The Best Greatest Hits Package

[Prayer 14,360]

She never wanted to do "GHV2", especially after coming back to the top with the "Ray Of Light" album - it was only a contractual obligation and it showed. Not much different than "Celebration" in that respect, honestly - but at least in 2001 albums still sold loads of copies.

Remember Warner wanted to release a greatest hits already in 1999, but she managed somehow convincing them to do another studio album instead and we got "93:99" on video format and then the "Music" album the year after.

But of course after "Music" and the "Drowned World Tour" she couldn't escape any longer.

That said, "GHV2" was her early 90s entry for many young fans back then and it was a very successful project. Of course it didn't last after the first months, no new songs, etc. but it did its job then: selling thousands (millions) of CDs that Christmas 2001.

[Anapausis 5,911]

2 hours ago, Prayer said:

She never wanted to do "GHV2,"

Well so she made it her way, as a way to tell the same story DWT told but to hits instead of Music and ROL album tracks. Given she had to deliver that, she did it accordingly to her vision of presenting some narrative akin to the tour she had just finished. As a way to showcasing the Madonna she was by then. Hence the tracklist order and single choices. It'd be still a representation of who Madonna was by then, instead of THAT 1989-1990 Madonna who was very proud to her past accolades, which were very documented to Immaculate Collection.

My point still stands.

[Prayer 14,360]

22 minutes ago, Anapausis said:

Well so she made it her way, as a way to tell the same story DWT told but to hits instead of Music and ROL album tracks. Given she had to deliver that, she did it accordingly to her vision of presenting some narrative akin to the tour she had just finished. As a way to showcasing the Madonna she was by then. Hence the tracklist order and single choices. It'd be still a representation of who Madonna was by then, instead of THAT 1989-1990 Madonna who was very proud to her past accolades, which were very documented to Immaculate Collection.

My point still stands.

She was on tour from June to September (three months preparing before that) and then she went to Europe to film "Swept Away". "GHV2" was out in November so surely it had to be finished by early October as latest. Her year was full in 2001 to work on a compilation she didn't even care about.

PLUS she had the Warner beef over different issues, one of them "Impressive Instant" vs "Amazing" single. That's why she didn't give them any new song - in the end she was hurting herself, not them, with a couple of new tracks she would have sold double and it already did quite well, 7M worldwide with just old songs.

Of course she picked the tracks but I don't think she gave it any much more thought other than that, honestly. And the tracklist order doesn't scream her either to me, but record label intervention.

They even got rid of "The Second Coming" (a nod to "The Immaculate Collection" but controversial) working title and of course avoid a Parental Advisory sticker by putting on the radio edit of "Human Nature".

I always liked "GHV2" as a title and still think it's cute, but it was mocked quite a lot as not very imaginative (it wasn't).

It was all safe as safe can be. And she wasn't usually that.

[Confessions Lightside 2,127]

The tracklist of GHV2 would be more interesting to me if it included songs like these:

• Impressive Instant -> to mock Warner and because I love the song xD
• Bad Girl -> underrated single
• Fever (Edit One) -> love this version and it deserves more attention (like Bad Girl)
• What It Feels Like For A Girl (Above & Beyond Video Edit) -> it would be cool to have this on an album because the album version is boring to me
• Music (HQ2 Radio Mix) -> remixes would make the album more energetic and fun to listen to
• Nothing Really Matters (Club 69 Radio Mix)
• GHV2 Tracy Young's Shake & Stir Club Mix
• GHV2 Thunderpuss Megamix -> could be the last track on the album (would be the perfect ending, in my opinion)
• Has To Be or Goodbye To Innocence -> I know it's random, but it would be cool to have a B-side or something unreleased included

In my opinion, it's also important that the tracklist has a smooth transition from quiet to loud/energetic. When I first listened to the GHV2 album, I nearly had a heart attack when Beautiful Stranger with its loud intro followed the quiet songs Bedtime Story and The Power Of Good-Bye...

[steady75 9,570]

Just give me chronological tracklist and two new tracks. 
that’s all. 
Even four from each studio album plus 

Beautiful Stranger

Would have felt more balanced for 17 tracks. 
 

Erotica

Deeper & Deeper

Fever

Bad Girl

Secret

Take A Bow

Bedtime Story

Human Nature 

Frozen

Ray Of Light

The Power Of Goodbye

Nothing Really Matters

Beautiful Stranger

American Pie 

Music

Don’t Tell Me 

What It Feels Like For A Girl 

 

[BoyToyMark 346]

11 hours ago, Anapausis said:

Well so she made it her way, as a way to tell the same story DWT told but to hits instead of Music and ROL album tracks. Given she had to deliver that, she did it accordingly to her vision of presenting some narrative akin to the tour she had just finished. As a way to showcasing the Madonna she was by then. Hence the tracklist order and single choices. It'd be still a representation of who Madonna was by then, instead of THAT 1989-1990 Madonna who was very proud to her past accolades, which were very documented to Immaculate Collection.

My point still stands.

I kind of see your point and I do follow that she made it her way. It was more obvious to me she was invested in The Immaculate Collection and Celebration though.

I still, for all its downfalls enjoy listening to GHV2

[steady75 9,570]

I suppose it’s just a bit of a shame that the most artistic period in her career was represented so half heartedly. The 90’s (beginning and end, let’s forget the ballad hell middle) were her most creative decade with her brightest results. 

[Dita-84 50]

13 hours ago, steady75 said:

Just give me chronological tracklist and two new tracks. 
that’s all. 
Even four from each studio album plus 

Beautiful Stranger

Would have felt more balanced for 17 tracks. 
 

Erotica

Deeper & Deeper

Fever

Bad Girl

Secret

Take A Bow

Bedtime Story

Human Nature 

Frozen

Ray Of Light

The Power Of Goodbye

Nothing Really Matters

Beautiful Stranger

American Pie 

Music

Don’t Tell Me 

What It Feels Like For A Girl 

 

Love this! I would probably replace Bad Girl with Rain as I like the track so much. Otherwise, chefs kiss! 

[BoyToyMark 346]

13 hours ago, steady75 said:

Just give me chronological tracklist and two new tracks. 
that’s all. 
Even four from each studio album plus 

Beautiful Stranger

Would have felt more balanced for 17 tracks. 
 

Erotica

Deeper And Deeper

Fever

Bad Girl

Secret

Take A Bow

Bedtime Story

Human Nature 

Frozen

Ray Of Light

The Power Of Good-bye

Nothing Really Matters

Beautiful Stranger

American Pie 

Music

Don’t Tell Me 

What It Feels Like For A Girl 

 

I would've swapped Bad Girl and Fever for Rain and I'll Remember respectively as they were hits. Three from Erotica and Music, four from Bedtime Stories and Ray Of Light, plus the soundtrack singles. 

[gst6662000 293]

17 hours ago, Prayer said:

She was on tour from June to September (three months preparing before that) and then she went to Europe to film "Swept Away". "GHV2" was out in November so surely it had to be finished by early October as latest. Her year was full in 2001 to work on a compilation she didn't even care about.

PLUS she had the Warner beef over different issues, one of them "Impressive Instant" vs "Amazing" single. That's why she didn't give them any new song - in the end she was hurting herself, not them, with a couple of new tracks she would have sold double and it already did quite well, 7M worldwide with just old songs.

Of course she picked the tracks but I don't think she gave it any much more thought other than that, honestly. And the tracklist order doesn't scream her either to me, but record label intervention.

They even got rid of "The Second Coming" (a nod to "The Immaculate Collection" but controversial) working title and of course avoid a Parental Advisory sticker by putting on the radio edit of "Human Nature".

I always liked "GHV2" as a title and still think it's cute, but it was mocked quite a lot as not very imaginative (it wasn't).

It was all safe as safe can be. And she wasn't usually that.

I just thought GHV2 is like INRI of Christianity 

[Prayer 14,360]

15 minutes ago, gst6662000 said:

I just thought GHV2 is like INRI of Christianity 

WHAT

This topic messing us all. 

[steady75 9,570]

yeah I left of Rain & I'll Remember because of Something To Remember. You can't really leave Take A Bow off though eh. 

[chaosmen1984mk 798]

On 2/29/2024 at 6:16 AM, Anapausis said:

Dear @Dita-84,

My complain is about how M fans cannot understand the vision M has had about her work, I say, the blurred lines that she expect us to decipher once we get familiarized to her mindset.

About GHV2: it was clear to M's vision then she wanted to do to GHV2 what people expected her after being disappointed to "no hits!" Drowned World Tour setlist. She tried to do an "alternate hit-driven version" of what DWT was. Of course, with only these hits, because at that time they were the only ones she was akin to. The tracklist order follow a very similar narrative to DWT's. Believe it or not.

About Celebration: she was just saying yes to Warner to leave them out. She recorded new songs (as well as new takes from old leftovers) just to please them. I really bet she even wanted that tracklist. It was just, "ok, you want this from me, this is what the contract says, so ok I'll do this and I move away from you by front door." She was just focused to Jesus Luz and S&ST Round II.

I really get GHV2 was her vision by then, and we as her fans should respect her and admit what she had in mind and Celebration was her notcurring at all, after all, it was a thing she had to deliver so she would not have to leave label to "not pendant issues."

Of course we as fans have the full right to disagree to Madonna's mindset as we aren't her; but saying things are out of order without getting the full pic behind them is to do what SayHeyers do to Kylie and her work.

We don't need to say ok to everything M does; we only should get why M had this thing in mind by that time, after all, we support her, otherwise we'd be stanning other people.

I hope I have been the clearer possible.

I'm sorry, honey, but I only read the first two lines of your comment because I was too lazy to read everything you wrote because it seemed more like you had written your biography because of how long your text was. Next time, try to express your ideas in a more brief and concise way so that all of us can read your comments from beginning to end and not pass them by due to the laziness that comes with reading such extensive and at the same time so inconsistent texts.

[Anapausis 5,911]

Anyway, I haven't answered that question yet. Well this one:

  the one which meant to be the first of all!!!

[gst6662000 293]

with all that talk about MUSIC ..... I just gotta listen to MUSIC of CELEBRATION and MUSIC of album proper..... MUSIC of celebration is terrible.... unbalanced..... what happened??? 

[Dita-84 50]

This is quite a decent track list I put together for ghv2. Not in chronological order but for me it flows quite well.

Music 

Ray of light 

Beautiful stranger 

Drowned world 

The power of goodbye 

Nothing really matters 

Frozen 

Bedtime story

Human nature 

Secret 

Take a Bow

Rain 

Erotica 

Deeper and deeper 

Don’t tell me 

What it feels like for a girl 

[gst6662000 293]

On 3/1/2024 at 5:27 AM, Confessions Lightside said:

The tracklist of GHV2 would be more interesting to me if it included songs like these:

• Impressive Instant -> to mock Warner and because I love the song xD
• Bad Girl -> underrated single
• Fever (Edit One) -> love this version and it deserves more attention (like Bad Girl)
• What It Feels Like For A Girl (Above & Beyond Video Edit) -> it would be cool to have this on an album because the album version is boring to me
• Music (HQ2 Radio Mix) -> remixes would make the album more energetic and fun to listen to
• Nothing Really Matters (Club 69 Radio Mix)
• GHV2 Tracy Young's Shake & Stir Club Mix
• GHV2 Thunderpuss Megamix -> could be the last track on the album (would be the perfect ending, in my opinion)
• Has To Be or Goodbye To Innocence -> I know it's random, but it would be cool to have a B-side or something unreleased included

In my opinion, it's also important that the tracklist has a smooth transition from quiet to loud/energetic. When I first listened to the GHV2 album, I nearly had a heart attack when Beautiful Stranger with its loud intro followed the quiet songs Bedtime Story and The Power Of Good-Bye...

A wasted opportunity to debut fever edit one...... 

[Prayer 14,360]

9 hours ago, gst6662000 said:

with all that talk about MUSIC ..... I just gotta listen to MUSIC of CELEBRATION and MUSIC of album proper..... MUSIC of celebration is terrible.... unbalanced..... what happened??? 

Bad tape transfer with all the pops and clicks on that bad transfer more noticeable with the 2009 remaster/boosting.

[BoyToyMark 346]

14 hours ago, Dita-84 said:

This is quite a decent track list I put together for ghv2. Not in chronological order but for me it flows quite well.

Music 

Ray of light 

Beautiful stranger 

Drowned world 

The power of goodbye 

Nothing really matters 

Frozen 

Bedtime story

Human nature 

Secret 

Take a Bow

Rain 

Erotica 

Deeper and deeper 

Don’t tell me 

What it feels like for a girl 

Love. I'd swap Drowned World for I'll Remember [Orbit Remix] and I'm on board.

[Anapausis 5,911]

Why you just cannot accept GHV2 is the way it is? Oh holy pity...

[Donna 16,440]

The Power of Goodbye and Rain would have been a nice inclusion to make GHV2 complete for me!  Of course, the latter may have been left off purposely because it was included on Something To Remember compilation.

[Drownedboy 1,676]

Say what you want but selling 7 millions of copies of old songs in 2001 was a total succes at the time. Yes I remember that we were as fans dissapointed at the time cause there were no new songs and yes, the sequence of the songs was a bit strange, but, hey, the songs are amazing and so was the megamix, and at that time she was considered the best of the best in pop star terms and she was cooking a new album so, what is to complain really, looking back!

I think the problem was that the 80s track of the IC blended better together between each other than the 90 stuff, which was more about monographic albums that had nothing to be between each other, cause yes Evita songs, erotica, ROL and Don´t tell me sound in the same record is a bit crazy, but hey, that´s who she was in the 90s! So experimental really.

[Dita-84 50]

15 hours ago, Anapausis said:

Why you just cannot accept GHV2 is the way it is? Oh holy pity...

Because it’s crap! 😂

[BoyToyMark 346]

I think The Immaculate Collection is perfect as is, only really missing Dress You Up for me.

Always been surprised that Causing A Commotion wasn't included considering it was remixed by Shep and performed on Blond Ambition Tour every night months prior.

[steady75 9,570]

She might have been sick of it by the end of the tour.