Madonna – Hard Candy

Reviewing every record in my collection:

Ok THIS: This is the real deal

Great packaging, Beautiful Discs and AWESOME Sounding Vinyl. The mastering on this album has never been the best, the cd sounds canned and compressed and the streaming versions sound ok, nothing special. But This, this sounds like a whole different mastering, either that or I was extremely lucky with my pressing since after all these years the records don't have any background noise and the bass it's greatly balanced, I would go as far as to say that is missing a bit in that department (which I deeply prefer, since I don't like bassy masterings) my only complaints are that certain songs have the S's way to sharp, but listening to other sources such as the cd and streaming also suffer of this (it's particularly noticing in She's Not Me)

I've listened the Solid color ones in the past and they sound ten times worse than this one; those are big bass heavy and with lots of background noise. These ones not only sound better, but also look much better.

Definitely a 10/10 pressing, must have in any collection

Surrounded By Idiots meets Madonna. I had to check this out and after hearing the Kanye tracks on "Rebel Heart" I have to say Madonna does better with Ye. The Timbo tracks stand out : "4 Minutes" is a "FutureSex" throwaway and "Dance 2Night" sounds like a preview off "20/20" while "Devil ..." sounds like a throwaway off "Shock Value". The only Timbo collab that sounds original is "Miles Away" a ballad that feels like 80's pop updated with a timeless tale of love lost.
"Give it 2 Me" has one of the most insane synth breaks I've heard on a record but the veiled GAGA disses on "She's Not Me" made me recall why I put a flame to my copy of Britney's greatest hits : Sex kittens from Madonna's family tree (including Madonna herself) just dont have GAGA's lyrical ability or vocal range, and after that diss led to the second disc, I could tell this wasn't the woman off the "Holiday" record that even made me take a peek in her discography.
Other than being an industry jump off, this album shows that not even with the work of VA's best can Madonna put together a dope record.
A few choice cuts could have been handled by other artists and are obvious throwaways or re-workings of tracks from the Surrounded By Idiots camp ("Spanish Lesson" is just "Spanglish" off "Justified").
All I learned from "Hard Candy" is that Madonna is an overrated industry jump off.

My copy is perfect. I also paid less than $25 used. These sellers are like ticket scalpers. I don't care if it's out of print, misprint, blue, pink ,yellow or black or even if it was a scratch and sniff. The album was released at $34.99. I would never pay more than $50 for a vg+ or better vinyl. None are actually worth that to me.

The original misprint with the solid blue and pink discs sounds a bit better than this white splatter edition.

Both sound very good, but the clarity and bass are a bit better on the solid blue/pink misprint than on this version. I'm guessing it's because the misprint is a first pressing, or possibly due to the pressing plant. Otherwise this is a good version to have since it does sound better than the CD.

Pressing absolutely knocks. Sounds eons superior to both CD and high-res digital. Dynamic bass. Much more depth, sizzle to the production. Tracks really come out at you loud and proud, very happy to own this! The extra DJ 12” is a nice touch, the remixes are solid. Gorgeous candy splatter vinyl, thick discs. Overall beautiful presentation with a full color trifold jacket. The essential edition of this album to own, for sure.

The sound quality on this is stellar. I was a bit fearful, based on some reviews, that this was gonna just be eye candy. Nope, it sounds crisp AND is pretty to look at. So happy to have this in my collection.

THIS WAS MASTERED DIFFERENTLY THEN THE CD.

To anyone who thinks this sounds like the CD, check that everything is aligned and that you aren’t using some low budget cartridge/stylus or pre-amp. If you have cheap equipment of course you won’t hear a difference.

On the CD some of the clipping from being too loud is almost unbearable. Listen to “Voices” side by side, it’s toned down, balanced and easier to listen to. It’s the same story with Devil The Beat Goes on. Heavy bass songs are warmer and sound more natural.

I’m not someone who thinks something sounds better just because it’s on a record. Example with American Life, the CD is the clear winner. Only the cassette Of American Life is mastered better then the CD. (That never happens.) I recorded Hard Candy LP to a Type 4 Metal Cassette and listen to that now when I’m lazy.

The sound quality on this is just ok. Sounds like you're playing the cd. A little disappointing, it's nothing like the sound quality of Ray of Light, both the blue version and black which are 'incredible'. The packaging and the pink and blue swirl effect vinyl make up for it.

My favorite Madonna album. These prices are insane unfortunately. Also it hasn't pressed in Europe all these years, so i'am waiting this to get a European repress if ever in the future so that i can buy it.

What is the "Pin" that is listed as coming with this record? PIN code or a badge?