You Can Dance

by

Madonna

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You Can Dance is without a doubt Madonna's most underrated album. It has sold 5 million copies worldwide, which is a flop in Madonna's usual sales. It was released in 1987 and features 10 remixes of some of Madonna's best loved and most popular 80's hits from her first three albums, Madonna, Like A Virgin and True Blue. It may not seem it, but You Can Dance is a ground-breaking piece of work. Madonna had the confidence to put out a remix album. She was the first artist to ever release one, and it sold 5 million - not bad for a few songs that have been changed a bit. You Can Dance has inspired many artists and bands of today to release remix albums such as Jennifer Lopez.

The album starts with Spotlight (10/10). This rare track is only available on You Can Dance and is a classic Madonna song. You can instantly tell which era of Madonna's career it's from because of the brilliant instruments and clear vocals that only suited Madonna in the 1980's. Spotlight is remixed by Jellybean and produced by Stephen Bray and is a fantastic song to open the album with. This is the type of song you could just imagine being played on holiday in a bar in somewhere like Spain or Greece! A holiday classic! Speaking of holidays...Holiday is Track 2! This has to be one of Madonna's most famous songs ever. This classic was her first single, but the remix doesn't sound very different to the album version. It lasts for 6.32 minutes though, so you get your money's worth! Most of the songs on You Can Dance are continual; when one song is finishing, the next track is starting. You just know when Holiday is starting because of the legendary 7 chimes. And at a clap of her hands, Track 2 is well underway! Madonna's very first single, Everybody (8/10), which was not released as a single, is the next track. This is probably the worst track on You Can Dance. It just doesn't have that edge that other tracks on here have. Yet it's still good listening. Track 4 is Physical Attraction (9/10) from Madonna's debut album. It's only when you listen to this remix that you realise that the original is a superb piece of work. Yet again, it doesn't sound much different from the original. They probably realised they couldn't do a thing to make it any better!

One of the most impressive remixes on You Can Dance is Over And Over (10/10), taken from Madonna's hugely successful second album Like A Virgin. The lyrics are not altered in any way, but it's the instruments that make the big impression - they are so funky and catchy! I don't know how to describe them, but they sound like a lot of clocks ticking away! The remix comes in at more than 7 minutes long and is one of the best songs on the whole album. Into The Groove (10/10) is Track 6 and is undoubtedly the best remix on the whole album. It's so different to the original and the stuttering vocals at the beginning are so catchy! It was remixed by Shep Pettibone, who prodcued most of Madonna's fantastic Erotica album. The remix of Into The Groove is almost 8 and a half minutes long. The most corny bit is the, "Step to the, step to the, step to the beat!!!" You just have to cringe when you hear that! Where's The Party (10/10) is Track 7. Taken from Madonna's third album True Blue, which has sold 21 million copies, it's a fantastic, feel-good, remix that deserves a lot of credit. The remix of Where's The Party is more than 7 minutes long, but not long enough if you ask me!

The final three tracks are all Dub Versions of Holiday, Into The Groove and Where's The Party. They are all fantastic and worthy of 10/10 each, although there isn't much singing in them. There's not much singing on Holiday, but it's good to take the time to appreciate the music, instead of it getting covered up by all the singing.

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

On the whole, You Can Dance is a splendid album that deserves more attention than it has recieved. You may think you have all these songs on the first three albums or some of them on The Immaculate Collection, but trust me, you cannot afford to miss this remix album. It's too good to miss out on and the remixes are so funky and catchy. This will remain in your collection for years and years...