steady75

Like A Prayer single was huge. 
Express Yourself felt like it underperformed a little. Cherish did well. The videos were in heavy rotation.  In the UK surprisingly Dear Jessie was a big hit. Number 5 at Xmas. It was the second most successful single and outsold Express Yourself and Cherish. 
Shocker huh. The Beatles influence maybe. 
Then it got messy. I used to watch the American chart show late night and saw the video for Oh Father which I had no idea had been released. Then I saw. Keep It Together 12” import in HMV and was like “what the fuck is going on”, Then I saw an advert in a magazine for a new single called Vogue. 
Dear Jessie had only been out of the UK top forty about a month before Vogue dropped and it felt like the Like A Prayer era sort of limped out very much unlike True Blue had two years earlier with La Isla going number one as the fifth single. 
 
Like A Prayer was a challenging album when you first listen. After the sheen of True Blue and the almost saccharine retreads of the WTG singles and Spotlight, the raw LAP sound felt like whiplash. Like A Prayer was essentially a rhythm guitar track with a hint of rock and gospel. It was so different. 
I got the album on release day and listened to it back to back three times and hated it. Where were my my big sing along Bopp love bangers? 
it took several listens for Express Yourself, Cherish and Keep It Together to start jumping out. The rest took more time. 
 
I imagine this was a similar story for many other 13 year olds who were just used to sugary pop songs. 
 
Madonna was clever here. She knew she needed to bring her audience with her but push them along a bit. The album was pivotal to her longevity as an artist so its sales were probably known to be compromised somewhat in order to secure the next phase of her career. 
Vogue secured the bag after the 4/5/6th chaotic / underperforming singles run and brought her kicking and screaming into the new decade. 
 
Like A Prayer, Listen Without Prejudice and Rhythm Nation in that 12 month period literally made me grow into a teenager from a child musically. And Like A Prayer was the catalyst. It’s my favourite M album with Erotica. 
 
The real crowning glory for Like A Prayer however was the Blond Ambition Tour a month after Vogue dropped. It just turned things stratospheric with MTV just relentlessly playing her. It was non stop Madonna. So really you have to count Blond Ambition as part of the Like A Prayer era.
 
Breathless wasn’t released til May and Dick Tracy til June. So all of those songs were really premiered live on tour and the tour was sold off the back of LAP and Vogue. 

Die Another Day just for the radio edit and Causing for the single remix. 
 
I actually think the Dress You Up, True Blue and Open Your Heart album versions are  the more iconic and better sounding mixes. 

Not Shoo-Bee-Doo getting the chop! Chop Chop Chop. Leave her alone...

At the bare minimum for Like A Virgin Super Deluxe I'd want this cover on vinyl in the Blue. 

Disc One - Remastered extended album
Material Girl Angel Like A Virgin Over & Over Love Don't Live Here Anymore Into The Groove Dress You Up Pretender Stay Gambler Crazy For You  Disc Two - Unreleased
Desperately Seeking Susan [Unreleased] Warning Signs [Unreleased] Don't You Know (demo) Stay (demo) Angel (Steve Bray Demo) Over and Over (Steve Bray Demo) Shoo-Bee-Doo (Steve Bray Demo) Like a Virgin (Nile Rodgers 12" Remix) Into The Groove (Movie Version) Crazy for You (Jellybean Version) Gambler (Steve Bray Version) (hopefully another 3-4 we don't know about added here too)
Disc Three - The mixes
Like a Virgin (Extended Dance Remix)  Material Girl (Extended Dance Remix)  Angel (Extended Dance Remix)  Dress You Up (The 12" Formal Mix)  Gambler (Extended Dance Mix)  Material Girl (7" version) Like A Virgin (7" version) Angel (Video edit) Into The Groove (Video edit) Angel (Remix edit) Dress You Up ( 7" remix) Dress You Up (Casual instrumental mix) Disc Four: The Virgin Tour Live (Audio)
Dress You Up Holiday Into The Groove Everybody Angel Gambler Borderline Lucky Star Over & Over Burning Up Like A Virgin Material Girl Disc Five : The Videos
Like A Virgin  Material Girl  Angel  Into The Groove  Dress You Up Cray For You Gambler Like A Virgin (MTV awards) Dress You Up ( Keith Harring Birthday Party)

At the bare minimum for Like A Virgin Super Deluxe I'd want this cover on vinyl in the Blue. 

Disc One - Remastered extended album
Material Girl Angel Like A Virgin Over & Over Love Don't Live Here Anymore Into The Groove Dress You Up Pretender Stay Gambler Crazy For You  Disc Two - Unreleased
Desperately Seeking Susan [Unreleased] Warning Signs [Unreleased] Don't You Know (demo) Stay (demo) Angel (Steve Bray Demo) Over and Over (Steve Bray Demo) Shoo-Bee-Doo (Steve Bray Demo) Like a Virgin (Nile Rodgers 12" Remix) Into The Groove (Movie Version) Crazy for You (Jellybean Version) Gambler (Steve Bray Version) (hopefully another 3-4 we don't know about added here too)
Disc Three - The mixes
Like a Virgin (Extended Dance Remix)  Material Girl (Extended Dance Remix)  Angel (Extended Dance Remix)  Dress You Up (The 12" Formal Mix)  Gambler (Extended Dance Mix)  Material Girl (7" version) Like A Virgin (7" version) Angel (Video edit) Into The Groove (Video edit) Angel (Remix edit) Dress You Up ( 7" remix) Dress You Up (Casual instrumental mix) Disc Four: The Virgin Tour Live (Audio)
Dress You Up Holiday Into The Groove Everybody Angel Gambler Borderline Lucky Star Over & Over Burning Up Like A Virgin Material Girl Disc Five : The Videos
Like A Virgin  Material Girl  Angel  Into The Groove  Dress You Up Cray For You Gambler Like A Virgin (MTV awards) Dress You Up ( Keith Harring Birthday Party)

At the bare minimum for Like A Virgin Super Deluxe I'd want this cover on vinyl in the Blue. 

Disc One - Remastered extended album
Material Girl Angel Like A Virgin Over & Over Love Don't Live Here Anymore Into The Groove Dress You Up Pretender Stay Gambler Crazy For You  Disc Two - Unreleased
Desperately Seeking Susan [Unreleased] Warning Signs [Unreleased] Don't You Know (demo) Stay (demo) Angel (Steve Bray Demo) Over and Over (Steve Bray Demo) Shoo-Bee-Doo (Steve Bray Demo) Like a Virgin (Nile Rodgers 12" Remix) Into The Groove (Movie Version) Crazy for You (Jellybean Version) Gambler (Steve Bray Version) (hopefully another 3-4 we don't know about added here too)
Disc Three - The mixes
Like a Virgin (Extended Dance Remix)  Material Girl (Extended Dance Remix)  Angel (Extended Dance Remix)  Dress You Up (The 12" Formal Mix)  Gambler (Extended Dance Mix)  Material Girl (7" version) Like A Virgin (7" version) Angel (Video edit) Into The Groove (Video edit) Angel (Remix edit) Dress You Up ( 7" remix) Dress You Up (Casual instrumental mix) Disc Four: The Virgin Tour Live (Audio)
Dress You Up Holiday Into The Groove Everybody Angel Gambler Borderline Lucky Star Over & Over Burning Up Like A Virgin Material Girl Disc Five : The Videos
Like A Virgin  Material Girl  Angel  Into The Groove  Dress You Up Cray For You Gambler Like A Virgin (MTV awards) Dress You Up ( Keith Harring Birthday Party)

I think the proximity of GHV2 to Something To Remember would have been her main issue. She was probably somewhat forced to do Something To Remember after the success of Take A Bow and thought she could bear it as long as the ballads framed her well enough for her getting Evita.
"You want me to do a ballad greatest hits to soften my image and warm my self to Joe Public again because things have soured? Ok if I must"
 
five years later she's on top of the world again, After grafting her bollox off for Evita , then having a child and hustling her ass non stop on Ray Of Light, Music, The Next Best Thing and the Austin Powers theme song she really didn't see the point. She was back on top criticaly, commercially, a mother in a happy and fruitful relationship, with a full reinvention of both image, lifestyle and public perception and Warner want to pull the Greatest Hits lever again after she'd just worked her ass off for five years to stop her being resigned from a legacy artist?
I can imagine she wanted to tell them to fuck right off. So she tweaked the track list for maximum profit and said that's all the effort I'm willing to make.
I have absolutely no doubt that at that time Warner would have actually asked for a full retrospective Greatest Hits and Madonna probably told them to suck her punani.
BTW A full career double disc retrospective in 2001 is actually a cute thread concept. 

If truth be told there was actually more input from Madonna around Celebration than the IC. Four songs recorded for Celebration were released in some format and both singles were performed on MDNA and the former showcased on S&S2. 
 
Madonna ducked out after Justify on IC and Warner UK resorted to reissuing Holiday, Holiday Collection and Crazy For You to generate promotion. The Immaculate artwork was made from reused photos from the Blond Ambition tour book. At least Celebration had a specialist commissioned artwork by a famous artist. 
 
That’s just the tea. Are there even any interviews anywhere if Madonna promoting or speaking about The Immaculate Collection? I genuinely can’t think of any. 
 
Any hits album released at your controversial and commercial peak with a headline grabbing video like Justify is gonna be more essential and in the moment. The facts remain that Celebration Is the Immaculate minus Rescue plus 19 more hits. Released nearly 20 years later. Who ever thought that would be possible in 1990 let alone 92-3. Celebration is a hell of a flex and in truth contains four of the songs many wished has been included on IC.
Everybody, Burning Up, Dress You Up, Who’s That Girl. 
 
Honestly I’d it had included shorter edits ( no one needs six plus minutes of Holiday). 
True Blue, Deeper & Deeper, The Power Of Goodbye and Give It 2 Me instead of Miles Away it would pretty much be perfect and hugely comprehensive. 

Side note. Oh Father flopped somewhat due to a lack of 12”. It was her first single Warner single not to receive a 12” and collectors were like WTF. Live To Tell and The Look Of Love were  ballads and got 12” releases.  The visibility in stores a 12” single brings is vastly superior to a 3” cd single. 
 

Like A Prayer single was huge. 
Express Yourself felt like it underperformed a little. Cherish did well. The videos were in heavy rotation.  In the UK surprisingly Dear Jessie was a big hit. Number 5 at Xmas. It was the second most successful single and outsold Express Yourself and Cherish. 
Shocker huh. The Beatles influence maybe. 
Then it got messy. I used to watch the American chart show late night and saw the video for Oh Father which I had no idea had been released. Then I saw. Keep It Together 12” import in HMV and was like “what the fuck is going on”, Then I saw an advert in a magazine for a new single called Vogue. 
Dear Jessie had only been out of the UK top forty about a month before Vogue dropped and it felt like the Like A Prayer era sort of limped out very much unlike True Blue had two years earlier with La Isla going number one as the fifth single. 
 
Like A Prayer was a challenging album when you first listen. After the sheen of True Blue and the almost saccharine retreads of the WTG singles and Spotlight, the raw LAP sound felt like whiplash. Like A Prayer was essentially a rhythm guitar track with a hint of rock and gospel. It was so different. 
I got the album on release day and listened to it back to back three times and hated it. Where were my my big sing along Bopp love bangers? 
it took several listens for Express Yourself, Cherish and Keep It Together to start jumping out. The rest took more time. 
 
I imagine this was a similar story for many other 13 year olds who were just used to sugary pop songs. 
 
Madonna was clever here. She knew she needed to bring her audience with her but push them along a bit. The album was pivotal to her longevity as an artist so its sales were probably known to be compromised somewhat in order to secure the next phase of her career. 
Vogue secured the bag after the 4/5/6th chaotic / underperforming singles run and brought her kicking and screaming into the new decade. 
 
Like A Prayer, Listen Without Prejudice and Rhythm Nation in that 12 month period literally made me grow into a teenager from a child musically. And Like A Prayer was the catalyst. It’s my favourite M album with Erotica. 
 
The real crowning glory for Like A Prayer however was the Blond Ambition Tour a month after Vogue dropped. It just turned things stratospheric with MTV just relentlessly playing her. It was non stop Madonna. So really you have to count Blond Ambition as part of the Like A Prayer era.
 
Breathless wasn’t released til May and Dick Tracy til June. So all of those songs were really premiered live on tour and the tour was sold off the back of LAP and Vogue. 

I certainly wouldn't scoff at this!  I won't hold my breath, but we can dream can't we?  LOL!

At the bare minimum for Like A Virgin Super Deluxe I'd want this cover on vinyl in the Blue. 

Disc One - Remastered extended album
Material Girl Angel Like A Virgin Over & Over Love Don't Live Here Anymore Into The Groove Dress You Up Pretender Stay Gambler Crazy For You  Disc Two - Unreleased
Desperately Seeking Susan [Unreleased] Warning Signs [Unreleased] Don't You Know (demo) Stay (demo) Angel (Steve Bray Demo) Over and Over (Steve Bray Demo) Shoo-Bee-Doo (Steve Bray Demo) Like a Virgin (Nile Rodgers 12" Remix) Into The Groove (Movie Version) Crazy for You (Jellybean Version) Gambler (Steve Bray Version) (hopefully another 3-4 we don't know about added here too)
Disc Three - The mixes
Like a Virgin (Extended Dance Remix)  Material Girl (Extended Dance Remix)  Angel (Extended Dance Remix)  Dress You Up (The 12" Formal Mix)  Gambler (Extended Dance Mix)  Material Girl (7" version) Like A Virgin (7" version) Angel (Video edit) Into The Groove (Video edit) Angel (Remix edit) Dress You Up ( 7" remix) Dress You Up (Casual instrumental mix) Disc Four: The Virgin Tour Live (Audio)
Dress You Up Holiday Into The Groove Everybody Angel Gambler Borderline Lucky Star Over & Over Burning Up Like A Virgin Material Girl Disc Five : The Videos
Like A Virgin  Material Girl  Angel  Into The Groove  Dress You Up Cray For You Gambler Like A Virgin (MTV awards) Dress You Up ( Keith Harring Birthday Party)

It’s like Warner never wanted to fully support it even though they agreed to it. They gaslighted her a little with that one.
”LAP” era is super interesting. I can’t imagine being a fan coming from the three previous albums and suddenly getting that album. But it paid off. 

I know some of us floated the idea of Madonna "eras" before rather than specific album anniversaries that includes the tours, movies and side projects from around that time too. So the era is revisited through the celebration of that era with various releases from all projects.
Movies on streaming  (Netflix / Amazon / Disney / Apple etc) Album reissues and deluxe versions, New mixes of old songs released with current artists Tours brought to TV & Music streaming, Blue Ray  Coffee table book with notes, design and production details, Hand written lyrics, notes from Madonna of present and some entries from her diaries and scrapbooks.  Genius Interview documenting the writing process of some of each era with the relevant producers.  That all feels much more like the kind of celebration her career deserves. A bit like Bowies eras. 
 
The Virgin Years - Madonna - DSS - VQ - Like A Virgin - Live Aid - The Virgin Tour
White Heat - Shanghai Surprise - True Blue - Who's That Girl Film & OST - YCD - WTG tour
Blond Ambition - Like A Prayer -  I'm Breathless  - Dick Tracy - Blond Ambition Tour - Speed The Plough - Bloodhounds Of Broadway  - Truth Or Dare
S.E.X - Immaculate Collection - League Of Their Own - Erotica -  Body Of Evidence - Dangerous Game - The Girlie Show - S.E.X book
Logic & Reason - Ill Remember - Bedtime Stories - STR - Evita - Four Rooms - Girl Six
Shanti - Ray Of Light - Beautiful Stranger - Drowned World Tour
Americana - The Next Best Thing - Music - GHV2 - American Life - Die Another Day - Swept Away - Reinvention Tour - I'm Going To Tell You A Secret - Live 8
Sticky Disco - COAD - Confessions Tour - Hard Candy - Sticky & Sweet Tour - Live Earth - Celebration
 
Make your own ideas for MDNA onwards 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Is there a new Into The Groove copywrite for the Angel album? 

It will be a 7” vinyl rip and we will all deal 

It will be a 7” vinyl rip and we will all deal 

I know some of us floated the idea of Madonna "eras" before rather than specific album anniversaries that includes the tours, movies and side projects from around that time too. So the era is revisited through the celebration of that era with various releases from all projects.
Movies on streaming  (Netflix / Amazon / Disney / Apple etc) Album reissues and deluxe versions, New mixes of old songs released with current artists Tours brought to TV & Music streaming, Blue Ray  Coffee table book with notes, design and production details, Hand written lyrics, notes from Madonna of present and some entries from her diaries and scrapbooks.  Genius Interview documenting the writing process of some of each era with the relevant producers.  That all feels much more like the kind of celebration her career deserves. A bit like Bowies eras. 
 
The Virgin Years - Madonna - DSS - VQ - Like A Virgin - Live Aid - The Virgin Tour
White Heat - Shanghai Surprise - True Blue - Who's That Girl Film & OST - YCD - WTG tour
Blond Ambition - Like A Prayer -  I'm Breathless  - Dick Tracy - Blond Ambition Tour - Speed The Plough - Bloodhounds Of Broadway  - Truth Or Dare
S.E.X - Immaculate Collection - League Of Their Own - Erotica -  Body Of Evidence - Dangerous Game - The Girlie Show - S.E.X book
Logic & Reason - Ill Remember - Bedtime Stories - STR - Evita - Four Rooms - Girl Six
Shanti - Ray Of Light - Beautiful Stranger - Drowned World Tour
Americana - The Next Best Thing - Music - GHV2 - American Life - Die Another Day - Swept Away - Reinvention Tour - I'm Going To Tell You A Secret - Live 8
Sticky Disco - COAD - Confessions Tour - Hard Candy - Sticky & Sweet Tour - Live Earth - Celebration
 
Make your own ideas for MDNA onwards 
 
 
 
 
 
 

It will be a 7” vinyl rip and we will all deal 

Live To Tell is such a poignant song for her. It went to number one on June 7th, the month Martyn Bourgogne became ill with suspected measles. He was diagnosed with HIV in August. By the time Open Your Heart charted in the first week of December he was dead. She sang Live To Tell and dedicated it to him at the Aids Benefit of the Who's That Girl tout at Madison Square Garden in July 1987. 
I know the song was linked to HIV / Aids on the Confessions Tour and again on Celebration tour, but when you look back it really seems as though, by coincidence, this song, it's message and landing place was with and around Martin and the AIDS crisis. 
I know Madonna has said it's about a bunch of different stuff. Maybe her own father and linked to her mothers death or her being sexually assaulted but sometimes songs take on a new meaning through circumstances.
It makes the epic extended performance on the Who's That Girl Tour even more intense knowing what she'd just been through. 
 

It will be a 7” vinyl rip and we will all deal 

Love that Madonna sampled tears by Giorgio Moroder for the live to tell performance on the confessions tour, been wondering for years what song it was
 

I feel like we’re more likely to get Live to Tell on its Tuesday anniversary rather than Friday if we get it at all. 

Your endless creativity and unwavering hope is almost inspiring. But we all know, when they eventually get around to these reissues, it'll be a €200 Like A Prayer candle and a Sticky Disco pillow that's so sticky it's unusable. Sigh. Why does she hate us? (A rhetorical question, not an invitation to write an essay dear reader).

I know some of us floated the idea of Madonna "eras" before rather than specific album anniversaries that includes the tours, movies and side projects from around that time too. So the era is revisited through the celebration of that era with various releases from all projects.
Movies on streaming  (Netflix / Amazon / Disney / Apple etc) Album reissues and deluxe versions, New mixes of old songs released with current artists Tours brought to TV & Music streaming, Blue Ray  Coffee table book with notes, design and production details, Hand written lyrics, notes from Madonna of present and some entries from her diaries and scrapbooks.  Genius Interview documenting the writing process of some of each era with the relevant producers.  That all feels much more like the kind of celebration her career deserves. A bit like Bowies eras. 
 
The Virgin Years - Madonna - DSS - VQ - Like A Virgin - Live Aid - The Virgin Tour
White Heat - Shanghai Surprise - True Blue - Who's That Girl Film & OST - YCD - WTG tour
Blond Ambition - Like A Prayer -  I'm Breathless  - Dick Tracy - Blond Ambition Tour - Speed The Plough - Bloodhounds Of Broadway  - Truth Or Dare
S.E.X - Immaculate Collection - League Of Their Own - Erotica -  Body Of Evidence - Dangerous Game - The Girlie Show - S.E.X book
Logic & Reason - Ill Remember - Bedtime Stories - STR - Evita - Four Rooms - Girl Six
Shanti - Ray Of Light - Beautiful Stranger - Drowned World Tour
Americana - The Next Best Thing - Music - GHV2 - American Life - Die Another Day - Swept Away - Reinvention Tour - I'm Going To Tell You A Secret - Live 8
Sticky Disco - COAD - Confessions Tour - Hard Candy - Sticky & Sweet Tour - Live Earth - Celebration
 
Make your own ideas for MDNA onwards