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Books: |
Encyclopedia
Madonnica
by
Matthew Rettenmund
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| Scheduled to be published soon
after the release of her seventh full length studio album, Encyclopedia
Madonnica is a hip, witty, unconventional catalog designed like an encyclopedia.
Unlike a reference book, it features racy commentary on every aspect of
the Madonna myth from a Madonna - friendly point of view. Size D.
Photos throughout. |
The
Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna by Rikky Rooksby
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Madonna
(Pop Culture Legends) by Nicole Claro, Leeza Gibbons
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| Covers the singer-actress's
life from birth through events late in 1993. |
Madonna
Superstar: Photographs (Schirmer's Visual Library) by Karl Lagerfeld
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|
Most
mature effort of the '80s
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Like
A Prayer - Madonna
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| Considered
by many to be the Material Girl's most mature effort of the '80s, Like
a Prayer upped the ante of controversy with its gospel-infused title track
and the singer's emotional confessions throughout. It also unveiled the
hit "Express Yourself," which ushered in the era of Madonna as a "stainless
steel sexual icon." |
Like
A Virgin - Madonna
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| Madonna's
second album was her breakthrough, thanks principally to two gimmicky hits:
the sinuous "Like a Virgin," with its taboo-busting metaphor for that fresh,
clean new-love feeling, and the cutesy, Betty-Boopsy "Material Girl." Most
of the rest of the album, although similarly frothy, is superior to those
warhorses, notably the irresistible LP tracks "Over and Over," and "Pretender"--
which adds a bit of gossamer delicacy to the mandatory bounciness. |
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GHV2
- Madonna
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| GHV2 doesn't have any new material;
"Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," from Evita, and the glorious '60s pastiche
"Beautiful Stranger" are the only songs that haven't appeared on a Madonna
album before. But it compresses her past 10 years worth of records into
an hour of one peak after another. |
Music
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| Reinventing herself as an urban
cowgirl pimpette, Madonna once again sets the standard for mainstream pop,
which will probably only be topped by her next release. --Beth Massa |
Ray
Of Light - Madonna
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| Never
underestimate Madonna's power of persuasion: By nearly all critical accounts,
Ray of Light, Madonna's first album of new material since 1994's Bedtime
Stories, and her first since motherhood, is her richest, most accomplished
record yet.While Ray of Light is being tagged as Madonna's big leap into
electronica, it's important to note two things: First, her music has always
had close ties to dance culture, and, second, her collaborator William
Orbit is no Chemical Brother. Though it has all the latest blips, bleeps,
and crackles electronica has to offer, Ray of Light is still largely an
adult album, completely within Madonna's realm. |
The
Immaculate Collection
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| This
is the perfect way to hear Madonna: no album filler, just one hit after
another. As a singles artist, she works wonders: quick, danceable tunes
that are occasionally "controversial" but never set out to change the world
(and don't). The Immaculate Collection begins with her earliest work ("Holiday",
"Borderline") and matures from there ("Papa Don't Preach," "Like A Prayer"),
ending in 1990. The highlight is the inclusion of "Justify My Love," a
track recorded specifically for this compilation. |
I'm
Breathless (Music From DickTracy) Madonna
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