Madonna: Madame X - album released 14th June 2019

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Bink, Apr 30, 2019.

  1. Jmac1979

    Jmac1979 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    To be fair, Madonna could drop "Like A Prayer" at this stage in her career and age and it wouldn't go over that well outside of the diehard fans. No matter what, Madonna's at that post-Hall Of Fame stage where everything is a victory lap and very few new converts are going to join, and if they do, they want the 80s/90s stuff. This is a fact of life for all aging artists pushing 40 years in the biz, not many people are caring about brand new U2 music either, and Springsteen's last album performed just about the same as Madame X did. They're playing to their existing fanbases and those who might "discover" them are going for the classic stuff first. Someone who wants to discover Madonna are going for "Like A Virgin" before "Medellin" just like every other vet artist.

    There's one younger Gen Z guy who loves Lady Gaga who has been doing YouTube videos where he's discovering classic Madonna and loves it. But the keyword is CLASSIC Madonna. He seems to take a special liking to the Like A Prayer and Erotica eras (namely the Oh Father and Bad Girl videos got massive praise), but again we're going back 27-30 years ago. He's not reacting to Dark Ballet and Medellin.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2020
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  2. Maddy5

    Maddy5 Forum Resident

    Erotica which was released at the same time as the Sex Book is one of her most universally acclaimed albums among fans and critics so that makes no sense.
     
  3. DesertHermit

    DesertHermit Now an UrbanHermit

    Really? I was there and, although I enjoyed Erotica along with many fans, I recall the critical reception being somewhat lukewarm, certainly when compared to her previous releases. Of course, I was in Australia so the music publications I was reading might have differed from those overseas, but I seem to recall Erotica becoming more acclaimed as the revisionist reviews started in the late 90s. I was 18 at the time of its release and loved it, although I felt it was far too long (and still do).
     
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  4. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    I’d agree with this. The album certainly didn’t get rave reviews here. Of course, it was kind of lumped in with the Sex book (also not well reviewed!), which didn’t help. It does seem to be better thought of now. Though possibly this is in comparison to many of her 2000 plus albums! My first thoughts on Erotica was that it had a handful of genuinely great tracks, but so much overlong filler too. It’s possibly the more boring album in her catalogue played from top to toe.
     
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  5. 2141

    2141 Forum Resident

    Curious, what is the eye patch about anyway? Does anyone know?
     
  6. GlassPepper

    GlassPepper I can't get no

    Location:
    UK
    it could be symbolic for her "losing sight" of something. visual impairment affects perception.
     
  7. DesertHermit

    DesertHermit Now an UrbanHermit

    Yes, the Sex book did prove to be a distraction for a lot of critics, I think. And although, she was certainly not alone in taking advantage of the longer running times that CD offered, Erotica always seemed bloated to me. It still does, although you’re right, there is great stuff on there.
     
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  8. Jmac1979

    Jmac1979 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Erotica was mainly collateral from the backlash the Sex book and Body Of Evidence caused that a lot of people simply didn't give it a chance at the time. I think it was after time passed a little and people were able to listen to the album without associating it with the book that it the common consensus on the album changed.

    I do feel like the album suffered from what a lot of artists were guilty of in the early 90s, suddenly realizing with cd's replacing vinyl that they could fill up a 78 minute cd without the pesky need of begging for a double-record set any longer and a lot of albums were bloated at the time
     
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  9. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    There are too many Justify My Love rip offs on it. The length of the whole thing is appalling. Nearly 80 minutes for 14 songs! Luckily she never did this again. I mean, she did long albums, but the songs were shorter.
     
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  10. SimpleSimonSays

    SimpleSimonSays Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montreal
    My take on the eye patch is that it’s a smoke and mirrors type of illusion so that our eye focus on that instead of focusing on all the "work" she has done to her face. She did the same with the Rebel Heart cover with the laces all over her face. It is a neat trick to try to get away with it! At least that’s my take on it...

    :uhhuh:
     
  11. raphph

    raphph Taking a trip on an ocean liner…

    Location:
    London
    It's also why she won't allow phones and cameras
     
  12. Maddy5

    Maddy5 Forum Resident

    That’s not the reason. She doesn’t allow phones and cameras, but she posts plenty of pictures on her Instagram. She doesn’t allow fans phones or cameras but she has professional photographers there and the Lisbon show was filmed for a DVD release.
    She just wants people to focus on the show not filming it.
    Also I think I enjoyed the show more because all of it wasn’t posted beforehand by fans on YouTube. With some prior shows I felt like I had already seen the whole show before I actually saw it live. It’s nice going and not knowing exactly what to expect.
     
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  13. Maddy5

    Maddy5 Forum Resident

    What songs sounds like Justify My Love? Really only the title track.
     
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  14. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    Where Life Begins, Waiting and Secret Garden all have the mumbled spoken verses and general feel of JML. Other tracks share its production style too.
     
  15. Bink

    Bink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Indeed, I remember at the time identifying that the tracks that were co-produced by André Betts were the one's that seemed to be using Justify My Love as a template, whereas the Shep Pettibone tracks seemed to be more melodic.

    My tastes definitely lean towards the Shep tracks but that said I enjoy the album.
     
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  16. Jmac1979

    Jmac1979 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    I also think the title "Erotica" might've worked against it. Not that it's not a great title but releasing it the same day as Sex might've hindered sales. Its hard to grasp how puritan audiences were at the time and there was a moment where it looked like "Sex" was going to destroy her career. So much was made of the book that little interest was paid to the music, and many outright dismissed the album assuming after the book and the "Erotica" video/single that it was just going to be an album of Madonna being raunchy (the Parental Advisory sticker didn't help things). When it was probably her most chilled and mellow album to that point.
     
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  17. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York
    Love "Thief Of Hearts" totally fun filled.
     
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  18. Jmac1979

    Jmac1979 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    From a US perspective I've always found it surprising that American Life is what killed Madonna at US radio while she rebounded from Erotica without much problem. You simply cannot compare the controversy from 1992-1993 where she was called all sorts of derogatory names and journalists were writing ten page articles about why Madonna's career was over, compared to the American Life video which pissed off pro-war Bush supporting types who were probably never Madonna fans even in the 1980s. Yet those were the ones with the power to pretty much destroy her at US rado when the scandal for the AL video was a fraction of Sex? Hung Up did go top 10 here but only because of heavy itunes sales, radio wouldn't go near it and the only other song that ever received airplay here afterwards was 4 Minutes which was because Timberlake was still red hot coming off the biggest album of his career and it was seen as HIS new song featuring Madonna.
     
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  19. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York
    I think Erotica has aged well in nearly 30 years. The sex book just generated more album sales when physical media was still dominant. The album was the thing that mattered to me mostly at the time 1992-1993. Than again the internet was in its infancy so a sex book by Madge at the time was a big deal, and a great album marketing campaign.

    Today 2020 with the internet and smart cell phones a sex book is at your fingertips at will. Nothing left to the imagination with a Madge sex book today 2020. I got to give Madge credit or the powers that be the sex book was a great marketing idea for 1992-1993 it helped sell many more records for Erotica.
     
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  20. Bink

    Bink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I agree. To this day I see lazy journalists referring to Erotica as a 'raunchy' album. But I have always found it quite a sad, melancholic album. As I think she once said, it's about unrequited love.
     
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  21. Jmac1979

    Jmac1979 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    I think Sex had an adverse effect on sales. Erotica sold half what Like A Prayer sold and until American Life was her poorest selling album stateside. I remember sales were so disappointing that Camelot Music (now FYE) dramatically slashed the prices to just above cutout prices during Christmas 1992 because they were sitting on so many copies and how badly it was underperforming. I don't think sales would've approached her 80s highs regardless but I do think the book as well as Erotica video turned off potential buyers
     
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  22. bob60

    bob60 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    Which is ironic because I think the intention was to turn them on....:D
     
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  23. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Every hugely successful artist has a "backlash" period, and 1992 was Madonna's.

    I don't think it was just reaction to "Sex" and "Erotica". I think some was general overexposure, and I suspect 1991's "Truth or Dare" added to the sense that some people were getting sick of Madonna...
     
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  24. Jmac1979

    Jmac1979 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    True, but I do think the Sex book and Erotica video were gasoline on the flame.

    I still however find it shocking that she was able to recover from that backlash but American Life was the final nail in her coffin as a viable hitmaker in the states when the backlash she encountered in 2003 was a tiny fraction of what she had in 1992-1993 (and the more conservative types who were offended by that video were people who probably weren't in her fanbase to start with, it wasn't The Dixie Chicks). AL lacked a great single and the mediocre reviews kept a lot of people away but I don't remember a backlash on the grand scheme of what she had in 1992, yet radio wouldn't forgive it the way they forgave Sex within a year. Confessions more than doubled its sales in the states but yet radio wouldn't budge.
     
  25. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Sure - mainly the book, though. If she'd just done the album - even with provocative videos - I think the backlash would've been less severe.

    It was all them nudie pics that seemed to go too far.

    I think a backlash would've occurred regardless, but it probably would've been less severe without "Sex"...

    Let's be realistic: the 1992 backlash wasn't that big.

    I mean, even though that era showed a dip in popularity, "Erotica" and its singles still sold pretty well.

    They just weren't up to prior standards...
     
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