The 500 - #184 - The Immaculate Collection - 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. 

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Album: #184
Album Title: The Immaculate Collection
Artist: Madonna

Genre: Pop

Recorded: Multiple Studios (1983-1990)

Released: November, 1990
My age at release: 25
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #138, moving up 46 places
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Justify My Love

In the summer of 1994, at the age of 28, I was in the best shape of my life. I worked out religiously at a gym and biked or roller-bladed nearly everywhere. I played hockey two or three times a week, even in the summer. It was a time when I was at my vainest, buying “fashionable” clothing and tanning, which gave my pasty English complexion a healthier-looking glow.

Tanning beds have fallen out of fashion -- but studios were ubiquitous
in the 90s -- a sneaky hack for Canadians hoping to look more Hollywood.

I was also trying to become more cosmopolitan, taking up photography and digging deep into my pockets for a good-quality camera and even dark-room equipment. Intensifying the “new me” project, I began collecting classic movies on video cassette (a fool's errand in retrospect), and decided to broaden my music-listening habits. My snobbish music pretenses involved eschewing pop songs, dismissing them as pablum for teeny-boppers. Now that I was maturing, I was more open to listening to all manner of music, especially albums and songs suggested by the eclectic group of restaurant co-workers with whom I worked.

At a road hockey tournament in the summer of 1994.

One of my favourite co-workers was an effervescent and riotously funny waitress named Kelly Maynard-- (I mentioned her in my December, 2022 post about The Grateful Dead's Anthem Of The Sun (#288 on The 500).

A busy restaurant is a high-stress environment and successfully navigating a packed house on a weekend night has a way of bonding people. Consequently, the crew sweating it out in the kitchen and those appeasing hungry customers out front became a tightly-knit social group who partied as hard as they worked. When there was a chance to blow off steam with a trip to a downtown club, a pre-arranged staff event or at a house party, you took it. These gatherings were energized by the presence of Kelly -- a fearless, gregarious extrovert who could get the most reluctant among us laughing, dancing or singing.

Out on the town with Kelly (left) and fellow co-worker Kari.
I snapped this during my camera-hobby phase. (May, 1994).

Kelly was also a Madonna fanatic and it was she who worked tirelessly to get me to appreciate the Queen of Pop. At the time, Madonna was on hiatus following her incredibly successful 1993 tour, The Girlie Show, in support of her fifth studio record, Erotica. The day after the release of Erotica (October 20, 1992) Madonna's controversial coffee table book Sex, hit the shelves. The 128-page tome featured adult-themed photographs featuring nudity; soft-core pornography; and simulated sex acts, including sadomasochism. For decades, Madonna has had a knack for inserting herself into the pop culture conversation. As I wrote in my June, 2021, post about her album Ray Of Light (#367 on The 500), "Madonna, much like David Bowie, has managed to stay ahead of the curve by being the curve.

Sex hit bookstore shelves wrapped in 
protective Mylar packaging.

I am not sure if Kelly lent me her cassettes or if she made me copies. Regardless, I ended up owning Erotica and The Immaculate Collection (Madonna's first Greatest Hits Collection). Both got plenty of play on my headphones during workouts, bike-rides and roller-blading excursions. I'd also take them with me to sessions at the now-shuttered, but masterfully named Sun Your Buns tanning studio on Wharncliffe Road in my hometown of London, Ontario.

Album cover for Erotica, the firth studio record for Madonna.

I'm not sure if it was maturity, or the repeated listens, or buying into Kelly’s unbridled enthusiasm for Madonna, but I started to relinquish my music snobbery and gain a better appreciation for The Queen of Pop. I remember being particularly enamoured with the track, Justify My Love -- one of two new songs added to the 15 established hits on The Immaculate Collection. Composed by pop music contemporary Lenny Kravitz, it marked another shift in Madonna's ever evolving sound. It was her first venture into trip-hop -- a genre that blended psychedelia with hip hop and electronica.

Madonna and Kravitz backstage at the Video Music Awards in 2018.

It was a nostalgic delight lining up this blog to relisten to The Immaculate Collection all week. TIC presents, in chronological order, Madonna's biggest hits – from her debut single, Holiday (1983), to her smash, Vogue, which appeared on the 1990 album, I'm Breathless, which was, in part, a soundtrack to the film Dick Tracy (in which she also starred).

I'm Breathless album cover, featuring Warren Beatty, as Dick Tracy,
and Madonna, as Breathless "The Blank" Mahoney in the film Dick Tracy.

I'm still in touch with Kelly, although like many of my collegial relationships from the ‘90s, we connect mainly through social media. In August, 2017, Kelly helped arrange a 25th reunion of the Kelsey's Restaurant crew from 1992-1995. About 20 of us arrived for a night of ‘90s music, cocktails and memories. We could not help notice that the serving staff were all younger than 25, but they let us wander through the front (dining room) and the back of the house (kitchen), snapping photos, laughing and sharing stories. I am glad we got that opportunity. The restaurant plaza was demolished in 2020 to make way for new retail outlets.

A group photo on the steps that led to the
"deck" at Kelsey's South - London, Ontario
Saturday, August 12, 2017.

Those four years at Kelsey's Restaurant in the ‘90s somehow feel as if they happened last month and, simultaneously, a lifetime ago. It is remarkable how much we bonded during that time -- a random group of strangers figuring out how to "adult" their fast-approaching thirties. There are touchstones that will trigger my memories of that time -- and the music of Madonna is certainly one of them. Thanks, Kelly, for making me a fan.

A collage of photos from our time at Kelsey' - Christmas 1993.

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. 

The 500 - #376 - Post - Bjork

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 # 376

Album Title: Post
Artist: Björk

Genre: Art Pop, Electronica, Trip Hop
Recorded: Six studios - Nassau, Bahamas, and London, England
Released: June, 1995
My age at release: 29
How familiar was I with it before this week: One Song
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Hyperballad - selected by my my teaching colleague Sandra Snooks

Post is the second studio release by Björk, pronounced Be-Yurk, not Be-York, which is how I've said it and heard it for decades. The Icelandic artist is well known for two events, neither of which has anything to do with her music. 

In March, 2001, she arrived on the red carpet for the Academy Awards in a "swan dress". The bold choice was "widely criticized as outrageous and outlandish", with film critic Emmanuel Levy calling it the "fashion faux-pas of the year". Meanwhile, Boston Globe reporter Jay Carr wrote that "the wraparound frock made her look like a refugee from the more dog-eared precincts of provincial ballet." Comedian Joan Rivers made a joke about Björk "spreading newspapers on the bathroom floor", before remarking that "the girl should be put in an asylum."

The "crazy" dress would dominate "water-cooler talk" for days and eclipse any conversation about the award winners that included Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich and Russell Crowe for Gladiator, which also won picture of the year.

Then, in 2008, Björk attacked a photographer from the New Zealand Herald at the Auckland International Airport, falling to the ground awkwardly as she ripped the back of his shirt. This was her second violent altercation with paparazzi. In February, 1996, she grabbed television reporter Julie Kaufman and took her to the ground, banging Kaufman's head on the concrete floor.

New Zealand Reporter shows the
evidence of the confrontation with Bjork

Consequently, Björk earned the reputation for being "crazy" and "unhinged". It was unfortunate because it overshadows her immense talent. It also makes me wonder if the same behaviour from a male celebrity would be judged as harshly. 

The aforementioned Russell Crowe has had multiple altercations with paparazzi and media. Interestingly, the Wikipedia entry about his behaviour reports Crowe as having "a bad temper". A further Google search about Crowe's many conflicts is awash with descriptions such as "rowdy", "hot-headed", "nasty" and "violent".  Absent are the words "crazy" or "unhinged", which, it seems, are usually reserved for female performers who behave badly.

Crowe arrested in 2016 for an assault charge.

Recently, my wife and I watched Framing Britney Spears. This HBO documentary profiles the pop-singer's turbulent life, including her confrontations with paparazzi and the infamous "head-shaving incident". 

As I watched, I was troubled by the casual and cruel way Spears, now 39, was mocked while suffering through a public mental-health breakdown. Late night talk show hosts took easy and mean-spirited shots at her with jokes that any good comic would dismiss as "low-hanging fruit". 

She was even the punchline for a Family Feud question: "Name something that Britney Spears has lost." Contestants unsympathetically giggled out point-scoring responses that included, "her mind" and "her children".

I'll readily admit that I made both "Britney" and "Bjork" jokes in reference to some of the choices they made. This isn't an effort to virtue signal, I went for the same "low-hanging fruit" for the sake of a laugh, and I remained uniformed about the events that led to these choices. 

Consequently, I approached Bjork's Post with an open-mind and was delighted by what I discovered. Although I was familiar with the album's opening track Army of Me, the rest of the record was virgin territory.

Post was positively reviewed as "genre roulette" in The San Francisco Chronicle, a term which delighted me. I am a massive fan of artists who make every track on their record a surprise. Indeed, one of my favourite records of all time is Queen's 1975 record,  A Night At The Opera, #231 on The 500. 

Post is a record full of surprises, featuring industrial music, trip-hop, experimental sounds and even a big band jazz number. Listening to it reminded me of the famous saying (often erroneously attributed to Mark Twain) about the weather in New England: "If you don't like it, wait a few minutes and it will change". 

Speaking of change, attitudes toward the infamous swan dress have certainly shifted. It is now celebrated as "iconic" and was "re-imagined" by designer Valentino for the 2014 Paris Fashion Week, whose interpretation received high praise from critics.

I'll close with a quote from one of my favourite musicians, Geddy Lee of Rush. When asked about his listening habits in 2000, he said of Björk; 

"She's awesome. She is not for everyone's taste, but she is damn well for my taste, I love her. She is a real artist, she's deeply talented and her voice is as compelling as any voice I have ever heard."

Geddy Lee 

 

 

The 500 - #397 - Blue Lines - Massive Attack

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's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 397

Album Title: Blue Lines
Artist: Massive Attack
Genre: Trip Hop, British Hip Hop
Recorded: Five Studios - including Abbey Road
Released: April, 1991
My age at release: 25
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat Familiar
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Unfinished Sympathy

This week, I am delighted to have another guest blogger, my friend Steve Monaghan. I met Steve in the early 2000s. We quickly bonded around our mutual love of sports, music and beer. It is fitting that Steve share his experience with this record because he was the person who introduced me to the band almost 20 years ago.

Blue Lines is the debut record, produced in Bristol, England, by Trip Hop pioneers Massive Attack. At the time of its release, the band consisted of four core members, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowels and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. My first experience with Massive Attack’s Blue Lines, was the song Unfinished Sympathy, rising out of my college-era stereo in 1991. I was roused from my studies and summoned to the sound being played by a friend who was, clearly, much cooler than I. It would play from that stereo for the next year at any time I thought fitting -- which was almost always. I recently discovered that the song would take a lofty perch on the Guardian newspaper poll as the 10th greatest song of all time.

Marc asked me to select one song from Blue Lines to be added to The 500 Spotify Playlist he is curating. There are several worthy candidates on this debut record and, as a dedicated fan, I gave it much thought. I like to believe, as a bigger fan than the occasional listener, that I needed to choose something other than the album's biggest hit. However, Unfinished Sympathy has a significance for me that goes beyond the sound itself. I resigned myself to the fact that it was impossible not to select.

Blue Lines, would mark the start of a musical evolution into a down tempo mix of hip hop, reggae and soul in a uniquely British sound, and Massive Attack was about to step forward as a driving force in the trip hop world. 

Massive Attack photographed while filming 
the video for Safe From Harm

This album features a number of tracks that I could argue for making Marc’s playlist. The opening track, Safe From Harm, is a great lead into what is to come. Both melodic and sharp, it’s an intoxicating mix of heavy funk and loving menace. 

“You can free the world, you can free my mind, just as long as my baby’s safe from harm tonight”.

Brilliant!

Five Man Army, with Tricky and Daddy G’s hypnotic verbal exchange leads the listener deep into a smoke-filled room replete with vague silhouettes just out of the listeners line of sight. It perfectly captures a dreamy downtempo vibe that lets one just lay back and float around the room, head swaying from side to side as the mind drifts along. It is a perfect setup for the instantly recognizable opening notes of Unfinished Sympathy, a song that topped the charts around the world in the spring of 1991. I would argue that it would still top the charts if it were released today.

I have loved every Massive Attack offering throughout the years, and although Mezzanine may be considered their best overall album, I don't think Blue Lines, with the intoxicating Unfinished Sympathy, has ever been bested by Del Naja and company.

For any music fan, this album offers tasty morsels in every track, be it a shout-out to George Harrison on the song Daydreaming, or the stripped down beat in One Love. Perhaps the Motown-inspired backing and ageless advice of Be Thankful For What You Got will strike your fancy. To this day, nearly 30 years since its release, every listen feels like a new stroll through some favorite old haunts.

As I get ready to hand this review over to Marc to take on the task of editing my rambling narrative, it seems fitting to be exiting the album with the final tune, which is the almost newcomer-to-the-party track, Hymn Of The Big Wheel. This song takes us out of our strangely sharp stupor and back to the world made a little cooler by this incredible first offering from Massive Attack. I think about Marc’s plight ahead while I put up my feet and open a beer,

“…the earth spins on its axis, one man struggles while another relaxes.”

Delicious.

Cheers, Marc. Thanks for inviting me onboard for one of my favorite albums, one that opened up so many wonderful worlds of sound for me.