The Immaculate Collection

by Madonna

Overview

Before motherhood, the film roles, and the yoga obsession, Madonna was a pop star, and this greatest-hits collection chronicles her rise to fame (or infamy) and fortune. Most of these 17 tracks will be familiar to anyone who lived in America during the '80s: "Lucky Star," "Borderline," "Like a Virgin," "Material Girl," "Papa Don't Preach," "Like a Prayer," "Express Yourself," and "Vogue." They are, unquestionably, defining songs of the era. They are also the work of a woman as skilled at creating a catchy pop melody and developing a cutting-edge sound for it as she is at manipulating the media. During an early '80s appearance on "American Bandstand," Dick Clark asked Madonna about her future plans, and she responded, "To rule the world." These songs are the cornerstones of her kingdom.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/08/1990
Label:	Sire / London/Rhino
UPC:	0075992644020
catalogNumber:	26440
Rank:	4290

Tracks

1. Holiday
2. Lucky Star
3. Borderline
4. Like a Virgin
5. Material Girl
6. Crazy for You
7. Into the Groove
8. Live to Tell
9. Papa Don't Preach
10. Open Your Heart
11. La Isla Bonita
12. Like a Prayer
13. Express Yourself
14. Cherish
15. Vogue
16. Justify My Love
17. Rescue Me

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Madonna   Primary Artist,Vocals,Background Vocals
Lenny Kravitz   Background Vocals
Catherine Russell   Background Vocals
Dian Sorel   Background Vocals
Lillias White   Background Vocals
Peter "Ski" Schwartz   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Ingrid Chavez   Composer
Jellybean   Producer
Lenny Kravitz   Composer,Producer
Rob Mounsey   Arranger
Gardner Cole   Composer
Nile Rodgers   Producer
Reggie Lucas   Composer,Producer
Brian Elliot   Composer
John Benítez   Producer
John Bettis   Composer
Andre Betts   Producer
Stephen Bray   Composer,Producer
Andy Cardenas   Engineer
Madonna   Composer,Producer
David Domanich   Engineer
Bruce Gaitsch   Composer
Henry Hirsch   Engineer
Tom Kelly   Composer
Patrick Leonard   Composer,Producer
Jon Lind   Composer
P. Dennis Mitchell   Engineer
Shep Pettibone   Composer,Producer
Peter Rafelson   Composer
Robert Rans   Composer
Billy Steinberg   Composer
Lisa Stevens   Composer
Mike Stoller   Composer
Freddy DeMann   Management
Curtis Hudson   Composer
Gene Sculatti   Liner Notes
Jeri Heiden   Art Direction
Peter "Ski" Schwartz   Programming
Craig Kostich   Executive Producer
Josh Cuervokas   Engineer
Joey Moskowitz   Programming
Peter Brown   Composer

Editorial Reviews

On the surface, the single-disc hits compilation The Immaculate Collection appears to be a definitive retrospective of Madonna's heyday in the '80s. After all, it features 17 of Madonna's greatest hits, from "Holiday" and "Like a Virgin" to "Like a Prayer" and "Vogue." However, looks can be deceiving. It's true that The Immaculate Collection contains the bulk of Madonna's hits, but there are several big hits that aren't present, including "Angel," "Dress You Up," "True Blue," "Who's That Girl," and "Causing a Commotion." The songs that are included are frequently altered. Everything on the collection is remastered in Q-sound, which gives an exaggerated sense of stereo separation that often distorts the original intent of the recordings. Furthermore, several songs are faster than their original versions and some are faded out earlier than either their single or album versions, while others are segued together. In other words, while all the hits are present, they're simply not in their correct versions. Nevertheless, The Immaculate Collection remains a necessary purchase, because it captures everything Madonna is about and it proves that she was one of the finest singles artists of the '80s. Until the original single versions are compiled on another album, The Immaculate Collection is the closest thing to a definitive retrospective.

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine