Although it may be too iearly in her career to release a definitive greatest hits album, Madonna's "Im-

maculate Collection" succeeds by anyone's standards. Her efforts so far, which have produced seven albums and nine number one hits, are impressive enough to rival the completed careers of most artists. And this album shows that Madonna's still got a long way to go before she's finished with the charts and the music world.

Not a diehard Madonna fan, my initial interests in this compact disc stemmed from the young romance of the dance floor in "Crazy for You" (formerly only available on the little-bought "Vision Quest" soundtrack) and the haunting pleas of "Live to Tell." Her vocals and musical originality are enough to avoid the dreaded classification "bebop," while her tunes are peppy enough to transcend the sometimes harsh quality of "rock." Madonna wins over those from either extreme with her middle-of-the-road approach, which has had fans cheering for almost a decade.

The album follows the superstar's career chronologically. Madonna starts out with her younger work, scoring with such early hits as "Holiday," "Borderline" and "Like a Virgin." Progressing into the public spotlight and on this album, Madonna teases and pleases with classic hits like "Material Girl," "Into the Groove," "Papa Don't Preach" and "Open Your Heart." Madonna further succeeds with juiced-up, slightly remixed versions of her more recent big hits, including "Like a Prayer," "Express Yourself" and perhaps the biggest of her number ones, the dance favorite "Vogue."

With her two newest hits, she seems determined to keep this collection from being a mere compilation. Exploring new ground, Madonna has already been to number one with her erotically whispered and ever-controversial "Justify My Love." And her insistent "Rescue Me" is rapidly climbing toward number one.

Surprise omissions include "True Blue" and the dance favorite "Dress You Up," but Madonna clearly had to limit her "Immaculate Collection" from spilling over onto a second disc. If Madonna's talent and popularity continue, she will no doubt be able to fill several more discs with her greatest hits. n