First up, we have Madonna's Immaculate Collection. I have some more Madonna in other parts of my collection. Purchase of this CD was a watershed. I don't like anything she did after this. Prior to this, she had been a bit of a goddess. The Spice Girls may have had Girl Power in the Nineties, but that was an entirely unconvincing marketing ploy. Madonna circa 1985-86 demonstrated the power of a woman. This album is a sort of Greatest Hits. Yup, a Greatest Hits album that conveniently chops off the past fourteen years of her career.
The sort of record that makes me feel that I can dance. And that I'm young and sexy. Scrub that, I'm so much more sexier than I was fifteen-twenty years ago. Individually great tracks include:
- Get Into The Groove - I so wanted to be like her in Desperately Seeking Susan. She was the first to wear her underwear on the ouside. It was bleeding edge in 1985. Passe in 2004
- Live To Tell - just because, surely this has to be in my Top Fifty?
- Like A Virgin - because it sounds fresh now, as if heard for the very first time
- La Isla Bonita
- Papa Don't Preach
- Like a Prayer - one of my Top Twenty Two. The very best aspect of this rather marvellous song is the fact there are at least ten different tempi in it, each one slightly quickly, and with a different rhythm; melody-wise it's very simple, but the rhythm never recapitulates, very reminiscent of good sex - hmm, no wonder it was called blasphemous!
- Crazy For You, and
- Holiday
You know, I started this post by thinking I would write *Oh, I used to love Madonna back in the Eighties but playing this record has made me realise just how naff and dated she is*. I feel the complete opposite now I have played it - that list above is part of the soundtrack of part of my life.
The other Pop Queen is Kate Bush with her "The Whole Story". It isn't, actually, because it was compiled in 1986. It opens with Wuthering Heights. Those of us of a certain age will remember the impact that this unusual, inspired song, sung by the wild-haired Ms Bush. I was far too young to have read the book. I fell in love with it a few years later (Thanks Miss D., the best English teacher!). To this day I think my love of the book was subconsciously at least partly inspired by this song. It's not just the song - many people have tried to cover it, and whilst they never sound bad, they only serve to show the talent in the original.
The Man With A Child In His Eye seemed very reassuring to an innocent ten-year old. I'm not so sure now. I also like Babooshka. However, the quality of the tape is so poor that I have just irdered a replacement CD. and another CD, and two DVDs. So although Kate Bush only costs £7, I've just committed to £58.
Could somebody please shut Amazon down. It's another 18 months until I get to remortgage my house.
I was disturbed as a stude when my friend Andrew produced some evidence to show that Kate Bush was related to the then President of the United States. something to do with Kent, and an unusual surname. I don't know whether it's true, but it's even more disturbing now...
