The 500 - #367 - Ray Of Light - Madonna

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 367

Album Title: Ray Of Light

Artist: Madonna

Genre: Electronica, Trip Hop, Techno, Pop

Recorded: Larabee North, Los Angeles

Released: February, 1998

My age at release: 32

How familiar was I with it before this week: One Song

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Ray of Light

Here's a fact that many people don't know; Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson, the biggest stars of music in the 1980s, were born in the summer of 1958. It's one of those weird bits of trivia that is delightfully coincidental. Collectively, they have ten records on The 500, including Michael Jackson's "Thriller", which cracks the Top 20.

Michael Jackson's Thriller (#20 on The 500)

Madonna is, without a doubt, a generational talent. She is rightly celebrated as the "Queen of Pop", a singer, dancer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, producer, director, fashion icon and massively successful businesswoman. With ticket sales exceeding one and a half billion dollars, she is the most successful solo performing artist of all time and the best selling female recording artist of all time. Her career spans five decades and, much like David Bowie, she has managed to stay ahead of the curve by "being the curve".

Some of the many "faces" of Madonna

Ray Of Light was released in February, 1998, during a phase that Madonna fans refer to as the "Mystic Madge Age". Following the birth of her daughter, Lourdes Leon, Madonna pursued both Astanga Vinyasa Yoga and Kabbalah, an esoteric philosophy connected to Jewish mysticism. Additionally, she was becoming enraptured with sounds already popular in many dance clubs -- including Trance (Aphex Twins, KLF) and Trip Hop (Portishead, Massive Attack). 

The result is a record that music critic El Hunt summarized as "liquid, chilly, hippy vibes" or, more comically, "like stumbling in to a trance-soaked meditation session, with a lot of chakra-aligning and crystals being waved about." Regardless of how you categorize it, this record is an enjoyable listening experience that grows on you. The title track, which I picked for my Spotify Playlist, is infectious and fun.

From the Ray of Light video

I have three stories about Madonna which I will share with her three records on The 500 list. For Ray of Light, I have an anecdote about seeing Madonna in concert in October, 2015 in Toronto during her Rebel Heart Tour.

Rebel Heart Tour Poster

The price of these tickets had me wavering about attending but, a few months before the show, I got a call from my mother.

Mom: "Do you want to see Madonna? I need you to help me buy tickets online."

Me: "See Madonna? The answer to that question is always 'Yes". Aren't they crazy expensive?"

Mom: "I don't care, I want to take you and Angela (my wife) and your sister and brother with their partners too."

Me: "Okay, I am heading over."

I have, over these 50+ years, learned to recognize when my mother has her mind set on something. So, a short drive, a few mouse clicks and a couple thousand dollars later, we had tickets to the show.

It was an extraordinary spectacle and trying to describe it here would not do it justice. If you haven't seen it, I recommend the film of the tour and concert, available on DVD and selected streaming services.

DVD Cover for Rebel Heart Tour Concert Film

As one might expect, being Madonna, the tour was not without controversy. It was sexually-charged and many of the set pieces flirted with both political and religious iconography. She took to the stage very late most nights and performed few of her hits, focusing instead on her latest record, Rebel Heart.

Here was an artist, nearing 60, that recognized her place as a mega-star and legend in the popular music firmament. She was going to do as she pleased and, even humorously, stopped mid-show to ask the audience rhetorically: "Are you my bitches?"

It was a memorable performance in more ways than one. It was not until after 10 o'clock that Madonna hit the stage. After a three hour trip back home to London, we arrived shortly before dawn. But, it was worth it.