From those opening chords of Holiday, wow, what a collection of classics. Floorfillers for forever. SO glad we got this wonderful set.
Kate Bush and Madonna are my two faves, and Kate’s 2018 reissues were such a disappointment - they sounded great, but there was virtually no commentary on her past work, no photoshoot outtakes etc. I’m really hoping Warner/Madonna knock it out the park and give the albums the love they deserve - we want unseen photos, 50-page booklets with commentary on each song… we have waited long enough! On a side note - Finally sounds wonderful and is such a fun retrospective. I think it is the perfect way to kick off the reissue campaign - remind them you’re the queen of bops mother!!
Not only her mentioning and crediting Stuart in the Paper magazine interview, but also the potential of them both dissecting Hung Up together and discussing the creation and production in audio is just MIND BLOWING, I'd love to have her and Stuart team up again on something, they truly had a magic together that is epic, also Stuart as a music director on her tours is just top notch! He knew exactly how to reinvigorate her song while honouring them at the same time.
The unbelievable part of the Kate Bush reissues are the re-recorded vocals on some tracks ! Just read his son is now singing some parts of songs. Like David singing Prince parts on Love song ? NO WAY QUEEN ! The original album has to stay the way it is ! She can add remixes, demos, bsides, even new mixes, I don't care ! But the original album has to be the original album.
Just quickly revisited this Stuart Price interview where he discusses producing "Confessions" and the magic of that era and where that comes from. In part from them working in Stuarts home studio in the loft of his apartment, just experimenting and doing stuff quite low key. Except below: https://www.soundonsound.com/people/stuart-price “I mean obviously there’s no vocal booths in the loft, so it’s very much both on headphones and going for it. And if the doorbell rings, then the doorbell’s on the recording. It was that bedroom–studio mentality again, which I think was one of the most spontaneous parts of that record." In reworking Madonna’s old masters for tour productions, Price discovered that this kind of home studio spontaneity figured even in the singer’s early work. “You solo vocal tracks on ‘Into The Groove’,” he says, “and you hear cabs going by in the background and that the speakers were on in the room as well. It’s just reassuring."
Bertie replaced convicted sex-offender Rolf Harris on vocals on a couple of tracks on Aerial. That was the only re-recording for the remasters and it’s more than fair. She’d already re-recorded her own vocals for a few songs from The Sensual World and The Red Shoes for a separate project, 2011’s Director’s Cut. And there’s the infamous 1986 Wuthering Heights re-recording.
In some territories it will, but not in the USA, where compilations don’t do that well, nor in the UK, where it looks like a band called Steps will block her.
Bertie going “mmm I wanna try directing a show” and getting his mum to do one and then going “ooh singing seems cool, let’s”… iconic behaviour.
Haven't gotten the chance to fully listen to the 50-track version yet, but I flipped through the songs and what a bop metropolis. The other cool thing about this compilation is that it isn't just a collection of some of Madonna's best songs. It's a forty-year history lesson of the evolution of remixing. What other artist can take us on such a lengthy, prolific tour through the changing sounds of clubland?
