I would do it like dis:

IC:

--take off "Cherish,"
--add "Dress You Up" and "Burning Up,"
--replace "Into the Groove" with its original version (especially the "now I know you're mine" bridge)
--keep "Express Yourself" as it's album version, just re-mastered


GHV2:

--take off "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," "What it Feels Like For a Girl," and "Drowned World"
--add "Rain," a dance mix of "Fever," and a NEW TRACK
--replace "Human Nature" with it's original "dirty" version; make "Frozen" the stereo MC mix.
--remaster all the songs from "Bedtime Stories" and "Erotica,"
--give it a new cover that truly reflected what the damn woman looks like these days!

The Immaculate Collection:

-Try to take that annoying Q-Sound mix of the collection because it's truly dated and these songs shouldn't be remixed like this.

- add True Blue, Burning Up, Angel, and Live To Tell


GHV2

- Add I Want You, Love Don't Live Here Anymore, You'll See, Rain, I'll Remember, and This Used To Be My Playground

- Take off all edits

- Include better essay in liner notes
[Edited 8/8/05 15:33pm]

silverchild said:

I whole heartedly agree.



"Live To Tell" is on The Immaculate Collection

badujunkie said:

You pretty much nailed both. I actually like the GHV2 cover except for the stupid smarmy not funny liner notes. Immaculate Collection could of had a better cover. The DVD collections are the ones in REAL need of attention.

npgmaverick said:

Yep, npgmaverick, Live To Tell is track 8...

Aside from including original mixes of the tracks and a serious remastering...'Immaculate' was fine...

As for GHV2...Maddy decided not to be seriously involved with this project and in the end...left A TON to be desired. This could've been so much better with the inclusion of new tracks, or even live tracks from Drowned World like 'Music' and 'Holiday' (it was released around the same time as the Drowned World DVD). She should have done a photo shoot with a theme (A Japanese Anime theme would've been fitting)...I thought the artwork was kind of cheap and lame as well as the liner notes. Because of 'Something To Remember' being released a few years earlier, many ballads were left off...some remixes of the ballads would've been cool. Oh well...coulda shoulda woulda....it was a let down but here we are in the eve of what could be her most exciting project in years!!!!!

peace

make a box set with extra goodies...i am not a big madge fan but i am sure she has enough material to pull it off...

can't comment on volume 2, as i don't listen to any madonna from that era.

There are good and bad points to the Imaculate collection. Great remix of "Like A Prayer", pointless version of "Into the Groove". Great new song "Rescue Me', horrible new song "Justify my love". Decent remix of "Express Yourself", but it doesn't top the LP version. Most of the songs are heavily edited, even shorter than the 7" versions. That's unforgivable. The re-edit of "vogue" is ok tho. I really don't mind the Q-Sound process...

Definately needs Angel, Everybody, the original mix of Into The Groove, Burning Up, True Blue, Keep It Together and Dress You Up, and also the original mix of Love Don't Live Here Anymore (the version on volume 2 is a remix, i hate it). I would have preferred a 2 disc set where each song was at least as long as the radio edits... most of the songs on immaculate are edited shorter than the radio or single mixes. This let them put more songs on 1 disc, but fuck that anyway.

I'd love to see a proper 12" mix collection. You Can Dance doesn't count, as those were new mixes made specially for the project. The only Essential mix on there is "Into The Groove" (which the immaculate collection version is based on, but the uncut mix includes this piano solo that KILLS). There are some great 12" mixes of Burning Up, Borderline, Lucky Star, Like A Virgin, Papa Don't Preach, Like A Prayer (again, the immaculate version is based on the shep pettibone 12" mix) and Keep It Together, to name a few.

GHV2 is a disaster from start to finish. I wouldn't even know where to begin with that one.

I think The Immaculate Collection is quite a good collection, though fans know that it doesn't represent everything essential from 83-90. Anyway, I would put on the original versions of "Like a Prayer" and "Holiday".

In both cases, no edits of songs except for maybe "Holiday" and other songs where the originals are too long.


Immaculate Collection, no noticable remixes (this means you "Into the Groove" and "Like A Prayer"!) Add "Who's That Girl" and possibly "Angel" and "Oh Father". Scarfice "Rescue Me" even though it was a great...

GVH2 Add "This Used To Be My Playground" (the long really rarely heard verison!) and "I'll Remember" and possibly "American Pie", "You Must Love Me" and "Impressive Instant"....get rid of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" unless you put the edit remixed verison which was a hit! Possibly nix "Drownded World" or "Power Of Goodbye".

'Immaculate Collection': use the original versions of "Into The Groove" and "Like A Prayer".I really don't have any other complaints.

'GHV2': use the full-length album versions!! These lame single edits ruin it for me.And where is "This Used To Be My Playground","You Must Love Me","Bad Girl",etc? If you're gonna do a compilation of her 90s hits,why leave anything off? They had plenty of room to add more songs.


It's clear that,by now,Madonna deserves a really good 2-CD Greatest Hits set.One thorough collection that includes all the hits.

Intersperse them with some Michael Jackson songs.

Cloudbuster said:

I would improve GHV2 by not releasing it.

Cloudbuster said:

Or just replace the disc with one of these

variety1317 said:

yeah,it was a disaster.To her credit,Madonna didn't have anything to do with it.Warners rush-released it to cash in on the 'Drowned World Tour' hype.She was totally against it's release,and refused to contribute any new songs.

VoicesCarry said:

to improve :

the immaculate collection:

i would do a double cd disk set which would include all the songs that are already on there plus:

everybody
dress you up
angel
who's that girl
true blue
causing a commotion
burning up
dear jessie
oh father

and maybe "the look of love"

for GHV2 i would

get rid of "don't cry for me Argentina"
replace the radio edit of "human nature" with the album version
add "bad girl", "this used to be my playground" (that was number one for gods sake) "rain", "you'll see", "nothing really matters" and maybe "hanky panky" lol
[Edited 8/9/05 7:50am]

silverchild said:

What is that about? I got a couple of albums with that logo? I aint no sound geek, but, what does it mean? More treble, more digital?

mynameisnotsusan said:

This is one of the few times that WB and Madonna didn't agree. along with the Oh Father/Dear Jessie thing. The whether to release Amazing and them telling Madonna to turn AL from rock into the album we have now.

This was supposed to be the orginal cover


WB thought it was too racy Madonna and WB eventully agreed on the regal looking emblem to be the cover.

I was just thinking that the promo and tour for Confessions on a Dancefloor will probably wrap up in late 06.

I wouldn't be surprised to a box set come out after that. Seeing as 08 is the year Mads is eligable for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also 08 is the big 5-0 for her as well.

Sidenote on Into the Groove on IC. Apprently that's the mix Mads likes cause the Shep Pettibone mix is the one used on the Who's That Girl Tour and the basis for the Blonde Ambition mix as well.

ehuffnsd said:

I think you're right about her affection for the IC verison of "Into The Groove" for whatever strange reason but time along with the "Into The Hollywood Groove" (Madonna/Missy) and "Don't Want To Lose This Groove" (Danni) prove the original is the best! After all, both of those tracks seem use elements of the very popular original.

thesexofit said:

Short lived production trick, supposed to make the songs sound "3-D", but usually just ended up wrecking the song with cheap mix tricks, like panning something mid-note from one speaker to the other, or adding pseudo-binaural reverb to the drum track, etc. I will say it made "crazy for you" sound like shit. Sounded pretty cool on "Lucky Star". Supposedly sounded best on headphones. I'm really not sure what they were trying to accomplish, as most songs mixed in this process barely differed from their original sound. Someone prove me wrong please?
[Edited 8/10/05 0:07am]

I just found out that the INXS album "Live Baby Live" was mixed in Q-Sound, and it sounds fabulous.
[Edited 8/10/05 1:37am]

smokeverbs said:

Didn't they use that Q-Sound trick on video games too?
[Edited 8/10/05 6:50am]

VinnyM27 said:

i just think the song in gerneral is popular. Whenever it's on the radio its the Shep Pettibone Radio edit that is played.

2 ic i would add the incredibly funky but hard 2 find "sidewalk talk" (1986). i know those who remember would say that it was more jellybean benitez's song than madonna's, but since she was the only 1n singin on it why not add it 2 the collection as a bonus or nice suprise...

smokeverbs said:

Thanx for the info. I understood some of it Reverb to the drum snare sounds typical 80's.

ehuffnsd said:

My mom is as old as Madonna, and it's weird because I remember when most of the songs on "The Immaculate Collection" were really popular. We used to watch MTV a lot when I was growing up. I can't believe I'll be 25 in a few years, and that my mom - and Madonna, PRINCE, Michael Jackson and Simon LeBon of Duran Duran - will all be 50. Where is time going?

TIC: use the original single versions/edits and forget about the q-sound mixes.

and just add Who's That Girl


Holiday
Borderline
Lucky Star
Like A Virgin
Material Girl
Crazy For You
Into The Groove
Live To Tell
Papa Don't Preach
Open Your Heart
La Isla Bonita
Who's That Girl
Like A Prayer
Express Yourself
Cherish
Vogue
Justify My Love
Rescue Me

JML and RM would have been chock-full of leftovers for b-sides:

Everybody
Burning Up
Angel
Dress You Up
True Blue
Causing A Commotion
Oh Father
Keep It Together





GHV2: well, pretty much anything would have been better. but anyway.... use the single versions/edits....


This Used To Be My Playground
Erotica
Deeper And Deeper
Rain
I'll Remember
Secret
Take A Bow
You'll See
You Must Love Me
Don't Cry For Me Argentina (remix)
Frozen
Ray Of Light
The Power Of Goodbye
Music
Don't Tell Me
What It Feels Like For A Girl
Beautiful Stranger

plus a new song. any new song.