Pre-Madonna

''Pre-Madonna'' (titled ''In the Beginning'' in European countries) is a collection of demos by American singer Madonna. It was released in 1997 by Stephen Bray, who was the producer of the songs when they were recorded, and was distributed by Soultone. Madonna met up with Bray, her former boyfriend, in 1980 when she was trying to establish her music career. She had left the band Breakfast Club and enlisted his help to further her career. Together they started writing songs and recorded them at New York's Music Building studio. The songs recorded at that time were released in ''Pre-Madonna''.

The album was not authorized by Madonna, however, Bray decided to release ''Pre-Madonna'' regardless, and included original demos alongside new remixes. Included were the demo versions of " Everybody" and " Burning Up" which Madonna used for her self-titled debut album. The album received mixed reviews, with some critics deeming the release as unnecessary, while others were delighted to hear Madonna's original recordings.

Background

In 1979, Madonna was trying to establish her career in the music industry. She was the drummer of a band called Breakfast Club, which was headed by the Gilroy brothers, Dan and Ed. After their lead female vocalist left, Madonna was given the role of the lead female singer. However, she wanted to be the only female voice of the band, and opposed against the introduction of another female vocalist, Angie Smith. This led to a dispute between Dan and her, which resulted in Madonna leaving the band. She then formed a new band called Madonna and The Sky, but that also faced a major problem within a few weeks when its principal drummer Mike Shenoy, who had a full-time job and a fiancé, decided to leave the band.

Undaunted by Shenoy's departure, Madonna partnered up with her Michigan boyfriend Stephen Bray. Bray and Madonna had met at the University of Michigan in 1976, where he was working as a waiter in a club at Ann Arbor. Bray used to take Madonna on the tours of his band; after their romance ended, they remained good friends. When Madonna telephoned Bray to come and join the band, he immediately accepted and joined as the drummer replacing Shenoy. Madonna's main focus now was to become a professional singer, and she asked Bray to help her achieve that. Together they started writing songs and recorded them under Gotham Records, in New York's rehearsal studio called the Music Building. They worked on a number of songs, with production provided by Bray: "Ain't No Big Deal", "Laugh to Keep from Crying", "Crimes of Passion", "Don't You Know", and "Stay", along with some songs that Madonna had previously written and recorded, including " Everybody" and " Burning Up". The latter two songs were accepted for Madonna's self-titled debut album in reworked versions produced by Reggie Lucas

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