Opposite Day, Unlike a Virgin: The Immaculate Collection

The last time I saw Opposite Day in concert, guitarist/singer Sam Arnold started playing this riff that was so scintillating familiar, yet I couldn’t quite place it. The next thing I knew, they broke out into a rendition of the greatest song ever written: Madonna’s “Live to Tell.” I was flabbergasted, because my love for that song was already deeply entrenched before I fell in love with their killer version. And if you know Opposite Day, anything they do has their own stamp on it.

Turns out that wasn’t their only Madonna cover. They actually had been performing a showcase of her covers once a year since 2006 of what they call The Immaculate Collection, “art-rock interpretations of Madonna’s ’80s hits”. In 2008, they headed to the studio to lay down these punk, art-rock, jazz tinkering of Madonna’s greatest hits, and Unlike a Virgin was born. What’s great about Unlike a Virgin — which you can only get at http://www.oppositeday.com/madonna.html for free — is that since this record is several years old, you can track Sam’s progression as a vocalist from release to release.

With such classics as “Like a Virgin,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” and “Material Girl,” I don’t have to tell you that the best song on there by far is “Live to Tell.” I can keep that on repeat for hours. I only hope that Madonna’s people don’t sue the pants off my boys; so far, so good. This year’s Unlike a Virgin: The Immaculate Collection show is at Jovita’s in Austin November 20th.