Madonna Like A Virgin album Poll. Pick Your Favourites & Discuss.

As much as an 11-year-old boy can have a crush on an older woman, Madonna was it for me. I had this on cassette back in the day and subsequently purchased the CD. Her first three LPs are my favorites. I don't know if that's due to them being genuinely great or just nostalgia but, ultimately, it doesn't matter.

 

Love the snarky synth sound of this BIG 1985 tune.

 

Not sure what there is to say that hasn't been said in every other Like A Virgin or Madonna thread. But I always appreciate and opportunity to look at the artwork.

 

'Angel' and 'Dress You Up' have always been my favourites.


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Interesting that they didn't mention the CD on the back of the single. I wonder when exactly the CD got released.

 

I didn’t get mine until October 1985. I’d wanted it since I got my CD player (April), but no one seemed to have it. I wonder now if the Target disc was discontinued and the gap because they were repressing the album with Into The Groove?

 

I've got most of that top 100.

 

I thought there was a Nimbus version with the 9 tracks, but I can't find it. There exists a target version with 9 tracks made by Philips Dupont Optical (PDO). That target would date from October 1985. I've never seen one up for auction, although it is listed on discogs. I think you must have had one of the earliest 10 track versions. Is it made by Nimbus, with the flowery rear? Or Germany, with the plain white rear?

 

Yes, my sister played it a lot (and loud - I'm surprised she is not deaf). More so than Rod Stewart's Body Wishes, which I didn't know she had until recently.

 

I wonder how often Madonna looks back at these past eras in her life/career. For so long she seemed to be this machine that was always 'what's next', 'On to the next one'. If you look at her Instagram these days you can tell she's getting fairly nostalgic. She'll be 60 years old 4 months

 

@Bobby Morrow in an interview Nile Rodgers gave recently he talked about working on this album with Madonna and how at one point they ceased communication during it's production because she had snapped at one of his guys.

The were recording and mid-way the guy gets up to use the bathroom or take a call and Madonna snaps at him like 'What the f*** are you doing?', she then, according to Nile, repeats one of her favorite phrases 'Time is money and the money is mine'

Need I remind you this was during mid-'84, she had had some cute hits but was nobody's superstar yet. They reconciled of course but still it's a funny story lol.

 

Where's the "Dress You Up" B-side "Ain't No Big Thing"???

 

Looks good to me - I own 34 of those 100 albums!

 

When I mention how many of the albums I own, I ignore the ones I only have as an early pressing collector.

I count the ones I'd own even if I didn't care about collecting.

My 34/100 would be higher if I counted the ones I own just because they're early pressings!

 

I have never heard anything from this album except the hits. And none of the hits were ever favorites of mine by her, even back in the day, so I guess that is why I never dug into this one at all.

Material Girl was probably my favorite at the time back in the day, and I think the video is about the best she has ever looked. I never thought she was that attractive, so much that her attitude and persona made her someone you couldn't take your eyes off of, but her glamorous look in that video was quite nice.

 

Agree. While I've been a Madonna fan since 1985, I also have never been that attracted to her.

Granted, she's obviously attractive, and she's looked very good at times - the "Hung Up" video is probably peak 21st century Madonna.

But overall?

She did look hot in the "MG" video! I also liked her in the live "Dress You Up" clip, though that look hasn't aged as well as the Marilyn-inspired look of "MG"...

 

It's impossible to know at the time how certain looks will age, but I always thought it was neat how she seemed to have a different look in each video. To jump ahead an album, the way she presents herself in the videos for Live to Tell, Papa Don't Preach and Open Your Heart are all completely different. I have said before and I will say it again: Madonna is and has always been a marketing genius.

 

I could listen to "Material Girl" all day long just for Tony Thompson's archetypal '80s drumming -- different choices every time from verse to chorus, and each choice just a killer. The precursor to his coke-chopped explosions on "Some Like It Hot" by The Power Station, showcasing his versatility and power. Prime '80s Maximum Overdrive.

 

It didn't occur to me until a couple of years ago that Like a Virgin is effectively a Chic album with a new lead singer. If I remember correctly, Madonna's the only person performing on the title track who didn't also perform on "Le Freak".

 

Yes, mine is the Nimbus with the flowery back cover. I'm fairly sure the CD wasn't in print here between April-October 1985 when I was searching for it!

 

@JohnnyQuest bought the rights to it.

 

For me, Like a Virgin is one of the best albums of the 1980s. It was part of a run of four unbelievably perfect albums -- Madonna, Like a Virgin, True Blue, and Like a Prayer. I love every song on Like a Virgin.

It's one of the earliest CDs I ever bought, right around the end of 1984. I think it's probably within the first 10 CDs I owned, actually, and I played it to death. I also had the vinyl version, along with the vinyl picture disc. I later picked up the 1985 European CD reissue that added "Into the Groove." I had the 7" singles, the 12" singles, and eventually the CD singles from the album -- I loved that Japanese CD EP called Like a Virgin and Other Big Hits.

I saw Madonna on the Virgin Tour, which remains one of my favorite concerts of all time. I bought the LaserDisc of her Detroit concert from that tour -- and I still haven't gotten over the fact that that concert isn't available on DVD. I ripped the audio from my LaserDisc, though, so I can listen to it despite not having the LaserDisc player hooked up to anything anymore.

 

A very early CD purchase. Target. Bought from The Compact Disc Club at The Woods, Bognor Regis.

 

There is a 1984 PolyGram Hanover Target CD on eBay at the moment...

 

I wonder if the introduction of CDs had an impact on this chart. Elaine Paige Stages, a 1983 album, 5 weeks in the charts at the midpoint. Original CDs of this album are fairly common in the UK. I suspect some of the Bruce Springstring entries near the bottom are due to the introduction of the CD, although Born in the USA had just been released, which might have rekindled interest in his back catalog.