Rebel Heart - Album Thread [Happy 1st Birthday!]

[Fighter 28,798]

It's not so much ageism as much it is an image problem and music the GP and a lot of fans didn't like IMHO.

 

I don't think it takes money to promote, ovbiously she gets paid for it. What it takes is time and effort, and I understand if at this point in her life she doesn't wanna do it and prefers to spend as much time with her children as possible. I applaud that.

 

However she seems to want to release an album at the end of the year which means promo is a possibility.

 

Promotion can only help an album, but only if the album is good.

 

A huge product endorsement will hurt her in my opinion. People don't wanna see that, they don't want artists shoving products in their faces, that worked in 2010 and a lot of music videos came out that way, but now people see it as a joke. 

 

What she needs to do is repair her "all about $" image and do with her music what she did with Secret Project and take some kind of risk, maybe producing and directing a music video all by herself and going all out with it. She has everything to gain with a move like that in the long run.

 

You have to spend money to make money. And you have to try to look like you're not about the money as well...

[Guest]

It's not so much ageism as much it is an image problem and music the GP and a lot of fans didn't like IMHO.

 

I don't think it takes money to promote, ovbiously she gets paid for it. What it takes is time and effort, and I understand if at this point in her life she doesn't wanna do it and prefers to spend as much time with her children as possible. I applaud that.

 

However she seems to want to release an album at the end of the year which means promo is a possibility.

 

Promotion can only help an album, but only if the album is good.

 

A huge product endorsement will hurt her in my opinion. People don't wanna see that, they don't want artists shoving products in their faces, that worked in 2010 and a lot of music videos came out that way, but now people see it as a joke. 

 

What she needs to do is repair her "all about $" image and do with her music what she did with Secret Project and take some kind of risk, maybe producing and directing a music video all by herself and going all out with it. She has everything to gain with a move like that in the long run.

 

You have to spend money to make money. And you have to try to look like you're not about the money as well...

Oh, if you think she has "image" problems now,  you should have seen it back in the 80's. This is nothing. She's always had people who criticized her. The difference is that she's not on the minds of the youth oriented music world. I see it completely about age. Madonna's been doing her thing for the last 30 years. She's changed with the times. She's altered her appearance and her music to fit the times. For instance... "Hard Candy". I know some fans swear this is her worst album, but it's funny how now there are a number of artitsts who are releasing songs that mirror the funky side of this album.

 

And yes, it takes lots of money to promote, unless you go on Instagram and just post away. Usually the record companies an artist is tied to puts out so much money to promote. They give their artists the money to finance their music videos. They put out money to start campaigns and put up billboards, etc. Remember the whole "Confessions" campaign with the phone number, etc? No doubt that wasn't cheap. A lot of posters went out and a huge on-line campaign. And those promo tours that she has been putting on the last decade, that surely costs money, especially the concert is for free to the fans. They have to pay to set up, all the people involved, etc. 

 

If an artist is lucky the promotion pays off and they make more money than they put out. Then a percentage of that goes back to the record company.

 

I read an article on Michael Jackson where his record company back in '83 refused to fund Jackson's last video from the Thriller album. What video was that? "THRILLER". The album already surpassed their expectations at that point. They felt they didn't need to spend any more money to promote it as it was still selling well. This is an album that is said to be the biggest grossing album ever. This is after "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" were HUGE. Michael had to find someone else to help finance his video, which is probably why it turned into something more elaborate... The Thriller video.

[NowRadiate 3,331]

https://twitter.com/diplo/status/478374669616033792

Diplo tweeted that his favourite Madonna‘s songs are Into the Groove and Deeper and Deeper. But it added that the tracks they co-wrote rock as well.

 

Diplo: â€Me and Madonna recorded hot songsâ€

 

Do you trust Diplo?

 

 

Gotta trust his sweaty armpits.

 

 

[Fighter 28,798]

Oh, if you think she has "image" problems now,  you should have seen it back in the 80's. This is nothing. She's always had people who criticized her. The difference is that she's not on the minds of the youth oriented music world. I see it completely about age. Madonna's been doing her thing for the last 30 years. She's changed with the times. She's altered her appearance and her music to fit the times. For instance... "Hard Candy". I know some fans swear this is her worst album, but it's funny how now there are a number of artitsts who are releasing songs that mirror the funky side of this album.

 

And yes, it takes lots of money to promote, unless you go on Instagram and just post away. Usually the record companies an artist is tied to puts out so much money to promote. They give their artists the money to finance their music videos. They put out money to start campaigns and put up billboards, etc. Remember the whole "Confessions" campaign with the phone number, etc? No doubt that wasn't cheap. A lot of posters went out and a huge on-line campaign. And those promo tours that she has been putting on the last decade, that surely costs money, especially the concert is for free to the fans. They have to pay to set up, all the people involved, etc. 

 

If an artist is lucky the promotion pays off and they make more money than they put out. Then a percentage of that goes back to the record company.

 

I read an article on Michael Jackson where his record company back in '83 refused to fund Jackson's last video from the Thriller album. What video was that? "THRILLER". The album already surpassed their expectations at that point. They felt they didn't need to spend any more money to promote it as it was still selling well. This is an album that is said to be the biggest grossing album ever. This is after "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" were HUGE. Michael had to find someone else to help finance his video, which is probably why it turned into something more elaborate... The Thriller video.

 

 

She was always in trouble with a portion of the public, mostly people who would never buy a Madonna album in the first place but now it's different. She's been in a lot of serious controversies like fighting with presidents of countries and accusations of lies and corruption in charities, accusations of paid adoptions, etc. That is a PR disaster. There's enough prejudice with celeb adoptions and charities to begin with! so add that PR disaster to it...

 

It's also the cliche sounding political speech. People would understand her better if she expressed these issues in her music but unfortunately there's a big disconnect lately between her speech and her music which is probably why people also feel she doesn't care as much about her music as before, or that she's mostly in it for the money.

 

We as fans get her, but the GP doesn't. Her potential public doesn't get her anymore.

 

She hasn't used Instagram yet to promote a product and wether that's promotion or not is debatable. To me her instagram is something only hardcore fans and hardcore haters care about.

 

Honestly if another artist I don't care much about posted something to promote a product on Instagram I would NEVER hear about it. 

 

For an album to do well: 1) it needs to be great 2) She needs to be visible to the GP with it, honestly a couple of high profile performances at the Grammys or MTV Awards or whatever would have big impact with the sales of her albums. She can also do TV show promo but I feel she thinks that's beneath her. Just showing up on a TV show and singing a song, that was magical during Confessions, but then again that whole time was magical. Some things in life can't be duplicated...

 

That's a great story about Thriller. That's the kind of thing she should do if she wants people to see her as a real artist again, take a risk, find some kind of funding for her work that doesn't cheapen it by sticking a logo in the middle of the screen. People wanna support artists that seem to care more about their art than about the money.

 

Then again of course, she could retire or just release albums that don't do well commercially just for the fans and then tour just for the fans, that's an enterily different discussion. I don't have a problem with that.

[Guest]

Sorry, but I have to disagree with a lot of your assessment here. Being there when she first came about, I guarantee her public image today is far better off than it was by the late 80's and early 90's.

 

Point 1: Tipper Gore wife of politician AL GORE (previous vice president) spoke out against the fact she was offended by Madonna's lyrics from her LIKE A VIRGIN album. She was offended that her daugher was listeining to of all songs, "Dress You Up". Tipper Gore was heavily behind the insistance of labeling albums with "Parental Advisory" stickers.

 

Point 2: Papa Don't Preach, Madonna once again was the subject of controversy by not only by some religious affliations but from both sides of the fences and organization that didn't support abortion and as well as those supported abortion.

 

Point 3: Open Your Heart: by this point she was pretty much labeled a "slut" and an attention seeker. She was known by this point as the tart that had to take her clothes off to sell her music. Not only that, there were a lot of organizations upset over the fact she had a pre-teen boy hanging out at a strip club in her latest video.

 

Point 4: Sean Penn. His constant legal issues and her support for him penned the name "Poison Penns". By then, Shanghai Surprise already received a lot of negative press before it came out.

 

Point 5: Like A Prayer: Pepsi.  Once again, she was in hot water with many religious affiliations and offended a lot of people by kissing a black man on a church's alter and dancing in front of burning crosses. At the time, she had a 10 million dollar campaign with Pepsi which was squashed before it even got going.

 

By the late 80's, her public image was very negative. Still like now, she had a strong fan base. The difference is that fans defended her and enjoyed the music and videos and concerts no matter how outrageous she got.

 

Point 6: Justify My Love: at this point NEW YORK TIMES a world's publication branded her a "TRAMP on the front cover of their Newspaper. She even went on NIGHTLINE (which is equivalent to DATELINE today) and defended herself in the video. The correspondent was not very kind to her. In the end, she still got the last laugh because she ended up selling the video and it was the highest selling video at the time.

 

Point 7: While filming A League of Their Own in Indiana, she publicly commented how bored she was and said some very unkind comments about her location in Evansville, I believe. That upsetted a lot of midwesterns which is part of the bible belt of the country.

 

Point 8: Sex Book/Erotica/Body of Evidence. Not that anyone was surprised by the direction she took with her next three projects, but it only validated what people already have been saying of her image and persona. In fact, it probably became the lowest point of her career and I believe she knew it.

 

Point 9: David Letterman appearance in early '94. She got a lot of flack for saying the "F" word on network TV over 10 times. This was heavily publicized and once again, she was poorly thought of.

 

So my whole point is, what you're experiencing is chump change. In fact, I feel that her image is far more positive and she's far more respected than she's been for years. I don't think a lot of general public really care sabout some of the things you brought up except the fans. They are the ones who tend to make more a bigger issue of any negativity than goes out to the general public. Social Media only fuels the fire with fans writing to these nobodies who bash her in the press.

 

As for Instagram not being a promotional tool? Sure it is. She gets a lot of press for what she posts and just yesterday she posted several pictures of her using one of her beauty products. That's what I call self promotion.

 

You say she needs to be visible to the general public with her music. Hmmm? Now you might not be a sports fan, but the Super Bowl is one of the hugest public events one can perform at. I realize it's not really a WORLD event, but since her target was the U.S., it is the biggest audience at one time she ever has gotten. She performed her new song on the half-time show. Yet, I still read from fans they are convinced the general public had no idea she has a new album out? REALLY? The lead up to the Superbowl, RADIO was paid to play "GMAYL" several times an hour that weekend and the following week. At the same time, it was announced she was going on a WORLD TOUR.  She released the video to GMAYL and it get millions of hits. To me, that was very visible, yet MDNA in U.S. alone sold less than American Life. 

 

Radio dropped GMAYL like it never existed after the Payola expired. The General public spoke very positive of her for the next few weeks leading up to the release of her album. People I who I knew that wasn't fond of Madonna, spoke highly of her at the time. They enjoyed her SB performance.

 

So yeah, I agree she needs to do high profile appearancse to promote her next record, but I don't believe it will help in sales, nor will it get radio play. Like I mentioned, it does come down to age because pop music is geared to the youth. I remember when I was a kid when Cher and few acts from the 60's became popular again, the youth called them old and radio DJ's made fun of them.

 

Whether I think the album will be a stellar or not, (it's subjective anyway), it doesn't mean people are going to run out and buy it. Critics can say it's her best album ever and I don't believe it will sell even close to her last highly successful record which was "Confesssions On A Dancefloor". 

 

I totally understand that fans are entitled to their opinion and they do not need to like everything she does, but fans these days seem to follow what the neysayers say too much and then start believing it themselves. I still remember how FANS originally raved over AMERICAN LIFE when it was first released, but as soon as the critics started hammering at it, the songs weren't getting played on radio and the record wasn't selling well, then fans started saying the same crap the negative critics were saying.

 

I guess I miss the old days when a fan just stood by their favorite artists and ignored the negativity rather give into it. Again, I am not saying one should think everything she does is GOLD, but I just remember there wasn't so much demand and expectations on her then as of now. Fans didn't dictate how her album should be. They just enjoyed it. Sure, with each new album every artist loses fans because of the artist's direction and that's no different for Madonna. Still, she is one of the few artists who keeps gaining younger fans. Also, I've been noticing that the General public for a few years now have been quite respectful of her. Not to say, she doesn't get jabs here and there and I know some fans and people give her shit for talking about Kaballah and politics, but it's what she's into these days, just like when she was younger she talked about taboo subjects in sex and religion.

 

Then again, it may be regional related. For the longest time, in the U.S., she was thought of as  a "has-been" while in Europe and other regions she was highly successful. I think the last two albums especially she's been trying to reach the very country that help put her on the map... The U.S.  Why? It's a vast country and it's where most popular artists can sell the most records in. It's a huge market. When the SB, happened I thought she had a great chance to score big, but even a huge event like SB didn't help sell the albums. But damn did she do well on tour, and I have a feeling that was the intention from the start of the MDNA campaign. Get people to her shows.

[Fighter 28,798]

While she was controversial in the 80s and really throughout her career, music fans supported her because it was all about the music.

 

They knew her music had a provocative message that would piss stupid people off, and that's what her public live for, but they don't see that anymore in her albums.

 

In recent years her political talk has escalated a ton while her music has shifted to "tweeting on the elevator" territory. There is a big disconnect. COADF was a perfect example of how she could be fun and marketable yet very meaningful. That proves she doesn't have to dumb herself down to sell her music nor work with Ninja Minja or whatever her name is.

 

But the point is that she has all these ugly controversies now and they have nothing to do with her music. To the average music fan that's very off putting. The controversy is not a product of calculated provocation so how could it be enjoyable?

 

I know absolutely no one that would ever watch the Superbowl... but I know you're talking about the US, her performance helped GMAYL commercially there, but I think the public saw it more as a landmark moment in her career.

 

Music fans care a lot more about The Grammys and VMAS for new music. They pay attention to that. She had more visibility to random music fans worldwide when she appeared at the Billboard music awards last year. I saw a lot of teens saying nice things about her, even though her speech was so long-winded.......... again...... everytime she makes an appearance like this in her mind they're giving her the lifetime achievement award.    (this is also one of things about her that annoy people recently lol)

 

Most (sane) people respect her for past achievements and music fans still love her and want her to do well, but that doesn't mean they're gonna support her if they think her current work is blah. When she produces something as amazing as COADF and it flops I'll believe it's ageism, until then, I just don't have conclusive evidence.

 

I think the negativity from the fans is mostly aimed at the people around her who are letting her latest products get released with major flaws in them ever since 2009. its been too long for it to still be happening on every release. To speak out about it is to defend her creative integrity and brand. Unfortunately I have to include the MDNA album in this list and I wish I didn't have to. To go back to our original discussion point, if they wanna blame Guy Oseary then so be it... someone's head has to roll.

[Guest]

I really don't see it all like that. I feel she's in total charge and everything she does is her choice, not anyone around her. It's been like that from Day one.

 

I brought up the SB because you mentioned she needed to do something to be visible to the general public. While I agree, outside of the U.S., no cares about the SB, but the half-time is an event and her appearance WAS a world event. NFL knew it and made sure that game reached more than just the U.S. market. I agree, it was a "landmark" moment, but it was a moment she took advantage of. She used that moment to launch a new album and tour. She knows albums don't sell like they used to, so it was all about the tour. Doesn't mean I think she put out a crap album. I like MDNA very much. Is it her best album? To me, that's subjective and I would say no. Still, it's a great album.

 

I still believe it's about ageism. I guess I can say that because COADF in her home country didn't do as well as it did world-wide. Yes, it did much much better than American Life, but I thought American Life was a fantastic album. People got the wrong perception of that album. Though with Hard Candy and MDNA there was no negative perception for those albums. People in general care less about her music. Many think she's past her prime.

 

I feel that most fans decide their likes and dislikes of music based on the media/crtics perception. I've witnessed with each album fans raving about each new album, but only after the critics start nailing her and the album doesn't sell well, the fans start writing the album off as bad.

 

Explain to me, if it isn't "ageism" then why doesn't the current music outlets and radio stations still play her new stuff. GGW, despite your dislike for the song is exactly what Pop radio was playing and still is playing. A number of the Hard Candy tracks are very similar to the funky songs that are popular right now by Pharell, Justin Timberlake, and Robin Thicke to name a few.

 

It's all about the age and like every huge and successful rock star before her, who still keeps plugging away, there albums get less and less exposure and the general public hears less and less about them. The only reason why I believe Madonna is still talked about heavily for anything she does is because she does speak out politically and does things against the norm for what people expect of 50 year old women. And no, most of the attacks on her in the 80's and 90's weren't over her music, rather it was her overtly sexual attitude and controversies regarding religious imagery.  It always bothered me back in the day that they never talked about her music or asked her about it. It was always about the silly controversies. Yes, it worked at her advantage. Today, she's older and wiser and it makes sense she speaks out more politically. Most older people do, especially when they have children and grandchildren who will carrry on after them. But as usual, in politics, people do not want to listen to anyone else's opinions or ideas except their own.

[Fighter 28,798]

I really don't see it all like that. I feel she's in total charge and everything she does is her choice, not anyone around her. It's been like that from Day one.

 

 

Yes she is in charge of the creative aspects, but ovbiously she doesn't sit down to burn her DVDs in front of a computer at home or make the decisions about burning them on single or double layers lol, the problems with her releases have been TECHNICAL not creative! And whoever mixed and mastered S&S Tour DVD, MDNA album and MDNA Tour was deaf! I wanna believe that she hasn't been paying much attention to this side of things because she has so much on her plate, I can't blame her for these problems, but someone should be held responsible. Her manager knows very well what the fans complain about on forums and social media, and yet it keeps happening?. I have nothing personal against him he made me so happy with the triangle but yeah. I will always look out for M.

 

 

I brought up the SB because you mentioned she needed to do something to be visible to the general public. While I agree, outside of the U.S., no cares about the SB, but the half-time is an event and her appearance WAS a world event. NFL knew it and made sure that game reached more than just the U.S. market. I agree, it was a "landmark" moment, but it was a moment she took advantage of. She used that moment to launch a new album and tour. She knows albums don't sell like they used to, so it was all about the tour. Doesn't mean I think she put out a crap album. I like MDNA very much. Is it her best album? To me, that's subjective and I would say no. Still, it's a great album.

 

 

 

If you have cable you can find the superbowl here, but no one cares unless they are hardcore fans of the sport, or fans of the artist performing. What I mean is that people aren't going to find it by chance, and there's no hype for it outside of the US. People probably saw a clip of Madonna performing on the news and that's about it, and they probably saw the part where she almost fell on her ass the most lmao. The only thing I ever saw from the Superbowl before Madonna was Janet Jackson exposing her breast.  :done:

 

 

I still believe it's about ageism. I guess I can say that because COADF in her home country didn't do as well as it did world-wide. Yes, it did much much better than American Life, but I thought American Life was a fantastic album. People got the wrong perception of that album. Though with Hard Candy and MDNA there was no negative perception for those albums. People in general care less about her music. Many think she's past her prime.

 

 

 

Hard Candy and MDNA are seen as her lesser albums by the public and music fans, its just a matter of reading what people have to say in music forums outside the Madonna fandom and it's always the same opinions. There may not be overwhelming negativity about them but there's no overwhelming positivity either. One reviewer said of MDNA "it's just another Madonna album".

 

MDNA may be sort of an ugly duckling of hers, but it's still freaking Madonna. She still sold 2 million and got a Top 10 hit in her home country. Because her worst is still remarkably creative and better than most people at their prime. So ovbiously it's not crap at all, it's just that she set the bar REALLY high for herself with an impecable 30 year career.

 

 

I feel that most fans decide their likes and dislikes of music based on the media/crtics perception. I've witnessed with each album fans raving about each new album, but only after the critics start nailing her and the album doesn't sell well, the fans start writing the album off as bad.

 

 

 

I think the fans love her so much that at first they see everything as being amazing and then their opinions mature, some albums also get better or worse with repeated listens. This happened with MDNA for me, I wanted her so badly to put out an epic album that at first the hype got to me, but then my opinion started to change. I don't think I based it on how it performed because I didn't read any bad reviews at the time and I wasn't keeping track of sales and chart positions back then at all... the music just got boring after a while. I still enjoy tracks from it from time to time but yeah. It's not like with COADF or American Life where I press play and I feel this deep connection with what she's singing on every track.

 

Hard Candy on the other hand has aged really well for me.  I was listening to it the other day and I absolutely love it.

 

 

Explain to me, if it isn't "ageism" then why doesn't the current music outlets and radio stations still play her new stuff. GGW, despite your dislike for the song is exactly what Pop radio was playing and still is playing. A number of the Hard Candy tracks are very similar to the funky songs that are popular right now by Pharell, Justin Timberlake, and Robin Thicke to name a few.

 

 

 

Radio in the US hates her since American Life. That's not going to change. In my country I heard Girl Gone Wild on the radio by chance and they play Turn Up The Radio on the news as background music all the time on TV!!! I dont really like these songs a lot but I still enjoy them because they're Madonna's. 

 

But of course there's media ageism, but within the public, ageist people are people who probably have never supported her to begin with. I don't think that's the reason her music is not doing as well as it did before.

 

With Hard Candy it's funny, it was both a tired sound AND ahead of its time, she released it right in the worst possible moment. The sound by that time was on its way out and dance was exploding, and now people are making music that sounds just like Hard Candy! Blurred Lines is Give It 2 Me part II basically... some music experts have actually made this connection  

 

Maybe if she had released MDNA in 2008 and Hard Candy in 2012 things would've been much better.

 

 

It's all about the age and like every huge and successful rock star before her, who still keeps plugging away, there albums get less and less exposure and the general public hears less and less about them. The only reason why I believe Madonna is still talked about heavily for anything she does is because she does speak out politically and does things against the norm for what people expect of 50 year old women. And no, most of the attacks on her in the 80's and 90's weren't over her music, rather it was her overtly sexual attitude and controversies regarding religious imagery. Today, she's older and wiser and it makes sense she speaks out more politically. Most older people do, especially when they have children and grandchildren who will carrry on after them. But like anything in politics, people do not want to listen to anyone else's opinions or ideas except their own.

 

 

 

The albums get less exposure because well she doesn't promote lol but there's also the fact that the industry is completely different than it was even when Hard Candy was released, and there's a ton of new artists the public can choose from... artists who make amazing music videos and perform on TV, promote a lot, etc...talented artists that people wanna support because they are new and naive and not 500 millionaires lol. They have a clean slate. 

 

It's also that she peaked so high with Confessions that a decline was inevitable. It happened to her after Ray Of Light and it happened to her in the early 90s.

 

The controversies during the 80s and 90s were indeed about sexuality and religious imagery, but it was all connected to the music! Like A Prayer, Erotica, Justify My Love! there was a seamless connection. It was something purposeful that she exploited to put a socially relevant message across that she believed in. She was pissing off biggots and idiots left and right and it was enormously enjoyable to intelligent people who supported her. There's nothing enjoyable about human rights organizations saying she paid the Malawian judges for a quickie adoption and stuff like that. It's just ugly. I'm not saying it's her fault, I'm just saying that kind of negativity is a stain on anyone's image.

 

I have no problem with her speaking about politics, but no one wants to listen to someone who preaches a lot about serious things, and at the same time puts out music about being a girl gone wild, the contrast makes her look silly to the GP.   She's not using her music to put across the important messages she wants to convey, you only see that on her live shows and even then it's the old songs like Nobody Knows Me that are used to convey those messages :stress: . She has this massive important message that she tries to convey with Art For Freedom/Secret Project and there was no music around it... ovbiously people would care more if she used her music for this. 

 

Her message was much more clear in the old days when she put it in the music.

 

Still mixing music and politics is a bit taboo, unless you can write a song like Imagine.

 

So for the next album I wanna see her singing about things she's passionate about. Then maybe the public will understand her points and applaud her for it. It will show in the music if she's passionate. American Life is a great album, but she found a perfect balance in COADF. :rebel: she can be fun and still be political. Thats pretty much the DNA of Madonna, but it's not MDNA.

[Guest]

I guess I'm a one of a kind fan. I keep reading what fans "expect", rather just let Madonna be creative and express herself the way she chooses. Of course, they don't have to like it, but the fact fans now a days set themselves up for disappointment baffles me. As you know, I've been a fan for much of her career. While I don't LOVE everything she does or expresses, I have NO expectations. I just enjoy it. Sure there are things I loved to have more of or see... such as Blond Ambition, RIT and VIRGIN tour on DVD. But I certainly do not blame her manager for that. Hell, he wasn't even part of her circle for the first two tours I mentioned. I guess I can't fathom how fans can build themselves up for things and expect her to deliver what they want each time she comes out with something new. I think younger fans are very spoiled because the early generation of fans just enjoyed what she gave us, and didn't expect perfection.

 

Anyway, enjoyed this convo with you. In the end, we both can agree that we are looking forward to the new album and hope for great success.

[Fighter 28,798]

Some fans have specific expectations but she's always kinda unpredictable. I guess what they expect is what she used to do before, re-invent herself, make impactful music, but people change... 

 

When the snippet came out I was like... this is the opposite of what I want, but then I made up my mind that I loved it if it was her, then it turned out it wasn't and now we don't know what her sound is going to be, as I said I'm gonna wait and see, if I don't like it, I won't buy it. (probably will never happen lmao) If it's timeless and meaningful I'll keep it close to my heart like with AL, Confessions, Erotica and all those great masterpieces. If it's another MDNA it will be fun for as long as it lasts...

 

But fans do expect quality from her products, there's absolutely no excuse for faulty releases. Nowadays I just wait and see what people say about her dvds instead of going out to buy them. Not gonna support something broken, faulty, inferior and bootlegish. Why should I do that? 

 

I own MDNA Tour digitally, not gonna bother with buying and returning copies with audio that doesn't work properly for instance.   Never got the "Celebration" DVDs- for ovbious reasons.

[groovyguy 63,856]

I think both HC and MDNA are cathartic for her over her failing relationship and divorce. Now that that is all past her, we can expect the new album to focus solely on what she believes in – fighting for freedom via the revolution of love.

 

'Hard Candy' is a mixed bag of true gems and questionable choices, but it's quintessentially Madonna. Flavorful but a bit bittersweet. Through the pop music landscape of 2013 and 2014, I am constantly hearing sounds and beats that remind me of this album. Probably because Pharrell Williams has made a comeback and he was a mastermind behind half of this album. With that said, here are some of the comparisons to note:

Beat Goes On = Daft Punk/Get Lucky

Give it to Me = Robin Thicke/Blurred Lines

Ring My Bell (Bonus Track) = Kylie Minogue - I Was Gonna Cancel.

 

 I find MDNA to be incredibly listenable from beginning to end. It's interesting to hear some of her thoughts on the Guy divorce put to music, especially on tracks like "Best Friend." While MDNA offers pop perfection that is irresistibly catchy, edgy, aggressive, dark, it’s also extremely introspective. For me, there are very few fillers. Almost all songs are instantly recognizable and sticks in my head by the virtue of genius layers of melody and hook, the lyrics can be predictable at times but more often than not they are simple yet revealing. Heartbreak, redemption and self-fulfillment are among the chief themes. The album is a roller coaster ride of emotions. From happy songs to sad songs MDNA takes you on a emotional journey like only Madonna can. Much like the MDNA tour that take us on the journey from darkness to light.

[Guest]

Yeah I agree the whole quality issues on the MDNA was crazy. Though the CELEBRATION DVD's are great. I think some fans are making a bigger issue over it than necessary. Mostly is over the edits, and some of the inclusions or exclusions of the song. For me, a long time fan it's great to get a difinitive collection. The quality for me is just fine. But then again I grew up during a time before Digital was around.

[Fighter 28,798]

We finally got the I Want You video on DVD and it looks worse than a VHS rip lol. This is one of the reasons I'm not getting that thing 

[NowRadiate 3,331]

I think both HC and MDNA are cathartic for her over her failing relationship and divorce. Now that that is all past her, we can expect the new album to focus solely on what she believes in – fighting for freedom via the revolution of love.

 

i am truly looking forward to this album. curious to see what space she is in now, after the catharsis.

i loved how MDNA reflected her cathartic journey with love/relationships.

[madgefan 10,150]

[Guest]

We finally got the I Want You video on DVD and it looks worse than a VHS rip lol. This is one of the reasons I'm not getting that thing 

But you don't own it, so how do you know? Looks perfectly fine on my DVD.

[groovyguy 63,856]

Btw, the source for Diplo's quote: "If I'm doing something with Madonna, I'm trying to push the envelope." 

http://www.papermag.com/2014/06/diplo.php

[Guest]

 

Diplo pushing the envelope with Madonna

http://drownedmadonna.com/diplo-pushing-envelope-madonna/20140619

 

Unfortunately, I am not impressed by him. And his attitude toward music is so apathetic. I read an article where he stated he was "sucked into music" and he could easily just walk away from it all. If I recall, he actually bashed Madonna a year or so ago on Twitter. Though it may have been something to do with a remix he did (I think for Hung Up) which got rejected? Can't be sure.

 

We'll see what he does for her. I do know that Madonna plays a huge part in how her music sounds, so I trust her.

[Laura25 85]

I think both HC and MDNA are cathartic for her over her failing relationship and divorce. Now that that is all past her, we can expect the new album to focus solely on what she believes in – fighting for freedom via the revolution of love.

 

'Hard Candy' is a mixed bag of true gems and questionable choices, but it's quintessentially Madonna. Flavorful but a bit bittersweet. Through the pop music landscape of 2013 and 2014, I am constantly hearing sounds and beats that remind me of this album. Probably because Pharrell Williams has made a comeback and he was a mastermind behind half of this album. With that said, here are some of the comparisons to note:

Beat Goes On = Daft Punk/Get Lucky

Give it to Me = Robin Thicke/Blurred Lines

Ring My Bell (Bonus Track) = Kylie Minogue - I Was Gonna Cancel.

 

 I find MDNA to be incredibly listenable from beginning to end. It's interesting to hear some of her thoughts on the Guy divorce put to music, especially on tracks like "Best Friend." While MDNA offers pop perfection that is irresistibly catchy, edgy, aggressive, dark, it’s also extremely introspective. For me, there are very few fillers. Almost all songs are instantly recognizable and sticks in my head by the virtue of genius layers of melody and hook, the lyrics can be predictable at times but more often than not they are simple yet revealing. Heartbreak, redemption and self-fulfillment are among the chief themes. The album is a roller coaster ride of emotions. From happy songs to sad songs MDNA takes you on a emotional journey like only Madonna can. Much like the MDNA tour that take us on the journey from darkness to light.

Totally agree, I think MDNA & Hard Candy were very personal records, and I think a lot fans were very quick to pass over them. I still listen to both on a regular basis, and I don't find them to be typical pop records where you binge and immediately shelve. 

 

I am very much looking forward to the new album, I love the fact we are getting dance, and I am loving the people she is working with thus far. 

[Fighter 28,798]

But you don't own it, so how do you know? Looks perfectly fine on my DVD.

 

were you not around on forums in 2009 when it was released lol

 

I did download it to compare it with many different sources, that was when I started the music videos DVDs.

[Fighter 28,798]

 

Diplo pushing the envelope with Madonna

http://drownedmadonna.com/diplo-pushing-envelope-madonna/20140619

 

 

I really hope so, I'm still pissed how Madonna misused someone as great as M.I.A.

[groovyguy 63,856]

What William Orbit thinks of Madonna’s new album
William Orbit already heard a few songs of Madonna’s upcoming album and tweeted about it
…
@WilliamOrbit: Heard some of Madonna's new album. Sounds good
 

[Voguerista 11,818]

Way cool! I wonder if he'll remix some of her new songs? I hope so. He's one of her best producers and remixers imo.

[Fighter 28,798]

If he says good he probably doesnt mean great, im glad hes listened to it he can give honest feedback.

[Guest]

Well, I wouldn't read too much into his words. "Good", "great", "awesome" all can be subjective anyway. It's just one man's opinion. Maybe the sound isn't his cup of tea. Who knows?