What is Madonna’s Best Album?

Madonna 1983 was the first one I had so it will always have a special place in my life. I was 12.

Confessions, hands down.

Her debut is the best from her early period while Ray of Light is the best of her later career. But The Immaculate Collection is better than all her albums combined.

GOD! Enough Madonna posts already. Sheesh. Give her a rest. She's not THAT interesting. Weird? Yes. Narcissistic? Yes. Interesting? No.

Like a Prayer, definitely. Thirty one years later and it's still as fresh as it was the day it was released. I also love a lot of True Blue still. I never cared for the Like a Virgin album, and her first album hasn't aged too well, but that's not surprising since it was really just a nothing dance album. Good for its time, but nothing special.

R3: it doesn’t really count to call a greatest hits someone’s best album

ROL easily is her best album. Great songs, tight concept and controls. Timeless classic

It's almost accurate for Madonna since she was more of a singles artist than an album artist. However, an argument can be made for a handful of her albums.

Bedtime Stories for me. I loved that period back when Madonna seemed ahead of everything. She got in there right when R&B was going more mainstream. I read she recorded a whole load more songs with Babyface for the next album but scrapped them when she decided to go in a different direction (Ray of Light). A good move career-wise but I’d love to hear those songs.

LOL at Like A Prayer and Ray of Light sounding “fresh” and “timeless”. Both of them are extremely dated in their arrangements and mixing.

Not saying either one is bad for that reason, mind you.

But yes, why yet another Madonna thread?

Take a Bow was a stunner of a song, and remains so, but surprisingly I have also found the first single off Bedtime Stories, Secret, still sounds amazing 26 years later.

You're a bore, R10.

Ray of Light is great no doubt but I think her debut is her most consistent work. She had the sass and attitude in her vocals and the synths still sound fresh and amazing today.

Nobody likes Madonna

EROTICA, of course.

MADAME X is brilliant!

Well it is.....

ROL was the zenith of her career

Erotica, then the first album. She's generally more of a singles than album artist, but Erotica is one where the album tracks are on a level with the singles, and it's got some of the most varied and ambitious production of her career. Unfortunately, the public was pretty well fed up with the hype and constant self-promotion at that point, so it didn't do as well as it should have.

The Immaculate Collection is probably her most solid collection of songs (and one of the greatest "greatest hits" ever) but it kind of bugs me now how everything was remixed to sound contemporary to 1990.

I hate the remixing on TIC, especially on “Material Girl.”

Unrelated to thread, but I was home from school (sick) the day they played all the videos people had made for the "Go ahead, Make my Video!" contest. It was for the song True Blue. So I starred at the tv and listened to that song all day. I can sing it by heart whenever I hear in in a store.

I was born in 1990, so Madonna era I remember most vividly was the "Ray of Light" one. I do like that album a lot (plus it brings back a lot of nostalgia for me—reminds me of summers when I was in elementary/junior high school), but looking back now as an adult, I prefer "Like a Prayer" overall. The title track is her masterwork IMO. It's the one song of hers I can listen to any time, any day, and love every second of it.

Yes, Like a Prayer is her best song ever. Thirty two years old and it still sounds as fresh as it did the first day I heard it. I remember I was going to Disney World on vacation and the song had just landed. I rarely ever bought singles unless I knew I wasn't interested in the album, but I wanted the Madonna album (on CD) and I didn't want to waste my allowance on a cassingle. But the album wasn't going to be out for a few weeks, so I quickly ran to the record store and bought the LAP cassingle before we left for the airport. I listened to it on repeat during the entire flight to Orlando.

Her "best" is Erotica.

However, the one I enjoy listening to the most is the Dick Tracy soundtrack/inspired by Dick Tracy disc, "I'm Breathless".

I worked in a Musicland store in 1990 and I know the lyrics to every track.

Not to get too extravagant, but "Like a Prayer" (single, video, album, Pepsi commercial) was the beginning of a couple years where she was almost like Dylan in the mid 60's - every move seemed a boundary-pushing event, up through the Truth or Dare film, at least. She kind of overreached with the Sex/Erotica/Body of Evidence/Letterman blitz and was never the same after that, but can't blame her for trying.

I recently listened to True Blue for the first time in a few decades. In the 80’s it must have been one of my favourite albums and I would have listened to it hundreds of times. This time however, I was shocked how badly it has aged with those cheap synths and drums so typical of 80’s pop. Just lamentable. This shows how shallow her “art” has always been.

"...I was shocked how badly it has aged with those cheap synths and drums so typical of 80’s pop. Just lamentable. This shows how shallow her “art” has always been."

Cunt.

Far from her best but I thought Rebel Heart was a return to Madonna making some good songs with actual melodies. The title track, Ghost Town, Living For Love, Devil Pray, HeartBreakCity. Ok just those five but they’re all great.

I agree r28. Rebel Heart had some good songs. Ghosttown should have been a huge hit.

I prefer Rebel Heart over Madame X.

ROL without a doubt is best album. Still outstanding until today. I love Rebel Heart. I felt like she tried to reconnect with her old fans with that album. I don’t like MadameX. Too pretentious for my taste

Ray of Light was such an overrated piece of shit and sounds so dated today.

R28 I agree Rebel Heart was really good but she chose poor singles.

Ghosttown was great but Living For love was a lame attempt at a contemporary club cut, lacking anything interesting including a melody. Bitch I'm Madonna was super fun though.

[quote] it doesn’t really count to call a greatest hits someone’s best album

I know it's technically cheating--but it's really true in Madonna's case.

Confessions

Her debut album is one of the best solo debuts

Madonna

Nile Rodgers is a genius,

Erotica

Immaculate Collection