Also, does anyone else thing 'Celebration' sounds like a combination of two Cyndi Lauper Songs from her "Bring ya to the Brink" album?

It sounds like a marriage of "Into Nightlife" and "Echo"

they think it more important to include the Love fucking Profusion video (a god damn make-up commercial) over Oh Father and Bad Girl, two of her most essential videos?


i hate this whole fucking affair from the ground up.

Celebration Promo BoxSet---I gotta have this!!!! It'll probably be a fortune on ebay.

OK, I've listened to it a few times now.

Is this thing REALLY remastered?
I can tell that it sounds improved on certain tracks like Justify My Love and Erotica. Also I can tell on 'Burning Up' but I prefer the version from the original album--though I don't hate this version.

It's not half bad, but the song sequence is really really odd to me.

OK, I've listened to it a few times now.

Is this thing REALLY remastered?
I can tell that it sounds improved on certain tracks like Justify My Love and Erotica. Also I can tell on 'Burning Up' but I prefer the version from the original album--though I don't hate this version.

It's not half bad, but the song sequence is really really odd to me.

SoulAlive said:

I can put all of my misery and negativity aside and say that looks AMAZING!!!!

Imago said:

One reviewer described the sequencing as being like a wild shopping spree, hehe. The removal of some form of chronology from it baffles me, as listening chronologically helps you understand her career trajectory better. My favourite sequencing was the fake one that had each disc chornological, disc one with the main hits, disc two with the secondary hits.

SoulAlive said:

Both of those and Meijer are basically across the street from where my new job. Considering I have a lot to get ready, I still think I'll wait until Thursday.

I wonder what the prices are going to be? So far it looks like the lowest price for the Double CD is $16.99 (not bad but not great) and $19.99 for the DVD. Both on Amazon. I'm hoping at least one store matches or beats those prices.

CrozzaUK said:

It looks incredible,huh? Warners should release this as a limited edition set! It would make alot of sense.Most of us diehards are gonna buy the 2-CD set and the DVD,so why not give us a special treat? Both items placed in a nicely packaged box set.

But,this is Warners we're talking about here Can't expect too much from them.

SoulAlive said:

It's insane that for years they released awful deluxe boxed sets of every album and than they make something like this for...promo? So who gets that? Guy Oseary?

VinnyM27 said:

This is a promo set that was sent to journalists in Hong Kong,of all places

Celebration Promo BoxSet---I gotta have this!!!! It'll probably be a fortune on ebay.

SoulAlive said:

so i have a choice here.... buy this along with all the other releases or i can eat.

guess which one i'll choose?

CHIC0 said:

Seems like a very rare promo. You might have to worry about the mortage and rent, too!

Here is what is included on Celebration.

There are 16 previously released songs featured in their full-length, original album versions.

* BURNING UP
* HOLIDAY
* MATERIAL GIRL
* INTO THE GROOVE
* LIVE TO TELL
* PAPA DON'T PREACH
* LA ISLA BONITA
* WHO'S THAT GIRL
* LIKE A PRAYER
* JUSTIFY MY LOVE
* TAKE A BOW
* FROZEN
* BEAUTIFUL STRANGER


* MUSIC - MASTERING ERROR: multiple digital pops and clicks that are not part of the original recording can be heard throughout this song.

* DIE ANOTHER DAY - MASTERING ERROR: Track fades up late due to the incorrectly placed track index on the American Life album. This is ridiculous. The unaffected album version appears on both the US Promo CD single and the Die Another Day film soundtrack, all Warner Bros. releases.

* HOLLYWOOD - MASTERING ERROR: Track starts abruptly and end of "American Life"'s fade out is audible.

Of these, ten were released as singles in versions that differ from these LP mixes. I would have much preferred the inclusion of the difficult to obtain single mixes, but I'm in therapy and have mostly moved on. Mostly.

Fortunately, five tracks do appear in their official single versions.

* SECRET (Edit)
* RAY OF LIGHT (Edit)
* SORRY (Single Edit)
* 4 MINUTES (Edit)
* MILES AWAY (Radio Edit)

...and one more is a rarity from a US promo CD:

* HUNG UP ([Unblended] Album Version)

Next up, there are five remixes lifted directly from The Immaculate Collection.

* BORDERLINE (1990) (Q Sound Mix)
* LIKE A VIRGIN (1990) (Q Sound Mix)
* CRAZY FOR YOU (1990) (Q Sound Mix)
* OPEN YOUR HEART (1990) (Q Sound Mix)
* VOGUE (1990) (Q Sound Mix)

And now we pause to ask ourselves why.

The remaining nine tracks are unique to the collection. The first two are new recordings.

* CELEBRATION
* REVOLVER

One appears to be a from-the-vault rarity, likely included by mistake.

* LUCKY STAR - ALTERNATIVE Q SOUND MIX
* Virtually identical to the version heard on The Immaculate Collection, though there is noticeably more reverb on the "ee-yeah"'s at the foot of each chorus. The music leading into the first verse is different (on TIC is was edited to match the original 7" version, on here it is not.) The most obvious difference is right at the fade, instead of the chorus it edits to a set of adlibs heard on longer versions of the song, but not heard on the Q Sound version. Odd, but inoffensive as it seems to be a genuine unreleased variation.


As for the rest, quality control has reached an all time low:

* EVERYBODY - FAKE EDIT
* This uses the full length, original 12" version as its starting point (as did the official 7" single version), but is structured differently. While the overall idea for this edit wasn't horrendous, whoever was placed in charge of actually executing the edits needs to be tortured. Slowly... painfully.

* DRESS YOU UP - FUCKED UP INTRO
* What the hell happened here? This isn't a mix variation so much as a mastering error... the album version started late with severe tape pinch/phasing issues right at the top. Of the four beats on the intro, all but the fourth are missing.

* EXPRESS YOURSELF - FAKE FUCKING ****.
* The most offensive. In a failed attempt to kindofsortof recreate the video version, they have taken the complete intro straight off of the Local Mix, "zipper" included. The actual, official video version starts at the percussion and is specially mixed to have echo on the line "Do you believe in love..." which is dry on the Local Mix and therefore not present here. This new monstrosity then incorrectly cuts to the 7" Remix/Edit version and then again where they have BUTCHERED the song right at the bridge. A bad edit jumps the track from the end of the chorus to the repeat of the bridge which kills the structure of the track. This version is unlistenable.

* CHERISH - FAKE EDIT
* The original album version cut to the length of the super-short Immaculate Collection version. AMATEUR doesn't begin to describe how bad these edits have been executed. Poor edits result in creating entirely new lyrics! How about this chestnut... "Can't get away, I won't let to" ?! They render all prior complaints about bad edits on Madonna's releases void. Again, unlistenable. In the cases of "Express Yourself" and "Cherish," why not just use the fucking Q Sound remixes?! They're the exact same length as the fake edits and it's not like there aren't 6 others from that release present here.

* EROTICA - FAKE Radio Edit
* The edit points are around the same places as the OFFICIAL radio edit, but are poorly executed. The worst is around 3:30... they cut a beat late making for one of the sloppiest moments on this royalfuckupofacompilation. I don't understand why this needed to be recreated as the official edit appears on countless singles and 2001's GHV2 compilation. Oh. And the "surface noise" on the end of "Erotica" overlaps the beginning of "Justify My Love".

* DON'T TELL ME - FAKE Radio Edit
* The least offensive/noticeable fake edit, but incorrect nonetheless. The true radio edit was a unique mix for the very last second that does not feature the "whimsical strings" tag. For Celebration, they have chopped off the end, but the first millisecond of this tag is audible.

Wow. I'm still buying it but I hope its not as bad as everyone is making it sound.

RKJCNE said:

Me too but it sounds like they did an awful job despite the supposed effort to remaster! The best part is, the price does not reflect the show low quality (the single disc costs $11.99 despite all other single disc new releases costing $9.99 the first week they are out).

VinnyM27 said:

do you know what the uble costs?

RKJCNE said:

The double disc is $16.99 at Best Buy.

This is interesting... It's a list of errors posted by a member of a Madonna forum, and currently circulating around the net...

Prices at Target:

2-CD set $15.98
single disc $11.98

Prices at Best Buy:

2-CD set $16.99
single disc $11.99



Looks like Target is where I am headed Neither store has the price for the DVD.


Does anyone know how much it will be at Wal-Mart?

SoulAlive said:

Is walmart gonna carry it? I thought for sure they wouldn't dare sell her stuff after Erotica or AL.

SoulAlive said:

Is walmart gonna carry it? I thought for sure they wouldn't dare sell her stuff after Erotica or AL.