Like a Virgin [Original recording reissued] [Original recording remastered]

No one can deny how huge this album was. It made Madonna a superstar, and it sunk its anchors into both the album and single bestseller charts. The title track was of course a huge hit and represents to me a cultural phenomenon. Material Girl had an even larger impact, and many would argue the song basically defined the decade of the 80s; it certainly helped shape the decade. Dress You Up was just a fun song with a great beat; as things turned out, it was to a certain extent prophetic because Madonna basically did dress up great multitudes of young admirers copying the Madonna look. Angel was another big hit, largely because it was so easy to relate to. Anyone who has ever had a crush on someone knows exactly what Madonna is singing about here. Over and Over also charted, I believe; it lacks the substance of the other songs on the album, but both the words and the energizing music do encourage you to keep going in the face of setbacks. Love Don't Live Here Anymore is the true gem on here, though. I kept expecting it to be released as a single because I really believed it would be a huge hit. Some parts of the album are a little sugary, but this song proved that Madonna did have substance and a talented voice. She packed real emotion and power into her lyrics, and I have always found the song to be well nigh heartbreaking. As for the remaining songs, Shoo-Be-Doo and Pretender are somewhat formulaic and lack pizzazz, but Stay is a song I have always liked quite a bit. It has an emotional quality that I find compelling; I could do without the "scoop scoop" choruses, but overall I find it a song of significant merit.

Not everyone will associate this album with a personal paradigm shift of great personal importance (which is how I view it), but when you get down to brass tacks, the album has more than its fair share of great songs which remain fun and vibrant all these years later. These songs still energize and inspire me, and Love Don't Live Here Anymore still captivates me. For those who discovered Madonna in the 90s or more recently, these songs may sound simplistic or perhaps immature, but I believe that the eternal spirit, magic, and unparalleled success of Madonna can be traced back to its very source in Like A Virgin.

This was one of the first CDs I ever bought but I have not listened to it for a while and my copy has ended up in the possession of my eldest daughter so I picked up this new version. In the beginning when you listen to "Like a Virgin," "Material Girl," "Over and Over," and "Dress You Up" it was pretty clear the music was more about dancing than singing. But then you have a song like "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," which hints that there were other musical directions in which Madonna could go. Besides the sheer force of the lady's personality and public persona, you have to admit that most of the songs on this album are solid examples of what was happening in NYC dance clubs at that time. In other words, once you get past the shock value of the title cut and its sexual connotations, there was enough left over on the album of substance to continue to fuel Madonna's start. After all, despite the title song Stage II Madonna (Stage I was the club singer) was usually known as "The Material Girl."

As this is a remastered version of the original release of LAV, it does NOT include Into The Groove, which is a shame. However, most people who want it will have that on The Immaculate Collection.
With 4 huge hits (Material Girl, Like a Virgin, Dress You Up and Angel) some classic Madonna album cuts, Over and Over (later to be remixed on You Can Dance), Stay and a cover of the Rose Royce classic ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ (which was remixed and released as a single many years later to support the ‘Something to Remember’ ballads collection), and the truly beautiful (and still one of Madonna fans most loved ballads) Shoo-Bee-Doo.

The remixes are good, essentially extended versions (as the 80’s did best!)

A classic and historical album!