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Pop it in, let the windows down, and just go for a ride. This is one of those CD's that you can listen to from start to finish. 17 songs in all, with 15 greatest hits and 2 new cuts from 1990 -'Justify My Love' and 'Rescue Me'. All of Madonna's biggest radio and video hits from the early days are here, maybe except for 'Who's That Girl' and 'Dress You Up' which are missing, but this is still a 5-star collection. Catchy dance beats on the up-tempo songs and a few slow ballads are here to give this album a great mix. All songs are from 1983-90,(my fav era in music) I'm 26, so I pretty much grew up listening to this music, and listening to it brings back great memories. You know the hits: 'Holiday', 'Lucky Star', 'Borderline', 'Like A Virgin', 'Material Girl', 'Into The Groove', 'Papa Don't Preach', 'La Isla Bonita', 'Like A Prayer', 'Express Yourself', 'Cherish', 'Vogue' and 'Open Your Heart'(my all-time fav Madonna song). Everytime I hear that song it just brings back great memories from those days. Also the great ballads 'Crazy For You' and 'Live To Tell' are here. Madonna sings with fire and passion in her music, and in my opinion is a very under-rated singer. I like alot of her newer music, but I like this older music better. You absolutely can't go wrong with this CD, it is a must have for anyone who enjoys cool 80's music. If you like Madonna, or 80's dance music, you'll absolutely love this CD. Be good to yourself and get this one, ASAP!

Here are just some of Madonna's early classic hits. When this compilation was assembled, Madonna already had too many hits to include them all on a single CD, hence the omission of Angel, Dress you up, Gambler, True blue and all the hits from the soundtrack, Who's that girl? Because of her continuous success in the years that followed the release of this compilation, a comprehensive Madonna hits collection would now require a triple CD. That is a measure of her brilliance, sustained over a very long period of time.

The set begins with three hits from her debut album, of which Holiday is the best but Lucky star and Borderline are also wonderful. Then come Like a virgin and Material girl, two of the singles released from her outstanding second album. Crazy for you, an excellent ballad, and Into the groove, a superb dance song, come next. Although the title track is omitted, four other major hits from the True blue album (Live to tell, Papa don't preach, Open your heart, La Isla Bonita) can be found here, each one of them a classic but very different from each other. Three major hits from Like a prayer include Express yourself and Cherish. Vogue (from I'm breathless) and two tracks not available on any previous album (Justify my love, Rescue me) complete the set.

Anybody who does not understand why Madonna has such a huge fan base only has to listen to this compilation to find out why. Catchy pop tunes with interesting lyrics (for those that bother to listen to the words) are Madonna's trademark, yet she manages to avoid becoming formulaic. Madonna has continuously changed her style, so you don't hear the same sound over and over again.

There is no definitive Madonna compilation yet but we may have to wait a few years for that. Until that time, this is the best introduction to her music that is available.

This record was the first Madonna album I bought , and I have been a fan ever since!! This woman has to be one of the most influential artists of the eighties , ninties , and the new millenium. She always re-invents herself , reflecting where she is in her life , what issue she wants to tackle , and what it is she wants to say. The album covers her first four studio albums : "Madonna" , "Like A Virgin" , "True Blue" , and "Like A Prayer". Songs she did for movie soundtracks are thrown in the mix also. Such as : "Vision Quest" , "Desperately Seeking Susan" , "At Close Range" , and "Dick Tracy".

"Madonna" was the first album she recorded. It was released in 1983 and included the hits : "Holiday" , "Lucky Star" , and "Borderline". Madonna was a busy gal during this period. She filmed her first two films : "Vision Quest" and "Desperatley Seeking Susan". That meant two more hits were released : "Crazy For You" and "Into The Groove".

"Like A Virgin" , her second album , included the hits : "Material Girl" and the title track. A year after the record was released (in 1984) , she went on tour. And met Sean Penn , they married that same year and that was what inspired her third studio album , "True Blue". In 1986 , songs like "Papa Don't Preach" and "Open Your Heart" shot straight to the top of the charts.

Sadly , they divorced in 1989 and Madge wrote , recorded , and released her fourth studio album , "Like A Prayer". Her Blonde Ambition tour was launced a year later in 1990. Performing hits like : "Express Yourself" , "Cherish" , and "Vogue" , Madonna lit up the stage and released the legendary film that documented the backstage view of that concert : "Madonna : Truth or Dare?".

In addition to all those triumphts , two more songs are included : "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". The video for "Justify" (which features Lenny Kravitz doing backround vocals) was banned from MTV & VH1 for its pictures of gay and lesbian couples , Mo kissing another woman , and her fine lover , model Tony Ward , getting down and dirty!!

Don't pay attention to the negitive reviews who says that Madonna isn't cool anymore. She will always be interesting despite negitive critics , they're just jealous!!! Buy this amazing album now!

"A League of Their Own" (1992), directed by Penny Marshall, takes place during the World War II era. Since a lot of male baseball players were being drafted to the armed forces, an All American Girls Baseball League was formed to try to keep the prosperity of baseball alive in America. The two main characters Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty) join up with a whole turnout of women including the flirtatious Mae Mordabito (Madonna) and the strong, bold Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell), and experience life as a female athlete during the 1940's. Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) is one of the male coaches hired to coach one of the all woman teams, and is one of the many that show transformation throughout the season.
This movie is full of stereotypical ideas of what a female should be, but that is not to say that the movie promotes these ideas. Some examples could be shown through the uniforms that the women are forced to wear, which consists of a skirt! As stated in the movie, the women are to act "ladylike" and are sent to a beauty school, where they are taught "ladylike" manners and are given makeovers. We see in Dottie Hinson, whose husband Bob Hinson (Bill Pullman) is away at war, the outlook of women back then as she almost quits the league by the final game because Bob returns from the war and Dottie's aspirations are to start a family and be a housewife. Even in Jimmy Dugan, the coach barely cares at first about the team and states "girls can't play baseball", and how he doesn't have a team of ballplayers, but a "team of girls". We see a transformation however in him that shows his true love of the game, looking past what gender roles were considered back then. Although there are many more, one last example discussed here is Marla (Megan Cavanagh), who is a better hitter than most men, yet is almost not allowed in the league because she is considered "ugly".
This movie was excellent. It shows how hard it was for women to be taken seriously outside of "housewife" labels that were bestowed upon them, yet it adds great humor throughout to make it a very entertaining, yet educational film!

Fantastic is the only word that aptly describes A League of Their Own. Top notch acting, direction, and dialogue made this one of the best movies of the 90s, bar none.

Set during World War II, baseball comissioners find themselves in a crisis as the boys head off to war. Rather than leave the stands empty, they make the executive decision to recruit girls to play. Small-town Oregon sisters Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty) are picked up by talent scout Jon Lovitz (superb in a small supporting role). Once they're in, they meet several other colorful souls, including "all the way" Mae (Madonna) and loudmouth Doris (Rosie O'Donnell). Leading the team is down-and-out ball player Jimmy (Tom Hanks). We follow this hilarious group through a single season, which proves to be a humorous, heartwarming, and dramatic trip. Playing with sprained ankles, worrying about over-seas husbands, and sneaking out to party are all common place among the Rockford Peaches.

Everyone involved in this picture shines in their role, no matter how big or small. Davis and Hanks carry the picture effortlessly, playing off each other extremely well. Petty does a fine job as the little sister along for the ride. All of the girls on the team are fantastic, each bringing something a little bit different to contribute to the ensemble. However, the stars of this show are Madonna and Jon Lovitz. These two are lewd, crude, and absolutely hilarious. Madonna IS "all the way" Mae, and producers would have been hard pressed to find someone better for the role. It's too bad that Lovitz is only given roughly twenty minutes of screen time as the talent scout.

Director Penny Marshall does a fantastic job with her cast, crew, and photography. Everything seems to fall into place without any effort at all, but with the phenomenal cast, it's not surprising that this film was such a huge success.

Buy, do not rent this movie. It's perfect for young and old alike.

This is one of my favourite films, it made me want to watch it again and again. With an all star cast including Geena Davis, Lotti perri and Tom Hanks, who give brilliant and funny performances. This film is funny,tear jerking and an all round good film. The storyline is brilliant and what more can i say....its definately worth buying!