MOOPY ALBUM SYNC LISTENS - #1: MADONNA - RAY OF LIGHT - 8PM TUESDAY 14/04

Just to say...

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I'm enjoying the trip-hop-ness of Little Star. It's not unlike I Want You, which is also one of my favourites. Doesn't absolutely sit well with the rest of the album though.
 
Was Mer Girl not on the UK release? Or maybe not on the tape or something.
 
I love how the lyrics for Little Star veer from the nursery rhyme (the chorus) to her speaking quite beautifully of Lourdes as a gift/promise made of flesh and bone
 
MER GIRL

A full circle moment from Like a Prayer's "Promise to Try" (we'll just ignore 2003's "Mother and Father"). So many levels and layers to this and the bloodline of course from Madonna Ciccone senior to Madonna to Lourdes. Eerie as fuck but so good.

I traded fame for love without a second thought to open the album,

I ran and I ran... I'm still running away to close.

GENIUS.
 
Maybe it wasn't on the tape, which I had and then lost. Bought it again and eventually upgraded to CD.
 
This is actually really good. Couldn't remember a thing about it but it's a clever arrangement, nice warm sound, close-mic'ed vocal...all very intriguing.
 
octophone said:
This is actually really good. Couldn't remember a thing about it but it's a clever arrangement, nice warm sound, close-mic'ed vocal...all very intriguing.
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Yes and she did it in one take apparently with provisional/stream of consciousness type lyrics...
 
10 Drowned World/Substitute for Love
09 Swim
10 Ray of Light
08 Candy Perfume Girl
10 Skin
10 Nothing Really Matters
09 Sky Fits Heaven
08 Shanti/Ashtangi
11 Frozen
10 The Power of Good-bye
09 To Have and Not to Hold
08 Little Star
08 Mer Girl
 
Overall, I really enjoyed that. It definitely suffers a bit from 90's CD-length syndrome, like most albums of the time but the best of this holds up really well and there's nothing below the slightly nondescript. No complete clunkers.
 
That is a very strong ending moment. I'm surprised she permitted the Japanese to stick a bonus track after it.
 
Well that brought back a lot of fond memories. The low points aren't even that low.

That it was released when I was 17 made it even more special.
 
I can't help feeling that five minutes plus could have been trimmed from the running time without hurting it, but I enjoyed that. Swim and To Have and Not to Hold are the main takeaways for me in addition to the singles.
 
dmlaw said:
That is a very strong ending moment. I'm surprised she permitted the Japanese to stick a bonus track after it.
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She might not have had a choice - the Japan only bonus track is often baked into contracts.
 
dmlaw said:
That is a very strong ending moment. I'm surprised she permitted the Japanese to stick a bonus track after it.
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That's a standard thing (Japan getting bonus tracks). I don't think she'd have had any 'say' in that to be honest..
 
Ag said:
Good topic @octophone. I really thought no one was going to play right up to 8pm, so that was a relief.
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Yep - great call.

That was GREAT and I didn't even have any wine to enhance the experience (WORK NIGHT).

For the duration of the album I forgot about ******virus.

We must do more of these listens/watch party type things please... what's our next Moopy CLASSIQUE?
 
dmlaw said:
I can't help feeling that five minutes plus could have been trimmed from the running time without hurting it, but I enjoyed that. Swim and To Have and Not to Hold are the main takeaways for me in addition to the singles.
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I think mine are To Have But Not To Hold and Mer Girl.
 
How about we go for something slightly leftfield on Thursday then? And then next Tuesday can be another big Moopy CLASSIC, so we can have alternate choices for variety?
 
Sorry to not be around for it, moopy. Head really not in the right place at the start.

Anyway, my ranking NOW - but I'm going to let the album be the soundtrack to my bath, and I'll update later.

09 Drowned World/Substitute for Love
06 Swim
10 Ray of Light
08 Candy Perfume Girl
10 Skin
09 Nothing Really Matters
08 Sky Fits Heaven
07 Shanti/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
11 The Power of Good-bye
08 To Have and Not to Hold
08 Little Star
09 Mer Girl
 
OK, a few choices

PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
ABBA - The Visitors
Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
Britney Spears - Blackout (we've had two nominations for this)
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane.

etc etc
 
Yeah, I wasn’t in the mood either, but glad you all had fun. So:

10 Drowned World/Substitute for Love
07 Swim
10 Ray of Light
08 Candy Perfume Girl
10 Skin
10 Nothing Really Matters
08 Sky Fits Heaven
07 Shanti/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
11 The Power of Good-bye
09 To Have and Not to Hold
07 Little Star
10 Mer Girl
 
This has been especially poignant as I turn 40 in a few weeks and she turned 40 the year she released this.. I may give it another spin later in the weeks to come as I rarely listen to it on vinyl for sonic comparison...

It splits quite nicely into 4 distinct sides sonically across the two LPs...
 
octophone said:
OK, a few choices

PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
ABBA - The Visitors
Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
Britney Spears - Blackout (we've had two nominations for this)
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane.

etc etc
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Shall we do Blackout next Tuesday as it's quite the Moopy classic, and perhaps something else on Thursday?
 
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