Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another decade of music redefined by Madonna, 10 Feb 2004
As a teenager in the 1980s, I absolutely loved Madonna; I refused to go a single day without listening to at least one Madonna song. By the time the 1990s rolled around, the obsession had faded and, while I still liked Madonna, I really didn't keep up with her music (or pop music in general, the poor quality of which finally pushed me over to the oldies stations on my radio). For me, GHV2 is a perfect match. My previous exposure to most of these songs ranged from a little to none whatsoever, so I basically rediscovered Madonna when I bought this collection. Madonna has never gotten the respect she deserves for her music; all I heard about her for many years were criticisms of her movies, jokes, etc. Most of the critics seem to dismiss her music altogether, yet she unleashed some huge hits (not to mention impressive albums) during the 1990s, most of the best of which are included in this retrospective collection. Now I know that Madonna is larger than life and that her music is really only a part of her persona. Many people have disapproved of some of her antics over the years, including myself on occasion, but I have always loved and admired her strength, resolve, and undying commitment to be a complete individual and do whatever she wants to do. It's easy to get lost in all the ephemeral nonsense that surrounds the woman, but her very foundation is her music, and this collection shows what an amazing performer she really is.Madonna has been around quite a long time now, as hard as that is for me to believe. The reason she is still turning out hits while many other artists from the early 80s are gone and forgotten comes down to her unmatched ability to completely recreate herself. Not only does she adapt to changes in the musical scene, she leads the charge for change herself. Over her career, this has allowed her to excel across a wide spectrum of song types. I'm no dance music expert, but Madonna lays down the most infectious dance beats I know of in songs such as Deeper and Deeper (featuring a brilliant bridge into a part of her earlier song Vogue) and the totally funked up Music. Beautiful Stranger is another great dance song (but I'll never be able to hear this song without conjuring up images from the music video featuring Austin Powers). Of course, Madonna has her naughty side, as revealed in the edited versions of Erotica and – depending on your state of mind - Bedtime Stories. Madonna never looks back or has regrets, a trait I greatly admire, and she makes this fact pretty clear in the sexually mischievous song Human Nature. What It Feels Like For a Girl makes the point even more convincingly as it points out the ways in which men and women are judged by different standards. Madonna is also the voice behind some of the best love songs of the 1990s. Classics such as The Power of Goodbye, Frozen, and Take a Bow are just beautiful, featuring some of the most moving choruses I've ever heard in pop music. The lyrics, for those who stop to listen to them, are really quite poignant and touching – you won't find any bubble gum pop on GHV2. Then there are the great songs I find hard to classify: Ray of Light is almost cosmic in its appeal and manic in its musical expression. Drowned World/Substitute For Love carries a life-affirming beat in support of its unusually touching message. Then there is Don't Tell Me, a song I like more and more each time I hear it. I remember hearing it for the first time on the radio, as the deejay assured the audience that the "skips" we were about to hear in the early moments of the track were actually supposed to be there. In the 1990s, Madonna was still taking chances, still taking music in new directions, and still turning out some of the best music in the business. GHV2 is a great joy for Madonna fans and ample proof to all the disbelievers out there who deny this remarkable woman's musical talent.
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A truly great hits collection, 14 Aug 2004
GHV2 opens with the brilliant dance track "Deeper & Deeper", which ends with the familiar lyrics "You've got to / Let your body move to the music..." from her classic "Vogue". From this, you know what to expect. Polished, mature and likeable pop music from the undisputed queen of pop. Madonna's Erotica phase continues with title track "Erotica", a seductive and slightly scary exploration of human sexuality, which is another classic track in the bag. In fact, so many of these tracks are simply amazing, from the dance-pop of "Human Nature" to the brilliantly produced "Music", that it's hard to describe simply how good this album is. The only dip in quality is during "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and despite this being a pretty good song, it really doesn't fit here. GHV2 does the unthinkable and manages to rival The Immaculate Collection, which is something that few albums by Madonna have ever done. Good on her!The only problem is the lack of new stuff. Unfortunately, there are no brilliant new tracks like there were on The Immaculate Collection ("Justify My Love", "Rescue Me"), although this is the first of her albums that "Beautiful Stranger", the bouncy, summery Austin Powers theme, has appeared on. GHV2 is a must for anyone who missed Madonna's 90s albums, and it gives you just what you want - all killer, no album filler...
|
|
|
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hit and miss compilation from yoga queen, 19 Nov 2001
By A Customer
It is testament to an pop artist's humungous success when they can pick and choose which songs go on their greatest hits albums, instead of cramming them all on and chucking in a few b-sides/album tracks/pointless remixes to make up the numbers. Madonna did it before on 'The Immaculate Collection' (ignoring such gems as True Blue and Who's That Girl?) and she's done it again with GHV2; only 2 of the five Erotica tracks she released appear here, 'You'll See', 'I'll Remember' and the other two Evita tracks aren't present and correct but, perhaps most suprisingly, she omits American Pie - a UK number one (remember, she didn't have that many in the 90s). Madonna's musical influences were all over the place during the last decade and that is reflected here - it is definitely a patchy compilation which contrasts Madonna's successes (pretty much everything from her latter two albums) with her more miscalculated attempts (the awful, unsexy 'Erotica' and uncomfortable-sounding 'Bedtime Story', for example). GHV2 is an interesting listen with some classy tunes; however it lacks the sheer quality of her first hits package, suggesting that after all her experimentation, pop is what she should stick to.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home