I would never count myself as one of Madge’s fans. I sometimes wonder what it is about her that so many people find completely intoxicating. She gives terrible interviews; she always seems so guarded and rarely makes eye contact with either the interviewer or her audience. She makes terrible movies, except for a fluke here and there, and in my opinion, her best days were some time ago. There is, however, one thing she does really well: pop music. In the world of pop, she is The Queen and always will be. Her sheer determination and uncompromising ambition allowed her to claw her way to the pinnacle of the fickle pop market and stay there for quite some time.
As far as I’m concerned, though, she hasn’t made a great album since 1992’s Erotica, and if her last four misguided efforts are anything to go by (Music, American Life, Confessions On A Dance Floor and Hard Candy), then her glory days could well and truly be over. This set highlights all of her hits and misses from those endeavors, but they are overwhelmingly eclipsed by her stunning pop gems of the '80s. It’s a good thing she chose to label this Celebration instead of a “Greatest Hits” package, because most of her recent material doesn’t hold a candle to her earlier work.
This deluxe edition spans two discs and no less than thirty-six tracks, including two new songs. Of those new ones, “Revolver” is just a generic dance track of the sort that has littered her work of late, but “Celebration” is more in-line with the Madonna of old, save for some sonic wizardry. Neither is particularly memorable, though, and they only add to the mediocrity of her recent work.
Of that recent work, “Sorry” is the clear standout, although it doesn’t have much in the way of competition. “Miles Away,” “4 Minutes,” “Don’t Tell Me” and “Die Another Day” are all lame attempts at trying to remain relevant. The trashy “Music” and cunning “Hung Up” also lack any of the real inspiring qualities that Madonna is so famous for. If you took away Abba’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) from “Hung Up,” you wouldn’t even have a song left. 
So that leaves me with twenty-seven true pop gems that help to make up for the nonsense of all the previously mentioned tracks in one explosion of absolute pop mania. Although there is a healthy mix of remixed and edited versions of these songs, they have lost none of their original luster.
Thankfully, that criminally insipid remix of Madonna’s greatest moment “Like A Prayer” from Immaculate Collection has been traded for the original version here. It remains one of the greatest pop songs of all time and I never get tired of hearing it. “Vogue” is cooler than cool and can still fill any dance floor in any land. “Holiday,” “Everybody” and “Burning Up” represent Madge’s early days spent in NYC, hell-bent on a life of fame and fortune. She has never been a great singer, but her youthful voice is quite charming and these cuts stand up amazingly well today.
More prime hits flow from her mega-selling 1986 release, True Blue. The poignant “Papa Don’t Preach” and the infectious “Open Your Heart” are killer songs that never age, while “Live To Tell” remains Madonna’s best ballad to date. “La Isla Bonita” is genius – no more needs to be said. “Into The Groove” sounds great, too, and I’m even beginning to enjoy a couple of songs I’ve always hated. “Material Girl” was so tacky, but along with “Like A Virgin,” I can see that they were clearly two very important songs for her, and they have stood the test of time rather well.
Madonna’s sex-crazed-nympho phase is given face time with the brilliant “Erotica” and “Justify My Love,” two songs that were far removed from her usual sound at the time. It is a shame that there are no more tracks lifted from the Erotica release, because along with Like A Prayer, it represents Madonna‘s best moments. Further cuts from Like A Prayer, “Cherish” and “Express Yourself,” are here and keep the momentum flowing nicely. And though I’ve always felt that Ray Of Light was overrated, the title track and “Frozen” are truly inspired moments that, along with “Secret” and “Take A Bow” (from Bedtime Stories), showcase the almost-best of her '90s output.
So whether it’s the vintage Madonna of “Lucky Star” and “Borderline” or the hipster middle-age Madge of “Beautiful Stranger” that most impresses you, there are plenty of reasons to enjoy this collection. Even the most casual (and cynical) observers like myself can’t deny that this set contains some of the best pop music of the last three decades.