Record Store Day Black Friday 2019 / New Items Recap: November 2019

Well, today was the day for the “I Rise” 12″ vinyl! News started to circulate that the run for this vinyl was going to be limited (to 4,000 copies, in fact). The European release was also suddenly delayed to April of next year so they missed out on it today. In fact, it appears that only the United States and Mexico received this release for today’s Record Store Day Black Friday festivities. I wasn’t going to risk not getting mine so I woke up at 5am and braved the cold weather for several hours to get it. Mission accomplished! Apparently, a lot of stores only received a couple to a few copies total of this release. It’s so nice to get an official Madonna 12″ vinyl remix maxi after so many years! This is Madonna’s first USA 12″ maxi since Revolver back in 2010, and her first 12″ vinyl maxi at all since 2012’s “Girl Gone Wild” picture disc was released in the UK, which only featured 2 tracks. This one has 6 remixes. I’m sure this vinyl will sell out completely so I hope that persuades Interscope to release more Madonna 12”s in the future, especially since the vinyl revival is still going strong and she is approaching her 50th #1 Dance Club hit in the USA.

Elsewhere, the I’m Breathless yellow vinyl was finally released last week at Barnes & Noble, and the ‘Crystal Clear’ vinyl reissues were released earlier this month as well. This was the most eventful Madonna month for collectors since the release of Madame X! The I’m Breathless vinyl is really pretty and unique since we didn’t have a yellow Madonna vinyl in her discography yet, plus a reissue of I’m Breathless was very overdue. This is also (as of now) a USA-only release, but doesn’t seem to be very limited since it is still currently available to order online.

The clear vinyl reissues of the first four albums are also nice to have, especially the ones for the debut album and the Who’s That Girl  soundtrack (since up until now, there were no alternate color variants available for these albums other than black). Though I’m appreciative for these, I’m kind of over all the reissues for the first few albums. I hope the rumors of the Deluxe Anniversary editions of Like A Prayer turn out to be true. Warner Brothers just released several reissues of Prince’s 1999 album that look absolutely amazing. I really hope they do something like that with Like A Prayer. Of all of Madonna’s landmark albums, that one definitely deserves special treatment!

Below is my new items recap for November:

Madonna / USA 2019 Clear Vinyl LP Re-Issue (RCV1-23867) / Picture Sleeve
Like A Virgin / USA 2019 Clear Vinyl LP Re-Issue (RCV5-25157) / Picture Sleeve
True Blue / USA 2019 Clear Vinyl LP Re-Issue (RCV5-25442) / Picture Sleeve
Who’s That Girl: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / USA 2019 Clear Vinyl LP Re-Issue (RCV1-25611) / Picture Sleeve
I’m Breathless / USA 2019 Translucent Yellow Vinyl LP Limited Edition Re-Issue – Barnes & Noble Exclusive (RCV1 26209) / Picture Sleeve
I Rise / USA 2019 Record Store Day Black Friday Exclusive Limited Edition 12” Vinyl (B0031093-11) / Picture Sleeve

Madame X Tour Review: Los Angeles

If you’re still debating with yourself on whether or not you should attend one of the dates of Madonna’s currently on-going Madame X Tour, let me help you with that decision: Go buy your tickets right now. I’ve seen this spectacle twice already and I think this just may be Madonna’s best stage show since the Blond Ambition Tour, and that’s saying something because we all know how amazing Madonna’s tours are. It is unfortunate that the negative headlines about Madonna’s tardiness may keep people away, and while I do not agree that her midnight showing in Las Vegas was appropriate, I will say that the late start times are worth the wait. I’m just glad I didn’t have to wait past 10:45 for her in Los Angeles.

I think it’s almost impossible to be a longtime fan and not be emotionally moved by at least some of this show. Madonna has truly created something special. I wasn’t sure what to think when Madonna first announced an all-theatre tour; Was she changing venues because of a fear of low-ticket sales? Or was she truly so tired of arena and stadium tours that she really felt the need to reinvent her stage shows? I do believe it was the latter, but after seeing the show the first night in Los Angeles, it doesn’t even matter. This is exactly how this show needed to be seen. The staging is beautiful. The attention to detail is exquisite. Whether it be a lone swinging lightbulb during the interrogation scene in “I Don’t Search I Find”, a dancer standing off in a corner fanning themselves in the Fado section, the dazzling glittering costumes of “Crave”, or the eyepatch on Madonna’s face, every element has been carefully selected. Madonna has elevated and evolved her stage performances with this tour. It truly is a theatre piece.

I won’t review every aspect of the show, but I want to touch upon the rendition of “Frozen”. I’ve been a huge Madonna fan since I was 10 years old in 1993. Obviously I’ve seen many of her other tours and all her televised performances. This performance of “Frozen” is quite possibly the most beautiful and moving performance she has ever conceived. It is stunning. Seeing Madonna perform as a ghostly silhouette behind a screen projection of Lourdes dancing to a song that was conceived shortly after her she was born is so magical. Truly breathtaking. The musical arrangement of the song is so great as well. This is a performance I want to see again and again (and luckily I’ll see it a few more times!)

Some of my other favorite moments were “Crave” (such a fun moment), “Killers Who Are Partying” (this is gorgeous live), “Crazy”, “Come Alive” (so joyous), “Extreme Occident”, and the opening of “Gold Control”. The lack of hits is seriously not even an issue. If you love or even like this album, you’ll really enjoy the music here. It’s almost as if the Madame X album was tailor-made for this show, instead of the other way around. My boyfriend didn’t care for the album when it was first released, but after I took him to the second show in LA, he went back to it and started to like it. The visuals of the concert give the songs something extra.

It is a long show. My only slight criticism is that sometimes Madonna’s speeches and interactions with the crowd run long and hinder the flow of the musical numbers. But this is, after all, Madonna’s show, and she’s going to do it her way. And can I really complain about something like that? I remember going to Madonna shows where she barely said more than a few words to the crowd. She would get through her performance, end it without an encore, and leave the building! This show is very different from those. This is Madonna, truly up close and personal. And if you’re worried about not having your phone during the show, trust me, you won’t even miss it. That decision was such a good one on Madonna’s part. As long as they film this show for release, I will be happy. However, I’m 100% positive that no recording will ever do this show justice. You really must see it in person.

I got to touch Madonna’s shoulder as she was exiting the stage through the audience to “I Rise”. I know I probably shouldn’t have touched her if she didn’t reach out to me, but I couldn’t help it! I felt the texture of her hair and costume and then it hit me-I touched one of the most famous women ever! That is something I’ll always remember.

So in conclusion, go see the show if you can! It’s a truly special experience, of which who knows how many more we will get. And now I have to go to see my third show!

A.

New Items Recap: October 2019

October was another modest month of collecting for myself. These are the 3 items I brought in:

Rain / German 7” Vinyl (5439-18419-7) / Picture Sleeve
Angel / German 7” Vinyl (929 008-7) / Picture Sleeve
Ray Of Light / German 2018 Limited Edition Double Clear Vinyl LP Re-Issue – RSD Black Friday Exclusive (603497856220) / Picture Sleeve

This month will be a lot more fun with the clear vinyl albums that were released yesterday, the RSD “I Rise” 12″ and the I’m Breathless yellow vinyl (can’t wait to see that one)!

Elsewhere, only a few more days until I see Madonna on the Madame X Tour!