New Items Recap: August 2015

Here’s a list of all the items that were added to my collection in the last month. Thanks to my friend Stefan for sending me all of the German 7″ records!

Live To Tell / German 7″ Vinyl (928 717-7) / Picture Sleeve
Causing A Commotion / German 7″ Vinyl (928 224-7) / Picture Sleeve
Like A Prayer / German 7″ Vinyl (927 539-7) / Picture Sleeve
Express Yourself / German 7″ Vinyl (922 948-7) / Picture Sleeve
Cherish / German 7″ Vinyl (922 883-7) / Picture Sleeve
Hanky Panky / German 7″ Vinyl (5439-19789-7) / Picture Sleeve
Holiday / German 7″ Vinyl (5439-19265-7) / Picture Sleeve
Nothing Fails / Canadian CD Maxi (CDW 42682) / Jewel Case
Music / German CD Maxi (9362 44898-2) / Slim Jewel Case
Dress You Up / Canadian Cassette Maxi (92 03694) / Plastic Case
Don’t Tell Me / German 12” Vinyl (9362 44955-0) / Picture Sleeve
Madonna / USA 8″ Laserdisc (PA-85-M019) / Picture Sleeve
Don’t Tell Me / German CD Maxi (9362 44947-2) / Slim Jewel Case

Random Thoughts

It’s only a few weeks until the Rebel Heart Tour kick-off! I’m getting more and more excited. My first show will be in Brooklyn, New York, which is the 6th stop on the tour. I considered avoiding spoilers until the day of my first show, but who am I kidding? I have zero will power. There seems to be a setlist running the rounds on forums that is supposedly the final one, and it looks pretty decent except for the fact that it lists “Candy Shop” as being one of the tracks (possibly as an interlude). There isn’t an eye-roll big enough for that. On the plus side, it’s looking like she is indeed performing my beloved “Deeper And Deeper” as well as “True Blue”, “Who’s That Girl” and possibly “Take A Bow”! All of those are welcome additions as far as Im concerned.

I’ve been collecting a bit here and there, and I received several vinyl records as gifts this month, but other than that my collecting has taken a bit of a backseat lately as I’m trying to save money for the tour. Like I said, I’m going to New York next month, and I’m also going to the Los Angeles, Arizona and San Diego shows, and then I’m heading to Miami in January. I also feel like there’s a bit of an ebay slump going on right now. I still check it often but nothing major is really catching my eye. Seems like the same old stuff on there. Plus, can we talk about how many bootlegs there are on ebay these days? It’s ridiculous. There are so many god-awful “anniversary” vinyl editions there are just plain ugly. If I were going to buy a bootleg (which I never do) I would at least want it to look attractive. Anyway, hopefully after the tour we get something new to collect. I’m praying that Australia or Asia releases a tour edition of Rebel Heart with some bonus tracks or something. How much longer do we have to wait for “Queen”??

Ranking The Album Tracks Part 7: Bedtime Stories (1994)

After exposing herself completely to the world during the Erotica era, Madonna decided to put her clothes back on and tone down her sound and image for 1994’s Bedtime Stories album. The album’s release was definitely more subdued this time around and the focus seemed to be more on the music instead of any shocking moments or stunts. I love Bedtime Stories and think it’s one of Madonna’s most underrated records of all-time. It usually seems to get skipped-over in any Madonna documentaries, retrospectives or write-ups, though. Like Madonna herself said, everything she did for the next two years after the SEX book was overshadowed by it, which is unfortunate because Bedtime Stories contains many great songs that I think have held up really well over the years. Let’s get to my rankings:

“The Power Of Good-bye”

“The Power Of Good-bye” has always been one of my favorite singles to collect. First of all, I love the song. Second, I love the cover art and disc designs. Kevin Regan did a great job with the design of the Ray of Light era releases. Pictured above is what I have in my collection as of now (along with the “Little Star” promo which I grouped in. Any chance to show it off, right!) I just think all of these are so beautiful. I love that the UK 12″ has the picture labels, which is so rare for Madonna releases. I love that the Australian version comes in a card sleeve, I love that the Mexican disc is white, and I love that the picture on South African release is turned sideways! All of those little differences make such an impact when collecting. It makes it more interesting when everything is not 100% the same across worldwide formats. Another one of my favorite pieces is the Canadian CD Maxi, which came in a standard jewel case and had the titles in the center of the image, and not on top. All in all, a beautiful single release!