Portal:Pop music/Selected albums

Selected albums

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Selected articles list

Like a Virgin

Like a Virgin is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on November 12, 1984 by Sire Records. It was re-released in several territories outside of North America in 1985, with the inclusion of the bonus track "Into the Groove". In 2001, Warner Bros. Records released a remastered version with two bonus remix tracks (although without "Into The Groove"). The album was produced by Nile Rodgers, and recorded at Power Station Studio in New York at a quick pace. Rodgers enlisted the help of his former Chic band mates Bernard Edwards, who was the bassist, and Tony Thompson, who played drums; they appeared on several tracks of the album. Rodgers decided to be the guitarist, when Edwards requested him to do so, in exchange of their help. Jason Corsaro, the record's audio engineer, persuaded Rodgers to use digital recording, a new technique introduced at that time. The cover sleeve and images were shot by Steven Meisel. Madonna wanted the album title and the cover image to make provocative link between her own religious name Madonna, as the Roman Catholic title for Jesus' mother Mary, and the Christian concept of the virgin birth.

Control (Janet Jackson album)

Control is the third studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released on February 4, 1986 by A&M Records. Her collaborations with songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis resulted in an unconventional sound: a fusion of rhythm and blues, funk, disco, rap vocals, and synthesized percussion that established Jackson, Jam and Lewis as the leading innovators of contemporary R&B. It enabled Jackson to transition into the popular music market, becoming one of the defining albums of the 1980s and contemporary music. Containing autobiographical themes, a majority of the album's lyrics came as the result of a series of changes in her life: a recent annulment of her marriage to R&B singer James DeBarge, severing her business affairs from her father and manager Joseph and the rest of the Jackson family, hiring A&M executive John McClain as her new management, and her subsequent introduction to Jam and Lewis. The album has been praised by critics as both an artistic feat and as a personal testament of self-actualization.

Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

Love. Angel. Music. Baby. is the debut solo studio album by American recording artist Gwen Stefani, released on November 12, 2004 by Interscope Records. The album originally began as a small side project for Stefani, eventually growing into her first solo album following her break from the band No Doubt, as well as a large production with numerous musical collaborations and producers. Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was designed as an updated version of a 1980s music record, and was influenced by artists such as early Madonna, New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Debbie Deb, and Club Nouveau. Most of the songs on the album are thematically focused on fashion and wealth. The album introduced the Harajuku Girls, four backup dancers who dress in Stefani's interpretation of the youth fashion trends of Harajuku, a district in Tokyo, Japan. Love. Angel. Music. Baby. debuted to generally favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. The album yielded six singles and had high sales, going multi-platinum in several countries, and selling seven million copies worldwide. It earned Stefani six Grammy Award nominations in 2005 and 2006, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album

The Fame

The Fame is the debut studio album by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released on August 19, 2008 through Interscope Records. After joining KonLive Distribution and Cherrytree Records in 2008, Gaga began working on the album with different producers, primarily RedOne, Martin Kierszenbaum and Rob Fusari. Musically, The Fame is a dance-pop and synthpop album that has influences of pop music from the 1980s. Lyrically, the album visualizes Gaga's love of fame in general whilst also dealing with subjects such as love, sex, money, drugs and sexual identity. Promotion was primarily through The Fame Ball Tour and multiple television appearances. The Fame was included as a bonus disc on the deluxe edition of the extended play, The Fame Monster (2009). The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who commended the album's lyrical content and Gaga's musicianship and vocal ability, which have been compared to fellow pop singers such as Gwen Stefani. The album was a commercial success, topping the charts in different countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Switzerland. In the United States, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, while topping the Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 100 non-consecutive weeks. The Fame has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.

Thriller (album)

Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall. Thriller explores similar genres to those of Off the Wall, including pop, R&B, rock, post-disco, and adult contemporary music. Recording sessions took place between April and November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with a production budget of $750,000, assisted by producer Quincy Jones. Of the nine tracks on the album, four of them were written by Jackson himself. Seven singles were released from the album, all of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Three of the singles had music videos released. "Baby Be Mine" and "The Lady in My Life" were the only tracks that were not released as singles. In just over a year, Thriller became—and currently remains—the best-selling album of all time, with sales estimated by various sources as being between 51 and 65 million copies worldwide.

Music of the Sun (album)

Music of the Sun is the debut album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, released by Def Jam Recordings on August 12, 2005. Prior to signing with a record label, Rihanna was discovered by record producer Evan Rogers, who helped Rihanna record demo tapes which could be sent out to potential record labels. After Rihanna was signed by Jay-Z, the former Chief executive officer (CEO) and president of Def Jam, she continued to work with Rogers and his production partner Carl Sturken, as well as working with other producers for her debut album. The album features vocals from artists including Kardinal Offishall, J-Status, and Vybz Kartel. Music of the Sun features Caribbean-influenced dance-pop, dancehall music, and R&B ballads.

Dangerously in Love

Dangerously in Love is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles, released on June 22, 2003 by Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 to 2003 at several studios, during the hiatus of her then-group Destiny's Child. The tracks in the album are a mixture of uptempos and ballads, which are basically inspired by R&B and soul genres; it also features elements of hip hop and Arabic music. Although Knowles remained discreet about her interpretation of the songs, its underlying meanings were attributed by music writers as an allusion to her intimate relationship with then-boyfriend and well-known music mogul Jay-Z. Dangerously in Love propelled Knowles in becoming a viable solo star, as well as one of the most marketable singers in the recording industry. It became a worldwide commercial success, earning multi-platinum certifications in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Bad (album)

Bad is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album. Bad itself has sold around 30 million copies worldwide, shipped 8 million units in the United States alone, and has been cited as the fifth best selling album of all time. The album produced five Hot 100 number ones, the first album to do so. Similar to Jackson's previous music material, the album's music features elements of R&B, pop and rock. Bad was recorded during the first half of 1987. The lyrical themes on the record relate to paranoia, romance and self-improvement. Bad is widely regarded as having cemented Jackson's status as one of the most successful artists of the 1980s, as well as enhancing his solo career and being one of the best musical projects of his career.

Madonna (album)

Madonna is the self-titled debut album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on July 27, 1983 by Sire Records. The album was re-released in 1985 for the European market and re-packaged as Madonna: The First Album. In 1982, while establishing herself as a singer in Downtown New York, Madonna met Seymour Stein, president of Sire Records, who signed her after listening to her single "Everybody". The success of the single prompted Sire to sign her for an album's deal. For the album, Madonna chose to work with Reggie Lucas, a Warner Bros. producer. However, she was not happy with the completed tracks and disagreed with Lucas's production techniques, so decided to seek additional help with the production. Madonna then invited her boyfriend at the time, John "Jellybean" Benitez, to help her finish the album. Benitez remixed many of the tracks and produced "Holiday".

...Baby One More Time (album)

...Baby One More Time is the debut studio album of American recording artist Britney Spears, released on January 12, 1999, by Jive Records, becoming the best selling debut of any female artist in history. In June 1997, while Spears negotiated with manager Lou Pearlman to join female pop group Innosense, her mother asked family friend and entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph for his opinion and submitted a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston karaoke song. Rudolph decided to pitch her to record labels, sending them a demo tape with an unused song from Toni Braxton. Jive was interested and appointed the singer to work with producer Eric Foster White. After hearing the recorded material, Jive signed Spears to a multi-album deal. Spears traveled to Sweden to work with producers Max Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, among others. Martin showed Spears and her management a track titled "Hit Me Baby One More Time", which was originally written for American R&B group TLC; however, they rejected the track. Spears later claimed that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit record. By June 1998, the album had been finished. The songs on ...Baby One More Time are sung by Spears in a mid-nasal voice, and lyrically talk about love and relationships.