Madonna - Ray Of Light

ANNA FRIEL...

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Funky

Funky

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I think it's only fair to start these POLLS with the album that almost always wins the LISTS...

We've talked about it to death, so it may not ignite a HOT debate, but it might be nice to have the scores all in one place... you know, just to SEE...
 
10 Drowned World/Substitute For Love
10 Swim
09 Ray Of Light
08 Candy Perfume Girl
07 Skin
10 Nothing Really Matters
10 Sky Fits Heaven
07 Shangi/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
10 The Power Of Goodbye
09 To Have And Not To Hold
08 Little Star
07 Mer Girl


Yes it's THAT GOOD
 
10 Drowned World/Substitute For Love
07 Swim
09 Ray Of Light
08 Candy Perfume Girl
09 Skin
10 Nothing Really Matters
09 Sky Fits Heaven
07 Shangi/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
10 The Power Of Goodbye
09 To Have And Not To Hold
08 Little Star
09 Mer Girl

But overall a 10 because it just FITS together SO WELL
 
08 Drowned World/Substitute For Love
07 Swim
02 Ray Of Light
03 Candy Perfume Girl
08 Skin
08 Nothing Really Matters
09 Sky Fits Heaven
04 Shangi/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
05 The Power Of Goodbye
10 To Have And Not To Hold
08 Little Star
02 Mer Girl
 
I'm not sure another album exists on this planet that I would award 6 songs a 10/10... not a studio album anyway
 
For the REALLY AMAZING TUNES there are too many Drowned World's and Ashangti's...
 
It's very much like Jagged Little Pill for me, as in I played it to DEATH at the time. SO much that it's just embedded in my memories of everything that happened in that first year of release.
 
Ellie how did you quickly work out averages in the film polls? Or was it not so quick?
 
10 Drowned World/Substitute For Love
09 Swim
10 Ray Of Light
08 Candy Perfume Girl
09 Skin
09 Nothing Really Matters
09 Sky Fits Heaven
07 Shangi/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
10 The Power Of Goodbye
10 To Have And Not To Hold
09 Little Star
10 Mer Girl
 
Last edited:
I really do love this album longtime

10 Drowned World/Substitute For Love
10 Swim
10 Ray Of Light
08 Candy Perfume Girl
06 Skin
09 Nothing Really Matters
09 Sky Fits Heaven
07 Shangi/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
10 The Power Of Goodbye
08 To Have And Not To Hold
09 Little Star
10 Mer Girl
 
10 Drowned World/Substitute For Love
07 Swim
10 Ray Of Light
08 Candy Perfume Girl
09 Skin
09 Nothing Really Matters
09 Sky Fits Heaven
07 Shangi/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
10 The Power Of Goodbye
09 To Have And Not To Hold
09 Little Star
10 Mer Girl
 
Can you believe this is the only Madonna album I have heard in full? :o My sister bought it and played it to death for at least a year after it was released.

Anyway, it's a very average album, imo - one or two highlights and the rest is pretty boring. I agree that it all fits together well, but that's in itself doesn't make it interesting. As I see it, its main flaw is its seriousness. Even the throw-away poppier tracks like 'Nothing Really Matters' and 'Sky Fits Heaven' are devoid of any real sense of fun and seem so laboured.
The pure, effortless feeling that her 80's output had in tons is completely missing from this album.
 
I disagree. I can easily see how one can come up with the argument that Ray of Light is 'laboured' in comparison to her '80s work which can be labeled as 'carefree' but that is a bit ignorant. Then again, you do say it's the only Madonna album you've heard in full. True Blue and, more importantly, Like a Prayer both had 'serious' moments which cannot be lumped with her carefree stuff. Particularly the latter.

I find Ray of Light a genuine token of her maturity and growth. I honestly don't think she was faking or over-intellectualising any of it. American Life is where she stepped into that territory.
 
10 Drowned World/Substitute For Love
10 Swim
10 Ray Of Light
08 Candy Perfume Girl
10 Skin
10 Nothing Really Matters
08 Sky Fits Heaven
06 Shangi/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
10 The Power Of Goodbye
10 To Have And Not To Hold
09 Little Star
10 Mer Girl

One of my all time top ten albums for sure, and I'm not half as into her as most moopy gays.

I know people dislike Swim, but that opening lyric "Put your head on my shoulder baby, things can't get any worse" is just UTTER loveliness.
 
I disagree totally with Tal as well. If Ray Of Light (the song) isn't Madonna having fun then frankly WHAT IS? Just because she's not bouncing about squealing in her 80s Minnie Mouse voice...

Just listen to that scream of ecstasy about 2/3 in. I LOVE it!
 
Not being funny Ellie, but you listen to PRINCE. How can you POSSIBLY moan about vile screaming ruining a song? :D
 
Suedehead said:
I disagree. I can easily see how one can come up with the argument that Ray of Light is 'laboured' in comparison to her '80s work which can be labeled as 'carefree' but that is a bit ignorant. Then again, you do say it's the only Madonna album you've heard in full. True Blue and, more importantly, Like a Prayer both had 'serious' moments which cannot be lumped with her carefree stuff. Particularly the latter.

I find Ray of Light a genuine token of her maturity and growth. I honestly don't think she was faking or over-intellectualising any of it. American Life is where she stepped into that territory.
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But those 'serious' moments in her 80's output were serious for a reason - Live to Tell for example is a truly 'dark' song and the seriousness that it's dealt with is appropriate. It didn't stop her from creating other, carefree tracks at the same time. You (well, I) can't help but feeling that throughout RoL she takes herself and her music so seriously, when in reality some of it is just throwaway nonsense (lyricaly in particular).
 
Tal said:
But those 'serious' moments in her 80's output were serious for a reason - Live to Tell for example is a truly 'dark' song and the seriousness that it's dealt with is appropriate. It didn't stop her from creating other, carefree tracks at the same time. You (well, I) can't help but feeling that throughout RoL she takes herself and her music so seriously, when in reality some of it is just throwaway nonsense (lyricaly in particular).
Click to expand...

*agrees*

Anyway, its just her post-Evita voice in general. It sounds like she's thinkng too much about whatever she's singing.
 
I totally think that she's taken herself WAY too seriously since Ray Of Light. It really puts me off her. But on the album it pretty much all works and doesn't feel 'laboured' at all.
 
I don't know her non-singles back cataloge that well, but following a moopy recommendation I once downloaded 'Till Death Do Us Apart' (I'm not even sure from which album it is) and I was completely blown away by it. There is nothing on RoL, in my opinion, that can rival that song in terms of maturity, poignancy and lyrical content.
 
10 Drowned World/Substitute For Love
06 Swim
10 Ray Of Light
06 Candy Perfume Girl
06 Skin
08 Nothing Really Matters
08 Sky Fits Heaven
04 Shangi/Ashtangi
10 Frozen
09 The Power Of Goodbye
08 To Have And Not To Hold
08 Little Star
08 Mer Girl

I listened to this the other week for the first time in ages and found myself strangely underwhelmed by it as a whole. The highs are very high indeed and the final run of five songs are excellent but I find that Swim/Candy Perfume Girl/Skin really dog the first half of the album - a shame really as Drowned World is my favourite song of hers while I do think the title track is very good indeed.
 
It's alright but definitely overrated. Fozen, ray of light & the power of goodbye are up there with her best songs - but candy perfume girl & Ashtangi are among the worst songs I've EVER heard.
 
Even IF that were true, it'd be an 11/13 strike rate. Not bad.

Classic album.
 
Ellie said:
It looks like this in the spreadsheet: http://i30.tinypic.com/j6kacp.jpg

I don't know how Sild does it but I have to add up the totals manually.
Click to expand...

I do it all manually.

As for Ray Of Light, I listened to it again late last year and it's not really that good... the singles are marvellous of course (the hideous Drowned World aside), but most of the album tracks are flimsy - and that's being generous.
 
Sild said:
I do it all manually.

As for Ray Of Light, I listened to it again late last year and it's not really that good... the singles are marvellous of course (the hideous Drowned World aside), but most of the album tracks are flimsy - and that's being generous.
Click to expand...

Ok, I'm a loon, but I'm not a SUEDEYesque loon but that is possibly one of the most RIDICULOUS posts I've EVER heard you make about music
 
I felt a continual sense of boredom, perhaps that'll change next time I listen but until then I stand fully by my mark
 
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