Madonna. Yay or Nay.

Her first four albums, Madonna, Like A Virgin, True Blue, and Like A Prayer were good (1983-1989). 1998's Ray Of Light was great. And that was it.

 

There are a handful of us on here who appreciate Hard Candy. Lose Incredible and Spanish Lesson and you have a more interesting album than Confessions On A Dancefloor.

 

I submit that Illuminati isn't any worse than some of the filler songs on her other albums, like "I Know It" or "Jimmy, Jimmy". I would go even further and say Rebel Heart has a cohesiveness among its songs that those earlier albums lacked, which considering there were about 20 producers and co-writers working on it, is a minor miracle. As for her trying to compete with 20 year olds, Madonna's always been "street" and edgy. I see it just as going back to her roots and even claiming modern trends as her own.

 

You should give Bedtime Stories, Hard Candy, and (half of) Rebel Heart a go.

 

Didn't like her then, don't care about her now. I wouldn't bother thread crapping, but you asked.

Edit: I'll edit to add that nostalgia would probably keep me from changing the station on her early hits, as they were all over MTV when I was young, but I certainly wasn't a fan at the time.

 

Tactful to the end.

BTW, we could do with a 4-disc (at least) boxset from Madonna much like the one that's looming from Mr. McCartney.

 

Love her, of course! The earliest albums are most special to me, but I can find something to like on every album with the exception of American Life and MDNA. Like A Prayer is probably my favorite. At this point in her career I do wish she'd focus on creating mature music that is contemporary at the same time, rather than pandering to top 40 with crap like "B*tch I'm Madonna" in the hopes she'll score a fluke hit. Ray of Light and Confessions are good examples of this approach that she should emulate now.

 

Yes, that would be a very good idea, as long as she didn't just completely ignore 'Like A Prayer' and 'American Life'.

I actually like a lot of her music, and I just ignore whatever press antics she is involved in at any time. Just recently, I was very impressed with 'Falling Free' from MDNA.

 

I think she's brilliant, the run of her first four albums is incredible, even her mistakes are interesting to me. Push comes to shove, my favorite is Erotica. Dark, messy and angry, it's Madonna in attitude squared, in your face and unafraid. The pulsebeat of sexual heat with all it's darkness and light in song.
I won't even get into how important she's been to the LGBT community since day one.

 

I do like some of the songs on Bedtime Stories, especially "Take A Bow". However, I detest Hard Candy (to my ears, the music is as cheap and cheesy as the album cover). Haven't really listened to Rebel Heart, though. Sort of lost interest.

 

Smash Hits review of Like A Virgin (amongst others) from 1984.

 

American Life is her Press To Play.

 

I will say the cover of Hard Candy is enough to put anyone off for life.

 

I give I Know It instantly more credit for it being written entirely by Madonna herself. Jimmy, Jimmy-- cute and catchy. The filler on Rebel Heart isn't just filler. At least not to me. Some of the songs on Rebel Heart are absolutely pathetic, and somebody of her calibre should know better. Same goes for MDNA-- how can you be a seasoned professional and still put garbage out like "Superstar," "Bitch I'm Madonna," "Illuminati," and "S.E.X." ? I can forget the novelty of stuff like "B-Day Song" or "I'm Going Bananas," which are obviously meant as silly little jokes to cut the tension. But the other stuff is just dreadful-- showcasing the worst of her vocal range with poor production, bad lyrics, and awful production. I like Madonna better when she's uses contemporary sound as a baseboard but not as a crutch-- the difference between "Borrowed Time" and "Veni Vidi Vici," for example.

 

This is something a lot of people forget when talking about why Madonna is so important. It's not just the fluffy 80s pop and "fabulous" diva attitude-- she was the biggest star in the world and came out in support of the gay community at a time when it could have been career suicide (aka, the height of AIDS). It goes beyond mystique and costumes. She was there for us when a lot of others weren't. The same can be said of Janet Jackson and Cyndi Lauper, all of whom have also done amazing work with the LGBT community after the 1980s.

 

I'll take Hard Candy over Ray of Light and Music any day of the week, solely because it's genuine. It's the most light-hearted and fun Madonna had had since Like a Virgin, and that was something missing in the robotic, icy undertones of her post-1996 output.

 

The last couple of albums have been a bit dodgy but when she is on form, she is untouchable when it comes to being a brilliant mistress of pop. Like a prayer is my favourite album, just brilliantly crafted songs which have stood the test of time very well. She was a great role model for women of my generation, she showed us that we could be anything we wanted to be if we worked for it, the only thing holding us back was ourselves.

 

The Queen!!!!!

I love the people who hate her simply because they lost a bet back in 1985 where they were so sure that by 1987 she'd be in yesterday's pile, and yet it's 2016 and she still sells out everywhere she plays.

I don't think her recent stuff is as good as her classic period, but she still delivers live, it was a real treat watching the Rebel Heart tour. And it made me grow to appreciate the album better.

 

I like some.

 

One of the greats and still going strong.

 

I like some of her stuff.

 

This is true. This is a reason why a lot of so-called "eldergays" cringe at the young Gaga fans who mock Madonna because they take for granted in their generation what was daring for people like Madonna, Lauper and Jackson amongst others that totally endeared them to another generation. Growing up in the early 90s and beginning to question why I was finding other boys attractive instead of girls, having someone like Madonna around (also Roseanne and her sitcom too) was actually a godsend for us. This is why so many 30 and 40-something gay men carry such a torch for her even when we don't love everything she does.

 

I would says I like about 50% of Hard Candy and about 60% of Confessions On A Dancefloor. Of All her albums, Hard Candy is the one I find myself going back to the least. There is still some excellent stuff on there to be sure and Madonna's worst is miles above a lot of artist's best.

 

My type of thread and YAY to the 1000th degree, Queen of Pop

 

I had the first three cassettes as a teen in the mid-1980's, posters of her plastered on my wall, and a copy of Penthouse with her hairy armpits on display buried in my chest 'o drawers. Haven't followed her since '88 or so. (voted don't care either way)