Customer Reviews

Celebration (2 CD)

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It's official: Madonna is The Queen of the Dance Floor! With the release of her smash hit single "Celebration", the Material Girl grabbed the number one spot on the Billboard Dance Charts for the fortieth time in her career. Her nearest competitor for this title is Mariah Carey-she hit number one eighteen times. That margin between the two is huge. Here's another staggering fact: in the United Kingdom, Madonna's success at debuting in the number one spot is now tied with Elvis Presley and surpassed only by The Beatles. There's no doubt that she is a worldwide phenomenon and a musical icon. Some may wonder if Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone had any idea just how high her star trajectory would be way back in 1982 when she released her first single "Everybody"; I'll bet she probably did. Even in her early years she was a very strong woman who knew no boundaries and played the fame game to perfection. Remember, this is the lady who had the "Blond Ambition Tour" and has basically re-invented herself every few years, yet still looks super hot and sexy. She calls the shots and is still a trendsetter.
This deluxe collection features 36 songs in total, including "Celebration" (produced by the legendary DJ/Producer Paul Oakenfold) and another new track, "Revolver", with Lil Wayne, which is also a hot song that has 'hit' written all over it. Lately it seems like Lil Wayne could pass wind in the studio and it would be on the Top 40! The song sequence on this 2 CD set isn't in chronological order (like some other greatest hits packages) so you get a good blend of Madonna's song styles over the years. We get the pleasure of hearing "Sorry" right after "Ray of Light", "Vogue" just before "4 Minutes" and "Take a Bow" right after "Miles Away". Career flashbacks come courtesy of "Material Girl", "Lucky Star", "Open Your Heart" and "Live To Tell". Suffice it to say that there's not enough space here to mention every single song, and even though this is actually Madonna's third 'standard' greatest hits compilation, this one is the best and the inclusion of the two new songs are just the icing on the cake. Some of Madonna's detractors consider her the 51-year-old poster girl for 'cougars' and her dating a 23-year-old male model doesn't do much to dissuade her detractors; why does she do it? Because she can. How does she manage to stay at the pinnacle of pop success, year after year? The answer is in these two CD's. She is awesome, truly awesome.

As many others who enjoy Madonna's music, I have pretty much grew up listening to many of Madonna's songs. One of the first songs that I can recall hearing of hers was "Like a Virgin". I admit that I was definitely under 10 years old before being exposed to her music, but I found her music good to listen to then and I still do now. With this said, I have to agree with others who say that more of her hits could have been included in this collection. Every Madonna fan has their favorite songs that could have been included. For me, I wish that the songs "Fever"(from her Erotica album), "Rain"(from her Erotica album) and "I'll Remember"(for the film "With Honors") would have been included in the "Celebration" collection. I would respectfully say that she has had enough hits to at least have warranted a three cd set collection, rather than just two. However, I still feel that this collection is worth owning because of the diversity of songs included in the "Celebration" collection. For instance, the music listener is treated to her daring 80's side with the catchy songs of "Dress You Up"(a song about wanting to express one's desire for who they are attracted to) and "Burning Up"(a musical track about having intense emotions for someone). There is also a diversity of good songs showcased from the 90's such as "Vogue" and "Ray of Light". Madonna then put out some more music in the 2000's, which gave some good songs such as "Music" and "Beautiful Stranger"(song provided for the film Austin Powers:The Spy Who Shagged Me). The best way to determine if you are going to feel good from owning the "Celebration" collection is if you enjoy any of her music from the 80's, 90's, and the 2000's (due to the fact that music from these time periods are organized throughout the two cds).

This record is definitely a good starting point for casual Madonna fans as it's a 27-year-or-so retrospective of her work and it contains all of the big memorable hits.

There are a lot omissions on here but Madonna has so many hit singles that it would be impossible to get all of them on a two-disc collection. I think this does a good job of putting all of the memorable songs on here. Much like "GHV2" and "The Immaculate Collection", the one's left off did not have the impact as the majority of hits that made it onto this collection have had ("Causing a Commotion", "Angel", "You'll See").

What strange about this collection is that a lot of different versions for the songs are one here. There are Q-sounds version from "The Immaculate Collection", album versions and radio edits as posed to having all radio edits or all album versions etc.

But like I always write in my reviews for greatest hits collections, they are more for the casual fans that just want a taste of an artist's repertoire, and those casual fans will to notice or care which edits or mixes are on here. That being said, this is a great listen from start to finish and it serves its purpose.

PS: The new tracks "Celebration" and "Revolver" are great, and they were a joy to see live on her MDNA tour.

When Madonna first appeared as a slinky disco singer with her debut single "Everybody" in 1982, not many people could have foreseen that she would eventually become an iconic pop star, that she would eventually collect more top 10 singles than Elvis Presley and that she would someday be considered the most powerful and influential female artist of her time. By the time she started to make a splash with her first radio hits ("Borderline", "Lucky star", Holiday"), critics were quick to label her as someone who would drift away from the public's eye as soon as her fifteen minutes of fame were over.

Twenty-seven years later, "Celebration" stands as the proof that this woman was definitely not momentary. Gathered on this collection are timeless reminders of the reason why so many of us fell in love with Madonna's music : she simply cannot be beat when it comes to mastering the many aspects of pop. Her songs are alternately joyous and carefree ("Borderline", "Dress you up", "Material girl", "Cherish", "Beautiful stranger", "Secret"), dark and risqué ("Justify my love", "Erotica"), outstanding ballads ("Crazy for you", "Live to tell", "Take a bow", "La isla bonita") and avant-garde dance records ("Die another day", "Hung up", "4 minutes", "Like a prayer", "Music", "Vogue", "Ray of light", "Sorry"), with countless influences covering the bases from latin pop to R&B. Best of all, those songs haven't aged a bit; the stomping rhythms of "Like a virgin", "Open your heart", "Into the groove" or "Express yourself" are still as vibrant as they ever were, and the same can be said about every track. It's especially striking to see that in spite of all the hits gathered on "Celebration", there are still many of them missing ("Angel", "This used to be my playground", "Don't cry for me Argentina", "Hanky panky", "Keep it together", "True blue", "You'll see", "Deeper and deeper" and "Causing a commotion", just to name a few).

This compilation also delivers two new songs. The swirling title track, already a smash in many countries, could have stood proud on "Confessions on a dancefloor"; it recently provided Madonna with her 40th Number One single on Billboard's Dance chart, a record both for the lady herself and for any artist. "Revolver", featuring a toned-down cameo from Lil Wayne, is a slick funky number that has an especially strong potential for North American radio stations.

This compilation is available both as a single disc and as a 36-tracks double CD. Although the single edition doesn't do justice to the woman's work, most of her really inevitable hits are there ("Papa don't preach", "Like a virgin", "Hung up", "Music" and so on). However, the 2-CD edition is not just aimed at diehard fans; even the more casual fans will be able to enjoy the abundance of high-profile hits collected here, and I certainly recommend it. The fact that this woman simply cannot fit all of her legitimate hits on a double-CD package is quite an achievement in itself, and it's certainly worth the few extra bucks.

An awesome "pick-me-up" for driving in the car or walking on the treadmill; lots of energy!

A perfect combination of all her classics and modern beats. It's nice to have the songs from the 80's spun into a brilliant mix with her newer hits. I was worried that the different eras would not match well from song to song, but the order is flawless. What a perfect album.

There isn't much explanation needed as to why this collection is a necessity in any music fans catalogue. Even if you're not the biggest fan of Madonna, these songs speak for themselves. Each track has made a mark in pop culture through the recognizable melodies which have ringed through the radio speakers for the past 25 years of her remarkable reign as the top selling female superstar.
Images circle through the listeners mind of the visual brilliance she has presented through her videos and performances to accompany these songs. Each track was an event of its time.

No matter what ones' personal opinion is of her, there is no denying her impact. Show me another star that has come after her with such a successful track record. Exactly. Let this be the one Madonna purchase you buy if you have nothing of hers in your collection.
This is a must own.

CELEBRATION delivers a great smattering of the Material-Girl-turned-Ethereal-Girl's hits, spanning the entirety of her ground-breaking career. Immediately upon listening, you're sure to be overcome with nostalgia. Can you remember the Marilyn Monroe inspired video for "Material Girl" or Madonna's notorious MTV Video Awards performance of "Like a Virgin" in the mid-eighties? Was your mother offended by the lyrics to "Papa Don't Preach?" Maybe "Take a Bow" was your prom theme? Do you recall the burning-crosses controversy surrounding "Like a Prayer" or the banning of the "Erotica" video?

All of the absolute Madonna staples are present here. They span three decades and include smash-hit singles like "Lucky Star," "Into the Groove," "Vogue," "Frozen" and "Music." This set also features recognizable radio favourites, such as "La Isla Bonita," "Crazy for You" and "Holiday." Casual fans and die-hards alike will enjoy the infusion of more current but less commercially successful singles like "Sorry," "Miles Away," and "Hollywood."

The collection bills itself as "34 songs that changed the world," and that's not an exaggeration. Almost all of these songs transcend multiple generations, nations and cultures. Madonna presents mindless dance hits, fun love songs and emotional ballads alongside thought-provoking and controversial tracks, exploring sexuality, religion & spirituality, adoption & abortion, materialism, misogyny, feminism and more. The remastered sound is excellent, and the packaging is fitting of a retrospective collection. This 2-disc set would serve as the perfect soundtrack to your next party, as background music while playing games, or as motivational music during your next spring cleaning or work-out routine.

On the downside, the track ordering is slightly disappointing. The transition from "Take a Bow" to "Live to Tell" to "Beautiful Stranger" on disc two feels unnatural and sonically unfortunate, and although "Vogue" was a massive hit, it feels shoehorned in between "Music" and "4 Minutes" near the beginning of disc one.

Madonna's been making music for over two decades, so it's obvious not all of her hits could be present, but it is definitely unfortunate that the brilliant and underrated Erotica album wasn't better represented here. The bouncy but forgettable "Cherish" from Like a Prayer could easily be swapped for the more interesting, yet lower-charting Erotica offering "Deeper and Deeper." While it's likely Madonna wanted to avoid ballads in favour of more upbeat hits, the eighties song "Who's that Girl" could also have potentially been switched out for "Rain" from the Erotica sessions or perhaps even for "I'll Remember," the #2 hit from the With Honors soundtrack.

Nice bonuses are the full and remastered versions of early Madonna dance floor favourites "Burning Up," "Everybody," and "Dress You Up," as well as the video version of "Express Yourself." The two new tracks, "Celebration" and "Revolver" (featuring Lil Wayne), are groovy, radio-friendly songs, but they could have appeared on the albums Confessions on a Dance Floor and Hard Candy respectively. "Celebration" is already burning up dance charts around the world, but it would have been nice to see Madonna break memorable new ground on this record, as she did with "Justify My Love" on The Immaculate Collection, her first true greatest hits compilation.

Despite its faults, CELEBRATION is defiantly worth the purchase. Classic tracks like "Hung Up," "Don't Tell Me," "Ray of Light," and "Open Your Heart" can be listened to over and over again and they just don't lose their fun or their edge. These discs will stay fresh in your player for a long time to come.

This CD reminds me so much of my younger years......Makes me wanna get up and dance!!!!

There are not many artist that can chart songs every year from 1982-2009....Elvis did it for 22 years straight,and Elton john had a run of 20 years...But Madonna has had a single on the Canadian Music charts for 27 years running,thats amazing...there are 34 great songs on this Celebration C.D plus 2 great new ones...But did you know there is another 36 songs that charted that did not make this list...including (True blue,I'll remember,Causing a commotion,Jump,this used to be my playground,Hanky panky,don't cry for me argentina,Angel,Spotlight,Deeper & Deeper,Nothing really matters,American life,Rain,Oh father,Keep it together,Me aganist the music,Get together,You'll see,American pie,Give it 2 me,The power of goodbye,You must love me,What it feels like for a girl,Love profusion,Rescue me,Nothing fails,don't stop,amazing,Thunderpuss mega mix,Bedtime story,The look of love,Human nature,Nobody knows me,Bad girl,impressive instant & Bye bye baby)...It would of been better for Warner Brothers to release a box set of 4 0r 5 C.D.'s and have them all on it and call it "Celebration Madonna the warner brothers complete box set"...But not complaining at this end i do love the Celebration C.D. and give it 5 big stars ....She has had 68 top 10 songs in canada,and 63 in england....This C.D. was made to please the united states where she has had only 37 top 10 song...At least we all know thats she got another 5 albums to make in the next 10 years with one nation and at least 3 or 4 more tours....keep up the great music MADONNA canadians & europeons love you....thank you tim P.S:did anyone notice that if you add it all up we pay only 60 cents per song.that a great deal aswell....bye from tim