Revenge: Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Are we ever going to hear this song by Sophie?? I only wish she decides to release it sometime during her 4th album or upload it as a freebie or on her MySpace...

I was just reading this (http://www.madonnamad.com/blog/?p=62#more-62) and i suddenly realised that i had forgotten all about this. Maybe its time to generate interest in this song again. Hopefully we'll get to listen to this song someday..

Here's Madonna's version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mvXKO9APk8

Mmad.com: Another thing that you have revealed for the first time in Record Collector is that none other than Sophie Ellis Bextor recorded the unreleased Madonna song, ‘Revenge’.

Peter: Yes, indeed she did. Greg Fitzgerald, who co-wrote ‘Revenge’ and who is an all round top bloke told me all about that. It was a similar story to what happened when Kylie recorded ‘Alone Again’. The song was set to be released until someone, not Madonna, pulled the plug on it, which was a pity I think.

I’ve been lucky enough to have heard Sophie’s version of the song and I have to say that her version of ‘Revenge’ is a great pop song that really suits her somewhat aloof, slightly frosty vocal delivery that I think she does so well. I’m a big fan of Sophie’s too and I love what she did with the song and in my humble opinion it would have made a great single for her. Sophie’s touted 2008 greatest hits album was recently scrapped in favour of a forthcoming album of new material, which is great news for fans of her new music (For anyone missing the Confessions… disco sound since Madonna’s went all R&B on us, check out Sophie’s new song ‘Heartbreak Make Me a Dancer’ on her MySpace page – it needs to be released as a single now please!), but that could have been the perfect opportunity for fans to hear her version of ‘Revenge’. So, for now, it still remains unreleased. Hopefully it’ll see the light of day soon in some shape or form.

some news

Apparantly, Sophie had recorded a version of Madonna's Revenge track, but never released it.

You also revealed information about another cover of an unreleased Madonna song - Sophie Ellis Bextor's cover of 'Revenge' from the Ray of Light sessions.

Peter: Yeah, that's right. I was surprised to hear about that. Greg Fitzgerald who co-wrote 'Revenge' told me about that and by the way, he's as nice a guy as he is talented and you must check out his Black Fras project at his website here at www.freeconstruction.org.uk/blackfras.com
Greg had worked with the equally talented Rick Nowells, who as fans will know worked with Madonna on some tracks that made it on to Ray of Light, albeit re-recorded with William Orbit. 'Revenge' was one of just a number of songs that Madonna recorded with Rick that she didn't release and some of them were offered to other artists to record, however, only Laura Pausini's version of Madonna's unreleased 'Like a Flower', re-titled 'Mi Abbandono a Te', would get an official release.

Many fans already know about Kylie recording another Madonna/Nowells track from the Ray of Light sessions, 'Alone Again', because it was so well publicised, even making the cover of The Sun. But unfortunately, someone (not Madonna or Kylie) had a change of heart at the last minute and the song didn't make it onto the B-side of Kylie's 'Come Into My World' as planned. At least we finally go to hear Kylie's version of the song on the soundtrack to her White Diamond documentary last year.

The same thing more-or-less happened with Sophie, which is a shame because her version of 'Revenge' is amazing and in my humble opinion it could easily have been a single. Greg even went to the trouble of recording a live orchestra for the song that really adds a new depth not heard on Madonna's version of the song. Sophie has often mentioned in interviews how she admires Madonna's stage persona and, like Madonna, Sophie also assumes a character when she is performing, albeit in a less theatrical way. So, I think she was a great artist to record a Madonna track.

Sophie is also featuring on Junior Caldera's debut album

Inspired by different music styles, Junior Caldera, after 5 years of music conservatory, made his first steps in rock music before falling into house music in 2002. At the time he was working as a stage designer for several clubs, and met a lot of DJs, like Master Seb who gave him a residency at D! Club in Lausanne. The following year, he won a mix contest on FG Radio and get the opportunity to achieve the warm up for David Guetta at Circus club. Then he mixed in several Parisien clubs, like le Milliardaire, le Rex, le Queen or le Cat Corner during the Festival de Cannes, with Groove Armada, Marshall Jefferson, Jérôme Pacman, Eddie Flashin' Fowlkes. From the turntables to the studio, there is only one step and he started producing several remixes (for Paul Van Dyk, Janet Jackson, Magic System...), so as his own tracks (“Push” in 2006). In 2007, "Sexy" came to life and became a perfect Electro anthem. Playlisted on all major dance radios, the track reached the Top 5 of the French Clubs Charts. Thanks to this success, Junior spent the last past months putting the final touch on some tracks, for his first album "Debut". By listening to them, you should be surprised by Junior's capacity to surf from underground productions to pop songs, made in collaboration with a lot of different artists. You'll recognize powerful or sophisticated vocals of Sophie Ellis Bextor, Elan (signed on No Doubt's label by Tony Kanal and Wailers’ new voice), Lizzy Pattinson (Milk & Sugar, Aurora) or the incredible Vika Kova. Cozi Costi and Carl Ryden (at the origin of the biggest hits from David Guetta and Booty Luv) so as the star DJ Jesse Garcia (lot of remixes, at the origin of "The Underground" by Celeda) participated in the writing or production of some tracks included in "Debut".