I'm making headway in my career as a music journalist so I won't be writing for a while and my alert...
I'm making headway in my career as a music journalist so I won't be writing for a while and my alerts are now deactivated. I'll check back some time in the future, so until then...
Member since:19.03.2001
Reviews:129
Members who trust:99
This, for those of you in the know, and I am sure that must make up a great percentage of you, is Madonna's second greatest hits compilation. The first, the wonderfully titled 'Immaculate Collection', was, in my opinion, quite poor and insubstantial, but that goes against the grain of popular thought which says 'Madonna = cool', so therefore the Immaculate Collection must be good... such is life... and now here we are with her second, the woefully titled GHV2 (Greatest Hits Volume Two) - I apologise for being pedantic but you must question that title. Did she think Greatest Hits Volume Two was too conservative a title? Was it a case of Madge trying to hit us from leftfield 'I know, this'll confuse them'? In any case, a silly title.
But what about the music? Yes, what about this album of many delights? Well, to be honest it is pretty poor. It isn't the kind of album you can completely slate as being true rubbish,
but this album just doesn't warrant repeat listenings - or, rather, if it does, then that's where the 'track programming' button comes in handy.
Of this album of fifteen songs, I found five of them to be excellent, really catchy songs where Madonna really excels herself and proves why she is so respected in today's rock/pop world. The other ten leave me staggered with belief as to exactly WHY Madonna is afforded such respect.
So to the ones I liked. 'Deeper And Deeper' opens the album on a high note, despite the overtly sexual overtones, with its Italian house stylings creating a perfectly danceable start to the album. This is one of the standout tracks from the period when Madonna was blatantly flaunting her sexuality, much to the distaste of the rest of the world, who probably didn't have her ego to fall back on. 'Beautiful Stranger', from the Austin Powers soundtrack, is a well-crafted piece of music (holy mary mother of god I sound like I am writing for the Daily Mail...), and contains some good lyrics wrapped around a neat backing.
'Ray Of Light', No. 3 on my songs I liked, is very, very classy, evidence enough why Madonna emerged from the doldrums to earn respect (but it ain't enough...), a frenetic hi-energy song with Madonna sounding very excited indeed. 'Don't Tell Me' is unusual, the production by Mirwais interesting and it creeps into your brain and stays there for a while. 'Music' closes the album and this is, I believe, Madonna's crowning glory, a really catchy danceable song which is perhaps her best work since... well, 'Deeper And Deeper' probably.
And so to the filler. 'Erotica' is just plain embarassing, a trawl through the gutter worse than it's predecessor 'Justify My Love' (truly, truly awful song...). 'Human Nature', 'Secret', 'Bedtime Story' and 'Take A Bow' all passed by leaving me completely unaffected, four very boring songs indeed. In fact, after songs 2-10 I was grateful for 'Ray Of Light' as I believe I had slipped into rigor mortis.
'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' is quaint but wholly unnecessary on this album and seems completely out of place and out of time. 'The Power Of Goodbye' is deathly, nothing happens in this song and it plods along with its designer electronica by William Orbit. The same for 'Frozen', as the two songs are virtual facsimilies of each other anyway.
'What It Feels Like For A Girl' is terrible, absolutely unlistenable, surely one of Madonna's worst. 'Drowned World/Substitute For Love' - ditto. Harmless and unaffecting fluff, this, many critics say, is Madonna's best song. Are these people deaf? This is not a work representative of someone who is supposed to be, if we believe what the media would make out, the 'Queen of Pop', a style guru for the modern age, an earth mother soul sister music maker yaddah yaddah yaddah....
But how to improve it? Well, that is unclear. Short of knocking the album down to five tracks just to accomodate my listening tastes, adding 'Nothing Really Matters' and 'This Used To Be My Playground' wouldn't be a bad start. As it stands, this album is proof to me that, five songs aside, Madonna is quite undeserving of the seemingly untouchable role of Queen of all Music that she currently occupies.
P.S. As one of the options below requires me to give a rating for the inlay design, I thought I would mention that the inlay design is actually excellent! But it's the music that matters... right??
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*Gasp* Sacrilige! I love Madonna, but you're right- some of the songs on this just make you think "what was she thinking?" This just doesn't compare to The Imacculate Collection (one of my favourite CDs ever- how can you not like it?!)
KarenUK 16.09.2003 10:50
Great title! I found the album really disappointing too & rarely play it.
tabyorky 27.03.2002 16:23
I have this album too but prefer Immaculate collection though.
Perhaps the most interesting decade in her career, GHV2 is a selection of the best songs ... more
from 1992's Erotica to Music in 2000. Throughout the 1990s, Madonna was well publicised for trying her hand at anything musical together with setting new styles an...
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Mar 27th, 2002
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