Customer Reviews

Immaculate Collection

5 star:		(278)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Here are just some of Madonna's early classic hits. When this compilation was assembled, Madonna already had too many hits to include them all on a single CD, hence the omission of Angel, Dress you up, Gambler, True blue and all the hits from the soundtrack, Who's that girl? Because of her continuous success in the years that followed the release of this compilation, a comprehensive Madonna hits collection would now require a triple CD. That is a measure of her brilliance, sustained over a very long period of time.

The set begins with three hits from her debut album, of which Holiday is the best but Lucky star and Borderline are also wonderful. Then come Like a virgin and Material girl, two of the singles released from her outstanding second album. Crazy for you, an excellent ballad, and Into the groove, a superb dance song, come next. Although the title track is omitted, four other major hits from the True blue album (Live to tell, Papa don't preach, Open your heart, La Isla Bonita) can be found here, each one of them a classic but very different from each other. Three major hits from Like a prayer include Express yourself and Cherish. Vogue (from I'm breathless) and two tracks not available on any previous album (Justify my love, Rescue me) complete the set.

Anybody who does not understand why Madonna has such a huge fan base only has to listen to this compilation to find out why. Catchy pop tunes with interesting lyrics (for those that bother to listen to the words) are Madonna's trademark, yet she manages to avoid becoming formulaic. Madonna has continuously changed her style, so you don't hear the same sound over and over again.

There is no definitive Madonna compilation yet but we may have to wait a few years for that. Until that time, this is the best introduction to her music that is available.

These songs are timeless, and in some cases, infamous! How can you not love these songs? It's impossible. Anyone who listens to this album will be hooked! This album is the reason I am a Madonna fan today, as it was my introduction to her music. And all of these songs were hits! Check out the peak positions of the songs included on this CD on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart:

1. Holiday #16
2. Lucky Star #4
3. Borderline #10
4. Like A Virgin #1
5. Material Girl #2
6. Crazy For You #1

7. Into The Groove (did not chart because it was not released as a single, but was still a massive radio hit!)
8. Live To Tell #1
9. Papa Don't Preach #1
10. Open Your Heart #1
11. La Isla Bonita #4
12. Like A Prayer #1
13. Express Yourself #2
14. Cherish #2
15. Vogue #1
16. Justify My Love #1
17. Rescue Me #9

And those were not even all of her hits up until that point! Those NOT included are: Angel #5, Dress You Up #5, True Blue #3, Who's That Girl #1, Causing A Commotion #2, Oh Father #20, Keep It Together #8, Hanky Panky #10. Madonna knows how to deliver good pop songs. These songs will bring back memories for you...

Get it now!!

While The Immaculate Collection is a solid CD, it could have (and should have) been much better. For one thing, the songs on this disc all sound much better on their original albums, particulary "Holiday" and "Lucky Star" (two of my favorites)both of which were cut by two full minutes in the included version. If you like those songs, buy her self-titled debut instead, as it features the complete versions of those songs and more superb material. The other major problem is that this collection is woefully incomplete. At the time of this disc's release, Madonna had 24 hit songs(more in Europe) to her credit, but just 15 found their way onto this disc(that's only 63%!)and the omissions include some of her best work ("Dress You Up", "Angel", "Who's That Girl", & "Causing a Commotion", all top 5 hits, come to mind). This disc really should've been released as a double-album and featured the album versions over the QSound remixes, plus all the omissions. Unfortunately, If you want the best of Madonna in one place, you'll need several CDs plus a blank tape.

This album, now ten years old, is still a great listen. Even though Madonna is the queen of shock, she still has a lot of God given talent to write and sing songs. This collection shows that. I've read reviews that say she didn't put all of her hits onto this album, but how could she? She has had too many great songs for one CD and she was smart to put the best ones on it making it cheaper to buy as a single disc.

Lots of the songs here are remade from the original and I think they are all better than the originals except "Into The Groove", which was better as the original. Two new songs found a home including "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me", both being good songs. "Justify My Love", was the song that brought Madonna into her "Sex" era of the early 90's. The song was good but had some contraversial lyrics and the video was banned from MTV because of some nudity. Overall though this album is an excellent value and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to her Madonna of the 1980s.

The Immaculate Collection delivers all the main hits by Madonna from the early 80's to aroung 1990. Although there are still a few hits missing ("Dress You Up," "Who's That Girl,"etc...), the Immaculate Collection delivers the goods. The cd starts out with the early 80's hit "Holiday" a nice, fun song, with a very happy beat. There is also the sorta bubble gum poppish sounding song- "Lucky Star" on the album. Madonna's hit "Borderline" which is also featured on first self-titled album, is a song about love. "Live a Virgin" the controversial song with a very controversial performance at the 1984 Video Music Awards is sure to get you into a good mood. "Into the Groove" which appeared on Madonna's movie, Desperately Seeking Susan, is sure to make you get into the groove for dancing. The slow, but powerful songs inlude "Live to Tell" and "Crazy For You". As the cd continues Madonna's voice sounds more mature and her songs start focusing more on sex. The hip song "Express Yourself" which has a steamy music video (not included on the Immaculate Collection, unfortunately:( ) has a good dance beat. There is the very elegant lady-like song "Vogue" the 1990 hit is featured on the Collection. There are two extra, experimental songs featured on the album- "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". "Justify My Love" well...what can I say about it? Madonna'a sexy whispering voice creates the perfect sound and pulls off this song. The music video for "Justify My Love" was banned from MTV and VH1 for so much sexual and homosexual content. "Rescue Me" has a very disco, 70's ish feel to it.

Madonna was still hot in the 90's, but I personally like her beginning sounds much better. I liked how she constantly changed her image all the time, never knowing what she would do next to create controversiary.

The Immaculate Collection is by one of Madonna'a greatest albums out there. It is filled with the 80's hits by Madonna which will please everyone. I highly recommend this cd! Buy it! You won't be disappointed!

And let me tell you why. Most all of these songs are not the original versions. Many have been remixed ( read the liner notes, you'll see Shep Pettibone credited ), and many have been shortened. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In the case of the later hits Express Yourself and Like a Prayer, I actually prefer the remixed "house" style versions remixed here by Pettibone. In the case of the earlier hits, it's butchery, plain and simple. Into the Groove is a travesty, a remixed shell of the orginal. It sounds sped up, and barely gets to the "now I know you're mine" part ( my favourite part, no less ) before the plug is pulled and we are on to the next hit. Holiday, Lucky Star and Borderline get the same treatment also. And that's just the singles that ARE here. SO MUCH is missing, so many hits, major and minor,like Dress You Up, that are not included. This could have ( and indeed SHOULD have ) been a two-disc set, with all the original hits, intact, as they were released. As it is, it is a perfectly acceptable, if economical and flawed, introduction to Madonna's early hits. What this woman needs is a box set. Plain and simple.

Madonna is amazing; there is nobody like her. She has longevity that no other star possesses. She rocks!
Her Best Songs:

Holiday- amazing, happy-go-lucky dance song. This is a short version but still superb.

Lucky Star- I love this song! OK, the lyrics aren't so great, Madonna's voice is unimpressive, but there is something undeniably adorable about this song.

Borderline- Probably the most meaningful song off her debut album, this semi-ballad showcases Madonna's underrated vocal power. She really belts it out in this song!

Like a Virgin- her signature song! VERY controversal in '84, but also incredibly catchy and cute.

Material Girl- It may sound bad as a die-hard Madge fan to say this, but I don't care for this song. It's annoying.

Crazy For You- So pretty! So much better than a Mariah-Whitney-Celine ballad because there's actually some meat to this song, not just some obnoxious diva screaming at the top of her lungs.

Into the Groove- this version is good but it's not the REAL version.

Live To Tell- mysterious ballad with her greatest-ever lyrics.

Papa Don't Preach- awesome, controversial song.

Open Your Heart- the best pop song ever! I LOVE THIS SONG SOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

La Isla Bonita- another song I don't care for. Dull and pointless.

Like a Prayer- Good version, but where's the guitar riff at the beginning of the song?

Express Yourself- girl power! I adore this song.

Cherish- this song will DEFINITELY be played at my wedding in the future. Madonna's best love song.

Vogue- Strike a pose! This song is great for cleaning the house.

Justify My Love- "Cherish" will be played at my wedding, this song will be played on my wedding NIGHT! HA HA- anyway, this song is very sexy.

Rescue Me- I love her voice on this one.

"The Immaculate Collection", the first collection of greatest hits to come from Madonna, is no doubt an incredible array of Madonna's career. Filled with infectious and familiar tracks, "Immaculate" boasts the best single collection of Madonna's most popular songs.

Opening with "Holiday", her first hit back in the early 80's and cascading through her early works in the beginning of the album, it offers the nostalgic sense of seeing her for the first time. "Like A Virgin" and "Material Girl" soon come on, popular numbers that can only bring back the image of her groping herself on MTV's stage in 1984.

Flying through the years, we see her seemingly anti-abortion song "Papa Don't Preach" and her most incredible ballad to date, "Live To Tell", a strikingly powerful and beautifully constructed song.

Ironically, the true treat of the package is the at-the-time-of-release new songs, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". "Justify", an amazing hypnotic mix of strange percussions and whisperings, proves that Madonna can offer up something new without destroying its popularity. It's highly sexual attitude creates a serene mood that is truly amazing. "Rescue Me", a quite rhythmic dance track, has that deepness that Madonna incorporated into her voice that adds a large bonus to the value of the performance.

This album also includes large hits like "Into The Groove", "Like A Prayer", and her largest single of her career, the two-times platinum dance track "Vogue". Truly recommended for those who enjoyed the 80's/early 90's as well as Madonna's career.

This is an okay CD, but it has some major flaws. ALL of the songs on here are NOT the original LP edits or radio versions. For example, the remixed "Borderline" is so distorted that you can barely hear the original keyboard arrangements! Also, "Like A Prayer" is a completely different version. Instead of releasing the promo versions of the Madonna songs we recognize on the radio, they released this. Also, there are an inexcuseable number of Madonna's other hits that were scrapped. "The Immaculate Collection" is not satisfactory for die-hard fans.

Memo to TeamLamb:
Madonna has sold more albums. Just check the Guiness Book of World Records.