errant said:

I've loved "Miles Away" from the first time I heard it It's exactly the type of Madonna song that I was waiting for her to do.I think it's a special song for her as well,which is why I think she chose it for this set.Plus,it got a great response on the Sticky and Sweet tour.My only gripe is that they're using the lame radio edit,which removes the entire instrumental part at the end.That's one of my favorite parts of the song...watching it transform from an acoustic pop number to a funky Timbaland groove.

Very dissatisfied with this entire project

I'm not thrilled with it,either,but I guess my expectations were so low to begin with that I'm not even surprised/upset.I mean,this is Warner Bros. we're talking about here---the same Warner Bros. that gave us the ridiculous 'GHV2' set,lol.As someone pointed out above,we already have all these songs already.We could just compile our own Greatest Hits set,which you've already done.

errant said:

I love "Hollywood" but I think "Miles Away" is quite lame. The melody is so childish and simple that it's just impossible to swallow for me.

errant said:

Yes, but a lot of her uptempo songs are sung like ballads- "Deeper and Deeper" being a prime example. "Angel" is perfect for the dancefloor, even if it's got more of an emotional slant.

SoulAlive said:

Miles Away is the kind of song you were waiting for? really? I'm really curious to know what it is that anyone actually likes about this song. I mean, it's pleasant enough in an inoffensive mid-tempo ballad-y kind of way, I suppose, but it so just lays there not doing anything that I have a hard time imagining anyone loving it. What is it that you love about it?


GHV2 was a waste of time and effort on thir part. it should have had new material on it and some promotion, since she was still a going concern at Warner Bros.

for this one? no new tracks necessary. this should be the definitive one, no bullshit attached, since it's the last thing they're getting from here. it should serve primary catalog item and the go-to place for the non-fan or the casual fan to get what they want, if that's all they want, and an introduction to the rest of her work.

and yes, it will serve as that anyway. but just not very well. it could have been so much better.

and if the new tracks were interesting enough to do her justice or good enough to have any hope of being hits, then i'd be all for them. but they're just as lazy and sloppy as the rest of this project, so why bother putting effort into it this time? this one is going to sell itself, over time. it doesn't need the big release promotion.

LiveToTell86 said:

I agree the complexion of being a fan has been changed by the internet. With all the leaks, the chat forums, rumours, proliferation of information about her, the outtakes, people are finding it hard to forma an opinion of their own based solely on the music and the videos.

For me Erotica was a major album as it was the first released after I got into her, and I played it to death. I was on a downer about the album in the lat 90s, but have recently revised my opinion - and now believe it to be one of her most complete albums in the context of the styles, themes and the era in which it was released. Below are a couple of re-reviews that kind of echo this sentiment:

http://www.slantmagazine....asp?ID=396

http://www.stylusmagazine...rotica.htm

I dont think AL or HC will get this kind of revisionist treatment as I dont believe these albums are as well crafted, and dont have all the additional material to back them up (music videos, photo shoots, cool interviews etc). Both have good songs on them, but lack vision and give a sense of her just going through the motions.

Erotica for me is the pinnacle of her melding together exactly what she wants to say with music and visuals - and in the context of the early 90s - the messages she was ramming home makes it seem quite important in hindsight. Im not saying it changed the world - but its the boldest, most balsy thing she's ever done. Thats why i find it disappointing that it is so under-represented on what is supposed to be a career retrospective. In a way its probably her most important era....she herself admitted to dividing her career into pre & post Erotica.

When you look at the music, the videos, the remixes, the live performances, the album outtakes, it is a clear creative peak to my mind.

errant said:

I love the chorus,the vocal harmonies,the lyrics,and the hauntingly sad mood of it.Two people who are drifting apart to the point that,even when they are together,the love is clearly gone.There's nothing to even fight for anymore....I guess we're at our best when we're miles away.Two of my other favorite Madonna songs are "Bad Girl" and "To Have And Not To Hold".Notice a pattern there? I love her sad songs! "Miles Away" is her latest song in that vein.I want more of this from Madonna: vulnerability,honesty,sadness! I want more lyrics that are based on what she's going through in her personal life.

I also love the production of this song.Unlike "4 Minutes",this song allows Madonna to shine without being overshadowed.Justin Timberlake adds backup vocals and does a great job arranging the harmonies and Timbaland creates a smooth acoustic/electronic backdrop,but they step back and allow Madonna to tell her (very personal) tale.Madonna has done other songs in this musical style ("I Deserve It","Love Profusion") but I think this song is superior.I also like how the song starts off as an acoustic pop number,then at the end,Timbaland takes it to the club with a big,hard beat.It's a perfect midtempo pop song,imo.






Agreed.This CD is totally useless.Warner Bros. just threw it together to cash in on the hype/publicity of the Drowned World tour.

heartbeatocean said:

Truthfully,I'm not really excited about this set.Like you say,we already own all the songs anyway I'll listen to this new compilation a few times,then put it away and take it out when I'm on my way to the next Madonna concert,lol.That's the only time I ever really listen to 'The Immaculate Collection'.

People, if you say that Music is not a high point of Madgie's career, then you have serious issues; it's her fourth or fifth best album, and it proved that she knew how to craft hip and tasteful pop/dance/rock mixed with many of the techno/ambient tricks that she learned during the Ray of light era.

In my opinion, only LAP, ROL and Madonna are better albums than Music...

-Like a prayer
-Ray of light
-Madonna
-Music
-True Blue

-Confessions
-Erotica
-Bedtime Stories
-Like a virgin

-Hard Candy

-American Life
[Edited 8/20/09 6:02am]

suga10 said:

No argument there 'COADF' is Madonna's best album of this decade.

RKJCNE said:

'Music' has some good songs,but it's inconsistent.The first single makes you think you're in for a wild ride,but most of the songs are surprisingly midtempo.It's not quite the big party that I was expecting

SoulAlive said:

M-U-S-I-C

'Music' has some good songs,but it's inconsistent.The first single makes you think you're in for a wild ride,but most of the songs are surprisingly midtempo.It's not quite the big party that I was expecting

CHIC0 said:

I'm gonna sing this song at a karaoke bar someday

JoeTyler said:

I disagree. Music is among her bottom 3 for me. I honestly only really care about 2 songs on it ("Impressive Instant" and "Paradise (Not for Me)"), and neither of those is close to my top 10 Madonna songs. The other songs range from decent ("Music", "What It Feels Like for a Girl", "I Deserve It") to OK ("Gone", "Nobody's Perfect") to naff rehashes of Ray of Light ("Amazing", "Runaway Lover"). Overall, there's nothing to get excited about. I haven't put it on since 2001, and I don't really feel like I'm missing out. I understand that it gets appreciated for being relatively understated, but I think the material just isn't that strong.
[Edited 8/20/09 6:22am]

SoulAlive said:

No, all the tracks from Music are gold; I deserve it and Paradiseare WAY better than anything she tried on AL, specially songs like Love profussion or Easy Ride...
Anyway, I accept that many fans and casual listeners felt cheated back in 2000, when they heard Music (the single) and thought the album would be filled with dance tracks, when instead Music was an alternative-rock/electronic album, filled with tasty ballads and interesting guitar tricks...

I can stand the bad rap about True Blue(an excellent album),Erotica, LAV (never a fan), AL( my least favourite), HC or even Bedtime stories, but I get mad when someone thrashes Music

Moonbeam said:

Curious, isn't it? If not for Madonna, Music would be in my Top3, definitely; for me, it was a very strong album, and I DO care about all the songs Gone is like her most underrated ballad ever, and dance tracks like Impressive instant and Runaway lover showed the sense of humor and vitality that many of the dance tracks from Ray of light so clearly lacked (Skin, Sky fits heaven, etc.)
[Edited 8/20/09 6:28am]

JoeTyler said:

I think part of the reason I was turned off is that I felt a disconnect with the image that she was trying to project at the time. Madonna is above all else a pop star. Music is when she tried to force that same image of "real music by real musicians" that Prince has spewed for awhile now. I also am not a fan of acoustic stuff, so that's part of the drawback for me.

Ray of Light was also an image that Madonna wanted to project, but I guess it's one that seemed more genuine to me and is obviously one that is more attuned with my tastes. As such, the seduction of "Skin" and the truly moving voyage of "Sky Fits Heaven" make those songs classics in my book.

JoeTyler said:

I appreciate 'Music' for being an edgy,original album.I like the mixture of electronica with acoustic guitars."Don't Tell Me" was a totally fresh sound for her and it didn't sound like anything else she had done before.It's an interesting album.I just wish that there were a few more harder,uptempo tracks.The second half of the album is too "soft".

SoulAlive said:

I can't stand "Don't Tell Me".

Moonbeam said:

For the same reason you can't stand "Miles Away": you dislike acoustic guitar,lol.

SoulAlive said:

Well yes, but "Like It or Not" is my favorite song on Confessions on a Dancefloor, so who knows?

errant said:

I wish she did more remizes like this. LOVED the video too.

RKJCNE said:

it's great.

SoulAlive said:

I love the title track and "Nobody's Perfect," but nothing else really grabs me. I do like "Paradise (Not for Me)" and "Don't Tell Me," though.

AlexdeParis said:

This album brings back alot of fond memories of 2001 when I was preparing to see The Drowned World tour I remember buying the tickets six months before the show.I was going crazy during that time! It was her first tour since 1993 and I was ecstatic.For me,'Music' is pretty much a souvenir from that exciting time.

AlexdeParis said:

see for me, all the ballads (Gone, I deserve is, What it feels like) really hit me, and I loved the dance tracks (Impressive Instant, Runaway Lover, Amazing) but Nobody's perfect is my favorite Madonna song.

SoulAlive said:[quote]

errant said:

I'm actually glad to have it now, considering what this new set looks like

I never really had a big problem with GHV2. I know a lot of people don't like the edits, but I do. I already have the album versions. I'm also OK with leaving out some of the ballads (because they're on Something to Remember) and "American Pie" (because it's terrible). My only real complaint is the edit of "Human Nature." I like the playful way they get around "I'm not your bitch, don't hang your shit on me" on the video with the door slam, but omitting the line altogether is criminal.

First image from the new video!!!

True Blue is an excellent album and in my opinion better than its predecessor Like A Virgin.