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Limited edition clamshell box contains 11 CD's in mini LP sleeves. As the world's biggest selling female artist of all time Madonna is not just the Queen Of Pop but one of the most influential artists on modern music. Since her debut album, released in 1983, she has worked tirelessly to reinvent herself and her music through three extremely successful decades and has built a huge and dedicated fan base worldwide. Madonna - The Complete Studio Albums (1983 - 2008) is an amazing 11CD collection featuring all of Madonna's studio albums from the first 25 years of her legendary career. Housed in a clamshell box, with albums in paper sleeves, this is a brilliantly compact set and a perfect way to own Madonna's amazing catalogue at a fantastic price. (The set includes the remastered and expanded versions of Madonna, Like a Virgin and True Blue). Warner.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
108 of 126 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
THE "NOT-SO-"COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS REVIEW - ANOTHER POOR RELEASE, YET AGAIN...UGH!
March 20, 2012
By PourHomme80
Format:Audio CD
This very set makes me thank the high heavens that Madonna left Warner Bros. From the very tacky, uninspired cover all the way down to the CD's themselves, this set has zero to no appeal to any longtime Madonna fan.
With that said, this set is not the complete studio set as it is missing Madonna's 1990 studio album I'm Breathless, containing one of the biggest worldwide hits of her career, Vogue. Some will argue that this is a soundtrack release but ultimately only includes four songs from Dick Tracy while the rest were inspired by the Breathless Mahoney character. How can you have a "Complete Studio Albums" box-set and leave out an album that contains, arguably, the biggest hit of her career? That's not the only hit that's missing for you casual fans that are considering this purchase.
You will also not get:
Justify My Love
Into The Groove
Who's That Girl
Causing a Commotion
You Must Love Me
I'll Remember
This Used To Be My Playground
amongst many more glaring hits.
I am aware that many of these songs mentioned were soundtrack songs or greatest hits songs, etc, but this goes to show that Warner had an opportunity to include a bonus disc or an extra DVD/Blu-Ray for that matter to make this a complete collection. I know that's asking for too much here so I am going to pull back and just discuss what IS included.
So what you do get are 11 Madonna albums in their original form except her first three albums. The first three Madonna albums, Madonna, Like A Virgin and True Blue went through a remastering process in 2000 which was impeccable from a sound perspective. As part of the remaster process, bonus tracks were added to all three albums along with artwork that was reminiscent of the original vinyl version of these albums. All of these components came together to give us Madonna fans a reason to go back out and buy an album we already had. Those three remastered versions are part of this collection. The remaining eight albums are untouched and in their original form. Like A Prayer, Erotica and Bedtime Stories are in desperate need of a remaster, while Ray of Light could use some freshening up as well.
Please be advised that these CD's DO NOT come with their booklets or in standard CD jewel cases but are actually housed in card sleeves which WB/Rhino is using as an opportunity to sell as a collector's item. This is not a value as far as I am concerned. Most of these physical CD's can be purchased at any used record store for under $5. I see American Life and Bedtime Stories in the dollar bin at my local record store quite often.
Honestly, WB/Rhino, I am feeling "love spent." Why do you keep putting out sub-par Madonna product? We want to buy quality Madonna material. Most of us fans have all these albums and not only that but we've managed (no thanks to you WB!) to get our hands on all the rare stuff too, including the b-sides, the unreleased material, the unreleased remixes, the unreleased instrumentals. Why can't you package what we really want? You're in it to make money and we're in it to shell out money BUT we're not a bunch of idiots who are going to run around and buy everything that comes out with the name "Madonna" plastered on it. We want quality!
Lets not focus on the missed opportunity for a second. Forget the unreleased material because god forbid someone, somewhere has to do a little bit of work and dig or get some papers signed (or whatever it takes to get rare material released) so that a dying record label can make some more money.
For this very release, I think every single Madonna fan would have run out and bought this set in the exact physical form you are offering with minimal complaints IF you had only remastered ALL 11 albums. Major missed opportunity.
***************Update*********August 2012**************
So my original review above from a few months ago was based on the Amazon price of $80 or so.
Today the price sits at $39.99. It's not a bad value anymore. That's $3.63 an album. I still stand behind my review above about the overall bad quality of this product but it doesn't make me as angry when the price actually reflects the quality. This could be a great gift for a newbie fan.
With that said, this set is not the complete studio set as it is missing Madonna's 1990 studio album I'm Breathless, containing one of the biggest worldwide hits of her career, Vogue. Some will argue that this is a soundtrack release but ultimately only includes four songs from Dick Tracy while the rest were inspired by the Breathless Mahoney character. How can you have a "Complete Studio Albums" box-set and leave out an album that contains, arguably, the biggest hit of her career? That's not the only hit that's missing for you casual fans that are considering this purchase.
You will also not get:
Justify My Love
Into The Groove
Who's That Girl
Causing a Commotion
You Must Love Me
I'll Remember
This Used To Be My Playground
amongst many more glaring hits.
I am aware that many of these songs mentioned were soundtrack songs or greatest hits songs, etc, but this goes to show that Warner had an opportunity to include a bonus disc or an extra DVD/Blu-Ray for that matter to make this a complete collection. I know that's asking for too much here so I am going to pull back and just discuss what IS included.
So what you do get are 11 Madonna albums in their original form except her first three albums. The first three Madonna albums, Madonna, Like A Virgin and True Blue went through a remastering process in 2000 which was impeccable from a sound perspective. As part of the remaster process, bonus tracks were added to all three albums along with artwork that was reminiscent of the original vinyl version of these albums. All of these components came together to give us Madonna fans a reason to go back out and buy an album we already had. Those three remastered versions are part of this collection. The remaining eight albums are untouched and in their original form. Like A Prayer, Erotica and Bedtime Stories are in desperate need of a remaster, while Ray of Light could use some freshening up as well.
Please be advised that these CD's DO NOT come with their booklets or in standard CD jewel cases but are actually housed in card sleeves which WB/Rhino is using as an opportunity to sell as a collector's item. This is not a value as far as I am concerned. Most of these physical CD's can be purchased at any used record store for under $5. I see American Life and Bedtime Stories in the dollar bin at my local record store quite often.
Honestly, WB/Rhino, I am feeling "love spent." Why do you keep putting out sub-par Madonna product? We want to buy quality Madonna material. Most of us fans have all these albums and not only that but we've managed (no thanks to you WB!) to get our hands on all the rare stuff too, including the b-sides, the unreleased material, the unreleased remixes, the unreleased instrumentals. Why can't you package what we really want? You're in it to make money and we're in it to shell out money BUT we're not a bunch of idiots who are going to run around and buy everything that comes out with the name "Madonna" plastered on it. We want quality!
Lets not focus on the missed opportunity for a second. Forget the unreleased material because god forbid someone, somewhere has to do a little bit of work and dig or get some papers signed (or whatever it takes to get rare material released) so that a dying record label can make some more money.
For this very release, I think every single Madonna fan would have run out and bought this set in the exact physical form you are offering with minimal complaints IF you had only remastered ALL 11 albums. Major missed opportunity.
***************Update*********August 2012**************
So my original review above from a few months ago was based on the Amazon price of $80 or so.
Today the price sits at $39.99. It's not a bad value anymore. That's $3.63 an album. I still stand behind my review above about the overall bad quality of this product but it doesn't make me as angry when the price actually reflects the quality. This could be a great gift for a newbie fan.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Simple put, this is an incredible amount of quality music at a fantastic price. And, like the review title says, this is perfect if you've only had a taste of Madonna and would like to dig a little deeper than say "Celebration" or any of her other hits compilations or, like me, you're an all out Madonna geek and you try to snap up all of her output for your collection. The five star rating for me is, again, based simply on this amazing body of musical work, but, no matter who you are, this packaging is somewhat disappointing. The compact size of the case is an absolute plus and no doubt contributed to the low cost of the final product, but Warner Music could've absolutely put a hair more effort into this particularly given that M is an artist who has consistently put a lot of thought and design into her album art. The clamshell case is a matte finish heavy card sleeve which can get damaged and scuffed a little too easily and the print quality on many of the card sleeves is a bit muddled looking. Funnily enough Warner Music Europe's repressing of her first 5 studio albums on vinyl have the same substandard print quality on their sleeves so perhaps in their rush to capitalize on the release of "MDNA" a few corners got cut. Personally, I would've preferred a more substantial outer packaging, and then perhaps glossy finish card sleeves, but, hey, that's just me. As most other reviewers have mentioned, there is a lot of important Madonna music not included here, including "Vogue", "Crazy for You", "Into the Groove", "Beautiful Stranger", and the Oscar winning "You Must Love Me" from "Evita" just to name a few. But considering the staggering number of hit songs that are here and given that we're in the digital age where these missing pieces can be downloaded in the blink of an eye these omissions aren't deal breakers. So, A+ music, but C+ for the packaging, and all in all an excellent value. As to the albums themselves:
1. MADONNA (1983) still sounds relatively fresh all of these years later and includes such modern pop classics as "Holiday" and "Lucky Star" and her enduring dance anthem "Everybody" which launched her career in April of 1982.
2. LIKE A VIRGIN (1984) has sold over ten million copies in the U.S. alone but remains my least favorite of her records. Yes, the title track and "Material Girl" are trademark Madonna anthems, but, singles aside, the rest of the album is mediocre.
3. TRUE BLUE (1986) represented an absolute shift in her music towards a more adult sound beginning with haunting lead single "Live to Tell", and continuing on with tracks like "Papa Don't Preach" and "Open Your Heart", plus the mid-tempo Latin flavored "La Isla Bonita". On the negative end of things the arrangements and synths fairly scream mid-eighties which dates the material considerably, and when she indulges in almost cute-sy, pop throwback songs like the title track and the percolating "Jimmy Jimmy" things get a bit saccharine for my taste. Bonus points for the shoulda-been-a-single track "Where's the Party".
4. LIKE A PRAYER (1989) was an absolute pinnacle at the time, and remains a high watermark not just for Madonna but for pop music in general. It spun off 5 U.S. singles and an additional sixth single released internationally. Her collaboration with Prince is a bit odd but intriguing, and funnily enough she recycled a few of the lyrics to their collaboration for 2005's hit "Hung Up".
5. EROTICA (1992) was consciously, over the top, in your face, and this turned off some fans and instigated a major backlash following the almost simultaneous releases of her book "Sex" and notorious film flop "Body of Evidence". Still, there's some great music here that's not to be missed including the title track which samples Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie", the dance anthem "Deeper and Deeper", the mid-tempo "Bad Girl" and the beautiful ballad "Rain".
6. BEDTIME STORIES (1994) marked a shift into a more R&B, hip hop influenced groove including collaborations with Dallas Austin, Babyface, and Nellee Hooper, and in retrospect making a perfect bridge between the previous record and her next, "Ray of Light". Lead single "Secret" went gold and the gorgeous ballad "Take a Bow" remains her biggest hit in this country spending 7 weeks at number 1 on the Hot 100.
7. RAY OF LIGHT (1998) was another benchmark and worldwide critical and commercial hit that combined the introspective songwriting she achieved with longtime collaborator Patrick Leonard with cutting edge electronica provided by techno wizard William Orbit. A truly superb album.
8. MUSIC (2000) Do you like to boogie-woogie? The title track remains one of the most influential sounds of the new millennium. Here she collaborates with Frenchman Mirwais Ahmadzai to create a techno sound combined with an almost folksy, acoustic influence. More bonus points for yet another shoulda-beeen-a-single cut, the stunning dance floor stomper "Impressive Instant".
9. AMERICAN LIFE (2003) Like "Erotica", this one went too far for some fans, and, admittedly, it is one of her more challenging records. Musically the sound is very similar to "Music" as she works again with Ahmadzai, but here the folk influence is even more strongly felt on both the melodies and lyrics. She covers much of the same subject matter as "Ray of Light" but without those songs' polish and finesse. Still, it's a highly underrated album with many good qualities, including the hardcore dance track "Nobody Knows Me", the beautiful "Nothing Fails" which plays like the musical love child of "Don't Tell Me" and "Like a Prayer", the mid-tempo "Intervention", and the simple, stripped back ballad "X-Static Process". As for her Bond theme "Die Another Day", you probably already either love it or hate it.
10. CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR (2005) Working with Stuart Price she creates an absolute masterpiece here. Sampling Abba lead single "Hung Up" was a record breaker the world over and managed to go top ten in the States despite a lack of radio support, second single "Sorry" references The Jackson 5 hit "Can You Feel It", and "Future Lovers" is a kick butt dance floor filling homage to the sound of 1970s disco maestro Giorgio Moroder.
11. HARD CANDY (2008) She worked here with her highest profile collaborators since '94 with mixed results, although after the euphoric high of "Dance Floor" almost anything would've been something of a let down. "4 Minutes" was big hit, but for many Madonna fans was not representative of the album as a whole as it made Madonna sound like a guest star on a Justin Timberlake/Timbaland collaboration rather than the other way around. Happily her work with Pharrell Williams and the Neptunes are much more satisfying including lead cut "Candy Shop" and second single the fierce "Give It 2 Me". Her "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" cuts it musically much too close to comfort to Timberlake's own earlier hit "Cry Me a River" but works nevertheless, and album closer "Voices" remains haunting.
1. MADONNA (1983) still sounds relatively fresh all of these years later and includes such modern pop classics as "Holiday" and "Lucky Star" and her enduring dance anthem "Everybody" which launched her career in April of 1982.
2. LIKE A VIRGIN (1984) has sold over ten million copies in the U.S. alone but remains my least favorite of her records. Yes, the title track and "Material Girl" are trademark Madonna anthems, but, singles aside, the rest of the album is mediocre.
3. TRUE BLUE (1986) represented an absolute shift in her music towards a more adult sound beginning with haunting lead single "Live to Tell", and continuing on with tracks like "Papa Don't Preach" and "Open Your Heart", plus the mid-tempo Latin flavored "La Isla Bonita". On the negative end of things the arrangements and synths fairly scream mid-eighties which dates the material considerably, and when she indulges in almost cute-sy, pop throwback songs like the title track and the percolating "Jimmy Jimmy" things get a bit saccharine for my taste. Bonus points for the shoulda-been-a-single track "Where's the Party".
4. LIKE A PRAYER (1989) was an absolute pinnacle at the time, and remains a high watermark not just for Madonna but for pop music in general. It spun off 5 U.S. singles and an additional sixth single released internationally. Her collaboration with Prince is a bit odd but intriguing, and funnily enough she recycled a few of the lyrics to their collaboration for 2005's hit "Hung Up".
5. EROTICA (1992) was consciously, over the top, in your face, and this turned off some fans and instigated a major backlash following the almost simultaneous releases of her book "Sex" and notorious film flop "Body of Evidence". Still, there's some great music here that's not to be missed including the title track which samples Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie", the dance anthem "Deeper and Deeper", the mid-tempo "Bad Girl" and the beautiful ballad "Rain".
6. BEDTIME STORIES (1994) marked a shift into a more R&B, hip hop influenced groove including collaborations with Dallas Austin, Babyface, and Nellee Hooper, and in retrospect making a perfect bridge between the previous record and her next, "Ray of Light". Lead single "Secret" went gold and the gorgeous ballad "Take a Bow" remains her biggest hit in this country spending 7 weeks at number 1 on the Hot 100.
7. RAY OF LIGHT (1998) was another benchmark and worldwide critical and commercial hit that combined the introspective songwriting she achieved with longtime collaborator Patrick Leonard with cutting edge electronica provided by techno wizard William Orbit. A truly superb album.
8. MUSIC (2000) Do you like to boogie-woogie? The title track remains one of the most influential sounds of the new millennium. Here she collaborates with Frenchman Mirwais Ahmadzai to create a techno sound combined with an almost folksy, acoustic influence. More bonus points for yet another shoulda-beeen-a-single cut, the stunning dance floor stomper "Impressive Instant".
9. AMERICAN LIFE (2003) Like "Erotica", this one went too far for some fans, and, admittedly, it is one of her more challenging records. Musically the sound is very similar to "Music" as she works again with Ahmadzai, but here the folk influence is even more strongly felt on both the melodies and lyrics. She covers much of the same subject matter as "Ray of Light" but without those songs' polish and finesse. Still, it's a highly underrated album with many good qualities, including the hardcore dance track "Nobody Knows Me", the beautiful "Nothing Fails" which plays like the musical love child of "Don't Tell Me" and "Like a Prayer", the mid-tempo "Intervention", and the simple, stripped back ballad "X-Static Process". As for her Bond theme "Die Another Day", you probably already either love it or hate it.
10. CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR (2005) Working with Stuart Price she creates an absolute masterpiece here. Sampling Abba lead single "Hung Up" was a record breaker the world over and managed to go top ten in the States despite a lack of radio support, second single "Sorry" references The Jackson 5 hit "Can You Feel It", and "Future Lovers" is a kick butt dance floor filling homage to the sound of 1970s disco maestro Giorgio Moroder.
11. HARD CANDY (2008) She worked here with her highest profile collaborators since '94 with mixed results, although after the euphoric high of "Dance Floor" almost anything would've been something of a let down. "4 Minutes" was big hit, but for many Madonna fans was not representative of the album as a whole as it made Madonna sound like a guest star on a Justin Timberlake/Timbaland collaboration rather than the other way around. Happily her work with Pharrell Williams and the Neptunes are much more satisfying including lead cut "Candy Shop" and second single the fierce "Give It 2 Me". Her "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" cuts it musically much too close to comfort to Timberlake's own earlier hit "Cry Me a River" but works nevertheless, and album closer "Voices" remains haunting.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This collection doesn't include tracks like "Justify My Love" or "I'll remember" but don't forget those were movies' soundtracks or were included in compilation records as extra tracks, these are only STUDIO albums
Most Recent Customer Reviews
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CD1:Madonna the first album And five hits.
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...
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Published 5 months ago by Timothy J. Yates
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