommy--haha!), nevertheless a lot of the images also ended up making it to her Confessions Tour: Ann-Margret's fully recreated white room and red outfit (and red hair), played on the background video during "Get Together" (I would've loved to see her go even further and get ungulfed in a tsunami of baked beans!), the disco-crucifix during "Live To Tell" which was obviously similar to Tommy's silver pinball crucifix logo. Madonna wildly dancing (revisiting her "Ray Of Light" throw-yo'-hands-in-the-air dance) dressed as Tina Turner's Acid Queen during the "Disco Inferno"/"Music" rollerskating mash-up section, and then appearing dressed as John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever! This is just the imagery, I love the album so much too! I'll have to talk about it later. Haha! OH, also she must've loved the film Tommy a lot cuz she re-visited the imagery again during her Rebel Heart Tour, recreating Eric Clapton's church of Marilyn Monroe (and revisiting her own 1991 Academy Awards Marilyn homage look) culminating with the Marilyn statue toppling down at the end of the opening number "Iconic."
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2017
  23. RevUp64

    RevUp64 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, US
    While I find this era, the album and its singles, a bit over art-directed, it was a relief to have Madonna hit her mark again. Confessions on a Dancefloor is only a return to form in that Madonna delivered an album that works on its own terms. Given that she was referencing an era and sound that she knew well, the album is well-grounded and the production and mixing update, if not ultimately surpass, the referenced sounds cleanly. Certainly not a disco album, Confessions still successfully evokes one, and not just because of the packaging. The album opens with Madonna singing about the passing of time, then that Abba sample comes in, and the tone is set and carries through to the end.

    At the time, while I was grateful to have a good Madonna album again, I wished that she had upped the disco in the music and loosened up the cold look of the thing. "That's not really what disco looked like," I thought. Now I can see that Madonna did what she had previously done well on other albums, in taking something and molding it to fit her and I have a finer appreciation of it. Confessions doesn't sound or look like anyone else.

    If anything, my appreciation of this album has only grown over the years. I liked it well enough at the time but have come to love it now, probably due to the fact that it was, IMO, the last good album that Madonna has made.

    Hope still springs eternal!
     
  24. John Adam

    John Adam An Introvert In Paradise

    Location:
    Hawaii
    Chiming in late again, as I get no activity notice from this thread anymore. So I will have to pick some good points from all your comments.

    This is the album I like very much, but the only thing it truly lacks for me is a good ballad for balance. But for an up-tempo dance album this one is very listenable and flows nicely. I (also) enjoy hearing the singles with their proper fades/edits. The ABBA song was actually a good one to sample, as it is not that well-known of a song compared to their earlier worldwide hits, so it still sounded fresh(er.) I think it intentionally was lyric-lite as it was meant to be a fun pop/dance album. The videos though might of been a bit much for the relative simplicity of the songs. But Madonna is in top physical form and not afraid to show us at age 46-47 she has it going on. Some of the outfits/dancing maybe a bit much, but then, look at Tina Turner at that age. No one said she was too old to pull it off! So overall I'd say the album, the singles, the collectables from this set were pretty damned good, and this is the last time I spent so much money on a new Madonna release. But I didn't stop at this............. :)

     
  25. Troystar

    Troystar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria BC Canada

    This is exactly how I feel, couldn't have written it better, it was a return to form but it lacked Madonna's personality and opinion it's missing her heartfelt lyrics, I think it's an OK album not her best, a lot more listenable and fun then American Life. I loved the look and campaign behind it. I loved Kylie's Aphrodite, I think Stuart work was fine with her but his production does get a bit generic. What did you think of the album he did with the Pet Shop Boys?
     

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