you're right badjunkie, I don't get it too. Beat Goes On would have been the best choice, it features Kanye West. She could have had another US-hit.

raveun2thejoyfantastic said:

-----
She has not done anything decent since "Like A Prayer" and working with that non=singing Pharrell was a bad move.

'Give It 2 Me' & 'Dance 2night' are all I listen to now, I'm sick of everything else.

VoicesCarry said:

Yes it is a discussion board, that's why I do have the right to point out that all you post about Madonna is negative. You say you're a fan but you think it's a fact that her current stuff is shit while that's only your opinion. And you keep on posting that.

It would be the same if I kept posting in Janet threads that Discipline is not only shit but Janet keeps losing sales with each album unlike Madonna. But I got over it and I certainly don't go around annoying Janet fans with that.

badujunkie said:

You are saying exactly what most Madonna fans are saying on the fansite forums."Give It 2 Me" is a poor choice for a second single,especially here in the States.I don't know who picked it,Madonna or Warners."Beat Goes On" is the most obvious single on the album (besides "4 Minutes")...it's extremely catchy,radio-friendly and features a cameo from the hottest rapper right now.It has "Top 10 hit" written all over it."Give It To Me" is a good synth/dance track (like "Sorry" was) but those kinda songs don't go nowhere in America.There's a rumor that "Beat Goes On" will be the third single,released in the fall,but that will be too late,imo.The song could have been the dance anthem of summer '08.

I really don't think Madonna cares,though.She's focused entirely on the tour.As far as she's concerned,the Warner Bros. era is over anyway.

graecophilos said:

superspaceboy said:

I got the Hard Candy vinyl and it is GREAT! A cool collector's item,if you're a fan.She should sell these at the concerts,I bet it would be a popular item.

AlexdeParis said:

I think it's a better,more enjoyable album than 'Music' and 'American Life'.Those two albums are much more experimental but they're simply not as much fun.Madonna fares so much better when she stays in dance/pop territory.'Hard Candy' is basically a pop/dance album with R&B elements sprinkled throughout.

raveun2thejoyfantastic said:

You say the album sucks,and yet you're praising *SEVEN* of the twelve tracks on it

These days,if I find an album with only four good songs,I'm satisfied.

AlexdeParis said:

Erotica is my favourite Madonna album. And I love half of the Bedtime Stories album. The only two Madonna albums that I listen to.

Haven´t heard Hard Candy because I wasn´t impressed by the singles.
[Edited 7/9/08 5:17am]

Give It To Me is getting heavy airplay where I'm at and I don't think anything is wrong with the video. But Beat Goes On has hit written all over it the minute it's played, and it would have made sense to release it. It sounds like Holiday 2008 IMO

alphastreet said:

"Beat Goes On" is the new "Holiday",as far as I'm concerned It's gonna be the second song in her upcoming tour,can't wait!


[Edited 7/9/08 6:47am]

SoulAlive said:

I wish it was the single right now, people would be all over that shit!!! I don't know how she and her people couldn't see that.

Warners makes silly decisions with her singles.They've been doing this for years

LiveToTell86 said:

Oh, is that so? Where did I say my opinion is somehow *fact*? That's right, I didn't. I am a fan, and yeah, I think her current stuff is shit. And, yes, I'm free to keep posting that opinion, just as you have the right to keep posting how much you like it. I'm a firm believer that, if you want unconditional love, you go to the artist fan board. You should expect to find diverse opinions here, and I'm not sure why fans care if someone else doesn't appreciate to the same extent they do.



Go ahead, post away! It's not as if I visit those threads. If I want to discuss Janet, I'll go to one of her forums.
[Edited 7/9/08 7:44am]

badujunkie said:

I don't think there's much left on the album that would have really resonated with US radio. Maybe Beat Goes On because of Kanye, but then he's had his share of flops, too. A big factor in 4M success was JT & Timbo on the track; if it had been Madonna alone, I don't think it would have done nearly as well. She knew this, which is why they're both on the track. She's not stupid.

Anyway, she's done the usual for her past few outings, which is spend $0 on the video for the second single and don't promote in the US beyond the first single. Really, this is smart, since it's just wasted money if it might only shift another few hundred thousand units.
[Edited 7/9/08 7:47am]

SoulAlive said:

The reason they went with Give It 2 Me is because it did so well digitally when the album was relesaed (GI2M peaked at #57 on the Hot 100 the week after the album's release). At least it did marginally better than Sorry (#58 Hot 100 peak).

VoicesCarry said:

That will forever mystify me.

AlexdeParis said:

"Sorry" is a tough sell. It takes forever to sink in...I admit now it's one of the best off Confessions, but it used to be one of my least fave until I saw it on tour.

I have to admit out of the "Big 4" on COADF Sorry was the one I like least. I don't know why, somehow I think the melody and music don't flow properly. She once said it was the song she was never satisfied with for a long time and it had many different versions. would be interesting to have them.
Besides Hung Up, which is a bit commercial and dumb for me, I admire Get Together and Jump. Simple, but they defintively belong to her best pop songs ever!

I think the toughest thing to accept as a long standing madonna fan is that her albums are no longer the events they once were. This is largely because the sales and bucks are no longer in it, but also because i think she feels there's nothing to achieve in the heavy promotion of a record - neither financially nor artistically.

I dont hold the opinion of some that her records now are rubbish - i still find them highly enjoyable, particularly the last two - but gone are the days of the 90's where she put all of herself into her music.....i feel she's just going through the motions now.

Most of her efforts are directed towards touring as this is where her $ are. I cant says i blame her for that. She will no doubt feel what is the point in putting myself through the boring process of filming an elaborate video, or doing tons of prommotion and interviews when it wont pay off financially. Shes never been Bjork, its never been just about the art - there's always been that trade off between art and commerce with her.

She has probably acheived all she wants to artistically - feels no need to prove herself, and so now it is just a case of earning the $, and going through the motions. We have to accept she's no longer the hungry 20-30 something she once was.

As for Hard Candy - its a great listen for me. Nothing scales the heights of her best stuff - but its certainly not as bad as "Hey You" or some shit like that. Its a credible attempt at an urban dance record - Its certainly nothing less than i expect of her now.

badujunkie said:

Really? It was my favorite from the beginning and it still is. It's easily in my top 5 all-time by her. I think it's absolutely perfect.

CrozzaUK said:

Co-sign. I'm not a fan of "Hey You" either, but I absolutely love "Keep the Trance." As much as I like Hard Candy, the Confessions era was fire for me! I want more outtakes.

AlexdeParis said:

Yeah, i dont necessarily think confessinos is a much better record than Candy, but as an era i enjoyed it more than any since Ray Of Light.

CrozzaUK said:

Ray of Light and Confessions are my 2 favorites.
[Edited 7/9/08 9:14am]

The COADF era was fantastic, because she did mcuh promotion and she did that "gay thing".

VoicesCarry said:

Nope, sorry it was decided to be the second single even before the album was released. It got enough downloads to debut at #57 because the Paul Oakenfold remix was added as a bonus track on iTunes. Madonna filmed the video for "Give It 2 Me" in the early days of April.

TonyVanDam said:

You missed the 3 words before that...HER AMERICAN FANBASE I don't know many Madonna Fans who really like hip hop. Most of us are well into our 30's and one of the reasons we like Madonna is that for the most part her music was growing with us. Sure there has always been a nod to the younger generation music wise, but I feel Hard Candy was a bigger nod than usual. It was a hard album to digest for me as I don't like all of the newer sounds that are out there. I have a few friends who feel the same way about this record...if they are even able to get into it.

Well, I love it. It's a real grower. I've got my fabulous Candy coloured vinyl and limited CD and I'm playing them all the time now in anticipation of seeing her in Paris. Can't wait.