The Complete Studio Albums (1983-2008)

A fantastic idea to showcase Madonna's music over the years. Great value. Nicely presented.

I would hazard a guess that, considering she has sold 300 million records worldwide, that most homes probably own at least one Madonna album. A Madonna album these days is something the youngsters jeer at, often falling over themselves with their juvenile cries of "She's an old lady! Why do people still buy her records?" Of course, she has, in her 30 year career, outlived virtually all the trendy personalities of the moment, as stars come, stars go and the whole kerfuffle of here one minute, gone the next, stardom starts all over again. What the youngsters who criticise Madonna are listening to today will be something completely different tomorrow. So, with all those stars that flickered, shone and then went out, how can anyone dare call Madonna old and question why people still buy her music. What we (kids of the 80's) were listening to way back before mobile phones, the internet, 24 hour shopping and iPods were invented, we are still listening to today! And, listen we shall. Owning a Madonna album may seem cheesy and irrelevant to the likes of Radio 1 and the nayslayers, but contained on each Madonna record is at least a handful (but very often, more) of such pure, quality, unadulterated pop masterpieces, it is easy to provide evidence as to why her records still sell. Deciding which Madonna album to own is another mystery. Like a Virgin? Like a Prayer? True Blue? What about Confessions on a Dance Floor or Ray of Light? Who can forget the controversy of a pregnant Madonna in her teens (yeah right!) parading around in that superb video to Papa Don't Preach? Or the powerful symbolism of the stigmata and burning crosses in the controversial video to Like a Prayer? I wouldn't mind betting that the first image of Madonna anyone has is of her acting all cringey in that ridiculous (but wonderful) Like a Virgin video. Lions and wedding dresses don't mix! Of course the sight of a slender Madonna doing the splits in a pink leotard as she wriggles around and bops to Hung Up is one to savour. Ridiculing asides, Madonna's career is one that has been with every person who grew up in the 80's for nearly all their lives. The recent release of Rebel Heart (her 13th album) may not be selling the amounts that her biggest hits did, but we are in a different era now. An era of downloads, short attention spans and the urgent need to text someone about someone you can't remember win a talent contest you don't particularly like! But, she still managed to get a number 2 position in both the US and UK as well as a string of number 1's elsewhere in the world. Not bad for an old lady who really shouldn't be selling records is it? So, to help you decide which Madonna album to buy, for just twenty quid, buy all of them! Well, her first eleven anyway. The albums in this box are each of her 11 Warner Bros studio albums. From "Madonna" (the album that features Holiday) to "Hard Candy" (the album that features the Justin Timberlake duet 4 Minutes), these albums are a whole lifetime of memories. Madonna's music may not be everyones cup of tea, but each time you hear one, a memory comes flooding back. Not many artists have had that much influence over all our lives for so long. Once you have these albums, you just need MDNA and Rebel Heart to keep those memories coming. And, what's great is, you can buy those two latter albums right here! MDNA Rebel Heart (Deluxe) [Explicit ] This collection really is a lifetime of memories in a box! Go on, buy it! You know you want to.

The above score for this set is given with a caveat: It's for the music contained within, and it's value, but it could have been better. What you get here is all Madonna's 'studio' albums from 1983-2008 for less than £20. They are contained in a medium thickness fold-open box in individual slipcases which have a slightly matt finish to them. It's a bargain. However... my reservations are the same as others expressed here: First of all, 'You Can Dance' was marketed as a new album at the time, and it is missing (depriving us of the song 'Spotlight' only available on that album). As is the music inspired by the film 'Dick Tracy'; 'I'm Breathless' - also a studio album (depriving us of the hit 'Hanky Panky'). The version of 'Like A Virgin' contained within is the early version that is missing 'Into the Groove' (the initial pressing was without it, but in the UK this was quickly replaced by a new pressing. In the US this happened with later pressings). It is also not a singles collection, so all of Madonna's many one-shot releases (like 'Crazy for You' / 'Gambler' from 'Vision Quest', 'Who's That Girl' / 'Causing a Commotion' from 'Who's That Girl?', 'Justify My Love' from 'Immaculate Collection'. 'This Used to be My Playground' from 'A League of Their Own' - and so on) are all missing. This is a very good value collection, and I recommend it for casual fans or serious fans, but one additional CD mopping up most of the stray songs people would be familiar with and this would have been perfect. So, five stars for the music and value, but more like 4 stars for not being complete.

The complete set of "Madonna: The Studio Albums (1983-2008)" is a great selection of the eleven cds that start at her debut "Madonna" cd and ends at "Hard Candy". The following is a sampling of the hits contained within each cd of this collection: Madonna (1st cd) "Lucky Star" "Burning Up" "Holiday" Like A Virgin (2nd cd) "Material Girl" "Angel" "Like A Virgin" "Dress You Up" True Blue (3rd Cd) "Papa Don't Preach" "Open Your Heart" "Live To Tell" "True Blue" "La Isla Bonita" Like A Prayer (4th Cd) "Like A Prayer" "Express Yourself" "Cherish" "Oh Father" "Keep It Together" Erotica (5th Cd) "Erotica" "Fever" "Rain" BedTime Stories (6th Cd) "Secret" "Sanctuary" "Bedtime Story" Ray Of Light (7th cd) "Ray Of Light" "Frozen" "Sky Fits Heaven" "The Power of Goodbye" "Little Star" Music (8th cd) "Music" "Tell Me" American Life (9th cd) "Love Profusion" "Intervention" "Die Another Day" "Hollywood" Confessions On A Dance Floor (10th cd) "Hung Up" "Get Together" "Let It Will Be" "Forbidden Love" "Jump" "Push" "Like It Or Not" Hard Candy (11th cd) "Candy Shop" "4 Minutes" "Give It To Me" "Heart Beat" "Miles Away" "Incredible" "Beat Goes On" "Dance 2 Night" "Spanish Lesson" "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" Obviously, I completely understand that other Madonna fans may list other songs and/or cds as their top favorites. However, my personal favorite cds are "True Blue", "Like A Prayer", "Confessions On A Dancefloor" and "Hard Candy". "Live To Tell", "True Blue", "Cherish," "Oh Father", "Jump", "Like It Or Not", "Give It 2 Me" and "Hearbeat" are some of my personal favorites in this box set. "Madonna: The Complete Studio Albums (1983-2008) is best for any one of the following three groups: Madonna fans, those who have enjoyed at least two of her cds and/or those who like at least five of her songs.

Fantastic value

Good quality. Great standard, highly recommended.

A real bargain the first 11 madonna studio albums on cd's for this price.

Outstanding value if you are a Madonna fan. A lot of her studio albums in one little set. Brilliant.

Tantos discos de Madonna juntos a un increíble precio? No me podría permitir dejar escapar esa gran oportunidad.

Muy buena colección, recomendable.

Possedevo già questo cofanetto uscito nel 2012, in contemporanea con la pubblicazione di 'Mdna' ma ho voluto acquistare la ristampa del 2019 della Warner Records. In effetti, essendo un collezionista, lo cercavo proprio per il nuovo logo Warner sulla box. Quanto al contenuto, beh stiamo parlando di Madonna, l'unica vera regina del pop. La box contiene tutti gli album di studio pubblicati tra il 1983 e il 2008, da "Madonna" a "Hard Candy". I cd sono contenuti in cartoncini (identici a quelli utilizzati per la pubblicazione dei singoli 2-tracks fino ai primi anni '00, gli appassionati capiranno di cosa parlo). Di conseguenza mancano tutti i booklet degli album. E questo, naturalmente, fa perdere valore alla pubblicazione. In compenso è un ottimo modo per avere (quasi) tutta la discografia di Madonna a portata di mano.

Part I: Preamble Madonna has had a career unlike any other female artist. Time and time again, she pushed the boundaries of free speech and sexual expression, bravely daring controversy to come her way as she ventured into uncharted territories and paved the way for artists who would come along behind her. Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that Madonna is a supremely powerful, important and influential figure in the music industry. Form her ground-breaking, chart-topping records to her boundary-pushing “Sex” book, Madonna’s made it abundantly clear the she won’t stop until she’s had her say... every last word of it. As an avid (and rather devoted) music fan, there’s nothing more special than being able to collect an artist’s discography and going back to the very beginning and listening all the way through. Which brings me, of course, to Madonna’s 2008 release “The Studio Albums (1983-2008). Part 2: Packaging and Presentation Upon first glance, this is a pretty nice-looking set. You’ve got all the major contenders - 1983’s “Madonna,” 1984’s “Like a Virgin,” 1986’s “True Blue,” 1989’s “Like a Prayer.” 1992’s “Erotica (Explicit),” 1994’s “Bedtime Stories,” 1998’s “Ray of Light,” 2000’s “Music,” 2003’s “American Life (Explicit),” 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” and 2008’s “Hard Candy.” For the price you pay for this boxed set, that’s nothing to turn your nose at. In fact, for the amount of albums you get (and the quality of the content contained on those discs) this is an absolute steal. There are no jewel cases or booklets accompanying any of the albums. That’s the one thing you sacrifice in getting these albums together as opposed to individually. Instead, the albums are housed in miniature LP-like sleeves that the discs slide out of. All of these albums are housed in the box that is pictured, which is just a tiny bit taller than a standard jewel-case CD when standing them side by side. It’s a nice, compact way to store all the discs and keep them together. There were a few reviewers who said that the box arrived damaged, and my experience with that is that mine arrived perfectly save for a few very minor corner dents that are typical for products such as this one, especially ones that are more difficult to find. This is also an import. All of the discs are printed in the EU. This set was never officially released in North America, rather we got a 5-album boxed set that featured remastered versions of a small selection of her albums (those same albums are included here but, interestingly enough, none of them are the remastered versions). All in all, it’s a beautiful little box that houses the albums comfortably, each sleeve is beautifully high-quality and the discs themselves have played without issue. Part 3: Content What is there to possibly be said about Madonna’s music that hasn’t already been said in some form or other? The first 3 albums in this set, “Madonna,” “Like a Virgin,” and “True Blue” are presented in remastered versions and contain two bonus tracks per album. “Music” contains American Pie as a bonus track, which was not originally included on the album. It’s a nice addition as a fan to not have to go to external means to get that song, and it fits perfectly with the chronology of the Music album. Each album is exactly what you would expect it to be. They play perfectly, and they sound great. The bonus tracks aren’t essential, but they do bulk up the running time of the set a little bit. Mostly they’re just extended remixes or vinyl single versions. Part 4: Conclusion Is this boxed set worth it? As long as you don’t mind not having jewel cases or booklets, the answer is a resounding YES. The value for your money is phenomenal, the quality of the product is 100% up to what you would expect from Warner Bros., and, to my knowledge, this set is officially out of print, so grab it up while you’re still able to. This is a deal that won’t stay around forever, and the music is nothing short of fantastic!

Die Box, in der sich die CDs befinden, ist von der Aufmachung sehr schön und vor allem platzsparend. Dies war für mich einer der ausschlaggebendsten Gründe für den Kauf, da ich mir schon länger eine Sammlung von Madonna's Alben zulegen wollte. Ein großer Pluspunkt sind die ersten drei Alben, welche als Remaster-Versionen vorhanden sind, somit mit besserem Klang glänzen können und zudem auch Bonus Tracks beinhalten. Die restlichen Alben sind in deren Originalversionen vorhanden, was jedoch nicht schlimm ist, da auch dort die Qualität der Songs sehr gut ist. Es sollte erwähnt werden, dass die Alben sich anstatt in einer CD Hülle in Papphüllen befinden (der Druck ist jedoch identisch zu dem der CD Hüllen), das einzige was fehlt sind die einzelnen Booklets, was man bei diesem Preis jedoch verkraften kann. Klare Kaufempfehlung für all jene, die nach einer kostengünstigen Möglichkeit suchen, um die älteren sowie neueren Alben (bis Hard Candy) zu hören und/oder der eigenen Sammlung hinzuzufügen, da diese Box einfach sehr schön designed ist und sich somit sehr schön in jedem Regal anzusehen ist. Ansonsten bleibt nur noch zu sagen, dass ich rundum zufrieden mit dem Kauf bin.