Did you know that if you type in "Madonna" on Amazon.com 259 entries appear under "Popular Music"? Nuts, I know. Though lately I've cringed at the thought of greatest hits packages, I realized 11 years have passed since The Immaculate Collection and it is time to pluck ripe apples from the Mrs. Ritchie orchard. Despite a few boomerangs, GHV2 is worth a trip to the record store.
In case you were worried, Erotica is not ignored! Though there aren't any "Tee hee, remember when she sucked peoples' toes or licked her own armpits?" pictures from the Sex book on the CD insert, cool songs like "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper" are here and sound just as good.
When Bedtime Stories and Something to Remember were released I pretended to go out for a carton of milk and ran for the hills. My mistake, because "Human Nature" sounds great and I'm sorry I ignored it at the time. My resistance remains with picks like "Take a Bow", which sounds too dated now, and "Bedtime Stories". I would have tossed those to the dogs and included "This Used To Be My Playground" and "You Must Love Me". As you can see, I eventually crawled back with "Evita".
The only song with possible kitsch value is "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", and that's only because her version of "American Pie" is not found here. Something that could also have been unique (or at least a bonus track) would have been her recitation of Pablo Neruda's "If you forget me" from the brilliant Il Postino soundtrack. But then again, I wasn't consulted when this package was created.
Obviously more attention is paid to her triumphant return to the pop throne since Ray of Light. From "Frozen" and "The Power of Goodbye" as well hits from Music, the combination of Madonna and techno proves freakishly pleasing.
But, how about some live songs? Even a little something from an appearance on Letterman would do, or live from Des Moines. Maybe even something from that world tour the proletariat couldn't afford. Does this mean a double live CD is on the way? What does all this mean?
Madonna GHV2
