rlittler81 said:

aardvark15 said:

Love this era and the two albums. Erotica (the song) is still timeless. A true Madonna classic.

Me too. Amazing times.

I think it's funny people thought her career was over then, but don't think that now. If anything it's the other way around

aardvark15 said:

rlittler81 said:

Me too. Amazing times.

I think it's funny people thought her career was over then, but don't think that now. If anything it's the other way around

I remember that. I thought that was ignorant of them to even think she would be "over". I think what Bedtime Stories (and later Something to Remember) did is prove that Madonna was more than just someone who sought attention, she actually had good music to BACK IT UP. And "Evita" and all of that just set it up for Ray of Light eventually.

errant said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Yes Erotica & Bedtime Stories are 2 distinct albums but the era's are kind blurred together.

Madonna did not apologize for it at all, there is no interview or even mention of that.

...Ooops I didn't know I couldn't talk about sex, and she definately did not want to come across as safe. I mean did you see the David Letterman show? That was a proceed to Bedtime Stories and there was no way that was an apology or wanting to be safe for grandma

Absolutely No Regrets

A lot of the same dancers, same producers, photographers, her style and attitude were very much similar. the more urban and organic feels of both compliment each other, her look. Madonna was still very much the same just toned down a bit in 4 B Stories. She was still in the same zone.

Blond Ambition/Vogue I thought about, but I think it's very different from the Erotica/Bedtime Stories vibe, totally different group of dancers and producers, style.

Her vibe for BAmbitions to me flows out of the prior album. Justify My Love though by itself feels like the direction she wanted to go into for Erotica, similarly to how the songs Bedtimes stories feels like the style she went into for Ray of Light. but from her lovers 2 her dancers it's Blond Ambition/Vogue and This Used to Be My Playground feels like Erotica & Bedtime Stories.

To me its like Purple Rain & ATWIAD the 2nd came out of the 1st as the result of the 1st they compliment each other well, actually better than 1999 + Purple Rain (ATWIAD & Parade are nothing alike like a lot of people try to say)

lastly I don't want 2 try to maintain 2 different threads

She SAID "I'm not sorry" and "absolutely no regrets" in song lyrics and more power to her for it, but her actions spoke louder than words. And the albums aren't all that similar. One is heavy, almost industrial house beats and the other is slick mainstream contemporary r&b with a very thick layer of gloss and gauze over the lense to soften the ballsy, abrasive Madonna of the preceding 5 years as a mea culpa. Nothing wrong with that and I like both eras but they are 2 distinct eras. And throwing in the Something To Remember and Evita years in there only helps to illustrate that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

I wasn't going to seperate these like I did with the Prince threads

Just don't want to keep up with 2 seperate ones. I don't think it has to be a big deal about should the be seperate or not, 2 was the result of the other, the vibe of Madonna was and the image was very similar. Also the quote I put at the beginning of the thread was something she said about this period. So I think even she saw this period as a mesh.

The song was written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, and recorded prior to final sessions for her 1992 studio album Erotica.

Something to Remember is just a song not an 'era' or year. Madonna's look was very much the same as during Erotica(Bad Girl) & Bedtime Stories. It's just a song that proceeded Erotic the album. I hope we really aren't going have to pull string about it. Myself and a few other people stated that they loved this time period with Madonna and I chose to focus on this period.

Evita is just a film not a Madonna album, I'm not focusing on the Evita album the Evita movie inspired some of the Bedtime Stories feel inspiration. Which is why I put 1996, it doesn't mean I'm saying that period is the same or that we even have to deal with it, the Bedtimes Stories period extended into 1996

Dirty Mind album was 1980 but it extended into 1981

Purple Rain album was 1984 but the era started in 1983 and went into 1985

etc etc that's where I'm coming from

[Edited 12/3/11 20:50pm]

OldFriends4Sale said:

errant said:

OldFriends4Sale said: She SAID "I'm not sorry" and "absolutely no regrets" in song lyrics and more power to her for it, but her actions spoke louder than words. And the albums aren't all that similar. One is heavy, almost industrial house beats and the other is slick mainstream contemporary r&b with a very thick layer of gloss and gauze over the lense to soften the ballsy, abrasive Madonna of the preceding 5 years as a mea culpa. Nothing wrong with that and I like both eras but they are 2 distinct eras. And throwing in the Something To Remember and Evita years in there only helps to illustrate that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

I wasn't going to seperate these like I did with the Prince threads

Just don't want to keep up with 2 seperate ones. I don't think it has to be a big deal about should the be seperate or not, 2 was the result of the other, the vibe of Madonna was and the image was very similar. Also the quote I put at the beginning of the thread was something she said about this period. So I think even she saw this period as a mesh.

The song was written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, and recorded prior to final sessions for her 1992 studio album Erotica.

Something to Remember is just a song not an 'era' or year. Madonna's look was very much the same as during Erotica(Bad Girl) & Bedtime Stories. It's just a song that proceeded Erotic the album. I hope we really aren't going have to pull string about it. Myself and a few other people stated that they loved this time period with Madonna and I chose to focus on this period.

Evita is just a film not a Madonna album, I'm not focusing on the Evita album the Evita movie inspired some of the Bedtime Stories feel inspiration. Which is why I put 1996, it doesn't mean I'm saying that period is the same or that we even have to deal with it, the Bedtimes Stories period extended into 1996

Dirty Mind album was 1980 but it extended into 1981

Purple Rain album was 1984 but the era started in 1983 and went into 1985

etc etc that's where I'm coming from

[Edited 12/3/11 20:34pm]

sorry, but who asked you to maintain any threads? what's to maintain? it's just a thread with some photos, pics and videos. if you want to do something like this, why not "Erotica Era 1992-1993" and "Bedtime Stories Era 1994-1995" and then let people have it.

sorry, I'm not trying to be a dick. but the two eras are diametrically opposed to each other in my mind, seeing her trying to accomplish completely opposite professional goals.

errant said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I wasn't going to seperate these like I did with the Prince threads

Just don't want to keep up with 2 seperate ones. I don't think it has to be a big deal about should the be seperate or not, 2 was the result of the other, the vibe of Madonna was and the image was very similar. Also the quote I put at the beginning of the thread was something she said about this period. So I think even she saw this period as a mesh.

The song was written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, and recorded prior to final sessions for her 1992 studio album Erotica.

Something to Remember is just a song not an 'era' or year. Madonna's look was very much the same as during Erotica(Bad Girl) & Bedtime Stories. It's just a song that proceeded Erotic the album. I hope we really aren't going have to pull string about it. Myself and a few other people stated that they loved this time period with Madonna and I chose to focus on this period.

Evita is just a film not a Madonna album, I'm not focusing on the Evita album the Evita movie inspired some of the Bedtime Stories feel inspiration. Which is why I put 1996, it doesn't mean I'm saying that period is the same or that we even have to deal with it, the Bedtimes Stories period extended into 1996

Dirty Mind album was 1980 but it extended into 1981

Purple Rain album was 1984 but the era started in 1983 and went into 1985

etc etc that's where I'm coming from

[Edited 12/3/11 20:34pm]

sorry, but who asked you to maintain any threads? what's to maintain? it's just a thread with some photos, pics and videos. if you want to do something like this, why not "Erotica Era 1992-1993" and "Bedtime Stories Era 1994-1995" and then let people have it.

sorry, I'm not trying to be a dick. but the two eras are diametrically opposed to each other in my mind, seeing her trying to accomplish completely opposite professional goals.

Not saying they are an authority but even Wikipedia has 1992–96: Maverick, Sex, Erotica, Bedtime Stories and Evita in a grouped catagory

Um I always keep a thread going but it's my interest. I've done these era thread here before and trust me they have to be maintained.

Errant you can go ahead and do threads as you see fit, no one is stopping you. I don't understand why this has to be a big deal.

Yes, In Your Mind, let's leave it like that.

Madonna said in STR that the scandals overshadowed the (often great) music she did during the first half of the 90s, and I agree. Look at this thread, for example, it's mostly about the style and videos of that era, but what about the music? Erotica was a flawed album:

Erotica: a bit slow, and many fans were disappointed with the tongue-in-cheek lyrics (not offended, just disappointed). Opressive, pure early-90s Pettibone production that hasn't aged very well.

Fever: good and brave dance cover of a classic staple, but it gets boring quickly...

Bye Bye Baby: "a bit" cheesy, right?; and, once again, opressive, repetitive production. In fact, it sounds like a S,A&W production...

Deeper and Deeper: masterpiece, it should have been the opening track...

Where Life Begins: a wtf song, after 4 dance/club jams, she tosses off a jazz/pop midtempo, with really cheesy lyrics and laughable innuendos...

Bad Girl: great ballad, but once again, painfully tongue-in-cheek lyrics

Waiting: good, but repetitive, and too long!!

Thief of Hearts: probably the worst song of the album. Madonna ranting against Warrent and Annette, pathetic production and pathetic rapping..."You'll do it, you'll take it, You'll screw it, you'll fake it, Undo it, you'll break it, You're over, you can't take it...ah-aah-aah-ah-aah-ahh"

Words: very good, but the production could have been better, Pettibone destroys another song that could have been perfect in BS/RoL

Rain: overblown production, but I still think this is her best ballad of all time

Why It's So Hard: good "let's do it people" song, but it's too long and the production sucks, once again

In This Life: good, but sounds like B-Side material

Did U Do It?: wtf? no comments, why this was included is beyond me...

Secret Garden: another wtf/out of place jazz/pop song, but damn, it's good

so that's it, folks, the album is too long, many songs are too long, and Pettibone pretty much ruins the album. I remember people back in the day complaining about the repetitive dance sound, and even some folks started to talk bad about "Vogue", sayin' that it had ruined her career, and that she had been reduced to a "dance/club" diva... I was only 8 at that time but I could see that people expected a lot more from Madonna at that point, not just a dance/club/sexual album. If anything, Vogue/Erotica remind me of Music/American Life. Shep did a GREAT job with Vogue, but he ran out of ideas during Erotica, just as Mirwais did an amazing job in Music but blew it with AL...

Madonna getting rid of Shep for the sessions of BS was the first step towards the right direction

And of course, the whole sexual project didn't help either, many people (fans and haters alike) just couldn't understand why she needed to do such a thing...

If anything, Sex/Erotica/BodyofEvidence proved that mainstream society at that point (still influenced by Reagan/Bush) just COULDN'T accept sexuality/eroticism as a valid/worthy/moral form of art. If that was her goal, she accomplished a great victory...

And that says a lot about the Reagan/Bush culture, full of action/horror movies featuring mayhem, torture, explosions, pain, killings, brains, blood,guts , but damn, 81-92 America will crucify you if you show a nipple or some pubic hair!!! I still can't believe that America embraced Sharon Stone as the 90s/dark/oversexed version of M.Monroe. Damn I miss the Clinton years...

[Edited 12/4/11 4:12am]

I'm somewhat torn, I appreciate that Erotica is Madonna's most cohesive album thanks to Pettibone's production, but I also think it takes out any excitement. Out of all of her albums it's the hardest for me to listen all the way through.

But I do think Secret Garden is one of the best songs Madonna has ever written.

JoeTyler said:

Erotica: a bit slow, and many fans were disappointed with the tongue-in-cheek lyrics (not offended, just disappointed). Opressive, pure early-90s Pettibone production that hasn't aged very well.

And of course, the whole sexual project didn't help either, many people (fans and haters alike) just couldn't understand why she needed to do such a thing...

If anything, Sex/Erotica/BodyofEvidence proved that mainstream society at that point (still influenced by Reagan/Bush) just COULDN'T accept sexuality/eroticism as a valid/worthy/moral form of art. If that was her goal, she accomplished a great victory...

And that says a lot about the Reagan/Bush culture, full of action/horror movies featuring mayhem, torture, explosions, pain, killings, brains, blood,guts , but damn, 81-92 America will crucify you if you show a nipple or some pubic hair!!! I still can't believe that America embraced Sharon Stone as the 90s/dark/oversexed version of M.Monroe. Damn I miss the Clinton years...

I love Erotica the song the video the message, I don't remember the disappointed attitude of fans back then. It's a bit different but along the same vibe of Justify My Love lyrically as well

I believe this kind of in your face sexuality by a woman who was also showcasing homosexuality was going to cause an issue, but in that time frame with the AIDs epidemic and politics, it was revolutionary. And being popular in a conforming kinda way is not Madonna. She was already pushing it hard via the Blond Ambition/Vogue era

the last paragraph is spot on

[Edited 12/4/11 17:41pm]

Erotica is Madonna's best album.Dark and introspective,it's not your typical early-90s dance album.My favorite songs are Bad Girl,Where Life Begins,Words,Deeper and Deeper,Bye Bye Baby,and In This Life.

JoeTyler said:

Madonna said in STR that the scandals overshadowed the (often great) music she did during the first half of the 90s, and I agree. Look at this thread, for example, it's mostly about the style and videos of that era, but what about the music? Erotica was a flawed album:

Erotica: a bit slow, and many fans were disappointed with the tongue-in-cheek lyrics (not offended, just disappointed). Opressive, pure early-90s Pettibone production that hasn't aged very well.

Fever: good and brave dance cover of a classic staple, but it gets boring quickly...

Bye Bye Baby: "a bit" cheesy, right?; and, once again, opressive, repetitive production. In fact, it sounds like a S,A&W production...

Deeper and Deeper: masterpiece, it should have been the opening track...

Where Life Begins: a wtf song, after 4 dance/club jams, she tosses off a jazz/pop midtempo, with really cheesy lyrics and laughable innuendos...

Bad Girl: great ballad, but once again, painfully tongue-in-cheek lyrics

Waiting: good, but repetitive, and too long!!

Thief of Hearts: probably the worst song of the album. Madonna ranting against Warrent and Annette, pathetic production and pathetic rapping..."You'll do it, you'll take it, You'll screw it, you'll fake it, Undo it, you'll break it, You're over, you can't take it...ah-aah-aah-ah-aah-ahh"

Words: very good, but the production could have been better, Pettibone destroys another song that could have been perfect in BS/RoL

Rain: overblown production, but I still think this is her best ballad of all time

Why It's So Hard: good "let's do it people" song, but it's too long and the production sucks, once again

In This Life: good, but sounds like B-Side material

Did U Do It?: wtf? no comments, why this was included is beyond me...

Secret Garden: another wtf/out of place jazz/pop song, but damn, it's good

so that's it, folks, the album is too long, many songs are too long, and Pettibone pretty much ruins the album. I remember people back in the day complaining about the repetitive dance sound, and even some folks started to talk bad about "Vogue", sayin' that it had ruined her career, and that she had been reduced to a "dance/club" diva... I was only 8 at that time but I could see that people expected a lot more from Madonna at that point, not just a dance/club/sexual album. If anything, Vogue/Erotica remind me of Music/American Life. Shep did a GREAT job with Vogue, but he ran out of ideas during Erotica, just as Mirwais did an amazing job in Music but blew it with AL...

Madonna getting rid of Shep for the sessions of BS was the first step towards the right direction

And of course, the whole sexual project didn't help either, many people (fans and haters alike) just couldn't understand why she needed to do such a thing...

If anything, Sex/Erotica/BodyofEvidence proved that mainstream society at that point (still influenced by Reagan/Bush) just COULDN'T accept sexuality/eroticism as a valid/worthy/moral form of art. If that was her goal, she accomplished a great victory...

And that says a lot about the Reagan/Bush culture, full of action/horror movies featuring mayhem, torture, explosions, pain, killings, brains, blood,guts , but damn, 81-92 America will crucify you if you show a nipple or some pubic hair!!! I still can't believe that America embraced Sharon Stone as the 90s/dark/oversexed version of M.Monroe. Damn I miss the Clinton years...

[Edited 12/4/11 4:12am]

It just goes to show... you sort of had to be there to get it. Both what she was trying to accomplish at the time and the reaction to it.

You don't sound like you really experienced it as it was happening. And looking at the age in your profile, it appears that I'm right.

errant said:

JoeTyler said:

Madonna said in STR that the scandals overshadowed the (often great) music she did during the first half of the 90s, and I agree. Look at this thread, for example, it's mostly about the style and videos of that era, but what about the music? Erotica was a flawed album:

Erotica: a bit slow, and many fans were disappointed with the tongue-in-cheek lyrics (not offended, just disappointed). Opressive, pure early-90s Pettibone production that hasn't aged very well.

Fever: good and brave dance cover of a classic staple, but it gets boring quickly...

Bye Bye Baby: "a bit" cheesy, right?; and, once again, opressive, repetitive production. In fact, it sounds like a S,A&W production...

Deeper and Deeper: masterpiece, it should have been the opening track...

Where Life Begins: a wtf song, after 4 dance/club jams, she tosses off a jazz/pop midtempo, with really cheesy lyrics and laughable innuendos...

Bad Girl: great ballad, but once again, painfully tongue-in-cheek lyrics

Waiting: good, but repetitive, and too long!!

Thief of Hearts: probably the worst song of the album. Madonna ranting against Warrent and Annette, pathetic production and pathetic rapping..."You'll do it, you'll take it, You'll screw it, you'll fake it, Undo it, you'll break it, You're over, you can't take it...ah-aah-aah-ah-aah-ahh"

Words: very good, but the production could have been better, Pettibone destroys another song that could have been perfect in BS/RoL

Rain: overblown production, but I still think this is her best ballad of all time

Why It's So Hard: good "let's do it people" song, but it's too long and the production sucks, once again

In This Life: good, but sounds like B-Side material

Did U Do It?: wtf? no comments, why this was included is beyond me...

Secret Garden: another wtf/out of place jazz/pop song, but damn, it's good

so that's it, folks, the album is too long, many songs are too long, and Pettibone pretty much ruins the album. I remember people back in the day complaining about the repetitive dance sound, and even some folks started to talk bad about "Vogue", sayin' that it had ruined her career, and that she had been reduced to a "dance/club" diva... I was only 8 at that time but I could see that people expected a lot more from Madonna at that point, not just a dance/club/sexual album. If anything, Vogue/Erotica remind me of Music/American Life. Shep did a GREAT job with Vogue, but he ran out of ideas during Erotica, just as Mirwais did an amazing job in Music but blew it with AL...

Madonna getting rid of Shep for the sessions of BS was the first step towards the right direction

And of course, the whole sexual project didn't help either, many people (fans and haters alike) just couldn't understand why she needed to do such a thing...

If anything, Sex/Erotica/BodyofEvidence proved that mainstream society at that point (still influenced by Reagan/Bush) just COULDN'T accept sexuality/eroticism as a valid/worthy/moral form of art. If that was her goal, she accomplished a great victory...

And that says a lot about the Reagan/Bush culture, full of action/horror movies featuring mayhem, torture, explosions, pain, killings, brains, blood,guts , but damn, 81-92 America will crucify you if you show a nipple or some pubic hair!!! I still can't believe that America embraced Sharon Stone as the 90s/dark/oversexed version of M.Monroe. Damn I miss the Clinton years...

[Edited 12/4/11 4:12am]

It just goes to show... you sort of had to be there to get it. Both what she was trying to accomplish at the time and the reaction to it.

You don't sound like you really experienced it as it was happening. And looking at the age in your profile, it appears that I'm right.

?

I already said I was 8 at that time, luckily my two sisters and their friends were all huge M fans so I heard about her 24/7 since I was a lil bastard. In fact, the Immaculate Collection was the first pop album that I ever heard. I didn't need to buy M albums at that time because my sisters had already bought them. Ray of Light was the first M album that I bought on my own, lol. AND I also remember 1992/93 "mainstream" reviews and comments in TV and magazines, like "tasteless", "too far", "she's done", "wtf", "she's just a biatch", etc...

[Edited 12/5/11 6:56am]

to those of you talkin' mess about "Bad Girl"......stop it! That's one of Madonna's best ballads.It's so heartfelt and emotional.I don't know if she's singing about herself but it sounds very sincere and personal.The video is her second best video (after LAP).

Hands up who has the Sex book at home?

Still got my copy!

I was twelve when Erotica came out in 1992, and the album taught me more about sex than anything else did! lol.....it was also the first new Madonna album after I'd become a proper fan (started getting into her around Immaculate Collection).

I had to beg my Mum to get me the Sex book....fortunately my Mum is very cool and she treated me to it and didn't ask too many questions (she must have known what it was about, she'd heard me blaring Erotica on CD enough! lol). Me and that book had some REAL fun times during my teen years!!!

DaveT said:

Hands up who has the Sex book at home?

Still got my copy!

I was twelve when Erotica came out in 1992, and the album taught me more about sex than anything else did! lol.....it was also the first new Madonna album after I'd become a proper fan (started getting into her around Immaculate Collection).

I had to beg my Mum to get me the Sex book....fortunately my Mum is very cool and she treated me to it and didn't ask too many questions (she must have known what it was about, she'd heard me blaring Erotica on CD enough! lol). Me and that book had some REAL fun times during my teen years!!!

Got a copy for myself off of Amazon just a couple years ago...

RKJCNE said:

DaveT said:

Hands up who has the Sex book at home?

Still got my copy!

I was twelve when Erotica came out in 1992, and the album taught me more about sex than anything else did! lol.....it was also the first new Madonna album after I'd become a proper fan (started getting into her around Immaculate Collection).

I had to beg my Mum to get me the Sex book....fortunately my Mum is very cool and she treated me to it and didn't ask too many questions (she must have known what it was about, she'd heard me blaring Erotica on CD enough! lol). Me and that book had some REAL fun times during my teen years!!!

Got a copy for myself off of Amazon just a couple years ago...

I also have my copy. The whole sexual project of that era is incomplete without "SEX"; "Erotica" is just half of the project...

I can live without Body of Evidence though , that movie was BAD...lol, I enjoyed watching her tits, ass and pubic hair, but that's all,lol

JoeTyler said:

RKJCNE said:

Got a copy for myself off of Amazon just a couple years ago...

I also have my copy. The whole sexual project of that era is incomplete without "SEX"; "Erotica" is just half of the project...

I can live without Body of Evidence though , that movie was BAD...lol, I enjoyed watching her tits, ass and pubic hair, but that's all,lol

I had such a crush on Madonna when was growing up (I still do...haha!!) and when I first saw the Sex book I was like "oh my god, that's Madonna's tits"....then it was like "oh my good that's Madonna's bush"...fortunately my copy of Sex is still in mint condition, no pages stuck together, though god knows how! lol

Gotta love Body of Evidence to. A friend managed to get a copy for me and it was another pause button buster...probably the first porno (if you can call it that) I saw. Being so into Madonna it was like all my Christmasses coming at once when she did that film..but you gotta remember I was 13 when it came out! Good times

DaveT said:

Hands up who has the Sex book at home?

Still got my copy!

I still have my copy too That book is OUTRAGEOUS! alot of freaky pictures throughout...lol

DaveT said:

Hands up who has the Sex book at home?

Still got my copy!

I was twelve when Erotica came out in 1992, and the album taught me more about sex than anything else did! lol.....it was also the first new Madonna album after I'd become a proper fan (started getting into her around Immaculate Collection).

I had to beg my Mum to get me the Sex book....fortunately my Mum is very cool and she treated me to it and didn't ask too many questions (she must have known what it was about, she'd heard me blaring Erotica on CD enough! lol). Me and that book had some REAL fun times during my teen years!!!

SEX book Party invitation

Johnny will be away for the night!

Absolutely must see you.

I am desperate, and if you don't come

I won't answer for the consequences

Don't drive up.

Dita

1995 Versace Campaign Photographed by Steven Meisel

Madonna Sex Book Premiere
1992 NYC By Jonathan Green

Madonna - Erotica Blue

This limited edition canvas print is officially licensed and endorsed by Madonna

Secret Garden

Loving the Versace campaign pics....Madonna has epic breasts!

OldFriends4Sale said:

1995 Versace Campaign Photographed by Steven Meisel

Love these pics!

RKJCNE said: