You Can Dance: It couldn't get anymore unnecessary.

By 1986, Madonna had just established herself as a force to be reckoned with. Even though her first two dance, pop albums had provided her with a large teenage fans and a lot of #10 hits, it wasn't until Live to Tell was released, a ballad that showed the world a mature, older Madonna. Five successful singles from her True Blue album later, You Can Dance was released a partner remix album to her first reinvention. Madonna was never bigger than she was in the late 80s, and the fact that this album is the most successful remix album of all time proves it-- it's not exactly warranted. Marketed a non-stop dance party, You Can Dance was an album I bought for the sole purpose that it was Madonna. As expected, I was not disappointed; that said, I wasn't too impressed.

If that is any reason at all to seek out this record, it's for Spotlight, a left over the True Blue sessions. The song is sweeter than candy and is a true artifact of a time when Madonna was a lot warmer than she is now. If you were a fan of the sound on songs like Who's That Girl or Causing a Commotion, then Spotlight is gonna rank high with you. As the six-minute album opener starts to fade, another one starts to flow through the speakers. Traces of Holiday begin, and, for the time, it was definitely an interesting version. Madonna fans who only know the Holiday found on the greatest hits collection The Immaculate Collection will not be very impressed. At least, I wasn't. It definitely wasn't anything special, even if the song itself is great. Everybody follows Holiday, a song from Madonna's debut record. In fact, it was her first single, getting Madge some great recognition on the dance circuit. As this is a remix album, it's nice to hear that they definitely did some mixing to this song. As much as I love the album version, the mix on You Can Dance is a lot better. It's not an out and out remix, but it's an improvement over the original.

Songs like Physical Attraction and Over and Over, on the other hand, are just dumb. I don't know why they are on this record, and I don't know why I can't hear a huge difference between the originals and the mixes-- or why I should care. I'm a fan of Physical Attraction, but is there a reason it's hear? I would have liked, maybe, another True Blue left over. Or, at the very least, remixes from her new album. These songs were filler on their respective LPs and they are filler here, too. Where's the Party is an extended mix that deserves to be here, considering this album was made for DJs. Into the Groove, though, is weird. It's the only song on the entire release that be called a real remix. Remixing in the 1980s was very, very primitive, relying on cheap and gimmicky sampling and sound effects. The mix present here, well, bad, but at the very least, it's a remix. When the actual song kicks in, it's amazing, but then there are minimal interludes over "comecomecomecomecomecomecomecomecomecomecomecomecomecomecomecome-ON! DANCE!" and it's annoying.

Depending on which version of You Can Dance you buy (cassette, vinyl, or CD), you're gonna get various bonus tracks. Much like the entire release, they aren't worth it. Dub mixes that were seriously meant solely for DJs, and if you aren't dancing, there is no reason to listen to them. Overall, it's not a terrible release, but it's certainly no remix album. When I pull this album out to listen to it, usually it's because I want to hear a song and don't feel like looking for my original LP. It's more like a very strange hits collection than a remix release.

Recommended solely for Spotlight.

TRACKLIST
Spotlight
Holiday
Everybody
Physical Attraction
Over and Over
Into the Groove
Where's The Party