Why do people always say Madonna’s been crazy “lately”? And they’ve been saying it for ages too. Ha. She was “crazy” as soon as she stepped off the stage at the 1984 MTV VMA. Like, people really do need to come to terms with that already. It’s been a minute. Let a girl live. And notice how it’s always the crazy people that say Madonna is crazy.
Her reversal on cosmetic surgery, for starters when she was adamant about not doing it in the 90’s. Have you seen her lately? What kind of person does that to themselves?
I’ve been getting into her discography and I really love her albums Music and Confessions On A Dance Floor. Probably one of my favorite disco/dance albums ever and I don’t see a lot of people talk about her album Music like a lot of her other albums
Confessions On A Dancefloor really had no single that would sound good as an album tittle. Imagine if the album was called Hung Up or Sorry. Anyway, Music was great. But it had shitty songs like Super Pop and I Love New York. But the first single was so Delicious, it was food. Music was really powerful. Pure Pop form. She wanted to shed off her Mystical Ray Of Light Era. But she still wrote about Cosmic Systems Intertwine, so music was still philosoohical and profound. But Madonna wanted to stay grounded. Confessions had some shitty stuff too. Hung Up, is so over rated and the aerobics video ruin the song. When i hear hang up, i dont feel like dancing. I feel like doing sit ups and aerobics. Oops, i just realize, i confuse the single from Music and Confessions.
@@eduardochavacano that’s crazy because listening to her album, I’m always coming back to Music and some of the songs have been stuck in my head since I listened to them.
"Music" is great, but It is often forgotten among her other albums. I'm not a big fan of "Confessions". It has really good songs, but as a whole, it bores me, because all the songs sound the same
For me it is Like a Prayer, there's a sense of innocent youth to it... and Ray of Light, first album I heard using a high definition headset, it's amazing for hearing the arrangements in the dark with a good headset.
While I don't rank those records the same way you did, I respect your passion and honesty about all things Madge. I love her more than words, and her command of her sexuality helped me as a coming of age gal in the 80's and 90's. She set the bar so high and paved the way for girls after her to love themselves first. Hard stop. You are lots of fun and I really enjoyed your countdown! 😊
This video is so helpful for me! I am building my Madonna collection right now and a ranking video is just what I need. I only have two Madonna albums on vinyl: her first album Madonna and Like a Virgin. I just picked up the more recent Confessions on the Dance Floor on CD. I haven't listened to it yet, but I am glad it ranked so high on your list! Thanks for this video! Now I know what to look for. Respect.
15. Hard Candy 14. I'm Breathless 13. MDNA 12. Madame X 11. Like a Virgin 10. American Life 09. True Blue 08. Music 07. Rebel Heart 06. Confessions on a Dance Floor 05. Madonna 04. Bedtime Stories 03. Like a Prayer 02. Ray of Light 01. Erotica
Old school madonna fans are willing to keep going on her journey but it doesn't mean we have to like it it is about her look and attitude moving on she won't stop till she wants the last cd i bought and still have is celebration sorry if misspelled my brother visitse every yesr and has a photo of hrr printed on a Tshirt this year was the front with like a virgin covet on the front and back a today photo of her celebration tour its fabulous i have about 12 with snd original tank top with her eyes only and the writing is who's that girl thanks for sharing ❤️
Thank you Craig, i love your video🤩 My personal Madonna chart is: 1. Like a Prayer (5 out of 5 stars - CLASSIC) 2. Ray of Light (5 out of 5 stars - CLASSIC) 3. American Life (5 out of 5 stars - DIE HARD FAN) 4. Madame X (5 out of 5 stars - DIE HARD FAN) 5. I’m Breathless (4,5 out of 5 stars - GUILTY PLEASURE) 6. Erotica (4,5 out of 5 stars - GROUNDBREAKING) 7. Music (4 out of 5 stars - GROUNDBREAKING) 8. Confessions on a Dance Floor (4 out of 5 stars - THROWBACK) 9. True Blue (4 out of 5 stars - MAINSTREAM) 10. Madonna (3,5 out of 5 stars - FUNKY GIRL MADONNA) 11. Bedtime Stories (3,5 out of 5 stars - SEDUCTIVE) 12. Like a Virgin (3,5 out of 5 stars - BLOND AMBITION IN THE FIRST PLACE) 13. Rebel Heart (3 out of 5 stars - BOLD) 14. Hard Candy (2,5 out of 5 stars - TREND FOLLOWING) 15. MDNA (2 out of 5 stars - TOO MUCH) ☺️
Great video! You have renewed my interest in Madonna!! She’s so good and I haven’t listened to her in a while but I will today. And I went on Discogs to pick up some albums and 12” singles I don’t have. I’ve loved her since the 1980s too. I don’t believe you were old enough to buy records back then. You look very young! I was thinking you were in your 30s seriously. Thanks for the video. My favorite is Like a Prayer btw. 😊
My favs: 1. Confessions On A Dance Floor 2. Ray Of Light 3. True Blue 4. Like A Prayer 5. Rebel Heart 6. Madonna 7. I'm Breathless 8. Like A Virgin 9. Music 10. American Life 11. Hard Candy 12. MDNA 13. Madame X 14. Bedtime Stories 15. Erotica
1. Bedtime Stories 2. Ray Of Light 3. Confessions On A Dance Floor 4. Erotica 5. Like a Virgin 6. American Life 7. Music 8. Like A Prayer 9. True Blue 10. Rebel Heart 11. Hard Candy 12. Madonna 13. MDNA 14. I'm Breathless 15. Madame X
Mine would be: 1. Ray If Light (classic, very well produced, diverse and fluid, top lyrical content) 2. Music (very pushing forward, great melodies, amazing production) 3. Confessions On a Dance Floor (pop rave magnum opus, great to listen too on LSD) 4. Like a Prayer (great mix of 80s synthpop with a variety of genres, amazing instrumentation and themes) 5. Erotica (her most historically important record, amazing dirty demoesque production and feels) 6. Bedtime Stories (a surprisingly great mix of pop, RnB, alternative, hip hop, trance) 7. Madonna (amazing debut, simple lyrics, but some of her most amazing dance work and production) 8. America Life (though some of it is definitely forced, her emotional moments subdued in folktronica are peak career tracks) 9. True Blue (amazing singles, the pop bible, pioneer of many things, some fillers though) 10. Rebel Heart (some of her best lyrical content, greatest potential but terrible production, it was sadly unfinished) 11. I'm Breathless (some of her funnier work, amazing vocals, very great seeing her do this era) 12. Hard Candy (terrible successful here in Brazil, lazy production, has some fillers, but it's fun) 13. Like a Virgin (honestly, I don't like half of it, and the best songs are not necessarily great, but iconic) 14. MDNA (Few songs were worth releasing, it should have been an E.P, to many wtf tracks) 15. Madame X (culturally desrepectful, terrible voice production, lack of understanding of most of the genres in it, worst cohesion and corniest lyrics of her career)
Welcome back Craig. That was a fun list to watch. My Madonna collection is two. I have True Blue and a 4 LP set called Celebration. Its a greatest hits package. I enjoyed this. Bedtime Stories is one of her best? I will check it out one of these days. Thanks C~
@@CraigsVinylPlethora I did not even know that it was rare until you told me Craig. I think I bought it at Walmart. I was in there on day. Saw it and bought it.
Excellent list, Erotica is my #1. Pre ordered the picture disc, even though I don't like picture discs. I needed it for the collection. Looking forward to more videos.
Thank you so much! I thought about getting the picture disc but changed my mind. I’m trying not to go down that multiple pressings rabbit hole. But it can prove to be difficult at times!!
I think like a virgin and true blue are in my top 2! In order 1.like a virgin 2.madonna first album 3.true blue 4.you can dance 5.whos thst girl soundtrack album. 6.Im breathless. 7.bedtime stories. 8.immaculate collection greatest hits! 9.Erotica Not keen on her newer songs! However I do like the song "Jump"! Great song n video!
I have never really thought about ranking her albums. I don’t know if Bedtime Stories is my favorite album, I don’t like some of the songs. It is my favorite era of her career. Probably my favorite album is Ray Of Light, it was the first album of hers that I played repeatedly when it came out. I haven’t gotten any albums since Music, but I do love Confessions. Thanx for the great show!
It's not something I ever thought of doing on my own, but something I started doing when interacting with other fans online. With an artist with such a diverse range of material, it's a quick way to get an insight into what a particular person likes about Madonna. You can have two fans who would rank her albums in completely the opposite order because one prefers the 80s pop while another likes her dance music of the 90s. There's also usually a tell in there as to when they discovered her music.
American Pie WAS on the original cd release in Europe, I remember, 'cause I worked in a record store. She didn't want it on there, though, and has claimed she got her arm twisted by a company excecutive to include it and gave in (something she doesn't usually do).
Yes, it's on my UK edition. I guess she didn't have as much say in foreign markets and the record company were not going to want to exclude what was a #1 hit here. It feels out of place though. You get to a mellow end with "Gone" and then it suddenly cranks back up into "American Pie".
At first I doubted your taste, but when number 4 came and Erotica and Bedtime Stories were not mentioned yet and then number 3 and not mentioned again OOOOOH I KNEW YOU GOT IT!
Thank you so much for this video, as a long time Madonna fan, I've never actually never rank her albums. It will be utterly impossible as I truly love all of them. Except for one that I don't care for "Hard Candy"
Hey Craig - I'm still pretty new to your channel. I've been binging the guncles - looking forward to catching you guys live tomorrow. You recommended The Beautiful South's "Quench" on an old episode. I love that final track "Your Father and I" - my newest favorite song. I went out and found a used copy on CD - great album. Thanks. I knew them from a greatest hits CD I got back in the 90s - "Carry On Up the Charts." I love that CD but never got anything else from them other than 0898 and haven't listened to them in a while. Anyway hope you're doing well. I'm gonna focus on your Madonna rankings now...
I love that song so much! TBS will always be very special to me. I did a video awhile back on all things Paul Heaton (one of the lead singers) and showed everything I have he’s been involved in. Thanks for watching Chris! Also thank you for supporting the Guncles!
Good video and thanks for hating stuff too. Anytime a ranking video starts with “these are all great albums, some are just slightly less great” I don’t even bother.
My current ranking based on what I enjoy/listen to the most, as a 26-year-old : 1. Erotica 2. Bedtime Stories 3. Confessions on a Dance Floor 4. Madonna 5. Ray of Light 6. True Blue 7. Like a Virgin 8. Like a Prayer 9. MDNA 10. Rebel Heart These next ones I almost never listen two, maybe 1 or 2 songs: 11. Music 12. American Life 13. Hard Candy 14. Madame X
Thanks for an interesting watch. I was quite surprised with your listing in the end. From the intro, I thought you were going to go hard on the 80s material, but your list is actually broadly similar to my own. The only part I didn't really understand was how low "Ray of Light" was, especially as you didn't really have any criticisms of it, compared to "American Life" which you ranked higher. I consider 1989-2003 her golden period, so given that, my ranking isn't too surprising. #1 Erotica (replaced Ray of Light at #1 after I discovered more of her albums. The sexual openness and wit is pretty unique) #2 Ray of Light #3 Music #4 American Life (my entry to Madonna as an album artist, only knew singles prior to this) #5 Bedtime Stories #6 Like a Prayer #7 Confessions on a Dance Floor (first one that felt like playing for popularity, following old trends and not going anywhere new, mostly lyrically empty) #8 True Blue (weakened by some of the cheesier tracks at the end) #9 Madonna #10 I'm Breathless (still not sure if this belongs in a listing, maybe we should also include "Evita"?) #11 Rebel Heart (full edition only, see below) #12 MDNA (too all over the place, but some great tracks like "Falling Free") #13 Hard Candy (let's do what Nelly Furtado, Britney Spears, etc. already did.) #14 Like a Virgin (following your Nile Rodgers comments, it just doesn't feel like her album and it's held up only by the huge singles) #15 Madame X (also only listened in full once, too long and unfocused. There are a few great tracks I go back to) Rebel Heart is a difficult one and I moved it down about five places while doing this, as I compared it to other albums and felt it couldn't be above them. Basically, it could be a #7 album if not for a number of tracks I find unlistenable. It also hasn't aged well and I ranked it higher when it first came out and I guess was more willing to overlook the insufferable. Like all her 2010s albums, it came out in multiple editions. If we take the standard edition, which finishes at "Wash All Over Me" and doesn't even have the title track, it's a #15. I can't listen to "Iconic" & "Illumnati". They are just awful. A few other tracks like "Hold Tight" and "HeartbreakCity" I just find bland and haven't really listened to since it launched. If that's what she considers the essential part of the album - which it seems like, given she opened the tour with "Iconic" - then we are in very different places. Tracks on the extended versions rebalance things, especially "Beautiful Scars", and so the #11 position is for the full 2 disc version. I was surprised that the vinyl has the standard edition cover, but seems to be at least the deluxe with "Rebel Heart". I can't stand that cover either and couldn't understand why people wanted t-shirts of it at the time. Thankfully, another good thing about the other editions is they had different covers. The problem with all her last three albums is the lack of consistency and just too many tracks. What makes albums like "Erotica", "Ray of Light", "Music", "Like a Prayer", "American Life" & "Bedtime Stories" great is they have a single focus with a theme and pretty much a single producer she's working with. I don't know if this inability to do a proper album is a case of trying to cater to a streaming world where people cherry-pick tracks, but it's ruining her output. Albums should be more than a sum of their parts. As it is, some of the parts of her recent albums drag them down into the gutter.
Brilliant video! Here’s my ranking 1. Like a Prayer 2. Ray of Light 3. Confessions on a Dance floor 4. True Blue 5. Like a Virgin 6. Dick Tracy - a higher place than most people but this was the first albums I ever owned on cassette, so nostalgic - I wore it out! 7. Erotica 8. The First Album 9. Music 10. Bedtime Stories - I know there is so much new love for this album but I find the songs just too samey, Human Nature and the title track are amazing though! 11. American Life 12. Rebel Heart 13. Hard Candy 14. MDNA 15. Madame X
my top: 1. Like a prayer 2. American life 3. I'm breathless 4. Erotica 5. Ray of light 6. Music 7. Bedtime stories 8. Madonna 9. Rebel heart 10. True blue 11. Confessions 12. Like a virgin 13. Madame X 14. Hard candy 15. MDNA
Can't rank them all as haven't heard all but my top 5 Erotica Like a prayer True blue I'm Breathless Ray of light The couple I haven't heard are Madonna Rebel heart Cool video btw.
First album FOREVER for me. Perfection, still fresh and the first Madonna album I bought in April, 1984. Raw, Synth, Street and not forced. Physical Attraction and Think Of Me FOREVER
I loved collecting her in the 80s, but after she came out with "Justify My Love" and "Erotica" I mostly tuned out. But occasionally she'd put out banger albums like "Ray of Light" and "Confessions." Luckily, I was able to receive complimentary copies of her later albums even right up to Madame X (thanks, Interscope!). - Red
My dad was a huge Madonna fan but I never really got into her music. I started watching some of her live performances lately and I actually liked them. Just bought my first Madonna album about three weeks ago (Bedtime Stories) and I really enjoyed it. I don't plan on buying all her albums 'cause I realized that's A LOT of albums to go through. 😂 But I do plan on buying maybe two or three more Madonna albums in the future. I don't know which ones to get (I'm only sure of Ray of Light 'cause that was my dad's favorite album and I see plenty people saying it's her best record to date). Glad someone made a ranking like this 'cause I can use this as a reference when deciding which album to get. Thank you. Oh btw, nobody asked but I chose Bedtime Stories as my first Madonna album 'cause I heard it's an rnb record, and I enjoy rnb a lot. Never knew she made an rnb record, let alone worked with Babyface.
15. Rebel Heart (uhhm...) 14. Hard Candy (Miles Away, Voices) 13. Madame X (I dont search I find esp.the remixes) 12. MDMA (Gang Bang minus the dnb break) 11. True blue (The Thompson/Barbieri Open Your Heart remixes!!) 10. Madonna (The Everybody maxi single) 9. Like A Virgin (Tony Thompson on drums) 8. Bedtime Stories (Secret - love the guitar, Sanctuary, Bedtime Stories - the remix cd maxi) 7. I'm Breathless (Hanky Panky) 6. Music (Mirwais production) 5. Like a prayer (Prince on guitar) 4. Confessions on a dance floor (the Sorry and Get Together remix maxis) 3. American Life (Again great Mirwais production, Nobody Knows Me, the Easy Ride outro) 2. Ray of light (Skin, the Sasha Ray of Light remixes, the Nothing.Really Matters remix maxi) 1. Erotica (The Andre Betts coproduced tracks, the ballads, the funny filler tracks (Bye bye baby, Thief of Hearts)
1. Confessions on a Danceflor 2. Erotica 3. Like a Prayer 4. Ray of Light 5. Like a Virgin 6. I'm Breathless 7. Madonna 8. True Blue 9. Music 10. Bedtime stories 11. The Imaculate Colection 12. Who's That Girl 13. I'm not really into the others
Great video, Craig. Hard Candy is one of her stronger "late" period releases. Her first album is definitely top-five material and contains one of her best singles (Holiday) "More" from I'm Breathless is a sensational track. Please remove "American Life" from your list. (shame on you) "Confessions" is perfectly placed. I wasn't expecting such a strong release!! "Like A Prayer" tops my list. The albums she wrote and produced with Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard are amongst her best. Erotica is where it should be. Bedtime Stories had too many producers and lacks focus. I do love it though, it's a solid #7. It's hard for me to accept what Madonna has become. I admired her so much growing up.
Thank you Mark! We'll just agree to disagree on American Life. There are some really amazing songs on that record. There is also a lot of crap! Bedtime Stories... well it's just perfect to me. I have been a fan as long as I can remember and honestly ranking her albums... well I'm sure I was wrong on most of it but, it's how I felt as I was making the video.
Mine would be: 1. Ray of Light 2. Confessions on the Dancefloor 3. Madame X 4. Like A Prayer 5. Erotica 6. Rebel Heart 7. Music 8. True Blue 9. American Life 10. Hard Candy 11. Bedtime Stories 12. MDNA 13. Like A Virgin 14. Madonna
15. American Life 14. Like a Virgin 13. MDNA 12. True Blue 11. Bedtime Stories 10. Hard Candy 9. Rebel Heart 8. Madonna 7. I'm Breathless 6. Erotica 5. Madame X 4. Music 3. Like a Prayer 2. Confessions 1. Ray of Light
Decent ranking man, here's what i got: 15. American Life 14. Madame X 13. MDNA 12. Hard Candy 11. Rebel Heart 10. Music 9. Bedtime Stories 8. I'm Breathless 7. Like a Virgin 6. Confessions on a Dance Floor 5. Erotica 4. Like a Prayer 3. True Blue 2. Ray of Light 1. Madonna
It's hard to imagine those albums🎉 behind you are really your ,if so (Brilliant) for your love of music i still love her and leep up but i love her 80s it cost me lots of money buttons magazines she made me so happy
Thank you! Yes those are all mine! That’s not even all of them. I have 4 more shelves full. Madonna will always be a very important artist to me. Thank you for watching!
❤my top 5 , the rest I hardly listen to: 1-one of the best album in pop history Ray of light 2-like a prayer - cause the hits are hiiiits!!! 3-confessions cause it has a full concept and sound that unites it 4-music -cause it still sounds unique and multi layered 5- true blue - cause of the hits
You and I have similar “Madonna journeys”. I was a teenager for the first album and LAV and bought them each on initial release. I have followed her career very closely since then, although her recent output since COADF has NOT been good 👎🏻 to me. Here’s my ranking with scores for each album. Thanks for the video, it was a hoot to watch and walk down memory lane. ☮️❤️👍🏻 1. Like A Prayer - A/96 2. Ray Of Light - A/96 3. COADF - A/93 4. True Blue - A/92 5. Madonna - A/90 6. Erotica - B/88 7. Bedtime Stories - B/86 8. Music - B/83 9. I’m Breathless - B/80 10. Like A Virgin - C/79 11. American Life - D/68 12. Hard Candy - D/61 13. Rebel Heart - D/60 14. Madame X - F/52 15. MDNA - F/49
Wow you put way more thought into your ranking than I did! Most of her recent releases haven’t done much for me but for some reason I really, really love Rebel Heart. Thank you for watching!!
@@CraigsVinylPlethora well I’ve spent a lot of years thinking about and analyzing her albums. The thing about Rebel Heart, I think it was the album in her post Warner Bros Records output that had the best potential to be good, but was sabotaged by the leaks and her falling out with Avicii. There’s a way to sequence 10-12 of the tracks (some released and others unreleased) into a half way decent album package. Very unfortunately it didn’t happen that way and the end result was, in my humble opinion as a long time fan, a disorganized mess and pretty much stunk 👎🏻🤷🏻♂️
How is Paradise for Me a fkking song 😂 that cracks me up. That song is so melancholy. I like your unique perspective. I stopped buying Madonna albums after MDNA but I am a die hard fan. I don’t know if her maxi singles are all available on vinyl but her 90s maxi singles are amazing. Erotica being the best one. 1) Like a Prayer - it’s crazy how this sounds so different from what came before and after it. This is the crown jewel in her catalogue and Like a Prayer is the best single and one of her most important works. And that was done in one take. I would open this just to smell the patchouli every day if I had a copy of the vinyl or cassette. The reason why I’ve loved Patchouli since I was a child is this album (and my Stinkor action figure) Till Death Do Us Part is one of my favorite Madonna songs and I think is a testament to how weird and experimental she can be. 2) Ray of Light - I am a goth and this is a goth album. Don’t let the cover and title track mislead you. I would ditch Swim, Little Star, and maybe Candy Perfume Girl. They are the only weak points if you can call them that. Frozen, Power of Goodbye, To Have and not to Hold, Skin. Just a great album and if you listen to the demos those show what a beautiful sound her voice had at the time. 3) True Blue - the production on this album is so great. Of all of the people I wish she would collaborate with again, Patrick Leonard is at the top. Some of her best singles. Papa Don’t Preach, Open Your Heart, Live to Tell, La Isla Bonita, True Blue: all so diverse. I also love Jimmy Jimmy, White Heat. The non singles are great and again if you listen to the entire album the sound is amazing throughout. And that poster insert and cover 💕💕💕 4) Madonna - amazing synth dance album. Holds up so well. My favorite songs aren’t even singles. Think of Me has to be my favorite. Physical Attraction. A great album. 5) Erotica - Probably her most important work and so misunderstood to this day. There will be a huge conversation about this album when she is gone. This album is one that separates her from pop music and shows us what an artist she is. This album talks about the highs and lows of intimacy in all its forms. Made during a time when people were incredibly afraid of sex and rightfully so as people were dying from AIDS all around her. The trip hop touches are amazing. I had the cassette as a kid so thankfully I was completely unaware of Did You Do It? Until I was much older. That should have been a b side. The Version of Waiting from one of the Rain singles with Everlast is far more interesting. This album is a masterpiece. 6) Bedtime Stories - a personal favorite of mine. But again here catalogue is incredibly strong. I think she was recovering from the media beat down she got from Erotica. The four singles on this album could not be more diverse and are some of her best work. I do love almost all of the tracks and I think she could have squeezed at least one more single off of this with Survival. Bedtime Story and Take a Bow is such a strong way to close out the album. 7) Like a Virgin - this album gets overlooked. It’s an amazing album and was possibly rushed. Over and Over. Angel. Stay is one of my favorites. Shoo-Be-Doo, Dress you up. Love don’t live here anymore. Best listened to in its entirety. 8) I’m Breathless. Absolutely belongs on here. I wish the producers of the movie had the sense to use some more of these songs in the film to make it a more complete experience. They butchered some of her performance scenes in that movie. Warren should have had her input. 9) Music - almost seemed like an EP after the complexity of Ray of Light. The songs are so much lighter and more simple. Still a great album. Her catalogue is so strong. 10) Confessions on a Dancefloor - I think the tour offers this is top three but this album is ten for me. It is great but there are some changes I would make. The first half of the album is perfect. The latter half could have used more work. She should have done a better video for Get Together as that is one of the best songs of hers post 2000. 11) American Life - Some good tracks but can’t hold a candle to the rest of her catalogue. Hollywood should have never been a single. These songs are all so much better live. 12) Hard Candy - this is when she started the slow descent into the pits of hell. She should have never collaborated with Timbaland or Justin Timberlake - both were played out already when she did this. She went from being ten years ahead of everybody to ten years behind. I love Heartbeat though. 13) MDNA - trash. I had the two disc cd. There are moments that remind me of Depeche Mode and I think edited from two discs to one album it would have been improved.
Wow. Thank you for your thoughts. Really appreciate the time you took into reviewing her albums. Your descriptions are spot on. Paradise (not for me) there’s something about the sounds and the melancholy that just gets me in the mood! Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. It was an absolute joy to read.
@@CraigsVinylPlethora it's one of my favourites, but, yeah, that's never a vibe I've picked up from it. She's saying things like "I'm broken", and "into your eyes, my face remains" suggesting she's going away and becoming a memory. Now "Bedtime Stories"... that is one I have used for that purpose a few times, though "Human Nature" is one to skip there! XD
Thanks for your detailed comments. I'm surprised you're not a bigger fan of "Candy Perfume Girl" as I would have thought that fitted the goth aesthetic more than any other track on there, but maybe I misunderstood your angle there or am going too much on the live performance. For me, that's the closest she's ever come to rock is that song and I'd love for her to go in more of a dance-rock direction in future, rather than listening to Kanye and thinking she's some kind of hip hop rapper with the grillz and other nonsense. I also had the version of "Erotica" with "Did You Do It?" for a long time until I realised I apparently had the safe version, not the parental advisory version. I was disappointed when I did get the full version, as that track is just bland and there is nothing more risqué on it than the rest of the album (I mean the rest of the album has tracks about cunnilingus & masturbation for goodness sake) I think I can guess what your opinions of the final two albums would be from #12 & #13. You might however be pleasantly surprised with "Rebel Heart", as it does have a few tracks worth cherry-picking. Both it & even "Madame X" feel more original than "Hard Candy", which very much did have that "late to the party" vibe. I've warmed to "4 Minutes" a bit since but I didn't even buy the album for the first six months after hearing that. The Pharrell productions, like "Give It 2 Me", save it a bit.
My ranking: 15 - Madame X 14 - Hard Candy 13 - American Life 12 - MDNA 11 - I'm Breathless 10 - Rebel Heart 09 - Like a Virgin 08 - Madonna 07 - Music 06 - Ray of Light 05 - Like a Prayer 04 - Erotica 03 - True Blue 02 - Bedtime Stories 01 - Confessions on a Dance Floor
My Personal Ranking: 1. Bedtime Stories 2. Ray of Light 3. Erotica 4. Like a Virgin 5. Something to Remember 6. Music 7. Madonna 8. Like a Prayer 9. True Blue 10. Confessions on a Dance Floor 11. American Life 12. MDNA 13. Hard Candy 14. Rebel Heart 15. Madame X
This is my ranking: 1. Like A Prayer 2. True Blue 3. Bedtime Stories 4. Like A Virgin 5. Madonna 6. Ray Of Light 7. Confessions On A Dance Floor 8. Erotica 9. Music 10. Hard Candy 11. American Life 12. MDNA 13. Madame X 14. Rebel Heart
Interesting. I was never a big fan but I have purchased your number 1 & 2 - but I’d rate them the other way around than you did. What’s funny is that her age was never a concern to me except when she went on MuchMusic (Canada’s MTV) to promote Ray of Light. She was making a big deal about eating candy which I guess she was trying to appeal to children and I thought ‘holy shit - Madonna’s old now.
I think MDNA is every Madonna fans least fave album. LOL. I don't have a fave Madonna album but Erotica and American Life are so good. Madame X is hard to swallow, but its very creative. Too much vocoder though.
1 Like a prayer 2 True blue 3 Confessions 4 Ray of light 5 Erotica 6 Bedtime stories 7 American life 8 Music 9 Madame X 10 Rebel heart 11 Madonna 12 I’m breathless 13 Like a virgin 14 MDNA 15 Hard candy
1 REBEL HEART 2 RAY OF LIGHT 3 CONFESSIONS 4 TRUE BLUE 5 MADAME X 6 MUSIC 7 AMERICAN LIFE 8 HARD CANDY 9 LIKE A VIRGIN 10 MADONNA 11 MDNA 12 LIKE A PRAYER 13 EROTICA 14 BED TIME STORIES
"Masterpiece" on MDNA is great. Pretty cool that you've got the vinyl. I didn't actually get into Madonna until LIKE A PRAYER, and there were some fantastic albums after that including RAY OF LIGHT, BEDTIME STORIES, MUSIC, and CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR. You rank EROTICA and REBEL HEART surprisingly high (I agree REBEL HEART is her best late career album), and (imo) RAY OF LIGHT and LIKE A PRAYER surprisingly low.
1. Erotica 2. Madonna 3. Like A Prayer 4. Bedtime Stories 5. Like A Virgin 6. Ray of Light 7. I’m Breathless 8. True Blue 9. Music 10. Confession of a Dancefloor 11. American Life 12. Hard Candy 13. MDNA 14. Rebel Heart 15. Madame X
@@CraigsVinylPlethora: Exactly! Great body of work; beautifully produced. I mean you can't go wrong with Babyface and Dallas Austin. It was a nice shift from Erotica. Always liked Madonna's vocals when she sings ballads or more mellow songs and that's exactly what we get in BTS; with its Soul/R&B influences 😊
1. Erotica 2. Ray of Light 3. Like a Prayer 4. Madonna 5. Confessions 6. Bedtime Stories 7. Like a Virgin I couldn’t care less about the rest. Honestly, I mostly listen to Erotica, Madonna, and Bedtime Stories. After Erotica, I feel like she’s always trying to please.
Hi Craig, There is an interview that you may be interested in. Copy and paste this channel title ---> Jacqui Abbott’s tale of how she joined the Beautiful South is a movie in waiting - Or search for the channel name - Word In Your Ear. I hope you can understand her. 🤣🤣🤣
Dexter I’m so sorry I missed this comment. I saw that interview I loved it so much. I knew the story but had never heard her tell it before. It’s crazy how young she was when she joined the band. I’m only a few months older than her. Must be why she’s my favorite female vocalist of TBS but she was born in the best year ever! Thanks for letting me know about this!
From Best to worst: 1. American Life 2. Hard Candy 3. ROL 4. Bed Time Stories 5. Madame X 6. Confessions 7. Madonna 8. Rebel Heart 9. MDNA 10. Erotica 11. Music 12. Like a Virgin 13. True Blue
My favs. It's not the Best work persei more like what I would Listen. # 1 Ray of Light . # 2 Confessions on dance floor # 3 Like a Prayer # 4 Rebel Heart (Bonus album) # 5 Erotica # 6 Music #7 True Blue #8 Bedtime Stories # 9 Madame X #10 American Life # 11 MDNA #12 Madonna #13 Like a Virgin #14 Hard Candy #15 Im Breathless - and how ironic song Vogue (from I'm Breathless is my favorite song)
Why do people always say Madonna’s been crazy “lately”? And they’ve been saying it for ages too. Ha. She was “crazy” as soon as she stepped off the stage at the 1984 MTV VMA. Like, people really do need to come to terms with that already. It’s been a minute. Let a girl live. And notice how it’s always the crazy people that say Madonna is crazy.
She is crazy though
Crazy for you ;)
I never heard her referred to as crazy back in the day.
Her reversal on cosmetic surgery, for starters when she was adamant about not doing it in the 90’s. Have you seen her lately? What kind of person does that to themselves?
@@SeventizzI don't know if you saw videos of her tour but she looks incredible
@@do2003Tour should be called ‘Desperately Seeking Neck’. What happened?
I’ve been getting into her discography and I really love her albums Music and Confessions On A Dance Floor. Probably one of my favorite disco/dance albums ever and I don’t see a lot of people talk about her album Music like a lot of her other albums
Confessions On A Dancefloor really had no single that would sound good as an album tittle. Imagine if the album was called Hung Up or Sorry. Anyway, Music was great. But it had shitty songs like Super Pop and I Love New York. But the first single was so Delicious, it was food. Music was really powerful. Pure Pop form. She wanted to shed off her Mystical Ray Of Light Era. But she still wrote about Cosmic Systems Intertwine, so music was still philosoohical and profound. But Madonna wanted to stay grounded. Confessions had some shitty stuff too. Hung Up, is so over rated and the aerobics video ruin the song. When i hear hang up, i dont feel like dancing. I feel like doing sit ups and aerobics. Oops, i just realize, i confuse the single from Music and Confessions.
@@eduardochavacano that’s crazy because listening to her album, I’m always coming back to Music and some of the songs have been stuck in my head since I listened to them.
"Music" is great, but It is often forgotten among her other albums. I'm not a big fan of "Confessions". It has really good songs, but as a whole, it bores me, because all the songs sound the same
For me it is Like a Prayer, there's a sense of innocent youth to it... and Ray of Light, first album I heard using a high definition headset, it's amazing for hearing the arrangements in the dark with a good headset.
While I don't rank those records the same way you did, I respect your passion and honesty about all things Madge. I love her more than words, and her command of her sexuality helped me as a coming of age gal in the 80's and 90's. She set the bar so high and paved the way for girls after her to love themselves first. Hard stop. You are lots of fun and I really enjoyed your countdown! 😊
Thank you so much!
This video is so helpful for me! I am building my Madonna collection right now and a ranking video is just what I need. I only have two Madonna albums on vinyl: her first album Madonna and Like a Virgin. I just picked up the more recent Confessions on the Dance Floor on CD. I haven't listened to it yet, but I am glad it ranked so high on your list! Thanks for this video! Now I know what to look for. Respect.
Let me know what you think of Confessions. It’s definitely a dance record. But so good!
@@CraigsVinylPlethora yes, it's essentially a disco album with modern production.
15. Hard Candy
14. I'm Breathless
13. MDNA
12. Madame X
11. Like a Virgin
10. American Life
09. True Blue
08. Music
07. Rebel Heart
06. Confessions on a Dance Floor
05. Madonna
04. Bedtime Stories
03. Like a Prayer
02. Ray of Light
01. Erotica
Omg my top two!! Erotica and Bedtime Stories are soo underrated. Flawless albums
I really do LOVE Bedtime Stories. It is genius. I wish she would do more from it. Don't Stop should have been a single
Agreed, “Don’t Stop” would have made a very strong single
I don't agree. I think "Don't Stop" is extremely generic to be a succesful single. Still, I respect your opinion
Old school madonna fans are willing to keep going on her journey but it doesn't mean we have to like it it is about her look and attitude moving on she won't stop till she wants the last cd i bought and still have is celebration sorry if misspelled my brother visitse every yesr and has a photo of hrr printed on a Tshirt this year was the front with like a virgin covet on the front and back a today photo of her celebration tour its fabulous i have about 12 with snd original tank top with her eyes only and the writing is who's that girl thanks for sharing ❤️
Thank you Craig, i love your video🤩
My personal Madonna chart is:
1. Like a Prayer (5 out of 5 stars - CLASSIC)
2. Ray of Light (5 out of 5 stars - CLASSIC)
3. American Life (5 out of 5 stars - DIE HARD FAN)
4. Madame X (5 out of 5 stars - DIE HARD FAN)
5. I’m Breathless (4,5 out of 5 stars - GUILTY PLEASURE)
6. Erotica (4,5 out of 5 stars - GROUNDBREAKING)
7. Music (4 out of 5 stars - GROUNDBREAKING)
8. Confessions on a Dance Floor (4 out of 5 stars - THROWBACK)
9. True Blue (4 out of 5 stars - MAINSTREAM)
10. Madonna (3,5 out of 5 stars - FUNKY GIRL MADONNA)
11. Bedtime Stories (3,5 out of 5 stars - SEDUCTIVE)
12. Like a Virgin (3,5 out of 5 stars - BLOND AMBITION IN THE FIRST PLACE)
13. Rebel Heart (3 out of 5 stars - BOLD)
14. Hard Candy (2,5 out of 5 stars - TREND FOLLOWING)
15. MDNA (2 out of 5 stars - TOO MUCH)
☺️
What did you love about "Madame X"? I just found it way too long and have never been able to focus on anything more than a few tracks.
I liked your ranking
@@TatoMQZD Thanx, you are very kind😊
Great video! You have renewed my interest in Madonna!! She’s so good and I haven’t listened to her in a while but I will today. And I went on Discogs to pick up some albums and 12” singles I don’t have. I’ve loved her since the 1980s too. I don’t believe you were old enough to buy records back then. You look very young! I was thinking you were in your 30s seriously. Thanks for the video. My favorite is Like a Prayer btw. 😊
Thank you so much for watching! Been listening to her since her debut. I’m definitely old enough… ah my 30s. I remember those days, barely!
My favs:
1. Confessions On A Dance Floor
2. Ray Of Light
3. True Blue
4. Like A Prayer
5. Rebel Heart
6. Madonna
7. I'm Breathless
8. Like A Virgin
9. Music
10. American Life
11. Hard Candy
12. MDNA
13. Madame X
14. Bedtime Stories
15. Erotica
1. Bedtime Stories
2. Ray Of Light
3. Confessions On A Dance Floor
4. Erotica
5. Like a Virgin
6. American Life
7. Music
8. Like A Prayer
9. True Blue
10. Rebel Heart
11. Hard Candy
12. Madonna
13. MDNA
14. I'm Breathless
15. Madame X
Mine would be:
1. Ray If Light (classic, very well produced, diverse and fluid, top lyrical content)
2. Music (very pushing forward, great melodies, amazing production)
3. Confessions On a Dance Floor (pop rave magnum opus, great to listen too on LSD)
4. Like a Prayer (great mix of 80s synthpop with a variety of genres, amazing instrumentation and themes)
5. Erotica (her most historically important record, amazing dirty demoesque production and feels)
6. Bedtime Stories (a surprisingly great mix of pop, RnB, alternative, hip hop, trance)
7. Madonna (amazing debut, simple lyrics, but some of her most amazing dance work and production)
8. America Life (though some of it is definitely forced, her emotional moments subdued in folktronica are peak career tracks)
9. True Blue (amazing singles, the pop bible, pioneer of many things, some fillers though)
10. Rebel Heart (some of her best lyrical content, greatest potential but terrible production, it was sadly unfinished)
11. I'm Breathless (some of her funnier work, amazing vocals, very great seeing her do this era)
12. Hard Candy (terrible successful here in Brazil, lazy production, has some fillers, but it's fun)
13. Like a Virgin (honestly, I don't like half of it, and the best songs are not necessarily great, but iconic)
14. MDNA (Few songs were worth releasing, it should have been an E.P, to many wtf tracks)
15. Madame X (culturally desrepectful, terrible voice production, lack of understanding of most of the genres in it, worst cohesion and corniest lyrics of her career)
Great description of each. You’re pretty spot on.
Can't disagree with anything you've written. Though I do like mdna more than most people seem to
Madame X, just as Ray of Light is rich, lyrically and conceptually. Great fusions and production.
hm no it isnt@@fernandobruno9429
Agree with your comments and your order is pretty similar to mine. There are a lot of wtf moments with her recent albums for sure.
Welcome back Craig. That was a fun list to watch. My Madonna collection is two. I have True Blue and a 4 LP set called Celebration. Its a greatest hits package. I enjoyed this. Bedtime Stories is one of her best? I will check it out one of these days. Thanks C~
You have celebration? So jealous. I’ve been wanting it for years. But now it’s like way too much money. I’ll never be able to afford it.
@@CraigsVinylPlethora I did not even know that it was rare until you told me Craig. I think I bought it at Walmart. I was in there on day. Saw it and bought it.
Excellent list, Erotica is my #1. Pre ordered the picture disc, even though I don't like picture discs. I needed it for the collection. Looking forward to more videos.
Thank you so much! I thought about getting the picture disc but changed my mind. I’m trying not to go down that multiple pressings rabbit hole. But it can prove to be difficult at times!!
I think like a virgin and true blue are in my top 2! In order
1.like a virgin
2.madonna first album
3.true blue
4.you can dance
5.whos thst girl soundtrack album.
6.Im breathless.
7.bedtime stories.
8.immaculate collection greatest hits!
9.Erotica
Not keen on her newer songs! However I do like the song "Jump"! Great song n video!
I have never really thought about ranking her albums. I don’t know if Bedtime Stories is my favorite album, I don’t like some of the songs. It is my favorite era of her career. Probably my favorite album is Ray Of Light, it was the first album of hers that I played repeatedly when it came out. I haven’t gotten any albums since Music, but I do love Confessions. Thanx for the great show!
It's not something I ever thought of doing on my own, but something I started doing when interacting with other fans online. With an artist with such a diverse range of material, it's a quick way to get an insight into what a particular person likes about Madonna. You can have two fans who would rank her albums in completely the opposite order because one prefers the 80s pop while another likes her dance music of the 90s. There's also usually a tell in there as to when they discovered her music.
American Pie WAS on the original cd release in Europe, I remember, 'cause I worked in a record store. She didn't want it on there, though, and has claimed she got her arm twisted by a company excecutive to include it and gave in (something she doesn't usually do).
It was not on the original US CD.
Yes, it's on my UK edition. I guess she didn't have as much say in foreign markets and the record company were not going to want to exclude what was a #1 hit here. It feels out of place though. You get to a mellow end with "Gone" and then it suddenly cranks back up into "American Pie".
At first I doubted your taste, but when number 4 came and Erotica and Bedtime Stories were not mentioned yet and then number 3 and not mentioned again OOOOOH I KNEW YOU GOT IT!
Bedtime Stories is also may favorite album of all time. My Sanctuary ❤❤❤
I have always considered Erotica album to be masterpiece. It was eclipsed by the SEX book.
Great Albums! Great Picks! Love what you said at the end there! Love the Golden Girls! 🌴
Good to watch your ranking. 👍🏼
Thank you for giving Bedtime Stories so much love. I have seen a lot of other ranking of Madonna’s discography and it’s constantly shitted on.
Great video! It's so hard to rank her albums. I love them all (minus MDNA). A bit sad True Blue is that low in your list but ok.
Thank you. It is very hard to rank her albums. And you’re probably right, true blue should’ve been higher!
@@CraigsVinylPlethora True Blue is low in my list too. So overrated and very tinny in sound
My all time fav album of hers. So many memories attached.
Nice to see your rankings. Out of curiosity what did you think of Bedtime Story (the one she co-wrote with Bjork)?
Great video!!!!!
Love your face!!
Thank you so much for this video, as a long time Madonna fan, I've never actually never rank her albums. It will be utterly impossible as I truly love all of them. Except for one that I don't care for "Hard Candy"
i'm just glad that my favorite, "like a prayer", made it to the top 3.
Hey Craig - I'm still pretty new to your channel. I've been binging the guncles - looking forward to catching you guys live tomorrow. You recommended The Beautiful South's "Quench" on an old episode. I love that final track "Your Father and I" - my newest favorite song. I went out and found a used copy on CD - great album. Thanks. I knew them from a greatest hits CD I got back in the 90s - "Carry On Up the Charts." I love that CD but never got anything else from them other than 0898 and haven't listened to them in a while. Anyway hope you're doing well. I'm gonna focus on your Madonna rankings now...
I love that song so much! TBS will always be very special to me. I did a video awhile back on all things Paul Heaton (one of the lead singers) and showed everything I have he’s been involved in. Thanks for watching Chris! Also thank you for supporting the Guncles!
I take it back… I hate Love Song with Prince. Wrote the first comment too soon. 😂
@@teralmiles most people hate it. But I’ve loved from the first moment I heard it!
@@CraigsVinylPlethora love that.. for you 😆
Good video and thanks for hating stuff too. Anytime a ranking video starts with “these are all great albums, some are just slightly less great” I don’t even bother.
1) Ray of Light
2) Confession on the Dance Floor
3) Like A Prayer
My current ranking based on what I enjoy/listen to the most, as a 26-year-old :
1. Erotica
2. Bedtime Stories
3. Confessions on a Dance Floor
4. Madonna
5. Ray of Light
6. True Blue
7. Like a Virgin
8. Like a Prayer
9. MDNA
10. Rebel Heart
These next ones I almost never listen two, maybe 1 or 2 songs:
11. Music
12. American Life
13. Hard Candy
14. Madame X
Madame X is one of my top 5 Madonna LPS!
Thanks for an interesting watch. I was quite surprised with your listing in the end. From the intro, I thought you were going to go hard on the 80s material, but your list is actually broadly similar to my own. The only part I didn't really understand was how low "Ray of Light" was, especially as you didn't really have any criticisms of it, compared to "American Life" which you ranked higher.
I consider 1989-2003 her golden period, so given that, my ranking isn't too surprising.
#1 Erotica (replaced Ray of Light at #1 after I discovered more of her albums. The sexual openness and wit is pretty unique)
#2 Ray of Light
#3 Music
#4 American Life (my entry to Madonna as an album artist, only knew singles prior to this)
#5 Bedtime Stories
#6 Like a Prayer
#7 Confessions on a Dance Floor (first one that felt like playing for popularity, following old trends and not going anywhere new, mostly lyrically empty)
#8 True Blue (weakened by some of the cheesier tracks at the end)
#9 Madonna
#10 I'm Breathless (still not sure if this belongs in a listing, maybe we should also include "Evita"?)
#11 Rebel Heart (full edition only, see below)
#12 MDNA (too all over the place, but some great tracks like "Falling Free")
#13 Hard Candy (let's do what Nelly Furtado, Britney Spears, etc. already did.)
#14 Like a Virgin (following your Nile Rodgers comments, it just doesn't feel like her album and it's held up only by the huge singles)
#15 Madame X (also only listened in full once, too long and unfocused. There are a few great tracks I go back to)
Rebel Heart is a difficult one and I moved it down about five places while doing this, as I compared it to other albums and felt it couldn't be above them. Basically, it could be a #7 album if not for a number of tracks I find unlistenable. It also hasn't aged well and I ranked it higher when it first came out and I guess was more willing to overlook the insufferable.
Like all her 2010s albums, it came out in multiple editions. If we take the standard edition, which finishes at "Wash All Over Me" and doesn't even have the title track, it's a #15. I can't listen to "Iconic" & "Illumnati". They are just awful. A few other tracks like "Hold Tight" and "HeartbreakCity" I just find bland and haven't really listened to since it launched. If that's what she considers the essential part of the album - which it seems like, given she opened the tour with "Iconic" - then we are in very different places. Tracks on the extended versions rebalance things, especially "Beautiful Scars", and so the #11 position is for the full 2 disc version.
I was surprised that the vinyl has the standard edition cover, but seems to be at least the deluxe with "Rebel Heart". I can't stand that cover either and couldn't understand why people wanted t-shirts of it at the time. Thankfully, another good thing about the other editions is they had different covers.
The problem with all her last three albums is the lack of consistency and just too many tracks. What makes albums like "Erotica", "Ray of Light", "Music", "Like a Prayer", "American Life" & "Bedtime Stories" great is they have a single focus with a theme and pretty much a single producer she's working with. I don't know if this inability to do a proper album is a case of trying to cater to a streaming world where people cherry-pick tracks, but it's ruining her output. Albums should be more than a sum of their parts. As it is, some of the parts of her recent albums drag them down into the gutter.
Brilliant video! Here’s my ranking
1. Like a Prayer
2. Ray of Light
3. Confessions on a Dance floor
4. True Blue
5. Like a Virgin
6. Dick Tracy - a higher place than most people but this was the first albums I ever owned on cassette, so nostalgic - I wore it out!
7. Erotica
8. The First Album
9. Music
10. Bedtime Stories - I know there is so much new love for this album but I find the songs just too samey, Human Nature and the title track are amazing though!
11. American Life
12. Rebel Heart
13. Hard Candy
14. MDNA
15. Madame X
Thank you! I had I’m Breathless on cassette as well.
my top:
1. Like a prayer
2. American life
3. I'm breathless
4. Erotica
5. Ray of light
6. Music
7. Bedtime stories
8. Madonna
9. Rebel heart
10. True blue
11. Confessions
12. Like a virgin
13. Madame X
14. Hard candy
15. MDNA
Can't rank them all as haven't heard all but my top 5
Erotica
Like a prayer
True blue
I'm Breathless
Ray of light
The couple I haven't heard are
Madonna
Rebel heart
Cool video btw.
Erotica is a masterpiece! I agree with you list.
First album FOREVER for me. Perfection, still fresh and the first Madonna album I bought in April, 1984. Raw, Synth, Street and not forced. Physical Attraction and Think Of Me FOREVER
I loved collecting her in the 80s, but after she came out with "Justify My Love" and "Erotica" I mostly tuned out. But occasionally she'd put out banger albums like "Ray of Light" and "Confessions." Luckily, I was able to receive complimentary copies of her later albums even right up to Madame X (thanks, Interscope!).
- Red
My dad was a huge Madonna fan but I never really got into her music. I started watching some of her live performances lately and I actually liked them. Just bought my first Madonna album about three weeks ago (Bedtime Stories) and I really enjoyed it. I don't plan on buying all her albums 'cause I realized that's A LOT of albums to go through. 😂 But I do plan on buying maybe two or three more Madonna albums in the future. I don't know which ones to get (I'm only sure of Ray of Light 'cause that was my dad's favorite album and I see plenty people saying it's her best record to date). Glad someone made a ranking like this 'cause I can use this as a reference when deciding which album to get. Thank you.
Oh btw, nobody asked but I chose Bedtime Stories as my first Madonna album 'cause I heard it's an rnb record, and I enjoy rnb a lot. Never knew she made an rnb record, let alone worked with Babyface.
Great to see you again Craig. I'm with you - the smell of Patchouli reminds me of unwashed hippies - which is not so great.
Patchouli is so nasty!! Thanks for stopping by David. Always love your comments!
Ray of light - Music / Drawn World Tour stigmatized my soul forever 🪄
15. Rebel Heart (uhhm...)
14. Hard Candy (Miles Away, Voices)
13. Madame X (I dont search I find esp.the remixes)
12. MDMA (Gang Bang minus the dnb break)
11. True blue (The Thompson/Barbieri Open Your Heart remixes!!)
10. Madonna (The Everybody maxi single)
9. Like A Virgin (Tony Thompson on drums)
8. Bedtime Stories (Secret - love the guitar, Sanctuary, Bedtime Stories - the remix cd maxi)
7. I'm Breathless (Hanky Panky)
6. Music (Mirwais production)
5. Like a prayer (Prince on guitar)
4. Confessions on a dance floor (the Sorry and Get Together remix maxis)
3. American Life (Again great Mirwais production, Nobody Knows Me, the Easy Ride outro)
2. Ray of light (Skin, the Sasha Ray of Light remixes, the Nothing.Really Matters remix maxi)
1. Erotica (The Andre Betts coproduced tracks, the ballads, the funny filler tracks (Bye bye baby, Thief of Hearts)
1. Confessions on a Danceflor
2. Erotica
3. Like a Prayer
4. Ray of Light
5. Like a Virgin
6. I'm Breathless
7. Madonna
8. True Blue
9. Music
10. Bedtime stories
11. The Imaculate Colection
12. Who's That Girl
13. I'm not really into the others
Great video, Craig. Hard Candy is one of her stronger "late" period releases. Her first album is definitely top-five material and contains one of her best singles (Holiday) "More" from I'm Breathless is a sensational track. Please remove "American Life" from your list. (shame on you) "Confessions" is perfectly placed. I wasn't expecting such a strong release!! "Like A Prayer" tops my list. The albums she wrote and produced with Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard are amongst her best. Erotica is where it should be. Bedtime Stories had too many producers and lacks focus. I do love it though, it's a solid #7. It's hard for me to accept what Madonna has become. I admired her so much growing up.
Thank you Mark! We'll just agree to disagree on American Life. There are some really amazing songs on that record. There is also a lot of crap! Bedtime Stories... well it's just perfect to me. I have been a fan as long as I can remember and honestly ranking her albums... well I'm sure I was wrong on most of it but, it's how I felt as I was making the video.
@@CraigsVinylPlethora Music, like all art, is so subjective. It affects everyone differently.
Perfect.
I didn't like Madonna until she dropped the jumble sale street look and went True Blue and then I really liked her.
Bedtime stories, madonna, confessions, Ray of light overall are her best sounding albums
Mine would be:
1. Ray of Light
2. Confessions on the Dancefloor
3. Madame X
4. Like A Prayer
5. Erotica
6. Rebel Heart
7. Music
8. True Blue
9. American Life
10. Hard Candy
11. Bedtime Stories
12. MDNA
13. Like A Virgin
14. Madonna
@0:34 💔 I feel this so much. Perfumes are my addiction.
15. American Life
14. Like a Virgin
13. MDNA
12. True Blue
11. Bedtime Stories
10. Hard Candy
9. Rebel Heart
8. Madonna
7. I'm Breathless
6. Erotica
5. Madame X
4. Music
3. Like a Prayer
2. Confessions
1. Ray of Light
I had to look up what fornicate meant 😆 but I loveee paradise not for me!!! Great ranking!
That makes me giggle! It is a fantastic song!!
I don't know that that is my ranking, but I agree that Bedtime Stories is one of the greats!
Soooo many memories with the music on that album ❤
Which album? I talked about 15 of them!!!
Mainly true blue. Remember when she & Cyndi both came out around 85? And I couldn’t decide between them. Like Tiffany & Debbie.
@@crazycatlady4339 well it’s hard to decide between Cyndi & Madonna. But Tiffany wins hands down!
Decent ranking man, here's what i got:
15. American Life
14. Madame X
13. MDNA
12. Hard Candy
11. Rebel Heart
10. Music
9. Bedtime Stories
8. I'm Breathless
7. Like a Virgin
6. Confessions on a Dance Floor
5. Erotica
4. Like a Prayer
3. True Blue
2. Ray of Light
1. Madonna
It's hard to imagine those albums🎉 behind you are really your ,if so (Brilliant) for your love of music i still love her and leep up but i love her 80s it cost me lots of money buttons magazines she made me so happy
Thank you! Yes those are all mine! That’s not even all of them. I have 4 more shelves full. Madonna will always be a very important artist to me. Thank you for watching!
❤my top 5 , the rest I hardly listen to:
1-one of the best album in pop history
Ray of light
2-like a prayer - cause the hits are hiiiits!!!
3-confessions cause it has a full concept and sound that unites it
4-music -cause it still sounds unique and multi layered
5- true blue - cause of the hits
Would you consider You Can Dance in the Madonna albums. Spotlight was a new track.
You and I have similar “Madonna journeys”. I was a teenager for the first album and LAV and bought them each on initial release. I have followed her career very closely since then, although her recent output since COADF has NOT been good 👎🏻 to me. Here’s my ranking with scores for each album. Thanks for the video, it was a hoot to watch and walk down memory lane. ☮️❤️👍🏻
1. Like A Prayer - A/96
2. Ray Of Light - A/96
3. COADF - A/93
4. True Blue - A/92
5. Madonna - A/90
6. Erotica - B/88
7. Bedtime Stories - B/86
8. Music - B/83
9. I’m Breathless - B/80
10. Like A Virgin - C/79
11. American Life - D/68
12. Hard Candy - D/61
13. Rebel Heart - D/60
14. Madame X - F/52
15. MDNA - F/49
Wow you put way more thought into your ranking than I did! Most of her recent releases haven’t done much for me but for some reason I really, really love Rebel Heart. Thank you for watching!!
@@CraigsVinylPlethora well I’ve spent a lot of years thinking about and analyzing her albums. The thing about Rebel Heart, I think it was the album in her post Warner Bros Records output that had the best potential to be good, but was sabotaged by the leaks and her falling out with Avicii. There’s a way to sequence 10-12 of the tracks (some released and others unreleased) into a half way decent album package. Very unfortunately it didn’t happen that way and the end result was, in my humble opinion as a long time fan, a disorganized mess and pretty much stunk 👎🏻🤷🏻♂️
My man giving Rebel Heart the respect is deserves, well done sir.
I think I see Duran Duran - Rio on your shelf * YES!
You do!
Yeah, Bedtime is my number one too.
"True Blue Is a good album,i like that album track,Jimmy Jimmy,that's a hell of a catchy song!
It’s a very catchy song! It’s one of those that’s in my head for days after I hear it.
How is Paradise for Me a fkking song 😂 that cracks me up. That song is so melancholy. I like your unique perspective. I stopped buying Madonna albums after MDNA but I am a die hard fan. I don’t know if her maxi singles are all available on vinyl but her 90s maxi singles are amazing. Erotica being the best one.
1) Like a Prayer - it’s crazy how this sounds so different from what came before and after it. This is the crown jewel in her catalogue and Like a Prayer is the best single and one of her most important works. And that was done in one take. I would open this just to smell the patchouli every day if I had a copy of the vinyl or cassette. The reason why I’ve loved Patchouli since I was a child is this album (and my Stinkor action figure) Till Death Do Us Part is one of my favorite Madonna songs and I think is a testament to how weird and experimental she can be.
2) Ray of Light - I am a goth and this is a goth album. Don’t let the cover and title track mislead you. I would ditch Swim, Little Star, and maybe Candy Perfume Girl. They are the only weak points if you can call them that. Frozen, Power of Goodbye, To Have and not to Hold, Skin. Just a great album and if you listen to the demos those show what a beautiful sound her voice had at the time.
3) True Blue - the production on this album is so great. Of all of the people I wish she would collaborate with again, Patrick Leonard is at the top. Some of her best singles. Papa Don’t Preach, Open Your Heart, Live to Tell, La Isla Bonita, True Blue: all so diverse. I also love Jimmy Jimmy, White Heat. The non singles are great and again if you listen to the entire album the sound is amazing throughout. And that poster insert and cover 💕💕💕
4) Madonna - amazing synth dance album. Holds up so well. My favorite songs aren’t even singles. Think of Me has to be my favorite. Physical Attraction. A great album.
5) Erotica - Probably her most important work and so misunderstood to this day. There will be a huge conversation about this album when she is gone. This album is one that separates her from pop music and shows us what an artist she is. This album talks about the highs and lows of intimacy in all its forms. Made during a time when people were incredibly afraid of sex and rightfully so as people were dying from AIDS all around her. The trip hop touches are amazing. I had the cassette as a kid so thankfully I was completely unaware of Did You Do It? Until I was much older. That should have been a b side. The Version of Waiting from one of the Rain singles with Everlast is far more interesting. This album is a masterpiece.
6) Bedtime Stories - a personal favorite of mine. But again here catalogue is incredibly strong. I think she was recovering from the media beat down she got from Erotica. The four singles on this album could not be more diverse and are some of her best work. I do love almost all of the tracks and I think she could have squeezed at least one more single off of this with Survival. Bedtime Story and Take a Bow is such a strong way to close out the album.
7) Like a Virgin - this album gets overlooked. It’s an amazing album and was possibly rushed. Over and Over. Angel. Stay is one of my favorites. Shoo-Be-Doo, Dress you up. Love don’t live here anymore. Best listened to in its entirety.
8) I’m Breathless. Absolutely belongs on here. I wish the producers of the movie had the sense to use some more of these songs in the film to make it a more complete experience. They butchered some of her performance scenes in that movie. Warren should have had her input.
9) Music - almost seemed like an EP after the complexity of Ray of Light. The songs are so much lighter and more simple. Still a great album. Her catalogue is so strong.
10) Confessions on a Dancefloor - I think the tour offers this is top three but this album is ten for me. It is great but there are some changes I would make. The first half of the album is perfect. The latter half could have used more work. She should have done a better video for Get Together as that is one of the best songs of hers post 2000.
11) American Life - Some good tracks but can’t hold a candle to the rest of her catalogue. Hollywood should have never been a single. These songs are all so much better live.
12) Hard Candy - this is when she started the slow descent into the pits of hell. She should have never collaborated with Timbaland or Justin Timberlake - both were played out already when she did this. She went from being ten years ahead of everybody to ten years behind. I love Heartbeat though.
13) MDNA - trash. I had the two disc cd. There are moments that remind me of Depeche Mode and I think edited from two discs to one album it would have been improved.
Wow. Thank you for your thoughts. Really appreciate the time you took into reviewing her albums. Your descriptions are spot on. Paradise (not for me) there’s something about the sounds and the melancholy that just gets me in the mood! Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. It was an absolute joy to read.
@@CraigsVinylPlethora it's one of my favourites, but, yeah, that's never a vibe I've picked up from it. She's saying things like "I'm broken", and "into your eyes, my face remains" suggesting she's going away and becoming a memory. Now "Bedtime Stories"... that is one I have used for that purpose a few times, though "Human Nature" is one to skip there! XD
Thanks for your detailed comments. I'm surprised you're not a bigger fan of "Candy Perfume Girl" as I would have thought that fitted the goth aesthetic more than any other track on there, but maybe I misunderstood your angle there or am going too much on the live performance. For me, that's the closest she's ever come to rock is that song and I'd love for her to go in more of a dance-rock direction in future, rather than listening to Kanye and thinking she's some kind of hip hop rapper with the grillz and other nonsense.
I also had the version of "Erotica" with "Did You Do It?" for a long time until I realised I apparently had the safe version, not the parental advisory version. I was disappointed when I did get the full version, as that track is just bland and there is nothing more risqué on it than the rest of the album (I mean the rest of the album has tracks about cunnilingus & masturbation for goodness sake)
I think I can guess what your opinions of the final two albums would be from #12 & #13. You might however be pleasantly surprised with "Rebel Heart", as it does have a few tracks worth cherry-picking. Both it & even "Madame X" feel more original than "Hard Candy", which very much did have that "late to the party" vibe. I've warmed to "4 Minutes" a bit since but I didn't even buy the album for the first six months after hearing that. The Pharrell productions, like "Give It 2 Me", save it a bit.
Agree. Bedtime stories the best album.
My ranking:
15 - Madame X
14 - Hard Candy
13 - American Life
12 - MDNA
11 - I'm Breathless
10 - Rebel Heart
09 - Like a Virgin
08 - Madonna
07 - Music
06 - Ray of Light
05 - Like a Prayer
04 - Erotica
03 - True Blue
02 - Bedtime Stories
01 - Confessions on a Dance Floor
Well you and I must’ve been separated at birth with our Madonna preferences. Thank you for being honest with your opinions.
You’re welcome!! Thank you for watching!!!
All Madonna records are great.
My Personal Ranking:
1. Bedtime Stories
2. Ray of Light
3. Erotica
4. Like a Virgin
5. Something to Remember
6. Music
7. Madonna
8. Like a Prayer
9. True Blue
10. Confessions on a Dance Floor
11. American Life
12. MDNA
13. Hard Candy
14. Rebel Heart
15. Madame X
Only track I like from MDMA is I'm Addicted, it's brilliant and that is all
You are right, Ray of Light is ranked way too low! Otherwise decent, pleased to see that Hard Candy receives it's rightful place.
This is my ranking:
1. Like A Prayer
2. True Blue
3. Bedtime Stories
4. Like A Virgin
5. Madonna
6. Ray Of Light
7. Confessions On A Dance Floor
8. Erotica
9. Music
10. Hard Candy
11. American Life
12. MDNA
13. Madame X
14. Rebel Heart
1. LAP
2. ROL
3. COADF
Omg hay gurl hay
Interesting. I was never a big fan but I have purchased your number 1 & 2 - but I’d rate them the other way around than you did.
What’s funny is that her age was never a concern to me except when she went on MuchMusic (Canada’s MTV) to promote Ray of Light. She was making a big deal about eating candy which I guess she was trying to appeal to children and I thought ‘holy shit - Madonna’s old now.
My favourites, Ray Of Light, Confessions, Erotica, Hard Candy at the same level
Ray of light number 8 made me spit out my dinner😱it’s my number 1
for me : 1 ray of light or like a prayer , 2 like a prayer or ray of light , 3 erotica , 4 true blue , 5 american life and I'm Breathless ...
American life is my #1 tied with confessions 😭
I think MDNA is every Madonna fans least fave album. LOL. I don't have a fave Madonna album but Erotica and American Life are so good. Madame X is hard to swallow, but its very creative. Too much vocoder though.
1 Like a prayer
2 True blue
3 Confessions
4 Ray of light
5 Erotica
6 Bedtime stories
7 American life
8 Music
9 Madame X
10 Rebel heart
11 Madonna
12 I’m breathless
13 Like a virgin
14 MDNA
15 Hard candy
1 REBEL HEART
2 RAY OF LIGHT
3 CONFESSIONS
4 TRUE BLUE
5 MADAME X
6 MUSIC
7 AMERICAN LIFE
8 HARD CANDY
9 LIKE A VIRGIN
10 MADONNA
11 MDNA
12 LIKE A PRAYER
13 EROTICA
14 BED TIME STORIES
I like her early stuff. You know, 'Lucky Star', 'Borderline' - but once she got into her 'Papa Don't Preach' phase, I don't know, I tuned out.
Papa don’t preach is my least favorite song of hers. She really has some amazing tracks in her later years.
@@CraigsVinylPlethora I'm just quoting the famous Madonna opening scene in Reservoir Dogs. 😎
Sorry. I’m bad I’ve never seen that movie. Now I feel silly!!
Top 5
1. Hard candy
2. Erotica
3. Bedtime stories
4. Like a virgin
5. Ray of light
"Masterpiece" on MDNA is great. Pretty cool that you've got the vinyl. I didn't actually get into Madonna until LIKE A PRAYER, and there were some fantastic albums after that including RAY OF LIGHT, BEDTIME STORIES, MUSIC, and CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR. You rank EROTICA and REBEL HEART surprisingly high (I agree REBEL HEART is her best late career album), and (imo) RAY OF LIGHT and LIKE A PRAYER surprisingly low.
1. Erotica
2. Madonna
3. Like A Prayer
4. Bedtime Stories
5. Like A Virgin
6. Ray of Light
7. I’m Breathless
8. True Blue
9. Music
10. Confession of a Dancefloor
11. American Life
12. Hard Candy
13. MDNA
14. Rebel Heart
15. Madame X
Great ranking! I'm so glad and pretty surprised to see my favorite Madonna's album at number 1: Bedtime Stories😊👏🏾🔥❤
I have loved that record since it came out. It’s the closet thing to perfection in her catalog. In my humble opinion. Thank you so much for watching!!
@@CraigsVinylPlethora: Exactly! Great body of work; beautifully produced. I mean you can't go wrong with Babyface and Dallas Austin. It was a nice shift from Erotica. Always liked Madonna's vocals when she sings ballads or more mellow songs and that's exactly what we get in BTS; with its Soul/R&B influences 😊
1. Erotica 2. Ray of Light 3. Like a Prayer 4. Madonna 5. Confessions 6. Bedtime Stories 7. Like a Virgin
I couldn’t care less about the rest.
Honestly, I mostly listen to Erotica, Madonna, and Bedtime Stories. After Erotica, I feel like she’s always trying to please.
Haha you're so cute and hilarious. Bedtime Stories is also my number 1, her best and most underrated album.
Thank you! Bedtime Stories will always be very special to me. So many non single greats on it!
You put Ray of Light higher than True Blue AND S/T? Who hurt you?
No one hurt me! Looking back now I probably ranked some higher than I should have but it’s my list and I’m sticking to it!! Thank you for watching!!
Girl, you done lost your mind. Ray of Light BEFORE American Life, Music AND Rebel Heart.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Sorry. My mind is still here. Just my opinion. Yours is valid as well!!
Hi Craig, There is an interview that you may be interested in. Copy and paste this channel title ---> Jacqui Abbott’s tale of how she joined the Beautiful South is a movie in waiting - Or search for the channel name - Word In Your Ear. I hope you can understand her. 🤣🤣🤣
Dexter
I’m so sorry I missed this comment. I saw that interview I loved it so much. I knew the story but had never heard her tell it before. It’s crazy how young she was when she joined the band. I’m only a few months older than her. Must be why she’s my favorite female vocalist of TBS but she was born in the best year ever! Thanks for letting me know about this!
@@CraigsVinylPlethora That channel has some great interviews. 10cc's Graham Gouldman, Mike McCartney, Lloyd Cole etc.
Madame X has really good songs on it, listen again.
From Best to worst:
1. American Life
2. Hard Candy
3. ROL
4. Bed Time Stories
5. Madame X
6. Confessions
7. Madonna
8. Rebel Heart
9. MDNA
10. Erotica
11. Music
12. Like a Virgin
13. True Blue
SHOCKED to see Erotica not at the top of many ppl in the comments. Maybe it's an age thing?
I think a lot of people don’t really care for it. Which is odd to me. It’s so great.
It would be nice to hear actual songs.
My favs. It's not the Best work persei more like what I would Listen. # 1 Ray of Light . # 2 Confessions on dance floor # 3 Like a Prayer # 4 Rebel Heart (Bonus album) # 5 Erotica # 6 Music #7 True Blue #8 Bedtime Stories # 9 Madame X #10 American Life # 11 MDNA #12 Madonna #13 Like a Virgin #14 Hard Candy #15 Im Breathless - and how ironic song Vogue (from I'm Breathless is my favorite song)
I like MDNA, i know is not the best, but I like the idea, hate Givmme all you lovin