"Immaculate Collection": Which track would you have replaced?

[Andymad 10,378]

Funny Who's That Girl Story... At my work we have these random playlists found somewhere. A few have greatest hits of the 80s/90s. And Who's That Girl plays ALL THE TIME. I know the time constraints on a CD but... I wonder what made her decide not to include it. It was the title of one of her best films, the title of her world tour, and a hit. IMO I feel like it could have been bigger than Live To Tell. You may all yell at me now.

[Turuncan 737]

I always wondered when did she find time to record 2 new songs for this ? She finished the tour in August - did the MTV awards in September then must have been working on Truth or dare straight away ? Also did any other songs get recorded but not released ? Maybe Get Over was one track ? I wonder when she recorded rescue me ? I love that track so much ;))

 

She must have had plenty of time to record the songs. Working on "Truth or Dare" couldn't have been very demanding, it was a matter of editing. She is very hardworking and did multiple things at the same time so many times in her career. Rehearsing for the tour & shooting videos & doing interviews during the last two albums' eras, making "Dick Tracy" and producing & recording "I'm Breathless", preparing for "Evita" and promoting "Bedtime Stories" & releasing "Something to Remember", writing "Sex", recording "Erotica", shooting "Body of Evidence" at the same time etc. etc..

[Guest ArthurBadin]

I always wondered when did she find time to record 2 new songs for this ? She finished the tour in August - did the MTV awards in September then must have been working on Truth or dare straight away ? Also did any other songs get recorded but not released ? Maybe Get Over was one track ? I wonder when she recorded rescue me ? I love that track so much ;))

JML sessions were recorded around her birthday (this info is on O'Brien Like an Icon book.

RM could have been recorded by the same time or right after.

I always thought GO was a leftover, don't know exactly if a TB or a LAP one.

 

By the way, despite of its comparisons with that Dee-Lite song by the time RM was released, I found it genious and very good, too shame it didn't have a proper MV. Maybe a lot of Shep's work on Erotica suffered from plagiarism-inducing that haunted M by 1990, which resulted in everything being shelved (such as Shame, for instance).

 

And about the purpose of that thread I wouldn't change TIC in anything for hell. No music changes, no adds, no removings. This is the definition of a GH album, still today. To believe this is the only one Madonna album that still is found to sell in record sections of shopping mall supermarkets, here in my country. It has a legacy by its own. Most people (including me, lol) discover who Madonna is as well as her music artistry by that album. For that reason Shep's versions of those songs (especially the LAP singles) are essential in Madonna's thoughts when present them in live concerts as much as the GP expects to find on a Madonna live concert. Most GP knows TIC versions of her 80's singles than the actual, original mixes from the studio albums. This is not hard to understand; we all complain why hell she insists on that performed-to-exhaustion remix of LAP featured on TIC, but we need to know lots of people, besides being first introduced to that version prior to the original one, are extremely familiarized with this version and that's version that comes in GP's mind when they think on Like a Prayer. I really doubt a lot of people knows the Prince guitar on Like a Prayer; they know the same old and good gospel choir on introduction, that have defined LAP in world's minds.

TIC is like oldie and goodie Madonna: always remembered, always imitated, never disappointing, a full gift to everyone's ears. And never replicated. Nor even by latter versions of the same. See you!

[sidney78a 2,237]

Maybe Cherish with Who's that girl, because it was a huge hit, but the Collection is perfect like it is...

Id change crazy for you for who's that girl - or simply add who's that girl - its immaculate indeed

[Turuncan 737]

'Who's That Girl?' seems to be the absolute winner in our hearts.

[Pretender1978 996]

I do miss both DYU and WTG, but I can see how all the other songs are superiour, so no swap is needed.

Apart from the unfortunate inclusions of the remixes of LAP and EY (the single edits are way way better) there is ONE HUGE FLAW with the IC that I still can't get over (almost 30 years later lol) and that is the horrible remix of ITG, sure the intro is dramatic and fierce, the mix is ok, but Shape ommitted the middle 8 not once but twice! the song lasts longer than it's original version so there really is no reason why it's not there other than that they really loved this super bland piano solo instead of "live out your fantasy here with me..." it is what makes the song great!

Same thing is done to Borderline and Lucky star, though with less dramatic outcome, but they both miss their defining adlips near the end, again they are there in the original single edits, so they're not cut because of time constraints, and therefor unforgivable haha!

[BoyToyMark 346]

It's so perfectly done already, I wouldn't take anything off, but I would add a Q-sound mix of the single version of Causing A Commotion. I've always loved listening to that on The Holiday Collection. It's such a good mix.

I would've preferred the true 7" mixes but still a gorgeous compilation as is.

Edited June 25, 2023 by BoyToyMark (see edit history)

[LongIslandTea 1,591]

"Who's That Girl" to replace "Live To Tell" 'cos TB had the most singles on TIC.

 

[MaDöner Kebab 6,877]

I wouldn’t replace anything on it but I think it would have been cool to have these 4 released as “The Royal Box" or as b-sides to the 4 singles released (JML, CFY, H, RM):

Dress You Up - Q-Sound Mix

True Blue - Q-Sound Mix

Who's That Girl - Q-Sound Mix

Causing a Commotion - Q-Sound Mix

 

 

[BoyToyMark 346]

1 hour ago, MPowered said:

I wouldn’t replace anything on it but I think it would have been cool to have these 4 released as “The Royal Box" or as b-sides to the 4 singles released (JML, CFY, H, RM):

Dress You Up - Q-Sound Mix

True Blue - Q-Sound Mix

Who's That Girl - Q-Sound Mix

Causing a Commotion - Q-Sound Mix

 

 

That's such a good idea.

I feel like Shep would've done such a great Q-sound mix of Causing A Commotion. It already sounds lush on the EP.

[Would You Like To Try 8,345]

Cherish

I love cherish but the immaculate mix helped in nothing really

Change for Causing A Commotion

[Mden 2,252]

I wonder what the track list for an (Immaculate Collection II ) would be if it were to have only 17 songs. But that’s another topic. 

[Blue Jean 15,252]

I would replace Vogue with Dear Jessie

[MikeyK 687]

I’m surprised by all the calls for WTG to replace Cherish.

WTG is a rewrite of LIB so having them both on there seems redundant. 

Cherish isn’t a song I care much for but the IC mix is the one I find most tolerable, so I say leave it.

Upon release I vaguely remember being annoyed w/some of the edits more than the remixed tracks. I learned to love the whole thing though, flaws and all. It all works. 

[gst6662000 293]

On 5/5/2016 at 10:13 PM, groovyguy said:

For a single disc, it's perfect & an immaculate compilation & no track should be taken out. 

 

I would luv & have actually compiled my own 2-disc Deluxe Immaculate Collection with a lot more songs added:

 

Disc 1

1. Everybody

2. Burning Up

3. Holiday  

4. Lucky Star    

5. Borderline    

6. Like a Virgin      

7. Material Girl      

8. Crazy for You 

9. Angel

10. Into the Groove

11. Dress You Up

12. Gambler

13. Live to Tell  

 

Disc 2

14. Papa Don't Preach

15. True Blue

16. Open Your Heart     

17. La Isla Bonita  

18. Who's That Girl

19. Causing a Commotion

20. Like a Prayer     

21. Express Yourself      

22. Cherish  

23. Keep it Together

24. Vogue      

25. Justify My Love      

26. Rescue Me  

why haven't they made it as a double disc..... is anyones guess... but i kinda like this one

[kesiak 3,036]

20 hours ago, LongIslandTea said:

"Who's That Girl" to replace "Live To Tell" 'cos TB had the most singles on TIC.

 

While "Who's That Girl" is cute and deserved a place on the compilation, "Live To Tell" is far superior in every way. And True Blue is her biggest selling album with 5 Top 5 hits, it's only fair it's extensively represented (we're already missing "True Blue" the song here). 

[steady75 9,570]

Cherish is the one song from THE IMMACULATE that Madonna has completely disregarded since it's release. I think she herself would probably chose to replace it. Likely with Burning Up. 

It really is the prefect collection. It was THE go to album in the 90's people used to put on before they went out so I think Dress You Up would have fit perfectly for that reason. It keeps the party going and the Like A Virgin album is the only studio album to have two tracks instead of three, or four in True Blue's case. 

The truth is that pretty much any track from the era could have made it really and it would feel like it belonged.

I think the metric is if you removed a track and added something else which would be missed more and in hat respect they got it perfectly right. Everybody & Burning Up sounded like prototype Madonna and didn't have the sheen of Holiday, Lucky Star & Borderline.

True Blue was never getting a slot after Sean (also see Causing A Commotion which I'm certain was about their marriage), and Gambler, The Look Of Love, Dear Jessie, Oh Father & Keep It Together were regional. You couldn't have a regional single on something as ostentatiously called The Immaculate collection. 

So it was between Angel, Dress You Up, Who's That Girl and Hanky Panky.

She loathed the Who's That Girl era for personal reasons and coming after La Isa I think only one latin flavour would have been picked. Dress You Up is the clear winner for me. 

[Justice 326]

Who's That Girl deserved a spot.  I hate the comparison to La Isla Bonita. It is a great song and that is what matters. Also, it was a bigger hit than Dress You Up and some other stuff. Although, Dress You Up is important too.

If there was space on the CD,  they shouldn't  have edited Express Yourself.

I adore Q-sound mix of Express Yourself. And the video remix.

[A. A. Aardvark 4,842]

all of them
there was a GHV2
but never a V1 

[Donna 16,435]

11 hours ago, gst6662000 said:

why haven't they made it as a double disc..... is anyones guess... but i kinda like this one

I prefer the ONE disc.  It's pretty concise and perfect as is.  I will admit at the time, I was shocked at the omission of WTG and True Blue, but they eventually made up for that by releasing the Holiday Collection.  IC still is a great collection of most of her classics people remembered the most.  WTG and True Blue are not as remember as much in the grand scheme of things.  But as a huge fan, such as myself, it's hard to even think that, knowing that one was a #1 song and the other was a top 5 song.

[MikeyK 687]

Imagine if one day we were to open our streaming svc of choice and see the whole track list was replaced with incorrect versions a la Lucky Star & Borderline. Something like this:

 

Holiday- YCD version w/abrupt breaks at start and end

Lucky Star-same 

Borderline- same 

Like A Virgin- 2003 vma audio 

Material Gworllllllll 

Gambler 

Into the Hollywood Groove 

Live to Tell- live version from You’ll See single

Papa Don’t Preach- MDNA tour live

Open Your Heart- dub

La Isla Bonita- instrumental mix 

Act of Contrition 

Express Yourself- stop/go dub 

Supernatural 

Break My Soul Queens Mix 

Beast Within 

Rescue Me- madame x tour interlude audio

 

And the title has been changed to Immaculate Collection (Madonna’s Version). 🤪🤪🤪

[missberic 764]

15 hours ago, MikeyK said:

Cherish isn’t a song I care much for but the IC mix is the one I find most tolerable, so I say leave it.

The edit of Cherish on TIC literally cuts out the best part of the song, how can you find it more enjoyable?  

[missberic 764]

I'm not the biggest fan of compilations that have new tracks on them tbh, though JML and RM are great, so that would mean room for 2 extra songs.

Then I'd edit Live To Tell, make Open Your Heart and Cherish longer cause those edits are shit and probably include heavily shortened versions of Dress You Up and Who's That Girl.

But as I don't care for those songs, I'd just keep TIC the way that it us lol

[MerBoy13 577]

Cherish with Get Over Madonna Solo Version 

[Ari Interactive 275]

Cherish with Who's that Girl  for sure