#138 Madonna, 'The Immaculate Collection' (1990)

Previously #184

At the best of times, Greatest Hits collections are a bit of a cop out, but understandable on the earlier records where singles were more of a thing than albums. When it comes to artists like Madonna, who’s already had two records included, it seems bizarre. According to Rolling Stone, “As in 2003, we allowed votes for compilations and greatest-hits albums, mainly because a well-made compilation can be just as coherent and significant as an LP, because compilations helped shaped music history, and because many hugely important artists recorded their best work before the album had arrived as a prominent format.” I’ll admit, that my introduction to Madonna’s massive output was with this compilation via my sister’s collection, so I get it. I don’t fully agree, but I get it.

The compilation spans 15 singles between 1983 and 1990. It runs in chronological order and includes most, but not all her singles from that era. Of the 15 tracks, 8 were #1 singles in the US and combined sold in the tens of millions. Hearing these songs all together reminds us of how good Madonna actually is, especially in those early years. Along with Prince and Michael Jackson, she dominated the ‘80s. The compilation has gone on to sell 30 million copies worldwide and remains the best-selling compilation ever release by a solo artist. That alone makes it worthy of inclusion as it really is one of the biggest records of all time. This was an incredibly fun record to listen to and brought back a lot of memories.

#rs500albums