New Madonna Compilation

The leadoff single, "Celebration," was rush-released to Amazon this evening after it leaked on the Perez Hilton website this morning.

It's just fair. It's certainly no "4 Minutes." It sounds like something from her first album, with fun, kind of dopey lyrics, but no worse than "Hung Up," I don't suppose. I'm sure it'll make the top 40, since no advance single from a Madonna album has ever failed to do so.

Anyway, the official 45 version is labeled "Album Version," running an actual 3:34.

Edited by Brian W.

It sure would be great if "Borderline" is the 45 version, which has only been released on CD on the expensive Japanese singles box. I have a CDR of this version (thanks to someone on this board) but I'd buy this 2-CD set just to have this on an original CD.

Too bad they left off "True Blue", though.

Jody Thornton wrote: I hope that Vogue, Borderline, and Cherish are the single versions.

Not to mention that awful remake of Into The Groove.

I was about to post this myself. Yes, it's sad. But it is the album debut of the original version of "Into the Groove" and also the CD debut of the "unmixed" album-length version of "Hung Up." (Which I already had in lossless, thanks to MusicGiants.)

Well, the way I figure it, everything would have been brickwalled anyway, so...

Sounds like another wasted opportunity for a compilation that could have been awesome.

Before its inclusing in "Celebration", the original version of "Into The Groove" was released on several import CD sources and one in the US:

*Into The Groove/Who's That Girl/Causing A Commotion 3" german CD single (921 141-2)

*Into The Groove/Who's That Girl/Causing A Commotion 5" german CD single (7599211412)
reissue of the above in 5" format

*Like A Virgin post 1989 reissue german CD album (7599-25181-2)

*Backtrax series USA CD single (2-539)

*Material Girl, Angel and Into The Groove Japan EP (WPCP-5063)

*Into The Groove german CD single (7599 2035-2)
1995 reissue of original german 12" single

*Angel german CD single (7599 20335-2)
1995 reissue of original german 12" single

*CD Single Collection (WPDR-3100-3139) Japan box set

There are mastering and quality differences among these. Some fade out a few seconds earlier, I remember we discussed this in older threads. The Japan sources are the best in my opinion.



Edited by elcoleccionista

I just gave the 2 CD version a scan and here's the version playlist according to what I hear.


Disc: 1

1. Hung Up (unmixed album version, first time on a commercial US CD. previously available on US promo CD PRO-CD-101648)

2. Music (album version)

3. Vogue (Immaculate Collection remix)

4. 4 Minutes (edit)(first time on a commercial US CD. previously available on US promo CD PRO-CDR-446652)

5. Holiday (album version)

6. Everybody (a new version that uses the extended version as the original 45 as source, but the edit points are different)

7. Like A Virgin (Immaculate Collection remix)

8. Into The Groove (original version with full outro)

9. Like A Prayer (album version)

10. Ray Of Light (edit)

11. Sorry (edit)

12. Express Yourself (a new version that uses the local mix and remix/edit as sources. the editing structure is brandnew, a different one was used for the Immaculate Collection remix. without disrespect, as with "Everybody", you can recreate better edits at home).

13. Open Your Heart (Immaculate Collection remix)

14. Borderline (Immaculate Collection remix)

15. Secret (edit)

16. Erotica (edit, or that was the idea. At one of the original 45's edit points, at 3:29 approx, they missed it and it sounds as the CD skips. Maybe this is a problem with only the European mastering. Many users have reported it so it's not a problem with just one copy) INCREDIBLE...

17. Justify My Love (album version)

18. Revolver

Disc: 2

1. Dress You Up (album version but for apparently no reason they cut the first four snare drums to only one, and it has some special effect added. huh?)

2. Material Girl (album version)

3. La Isla Bonita (album version)

4. Papa Don't Preach (album version)

5. Lucky Star (Immaculate Collection remix)

6. Burning Up (3:41 album version)

7. Crazy For You (Immaculate Collection remix)

8. Who's That Girl (album version)

9. Frozen (album version)

10. Miles Away (edit)

11. Take A Bow (album version)

12. Live To Tell (album version)

13. Beautiful Stranger (album version)

14. Hollywood (album version)

15. Die Another Day (album version)

16. Don't Tell Me (edit, first time on a commercial US CD. previously available on US promo CD PRO-CD-100510)

17. Cherish (new mix that as far as I can tell simply edits the album version using the Immaculate Collection remix edit points and fade out)

18. Celebration (original version)


Obviously there is no criteria followed to chose the versions, sounds more like random and let's use whatever master is closer at hand.

Some owners of the 1 disc version are reporting a new edit of "Frozen" as opposed to this set which uses the album version. Talk about random.

There is a front sticker that says "digitally remastered from the original tapes!". Right.

Many tracks suffer from loudness excess but most everything does these days.

Nice work, thanks : P




Edited by elcoleccionista

Production credit errors from the booklet...

The production of "La Isla Bonita" is credited to Madonna, William Orbit, and Patrick Leonard
(the song was produced by her and Leonard. William Orbit would first collaborate with Madonna in l990 for a "Justify My Love" remix).

No production credits for "Papa don't Preach" listed. After the song's writer and publisher credit paragraph, instead of production credits, they listed writer and publisher again (it was produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray).

"Die Another Day" production is credited to Madonna & William Orbit. The track was actually produced by her and Mirwais Ahmadzaï.

This was posted over at the SH forums.

"Pretty damning stuff from the legendary Madonnaphile
"Mattress" on MadonnaNation (I think the cussing is
censored automatically here, sorry - but the content is
really helpful)"

CELEBRATION: A RETARDATION. So, Mr. Brainwash gives us brilliant artwork which coincides with an equally stunning promotional campaign, so of course Warner Bros. botches the audio portion. I'm particularly sensitive to this right now given the quality, care and accuracy that went into the recently re-released Beatles catalog. 26 years in, is no one going to step up to preserve Madonna's recorded legacy? Lest the tone of this come across as entirely negative (it's really more underwhelmed than anything), this is to serve as final confirmation of what you're getting when you buy the new collection. All of the truly iconic songs are here, though many major hits have been omitted. And that's okay considering --impressively-- it would require double the amount of discs to include all of Madonna's hits in one package. Here is what is included on Celebration. There are 15 previously released songs featured in their full-length, original album versions. BURNING UP HOLIDAY MATERIAL GIRL INTO THE GROOVE LIVE TO TELL PAPA DON'T PREACH LA ISLA BONITA WHO'S THAT GIRL LIKE A PRAYER JUSTIFY MY LOVE TAKE A BOW BEAUTIFUL STRANGER MUSIC - MASTERING ERROR: multiple digital pops and clicks that are not part of the original recording can be heard throughout this song. DIE ANOTHER DAY - MASTERING ERROR: Track fades up late due to the incorrectly placed track index on the American Life album. This is ridiculous. The unaffected album version appears on both the US Promo CD single and the Die Another Day film soundtrack, all Warner Bros. releases. HOLLYWOOD - MASTERING ERROR: Track starts abruptly and end of "American Life"'s fade out is audible. Of these, nine were released as singles in versions that differ from these LP mixes. I would have much preferred the inclusion of the difficult to obtain single mixes, but I'm in therapy and have mostly moved on. Mostly. Fortunately, five tracks do appear in their official single versions. SECRET (Edit) - though this looks to be the album version with the single fade recreated for this compilation RAY OF LIGHT (Edit) - again, it's more than likely that this is actually the album version reedited for this compilation to match the radio edit SORRY (Single Edit) - the correct single version master 4 MINUTES (Edit) - the correct single version master MILES AWAY (Radio Edit) - the correct single version master ...and one more is a rarity from a US promo CD: HUNG UP ([Unblended] Album Version) Next up, there are five remixes lifted directly from The Immaculate Collection. BORDERLINE (1990) (Q Sound Mix) LIKE A VIRGIN (1990) (Q Sound Mix) CRAZY FOR YOU (1990) (Q Sound Mix) OPEN YOUR HEART (1990) (Q Sound Mix) VOGUE (1990) (Q Sound Mix) And now we pause to ask ourselves why. The remaining ten tracks are unique to the collection. The first two are new recordings. CELEBRATION REVOLVER One appears to be a from-the-vault rarity, likely included by mistake. LUCKY STAR - ALTERNATIVE Q SOUND MIX Virtually identical to the version heard on The Immaculate Collection, though there is noticeably more reverb on the "ee-yeah"'s at the foot of each chorus. The music leading into the first verse is different (on TIC is was edited to match the original 7" version, on here it is not.) The most obvious difference is right at the fade, instead of the chorus it edits to a set of adlibs heard on longer versions of the song, but not heard on the Q Sound version. Odd, but inoffensive as it seems to be a genuine unreleased variation. FROZEN - The full length album version with a short pass of additional strings during the end that extend the song by approx. 5 seconds. As for the rest, quality control has reached an all time low: EVERYBODY - FAKE EDIT This uses the full length, original 12" version as its starting point (as did the official 7" single version), but is structured differently. While the overall idea for this edit wasn't horrendous, whoever was placed in charge of actually executing the edits needs to be tortured. Slowly... painfully. DRESS YOU UP - FUCKED UP INTRO What the hell happened here? This isn't a mix variation so much as a mastering error... the album version started late with severe tape pinch/phasing issues right at the top. Of the four beats on the intro, all but the fourth are missing. EXPRESS YOURSELF - FAKE FUCKING FUCK. The most offensive. In a failed attempt to kindofsortof recreate the video version, they have taken the complete intro straight off of the Local Mix, "zipper" included. The actual, official video version starts at the percussion and is specially mixed to have echo on the line "Do you believe in love..." which is dry on the Local Mix and therefore not present here. This new monstrosity then incorrectly cuts to the 7" Remix/Edit version and then again where they have BUTCHERED the song right at the bridge. A bad edit jumps the track from the end of the chorus to the repeat of the bridge which kills the structure of the track. This version is unlistenable. CHERISH - FAKE EDIT The original album version cut to the length of the super-short Immaculate Collection version. AMATEUR doesn't begin to describe how bad these edits have been executed. Poor edits result in creating entirely new lyrics! How about this chestnut... "Can't get away, I won't let to" ?! They render all prior complaints about bad edits on Madonna's releases void. Again, unlistenable. In the cases of "Express Yourself" and "Cherish," why not just use the fucking Q Sound remixes?! They're the exact same length as the fake edits and it's not like there aren't 6 others from that release present here. EROTICA - FAKE Radio Edit The edit points are around the same places as the OFFICIAL radio edit, but are poorly executed. The worst is around 3:30... they cut a beat late making for one of the sloppiest moments on this royalfuckupofacompilation. I don't understand why this needed to be recreated as the official edit appears on countless singles and 2001's GHV2 compilation. Oh. And the "surface noise" on the end of "Erotica" overlaps the beginning of "Justify My Love". DON'T TELL ME - FAKE Radio Edit The least offensive/noticeable fake edit, but incorrect nonetheless. The true radio edit was a unique mix for the very last second that does not feature the "whimsical strings" tag. For Celebration, they have chopped off the end, but the first millisecond of this tag is audible. Regarding the mastering: It sounds as though noise reduction was used to remove "tape hiss" which is unnecessary on most recordings post 1980. This process kills part of the high end of recordings. In addition, the entire album has a smear of bass over it. I really wanted to like it, but it sounds like a cheap "bass boost" EQ effect was applied to the songs, not proper remastering. I had accepted the slightly shoddy sequencing, several major omissions and overall lack of consistency and attention to detail with the mixes chosen for this release. I love the look of the entire project, but I cannot understand the use of newly created, butchered versions of songs.

(EDIT - found a slightly updated version. Sorry the
language was restored.)

Edited by Underground Dub