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Includes rare 12" dance remixes previously unavailable on CD. Personnel: Madonna (vocals); Nile Rodgers (guitar, Synclavier); Lenny Pickett (saxophone); Rob Sabino (synthesizer); Bernard Edwards (bass); Tony Thompson (drums); Jimmy Bralower (programming); Curtis King, Frank Simms, George Simms, Brenda King (background vocals). Digitally remastered by Ted Jensen (Sterling Sound, New York, New York). Madonna had already made serious waves with her 1983 self-titled debut, springing her irresistibly exuberant, sexy dance-pop onto an unsuspecting public. But it was 1984's LIKE A VIRGIN that exhibited the calculated pop mastery that would define the singer's career. Everything from the cover art (which features Madonna splayed out provocatively in a wedding dress) to the sleek production from Chic's Nile Rogers announced Madonna's arrival as the queen of pop. If only for the album's two gargantuan smash singles, the bouncy, coy, gold-digging ode "Material Girl" and the racy title cut, LIKE A VIRGIN would go down in pop history. The dominating force of both songs, their videos, and their subject matter helped make Madonna a household name. The rest of the album delivers too. The energetic shimmy of "Dress You Up" and "Angel" are infectious dance floor workouts, and her cover of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is sharp and compelling. LIKE A VIRGIN still shines as an indispensable `80s dance-pop classic.
