It's Strangeness and Charm all over again JP sometimes for whatever reason certain tracks are relegated to Deluxe only possibly to make more money or who knows whenever they are on my Ipod i just use shuffle anyway

It's sounding a bit like Die Another Day meets Papa Don't Preach. A good Madonna-ish track though.

omg YES YES YES! Strangeness & Charm should have been on the main album.

Same as how i feel with Bey and Schoolin Life on 4! i mean FFS!

But yeah when they are on the ipod it makes it easier to flick around and make a similar flow....i have both on pre-order anyway so it will be on BLAST everywhere WOO!!

I just cannot truly believe that there was a need to have a standard/deluxe really. As the main pull is always the deluxe album anyway...spose it is just how albums are sold these days though....but the Deluxe is THE full album i feel.

you can call my name and ill be around <3....it is kinda...scarily beautiful. Like a sequel to gang bang in a sense! where that will be the aggressively seductive

AND I Dont give A...is perfect inside out Hip Hop and sounds like it will be a really confessional moment....and i love that it isnt "Hip Hop" either despite Nicki on there rapping....it has a punchy/punky feel!

Could have replaced Seven Devils whilst good was not as good as S&C

And yes its just stupid it just makes logistical sense to spend a little more for more most will bypass the standard i would assume unless like flo or bey its spread over two discs which somehow is a turn off

Oh yeah definitely...as you say i like Seven Devils...but S&C...DAYMN!!

Yeah most people go for deluxe anyway! it just seems like a weird marketing idea really lol.

MDNA seems to really sell itself like a blockbuster...and everyone will want the entire piece!

If they had used one picture for the front of both versions (so that it's the same image for standard and deluxe) and not use different images for the two versions, then yeah. Most would have gone for the deluxe only. But as they have two stunning covers loads of fans will go for both! I mean having the standard alongside all the other Madonna albums seems right!

It is possibly one of my faves off the entire Ceremonials project even more than WTWGM which is big standard flo fair S&C is so spiritual im in a field awesomeness

And yes its just totally nonsensical

Yes i hope so and it sustains itself not fluctuate and slowly disappear by years end

And yes wizzy fans are more likely to buy both but it may contain art cards of both covers like Talk that talk

Yeah well both covers are just sublime...i love all of her covers. But damn MDNA both covers are among her most iconic by definition! Distorted, high fashion, sci-fi, retro...you can apply one heck of a lot to it!

And the main risk is that MDNA may retread Hard Candys steps in the sense that the first week was the biggest worldwide sales week (2 million in one week is a lot but only to sell double by years end really is a bit...underwhelming). BUT the main difference here is there are gonna be different ways of marketing MDNA they are planning, i reckon April will have some surprises and in May too. With more releases and Interscope MUST secure decent airplay for Turn Up The Radio etc worldwide so MDNA can say not only does it have the globe winning song Masterpeice but also a massive worldwide smash by definition too.

I think that is what it needs for casual listeners to really see and ehar what MDNA as an album and concept is about...should definitely sustain it across the summer and into the later parts of the year too

I mean there is such range by the snippets we have heard that people will love...but they just arent hearing it yet!

Oh i would love artcards for MDNA, the pictures thus far on the visual side and aspects are also really successful for this era as opposed to the images of HC really. I mean can really spread em round my room ...so to speak

Josh, have you heard anything about whether the lyrics will be reprinted? I asked Guy Oseary via twitter but he didn't respond which sort of implies there won't be!

If no lyrics I hope they have a bit more respect for the credits than they did for Hard Candy. That was virtually illegible. All squashed up in tiny blue writing at the end.

No idea...Interscope do print lyrics in the booklet, so do Universal Records too. They could write the lyrics in "painted" style like the MDNA symbolism on her throne on the Half Time show...would work with the photography i think. But tbh i really dont have a clue.

Rigt so Perez has basically said he is leaking a full MDNA "new song" and some speculation was it was for Im Addicted in full (due to it not being a single consideration, name in title etc) but now personally i think it may be Turn Up The Radio in full as that is considered for the next release.

But personally i it is the next release...wouldnt that kinda take the fun out of it being released??? hmmm. I hope it is a fully new one...will probably be B-Day Song with MIA

i was thinking the same from confessions they were absent we shall see i just hope more photo's to replace lyrics if absent

I didn't mind not having the lyrics in American Life or Confessions because after the "Oh ****! Where's the lyrics" shock of Music I came to expect it. In Confessions the imagery was awesome so really made up for the lack of lyrics. But in Hard Candy the satin style black blank pages with just "lollipop" written on one whole page really annoyed me. They could have and SHOULD have at least listed the credits to each song respectfully and clearly to utilise that blank space.

Tbh..especially when the photography is as beautiful as on Confessions...or as stylised as the Music booklet and American Life booklet i dont mind it. But i love looking through booklets ritually anyway

Yeah well the whole photography arangement annoyed me most that era tbh. I mean like ehr first three albums where you had a photo either end of the booklet and lyrics on blank/metallic looking paper backing with songs/lyrics/credits would have suited HC i reckon

OR utilise the imagery much better as some shots IMO really didnt work as well as others tbh.

But if they use it well then i reckon MDNA will have lyrics...but if there is more stunning imagery (and i love loved all images thus far) then i wont mind as much

Yes or with Flo a few snippets of the lyrics superimposed on beautiful photography i do very much love it hence why album downloads are a no no

YES...i loved it across the Music album you had the Music song lyrics scattered across it. And on COADF where Let It Will Be lyrics were spread across the artwork.

I loved that about Ceremonials....tbh i would even prefer the use of that...a lyric fro each song to represent the imagery would be the coolest

Hard Candy is one of two mini-era's where Madonna actually looked bored and old. The other was during the Drowned World tour. That tour shows Madonna looking the oldest she's ever looked.

Yes hard candy was like im not even sorry it isnt a hit if you cannot be bothered to care or push it.

And yes JP it works better it kind of shows what the song and album and overall theme is about

What i always love is Madonna and her ageless spark you know? Its like the Peter Pan effect. The idea of being forever youthful in character and showcase really...which is really appealing and attractive.

And yes i believe it is this that really put me off the imagery for both now that you mention it :P

the artwork for HC could have been so inspired..Willy WOnka/ironic but it felt way OTT photoshopped for the wrong reasons

Whereas this era Madonna really has exorcised the demons that plagued her while recording HC and she is happier, more scandalous and attractive than ever IMO

Yay part 5! I have a good few clips to listen to, I'll do that tomorrow

Yeah and i loved that the HC promo was kinda really half bummed in the sense that she wore trackies, did 3 concerts, 6 songs and that is that attitude in interviews...even with mate Jo Whiley!

You could really tell she was going through a marriage breakdown really...and what with Malawi-gate then too! Still the performances did still old their own But the Super Bowl kinda put it way back into mighty perspective...most epic moment since Hung Up at the 2006 grammys

yeah definitely, i love the flow of the album if the lyrics are printed across the imagery! Like she could pick a line of each song for different images across the album