Like a Virgin [Original recording remastered]

I don't like this album as much her first album, but it is a good listen nonetheless and you can't go wrong with Nile Rodgers' production. This is her first of two diamond releases and it's probably significant in her career because it contains the two songs that made her an icon, her first #1 'Like A Virgin', and 'Material Girl'. Extended versions of these two songs are also on this remastered edition, and I think they're a really nice bonus. Other good tunes are 'Dress You Up', 'Shoo-Be-Doo' and 'Over and Over'. 'Into The Groove' was never stripped onto a CD version of this album in North America, nor is it on this version.

1. LIKE A VIRGIN (#1 US / #3 UK)
2. ANGEL (#5 US / #5 UK)
3. MATERIAL GIRL (#2 US / #3 UK)
4. OVER AND OVER
5. LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (#78 US - 1996 REMIX)
6. DRESS YOU UP (#5 US / #5 UK)
7. SHOO-BE-DOO
8. PRETENDER
9. STAY
10. LIKE A VIRGIN (EXTENDED DANCE REMIX)
11. MATERIAL GIRL (EXTENDED DANCE REMIX)

Madonna's second album was scheduled for a 1984 summer release but was shelved for the Christmas market so that Sire Records could continue mining hits from "Madonna" the first album, which was still experiencing strong sales due to "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" being in heavy rotation on MTV and the other music-video TV programs. While "Madonna" was an excellent debut and really captured the hedonistic spirit of the New York dance scene in the early '80s, by teaming up with veteran producer Nile Rogers, Madonna delivered my favorite album of hers of the decade (and third fave overall--behind "Music" and "Erotica"). What makes "Virgin" so much better than M's other '80s output is that even the non-singles are terrific, unlike the terrible filler found on "True Blue" like "Jimmy Jimmy" and "Loves Makes the World Go Round".

Rogers shades the album with a deliciously decadent, sophisticated-sounding pop-gloss that is the musical equivalent of silk sheets or expensive chocolates. This is especially evident on the love-gone-wrong numbers ("Pretender", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore") or where Madonna professes her undying devotion ("Shoo-Be-Doo", "Stay"). The production all-around is classy and flawless with lots of gorgeous, plucky strings and razor-sharp drumming.

If anything deserves to sound out-of-place here, it's the opening number. "Material Girl" has Madonna in the Betty Boop mode that would serve her well on later fare like "Santa Baby" and much of the "Dick Tracy" soundtrack. Still a catchy tune over 25 years later, I do admit it's probably my least favorite here due to overexposure. The title track doesn't get near as much airplay on retro stations these days as her other '80s hits, yet it's still one of the decades best female singles IMO. And I do prefer the original, uncluttered version here rather than the one with unnecessary bells and chimes that appeared on "The Immaculate Collection".

The remaining two tracks are fantastic slices of dance-pop. "Over and Over" is a rousing anthem for perseverance, but to truly appreciate it, I recommend you seek out the blistering extended remix found on "You Can Dance". The classy dance number "Dress You Up" was remixed for radio with a dated synthesized drum roll, but the original here with its fantastic four-beat opening is the only one you need to hear.

The original 12-inch versions of "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin" are included as bonus cuts. While "Material" has enough tweaks to make it interesting, "Virgin" should have been replaced with the 12-inch version of "Angel" which was remixed to sound like a live recording.

This is the album that made Madonna a superstar. It allowed her to grow as an artist as her vocals display a wider range and proved she could handle the ballads when called upon. FIVE STARS.

Like A Virgin (1984.) Madonna's second album.

Early in the eighties, Madonna came onto the musical scene with the single Everybody. Not long after its release, her 1983 debut LP was released. The LP contained a number of excellent tracks. But, while many of the songs it featured are revered as classics today, at its time of release it didn't do very much to put Madonna in the spotlight. She needed to release another album, and she did so the following year. 1985's Like A Virgin is the album that first brought Madonna the popularity she has had for so very long, and this is arguably her most popular album. Is it deserving of this reputation, or is it just an overrated release? Read on for my review of Like A Virgin.

To put it in the simplest terms possible, this IS an overrated album (and I personally like the lesser-known debut better), but it's an album that deserves to be overrated. There were many female pop singers trying to make it big in the eighties, and Madonna was one of the few whose music was worthwhile. This is the album that put her in the spotlight, and rightfully so. The title track is arguably the biggest hit of her entire career. And, of course, that's not the only hit. We've also got Material Girl and Dress You Up, both of which became extremely popular. But, much like her first LP, some of the best tracks on Madonna's sophomore effort are the tracks that were never very popular at all. Angel and Over And Over had some minor popularity, but sadly, they never became as popular as the really popular tracks featured on the album. That's a shame, because these songs feature the kind of upbeat, bouncy pop music that only the eighties incarnation of Madonna could ever shell out. She even serves up a ballad, Love Don't Live Here Anymore. One of the most interesting songs on the album is Shoo-Be-Doo, because it's the perfect balance between a pop hit and a ballad. This goes to show just how excellent her music is. The closers, Pretender and Stay, tend to go overlooked, even by Madonna fans. That's bites, because they are VERY good songs. The fact that they were featured as single B-Sides doesn't help their reputation any, either. In the end, Madonna's sophomore album is a damn fine piece of eighties pop music.

THIS TEXT REFERS EXCLUSIVELY TO THE WARNER REMASTERS EDITION OF THE ALBUM. Many of Madonna's albums were recently rereleased as part of the Warner Remasters series of album reissues. The liner notes have been expanded, the sound quality has been improved, and bonus tracks have been added! In the case of the Like A Virgin album, you get extended dance remixes of two of the tracks! That's pretty cool. Too bad they didn't put bonus tracks like this on their Van Halen reissues...

Like A Virgin is the album that shot Madonna straight up to instant popularity, and rightly so. She has shelled out a number of excellent albums over the years, and this is among the finest. They don't call her the Queen of Pop for nothing! If you're a fan of Madonna or eighties pop music in general, don't hesitate to add this one to your collection.