The Farr Side: Madonna still Queen of Pop

Is there finally enough love for Madonna? Well, with 50 No. 1 hits, I should think so! The Queen of Pop is back with an epic career-spanning remix compilation of all 50 of her No. 1 songs that have topped the Billboard Dance Songs Chart.

In case you’re keeping score, and what Madonna fan isn’t, no other artist in the history of the Billboard charts has ever scored as many No. 1s on any chart. The Material Girl has every right to celebrate. I’m not surprised the release wasn’t cause for a holiday.

I’ve always been a fan on Madonna, often defending her erratic behavior. Her music has always been at the fore-front of the scene and just about every other female artist who has come up through the ranks since her debut has her to thank. Madonna broke the mold for what it means to be a superstar. I dare say, we won’t ever see anyone else like her ever again.

I was pretty excited when I first heard the news earlier this summer that she was going to release such a collection. First off, it’s an amazing feat and one for the record books. But, also the collection was inclusive in that it embodied every single track.

With that being said — I haven’t always been a fan of the remixed song format. Even it the songs are from Madonna. She was a dance artist to begin with, so why the need to change up the songs?

“Finally Enough Love” is packaged great. The 3-CD set looks impressive and even has a classic image of the icon on the cover. I love that about it. By the way, this is the first release from her recent partnership with Warner Music Group to issue several catalog releases over the coming years. The 50-track set includes over 220 minutes of remixes by Honey Dijon, Shep Pettibone, William Orbit and other well-known DJs and producers.

I put on the CDs to clean my house to over the weekend. You know, that’s the perfect way for me to get into the groove. “Holiday,” “Everybody,” “Physical Attraction” and “Like A Virgin” got the mood rolling. What was cool is that those remixes didn’t deflect from the original song. The melody was still there, for the most part.

“Open Your Heart,” “Into The Groove,” “Like A Prayer,” “Express Yourself,” “Deeper And Deeper,” “Vogue,” “Keep It Together,” and “Fever” were equally as good, even in remix.

The songs from her albums “Madonna,” “Like A Virgin,” “True Blue,” “Like A Prayer” and Erotica” all fared well in the remix form. However, things went south for me when the set hit the music from her album, “Bedroom Stories.” The remixes didn’t do anything for me and I love “Secret.”

Again, why mess with a dance song? This is Madonna. Her album’s “Ray Of Light” and “Music” were masterpieces. Most of those tracks were already hard-core dance songs. Just leave them alone, please. I could barely recognize the track “Ray Of Light” and that’s one of my most favorites from her.

I found myself skimming through most of the rest of the collection, simply because the songs were so overproduced, even for being remixed. I would have much rather heard the original tracks as they were intended. Perhaps, this was another attempt at her thirst to stay relevant.

David T. Farr is a Journal correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: The Farr Side: Madonna still Queen of Pop