Remixed & Revisited [EP]

Madonna

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 25, 2003)
• Original Release Date: November 25, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B0000TSQJI
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (192 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,465 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This EP’s remixes do a fine job of rehabilitating Madonna’s largely ignored American Life album. Jason Nevins supplies a powerful mix of the moving "Nothing Fails" that deserves to be the hit that returns the superstar to saturation play, while versions of "Love Profusion" and "Nobody Knows" suggest that these songs, too, haven’t been given enough credit as the minor late-Madonna classics they are. "American Life" itself takes on new wattage with this literally bangin’ hard-rock remix. "Your Honesty," an outtake from the disc’s sessions, recalls a number of superior Madonna dance tracks; its you’re-good-for-me sentiment is believably sweet. The MTV Video Music Awards medley works less well as a merely audio artifact than it did on-screen with that kiss, while one hopes that the next time Missy Elliott collaborates with Madonna, it yields a more substantial result than this CD’s slight remake of "Into the Groove." --Rickey Wright

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Collection, January 4, 2004

By	Westley (Stuck in my head) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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I'm a bit mystified by this collection, as it's not a true remix CD like Madonna's earlier "You Can Dance." To be honest, it seems to have been released mostly in hopes of erasing her recent "American Life" CD, which flopped with many fans and critics. Fans, however, should simply enjoy this EP and not question the potential ulterior motives involved.

The first four selections consist of remixed songs from "American Life." These remixes are relatively successful, mostly because they help to take the dull edges off the original versions and make them a bit more danceable. The remaining three songs come from diverse sources. Song 5 is from the MTV music awards and features Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliot. The song cleverly merges Madonna's first number one hit, "Like a Virgin," and her most recent single, "Hollywood." Of course, most will remember it as the song during which Madonna kissed Britney (and Christina). It's a bit of a throwaway with lousy vocals, but one that fans will enjoy.

Song 6 is taken from the Gap ad with Missy Elliot. The song merges "Hollywood" with "Into the Groove" (from "Desperately Seeking Susan"), with brilliant results. However, the intro reminds us that it's essentially an extended jeans commercial. The final song, "Your Honesty" is a cute dance song that was originally recorded during the making of the "Bedtime Stories" CD. It's a sweet throwback to the days when Madonna actually recorded dance songs, and sounds more than a little like "Spotlight," from "You Can Dance."

Overall, "Remixed & Revisited" is an enjoyable diversion from the flop "American Life" CD (which I actually enjoyed). The EP is more fun than most of her recent output, although it's likely to appeal primarily to her core fans.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Good, the Bad & the Ugly, February 13, 2004

By	R. G Lavoie "DJ Kidbily" (Portland, ME United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been a Madonna fan since the beginning. I even had front row tix to THE VIRGIN TOUR, but I'm not one of those people who thinks that she's perfect. I haven't liked every song she's put out or every movie. I hesitated to get this because it just didn't seem like there was enough good music on it. I finally broke down and bought it. The first four mixes from American Life (though a little self-indulgent, still a much better record than she was given credit for) are really good. I especially like the new takes on LOVE PROFUSION & AMERICAN LIFE. I just think people want her to keep making dance music and not rock and roll. I say make whatever music you like. If I can listen to different genres of music, why can't she make music in different genres? I hate the LIKE A VIRGIN/HOLLYWOOD track. It was entertaining on tv, but certainly doesn't carry over well onto CD. The sound and mix of HOLLYWOOD/INTO THE GROOVE sounds a bit cheap. I like Missy's remix of AMERICAN LIFE much better and I would love to hear them collaborate again in the future. A remixed GAP commercial just doesn't do either of them justice. YOUR HONESTY is obviously from the BEDTIME STORIES era, which was one of my favorite times for Madonna music. It's a good song, but the material on BEDTIME STORIES is far superior.

It's really popular these days to bash Madonna for whatever she does. I think people are intimidated by her. She has been in this business for 20 years and she's still going strong (which is more than can be said for the others who've had breakdowns, drug problems, rehab, etc). She has made a huge impact on our culture and that cannot be denied. Not every choice she's made has been right, but God knows I'm far from perfect. I just don't have the media watching my every move. I say more power to her. I think there's still great things to come. This isn't her best collection, I would have liked to see more remixes from AMERICAN LIFE. And I'm still hoping for the promised box set. All in all, it's probably not worth the price, but if you can get it used or on sale, I think you'll enjoy adding the remixes to your collection. I can't wait for what's next.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strange release..., December 9, 2003

By	Andrew J. Yarrows "andy_nyc" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Madonna put out this EP most likely to regenerate interest in her "American Life" album, an album which despite being excellent failed to ignite the charts. Most of the remixes here present selections from "American Life" in a completely new light. Rather than giving us the typical 10-minute techno remixes of 3 minute original tracks, the songs are presented at normal lengths and made "new" via restyled music. This works on tracks like "Love Profusion" (which I feel is improved upon here compared to the original album version) and "Nothing Fails" (which is not better than the album version but is simply different and more "radio friendly") and doesn't work on "American Life," which was fine as it was in its original form aside from being totally wrong as the first single from her last album and lacking commercial appeal. The revised "American Life" on this EP is a noisy affair and, while semi-interesting, doesn't earn multiple listens. Besides, if Madonna really wanted to re-work this song she could have at least re-sung it; on the EP it sounds flat and static because her original vocal is simply thrown onto different backing music and tampered with electronically. While this was okay for "Love Profusion" and "Nothing Fails," the "American Life" remix could have benefited considerably from a little more effort.

Also, the MTV "Like a Virgin/Hollywood" performance is a dud sans visuals. Britney clearly is not singing live, Christina is great but Madonna could not possibly be more off-key. It's too bad Madonna didn't opt for a little light-hearted fun and revisit "Like a Virgin" with the other girls rather than delivering a deadly serious "Hollywood," a track which, incidentally, could have benefited from a more light-hearted delivery on the "American Life" album and as a single.

"Your Honesty" is a fairly lame track. Not terrible, but certainly not a Madonna classic by any means. It is easy to see why it was cut from the "Bedtime Stories" album, though I have long considered "Bedtime Stories" to be her worst album, anyway, aside from a few songs. Here, some of the demos or cut songs from "Ray of Light" might have been a more appropriate choice than a track from 9 years ago. Amongst the other selections on this EP, it seems extremely out of place to say the least.

While I do enjoy this EP, it's apparent that Madonna should be focusing on other things musically, namely getting her act together and regrouping from "American Life" with an album of new material. And preferably an album of new material that isn't quite so heavy-handed, stark or cold as "American Life" is. Even though as an album "American Life" works and is brilliant, it isn't very "fun," "fun" being what successful singles need and, coincidentally, what Madonna's music has lacked in general lately.